Hot and Sour Soup

This was a fun and successful experiment. We used the recipe from Williams Sonoma, but we felt that the ingredients were too Americanized, resulting in the loss of that wonderful twang that we like, so we added extra tamarind paste. That definitely did the trick. And here are the delicious results...

Spicy Tofu with Shrimp and Broccoli

The name is pretty accurate. Healthy, fresh, quick, flavorful. A great way to start our work week.

Potato Corn Avocado Chowder

A hearty soup with white and sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, corn, cilantro, shrimp, and sausage garnished with avocado. Yummy and easy.

Moroccan Beef Stew with Chickpeas

The recipe originally called for lamb, but we didn't have any so we used beef. And, rather than simmering for 2 hours, we used the pressure cooker (best invention ever). The base has an intense tomato flavor. The meat falls apart. Cumin, paprika, cilantro and a pinch of crushed red pepper add richness. This recipe is a favorite - healthy, delicious, and enough leftovers to look forward to tomorrow's lunch. Perfect.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Cupcake

We've been cooking all day. Every dish in the kitchen is dirty. And it was worth it. The shining gold star on the day is the salted chocolate mini cupcake with caramel filling. Perfection.

Flatbread with Spicy Beef and Pinenuts

Tonight's dinner was supposed to be Turkish flatbread with lamb. Costco was out of lamb. So, we ground some beef and added some cumin, cinnamon, allspice, clove, parsley, paprika, coriander and toasted pine nuts. I made the flatbread from scratch. Klayton made homemade hummus on the side. Savory and spicy!

Caldo Verde and Chicken and Potatoes

I'm a little behind on posts. Klayton was out of town and I was laying low, but we're back now, baby! Last Saturday, we had a wonderful meal. Orange and ginger chicken and mashed potatoes with freshly grated horseradish. Lots of bite!

We had two great meals today. It started with Caldo Verde. We started by browning some all natural chicken and apple sausage from Costco. Take it out and cook some diced onion in the juices. Add garlic. Add some thinly sliced yellow potato and let it brown a bit. Add chicken broth and cook until potatoes are soft. Take out potatoes and mash. Add sausage, potatoes, and kale back to broth and season. Delicious and fresh. FYI, Kroger has kale for $.59 this week!

Pork and Eggplant

Ginger, garlic, dark and light soy, celery, freshly grated horseradish, tomato paste, chili bean paste, black vinegar, corn starch, eggplant, diced pork. Bold and flavorful.

Malaysian Coconut Curry Soup

We started with the homemade chile paste made of shallot, hot red chile, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro, turmeric and shrimp paste. The soup is a combination of coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, waater and tamarind paste. Add shrimp, squid, and mussels. The recipe called for egg noodles, but we're cutting down on carbs so we used Japanese yam noodles, made from a low carb, high fiber root called konjac. Garnished with Thai basil.

We loved this delicious combination of tangy lime, sweet coconut and savory spices. Again, Asian cultures can't be beat when it comes to balance of flavor. Can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow!

Beef and Broccoli w/Oyster Sauce

Thinly sliced flank steak, fresh broccoli, onion, ginger, garlic with a sauce of oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, peanut oil, Chinese rice wine. Great a dinner and a great lunch the next day. Success!

Pork fried with ginger and pineapple

The ingredients on this one called for pork, black fungus mushrooms, ginger, garlic, pineapple, chili, onion, and some soy sauce. It was a little bland for us. There wasn't enough salt and, with the exception of the pineapple, the flavors were all fairly dull. This was, however, our first time to try the black fungus or cloud mushroom. It had a texture almost identical to pasta which makes us wonder if it might be a healthier substitute? We'll give it a shot sometime.

Spicy red curry squid

Spicy red curry squid was delicious. In a wok with a little oil, fry minced garlic. Stir in a few teaspoons of red curry paste. Then we added about 1 lb of cuttlefish. Next put in 2 Tbs fish sauce,  2 Tbs soy sauce and 1 Tbs sugar. Mix and add a few of the small green, round eggplants, quartered. When they get soft add a diced Thai chili, lime zest, and chopped Thai basil.

Super quick, healthy, and a beautiful balance of flavors. This is going to be a great week!

Firsties!

We're starting off with Asian week!
Tonight - squid with red curry
Sunday - pork fried with ginger and pineapple
Monday we took off work, so we have two meals to prepare
     For lunch - beef curry with sweet basil
     For dinner - Malaysian coconut curry soup
Tuesday - beef and broccoli in oyster sauce
Wednesday -  Sichuan pork and eggplant
Thursday - Indian chicken curry over lentils
I haven't figured out Friday yet.