Thai Peanut Slaw with Chicken

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Was it colorful? Nutritious? Tasty? Filling? No?

Bummer.

Try this instead.

Ingredients:

Dressing

1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled & chopped

1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon white rice vinegar

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon water

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional; omit if you don't want it spicy)

Slaw

5 cups shredded cabbage (or one 10oz bag of broccoli slaw, I say broccoli because neither the hubs nor I are particularly fond of cabbage)

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup raw green peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

 
Puree dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor to a consistency similar to apple sauce. Man I love this ninja. It just makes beautiful things.

 
In large bowl, toss together slaw ingredients.

 
Then add the dressing. Toss well. Refrigerate for an hour or so. This will keep up to 3 days super fresh.

 

Pile on a plate, toss your chicken on top.  Seriously? Could it be any easier? If I was smart I would have made it last night so I wouldn't have had to worry about it today. Wraps tomorrow? You betcha.

 

 

It was that good (and I HATE peas).

 

Kale Chips

Kale.

That phantom leafy green that no one can describe other than to say "well, um... it's like spinach. kind of."

The hubs and I have decided we need a change and in an effort to eat healthier and continue to be active I've been in search of new snacks. My big sis suggested kale chips, it's how she got her toddler to start eating veggies. If it worked for a toddler, I was hoping it would work for the hubs. ;)

When I say this is easy... I mean it's so easy my friend Jules can do it... she blows up hot chocolate in the microwave.

Ingredients:

Kale
Sea salt

Look at it... laying there in all its nutritious glory. Isn't it beautiful? Vivacious even? I'm just kidding. It's spinach. It's hideous.

 
Tear your kale up into bite sized pieces. It looks, smells and tastes a lot like parsley. I would say the consistency is much closer to that than to spinach.

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• No joke, line a baking sheet with foil, spray it with Pam (or homemade, cheaper stuff - equal parts water/vegetable oil or canola oil).
• Sift some sea salt over those bad boys. I know I know... I never add salt to ANYTHING, but it gives it flavor other than kale.

Bake. Patiently. With a watchful eye for 13-15 minutes depending on how crisp you want your chips.

And done. Did you do it? Was it easy?  

 
Told ya.

 
Now go do it again. This time try a little curry and chili powder. Gives it an extra kick. :)

Shahi Paneer

Prarthana is a dear friend, and for the past I don't know, year, I have been craving this dish that she made. When I asked her for the recipe she said, why don't you just come over and I'll teach you how to make it! Duh, of course I said ok.

Sorry I don't have many pictures, but this dish is awesome. Do yourself a favor and don't look into the calorie or fat content of this meal.

Ingredients:

1 package Paneer (can be found at Whole Foods or an Indian market)
2 cans tomato paste
2 green peppers, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic
3-4 green chilis (found at Whole Foods or an Indian market)
3-4 red chilis
1 sticks butter
1/2 quart heavy cream
1 tbsp butter chicken mix (found at Whole Foods or an Indian market) - you can put more in to taste, it'll get pretty spicy.
Vegetable oil (for frying)

• Melt the butter
• Add red and green chilis, garlic, and pepper, simmer until brown (chilis first, then pepper)
• If you want to get fancy, while your chilis and peppers are simmering, cube your paneer and then fry it in vegetable oil until golden brown on all sides
•  Add tomato paste
• Add cream slowly to get a thick consistency
• Add equal parts water
• Bring to a boil
• Add shahi to your fried paneer and bring it to simmer
• Add cilantro

Serve with naan and enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Chowder

What do you do when your fridge is full of yummy food but you don't want to make anything that you actually planned for dinner? You improvise (duh). I had chicken sausage, broth, cilantro, etc. in my fridge and I wanted soup. Not just a craptastic thin, un-filling soup, but a thick, delicious, hearty stew. Hence, chowdah.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup sweet white onion
1/2 red pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 chipotles in adobo, minced, plus 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce
One 12 ounce package roasted garlic chicken sausage, cut quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups shredded jalapeno Monterey jack
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Additional toppings: Sour cream, cilantro, tomatoes, crumbled cornbread, avocado and lime juice



 

 

• Prepare all of your veggies.
• Trust me, you'll thank me later.  
•  In a large pot, bring your broth to a boil, add your potatoes, reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until your spuds are soft.
• While your potatoes are cooking, toss your olive oil into a pan and heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until soft. 

 

 

 

 

 

• Add your red pepper, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, chipotle and adobo sauce, and cook for another minute or two.
• When all of your veggies are soft, toss in your sausage and cook until starting to brown. Set this aside until your potatoes are tender. 

 

 

• Once your potatoes are tender, add the sausage.

Add your cheese in small handfuls so it has a chance to melt. Stir in your sour cream and cilantro. DO NOT PANIC! Your soup may look slightly curdled like below, keep stirring.

And voila! Garnish your soup with whatever toppings float your boat and you have a hearty, healthy, delicious chowder.

Candied Almonds

Bless Budget Bites for giving me a Wednesday night crave. I have never made a more simple, but delicious recipe. I didn't take photos because really... three steps. 

1. Stir.
2. Pour.
3. Bake. 

My 3 year old could do it. So you should too! I made a smaller portion so you don't have to make an entire pound of almonds at one time. Trust me. You don't want to make a pound. You'll be forced to eat them all.

Ingredients

8 oz. shelled almonds
1/6 cup brown sugar
1/6 of a cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed.

Separate the egg white from the yolk. Place the white in a large glass or metal bowl and whisk until light and frothy, but it is not yet forming peaks (no clear liquid should remain in the bottom of the bowl). Add the vanilla extract and whisk again until incorporated.

Add the almonds to the egg whites and stir to coat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and stir to coat again.

Spread the sugar coated almonds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through. *Note - Don't freak out when you open your oven after 15 minutes and the liquid looks sticky and has spread out. If you've properly greased your foil or used parchment paper use a spatula to stir it all together. That liquid will continue to bake until you get a lovely, crunchy coating to your almonds.

After baking, allow the almonds to cool, during which time coating will solidify into a crunchy candy shell.

Next up - pecans. My favorite. :)