Thursday, April 30, 2015

Baked Chicken Samosas (Throwback Thursday)

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2011 Original Photo

I love samosas. They are an Indian snack or appetizer that is filled with either vegetarian filling or a meat and vegetable filling.   
 
Most often Samosas are deep fried.  Sure they taste great all fried and crispy, but I feel such guilt indulging in them.  
 
I wanted to bake them, but since I am not a whiz with making dough, I took my usual shortcut and got some help from the store.  So here is my quick and easy way to make this fun Indian treat.   This recipe makes 8 large samosas.








Ingredients:
1lb ground chicken
1 box store bought pie crust
4 small potatoes peeled, diced and boiled
1 medium onion finely dice
1-2 cups of frozen peas
1 tsp of whole coriander seeds
1 tsp of whole cumin seeds
1 tsp of whole fennel seeds
2 serranos chilies (seeded and finely chopped)
1 tbs of grated garlic
2 tbs of grated ginger
1 Tbs garam masala powder
1-2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp curry powder

Directions:
Gently boil the diced potatoes in salted water and drain.  Prep all other ingredients. 


Grind coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds  spices in mortar and pestal.
In 3 tbs of canola saute onions until translucent.  Then add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. Next add the ground spice mixture, garam masala, chili flakes, curry powder, salt and black pepper.


Next add the ground chicken to the pan and saute until all the meat is cooked through.  Once the meat is cooked, salt the dish.
Finally add the frozen peas and diced potatoes.  Now incorporate all the ingredients together and add 1 tbs of lemon juice. Check for alt and seasoning here.  Allow mixture to cool down before proceeding to assembling the samosa.

Roll out the pie crust and I cut into four equal portions. The box comes with two pie crusts so you should have 8 large samosas from this recipe.   Fill the quarter portion of pie crust with 2 tbs of filling. You want a good amount of filling, but not were you cannot seal the edges.

Gently fold over and press down the open edges.
Press with a fork and crimp the edges.



Apply a egg wash to the top of each samosas before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with some cooking spray or buttered. They should bake between 15-20 minutes. Serve with any chutney or sauce you like. 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, April 28, 2015

Lo Mein Noodles with Ground Pork

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I love easy one pot dishes and noodles or pasta are at the top of the list.  Asian dishes are also a family favorite so putting the two together usually makes a major win at the dinner table. 

 I love walking through my Asian supermarket and looking at all the types of Asian Noodles they have.  They have an entire aisle (both sides) dedicated to noodles from all the Asian countries.  I love the variety from wheat flour, rice flour, mung bean, sweet potato and the list goes on.  I found these lovely lo mein style nests during one of my visits and knew I had to give them a try.  I am glad I experimented with them because they were fantastic.  I went right back out to the store a few days later and bought another packet to cook again soon.


Ingredients:
12-16oz noodles (lo mein, spaghetti, linguine) prepared per packet instructions.
1lb ground pork (lean pork)
1 medium onion sliced or chopped
2 inch grated ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic grated or minced
1-2 carrots grated or julienned into strips
1-2 stalks celery sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced or sweet chilies sliced
2 cups napa cabbage or green cabbage sliced
red chili flakes to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
1 bunch spring/green onions sliced - keep green tops for garnish

Sauce:
3-4 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs oyster sauce
2-3 Tbs water
1 Tbs  Shao Hsing Chinese Rice Wine or substitute dry sherry 
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 Tbs sriracha sauce 
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar



Directions:

Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Drain and keep until later. Prep all vegetables and have ready for stir fry.   Heat 2Tbs of canola oil in large wok and brown ground pork.  Add grated ginger, garlic, salt and pepper.  Then add all the prepared vegetables and saute for several minutes until desired texture.


Then add prepared sauce and mix well.   Finally add cooked noodles and toss well with all ingredients.  Taste for seasoning.  Add more soy sauce for salt flavor as desired.  Top with green onions slices as a garnish. 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.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Homemade Lemon Lime Soda

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My mother never really bought sodas for us when we were kids.  Since I try to do the same with my kids, I wanted to make a homemade "healthier" version of lemon lime soda for them.  

It was so easy (the hardest part was squeezing out all the juice).  My homemade lemon lime soda turned out fantastic and my family loved.   I know it's still spring, but summer will be here before we know it.  I will definitely be serving a lot of this refreshing drink on those long hot days. 


 Ingredients:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 liters club soda (carbonated water)
lemon and lime slices to garnish

Add choice of sweeteners to taste
  • Simple Syrup -1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water heated on the stove. (see recipe below for ginger-mint simple syrup)
or
  • Agave or Splenda to taste



  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.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Curry and Comfort's Weekly Sunday Summary 4/20/15 thru 4/26/15

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Happy Sunday Everyone!

Last week I was so happy because spring was springing into my life.  Well, spring is pretty fickle because this week we had to pull out the winter coats and turn the heat back on in the house.  Urgh!   It's the end of April and Mother Nature seriously needs to let spring happen and not play this hot/cold yo-yo act.  Okay, that's enough about the weather! 

Let's talk childhood favorite TV shows!  One of my favorite TV shows while growing up was a show called "The Facts of Life".  I remember making sure to tune in every week.  We had no DVRs back then... not even VCRs!  You either had to make an appointment to watch your favorite programs or you missed it.    

My kids don't even know what watching TV is like without being able to pause a show or DVR it.  Back when I was a kid, we did not even have remote controls... I was my Dad's remote control.  He would simply tell us to get up and go change the channel.  Can you imagine?!  

Yes, I am totally telling you all how "middle aged" I truly am!  I recently found the "The Facts of Life" on TV and I have been watching it like crazy.  My husband has to laugh because he has watched a few episodes, but it was always a "girls" show to him.  I always related to all the girls, but the character of "Jo" was my favorite.  My daughter is now watching the reruns with me and her favorite character is "Natalie" since she's always so crazy and funny.  

I miss a lot of the TV shows from back in the day.... thank goodness for all these "nostalgic" TV channels for old folks like me. :)   Did you watch "The Facts of Life"? 

Okay, back to our regular broadcasting... here is my week in review:








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 24, 2015

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Ragu

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Last week it felt like spring.  Unfortunately, this week is not like spring at all.  We are having freeze warnings and are back in our winter coats.  I needed some comfort food to make the cold weather tolerable.   I decided to make something hearty and comforting for dinner.  These stuffed shells fit the bill because my family loves pasta. 
I loved how impressive the dish looked when it came out of the oven.  I thought stuffing all the pasta shells would be a pain, but it was pretty easy and quick.  I will definitely need to buy another box of these large shells and the next time I make them.... I hope it's warm and sunny outside. :)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
6-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
2 medium onions, finely chopped, divided
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
1 Tbs dried basil  or a large handful fresh basil minced
1-2 tsp brown sugar (to taste)
1lb of lean ground meat (beef, chicken or pork)
1lb box of large size pasta shells
1 jar favorite pasta sauce (45oz bottle)
1 cup chicken broth or bullion and water equivalent  
1lb bag frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
3 cups fresh cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg lightly beaten
8oz of shredded mozzarella cheese



Directions:

To make the meat sauce:


Brown lean ground meat (I used ground chicken) with medium onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped in two tablespoons of olive oil.








Season meat with:
* Salt and pepper to taste
*  dried oregano
* crushed red pepper flakes
* dried basil
* brown sugar



 Add 1 jar favorite pasta sauce and one cup of chicken broth (I just measured the broth  in the pasta jar so I could rinse all the sauce out of the jar)







 Simmer the sauce on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Taste the sauce for seasoning.









To make the pasta shells layer:
Boil the pasta shells until they are 1 minute shy of al dente. The pasta will finish cooking with the other ingredients in the oven.

Next defrost your spinach and wring it dry.  Then saute 1 medium onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. Added spinach, grated nutmeg and season with a little salt and black pepper. Allow to cool a little before proceeding.



When the spinach mixture has cooled down, mix in the ricotta cheese and Parmesan mixture and egg.





 
Now fill the pasta shells with the spinach/cheese filling.  Place over 2/3 of the pasta sauce in a baking dish.  Top shells with remaining 1/3 of meat sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Serve hot.  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 23, 2015

Quick Chicken Fried Rice

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What do you do when you need to feed two adults and two kids, but you only have two chicken breast in your fridge?  Make chicken fried rice!   

Those two chicken breast may not go far if you cook a "meat and potatoes" kind of dinner, but when you make fried rice a little bit of meat goes a long way.   My two carnivores (the hubby and my son) didn't even notice they were eating less meat than usual.  All they saw was a colorful plate of food in front them. 

I always say that fried rice is my go to "fast food" in this house.  Leftover brown rice and frozen veggies are good for a quick meal on those nights I am stumped on what to make for dinner.  The bonus to making fried rice, I clean out my veggie drawer and I only have to wash one pan after the meal is over.   That's just what this mom needs sometimes.

The hubby and kids never complain when rice is the main ingredient to our dinner.   I loved being able to stretch those two little chicken breasts with a bunch of veggies and the rice.  Dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes and every one left with a a full and happy belly .  Now I can relax that dinner is over... well until it comes around again tomorrow night. 

 


Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces(seasoned with salt)
4-5 cups cooked (cool or cold) rice (brown or white)
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 stalks celery sliced
11/2  cups fresh broccoli chopped
1 tsp grated fresh garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2-4 Tbs soy sauce (this is to taste since it's the salt in the dish)
1 Tbs oyster sauce
red chili flakes to taste
2 Tbs butter or margarine
2 cups frozen veggies (I like a big mix of peas, carrots, green beans, corn etc...)

Directions:
Heat a wok with 2 Tbs canola oil.  Add chicken that is seasoned with a little salt).  Stir fry until browned.  Move chicken over to edges of wok and add 1 Tbs butter, the onion, celery and broccoli.  Stir fry veggies for 2 minutes.

Next add the fresh grated ginger and garlic and saute for a minutes.  Then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and red chili flakes.

Next add the frozen vegetables and saute.  Once vegetables have heated through, add the 2nd Tbs of butter and the cold rice.  Toss all ingredients and heat through well.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Add more soy sauce as desired.  Serve hot.

 




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.