Basil Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 pound of Chicken Breast

1.5 t Minced Garlic

2 Shallots (or 1 Onion)

1 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum)

1 T Olive Oil

2 ounces Fresh Basil Leaves

Cooked Rice

SAUCE:
1 T Thai Fish Sauce

2 T Sweet Soy Sauce

2 T Chili Garlic Sauce

Instructions

Cut the chicken into long thin strips.

Mince Garlic (if whole).

Finely slice shallots.

Cut the capsicum into long thin strips.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a wok over medium-high temp and add oil when wok is hot.

Add sliced chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning regularly to brown.

Add garlic and shallots and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add capsicum and cook for further 2 minutes.

Add sauce and cook for further minute, then add basil leaves and cook until just wilted (30 seconds).

Serve over cooked rice.

Spicy Corn Chowder

This is a quick throw together dinner. Other than the cream and chilies, it should be all stuff you keep on hand. I got it from The Pioneer Woman--I've made this a lot for cold winter nights. The recipe is about enough for 4 adults as a main, or 8 as a starter.

Ingredients

• 2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-1/2 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
• 5 ears Corn, Shucked (about 4 Cups)
• 2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced (you buy these in a can in the mexican section of your grocery store--just pull out two and save the rest for later!)
• 1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 3 Tablespoons Corn Meal OR Masa
• 1/4 cup Water

Preparation Instructions

(Carefully) slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.

Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

1 TB vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (approx 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups chopped chicken breast

3 cups chicken broth

2 TB chopped fresh cilantro or ½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 TB lime or lemon juice

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp honey

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups of great northern beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups butter beans, (or large lima beans) drained

Crushed tortilla chips

Fresh diced tomatoes

Shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)

Sour Cream

1. Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Add chicken & cook until done.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
3. Serve hot and garnish with corn tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and sour cream if desired.

I usually double the recipe because it makes great leftovers and freezes well.

Apple Butter (Feijoa Jelly) Pork Chops

Is anyone else a little weird about cooking pork? I just have no idea how to do it! I found this recipe from 'our best bites' and decided to give it a try when my husband went shopping on his own and showed up at home with seven massive pork chops (they were, to be fair, a very good price . . .) They make their with apple butter, which doesn't work here. I substituted in feijoa (kind of like guava) jelly. I also think it would work really well with a chili jelly, like those ones mum got in Stafford. This was Justin's favourite thing I've made in ages. 

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. Apparently, you can also just slice a pork sirloin roast, into chops about .5-.75 inches thick)
¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder (I used two cloves crushed fresh garlic)
1 c. high-quality apple cider (I used apple juice)
¼ c. apple butter (see note above)
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard (I just used Dijon mustard we had in fridge--ok, so I kind of made this recipe)
1 tsp. pressed garlic
2 large onions, sliced and caramelized in a separate pan

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture and then brown the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re brown and crispy.

While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to evaporate and thicken. Remove from heat and evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the pork chops. Cover the pan with a lid and place in oven for 30 minutes (if you don't have a fry pan that can go in the oven, just transfer to a baking dish, like a small pirex casserole. I served this with cooked veggies and mashed potatoes, but it would also be nice with rice.

Coconut curried rice

I got this one from 'A cozy kitchen' and tried it out this week--it turned out interesting. They say you can make it with any cooked rice (e.g., use up leftover from another meal), but the coconut rice was nice (although I found the raisins a bit much). The curry bit was good. This fed me and Justin with a bit left over, so I would at least double it if I were feeding ravenous children. If you wanted a non-vegetarian meal, you could add chicken pieces to this, just add with the carrots. We always have lime juice on hand because Justin is obsessed with guacamole, but lemon juice would work fine. I wished we had some lemongrass to add in . . .

For the coconut rice:

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 piece cinnamon stick

1/4 cup raisins

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker and cook. Remove the cinnamon stick and either use immediately or you can refrigerate for a few days until you’re ready to make the fried rice.

For the curry fried rice:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tablespoon red Thai curry paste

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Have all of your ingredients prepared and nearby before you begin to cook. (the rice should be ready at this point). Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the eggs and cook on medium-high heat. When the edges of the eggs begin to set, gently flip them over (or just scramble). Once the eggs are completely cooked, remove from the pan and cut into pieces or strips. Wipe the wok clean with a paper towel.

Heat the rest of the olive oil on medium heat. Add in the carrot and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and curry paste and cook for a minute more, stirring constantly to begin scorching. Add the rice and peas and cook until heated through. Stir in the egg strips, soy sauce (you may want to add a bit more) and lime juice.

Sweet cherry tomato and sausage bake

We still had some sausages in the freezer left over from Bea's blessing, so we were going to make Mandy's sausage recipe this week. After I sent Justin to the store to get all the stuff, I found a sausage casserole recipe in our Jamie Oliver cookbook (Jamie at Home) that I wanted to try. Our cherry tomato plants went crazy this summer (they were almost as tall as I am) and when we couldn't keep up with them, Justin starting putting them in the freezer (where they now make a sound like marbles clinking). Since you can't really thaw a frozen tomato and stick it in a salad, I thought this might be a way of getting through them.

In terms of success, I really liked this--it's quick and easy and tasty and make with stuff I had on hand. Justin wasn't as big a fan, but I think that's because he looked at it and thought it was a curry, and it isn't. The recipe is for 6 people (12 sausages) but you could cut that down/scale it up easily.

2 kgs (about 5 lbs) ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colours if possible)
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay (I didn't have fresh bay, so I just threw in a few dried bay leaves)
1 TBSP dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
12 sausages (calls for Cumberland or Italian pork, I just used basic pork sausages. Probably wouldn't use hot dogs . . .)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put all the tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and sausages (leave whole) into a large roasting dish. Drizzle well with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top and pop into the over for 1/2 hour. Pull the roasting tray from the oven, give it a shake and turn the sausages over. Cook for another 15-30 min, depending on how roasted you like your sausages.

If the sauce is too thin, lift out the sausages and cook over two burners on your stovetop until it cooks down (note, this will thicken a lot when it cools, so don't cook it down too much). Put the sausages back in. Serve either with a loaf of warm crusty bread, or over potatoes, rice, or polenta.

Stuffed Kumera

Kumera are NZ sweet potatoes. We actually have several varieties of these--they show up with roasts, mashed, or even as fries. The following is a quick, easy vegetarian meal. I usually make this with yellow kumera, but you could do it with the orange ones (same as yams) instead. It's basically twice baked potatoes, but with yams and veggies instead.

You need 1 large sweet potato per person. ones that are more potato-like in shape are easier to use than ones that are more twisty carrot-like. Wash the sweet potatoes, and roast at about 400F for 1/2 hour or so til soft. Allow to cool a bit, then cut in half and scoop out insides into a large bowl. Mash with sour cream (about 1 cup of sour cream for 3-4 yams). Mix in veggies (I just use the frozen veggie mix where they're cut up really small, but up to you) and shredded cheese. I also like to fry up some bacon (ok, not a real vegetarian meal), and crumble into it. Refill sweet potato skins, cover with cheese, and warm in oven til cheese melts. I usually serve this with salad.

Sweet and sour meatballs

This is a really easy yummy dinner. It's also nice if you like 70's era Hawaiian nostalgia . . . you know, the blending of Asian and western foods and the random use of pineapple. We had this last night, and I kept thinking they probably served it at the midnight buffet on the Love Boat. You could probably just make it with the frozen meatballs that mum buys, but since we don't have Costco in NZ, I had to actually touch raw ground beef. Justin points out that it didn't kill me. There's a lot of sympathy in our marriage . . .

From "The Pioneer Woman".

Meatballs:

• 1.25 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix together and form into small meatballs (about 20 or so). Line on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 15 min (this is just to keep them from falling apart during cooking--Jamie could instead set them outside for 1 min . . .)

While they are freezing, chop up the vegetables and make the sauce.

Vegetables:

• 2 whole bell peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple, chopped

The recipe calls for fresh pineapple, but I just used canned. Fresh would have been better, but that's generally true.

Sauce:

• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch

Roll the balls in a small bowl of flour. Fry in batches in a canola oil. Set aside. Drain excess oil from the pan and throw in the bell peppers. Fry for one minute*, add the pineapple and fry for another minute. Pour in the sauce and add back the meatballs. Boil together gently until the sauce thickens. Add rice and additional chili powder as needed. Serve over rice.

* I followed these instructions last night, but I found that cooking that long made the bell peppers too soft. When I do this next, I'll either cook the peppers quickly then set aside before adding pineapples and the sauce, or just skip that step entirely and add them at the end.

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