Pumpkin Cashew Chicken Curry

This dish is by far the best thing I have made in a LONG time. My neighbor AnnMarie and her family just moved from Okinawa and gave me a bunch of canned pumpkin. I asked her how she used pumpkin and she shared with me this amazing recipe. I am so thankful she did because it was seriously delicious. You can't go wrong with the flavor combinations in this one pot meal - pumpkin, curry, coconut milk, red onion, cinnamon, cilantro, cashews. I added in carrots for additional flavor and veggie content and this dish could easily be adapted for vegetarians if you substituted more veggies for the chicken. After I made it I put it in my crock pot to hang out on warm for several hours and I think it really intensified the flavors.

This is my new favorite recipe and one I will put into our regular dinner rotation. 

Pumpkin Cashew Chicken Curry
Modified from PaleOMG and recommended by AnnMarie (thanks AM!)
Serves 4-5
Printable Version
Ingredients 
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ginger 
1 red onion, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 can coconut milk 
1 large can of pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup cashews
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, for garnish 
3 cups of cooked rice (I used Jasmine)

Directions 
Heat large pot or Dutch Oven to medium and add in oil. Add minced garlic and ginger and once fragrant add in chicken and carrots. Cook until chicken is white on all sides. 

Pour in coconut milk, all spices, red onions and pumpkin. 

Raise heat until mixture becomes bubbly, stirring frequently.  Allow to cook until onions have softened, about three minutes. 

This is when I transferred everything to my crock pot but you can also serve it immediately. When ready to eat place on top of rice and garnish with cashews and chopped cilantro. 

Banana Cashew Balls

One thing that I was most surprised about after giving birth to my daughter is how ravenously hungry I was during the first few weeks. I think it was from all the breastfeeding and energy I was expending caring for my little baby. I was always looking for a quick, healthy, and filling snack. So when I offered to bring our friends who just had a baby a meal, I also took them some of these Banana Cashew Balls. I actually found the recipe from looking at my friend's Pinterest page, as she is a super healthy eater. I wanted to make something I knew she would like and she mentioned on Pinterest that bananas and cashews were two of her favorite flavors. I happen to love both flavors too so was eager to try these myself. With no refined sugar, flour, or oil, these little balls are an excellent source of potassium, protein and carbs. They keep best in the fridge and were really great cold. 

Banana Cashew Balls
From FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Printable Version
Makes about 15 balls
Ingredients
2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup cashews

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 tablespoons oatmeal
4 dates, pitted
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (didn't have these)

Directions
Cut the bananas into about 3/4 inch thick slices and place them on a microwave safe dish. Microwave at 60% power for about ten minutes (may need to be more) or until most of the moisture has boiled out of the banana. 

Pulse the cashews in the food processor until coarsely ground. Add the flax seed and oatmeal and pulse a few more times. Add the banana and dates and seeds from the vanilla bean. 

Blend into a thick paste. Moisten your hands and scoop up the paste in about one tablespoon portions. Form into balls. Cover and keep refrigerated. 

Cashew Curry Chicken

This was the most tasty dinner I've cooked in a while. Baked chicken covered in honey, butter, curry, mustard and cashews. Sweet with a little tang from the mustard and heat from the curry. The crunch from the cashews was the best part. I served it over quinoa because I am officially obsessed with it. 

Cashew Curry Chicken
Serves Two
Printable Version


Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
Olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon curry
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
Kosher salt
Pepper


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish and season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile in a small saucepan melt butter over low-medium heat. Stir in honey, curry, mustard and stir frequently until thickens into sauce. Stir in cashews. Take chicken out of the oven and pour the sauce over the chicken. 

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve over rice or quinoa. 

Asian Noodle Salad

This is Pioneer Woman's "Most Favorite Salad Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever!" Just the pictures of this amazingly beautiful and incredibly colorful salad had me hooked - there are so many veggies in it that I cannot remember them all unless I look at the ingredient list. I love the addition of the cold noodles, it makes the salad more hearty. My favorite part was probably the toasted cashews. I played hunt for the cashews with every bite I took.

I wasn't sure my meat loving husband would be a fan of this uber healthy, chocked full of veggies salad, but he was! The dressing was his favorite part, he kept asking for just a little bit more. It is an extremely wonderful dressing - soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, etc. YUM YUM YUM! This salad is so big I couldn't fit it all in my lovely red salad/pasta bowl. There are so many servings in this you will be eating it for days, so make it when you are either trying to fill you veggie quota for several days or for a healthy addition to a potluck or luncheon.

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

From PW

Printable Version

Ingredients
(get ready, it's loooong)

For the salad:
1 package of linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 head sliced Napa Cabbage, or more to taste
1/2 head sliced purple cabbage, or more to taste
1/2 bag baby spinach, or more to taste (I used an entire package)
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (didn't use this - that's a LOT of bell peppers!!)
1 bag bean sprouts (also called Mung Bean Sprouts)
Chopped Cilantro, up to 1 bunch, or to taste
3 green onions, sliced
3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced (only used 2)
1 can (10 ounces) of cashews, lightly toasted in a skillet (watch these, you gotta keep them moving!)

For the dressing:
1 whole lime, juiced
8 tablespoons of olive oil
8 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons (up to 3) of sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 whole hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped (I omitted, scared of these!)
Chopped cilantro

Directions
Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter. Note: Dressing keeps for up to three days.