Chicken Panang Curry

I love curry dishes, especially panang curry. Panang curry is not difficult to make at home, but it is time consuming. The payoff, however, is worth it. Store bought paste is OK, but nothing will come close if you make fresh panang curry paste. Also, the paste keeps in the freezer for at least a month.

Ingredients and recipe found here: http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/panang-curry/

Cumin Chicken with Chickpea

If you are a lover of cumin, you will swoon over this dish.

Ingredients:

5-8 chicken tenders

1-2 cups chicken broth (depending on how much sauce you want)

1 tablespoon cumin (add more if you want)

1 can chickpeas

1/2 yellow onion

fresh parsley

brown rice

salt

pepper

Directions:

sear chicken tenders in a hot skillet and season with salt and pepper. When the outside of the tenders are brown, add the diced onion and let saute. When the onion has turned translucent, pour in the chicken broth. Let the broth come to a slight boil and add in the chickpeas. Add the cumin and stir until everything is combined. Cook until the tenders are well cooked. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Once the dish is finished, sprinkle over fresh chopped parsley to add freshness. Serve over a bed of brown rice.

Baby Cakes

It's the last day of my staycation and Tom returned from his two week stay in the UK. This morning, it was the smell of making homemade pancakes and freshly brewed coffee - the kind of comfort that brings people home.

Fusilli Pasta With Fresh Vegetables and Pesto

This dish is a hit! Aside from the bold flavors and textures, dinner is ready in the time it takes to cook pasta. It's fast, easy, and fresh.

Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta
5 garlic cloves
1 medium size zucchini
1 medium size yellow bell pepper
10 ounces heirloom and/or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons pesto
salt
pepper
Parmesan

Directions:

Cut zucchini in half moons. Cut tomatoes in half. Cut bell pepper into short strips. Start a pot of boiling water to cook the fusilli pasta. in a hot deep skillet, put in olive oil and butter (I used Earth Balance). When butter is melted, put in the zucchini. After about 2 minutes, put in the bell pepper. When the zucchini and bell pepper are well coated and softened, put in the pesto (I used store bought pesto). Mix well and then add the tomatoes. Mix all of the ingredients well and then season with salt and pepper. Pour in the strained pasta and mix until everything is combined. Add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Go Green! Go Orange!

Tasty! Tasty! Taaastyyyy salad! Hearty vinaigrette too! Perfect for the Winter time.

Ingredients:

Salad:
baby leaf lettuce
1 large carrot (blanch in boiling hot water for about 3 minutes. Cut at a bias).
1 spring onion
salt
pepper

Vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Orange champagne vinegar
3 table spoons olive oil
1 shallot
salt
pepper

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

I stumbled upon this dish whilst flipping through a Food & Wine Magazine and I was oddly inspired by this dish. I mean, really? Quinoa for breakfast? Yes, of course! What a brilliant way to start the day off as it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids and is high in fiber. What makes this dish suitable for breakfast is the sweetness from the diced dried apricots, raisins and cranberries. To top it off, a healthy dollop of ricotta cheese and orange zest. Personally, I would rather substitute the ricotta cheese with Greek yogurt. Ricotta is a bit too rich for me in the morning. Either way, this is a breakfast that will fuel you up and get you ready for the day.

Ingredients and directions found here: Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

Beet Red

Out of all the juices I made so far, this was the most vitamin-rich and, shockingly, tasty juice so far! The color speaks for itself. Its blood-red color radiates warmth and vitality. It's like drinking liquid rubies! Give it a try.

Ingredients:

5 stalks of celery
4 carrots
1/2 cup spinach
1 large beet
2 large honey crisp apples
1 lemon
1 orange

drink up!

Juicing Up a Storm

So, I bought a juicer for 3 reasons. 1. It's less costly monetarily and preservative wise than store bought juice. 2. It's tastier and more exciting! 3. Jack LaLanne. Because he told me late one night, while eating a whole cheesecake, that juicing is the easy way to help save my life and he guarantees it. Sold.

You would think that because Jack inspired me to juice, I would buy his juicer, but after reading the product reviews, I wasn't at all impressed. From what I read, his machine is underpowered and gets bogged down from juicing whole fruits and vegetables. Some reviews claim that the motor smokes and burns out. Instead, I bought the Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor. Say that 5 times fast.

This machine has powerful components that deliver fast and efficient juicing. 600-watt motor, stainless steel cutter and the noise equivalent to a F-14 taking off in full afterburner...I guess that's the only downside. Sorry neighbor.

I am over the moon with this juicer. This beast looks sharp on my kitchen counter and as jack put it, "Change your life, save your life. You're the most important person you have. If you don't do it, who will?" Juice it up, baby (He didn't say the last part).

Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor

Staycation Breakfast

I'm on vacation and I am home. So, naturally i treated myself to a breakfast that was satisfying and healthy. A great start to my day of doing. absolutely. nothing. :)