Saturday, December 29, 2018

New Year's Curried Hoppin' John - Vegan Black Eyed Pea Curry

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They saying eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day will ensure your year is a prosperous one.  So try eating this very flavorful and spicy Curried Hoppin' John that is full of black eyed peas to make your year extra lucky.

So what good luck foods do I always have on my New Year's table?  I have black eyed peas for prosperity, lentils for gold, collards greens for money.. hmmmm... do you see a theme here?  I also make sure we eat pork and fish since both represent abundance and moving forward.

My kids wait every year to see how I will incorporate our favorite "good luck" foods for the New Year.  I must admit that I try to come up with a new way of serving it every year and now it's starting to get a little hard to come up with a new recipe because I have tried so many different variations.  I decided to really bump up the veggies in this curried hoppin' john by adding celery and bell pepper to the dish and make it vegan.  It came out so well that the kids ate the dish twice on New Year's day and again the next day.  We all enjoyed it that much!

My silly superstitions may make you laugh, but this curried hoppin' john is seriously delicious.  So, even if you don't believe in "lucky foods"... make this curry and rub your belly with happiness. 





Curried Hoppin' John - Vegan Black Eyed Pea Curry
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:  
2 cans of black-eyed peas (rinsed well)
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery sliced
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 Tbs garlic grated
1 heaping Tbs grated fresh ginger
2 serrano/jalapeno chilies sliced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 piece of cinnamon stick 
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste) 1/2 tsp of turmeric 10-15 curry leave Salt (to taste) 1 can (15oz) coconut milk 1/2 cup of water
Directions:
Heat pan with 2 Tbs canola oil on medium heat.  Add onions, celery, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds with a little salt and cook for 5 minutes.  Then add the ginger and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.


Next add the chopped green peppers, jalapeno peppers (seeded if you desire for less spice),  tomatoes, red chili flakes, turmeric, dried thyme and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Season with some salt for flavor.


Then add the rinsed and drained black eyed peas and saute for a minute.  Finally a can of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water (I used the water to rinse out the can of coconut milk). Stir well and taste for salt and seasoning.  Adjust salt and spice as desired.  Cook for 12-15 minutes.   Serve hot with rice or Indian flat breads.  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.

Friday, December 21, 2018

Christmas Recipes 2018

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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!
May your day be full of Feasting, Fun and loads of Fa la la la la, la la la!





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.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Sausage and Bread Stuffing

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 I am a total stuffing fanatic.  Almost half my plate is reserved for stuffing if it's present at the Thanksgiving or Christmas table.  My favorite stuffing in this world is mother's version!  She came up with this recipe over 25 years ago and my family loves it.  It's a pretty easy stuffing to make and it's even tasty cold. Yes... I do it... I can eat a forkful as I walk by the fridge the next day.  Now this is for a very large casserole size stuffing... so you can make it as for a large crowd or save it for lots of tasty leftovers.   I use this stuffing up in Meatloaf in my Thanksgiving Burgers .


 Ingredients:
2 pounds dried bread cubes (follow instructions below)
1lb hot Italian sausage
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced onion
2-3 Tbs of fresh parsley minced
2-3 Tbs of fresh rosemary
2-3 Tbs of fresh thyme
2-3 Tbs of fresh sage
1-2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
1 Tbs poultry seasoning
black pepper to taste
1-2 tsp granulated garlic
1 can condensed mushroom soup
2-4 cups chicken stock or as needed
6-7 boiled eggs chopped


Directions:
 
How to dry bread cubes at home: 
Cut bread into small cubes. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes. Check and add 10 more minutes if needed (do additional 5-10 minutes as needed).  Note:  All bread moisture is different. Day old bread works best.  You will have to keep an eye on bread to make sure it only lightly browns and does not burn. Once all bread is dried, turn oven off and leave bread in oven overnight to cool and dry further.  Always have your bread dried and prepared 1-2 days prior to making stuffing.  You can always substitute store bought dried bread made for stuffing if desired.

Brown sausage well.  note: I used good quality sausage that only produced 2 tablespoons of oil.  Drain excess oil if needed before proceeding. Then add onion and celery and saute with sausage.

Next add granulated garlic, black pepper, red chili flakes and poultry seasoning.  Finally add minced fresh herbs.

Next add can of condensed mushroom soup and 1 cup of chicken both. Add the dried bread and toss.  Moisten stuffing with additional stock a ladle at at time as needed for desired texture.  Finally add the chopped boiled egg and toss.

 Place in a greased casserole dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve hot.  Enjoy.

Note:  I crushed some butter crackers on top for a crispy crust. This is optional.








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.