Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Broccoli and Pumpkin Puree

I really enjoyed this month's Crazy Ingredient Challenge and didn't really think that our pairing was too difficult. Chocolate and cauliflower - that was weird but I didn't really embrace the challenge with my Spicy Chocolate Dusted Cauliflower. Caramel and avocados was tough too but I think my Creamy Avocado Salad with Caramel Almonds turned out great. And I barely made tomatoes and coconut work with my Tomato Soup Cupcakes and Caramel Frosting. But pumpkin purée and broccoli - I paired those veggies together in a flash and made a delicious dinner too! 

I suppose it helped that I love eating both those veggies. And it probably also helped because I like to think my Thai curries are one of my best dishes. Read on to see if you agree!

Meat on the Side

I haven't always been a person who'd love to fill up on a fresh and delicious salad while enjoying meat on the side, but I sure am now. Now I love seeing as much fresh green as possible on my plate and seeing only just enough protein to keep me healthy. 

Today's dish is a light curry over a small bed of rice topped with a few plump shrimp and a big fresh salad. It's perfect for a healthy person on the go and filled with enough flavour to satisfy anyone. 

Ready for my fresh and fast recipe? Read on for it! 

Banana Curry

When I go to a restaurant and I see a dish on the menu that I feel inspired to try to make at home, I know it's been a good night. The last thing I want in a restaurant is a boring menu filled with uninspiring things. Steak and potatoes or salmon with rice, all served with seasonal veggies, is nice - but I want to be excited by a meal.

When I saw a dish of banana curry with mussels on a menu recently, I knew I was in for a treat. I love curry and I love bananas. Plus I could see how that dish could work. I always use something sweet in my curries to counterbalance the spicy tart flavours of my dishes.

I was also really excited to have a new dish to try when I had a few overripe bananas. I love banana bread but everyone needs a break from the ordinary! Read on for my Banana Curry recipe!

Christmas Curry

Today is halfway to my favourite time of the year, Christmas, so it's only fitting for me to make a Christmasy curry. But before you start thinking about how I might be using pine needles, cinnamon, or sugar plums, let me tell you that I used perfectly normal and delicious curry ingredients - I just made my dish extra special with thoughts of Christmas in mind.

First off, I made my curry reflect the colours of Christmas by making a red curry sauce with plenty of fresh green broccoli and basil. And secondly, I decorated my curry with one of my favourite heirloom potatoes - the Warba New Nugget. I like to think of the Warba New Nuggets as little glass balls decorating my bowl because they're round, sweet as can be, and are even speckled with a decoration of pink eyes. 

You might be surprised at my use of potatoes in a curry because curries are usually paired with another starch, but potatoes are actually frequently used in curries and after one bite of this recipe I know you will never think twice about using a Warba New Nugget in your curry again! 

Trick of the Eyes

I love hollandaise sauce. It's rich, creamy, and decadent. It's a perfect accompaniment to breakfast or to dinner. And it's a treat because its not very good for you as it's made almost entirely of butter and eggs. 

All that being said, the sauce I'm about to share with you isn't a hollandaise. But, don't worry because I don't think you'll be disappointed after you taste it. It's a curried yogurt sauce that's sweetened with honey and citrus. Plus, it's takes only a small fraction of the time to make it that it would to make a hollandaise. 

Throw Back

Today's post is not really a re-post, it's most of a what else can do with an old favourite post. 

I love my basic Thai curry recipe. It's something I make about even two weeks and considering how many different types of recipes I like to cook, that's practically every night! 

But today's recipe doesn't have any chicken in it. Instead it has tofu in it. And truth be known, I don't really like tofu. At least I didn't think I did. 

After Luke decided he didn't want to eat much meat, I wanted to be supportive and got a ton of library books out on vegetarian cooking. Some of the cookbooks had mainly macaroni and cheese and other heavy foods, but others had tips of for making veggie food sing. 

One of the best tips I learned was that tofu is like a sponge and take on whatever flavours you put with it. That's probably why it's doesn't taste so delicious alone! The other thing I didn't like about tofu was the texture. I found the firm variety too squishy. 

Today's recipe helps to make tofu flavourful and makes it crispy too. Read on for the recipe! 

Curry In a Hurry

Fast Food doesn't have to be burgers and fries from a chain restaurant. It can be food prepared in your own kitchen too! 

I just bought Michael Smith's new cookbook, Fast Flavours, and it's already one of my favourite cookbooks. Not only is it full of delicious recipes that can be prepared quickly, it's also full of awesome pictures. Beautiful pictures are important to me in a cookbook because if the food doesn't look good, how will I know if I want to eat it?

I changed a few things from the chef's original recipe, but not a lot. It was almost perfect for my taste buds! 

Smothered

Some sauces are meant to be messy and that's just because they taste so delicious that they make you want to dive into a big bowl. However, instead of diving into the sauce, it's a bit more normal to just smother everything in sight with it. 

That's this sauce. It has everything I crave in it - curry, coconut cream, citrus, and peanut butter. You might not think that all these would go together, but they do. You'll just have to try it to believe me. 

Simply Delicious

Did you know that Thai curry paste is very different from Indian curry paste? Indian curry paste is made from mainly spices and Thai curry paste is made from many more fresh ingredients like shallots, chilies, and lemon grass. And chicken stock is only used in Indian curries, never in Thai curries; coconut milk is used in Thai curries instead. 

Most Thai curry recipes are traditionally made with raw chicken, but I like to use leftover turkey just as much. The flavour is equally as delicious and the recipe is made even easier with leftover turkey. 

I also like to switch the common side of rice with couscous for a more unique take on a traditional curry meal. I think couscous adds a new texture to the meal that is very unexpected, almost as unexpected as how easy and delicious the actual curry tastes.  

Read on for the recipe. And hungry people be comforted, this dish takes only 30 minutes to make!

Dessert into Dinner

Every year I have to get a little more creative to find ways to make my leftover turkey taste great and this year I've come up with a winner that's going to find it's way into my oven for years to come. 

I always make turkey pies, but I wasn't feeling like eating too much pastry after all the pumpkin pie I inhaled recently, so I decided to pull out a recipe for cobbler I used a few months ago. At first I thought that I was crazy thinking I could make a turkey pie with my sweet dessert topping. But then I thought about adding cheese to cobbler topping and of course I wouldn't use the sugary glaze, so why wouldn't it work? 

This dinner was a huge success! And it's is nothing like a dessert in way other than being delicious!

For the Love of Curry

I love curries, just don't make them too spicy and I will slurp up every bite. And even though I know that curry only means sauce, not a specific dish, I will always call my saucy, spicy dishes a curry. 

I will admit that learning that the word curry means sauce is recent discovery, but I don't care about this discovery. Everyone refers to saucy and spicy Indian and Thai dishes as curries and I'll only look like a food snob if I start doing any differently. 

But since I know that curry means sauce, I think that calling my Top Ten Recipe Chicken Curry Lasagna makes sense. I made a slightly spicy, curry paste based sauce for my lasagna and it turned out great. 

Did I win the Olivieri Taste of Home Lasagna Recipe Competition with this recipe? I don't know yet but I hope I find out soon!

Fridge Clean Out!

So the end of the week rolls around and it's time to figure out what's left in my fridge for dinner. 

Usually I remember to take something out of the freezer, but I completely forgot about that last night, so I was a little stuck. 

I opened the door to my fridge and saw there weren't a lot of choices to be had, but I knew I could figure something out. I saw a little cream, some fish stock, snow peas, eggplant, and I always have a jar of curry paste. Plus, I did have some frozen fish in the freezer. 

All of that would work in a curry and best of all, the fish could defrost as it cooked, so I didn't even need to wait until later to start cooking. 

Surprisingly, this curry is one of the best I think I have made. And I made it by cleaning out my fridge!

Buttering You Up

Now is the time to start filling your freezer with food for the holidays, at least that's what I am going to do this weekend.

I don't want to be baking, cooking, and cleaning during the real festivities. I want to eating, drinking, and partaking in the festivities!

So, today I'm cleaning out my freezer and making my traditional Christmas Eve lunch butternut squash soup - with a twist. Usually there's no curry, but I thought this year needed a little something extra!

I hope you enjoy it!

The New Ants on a Log

How do make such a classic snack into something new? 

I did it! I took that boring piece of celery slathered with peanut butter and topped with raisins to a new level of tastiness. 

But it's not at all what you'd expect. For one thing, it's no longer a snack. It's a dinner! And for another, it's not just for kids, adults will love this too. 

Alright, I won't keep you waiting any longer. 

Just one more thing... Remember your wallet when you run out to the store for the ingredients of this dish. I know I get forgetful when I get hungry.

Curry Flurry!

That's right folks! I've got yet another curry recipe for you.

But all you non-curry fans out there, don't worry. I won't be turning into a curry monster anytime soon, I still love all kinds of food.

Plus, this is no ordinary curry dish. It's made with pasta and is my curry take on a mac and cheese.

And... a tuna noodle casserole... And there's another little twist hidden in there too....

Something I like to add when I mix up a curried tuna sandwich to bring a bit of sweetness and cut a bit of the heat...

Have you guessed yet? If not, you'll find out in a minute!

Hold onto your fork and let's get eating!

Lean, Mean, and Green

Curry is a dinner I love. It's easy, it's yummy, and, with a creative pantry, it's a very versatile dish!

But that's not all in the story of curry...

The most important part is there are tons of health benefits to eating curry!

1. Turmeric, a primary ingredient in many curries, is associated with easing the swelling of joints and also may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.

2. The antioxidants in curry might help reduce the risk of cancer.

3. The chili in curries help to boost immune systems.

4. Many spices in curry help with digestion.

5. Black pepper in curry helps to break down fat cells. And the balance of veggies and proteins in the dishes are great for this too.

6. Curry might help to manage asthma.

7. You won't believe this one... Curry can also help to improve your appearance! Turmeric and cinnamon can help to improve your skin and other ingredients can help to improve your hair and nails!

I should tell you that the curry I just made doesn't have turmeric in it, but it's great tasting. And now, after reading about turmeric, I am going to be getting use to more of that in my diet!

Double Vision

Here it goes again... Another contest between Luke and me of who has the best dish.

Only this time it's not buns, it's coconut shrimp. And this time it's not Luke liking the way I cooked, but instead he liked the concept behind it.

And... he got extra creative because he didn't even make the same course that I did; he made an appetizer and I made dinner.

Curious yet?

Well lucky you, because I won't make you wait any longer.

Maybe I will make you wait just one more moment... But it's interesting so I think it'll be work it.

Looking at these photos again, I see we used the same plates and the same frame for the photos. It wasn't our intention, but maybe this helps you judge the winner?

If not, surely tasting both will. 

My dish - Curried Coconut Shrimp

New Sides Can Make An Old Meal Feel New Again

My boyfriend mentioned to me at dinner the other night that he thought I was making such diverse and yummy meals lately. 

I'm not sure if he put two and two together to notice that all these new additions to my standard meals included cream cheese, but they do. And obviously the reason for that is that I want to stay competitive and hopefully get invited to compete in the finals of the Real Women of Philadelphia! 

I agree with him though. My meals have been much more original and innovative than usual. But it definitely involves some extra imagination and time. 

With these three side dish recipes, hopefully I can save you a little time so that you can please your friends and families and offer new additions to your tables. 

Cooking with leftovers

I love using up every single last speck of food before it goes bad and needs to be thrown away. It's kind of like my own little competition. I am the only winner or the only loser and my only opponents are time and creativity.

Sometimes after cooking an enormous turkey I can get very discouraged. It's only myself and Luke and a turkey is a huge piece of meat to consume for just two people so there are always leftovers. 

Lots and lots of leftovers. 

So then I need to cook with the leftovers. I don't just like to serve slices of turkey and leftover sides every night either. My staple go tos are usually a turkey pot pie, turkey stir fry, or turkey a la king, but those can get boring after eating them every single time I cook a turkey. That's why my opponent is creativity. 

If I can't beat creativity, I get bored and post pone my cooking with turkey leftovers. So with the Real Women of Philadelphia contest, I put my thinking cap on and tried to think outside of the box for ways to try and use up those leftovers. 

Here are a few of my video entries for cooking with leftover turkey. I love calzones. I don't know who wouldn't. And my Philly Turkey Curry entry earned me a note from the judges too. Sarah Reynolds always makes us smile. We would like an invitation to dinner at her house. 

Well that made me smile too. It gave me more confidence to try and get creative. Hopefully you'll like my videos and try my dishes too.