Some Catch-up

Like your average blogger, I've taken some time off. Both from blogging and cooking, actually. I had a very nice vacation in St. Thomas for spring break. Not sure we'd go back there again, but that's a story for another blog.

But! Some recipes that I have prepared in the last couple of weeks with quick recaps:
From Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight:
Lighter Chicken Enchiladas - Yummy, and pretty easy. I put in 3 whole diced chipotles, rather than 2 teaspoons, so it was EXTREMELY spicy. Still, no real complaints, and I ate my first couple without sour cream, which I suggest as a condiment, especially if you overdo the spice.
Lemon-Roasted Chicken with Arugala Salad and Dilled Orzo - This was all eaten up pretty quickly. It was nice to have a whole meal that really came together nicely and could be done at the same time. Plus it went really well together. The sauce for my chicken poured into my orzo, which I would do purposefully next time.
Crispy Ginger-Lime Chicken Thighs - Despite the deliciousness of chicken thighs generally, these were a little uninteresting. Also, I decided not to run the scallions through the processor and mince them myself, which meant that they were a little big and so didn't get everywhere that they were supposed to go.
Chef's Salad - A pretty meaty salad, but I managed to still make it pretty low-cal for all the bacon etc. in it. I'm not sure the dressing would go with anything else, and it seemed to have forgotten that the recipe called for a lemon, so I just popped the lemon juice in the dressing. Pretty good, too, and a nice hefty lunch to bring in the next day. The recipe also assumes that you will prep everything in the morning, so you could do that if you wanted.
Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir-Fry - I added some sirachi to this and it was HEAVENLY. I didn't realize I had edamame in the pod still, so we skipped that. Also, I bought pre-cooked soba noodles (for some ramen-esque instant soup) so I got to skip the step of boiling it.

From Bon Apetit:
Bombay Sliders with Garlic Curry Sauce - These are OK. I'm not 100% they're worth the effort, and they get very slide-y with the sauce, onion and cucumber on top. In the future, I might just make turkey burgers and pop the sauce on top, and spice the meat if I have time. I probably wouldn't make 12 little sliders. Also, I'd skip the 1.5 T of plain yogurt, unless I already had some in the fridge. I'm not sure it makes any difference.

Delicious MYOTO:
Green Chicken Curry
- Recipe and how it went after the jump -
Thai Green Chicken Curry - Gang Kiow Wan
My favorite green curry ever is from Kit's Thai Kitchen in Stamford, CT. Actually, Stamford has a lot of good Thai restaurants. Unfortunately, I live very far from Connecticut now, and I've been having trouble finding restaurants here that have curry to match my comfort food yearnings. So, occasionally I'll try to make my own. Here's what I did this Friday. All measurements are to taste:

Serves 2-4, depending on hunger and love of curry
Ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound (or so) of chicken pieces (I got a pack of "chicken breast for stir frying" from the store) - or whatever. You could do tofu, beef, pork, shrimp....
• a couple tablespoons of green curry paste (Thai Kitchen makes one, it's OK, but not terribly spicy. I found an authentic brand in a packet at the store)
• some green beans and or eggplant, in bite size pieces (shelled edamame would work well too)
• a can of coconut milk
• peppers, basil for garnish as desired
• Serve with rice - I like the rice on the bottom of a bowl that I can pour my curry on. Then it's like I have 2 green curries!

Directions:

Heat a pan to medium-low with oil - I moved the temp around a little during the cooking process to speed it up, but don't let any of it burn or the coconut to boil too much, or it will curdle.

When the pan is heated, add the curry paste and stir fry it for about 1 min to get the spices to open up. Add about 1/2 the coconut milk (stir or shake the can first if it has separated) and stir until hot (at a low simmer).

Add the chicken and cook until it is done. Add vegetables, along with the rest of the coconut milk and continue to heat and stir until milk is hot and vegetables are slightly tender but firm to the bite - you do NOT want mushy green beans!

Pour into bowls and top with slices of hot peppers and basil. Enjoy!