Coconut Curry Shrimp

It was Saturday morning and I always wake up and watch the Food Network.  Claire Robinson of 5 Ingredient Fix was on and she made this amazing looking coconut curry shrimp.  All her recipes have 5 ingredients or less, besides salt and pepper.  It seemed so easy and fast that I actually went out and bought all the ingredients and invited a friend over for dinner that night.  I needed to have the meal right then and there, I couldn't even wait another day!!  That's how excited I was to make this dish.  It actually came out so delicious and literally took me about 20 minutes total to put it together and plate it!

Click here to see the original recipe from the Food Network, below is a slightly adapted version.

Coconut Curry Shrimp
(serves 4 people)
1(14-ounce can) coconut milk, unsweetened
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper (optional)
the juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional)

In a large pot whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, curry powder, salt, pepper, red pepper or cayenne and ginger. Slowly bring to a low boil over low heat. Simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, 5-7 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl and serve with lime wedges and a side of coconut rice or quinoa. Sprinkle with some fresh chopped cilantro, serve with a lime wedge and enjoy!

Turkey Chili

Last night I made turkey chili for dinner, and then I had it today for lunch too, click here for photo.  It was the perfect night to have a warm and hearty bowl of chili.  And my goodness, I did enjoy!! I followed this recipe from Epicurious but added ground turkey and some extra spice using a jalapeno pepper! and more cayenne pepper as well.  If you don't prefer your chili to be spicy or if you are a vegetarian simply follow the recipe on Epicurious.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

(Makes 4 main-course servings)

1 pound ground turkey, cooked, in 2 tablespoons olive oil and put aside

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions 
1 2/3 cups coarsely chopped red bell peppers (about 2 medium)

1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, cooked ground turkey, and tomato sauce. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. 

Ladle chili into bowls. If desired, add chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and/or green onions to your bowl!

Poblano Potato Soup

First off I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year!!  I am very excited to begin my journey through 2011!  Over the holidays I was away in Aruba relaxing and spending time with my family!  It was a great trip and very needed.  I came back refreshed and ready to get back to blogging.  So here I am...

While I was away I ate at this steakhouse called L.G. Smith's.  On the menu they have this wonderful poblano soup.  I ordered it for an appetizer and when it arrived I was surprised by how good and tasty it was!  I knew it would be very easy to re-create back at home. So for dinner on this snowy cold evening I decided to give it a whirl! I actually did give a whirl, in my new Vitamix blender.  If you are a fan of the Feed Your Sister page on Facebook you'd know that I purchased a Vitamix blender and am falling in love with it!  I've made ice cream, soup, and amazingly smooth smoothies.

Anyway here is a recipe I created for Poblano Potato Soup.  It's creamy without the creaminess.  It's extremely tasty without too much spice.  And it's not what you think a pepper soup would be at all!  So be brave and give it a try, even if you don't love peppers.

Poblano Potato Soup
(makes 4 cups)


2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 poblano peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (leave some seeds in for extra spice)
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups water + 1 tablespoon chicken consomme (OR replace with 3 cups vegetable/chicken stock + 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
Pepper to taste


Place chopped onions and olive oil in a pot and saute until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add poblano peppers, potatoes, water or stock, and chicken consomme.  Let soup come to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes.  The potatoes should be fork tender and peppers should be soft.  Place contents of soup in two batches into a blender and puree until smooth.   You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup.

NOTE: If using a Vitamix blender, pour everything into the 64 ounce container and blend on variable 1 and increase to 10, blend until smooth.

Isn't this the most gorgeous color green??

Shakshuka

Along with the Potato and Feta Bourekas I made Shakshuka.  This is a dish that consists of eggs baked in a sauce containing tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices.  It originated in Tunisia but is a very popular Israeli breakfast.  If you live in NYC there are a few restaurants that serve a mean shakshuka. Hummus Place and Hummus Kitchen are two places that I know of.  I originally got the idea of making this dish when my friend Kim sent me a link from Smitten Kitchen.  It seemed pretty easy and I remember loving this dish when I was young and spent summers in Israel.  Not only is this meal delicious and easy to make, it's super healthy and low in calories too!  I basically followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe with a few minor changes and I doubled the recipe too.

Shakshuka

(makes enough sauce for 1 dozen eggs)

1/2 cup olive oil
3 Jalapenos, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped (optional)
2 green peppers, chopped (optional)
3 dried spicy red chilles, broken in half
10 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons spicy paprika (you can use regular paprika too)
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like it too spicy)
2 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
12 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for sprinkling
Warm pitas, for serving


Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add jalapenos, chiles, onions, and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping. Enjoy!

The recipe says to bake the eggs in a skillet, however if you don't have a large enough skillet, you can do what I did.  I made the sauce in a large pot and then transferred the sauce to a baking dish, placed the cracked eggs in the dish, and baked for about 10 minutes in a very hot oven, about 400 degrees.  Serve and Enjoy!

Whoops I forgot to take a photo of the finished dish, sorry, my friends were hungry and I was overly excited!!

Double Duty

A few days ago I conducted an experiment that ended up being a huge success!! I had bought a pound of turkey to try making stuffed peppers, but decided that since I'm only one person and live alone I don't need to make a whole pound of turkey worth.  So I bought only 4 peppers and figured that I'd use half of the turkey for the pepper stuffing.  The other half a pound of turkey I decided I'd make some sort of turkey meatloaf.  I really wanted to make them small so I thought I'd use my mini muffin tin.

Well, when I started to look and see what I had around in the apartment to mix up for the stuffed peppers I thought to myself instead of rice (which I didn't have anyway) I'd use quinoa.  We all know I love love love quinoa!  I mixed up 1 pound ground white meat turkey, uncooked quinoa, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sauteed onion, egg, and salt and pepper in a bowl and that was the filling for my stuffed peppers!   I stuffed as many of the peppers I had into the small pot I had and then filled my mini muffin tin up with the rest of the meat filling.  I baked those off in the oven, and VOOOIIILLLLA before the stuffed peppers were done I had 12 mini meatloaf bites that were delicious, healthy, and filled with protein!!!

Turkey and Quinoa Filling 
(for meatloaf or stuffed peppers, see recipes below)

1 pound ground white turkey meat
1 large egg
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed
1 small onion chopped small and sauteed in olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 handful of basil leaves, about 1/2 cup

Place turkey meat, salt, pepper, egg, red pepper flakes, and rinsed quinoa in a large bowl.  In a mini food processor chop the garlic and basil together, until finely chopped.  In a pan saute chopped onions until soft and translucent, let cool.  Mix basil garlic mixture and sauteed onions into the bowl with the turkey mixture and combine ingredients together using a fork or your hand.

This is the Turkey and Quinoa Filling

Use the filling to prepare the following recipes:

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites
(makes 24 mini meatloaf bites)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of turkey and quinoa filling into each section of your mini muffin tin and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.  Enjoy! Freeze leftover bites and save for a snack or lunch another time! Serve with some marinara sauce, yum!!

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites

Stuffed Red Peppers in Tomato Sauce

(makes about 8 stuffed peppers)

2 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 tomato can filled with water, you may need to add more as the peppers cook to prevent sauce from drying up.

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste (in the sauce)

8 large red bell peppers

Cut off the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds.  Stuff each pepper to the top with turkey and quinoa filling.  Place stuffed peppers along with crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and water in a large deep pot.  (Make sure the pot you are using has a lid.) Be sure that all the peppers are covered in sauce, if you need more liquid add more water.  Let simmer on low-medium heat, while continuing to watch and stir the pot so that the peppers do not burn on the bottom, for about 45 minutes to an hour, the peppers should be soft enough to pierce with a fork and the meat should feel firm inside.  Serve with roasted veggies or a nice salad! ENJOY!

Here are the peppers simmering in crushed tomato sauce and bay leaves.  DO NOT LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED, BECAUSE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WILL BURN!!!!!

 Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce

Brisket anyone??

So Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is quickly approaching and most Jews eat brisket on the eve of the holiday. It's usually made with loads of ketchup, spices, onions, carrots, etc. My family on the other hand either doesn't eat this typical dish known to most Jewish families so I've always heard about brisket but never made one.  After seeing a recipe in this month's Food Network magazine last week I thought that I'd try making one.  I wanted to make the brisket with a twist, so I went for a spicy pulled brisket burger.  The leftover meat can be used for beef tacos or over cous cous or quinoa.


Here's a photo of the brisket before going into the oven.

Spicy Pulled Brisket Sliders
This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Southwestern Pulled Brisket recipe.
makes enough for 4 buns


1/2 pound beef brisket (See Note Below)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder (omit if you don't want it that spicy)
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup store bought bbq sauce 
3 chiles (from a can) in adobo sauce (if you want it less spicy use 1)
4 potato buns


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper.  Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in an oven proof pot on high.  Sear brisket in the pot for 5 minutes on each side.  Remove brisket and place on a plate.  In the pot place the onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, chile powder, salt and pepper to taste, and apple cider vinegar.  Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the pan, when vinegar is almost all gone add the brisket back into the pot. 
Pour in the  the water, diced tomatoes with the sauce, brown sugar, chiles in adobo, and bbq sauce.  Stir until well combined.  Cover the pot with parchment paper and then with tin foil.  If the pot has a cover place the cover on top of the foil. Place in the over and cook for about 3-4 hours, until meat is super tender and able to be pulled away with a fork. (If you need to leave the house for some reason, like I did, put your oven on 200 degrees and leave it alone for a few hours until you come back, as long as the pot is filled with liquid and sealed with foil and a top it should be good to go! Thankfully my apartment was still standing when I got home!)


Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool.  When cool enough to handle fork the meat into shreds.  Pour cooled sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.  
Place a large scoop of shredded beef on each bun and serve immediately drizzle with blended sauce if desired.  Serve with coleslaw or salad.


NOTE:  When I went to the butcher to buy the brisket they only had huge 2 lb pieces. I asked the butcher if he could cut it in half and I was able to purchase that.  When I got home I cut the 1 lb in half again and only prepared that much.  I put the rest in the freezer for another time.  This recipe is for a half pound piece of brisket.

Lunch for me and a friend for tomorrow! No soggy buns here!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Lately, I have been craving a good chicken tikka masala, however I never fulfill my craving because I don't know where to get good Indian food. I know, I know, I live in NYC where there are more Indian joints than I know what to do with, but the question is, are they good? I have no idea, so I don't attempt to order or visit any of them in fear of being disappointed or sick (haha). By the way I am no Indian food connoisseur, I have only had Indian a handful of times, and all time it has been Chicken Tikka Masala. I know you're thinking that I'm a real risk taker....sorry. I like what I like and I continue to eat what I like. Let me just say that Trader Joe's makes a good frozen dinner of Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice for those of you who frequent the frozen dinner aisle.

Anyways, a few weeks ago I had some good Tikka Masala with some friends up in Rockland County and since then I've been craving this yummy fulfilling chicken dinner! Instead of risking it at any of the restaurants around where I live, I decided I'd go ahead and make it for dinner last night! I found this recipe onThe Pioneer Woman Cooks, a blog I follow.

A few notes regarding the recipe:

1) I followed the recipe exactly with some additions. (I sprinkled salt to the chicken before coating in yogurt. And I did not add cayenne pepper for heat, instead added more serrano chile peppers, 2 to be exact.

2) I wasn't quit sure about broiling the chicken like they say to do, but I am glad to announce that this is a great way to make chicken if you want a bbq taste. I did 10 minutes on each side and the chicken came out amazing on its own!

3) The recipe makes A LOT of tikka, I didn't even know what to do with it all. I ate some for dinner and saved some for lunch the next day but still ended up with so much sauce! I ended up giving it to my parents and brother to eat for lunch at the office today. I wonder how they'll like it...

Here are some pictures that document my journey to fulfilling my Chicken Tikka Masala craving...

And the winning marinade is....

Well, there's no winner actually...the past two dinners I had Thursday and tonight, Korean steak and piri piri chicken, are both rated very highly on my yummy meter! I did learn a few things however.

First of all, when cooking with sugary marinades, such as the Korean Marinade My Way, I do not recommend using your grill pan, I'd stick to using a real BBQ. I basically ruined my grill pan, but I guess after having it for 7 years, it's probably time to buy a new one anyways, right??

Second, I'd make both marinades more spicy!! I like spice and once the proteins were cooked I didn't really taste the spice as much as I did when I tasted the marinades pre-cooking.

Thirdly, I highly recommend marinading for at least 1 day before cooking! Especially for the steak!

Fourth, I sliced up the shell steak that was cooked along with the spare ribs in the Korean marinade, and it made a great protein topper for a spinach arugula salad with grape tomatoes and leftover potatoes (recipe to come Monday).

Here's what the dinners looked like: Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the salad!

Marinades

I'm sorry I've been a little MIA the past week or so, between Passover and traveling and trying to get back into the swing of things I'm a little lost. I know some of you are probably sick of seeing that Matzoh Cake staring at you every time you open up Feed Your Sister but today I have some nice marinade recipes to share with you!

Since I'd been traveling I took this afternoon to refill the fridge/freezer and bought some chicken legs and breasts and some beef spare ribs and shell steaks. A long time ago I saw Danny Boome's show, Rescue Chef, make this amazing sounding chicken marinade. I adjusted the recipe a tad.

Spicy Piri Piri Sauce

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2-3 chili peppers like Fresno or serrano (depends on how spicy you want it!)
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• (This made enough to marinade 5 chicken legs, 5 chicken breasts, and 1 shell steak)

In a food processor add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper, chiles, parsley, paprika, red wine vinegar and oil. Process until it becomes a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Divide meat into resealable plastic bags. Pour marinade into bags and seal. Turn the meat around in the bags to distribute the marinade. Place meat in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove meat from bags with tongs and drain well. Place on grill or grill pan, skin side down first, and grill for about 15 minutes on each side turning occasionally until cooked through. (You might need to do it in batches if grill is not big enough.)

The other recipe I made was based upon Korean steak sauce. It's usually sweet and contains soy sauce and brown sugar. I made my own spicy version of a Korean marinade. Here's the recipe!

Korean Marinade My Way

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)

1/2 cup water

1 small onion roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour marinade onto steak or chicken and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Grill meat on the BBQ or grill pan until cooked to your desired taste. Enjoy!!