Monday, April 30, 2012

Reese's Peanut Butter S'mores (Microwave Version)

Yum
 My kids love everything about s'mores.... the marshmallows, the graham cracker and the of course the chocolate.  I think s'mores are pretty tasty too... but the traditional way of heating them over an open flame (campfire) is not always convenient.  I never thought about using the microwave to make s'mores until I saw it on a you-tube video. My kids and I had a blast putting the marshmallows in the microwave and watching them blow up and expand by 2-3x their size then get melted and gooey.   I decided to swap out the plain milk chocolate that is traditionally used in s'mores with my favorite chocolate the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  I loved the added salty flavor the peanut butter from the Reese's gives the s'more.  The microwave version is fast, safe and easy.  Once you start this method, there will definitely be more s'mores for everyone.


 Ingredients:
package of plain graham crackers
package of large marshmallows
bag of Reese's Peanut butter cups


 Directions:
On a microwave safe plate, place graham crackers with Reese's peanut butter cup and marshmallow as shown. 

Note:  I used Easter Reese's cups in the shape of an Egg from from my after Easter Holiday candy purchases, but you can use regular Reese's cups instead.  If you use the mini cups you will have to break them up a bit beforehand because they are too thick.

Depending on your microwave, heat marshmallow and chocolate in microwave for 10-20 seconds. I did mine for 15 seconds.  The marshmallow will get really big and then soft and the chocolate should get warm enough to melt easily.  Invert them together and allow to melt for a few seconds before eating. Enjoy.



 
Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Mango Salsa

Yum
Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits.  It is one fruit I love in both sweet and savory dishes.  Mangoes are a perfect ingredient to make a chutney and now this salsa.  This salsa could not be easier with only a handful of ingredients, but it certainly gives you one heck of a party in your mouth.  I made this salsa to go with my Masala Spiced Shrimp Cocktail and it was a fantastic combination together.  You can also accompany this salsa with any grilled fish, chicken or pork dish or you can eat it just with a spoon like I did.


Ingredients:
2 ripe mango skinned and diced small (see note)
2 Tbs red onion minced
1-2 green chiles (seeded) minced (serrano or jalapeno)
1 fresno chili or mild red chili minced
1 tsp of honey
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Note:  I recommend a champagne mango (or alphonso) for this salsa. This kind of mango is much smaller and more oblong long than the traditional mangoes.  They are not fibrous so you get a wonderful buttery fruit.

Directions:
Prep all ingredients and mix together. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Served fresh at room temperature or chilled. Enjoy.







Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Spicy Kielbasa, Tomato and Chili Curry

Yum
 I know... I know... ANOTHER kielbasa dish!  I have really enjoyed working with this ingredient and playing around with it's versatility.  Actually to tell you the truth, this was not even supposed to be a recipe I was going to do for the blog.  I was just cooking something quick to give my husband a "meat" dish to eat with the rice and vegetables curries (Mild Potato Curry and Okra Curry) we had as leftovers.  Since the kielbasa is already precooked I just needed to brown it and and add some spices to it.  When I started to slice the kielbasa I realized that this dish may intrigue some of you so I grabbed my camera. The entire dish took only a few minutes at the stove to make and I winged it when it came to the ingredients.  Since it tasted fantastic, I was so happy that I decided to take the pictures of the step by step process so I could share it.  It complimented our rice and curry meal perfectly, but it would go great with naan, roti, bread, noodles... almost anything. If you like kielbasa and love spicy dishes this one is a winner.


Ingredients:
1lb of you favorite Kielbasa
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 green chilies chopped
1 Tbs of ginger-garlic-paste or 1/2 Tbs each
2 cups of grape tomatoes (I don't recommend using canned tomatoes)
1/2 tsp turmeric
red chili flakes to taste
1 tsp of paprika
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp of canola oil
 
Directions:
Slice your kielbasa into 1/2 inch slices and chop onions and chilies.   Heat canola oil in frying pan and add the onions and chilies to brown for  2-3 minutes.  Then add the kielbasa and cook for another 2-3 minutes to brown.  Next add the turmeric, chili, ginger and garlic.  Allow all ingredients to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the grape tomatoes and paprika.  Fry for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to pop and some of their juices come out to flavor the dish. Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Eat with rice, noodles, bread.  Enjoy.
 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Giant Chocolate Oatmeal Ice Cream Sandwiches

Yum

My daughter and I were walking through the grocery store when the ice cream aisle called out to us.  I just wanted a 1/2 gallon of ice cream, but she made a bee-line to the ice cream sandwiches.  After a few seconds of her trying to convince me to buy them, I stuck to my budget and said no because they cost way too much.  Then I decided I could probably make them for much less at home and that made her very happy.   So as I was coming up with my baking plan to make these ice cream cookie sandwiches, I decided why not try to make them a little bit healthier by adding some oatmeal to the cookie.  So that's just what I did...and this is how the great ice cream sandwich experiment turned out.

 Ingredients:
1 box of devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup water
4 cups of oatmeal (old fashioned)
ice cream of choice


 Directions:
Using an electric mixer, mix cake mix with eggs, water and oatmeal until it forms a very thick stiff batter.  To make the giant cookies, use an ice cream scoop to portion them out and place them on a greased baking sheet.  Then take a spoon coated with oil or cooking spray to flatten the raw cookie dough down.   Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes until the cookies feel dry on the top.  Take out of the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes on the baking tray to cool.  Then remove them and allow them to fully cool on a cookie rack.  Once at room temperature, find matching size cookies and add some ice cream in between.   These are large ice cream sandwiches so you cut them in half to share for little tummies.  Note: You can make the ice cream sandwiches ahead of time and store them in freezer bags to eat as you wish.  Just remove them out of the freezer for 2-3 minutes before serving. Enjoy.  Makes16 large cookies (8 ice cream sandwiches).



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Strawberry-Lemon Iced Tea

Yum
 As the warmer days of spring and summer approach, nothing hits the spot like a glass of ice tea or lemonade.  I actually love to mix the two together because I find it gives a sweet and tart balance that is amazing.  This time I decided to get creative and threw in some fresh strawberries for flavor and a gorgeous color to make this festive Strawberry-Lemon Iced Tea.   As a Sri Lankan a good quality tea is a must have in any household. My favorite brand of tea is Aura brand of Ceylon Teas by Almar Teas.  Aura makes strawberry and lemon flavored teas that are delicious. So I took a little help from them by using their flavored teas and enhancing it with some fresh lemon juice and strawberries. It may be hot outside, but with a refreshing glass of this tea, you can relax and actually feel good your are drinking something full of vitamins and antioxidant.


 Ingredients:
6-8 tea bags
2 cup of fresh strawberries
Juice of 2 lemons
Sugar or sweetener to taste
8 cups of water (divided)


Directions:
Boil 2 cups of water and steep tea bags for 3-4 minutes. Allow hot tea to cool down or add some cool water to cool it down.  Pour tea with fresh hulled strawberries and lemon juiced into a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the blended mixutre with a fine mesh strainer. Add remaining water and sugar or sweetener.  Taste.  Garnishes with fresh strawberries and/or lemons. Enjoy.

 Note:  To make this a fizzy drink you can add club soda for the remaining water.



  
Disclosure: I received the Aura Ceylon Teas courtesy of  Almar Teas.  I was not compensated in any way for writing this post.  The opinions stated in this post are my own. Thank you. 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sweet and Spicy Mango Chutney

Yum
Chutneys are used a lot with rice and curry meals.  It's gives a little added sweet and tangy flavor to your plate with the other more spicy dishes.  Chutneys can be made from many types of vegetables and fruits.  This is a mango chutney made with ripe fresh mangoes.

PS... this is another recipe re-do from the early days of my blog.  I always like making mango chutney... but I desperately needed to take better photos.

Ingredients:
2 mangoes chopped
1 Tbs of grated ginger
1 Tbs of grated garlic
1/4 cup white or cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 Tbs red chili powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick





Directions:

Wash and peel the mango.  Then slice the meat off the fruit around the large pit.  Chop the mango into small pieces.  You can also plus them in a food processor. Then grate 1 Tbs of ginger and 1 Tbs of garlic.

Tip:  I use a vegetable/potato peeler to easily peel the skin off the mango.

On medium-high heat add vinegar, sugar, water, salt, red chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon stick in a pan.  Then add the chopped mango and grated garlic/ginger.  Stir well and bring mango mixture to a gently bubble on stove.

Cook for 15-20 minutes stirring and smashing the mango until it is fully cooked and there are no raw pieces.  You want the liquid to evaporate and become a very thick glaze.  Taste for salt and flavor here.    Allow to cool completely. Store mango chutney in the fridge.  Enjoy.

Note: I recommend waiting 24 hours before eating the chutney to give it more time for the flavors to develop.



 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Shrimp and Asparagus Biryani

Yum

I am a big fan of the one-pot dinner.  This Shrimp and Asparagus Biryani was a great one-pot meal.  My family (even the picky eaters) enjoyed this wonderful flavorful shrimp and rice dish with a cool cucumber raita on the side. Biryani sounds like it would take all day to make, but it took me less than 30 minutes to get the biryani ready for the oven and then another 30 minutes baking it before we were eating dinner. If you are not familiar with biryani, it's a flavorful and spice infused rice based dish made with meat, eggs, and/or vegetables.  This Shrimp and asparagus make a wonderful light biryani and it's a great dish to have at a party because it's like a party in your mouth.



Ingredients:
For the rice:
2 cups of rice rinsed well.  I recommend basmati style rice. I also used brown basmati
10 cups of water
6 whole black peppercorns (optional)
4 cloves
4 green cardamoms
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick

For the shrimp and asparagus curry:
1lb of shrimp cleaned
1lb of sliced asparagus
1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk milk
12-15 fresh leaves
1 medium onion
4-5 dry chilies (broken)
6-10 whole black peppercorns (optional)
6 green cardamoms pods
3 black cloves
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 Tbs salt (or to taste)
1 Tbs of curry powder
1Tbs of canola oil





Directions:

The Rice:
Start by parboiling the rice. You will want to wash and drain 2 cups of rice then add black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamoms, bay leaves and cinnamon stick.


Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling allow to cook for 6-10 minutes.  I suggest cooking the white rice for about 6 minutes and the brown rice for about 10 minutes.  Once the rice is somewhat cooked, but not fully, drain in a colander and set aside.



To make the shrimp and asparagus curry:

Heat 1Tbs of canola oil in a the same pan you cooked the rice (to keep it one pot).  Add the curry leaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chili pods, cloves, cardamom and black peppercorns (optional).  Fry for 1 minute.  Then add onions and asparagus. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the ground spices (coriander, turmeric, curry powder) and salt. Fry for 30-45 seconds.   Then add the buttermilk and shrimp.
When shrimp starts to turn pink (but is not fully cooked) turn off stove. Taste for seasoning.  Butter a baking dish and layer some of the parboiled  rice on the bottom.




Then layer some of the shrimp and asparagus. Make sure you get some gravy on top of the rice.  Layer with rice and shrimp and finish off with a rice on top.  Pour gravy from the curry over the rice.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Place a tight fitting lid or tin foil over the baking dish to trap all the steam.   Cook in the oven for 35 minutes.    Once cooked, allow the dish to sit covered for additional 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy.





Here's the Raita that we enjoyed with the biryani:

Cucumber Raita


Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Eggplant Curry- Vegan

Yum
 I love eggplant.  I know that it's a vegetable that gets a hot and cold response from people like beets, brussel sprouts and okra.  I actually love all those vegetables.. why... well because my mother always curried them and curry makes everything taste wonderful.  Now this is cooked like a Sri Lankan curry, but it is not the traditional way you make eggplant curry in Sri Lanka. The traditional way is to deep fry the eggplant first and cook it down. I decided to make this much healthier by skipping that step and sauteing the eggplant in 2-3 tsp of oil instead. Well... it worked perfectly and came out delicious.  I actually think I like this way better...because I can eat more and not feel guilty. :)

Ingredients:  
1lb of fresh eggplant (I used Chinese eggplant) diced
12-15 curry leaves
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chilies sliced (seeded for less heat)
1/2 green bell pepper diced
2 fresno chilies or 1/2 red bell pepper diced  
1 cinnamon stick
1tsp of fennugreek seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
Red chili powder (to taste)
1/2Tbs of curry powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp of vinegar (optional)
1cup of coconut milk

 Directions:
 Clean eggplant and cut it into a dice.  Heat 2-3 tsp of canola oil in a large pan and when oil is hot add diced eggplant. Saute for 5-7 minutes until the eggplant is tender and brown. Remove eggplant from pan and reserve until later. **A good non-stick pan is required**

 Add 1-2 tsp more canola oil into the same pan and add the onions, chilies, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, sugar and salt.  Fry for a few minutes until onions begin to soften.  Then add the eggplant back into the pan and add the ground spices, red chili powder, turmeric and curry powder.  Saute ground spices for a 30 seconds.

Finally add vinegar and coconut milk. Bring curry to a simmer for 3-4 minutes and taste for seasoning (add salt as needed). The curry is done, serve with rice and desired curries.  Enjoy.









PS.. This is my 2nd version of this sauteed eggplant curry. I made one in the early days of the blog and although they look very similar, I did make this with some slightly different ingredients. If you check out the other post you will see I have put pictures from this photo shoot as the "glamor" shots there because I still cringe at my photo skills back then....using a flash and all. :) I'm still learning food photography and I still need a better camera... but I do use natural light now. :)

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.