Thai Peanut Curry Revival

I have found that my posting pattern is "Annually".  That being said; new year, new commitments.  Actually, compared to my last post, I have done fairly well keeping to my 2013 commitment of abstaining from wheat with the exception of a brief period in which a job transfer put me in an area with not one, but TWO Abbey's Pizza restaurants...This was a dark time for me...dark and delicious.  But moving on!  In that time I have accumulated a wealth of new recipes and delights for those looking for deliciousness in a wheat-free world, and I will post these over the course of this weekend,starting with:

Thai Peanut Curry Soup!

It's been a cold winter.  Cold with no snow and after a time the body craves something to warm it to from the bones out.  I actually have never had any type of Curry Soup but being familiar with the flavors and having crossed some savory looking pictures in my recipe hunts I decided this would hit the spot nicely.

  Ingredients:

Peanut oil
Sesame Oil
Coconut Oil
Flour
Curry Powder
Salt
Pepper
Chicken (or meat of choice)
Diced Garlic
Diced Ginger
Diced Chili Pepper (heat to preference)
 Red Curry Paste
Peanut butter
Coconut Milk
Chicken Broth
Carrots
Mushrooms
Green Onions
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Cilantro
Lemon Juice
Fish Oil
Soy Sauce

So, first disclaimer: I cook from Scratch; a handful of this and a pinch of that. I will see what I can do to translate that into a recipe.  I will use the amounts I made for this batch which I think made about three or four servings.

Take four chicken thighs or two breasts. Cut them up into 1/4"cubes.  Take about a 1/4 cup of flour, (if gluten free do a mixture of almond, sorghum,and or garbanzo.) 1/2 tbsp of Curry powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a pinch of pepper.  (I usually taste test.  The flavor should be stronger than what you want)  Toss the chicken and the Flour mixture.

Heat a pot with a tablespoon of Peanut Oil, a Tablespoon of sesame oil, and a Tablespoon of Coconut Oil. Heat at Medium/ medium high (will depend on the heat of your stove).  The oil should be hot, but not smoking.  Throw in the chicken and let it fry for about fiveish minutes till all sides are whitish. Don't worry about cooking it through yet; it will finish cooking as it sits and when mixed with the rest of ingredients. When done remove Chicken

In the same pot, without cleaning it, add oil if needed and toss in 1/2 tsp Red curry paste the diced ginger, garlic and chili peppers. Saute for several minutes before adding a half a cup of the chicken broth and mix in all of the residual oils and flavors.

Reduce heat and mix in about 1/4 cup of Peanut butter and 1/2 cub of Coconut milk...add slowly and stir constantly until blended.  Add several shakes of fish oil and soysauce to taste.

Add about two cups more of broth.  Add one full carrot, quartered and diced, or sever handfuls of mini carrots diceds. Add mushrooms. Add a tablespoon of Curry.  Mix and let simmer for about five minutes.

Add Chicken back to pot.

Add another 1/4 of peanut butter and mix.  Add about 1/4 tsp of chilli powder and pinches of Cayenne to taste.  Add Coconut milk if needed to thicken, or broth to thin.

Dice up Cilantro and Green Onion and add to mixture.

Taste and season to preference; more curry, cayenne, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, etc.

Enjoy with Cabbage or Rice or Solo.

Caprese, Kitchen Sink Style!

It's that time of year where we all make promises which we sometimes intend to keep.  In my case I am working on recommitting myself to the wheatless life.  After success in training and finishing in the 2012 Portland Duathalon, I am setting my sights higher with the hopes of improving my time and loosing that little unattractive bulge...I also have been called up to do a work training and I'd REALLY like to fit into my dress uniform.  This calls for committing to healthier lifestyle choices over the winter...AFTER the Holidays of course.  So,that being said, I'd like to present my version of a personal favorite...not as fancy as the restaurant, but much easier to enjoy while curled up on the couch watching a movie.  :)

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Basil Leaves
Spinach
Tomatoes (I prefer Cherry)
Fresh Mozzarella
Prosciutto
Parmesian
Honey roasted sunflower seeds

Mix equal amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, enough to coat the amount of the other ingredients in the salad.

Slice mozzarella into quart-inch slices and again into chunks.  If using large tomatoes, cut into chunks. Toss both into dressing mixture and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Loosely chop Spinach leaves and several basil leaves and mix into the bowl.  Grate the Parmesan, slice prosciutto, add a handful of sunflower seeds, and toss together.

 

Now, pour yourself a glass of red wine and, if you feel good about cheating on your diet, grab a slice of Seattle's Bay Front Sourdough and enjoy!

 

 

Oat Flour Pancake

Wow...It's been a long time since I've been on here.  I'm a bad blogger.

So, demands for my oat flour pancake recipe have moved me to pull out the camera and dust off this blog...wait, what's that...what happened to no grains, you ask?  Phhhsshh.....mumble, mumble mumble....

Anyhoo....

...It being a snowy, cozy Sunday, this seems to be the perfect day to make said pancakes.  So, let's begin.

FIRST, my disclaimer:

Disclaimer:

1. All of my recipes are made from scratch, usually to taste and I don't usually take measurements so the measurements listed here are approximate.  It is up to the chef to take frequent taste tests and be free to make their own modification according to their own palate.
2. There is no fear of solid or animal fats in this kitchen.  Substitutes using oils of your choice is permitted.  Cutting fats completely is also permitted.  It is encouraged to try the recipe as it is before making changes...if guilt of said scary fats if a concern, follow eating pancakes with three miles of snow shoeing and a half hour of jogging in place...it'll take care of that guilt in no time.
3. If modifications are made please share the results because we all like to try new things.

OK!  Let's get started:

The Cast

1/2 cup           Oat Flour
1 Tbls             Rice Flour (optional)
1/4 tsp            Baking Powder
1/2 tsp            Baking Soda
1                     Egg
1 tsp               Bacon drippings (In my case, sometimes two...^.^)
Splash            Vanilla
1/2 Cup          Buttermilk
2 pats              Butter
To taste          Salt


This recipe makes two large pancakes so if you're cooking for more just double, triple, quadruple accordingly.

First mix all dry ingredients except salt, save the salt for last. Slowly, mix in buttermilk, bacon drippings, and vanilla.  If you have no fear of raw eggs you may also mix in the egg, however if salmonella is a phobia of yours, save the egg for last till after you've tasted your mixture. 

The mixture should be somewhat runny.

Taste test time...remember, with salted butter, bacon drippings, the baking powder, and soda there will already be a lot saltiness so it's better to taste and salt to your preference. 

Heat your skillet on a low medium heat.  I use a cast iron pan so it runs warmer than regular pans.  Melt a half a pat of butter and let it spread evenly in the pan.

Pour about half of the pancake batter into the pan and let it cook till nice little bubbles form around the edges and the top begins to lose it's sheen.  Lift the pancake with your flipper (the wider the better).  Throw another half pat of butter on the pan and let it melt and spread before flipping the pancake to it's other side.  Cook till this side is nice and brown.

Nice bubbles....it's about ready to flip.

Repeat till you have a stack of pancakes and the batter is gone.

Serve with your choice of syrup, butter, yogurt dressing, fruit, or in my case egg.

Follow with a cinnimon mocha and spend the rest of the day relaxing.  :)


Tips and tricks....

I have found that using saved bacon drippings (always stored in the fridge in a container of course) are much saltier tasting than fresh drippings.

I usually pull my pan off the burner and wipe it clean between pancakes.

Many of the recipes I've explored use sugar.  I just chose not to...doesn't mean you shouldn't.

The cinamon mocha is optional....you could also have a vanilla mocha or an almond mocha or a mint mocha or a hazelnut mocha or a..........