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. 

Vegetarian Curry

Hooray I have a Meatless Monday recipe to share with you! I have made this vegetarian curry dish several times now. It's so easy and so good and so healthy! If you don't like a lot of heat be sure to leave the pepper out of this, as just with curry alone it has a little kick. 

You can add or subtract whatever veggies you like or have on hand. This time I forgot to get chickpeas so I substituted some small potatoes. I think sliced summer squash or zucchini would also be excellent in this! It also is a great recipe to make ahead and keep warm in the crock pot. My friend Jess shared this recipe with me after she got it from our friend Kelly. Thanks ladies! :)

Vegetarian Curry

Serves 4

Printable Version

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon ginger

1 thai or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 can coconut milk

½ cup water

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup diced tomatoes

Directions

Warm oil in dutch oven at medium low. Add garlic, ginger, onion and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in curry and season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk and water. 

Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for ten minutes. Add peas and tomatoes and cook until heated through. If you want to keep warm in a crock pot, this is time time to transfer everything over. Serve over rice.

Meatless Mondays: Mediterranean Pumpkin Soup

My wonderful friend Jess made this soup a couple of weeks ago and had me try a bite of it. I loved the smoky pumpkin flavor and the fact that this recipe is super healthy. I borrowed her cookbook and made it just a few days later. It's a great way to use up one of the several cans of pumpkins I still have sitting in my pantry from hoarding them this fall. I say hoarding because I was told that canned pumpkin would be in limited supply at our commissary. This caused me to not only purchase three or four cans here on the island, but I also also freaked out when there were truly none in stock at the store and asked my Mom to ship some cans to me from the States. My lovely obliging Momma sent me four cans. Note to self: seven large cans of pureed pumpkin is a little excessive. Regardless, this soup is a wonderful and guilt free Meatless Monday Meal!

Mediterranean Pumpkin Soup
From Mediterranean: A Taste of the Sun Cookbook and my friend Jess :)
Serves 4
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 pounds pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed (I used 28 ounces canned pumpkin)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced (I used 1/2 yellow onion)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cumin
3 3/4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade turkey stock given to me by  my friend Krimp)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (I added this in, was not in original recipe)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro leaves to garnish
4 tablespoons plain yogurt, to serve


Directions
Cut the pumpkin into chunks. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven to medium and add the leeks (or onion) and garlic. Cook gently until softened. Add the ginger and cumin and cook, stirring for another minute. Add the pumpkin and the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender. Process the soup in batches if necessary or use a hand blender to create desired thickness (not necessary if you used canned pumpkin).  Serve the soup in bowls with a swirl of yogurt and a garnish of cilantro leaves. 

Beef with Peppers

In my almost three years of marriage I think I have finally determined that my husband will be one happy man if I make him anything that involves cilantro OR beef. Put the two together and he will be in heaven. So when I saw Pioneer Woman's Beef with Peppers I knew it would be an instant winner with hubby. I was right. This dish is definitely Asian inspired, with Chinese style noodles, dressed with soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. It's a flavor profile both hubby and I really enjoy. If you don't like beef, you could substitute chicken or even tofu in this dish. It's a vibrant stir fry with lots of layers of flavors. Once again, Pioneer Woman comes through. 

Beef with Peppers
From Pioneer Woman
Serves 4 
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 pound flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain 
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced 
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (use more or less depending on your liking)
2 packages chinese noodles, boiled, drained, and cooled

Directions
Whisk together the soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes. Take about 1/4 of the sauce and pour into a small bowl to reserve for cooking. Pour the rest of the sauce over the sliced beef and toss to coat. Set aside and allow to marinate. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat and add bell peppers. Cook peppers for several minutes. Remove to a plate. 

Return skillet to heat and one more tablespoon of oil. Evenly distribute the meat in the skillet and cook until brown. Reduce the heat to low. Add the onions and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in the reserved sauce and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Turn off the heat. 

In a large bowl, place the cooked, cooled noodles. Distribute the meat, peppers, and onions over the noodles and toss together. 

Add very hot water if needed to thin. Top entire dish with cilantro leaves and serve immediately. 

Cranberry Chutney

Because my photo software recently went on the blitz, this Cranberry Chutney is the one and only recipe from Thanksgiving this year that can actually I blog about. Boo hoo hoo. I wanted to share with you an amazing brie and truffle oil appetizer and a couple other recipes that I made over Thanksgiving, but the photos didn't survive. Guess I'll have to make them again sometime. 


I found this Cranberry Chutney recipe on Closet Cooking. I loved how it was a totally different spin on traditional cranberry sauce and how it incorporates so many different ingredients: jalapeno, apples, raisins, ginger. 


This was the easiest thing I made on Thanksgiving day, all you do is cut things up and cook them all in a big pot. It smelled heavenly while it simmered and was very delicious. Tangy, sweet, and savory all at the same time. It made a nice big batch and we were able to use the leftovers on turkey sandwiches and in chicken curry - - recipe to come next!

Cranberry Chutney
From Kevin at Closet Cooking
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Directions
Place everything in a large pot and boil until thickens, about 20 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and even preserved using traditional canning methods.