Crockpot Paprika Chicken

 I am totally embracing my crockpot/slow cooker during these hot days of summer. I am also loving the set it and pretty much forget it convenience of this style of cooking.  I set this dish at 8am yesterday on low for 9 hours of cook time while I went out with the kids for a play date with their cousins.  I got back 7 hours later and had actually forgotten I was cooking dinner in the crockpot until I came into the house and was greeted by the insanely good smell of this Paprika Chicken cooking.  I finished it off with some sour cream and then cooked up some store-bought  cheese tortellini to complete the meal.  My family was doing the happy dance at dinner and I was doing the happy dance because it was so wonderfully simple. 

 

 Ingredients:
3lb of skinless chicken (any parts)  I used frozen boneless chicken breast
2 cups chicken stock (or water and bullion equivalent)
1 jar (48oz) tomato pasta sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbs dried parsley flakes
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (or to taste)
2 Tbs paprika
red chili flakes to taste
1 bell pepper diced
1lb of mushrooms sliced
1 large onion chopped
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup of sour cream
1/3 flour (if needed)
seasoning salt and black pepper as needed
garnish with torn fresh basil (optional)

Note:  If you do not want to serve this over rice or pasta, you can decrease the stock and pasta sauce by half each.

Directions:
Place all ingredients into large crockpot/slow cooker (except for sour cream).  Place on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours.  Stir occasionally and adjust seasoning.  Add sour cream in the last hour of cooking.  Serve over pasta or rice. Enjoy.

 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Nutella Banana Nut Bread

My inspiration for this banana bread is my son's love of Nutella.  He's been asking me to do something with it recently so when I had some ripe bananas ready for banana bread I knew I had to use it.   I'm trying not to eat any sweets this week so I had to ask my kids and husband for their opinion of this chocolaty banana nut bread. They all gave an unanimous thumbs up.  My son said it was perfect as he ate his second slice with big glass of milk.  Seeing the smile on his face made even turning on the oven during our summer heatwave all worth it. :)  Today is going to be 100+ outside so I hope my daughter inspires me to make a frozen treat....

 Ingredients:
Wet Ingredients:
3 bananas mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt (lowfat or full)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Nutella

Dry Ingredients:
2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3-1/2 cup sliced almonds for top of loaf or inside if you prefer

Directions:
Use an electric mixer to mix all wet ingredients.  Then add all dry ingredients and mix gently.  You can add the almonds slices inside the cake or on top like I did here.  Baking in a sprayed or greased loaf or bundt pan at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes (or until set).   Allow to cool and slice.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Chicken Caesar Salad and Dressing

 It's HOT outside!! I wanted something light, cool and still satisfying to eat for lunch yesterday.  This is my plate before I dove in, demolished it and enjoyed every bite. I pan fried some grilled chicken breast and just threw in the salad fixings I had available at home.  I think I'm going to have to run and get more salad fixings because I can eat this again today for lunch. 

 Ingredients

Salad Fixings:

romaine lettuce chopped

carrots grated or julienne

cucumber sliced (I like English cucumbers)

grilled chicken (recipe below)

grated parmesan cheese

red chilies minced or red bell pepper

caesar dressing (recipe below)

Directions: Add all ingredients together. Enjoy.

Grilled Chicken:

Chicken breast

salt and black pepper

olive oil

Directions: Heat olive oil in frying pan and add seasoned chicken breast.  Pan fry both sides until fully cooked.

Kittencal's Famous Caesar 

Salad Dressing:

• 2 anchovy fillets (or to taste)
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic (or to taste)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup half and half cream or milk
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (to taste) (optional) 
• buttermilk or half-and-half, for thinning  

Directions:

First mince/paste the anchovy fillets and garlic together.  This must be the first step or the anchovies and garlic will not become a paste.   Then add all the other dressing ingredients to the food process and blend well. Adjust seasonings to taste.  If you want a thinner dressing add more buttermilk (or milk) as desired. Store in fridge, covered in a glass container for 3 or more hours before using (the flavors become stronger when left in the fridge for a longer time).

 Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-famous-caesar-salad-116849#ixzz1z1FhvkpU



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Crockpot Chicken Curry

 The crockpot or slow cooker is such a handy gadget to have in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I don't utilize it as much as I should because I'm always a last minute cook and the crockpot needs plenty of forethought.  I recently got a great deal on a family pack of chicken drumsticks that I was going to cook with barbeque sauce in the crockpot, but my kids wanted chicken curry instead.  Since the crockpot was already on my mind, I thought why not try to make chicken curry in the crockpot.  I literally threw everything into the crockpot and set it on high for 5 hours. I could not believe how easy it was and I used no oil. The only hard part was asking my kids to be patient because the smell of the curry cooking for hours was so tempting.  The gravy was out of this world good and the chicken was not only tender, but it really absorbed all the flavors of the curry.  It was simply amazing.  I think the crockpot will be my new friend when it comes cooking curry.

 Ingredients:
3lb of bone-in.  You can use any part of the chicken you want, I used the leg here.
1 small onion chopped
1-2 green chilies chopped
4-6 green cardamoms
4-6 cloves
10-12 curry leaves (optional)
1 stalk of lemon grass cut and bruised(optional)
small handful of pandan leaves/rampe (optional)
1 (1inch) cinnamon stick
1 tsp of fennugreek seeds
2 cups of water
1 cup of coconut milk or cow's milk

Chicken Marinade:
1 Tbs of minced fresh ginger
1 Tbs of minced fresh garlic
1 tsp of turmeric
1-2 Tbs of red chili powder (to taste)
1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
1-2 Tbs of curry powder (to taste)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

 Place all ingredients into slow cooker (except for the milk). Set cooker on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours. Stir occasionally and taste for seasoning.  Add milk in the last hour of cooking. Serve with rice, bread, roti, naan.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Sri Lankan Omelet Curry

 Omelets are so easy and versatile. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner and customize them to whatever you have leftover in your fridge.  Have you ever thought about making a curry with it?  My mother makes this great omelet curry and it full of spicy flavor. You can eat this omelet curry with rice, bread, roti, naan etc...  I love to make a big batch of this and enjoy it for a spicy lean protein packed breakfast.


Ingredients:
For the omelet:
6-8 eggs
salt and black pepper to taste
1 medium onion finely sliced
1-2 green chilies finely sliced
8-10 curry leaves (coarsely chopped)
canola oil as needed

For the Curry:
1 medium onion sliced
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp of fennugreek seeds
1/2 inch of cinnamon stick
1/2 Tbs of grated fresh ginger
1/2 Tbs of grated fresh garlic
2 medium tomatoes chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 Tbs of curry powder
red chili powder to taste (I added 1 Tbs)
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 cup of water
1 cup of milk (cow's)

Directions:

The Omelet:

 Beat 6-8 eggs with a little salt and black pepper.  In a large skillet saute sliced onions, green chilies and curry leaves until tender.

Lower heat on stove and pour egg mixture into frying pan and allow to set.

Roll omelet from one end of frying pan to the other and then slice into squares.  (They don't need to be perfect)  because it will all look great in the curry.)

Remove omelet out of pan to make the curry.

 The Curry:

Add more oil (Tbs) to pan and add sliced onions, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, ginger, garlic and  fennugreek seeds.  Add tomato next and salt.

Then add Red chili powder, turmeric, curry powder and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Then add 1 cup of milk.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Add prepared omelets back into pan and simmer until most of the liquid gets absorbed by the omelets.  Serve with rice, roti, naan etc..   Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

White Bean Dip

You don't always have to have the traditional salsa, guacamole or spinach dip for parties. It's nice to offer a healthier alternative and that's exactly what this White Bean Dip does.  I always like to have a few guilt-free dishes to offer to the more conscientious eaters in my family, but I still want to  please everyone else.  I used some yogurt in this bean dip and some lovely cumin to give it a Mediterranean flavor. Eat it with pita chips or any vegetable and enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 (15oz) cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed well
1/3 cup of Greek yogurt
1-2 cloves of garlic grated
1-2 Tbs of olive oil
2 tsp of cumin powder
1tsp of lemon juice or red wine vinegar
red chili flakes to taste
salt to taste

Directions:
Put all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with pita chips or sliced vegetables.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

My Kid's Triple Delight - Chocolate, Coconut and Cranberry Cookies

 I have survived the first week of summer vacation with both my kids at home.  Today they asked if we could make cookies so I was more than happy to oblige.  I was ready to make some simple chocolate chip cookies, but they decided they wanted to each add a special ingredient to the cookie batter.  I'm always up for a good experiment so I asked them what they wanted to add.  My son is not fond of any kind of nuts in his cookies so he requested dried cranberries.  My daughter decided her contribution would be baker's coconut. We all wanted chocolate of course and my daughter was thrilled with the little mini chips I added.  Then we waited patiently for them to bake and cool enough for us to taste our creation.  Yippy!!!!! They were fabulous and my kids wanted everyone to know they not only helped make these cookies, they also helped write the recipe.




Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
3/4 cup chocolate chips (we used minis)
3/4 cup of dried cranberries
3/4 cup of baker's coconut (in the baker's aisle)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of canola oil

Directions:

  Mix the cake mix with the eggs and canola oil.  Then add your  chocolate chips, dried cranberries and coconut. Mix all ingredients into the cookie batter well.

Make golf ball size balls from the cookie dough and place them on a sprayed cookie sheet.  Place them in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes.  When the edges start to turn brown they are ready.  Allow the baked cookies to remain on the cookie tray to cool completely and finish setting.  Store cooled cookies in an air tight container.

Makes 15-18 cookies

 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Sri Lankan Shrimp Curry

When I am rushing to cook a rice and curry meal, shrimp curry is an easy go to dish for me.  I always try to keep some cleaned frozen shrimp in my freezer that I can quickly defrost for a quick meal. This aromatic and spicy dish makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  My mother gave me this recipe and my entire family loved it.  The dish is cooked without any oil so it is very figure friendly.

Ingredients:

1lb of cleaned shrimp
1 medium onion sliced or chopped
1-2 chili peppers sliced (fresno,jalapeno or serrano)
5-6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 inches of ginger finely chopped or grated
1 stalk of lemon grass (pounded a few times)-- the lemon grass is optional
handful of curry leaves
2 Tbs of lemon juice
1 Tbs of red chili powder -or to taste
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of fennugreek seeds
1 2 inch stick of cinnamon
salt to taste
1/2 cup of water

Directions:

 You can use frozen or fresh shrimp (do not use already cooked shrimp).  I used frozen shrimp that I defrosted under cold water.  My shrimp was cleaned with only the tails on.  I do think that the shrimp shells give a wonderful flavor to the gravy so if you don't mind cleaning your shrimp as you eat, the shells are good to have while you cook the dish.

Add all the ingredients to the pan and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.   You will see more liquid form in the pan from the shrimp.    

Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.  Stir occasionally.

Add half a can of coconut milk (about 7 oz).  Stir well.   Taste for salt here.  Serves 4 people.  Eat with rice other curries.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.