Monday, June 29, 2015

Cucumber and Radish Salad

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I was looking forward to summer all winter long.  Now that it's finally here, it's really hot, but it's still better than freezing in the winter! 

Cooling salads are definitely on the menu on hot weather days.  I like to serve this cucumber and radish salad as a side dish along side any meal... especially a spicy curry meal.  

This salad is truly simple and fresh.  I love the spicy bite the radishes give the cool cucumbers.  A salad just isn't a salad without a lot of sliced red onions in my book.  So I added a bunch and they completed this salad perfectly.

So, if you are having a hot summer... make a salad and cool off.


Ingredients:
1 large English cucumber sliced thin
3-4 large radishes sliced thin (I used a mandoline slicer)
1 large red onion sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup light or regular mayonnaise
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash and slice the cucumber, radish and onion.  I used a mandoline slicer on the cucumbers and radishes to get really thin slices. 

Add the dressing ingredients directly into salad bowl.  Then add the cucumber, radish and onion and toss well.  Served immediately or chill in fridge before serving.  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.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Chicken Piccata

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It's officially summer and my family and I are spending a lot of our time outside enjoying the warm weather.   All the fun in the sun is making me spend less time in the kitchen and wanting to eat lighter dishes.  My family loves flavorful food and they count on me to deliver a tasty meal for them to enjoy for dinner every night.

This Chicken Piccata is featured in a wonderful cookbook called Living the Mediterranean Diet Proven Principles & Modern Recipes for Staying Healthy by Nick Nigro & Bay Ewald with Rea Frey.    The Mediterranean Diet focuses on light, fresh and delicious meals to enjoy all year long.  

They even divided the book into seasons and although this Chicken Piccata is featured in the winter section of the book, I think it's also perfect for the summer since it's light and citrusy.  

My family loved the flavors of the lemon, capers and garlic that created a velvet like sauce for the lightly battered chicken.  I also loved that the dish only took me 30 minutes in total to make and I was out of the kitchen fast.  We ate it with a green salad to make it a lighter meal for the summer.  The dish would also work wonderfully with an array of sauteed or roasted vegetables and/or pasta.


This cookbook is loaded with wonderful dishes that are made using whole and unprocessed ingredients.  Many of the dishes are plant based so you will automatically get those fruits and vegetables we all strive to get in our daily diet.  

It maybe called the Mediterranean Diet, but it's not a diet at all.  It's simply a wonderful cookbook that is full of delicious dishes that will give you great ideas on eating better and living a healthier lifestyle.   

Some of the wonderful recipes this cookbook has are:
  • Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Mushroom Pizza
  • Tuna Steaks with Caper, Olive, and Sun-Dried Tomato Relish
  • Caprese Boats
  • Orange and Fennel Salad with White Wine Citrus Dressing
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Honey Crisp Apples
  • Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
  • Seared Scallops over Spinach
  • Quinoa Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash

 This is the recipe that I made for you today: 

 

This cookbook is definitely going to be one that I turn to all summer long and throughout the year.  I love how they encourage healthful eating with every recipe.  






 Disclosure: I received a copy of the cookbook for a review. I was not compensated. All opinions are 100% my own. 

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, June 22, 2015

Confetti Fried Rice (Vegetarian)

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 I usually cook a large pot of brown rice when I make a rice and curry meal.  Sometimes the curries get finished, but we have a lot of left over rice.  Fried rice is perfect dish to make with leftover rice.   
This is a wonderful savory fried rice that I make with the vegetables I always have on hand at home. Of course, you can add any vegetable or frozen bag of mix veggies that you have in your fridge/freezer.  That means this dish can be made in so many different ways by what you add to it.  
I love getting a brand new dish out of leftovers.  After eating this rice, you will purposely make extra rice just so you can have this the next day. 


Ingredients:
4 cups cooked and cooled rice (brown or white)
1 Tbs canola oil
1Tbs butter or margarine
1 (small piece) cinnamon stick
12-15 curry leaves
2-3 green cardamom pods
2-3 cloves
1 onion finely diced
2 large carrots grated
1 red bell pepper finely diced
1-2 green chile finely diced
1 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs grated garlic
red chili flakes (to taste)
1 cup frozen peas

Note:
Always remember that you can remove cardamom, cloves or cinnamon sticks before serving dish.  They are not fun to eat directly.  Curry leaves are fine to eat.

Directions:

Cook rice and have it waiting.  I do recommend the basmati variety because of it's nutty flavor. Heat oil and butter in large frying pan and add cinnamon stick, curry leaves, cardamom pods and cloves for 30-45 seconds.

 
 Next add onion, garlic and ginger (season with a little salt).  Saute for 2-3 minutes until onions start to soften.  Then add the peppers, chilies and carrots and season with a little salt.  Saute for another 4-5 minutes. 

 
  Next add the red chili flakes and the frozen peas.  Mix all ingredients together well.  Finally add the cooked rice and incorporate well. Check for salt and season as needed. Serve with salad.  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.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Ziti with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage in Cajun Style Alfredo Sauce

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetSaucy #CollectiveBias


Dinner time can sometimes sneak up on me.  When the kids are in school we rush around getting to music lessons and finishing homework before dinner.  Now that summer is approaching we are outside having fun with all that extra daylight and I am not really thinking about what to cook for dinner.  

So, when the dinner hour starts to approach and I hear my kids and my husband start asking me, "What's for dinner?", I panic a little.   Then I go into my pantry and I always see the ingredients for my go-to meal that everyone loves... PASTA!  I can whip up a quick pasta dinner that satisfies my entire family (even my picky eater) and be in and out of the kitchen in less than 30 minutes.  Now that makes this Mom very happy. 

One of my favorite pasta sauces to use is  Francesco RinaldiI love having a good quality jar pasta sauce that has authentic Italian flavor.  Francesco Rinaldi's mantra is "Made by Italians".  Their sauces are made using the finest tomatoes and freshest herbs.  I have been using the Francesco Rinaldi brand for over a decade and they have a long family history in the US for 35 years.  So, if you are looking for a quality sauce, it's definitely a good jar sauce to try.

I also love a good deal when I grocery shop.  I buy Francesco Rinaldi not only because it tastes great, but it is always budget friendly.  The tomato based sauce can go on sale for a dollar a jar.   When I see it go on sale, I stock up! When I say stock up, that means I am that lady buying 20 jars.  You may think that's a lot to buy in one shopping trip, but those 20 jars go fast at my house because I cook with jar pasta sauce often.  So, before I know it, I'm back in the spaghetti sauce aisle buying more jars of spaghetti sauce. 

I like to use jar pasta sauce when I cook a meal because it's an easy way to make a fast and delicious meal when all the time consuming "simmering" for that great authentic taste has already been done for you.  Then all I have to do is just give it my own spin for any meal I make.  It's not just for pasta dishes in my household.  I also use it as a pizza sauce and a base for rice dishes like my mother's Spicy Cacciatore. 

I have tried all the Francesco Rinaldi tomato based pasta sauces, but I have never tried the Francesco Rinaldi Alfredo Pasta Sauce line.   So, when I saw the Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce at Walmart during my last shopping trip, I bought three jars.  It's still budget friendly so that makes me very happy.   The Alfredo Sauce line was right next to the regular tomato pasta sauces in the Spaghetti Sauce aisle at Walmart

The Alfredo Sauce line includes the following flavors:


I decided I wanted to debut the Four Cheese Alfredo with a very special recipe.  So I made this Ziti with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage in Cajun Style Alfredo Sauce.  My family loves shrimp and my son is crazy about Cajun Andouille sausage. We all like our food on the spicy side so it was fun to add a Cajun kick to this Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce. 

This sauce was spicy and full of cheese flavor.  I loved using the ziti style pasta too because the tube shaped really filled up with the sauce and each bite was a burst of flavor.  

My mother-in-law is in town and she also tried my Ziti with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage in Cajun Style Alfredo Sauce.  She asked to eat it for both lunch and dinner because it was that good.  You can say I scored big points in the daughter-in-law department thanks to  Francesco Rinaldi today. 




Ingredients:
1 box (12-16oz) ziti shaped pasta 
1lb of cleaned shrimp

1lb Andouille Sausage sliced
1 jar (15oz) Francesco Rinaldi Alfredo Pasta  
1 medium onion chopped  
1 sweet bell pepper (red, orange or yellow) finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic grated or finely minced
2 Tbs of olive oil
2 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste
red chili flakes- red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 cup of starchy cooking water from the pasta 
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 large handful of fresh baby spinach



Directions:
Step 1 Before making your sauce: Boil pasta per package instructions in salted water. Stop cooking the pasta 1-2 minutes shy of the full cooking time.  You will finish cooking the pasta off in the Creamy Cajun Sauce. Remember to reserve your pasta water before draining.  Drain pasta and set aside.  


Step 2: Making the Sauce:

Heat 2Tbs of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat.  Add the onions, Andouille Sausage, bell peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes. 


Then add the grated garlic, chili flakes (red pepper),  paprika powder, dried thyme leaves, dried oregano leaves,  dried basil leaves, onion powder and salt to taste.  Saute for 1-2 minute.

Lower heat to medium and add the shrimp, Alfredo sauce and reserved pasta water.  Note: use pasta water to rinse out the jar (get every drop of sauce from the jar).


Finally add the baby spinach, the cooked ziti pasta, and Parmesan cheese.  Toss well with the sauce   

Allow the pasta to cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium low heat.  Serve hot and enjoy.




Follow Francesco Rinaldi on Twitter
@FrancescoSauce


Disclosure: I was compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetSaucy #CollectiveBias



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, June 15, 2015

Blackberry Maple Syrup

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I was recently walking through the produce department of my local grocery store when I saw blackberries for 79 cents a pint.  I grabbed up about 6 pints worth and knew that a blackberry maple syrup was definitely going to be a part of our breakfast this week.  

The syrup is very simple to make, it only requires some patience with simmering it on the stove.  Now don't simmer it on high... it will boil over if you aren't watching it.  Yes.. I did make a bit of a mess .... but the mess was worth it when I enjoyed this syrup.  Next time I'll simmer on low for a mess free version.  Ha! ha!

This fruity maple syrup was perfect with our pancakes and I know they will be great with waffles as well. 



Blackberry Syrup Ingredients:
2 pints fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water


Syrup Directions:
Wash blackberries and place on stove with water.  Boil for 5-8 minutes on high heat until berries burst and mash easily.  Mash with a potato masher or emulsifier.    Then strain with a fine mesh strainer until all liquid goes through and only pulp is left. 


In another pan add the blackberry puree, sugar and maple syrup.  Simmer on medium low heat for 20 minutes.  Then add the slurry mixture of cornstarch and water.  Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Allow syrup to cool down to warm before serving.  

Serve with pancakes(my buttermilk pancake recipe is below), waffles, ice cream etc...


Buttermilk Pancake
Ingredients (12-16 pancakes)
Dry:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Wet:
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbs white granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter (plus additional for greasing pan)
Instructions
1. Mix the dry ingredient. Then mix the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients gently to form a batter without over mixing.
2. Heat griddle or frying pan on medium heat and grease with some butter.
3. Ladle about 1/4 cup up to 1/3 cup onto the pan.
4. When the pancakes starts to make bubbles and brown on the edges, flip over and cook the other side.
5. Serve warm with some additional butter and maple syrup. Enjoy. Makes 12-16 pancakes.





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, June 10, 2015

A Delicious Boost for Busy Moms with V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drink

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 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #V8EnergyBoost #CollectiveBias



Motherhood is the greatest joy in my life.  It is also the hardest job I could ever imagine.  I never realized that motherhood would turn me into a major list maker, clock-watcher and unpaid chauffeur. 

I am constantly juggling schedules and errands so I have to make "To-do" and "Grocery" lists just to keep myself organized.  Then, I keep one eye on the clock so I am always on time for all those pick up and drop off times for the kid's school and extracurricular activities.  It sometimes seems like my car keys and phone are in my hands at all times.  
 
I have two active kids in elementary school.   My day is busy from the moment I put my feet on the ground in the morning and there is definitely no time for hitting that snooze button on the alarm clock!   

My morning is a countdown of minutes where I have to wake up sleepy (not always cooperative) children and get them ready for school.  I also have to make time to take care of our four legged fur-kids by walking the dog and feeding the cat.   Then I multitask cooking breakfast and packing school lunches for the kids.  

Time is of the essence to get the kids to school so I rarely sit down to eat breakfast.  I just pick at the leftover bits off their breakfast plates as I run out the door.  It's not exactly a nutritious way of getting a healthy breakfast to start my day. 

Now, I love enjoying a V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drink as part of a new breakfast routine.   All I have to do is pop the top and drink it while walking the kids to school and it gives the needed boost of energy to not only make that walk to school and back, but walk an extra 2 miles (I have a goal of 10,000 steps a day now). 

I absolutely loved the fruity taste!!  It's nutritious with a combined serving of fruit and vegetables.  I also love that it is not loaded with sugar like other juices.  It's made with natural ingredients like fruit and vegetable juice and energy boosting green tea.  V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drinks  also come in some great combinations of flavors like: 


  • Pomegranate Blueberry
     
  • Peach Mango
     
  • Black Cherry
     
  • Orange Pineapple
     
  • Diet Strawberry Lemonade
     
  • Diet Cranberry Raspberry

     V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drink is conveniently located at Wal-mart  .  I pretty much go to Wal-mart a few times a week for my household and grocery store essentials. It's easily found in the juice aisle and you will love the selection of flavors. 

Once I get the kids to school, I spend the rest of my day tackling my "To Do" list of laundry, blogging, running errands,  and grocery shopping.  Lunch is usually a quick salad, soup or sandwich that I throw together in between tasks.   





The day whizzes by and I'm off and running again to get the kids at school when their school bell rings at 3:30PM.  This is usually when I hit my midday slump.  It's been hours since I ate lunch and I am simply tired, hungry and need a boost of energy to get me through chauffeuring the kids from their after school piano lessons and swim practice.


My mid-afternoon snack must also be portable and easy to eat in the car.  This is where I seem get into trouble.  I used to grab whatever "sugary" or "salty" treat I could get my hands on to satisfy my hunger.  Of course, that totally backfires because I'm more tired after this kind of snack than before.  I also never get the energy boost that I really need to get through the afternoon.  What I needed was a quick and portable snack that was refreshing and full of natural feel good energy like green tea.  The V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drink is so convenient and I can feel good that I'm getting a combined serving of fruit and vegetables at only 50 calories per 8oz serving. Drinking something healthy also makes me turn away from those empty calorie snacks and I strive to snack a little healthier with a piece of fruit and some healthy nuts.  My mood and energy stay on track and I can get the kids home and start making dinner without feeling tired. 

 My life as a mother is sometimes crazy and hectic, but at the end of the day I would not change anything.  Now thanks to V8 V-Fusion+Energy Drink I can keep up with my kids and always get my "To-do" list done.    





Remember you can follow V8 V-Fusion at the following social media sites as well:

V8 V-Fusion+Energy #V8EnergyBoost $2,500 Sweepstakes

 

  Disclosure:  This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #V8EnergyBoost #CollectiveBias

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, June 8, 2015

Fruit Salad

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 I can make a fruit salad my entire dinner.  I love pineapple, mangoes and strawberries. Of course, you can add any of your favorite fruits to the salad.  Grapes would have been good too if I had them at home.  The only fruit that I am not that crazy about in fruit salad are bananas.  They always overpower all the other flavors, get mushy and brown.  If you are crazy about bananas, then I suggest you add them in at the last moment into each person's bowl. 

I simply added orange juice to keep everything well marinated and delicious.  The orange juice in fruit salad reminds me of a lady that I used to babysit for in the 80's.  Yes... that long ago.   

She made me a bowl of fruit salad to snack on while she and her husband went out for the night and I looked after their baby.    She added a lot of orange juice (seemed like half a carton of juice) and all the fruit was kind of floating around it in it.  I first thought it looked weird... but it was really delicious.  

So now I like to add a little orange juice to my fruit salads too.  This one is for you Mrs. Robinson! 




 Ingredients:
1 cleaned and cored pineapple cut into chunks
2 mangoes cut into dice (see note)
1 lb of strawberries hulled and cut into pieces
1 pint blueberries 
1/4 cup fresh or carton orange juice (not from concentrate)
1-2 Tbs honey (optional) if you like sweeter salads

Directions: 
Wash and cut all fruit as needed.  Add orange juice and toss.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

 

To easily dice mango, cut side off the seed.  

Score with small pairing knife in a crosshatch pattern. 

Flip the skin inside out and take the pairing knife to carefully cute off the scored pieces of mango into the bowl. 






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.