Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles

Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles are just what we need to cool off during these hot summer days!  The weather is hitting the 100 degree mark these days and the humidity makes it feel even worse.   I love finding tasty ways to cool off and these popsicles are fun and tasty.

The kids and I made these watermelon pops one afternoon and we loved how they turned out.  They are just so darn cute!  We could not wait to try them and had our first pops right after breakfast.  It was already hitting 85 degrees so we needed them.  

We made our pops without any sugar or simple syrup.  Our watermelon was perfectly sweet enough and I loved the tartness the kiwi gave the "rind".   Now, if you have a less than sweet watermelon or you just love a sugary treat, add some simple syrup.

We will be eating a lot more popsicles in the upcoming days.  The temperatures are staying around the 100 degree mark so we are staying close to the freezer!

Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles


Ingredients:
5-6 cups seedless watermelon chunks
3 large kiwis
chocolate chips as needed (optional)
Simple Syrup to taste (optional)

Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Special equipment:
popsicle molds
popsicle sticks


Directions:
 
Step1:  Cut watermelon into chunks and blend in blender until smooth.  Taste puree, if it is not sweet enough for your desired taste, pour in some simple syrup and blend.     To make the simple syrup, just add the sugar and water into a pot and boil until sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens.

 
Step 2: Then pour watermelon puree into popsicle molds and leave about 1/2 inch from the top.  Drop a few chocolate chips for the "seeds".  Place in the freezer and freeze for one hour so the watermelon has become slushy, but not frozen yet.

Step 3:  Prepare kiwi by peeling the skin and blending until smooth.  If you prefer the kiwi puree to be sweeter, add some simple syrup and blend.  Once popsicles have set for one hour, top with the kiwi puree.  Insert popsicle sticks and freeze overnight. 

Step 4:  Run warm water around popsicle molds and release frozen popsicles from the molds. Enjoy.

 

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

My Mother's Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

 When we came to the United States in the early 70's my mother cooked mostly Sri Lankan food.  We needed to keep our connection to our homeland and food was a great way to do that at the time.  After a few years here, my mother started to experiment with other foods from American, Italian and Chinese.  

You may scratch your head when you look at the ingredients list below and you see curry leaves, pandan leaves, cardamoms, cloves...and how they can be in a Chinese dish.  Well, you can't take the Sri Lankan cook out of my mother and that's how she made her Chinese Stir Fry.  

The only thing I know is that it was one of my favorite dishes to eat and it became a family favorite for a quick weeknight meal. Yes... this stir fry is considered quick in my mother's book because it's a one pot dish with rice.  She is so used to cooking 3-4 dishes to eat a rice and curry meal that a one pot dish is a breeze for her.  I loved making this dish with her because it brought back some sweet memories of my childhood.

Ingredients:
3lbs skinless bone-in chicken cut into large chunks
10-12 curry leaves
1-2 pandan leaves
3-4 green cardamom pods
3-4 black cloves
1 small cinnamon stick (1inch long)
salt and black pepper to taste
1Tbs grated ginger
1Tbs grated garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce (or to taste for salt)
1 1/2 cups water
2 carrots peeled and chopped or sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced
1 can water chestnuts drained
1 bunch green onions sliced
2Tbs cornstarch with a little water to thicken sauce

Recommended Garnish:  store bought Chow Mein Noodles

Note:  I cooked a double recipe in the photos below so if you see more quantity than suggested, that is why.  The recipe provided should feed about 4 people. 

Directions:

Cut chicken into large chunks with bone-in and marinate for 1 hour with some salt and black pepper.  Then heat 2-3 Tbs canola oil in large pan or wok and add the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, curry leaves and pandan leaves for 30-45 seconds.  Next add the marinated chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes.

 Then add ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Next add the carrots, celery and onion to the dish and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the soy sauce and water to cook the chicken.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 Once the chicken is cooked through, add the bell pepper, water chestnuts and green onion.  Cook for another 5 minutes (preferably covered).  Finally make the cornstarch and water slurry and pour into pan.  Stir well and allow the gravy to thicken.   Taste for seasoning and serve with rice.  Enjoy.
 


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

Tomato Basil Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

Today's Tomato Basil Salad with Balsamic Drizzle is so simple to make that you will be tempted to make it often this summer.  

 

You can eat this dish as a side salad or on top of grilled fish, chicken, or beef.  If you cut the tomatoes a bit smaller than I did here, it's even great on top of crusty garlicky bread as a bruschetta.

 

I used three types of tomatoes in this dish (yellow, heirloom and roma red).  Of course it would be just as delicious with simple red tomatoes or grape tomatoes that have been cut in half.

 

It's a great dish to jazz up any meal or enjoy for Meatless Monday. 

Ingredients:
2lbs of ripe tomatoes cut into chunks
small handful of basil torn
salt and black pepper ( to taste)

 Balsamic Drizzle
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs of brown sugar (substitute splenda for low-carb)

Directions:
To make the Balsamic Drizzle: In a saucepan simmer the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until it is thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.  

 

To make the Salad: Wash and cut tomatoes.  Season tomatoes with salt and black pepper to taste.  Place tomatoes on platter or bowl and tear basil leaves on top.  Then drizzle with as much balsamic drizzle as you like.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.   I like to let the tomatoes sit for about 1 hour to develop and absorb more flavor.   

 

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

Beef Gyros with Tahini Tzatziki Sauce

Homemade Greek Style Beef Gyros with a Tahini Tzatziki sauce is a figure friendly way of enjoying this Greek staple at home on a budget. 

My kids and husband love Gyros so when we asked our son what he wanted as a celebration dinner for his end of the school year awards and grades, he simply asked for Gyros.   We enjoy the Gyros that are delivered to our home from a near by neighborhood Greek/Pizza restaurant so we ordered it and came to over $50 dollars just for the four of us.  Although we enjoyed our meal, I felt a little bad that we spent so much money on just one take-out meal.  

I cook at home almost every day so $50 usually feeds our family of four for about 3-4 meals.   So I had to set out to make Gyros at home and make them more budge friendly.  I knew the kind of flavors I like with Greek food like fresh mint, cumin and oregano would definitely be used.  I had to come up with a way to make the meat texture come out more like gyro meat than a hamburgers.  That's when the food processor came to the rescue.  I decided to blend the meat out to be smoother so it would not have the texture of hamburger and it worked out perfectly. 

I made these Gyros for the family and they could not believe that I made them at home.  My son even exclaimed that he preferred these to our regular Gyros!  I was so thrilled because they were not only budget friendly (6-8 Gyros cost me less than $25), but they were made with lean beef so it was not as "heavy" and greasy as the traditional Gyros that we were used too.

I love making my own take-out at home and saving money and calories as well.  Next time you are thinking Greek... think about these Homemade Beef Gyros!

Beef Gyros with Tahini Tzatziki Sauce
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients for Gyro Beef:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (93% lean)
1 medium onion
1 jalapeno
small handful fresh mint leaves
1 heaping Tbs dried oregano leaves
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp salt or more for taste
1 tsp black pepper

Ingredients for Gyro Assembly:
Pocket-less Pita  or Naan
Gyro Beef (see recipe above)
Tahini Tzatziki Sauce (see recipe blow)
Lettuce
Sliced Tomatoes
Sliced Red onions
Sliced Cucumbers
Feta Cheese if desired

Tahini Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup small diced cucumbers
2-3 Tbs Tahini 
1/2 cup up to 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp dried chives (2 tsp fresh)
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2-3 Tbs fresh lemon juice (to taste)
salt and black pepper to taste 

Special Equipment Needed:
Large Capacity Food Processor (10 cup)
Skillet


 Directions:
Step 1:  Make Tahini Tzatziki sauce by combining all the ingredients together and refrigerating for  at least 30 minutes.   Note:  Make this sauce to your taste, add as much lemon juice and salt as you like. 

Step 2:  In a large capacity food processor process the onion, mint and jalapeno.  Then add it to the breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin powder, allspice, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Mix well. 

Place the ground beef in the food processor and top with the breadcrumb and onion/mint mixture. Pulse at first to start the mixing process and then blend carefully until the meat and breadcrumb mixture is well mixed. 

Once the meat the seasoning and is mixed well, gently make oblong patties 3/4 inch thick.  Heat a skillet/griddle with a little oil and cook on medium heat until cooked through, then flip and brown both sides.     

Step 3:  Prepare all fresh garnishes for the Gyros.

Step 4:  Assembly the the Gyro by cutting the patty in half (butterfly open)  if you wish.  This gives you the thinner slices like the traditional Gyro meat. Heat the pita or naan on a dry skillet until warmed through, then place the cut gyros and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers onion and Tahini Tzatziki sauce.   Enjoy.

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

Sago (Tapioca) Pudding with Treacle

This Sri Lankan tapioca pudding is made from sago and treacle and a total comfort food in my opinion.  It is a wonderful dessert or treat that can be eaten warm out of the pan, or at room temperature, or even cold.  These days I like it at room temperature or cold so it's perfect for the hot weather this summer. 

I remember my mother making this pudding when I was a child and begging to lick the spoon when she was done.  I could not wait to dig into it when she dished out the bowls of this tapioca.  The coconut milk gives it a wonderful creamy texture and the treacle sweetens it perfectly.

So if you enjoy tapioca style desserts, try out this Sri Lankan version and enjoy.

Sago (Tapioca) Pudding with Treacle

  Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:

8oz sago/tapioca seeds (smallest seed is best)

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup treacle syrup

small pinch salt 

sugar if desired for more sweetness

water if needed

Directions:
Step 1: Soak sago/tapioca seeds for about 1 hour in cold water.   Then drain well.

Try to get the smallest size seed for the sago/tapioca that you can find.  Larger size tapioca seeds are not as enjoyable in this pudding. 

Step 2:  Place soaked and drained seeds into a pan.  Add the coconut milk, treacle and salt.  Taste and add some sugar if you desire more sweetness.  Bring to a simmer on medium heat.  Stir often. The sago will become thick in 20 minutes of cooking.  Leave the pudding a bit loose when you finish because it will thicken a lot more once it  cools.  Serve hot, at room temperature or cold.  Refrigerate leftovers.  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.

Salad Skewers with Garlicky Herb Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Fun and easy Salad Skewers with a creamy dressing to dip into is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. 


My kids love anything on a stick, so they loved the idea of putting individual salad ingredients on a skewer and then dipping them into a creamy dressing.  

Ranch style dips are their absolute favorite because it's creamy and full of savory flavors.  The dressing took only 5 minutes to get ready since I used dried herbs right from my spice cabinet. 

The kids ate several skewers each happily.  Now, that is much more than I could get them to eat out of a bowl of salad.  The leftover ranch dip was perfect the next day with some carrot sticks as well.  

I love that the kids got such a kick out of making these salad skewers and eating them.  You can't beat food on a stick.  

Salad Skewers with Garlicky Herb Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients for Salad Skewers:
Iceberg Lettuce cut into bite-size wedges
Grape tomatoes
Green Peppers cut into large pieces
English cucumber cut into wedges
Carrots sliced

Ingredients for Garlicky Herb Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup fat free buttermilk (**)
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried chives
salt and black pepper to taste

**(Note:  Adjust buttermilk to the desired texture of your dressing.  If you want it thinner, add a little more).  


Directions:

Add all ingredients for dressing and allow to chill in fridge for 1-4 hours.

Prep all vegetables by washing and cutting to size.  Then skewer each ingredient on the bamboo skewer by alternating ingredients.  If carrots are difficult to skewer, keep them for the top of the skewer.  Serve immediately with dip.  Enjoy.

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