Tag: Dinner

Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup

Published on by greenandgrateful22 Comments

What is comfort food for you? I’m full blooded American of English, German, Scottish descent and this definitely isn’t my definition of comfort food! If I was pregnant I probably wouldn’t even want to eat it! We do eat a lot of Asian foods around here, but they still definitely don’t qualify as comfort food.

For dear hubby that is a totally different answer though. He actually made dinner tonight and he said this was perfect comfort food for him! I was so blessed to not have to cook I probably would have eaten anything… but I do have to say I LOVE just about anything that he makes. I can only think of one meal that I didn’t like and it was a chicken rice soup with a raw egg in it for breakfast. Not really my cup of tea for breakfast… or any part of the day for that matter!

This really turned out great and the whole family really enjoyed it. I copied this recipe from the epicurious website, but dear hubby did change it a bit to make it fit our diets a little better, but I’m sure it tasted better too! Below is the original and the “variations” sections lists the changes we made to it. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have a husband that cooks. Not only cooks, but cooks AMAZING foods! Give this a try and let me know what you think of it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup

Ingredients:
4 ounces cellophane noodles
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1–2 red Thai (or jalapeño) peppers, seeded and finely chopped (plus slices for garnish)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon (or lime) juice
4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, divided
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each), cut into 2 1/2-inch-long by 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (plus sprigs for garnish)

Instructions:
Place noodles in a bowl; add enough warm water to cover and let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.
Combine broth, pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon juice and 3 tablespoon fish sauce in a medium saucepan.
Season with salt.
Bring to a simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more.
Using tongs, transfer noodles to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add mushrooms to broth; season with salt, if desired; simmer 3 minutes more.
Add chicken and coconut milk and simmer, stirring, until chicken is just cooked, about 3 minutes.
Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute.
Add chopped cilantro and season with remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce.
Using tongs, divide noodles among 4 bowls.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of pepper.

Variations:

[amazon_link id=”B005LMCD8E” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Gold Mine Kelp Noodles, 16-Ounce (Pack of 6)[/amazon_link]

We had never used these before, but I found then at Wegmans and got them to give them a try.  We LOVED them!  They are similar to asian rice noodles, but a little more chewey and were perfect for this soup.

We also used 4 fish fillets instead of the chicken and it turned out great and had a fantastic texture and flavor.

[amazon_link id=”B001EO5ZHO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Huy Fong, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, 17-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6)[/amazon_link]

We also added hot sauce to it.  Brian said he didn’t add the pepper since we didn’t have one and Koa, #2 son doesn’t really like hot foods.  It tasted a bit bland, but after adding Sriracha to it, it was much better!

We also didn’t have the spinach so we just left it out!  Would definitely like to try adding it the next time.  I’m sure it would add flavor and loads of vitamins!

Pork Diane

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This is going to be a new favorite! It was done in 30 minutes like the recipe said! I was shocked! It was so easy and so delicious! This recipe was from the [amazon_link id=”0696210274″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of 30-Minute Dinners[/amazon_link] and is found on page 31 although if you compare it, you will notice I made a few alterations/perfections!

It was a great meat and potatoes recipe. Brian isn’t really supposed to be having potatoes, but there are so many good things in them. I think he should be eating them every so often. Just so it isn’t every day! He isn’t a huge fan of potatoes anyway! I also served this with applesauce that I canned last year. It was a huge hit and I could have saved that and offered it as dessert!

Pork Diane
Ingredients:
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce (Most brands have corn syrup in it and white wine is a good substitute)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard – (fermented mustard works well too)
1 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into four ¾ to 1 inch slices
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (be sure it doesn’t have MSG in it) – (can also use lemon zest and freshly ground pepper)
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP fresh chives or parsley

Instructions:
For sauce, stir together the water, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and mustard; set aside

Sprinkle both sides of each slice with lemon pepper seasoning. In a 10 inch skillet cook pork in butter over medium heat for 6-10 minutes or until just slightly pink in centers and juices run clear, turning one. Remove meat from skillet. Keep warm. Remove skillet from heat.

Add sauce to skillet. Stir until well blended. Pour sauce over meat; sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Potatoes:
I just cut up a handful of small potatoes and cooked them in a little bit of water and bacon grease with some salt and pepper and an onion and a few cloves of garlic. They turned out delish as well!

Stuffed Zucchini

Published on by greenandgrateful21 Comment

I know I’ve said this before, that I don’t really like zucchini. Sorry if you are getting repeat info.. but I really don’t like it. Maybe I’m growing up and actually becoming a big girl and my tastes are changing! I had zucchini coming out my ears and needed to find something to do with it. Continue reading “Stuffed Zucchini” →

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts

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What to do about soy? As I’m sure many of you know soy (unless fermented) really isn’t a good idea to eat a lot of. We used to eat tofu once weekly to make it easier to have a meatless meal and save a few bucks (or quite a few bucks if buying the good stuff!). We have severely cut down on the tofu and now eat it only about once a month. I’d like to try a few recipes with tempeh since it is fermented and actually quite good for you, but haven’t worked myself up to it. I need to find a few recipes that sound good before I purchase it! Any ideas or recipes would be quite helpful! Continue reading “Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts” →

Butternut Squash Soup

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Mmmm… This soup is one of my favorites. We just had it last week and it still makes my mouth water to think about it! I know this is often thought of as a winter time soup, but we served it luke warm on a 95 degree day with some cool salad and fruit and it was perfect! Continue reading “Butternut Squash Soup” →

Vegetable Pie

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Mmmm! Just saying Vegetable Pie makes my mouth start to water!

A few weekends ago we spent two nights camping in our friend’s front yard! It wasn’t quite camping… the only similarity it held was the fact that we slept in a tent and had a campfire! Otherwise we enjoyed being outside, but didn’t do any hiking, cooking over a fire or any of that stuff. We had the comforts of home with the enjoyment of sleeping under the stars!

Continue reading “Vegetable Pie” →

Simple Soy Sauce Salmon

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I’m all about simple and delicious these days! This recipe does take a little bit of prep work and a few steps, but it can be prepped ahead of time or during kid’s afternoon naps! This is so delish it is making my mouth water as I sit here typing about it. I’ve already made my meal plans for this week, but I might have to change them so we can have this again!
Until this year we haven’t eaten much fish because I just haven’t really known how to cook it. We didn’t eat it much growing up and I guess I’ve just learned to cook like my Mom… and have ventured out from there! She certainly gave me a good start in healthy, wholesome, cheap cooking! Continue reading “Simple Soy Sauce Salmon” →

Venison Vindaloo

Published on by greenandgrateful24 Comments

What an AWESOME dish! I just love Indian food and so does Brian. I have taken two trips to India for medical missions and the food always amazes me. It is so full of flavor, a little bit spicy and with some sort of meat, but you really weren’t sure what it was. We were always told it was chicken, but sometimes I swore the rabbit cages had one less rabbit, or maybe one less stray dog today?! Not really sure… Continue reading “Venison Vindaloo” →

Poor Man’s Crab Cakes

Published on by greenandgrateful23 Comments

This is one of our newest recipes; but is quickly becoming one of our favorites. We have had it multiple times and it’s just as good if not better each time! Who can afford to have crab cakes every few weeks! Certainly not us! 😉 I’m sure that is true of so many!  The Old Bay seasoning in these makes a big difference. Mmm Yummy! I hope you enjoy as much as we do!  Continue reading “Poor Man’s Crab Cakes” →

Tortillas are back!

Published on by greenandgrateful26 Comments

Brian LOVES enchiladas and I do too and so do the kids! So… I was on a mission to figure out how I could make that possible. So I stumbled upon this recipe for grain-less tortillas! They are actually more like the consistency of crepes and could be used as such, but better than nothing! I did make the enchiladas and they were quite tasty. It was a lot of work since the meat had to be precooked, beans presoaked, coconut milk made, tortillas made and then assembled. It did turn out delish, but I’m not about to make this on a weekly basis!

Continue reading “Tortillas are back!” →