Curried Vegetable Soup (spicy)

Hearty and warm, this soup will sustain you through a cold, wintry day.  It has 22 ingredients (give or take) and a host of options if you do not favor one of the vegetables.  Reduce the amount of the peppers if you need to tone down the spice level of this delicious soup.  I have greatly modified the original recipe… you could try your own variations if you feel adventuresome.

1     c lentils (any variety)
1/2 c dry millet
6     T olive oil
1     onion, chopped or 1/2 t. dried onion powder
4     celery stalks, chopped
2     large tomatoes, chopped or 1 can chopped tomatoes
4     garlic cloves, minced
10   mushrooms, chopped
7-10 baby carrots, chopped small
5     red potatoes, cubed
1     inch piece of fresh ginger grated or 1 toothpick dipped in ginger essential oil
2     t turmeric
4     t celery seed
3     fresh green chilies, diced
1/2 t black pepper
2     T curry powder
2     T coriander powder
2     t ground cumin
1/2 t cayenne pepper
3     T fresh lime juice
14   c water or vegetable broth
1     large handful fresh parsley, chopped

~ In large stock pot heat olive oil on medium
~ Add: onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, cumin and stir fry 3-4 minutes
~ Add chilies, cayenne pepper and stir for 1 minute
~ Add all other ingredients except lime juice and parsley and bring to a boil
~ Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes
~ Stir in lime juice and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes
~ Add chopped parsley and serve warm

TIPS:
~  Follow the recipe as closely as possible the first time and then get creative thereafter.
~  Be sure to infuse the spices in the oil first as directed- it is one of the key ways to build the hearty, roasted flare to this dish.
~  Add 1 cup chopped  raw broccoli and or 1 c frozen or fresh green peas.

CREDITS: Sharon Keller

Coconut Shrimp Curry

green coconuts at our home

Coconuts are quite plentiful in southern India and their use in cooking is quite common. I especially enjoy the meat of a coconut that has not yet been sweetened.   A young (green) coconut with the very tip expertly whacked off with a large knife reveals the little holes in the top which allows a straw to be inserted to drink the coconut water.  It can also just be tipped and poured out into one’s mouth for a refreshing drink on a hot day.  This delightful curry uses coconut milk (from a mature coconut) which is fairly common in the ethnic section of your grocery store.  The result is a smooth blend of flavors and a dish pleasing to look at as well.  Serve the curry with warm basmati rice and enjoy the taste of India.

4      Tablespoons olive oil
1      onion, chopped or 6 green onions, snipped
2      teaspoons ground ginger
4      garlic cloves, mashed in mortar and pestle
2      teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, ground in mortar and pestle
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2      Tablespoons water
7     ounces canned chopped tomatoes
1      cup canned coconut milk
1      teaspoon salt
6-8 boiled eggs
1      lb. cooked shrimp
1      lime, juiced
3      Tablespoons chopped cilantro
Cooked rice

~  Boil eggs, cool, and peel
~  Boil shrimp according to directions (about 3-4 minutes); make sure they are peeled and deveined.
~  Heat oil in medium or large saucepan on medium-high
~ Cook onions until softened but not browned.
~  Add ginger and garlic in the oil; cook for 3 minutes and stir well.
~  Combine fennel, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper with water in a small bowl to make a paste.
~  Reduce heat to medium and add spice paste to garlic/onion mixture.
~  Cook for 1 minute; reduce heat to low and cook for 3 more minutes.
~  Add tomatoes and cook for 6 minutes; Break up large chunks with a spoon or spatula.
~  Add coconut milk and salt and bring to a slow simmer.  Stir often while cooking for 7 minutes.
~  Now slit each boiled egg three times lengthwise; cut deep, but be careful not to go all the way through. You want the egg to remain intact.
~  Add the eggs and shrimp to the saucepan and cook on medium for 6-7 more minutes, making sure the eggs get covered with the curry.
~  Now stir in the lime juice and snipped cilantro.
~  Serve warm over basmati rice.
TIPS:
~   This recipe serves 5-6 people.  By adding a whole can of tomatoes and two eggs per person eating, it can be stretched to feed more.
~   Leftover coconut milk can be frozen for several months in a glass or plastic air-tight container.
~   Be sure to cut up, peel, and grind all ingredients before beginning to cook; there is no time to stop and do this between steps.

CREDITS:  Mridula Balejekar; photos, Sharon Keller

Simple Cilantro Salsa

If you have a home-grown garden tomato, this salsa will satisfy your taste buds with amazing freshness.  Since I can’t currently grow my own tomatoes I use campari or grape tomatoes when available for a similar taste.  Campari tomatoes have a low acidity level and are perfect for this recipe.  I love to use this on tacos, but it can be used on most anything you like to top with salsa.
If you have a food processor, this salsa can be made in a snap, but cutting it up all by hand is not that difficult.  When using the processor, avoid the temptation to dump all the ingredients in all at once; follow the order listed and you will have a more uniform result without getting a large chunk of raw garlic in a bite. 🙂                                                                    

12 stems fresh cilantro
1    large garden tomato or 4 campari or 12 grape tomatoes
1    small clove raw garlic, peeled
1    pinch cayenne pepper
2    pinches salt

In a food processor add the following in order:
~  garlic clove; process on high until garlic is quite small
~  turn off processor and add salt and  leaves of cilantro (I usually pull them off the stem, though the stems are edible.)  Turn on high until chopped well.
~  add cayenne and tomatoes; pulse until tomatoes are bite-sized chunky (not too small)

This recipe makes a little more than one cup of fresh salsa.  It can be refrigerated in a non-metal container for a day, but we like it better the first day.  If you have a large family, just double the ingredients.
CREDITS:  Sharon Keller

Frittata with Ham

 Easy, fun, and versatile… all these words came to my mind as I made this tasty frittata.  It was my first endeavor to make one so I kept it very simple.

You can think of a frittata as somewhere between a huge omelet and a crustless Quiche.  The delightful thing about a frittata is that you can be a good steward and use what you have on hand and pair that with your creativity.

I used a nine-inch cast iron skillet for my adventure.  This recipe serves 4; if you are doubling the recipe, use a pan that will accommodate the extra ingredients without making the frittata too thin. Be sure to use something that can be put into the oven.
Here is what I threw into mine:

1-2   Tablespoons olive oil
1/8  teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2  cup chopped, fresh tomatoes
1/3  cup diced ham
1/2  teaspoon Herb de Provence (a blend of basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, savory, and rosemary)
3      slices pepperoni, snipped into skinny pieces
5     eggs, well beaten
1/2  cup milk
1/3  cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4  cup shredded kasseri cheese

~  Preheat oven to 375.
~  Heat olive oil in skillet on medium.
~  Add garlic, tomatoes, herbs, ham, pepperoni and saute 4-5 minutes.
~  Whip milk into beaten eggs and slowly pour into skillet.
~  Add mozzarella and cook just below medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until eggs begin to thicken.
~  Add kasseri cheese on top and place skillet into preheated oven.
~  Bake for 10-12 minutes until eggs are almost completely set. Watch for a balance; you don’t want your eggs runny nor do you want them overcooked.  The type of pan you use and your oven will make a difference in cook time, so watch carefully.  (A large oven for a doubled recipe may take as long as 20 minutes.)

~  Serve hot with some homemade bread, Cuban bread, or crusty French bread and some fresh fruit.

Below are listed other possible ingredients to tempt your taste buds and delight everyone at your table for your next breakfast… or brunch… or supper!
* just about any type of cheese
* bell pepper
* spinach
* asparagus (cook in skillet with oil before adding eggs)
* zucchini
* shredded cooked chicken
* sun-dried tomatoes, cut in small bites
* artichoke hearts
* small bites of cooked sausage
* crumbled bacon
* your favorite herbs

Leftover frittata can be used the next day between fresh bread for a sandwich.

CREDITS: Sharon Keller

Tropical Chop Chicken

We have come to love  this easy-to-make “local” dish that really is a variation from several of the Islands south of us.  Whether we hear the familiar chopping of the chicken on the butcher block in local restaurants or as we pass the doors of other residences, it conjures up the smells and taste of Topical Chop Chicken.

Tropical Chop Chicken

The black beans give it a punch of hearty protein tasting better than just a plain scoop of beans on your plate.  You can grill, roast, or pan-fry the chicken– and that’s the hardest part to this tasty recipe.

Serve Tropical Chop with some fresh fruit or plantains and a crusty roll of Cuban bread.  (French bread will do if you can’t get Cuban.)

For every 2-3 adults eating you will need:
1     cup uncooked rice
1     chicken breast
1     can black beans (cooking them from scratch is good too!)
1/4 green or red pepper, chopped into small pieces
1     pinch cayenne pepper
1     garlic clove, chopped
10  grape tomatoes, halved or 1 cup chopped tomato
salt to taste
olive oil
salsa (optional)

~  Cook the chicken in the method of your preference-  grilled, roasted, or pan-fried in a tiny amount of olive oil. Chop it into bite sized pieces and set aside.

chopped chicken

~  Cook the rice according to the package.
~  In a sauce pan cook tomatoes, chopped garlic and pepper in 1 teaspoon olive oil on medium-high, four to five minutes or until garlic is golden but not brown.

simmering tomatoes

~  Add beans, including liquid.
~  Throw in cayenne pepper and a bit of salt and stir well.

stir beans occasionally

~  When the rice is finished, place in a bowl and set on the table with the beans and chicken in separate bowls.  Each person can arrange their stack of Tropical Chop to their liking.  Rice goes down first, then the beans, then the chicken.
~  Top with a tablespoon of salsa if you like… my husband likes!

CREDITS:  Sharon Keller

Avocado Salad

Do you have an avocado that needs to be eaten?  Maybe you just love avocados and don’t need an excuse to make this salad.  In either case, this is a simple, fresh salad to delight your taste buds. You can cut up most of the other ingredients ahead of time, but leave the avocados for last so they won’t turn brown.  Try this with some of your favorite entrees; it is quite versatile.

fresh, ripe ingredients make this a delight

1    whole ripe avocado cut into bite-sized chunks
1   cup garden ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
2   Tablespoons goat cheese
fresh cilantro to taste
salt (use sparingly)
olive oil (optional)

~  Into small serving dishes, toss tomatoes, avocado, and snipped cilantro
~  Spoon in small chunks of goat cheese
~  Garnish with more cilantro and salt if desired
~  A tiny drizzle of olive oil may be to your liking on this simple salad
~  This serves two; for a larger crowd it can be easily increased.
CREDITS: Sharon Keller

Garden Pasta Salad

Somewhere early in our marriage I found this pasta salad and loved that it met two kitchen preferences:  easy and nutritious.  Now I don’t mind making complex recipes, but still love the fresh veges in it.

Michael loves it as the “main dish” on Sunday afternoons, served warm with crackers or corn chips. His desire to make my Sunday in the kitchen a simple affair is much appreciated.  This salad can be eaten cold and served as a side dish as well.
The garlic and salt are key to binding all the flavors together in this salad.  In these pictures I have used shredded cheese, but we prefer cubed cheese.

simple and fresh ingredients

1 1/2  cups cubed cheddar cheese
1 1/2  cups dry shell or rotini pasta
~  Put water in large sauce pan to boil pasta

~  In a medium bowl add:
1/4   teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4   cup or less of mayonnaise (we prefer less)
1        raw garlic clove chopped finely
1/4   teaspoon salt

~  Chop
2  Roma tomatoes or 16 grape tomatoes cut in half
1  small bunch of fresh broccoli and steam lightly; do not over cook

~  Drain pasta and steamed broccoli
~  Mix pasta and chopped broccoli well in bowl with sauce ingredients
~  Add chopped tomatoes and mix lightly.
~  Just before serving, add cubed cheese; tossing lightly.

Garden Pasta Salad ready for eating

CREDITS: unknown recipe source

Cod on Angel Hair

This is a recipe I created after eating something similar in a restaurant recently.  It was a tasty, but mild dish I’d like to share with you.  The garlic mellows in the cooking process and is not too overpowering.  I have used cod, but other mild-tasting fish could probably be substituted.  (serves 2)

 

2       cod steaks (no bones)

7-8  garlic cloves

20    grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/8  teaspoon dried basil or 2 leaves fresh basil snipped small

1      Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

generous amounts of freshly ground black pepper

garlic & tomato

~  Preheat oven to 375
~  Heat a skillet on medium and add oil
~  Add garlic, tomato, basil, and salt for 3 – 4 minutes.
~  Lay fish steaks on top of vegetables and bake in oven for 10-14 minutes (depending on how thick your steaks are) Fish should be flaky.
~  While fish is cooking, boil water for pasta and cook according to package.
~  Serve cooked pasta in a shallow bowl or plate; layer vegetable sauce on next; add fish on top.
~  Serve immediately.

cod on angel hair

CREDITS: Sharon Keller