Javanese Chicken Curry

This is another recipe from my M-I-L.  Thanks, Ruth, for all the great things you've taught me, especially to love Indian food!  And I do love it!  In fact, since marrying into this family I've learned to love curry in lots of forms, be it Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, whatever.  It's just good!  I don't like it too spicy (one pepper on the menu is perfect, two is do-able but just barely, three is HOT MAMA get me some chocolate milk!), but I do like it.  This, again, is my version of her recipe.  My kids LOVE this.  I know, they're weird kids.  They love curry, and won't touch mac-n-cheese.  Somehow that doesn't bother me much.

Javanese Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup curry powder (I use mild, but you can adjust the spiciness and amount of curry to taste)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 cup cream
2 T butter, melted
4 tsp flour
1 lemon, juiced
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 lb chicken, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (use leftover chicken or grill up 2 large chicken breasts)
Shredded coconut
Chopped almonds
Mango chutney
Steamed rice

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute, then add 1 cup of the chicken broth and heat until warm.  Stir in cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, peanut butter, tomato paste, and curry powder.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes, reducing heat to medium-low.  Add remaining broth and the brown sugar, then let simmer while you prepare the cream.

In a small mixing bowl combine the melted butter and flour until a smooth paste forms.  In a separate small saucepan heat the cream over medium-high heat for 1 minute.  Stir in the flour mixture and whisk together until the cream begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and whisk cream mixture into the curry mixture.  Add lemon juice, then stir in mango and chicken.

Serve over hot steamed rice, and top with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and a hefty dollop of mango chutney.

Serves 5-6.

Mango Chutney

Mango chutney is one of my favorite sides.  I love it.  I love it, I should say, when it's homemade.  I am not a fan of the store-bought stuff, which tastes (to me, anyway) like floor cleaner with some sugar stirred in.  I like my mango chutney sweet and sour and spicy and sticky and delicious.  I love it on curry. It's also good poured abundantly over a whole package of plain cream cheese, and then dipped into with crackers.  My mother-in-law makes a mean mango chutney.  This is her recipe, the way I make it.  It keeps practically forever if you put it in jars in your fridge or freezer.  Enjoy!

Mango Chutney

Ingredients:
3 large mangos (unripe is better than ripe)
1 stick cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T ginger root, grated OR 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger 
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder 
1 T salt
1/4 cup white raisins (regular are also fine)
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
4 cups sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes.  It should be really juicy by this point.  Remove the cover, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thick, about 45 minutes.  Pour into jars and let cool completely before covering.  Chutney will thicken upon standing. 

Makes about 6 cups.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of my mom's favorite recipes.  She gave me a copy of it a couple of years ago, and I saw that it had the name "Emeril" on it.  So I guess it's actually his recipe!  It's a great one, with such a fun combination of flavors.  And it's super quick--it takes longer to chop up the ingredients than it does to cook it!  I apologize for the lack of photo; we were having friends for dinner and I forgot to snap some photos!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
1 T minced garlic
1/2 small jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (about 2 t) OR 1/4 t cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
3 T lime juice
1 t chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish if desired
1 cup chopped tomatoes
crushed tortilla chips
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
Sour cream (optional)
Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring 2-3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened.  Add garlic and jalapeno and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add chicken and cook for about 3 minutes. The chicken will brown slightly.  Stir in chicken broth, cumin, coriander, and lime juice.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in cilantro and tomatoes and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

To serve, place about 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips in a serving bowl.  Ladle the hot soup over the chips and garnish with a little cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, and grated cheese as desired.
Serves 5-6.

Balsamic and Rosemary Roast Chicken

My friend Taunya posted this recipe a few months ago, and I am just now getting around to trying it.  I had never roasted a whole chicken before, but I figured after doing a few Thanksgiving turkeys it would be no problem.  When the boys saw me pull an entire chicken out of a bag they thought it was hilarious, so they took a few pictures.  So luckily I have some pictures of this recipe (though they are post-drumstick)!

This was pretty easy to make, though it does have to cook a long time.  We loved the 'dipping sauce,' and the kids did as well.  We served it with my whole wheat and flax seed bread and some steamed veggies; she recommended to serve it with roasted potatoes and salad.  Either way, it was delicious!

Balsamic and Rosemary Roast Chicken

Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Dipping Sauce:
2 teaspoons soy sauce
8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 teaspoons brown sugar

Directions:
Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mince together 1 tablespoon of rosemary and 1 clove of garlic. Loosen the chicken skin (you may need to cut the membrane at the front a bit) and rub the flesh with olive oil and then the herb mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper. Put 2 rosemary sprigs into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting bag and put 2 more rosemary springs next to the chicken. Refrigerate up to 24 hours before cooking. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes per pound (about 1 hour 20 minutes) at 350 degrees.

Just before serving, in a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Heat until warmed but don't boil.

Carve the chicken and remove the skin. Use the sauce as a dipping sauce while eating.

Whole Wheat Bread with Flax Seeds

Thursday night, after making that calzone and cinnamon roll dinner, I attended an activity sponsored by our church about Heart Healthy Eating.  Needless to say I was instantly reminded of the unhealthy dinner I had just eaten, and vowed to do better.  Actually, I'm pretty healthy most of the time, eating mostly whole-grains, and a fair amounts of fruits and veggies, etc.  ANYWAY, the one thing that I left with was the benefits of Flax Seeds.

Flax seeds are apparently the best source of Omega-3 fatty acids out there, better than salmon or walnuts or anything else by a large margin.  Omega's are the ones that improve your good (HDL) cholesterol and lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol.  Flax seeds also have lots of fiber, and other scientific things that I can't remember but are very good for us.  So on Friday when I went to the store I bought some flax seeds.

First thing to know about flax seeds is that they can jam up your very expensive wheat grinder, and if you don't have a husband who can fix things that's very bad news.  The good thing is that a coffee grinder grinds them perfectly without any jamming.  First lesson learned!

So I decided to make some whole wheat bread with both ground flax seeds as well as some whole flax seeds, just to see how it would work out.  Honestly, this is the best bread I've ever tasted.  I love it.  We ate half a loaf with dinner last night and the rest of it is already gone today.  I'm going to make more tomorrow, but this time double the recipe so I can eat it for longer than a day.  So here it is!

Whole Wheat Bread with Flax Seeds

Ingredients:
1 cup scalded milk (scalded means you bring it to a boil, then immediately remove from heat)
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 T canola oil
1 T yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flax seeds (flax meal)
3 T whole flax seeds

In a large bowl, combine the scalded milk, honey, salt, and oil.  Let sit until lukewarm, about 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the yeast and warm water.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Add the egg to the milk mixture and mix well, then add the yeast mixture and stir again.  Add the flours and flax meal and mix until a soft dough forms, then add the whole flax seeds and stir until evenly distributed.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5-8 minutes.  Shape into a smooth ball and place in a greased bowl.  Brush the top of the dough with oil, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1- 1 1/2 hours.  Punch dough down, then shape into a loaf shape.  Place in a greased loaf pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let rise in warm place until double, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.  Makes one loaf, though recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Calzone

I had plans to make something else for dinner tonight but we were missing a few key ingredients and I didn't have time to go to the store today (Crazy Thursdays at our house), so I decided to make Calzone instead.  They're easy, I had everything on hand, and I knew I could use the leftover dough to make cinnamon rolls for dessert.  So other than my arteries, nobody was complaining!

You can use your favorite pizza dough recipe, or if you're in a hurry you can use this recipe:

Quick Bread Dough

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 T yeast
2 T sugar
1 T salt
5-6 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425F.  Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine 5 cups flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add the yeast mixture and mix until a dough forms.  Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, incorporating as much of the remaining cup of flour as necessary.  Form into a ball and cover;  let rest for 15 minutes.  Punch dough down, then form into desired shape.  Let rest additional 10 minutes, then bake for 13-15 minutes.

Calzones

Ingredients
Pizza or bread dough
Pizza or pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
Favorite pizza toppings, such as (pre-cooked) meat, peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, etc.

Using a ball of dough that is approximately 3 inches in diameter, roll into a 1/4"-thick circle.  Or, if you are making one large calzone, use a 6-inch ball of dough and roll into a large 1/4"-thick circle.  Spread pizza sauce on half of the circle, leaving a 1/2" border around edge.  Then place desired pizza toppings, followed by mozzarella cheese.  Pull the empty dough over the top of the filled dough, essentially 'folding' the circle of dough in half, to form a half-circle.  Seal the edges of the half-circle with fingers or by pressing the flat tines of a fork against the edges.  Carefully remove the calzone and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Let rest 10 minutes.

Bake calzones for approximately 13 minutes at 425F, or until lightly browned on top.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving, as cheese and other filling will be extremely hot!

If you use my dough recipe, you can make approximately 12 small calzones or 4 large ones.  Or you can use half the dough, and make 15 cinnamon rolls with the rest!

Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad is one of my all-time favorite salads.  This recipe is originally from America's Test Kitchen, with only a few changes by me.  It is a little more time-consuming to make than your average throw-it-all-together salad, but it doesn't take much longer than making an average cooked dinner.  And since its so delicious and covers your basic dinner needs (i.e., protein and veggies), you can eat it as a meal in and of itself.  Which is what I did tonight.  Since it's a salad, you can leave out an ingredient or two and it won't horribly change the overall flavor.  It also keeps pretty well for an extra day, so you can have the leftovers for lunch.

Cobb Salad

Chicken Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T salt
1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve salt and sugar in 1 qt cool water in a large Ziplock bag.  Submerge the chicken and let brine in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Adjust oven rack so it is 6 inches from the broiler element.  Remove chicken from the brine solution and dry with paper towels.  Place on a greased broiler pan and broil 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and cooked throughout.
Slice chicken on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick pieces; set aside.

Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 t)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 t sugar
1/4 t salt
pinch ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.  Set aside.

Salad Ingredients:
8 cups salad greens (romaine, Boston, iceberg, endive, watercress, arugula, etc.  I usually buy the Organics mix)
2 hard-boiled eggs, each sliced into 8 slices
2 avocados, sliced into 1/2" wide slices
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4" wedges
6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 T minced fresh chives
2 oz blue or feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Toss the salad greens with 1/3 cup of the dressing in a large salad bowl.  Arrange chicken slices and wedges of hard-boiled egg on top of greens and drizzle with 2 T of the dressing.  Toss the avocados and tomatoes in the remaining dressing, then arrange over the salad.  Sprinkle bacon, chives, and cheese over the salad.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 as a main course.