Curry and Comfort's Weekly Sunday Summary 06/24/13 thru 6/30/13

Hi Everyone,

It's the last day of June... where did June go?  Where did May go... actually while I'm it, hasn't the first half of 2013 just flown by?  

 

Schools out!  The kids have been out for over a week now and I survived it.. but barely.  I am managing to keep them entertained, continuing their school work so they don't forget what they learned this past school year and refereeing their arguments. We also have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen together working on some recipes.  Keep an eye out for their input to the blog soon. :)

 

The 4th of July is coming up in a few days so make sure you come by to check out some of my fun patriotic and easy cook-out food.   Now onto the week in review..

 

Braised Cauliflower

Sesame Orange Beef Stir Fry

Sri Lankan Parippu Mellun (Lentil and Coconut Curry)

Black Bean and Corn Fiesta Chowder

Chili Dog Sloppy Joe

 


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.

Chili Dog Sloppy Joe

 Quick and kid friendly meals are always a good thing in my household.  My kids are pretty good eaters (on a good day), but they can get picky from time to time. When I make sloppy joe's I know that they will be enjoyed by all... adults and kids. This Chili Dog Sloppy Joe is such a fun play on the idea of eating a hot dog with chili topping.   It was a budget friendly meal that we rounded out with a salad.  You can also eat it with potato salad, french fries or chips.  
 
 Ingredients:
 Kaiser or Hoagie style rolls

Meat filling:
1lb of ground lean meat
4-5 hot dogs diced small
1/2 cup of onion chopped
1/2 cup of diced green bell pepper
1-2 cloves of grated garlic
red chili flakes to taste
seasoning salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredients for the sloppy sauce
8oz can of plain tomato sauce
1Tbs of paprika
1 Tbs of sriracha (if you like it spicy)
1Tbs of Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs of ketchup
1/2 Tbs of vinegar
2-3 Tbs of brown sugar (sloppy joe's are sweet and tangy so it depends on how sweet you want it)
 

Directions:

Brown ground meat with salt and pepper.  Then add diced hot dogs, onions, peppers and garlic. Finally add the sauce and cook for 10-12 minutes until sauce thickens.  Taste for seasoning and then serve on hamburger style buns.   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.

Black Bean and Corn Fiesta Chowder (Throwback Thursdays)

Photo taken in 2011

This is a spicy Mexican style chowder. If you like the flavors of Salsa and Tacos you may enjoy this  chowder for sure. I love how creamy the chowder gets with both the cream cheese and the cheddar cheese.  It's a hearty winter soup, or a perfect lunch in the summer with a salad.  This 2nd time around I made a big pot of homemade chicken stock and decided to make this soup with some of it. Since it's summer here, I served it with a huge green salad so it was a great soup and salad lunch that the entire family enjoyed.

 Note:  Throwback Thursday is a new series where I take some of my original posts here on  Curry and Comfort and redo them so I can take better photos.
 

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground meat ( I used chicken)
4 cups chicken broth (box or homemade)
2-3 cups water
1 medium sized onion chopped
2 serrano chilies diced
1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
4oz cream cheese
2 cups salsa (or one can diced tomatoes)
1/2 Tbs cumin powder
2-3 cloves garlic                                           
red chili flakes to taste
2 cups corn (frozen or fresh)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
limes for garnish
                                                                                   
 Directions:

Heat soup pan with 2 Tbs canola. Saute the onions, garlic and green chilies. Next add ground meat and saute.

Then season with salt, pepper , ground cumin,  red chili flakes.   Next add salsa, blacked beans and corn.

Add chicken stock, water, cream cheese.  Work cream cheese until it melts into the soup.  Simmer on stove for 20-25 minutes. Check seasoning. Finally stir in cheddar cheese and melt well.

This soup is great with some corn or tortilla chips on top. Serve with wedges of lime so anyone can add some brightness to the soup before eating.  Enjoy. Serves 4-6.

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.

Sri Lankan Parippu Mellun (Lentil and Coconut Curry)

 

Lentils are a favorite side dish with rice and curry meals.  I have eaten lentils in many ways, but my mother introduced me to lentils with coconut recently and I could not believe it was the first time I had such a wonderful way to eat lentils.  I love this lentil dish and actually ate it with rice and no other curries...I don't do that very often.  I felt like there was no need for any other curry because  this dish was so full of wonderful spice and flavor, nothing else was needed.  My entire family loved it, and when my daughter told me this was her favorite lentil dish of all time, I knew it was a keeper. 

Ingredients:

To cook the lentils:

2 cups masoor lentils

3-4 cups water
1 tsp turmeric powder

1 small cinnamon stick
5-10 curry leaves (optional)
1 pandan leave (optional)

To fry lentils with coconut mellun:
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 onion sliced
2-3 green chilies sliced
1 Tbs mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves(optional)
1-2 pandan leaves (optional)
3-5 dried red chilies (broken into small pieces)
1-2 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste

Directions:

Wash lentils well in cold water until water runs clear.  If you see any stones, remove them.  Cook lentils in water with curry leaves, onions, turmeric, cinnamon stick and pandan leaves.  Do not over cook the lentils and make them mushy.  You want them to cooked until they are tender, but still able to see the individual lentil pieces.  Once lentils are finished cooking remove from stove.

In a separate pan, heat canola oil.  Then add curry leaves, onion, broken pieces of dried chilies, pandan leaves, mustard seeds, green chilies.  Once onions begin to soften, add dessicated coconut, salt and chili powder.

Then add the cooked lentils and mix well by stirring and mixing together without mashing lentils.   Note:  My mother actually turned a wooden spoon upside down and used the handle to make round circles to mix and incorporate all the ingredients together without mashing them.  Of course do this in a pan that will not get scratched up. Serve with rice.  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.

Braised Cauliflower

Since today is meatless Monday, I thought I would offer you a hearty low carb side dish. This is a very easy side dish that only takes a few minutes to prepare. My husband told me about braising cauliflower after seeing his brother prepare some for their mother.  So I thought I would try my hand at it with some of my favorite flavors. The nice thing about this dish is the two part process of cooking the cauliflower.  By first frying the cauliflower, you give it some wonderful flavor and then steaming it to finish cooking saves on the calories.  Okay so I added some Parmesan cheese at the end... hey it has to still taste great.  I loved it so much that I ate a big plate of it for lunch and nothing else.  The entire family enjoyed it too, so cauliflower will be a must have on my shopping list so we can make this dish again. 


 Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 bunch green onions whites and greens
red chili flakes to taste
red chili powder or cayenne to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs canola oil
salt and black pepper to taste
water as needed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

 Directions:

 Cut cauliflower into florets.   Add butter and canola oil into large saute pan and saute cauliflower until you get some browning on florets.  Season with salt, pepper, red chili flakes and powder, minced garlic and whites of green onions, then saute for a bit longer.

Finally, add a quarter cup of water and put lid or foil over pan to steam the cauliflower.  Add more water a few tablespoons at a time time until cauliflower is cooked to desired tenderness. Add Parmesan cheese and toss with florets.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Garnish with greens of the green onions. Serve hot as a side dish.  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.

Curry and Comfort's Weekly Sunday Summary 06/10/13 thru 6/23/13

   Hi Everyone,

I am actually doing a two week summary this Sunday since I did a special post for Father's Day last weekend.  A lot has been happening here... school is officially out so you know the chaos has ensued.  It's getting a little crazy to cook and do blogging while refereeing those lovely sibling fights between my two young kids and still trying to do all the other stuff I need to get done to keep my household running.  It's been a few days of adjustment.... hope it all smooths out this week.

I also held a two giveaways that were sponsored by Good Cook kitchen products.  I have notified all the winners of both the Veggie Keeper giveaway and the Sandwich Kit giveaway.  I am looking forward to working with Good Cook again to help promote more of their wonderful and useful kitchen products.

Now here's my two weeks in review....

   

Lime Ginger Mint Cooler

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Creamy Slaw

Portabella Mushroom Crust Pizza (Low Carb Pizza)

Ribbon Sandwiches and Giveaway #goodcookcom

Tutti Frutti Popsicles

Twice Cooked Pork Stir Fry

Hoisin Burger with Asian Slaw

Sri Lankan Coconut Roti (Flat Bread)

Curried Beef Pot Roast (Slow Cooker)

Chickpea and Feta Salad and Good Cook Giveaway

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.

Lime Ginger Mint Cooler

 Limes are always a must have in my kitchen. I was lucky to get a great value on limes recently and so after I took advantage of my savings I had to figure out what to do with all these limes. This Lime Cooler came to mind quickly.  I decided to jazz it up with a Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup.  This drink is refreshing and really tickles your taste-buds.  You can make it as tart or sweet as you want by making more or less of the simple syrup. I made it more on the tart end because I love a good "pucker" to my lemon or lime drinks.

 Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh lime juice
1 batch of  Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup: (see recipe below)
4 cups of water
ice (optional)
lime slices and fresh mint leaves for garnish

Notes:  I added one batch of the simple syrup for a sweet/tart flavored cooler.  You can add more simple syrup to tailor it to your taste. 

Directions:
Make the Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup and allow it to cool.  Squeeze lime juice.  Add water, lime juice and as much simple syrup as you wish to make sweet. Serve cold or over ice.

  Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup:

 To make 1 batch:

Boil 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1 inch of sliced ginger.  Bring to a boil for 2-3.  Turn stove off and add 4-5 mint leaves.  Allow to steep and cool. Strain ginger and mint before using. 

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.

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Creamy Slaw (Throwback Thursdays)

Photo circa 2011

If you like the taste of buffalo chicken wings with a spicy hot sauce, then you will really enjoy this burger.  My kids love dipping fries, nuggets and more into Frank's Red Hot Sauce, so I new this would be a hit with them.  I was right because they loved it.  The adults ate it with the creamy slaw topping, but the kids just ate it straight on the bun and they could not stop asking when I was going to make it again.   


Note:  Throwback Thursday is a new series where I take some of my original posts here on  Curry and Comfort and redo them so I can take better photos.

     Ingredients:

1lb ground chicken

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp paprika

Your Buffalo Sauce:
2 Tbs of melted butter
3 Tbs of Red Hot Sauce ( I recommend Franks Red Hot)
1 Tbs of Ketchup

Mix all ingredients together well.

Directions:  Mix all burger ingredients well and form your four large patties.  

Use a large skillet and get it heated on med-high heat.  Add 1 Tbs of canola oil and add your burgers.  Cook on both sides until browned and  almost cooked through.

Low the heat to med-low and coat both sides of the burger with the sauce evenly.  Allow to fry the burgers until they are fully cooked.
Serves 4.  Serve with fries or any vegetable side and Creamy Slaw (recipe below).

Note:  If you are a fan of blue cheese and wings, you can also top the burger with blue cheese crumbles.  If you want it creamy stir the crumbles into some sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

To make the Creamy Slaw:

 You will need:

• 1lb of shredded cabbage or a bag of shredded cabbage
• 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers seeded and finely diced
• 1 small onion finely diced or sliced

To make the creamy dressing:

• 2-3 Tbs of sour cream (reduced fat is fine, but not non-fat)
• 1 Tbs of mayo  (reduced fat is fine, but not non-fat)

• 

  photo circa 2011

  sprinkle of granulated garlic powder (to taste)
• sprinkle of celery seeds
• sprinkle of sugar (to taste)
• 1 Tbs of rice wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix well and add dressing to coleslaw.  Mix both together well and allow to chill for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.  Serve with Burger.  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.