January 22, 2012: Thai Style Green Beans Recipe

At my house we eat a lot of Asian food and I’m always looking for new and creative side dishes. Thai food, in particular, is a favorite of mine so when I across a recipe for a “Wing Bean Salad”, I took the items I had on hand to turn it into this side dish perfect to go with any type of Asian food main dish.

Thai Style Green Beans served with pork stir fry and brown rice cooked in chicken broth.

Thai Style Green Beans

1 cup fresh green beans

1 shallot, minced

½ cup coconut milk

1 T. lime juice

1 T. peanut butter

2 t. fish sauce

2 t. Asian chili sauce

Pinch of brown sugar

1 can water chestnuts, drained

Clean green beans and snap into 2 – 3 pieces each. Place the coconut milk in a saucepan and add green beans and shallots. Cook over medium low until beans are softened, about 15 – 20 minutes (or less time for crisper beans).

Meanwhile, combine lime juice, peanut butter, fish sacue, chile sauce and brown sugar. When beans are done to your preference, add the sauce and the water chestnuts. Heat through.

Serves 3 – 4

September 4, 2011: Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe

I’ve been looking for Thai red curry paste at my local grocery store for some time now (it’s used in yummy curry sauces) – with no luck. I just happened to find this recipe online recently and I was ecstatic! I didn’t have exactly the ingredients as listed so I made some slight substitutions and this is what I came up with. Try it and see what you think.

Thai Red Curry Paste

3 T. red chili sauce

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

1 t. peppercorns

2 ½ t. cumin seeds

1 ½ T. coriander seeds

2 T. fresh or dehydrated cilantro

1 t. lemon balm

1 t. salt

2 t. paprika (for color)

1 t. curry powder

2 t. finely chopped lemon or lime peel

1 t. minced ginger

2 t. Asian fish sauce

1 T. vegetable oil

Using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, grind the whole spices to a fine powder. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add more oil or a little bit of water, if necessary, to make a smooth paste.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If desired, you can freeze any remaining paste in baggies or ice cube trays (when frozen pop the cubes into baggies or a plastic container).

June 4, 2011: Potato Crusted Cod Fillets Recipe

I enjoy making fish for dinner one or two nights a week and I particularly like cod. Unfortunately, my husband prefers his cod breaded and fried. Since I’m struggling with weight and health issues for both of us, I needed to find a recipe that could be a nice compromise between our preferences.

The recipe I’m sharing with you is based on one I found at the Food Network website, from Guy Fieri. As usual, I’ve made a few minor changes. Here’s my version of Guy’s Crispy Potato Nugget Hoisin Halibut.

Potato Crusted Cod Fillets

Marinade:
4 cod fillets
1 T. minced ginger
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar

Combine all marinade ingredients; add cod and let marinate for half an hour.

Potato Crust:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup Asian fish sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
½ t. sesame oil
4 frozen hash brown patties, thawed
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients.

To assemble:
Remove fish from marinade, shake off excess. Dredge in flour.

Apply one quarter of the potato crust mixture to one side of each fish fillet. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Carefully place the fish fillets, two at a time, potato crust side down, in the heated pan. Cook until potato crust is lightly brown and crispy, several minutes. Carefully turn the fillets over and cook for two minutes on the other side. Keep warm in oven while cooking the remaining two fillets.

Just before serving, sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds (if desired).

Serves 4

April 1, 2011: Easter Chickens, Spring Eggs and Chicken Satay Recipe

What came first: the chicken or the egg? It’s the age old question… now that spring has officially sprung and we are looking forward to the Easter holiday, it seemed appropriate that this month’s posts focus on chicken and egg dishes. Plus, with the cost of food rising dramatically every day, chicken is one of the few meats that is still reasonably priced (have you checked the price of beef and pork lately?). I know some of you readers are vegetarians but those who aren’t quite so strict may indulge in chicken once in a while – maybe one of this month’s recipe will tempt you to try it!

Personally, I love chicken. And because I’ve got three hens – and aim to get three more next month – I always have an abundance of eggs. While my favorite way to eat them is soft boiled or poached, there are lots more things that can be done to eggs – and many more ways to use them with other ingredients.

I’m also going to throw in the occasional side dish and dessert that would go nicely with this month’s chicken and egg recipes. You could put together a very elegant Easter dinner menu! Stay tuned for my suggestions.

So get ready to move beyond the ordinary fried chicken and scrambled eggs – welcome to April!

To start us out, I’m sharing my recipe for chicken satay – a favorite of both me and my husband.

The photo depicts chicken satay skewers with red bell peppers and a side dish of Pad Thai Noodles.
Chicken Satay

Marinade:
½ cup coconut milk
1 T. fish sauce
2 t. Chinese red chile sauce
1 t. curry powder
1 t. brown sugar
Seeds of 2 caramom pods
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients, except for chicken, in a medium-sized bowl. Cut the chicken into long, thin strips and add to the marinade. Coat chicken with marinade, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

While the chicken is marinating, soak several bamboo skewers in water.

When ready to cook, thread the chicken strips onto the skewers. Broil or grill about 7 to 10 minutes, turning them over once. Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce (find the Thai peanut sauce recipe here).

March 24, 2011: Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce Recipe

I don’t know about you but I love Thai food. The ingredients taste so fresh (perfect for spring!) and the combination of slightly sweet, slightly hot, and always spicy is mouthwatering. Although I prefer Pad Thai noodles with chicken satay, I’ve also served this dish with roasted chicken, grilled skewers (as pictured here) and fish. For a main dish, add a protein, such as shrimp. And if you have leftover peanut sauce, it’s great as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or as a salad dressing.

I first had Pad Thai made from a boxed mix I bought at the grocery. As I usually do, I thought it couldn’t be too hard to make them from scratch and it would surely be cheaper (that’s an understatement – the box costs about 60 percent more than the made-from-scratch version). I think the homemade version is way more flavorful, as well. Try this recipe and decide for yourself.

Pad Thai Noodles

1 package rice noodles
1 T. Sesame oil
1 ¼ cup bean sprouts (fresh or canned) – reserve a few for garnish
2 eggs
3 – 4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal – reserve a few for garnish
¼ cup chopped peanuts

Soak the noodles in hot water while you are slicing the vegetables and preparing the sauce, about 15 minutes.

Peanut Sauce:

1 cup coconut milk
1 T. red chili sauce
1 t. curry powder
1 t. Asian fish sauce
½ cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth, depending on preference)
1/3 cup chicken stock
¼ cup brown sugar
1 T. fresh lime juice (substitute lemon juice if necessary)
1 t. salt

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened.

To Make the Noodles:

Using a wok or large skillet, heat the sesame oil to 325 degrees. Add the bean sprouts and green onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add the drained noodles and stir together. Make a well in the middle of the wok by pushing the noodle mixture to the sides. Drop in the two eggs and scramble with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold the eggs into the noodles and add about ½ cup of the peanut sauce. The noodles should be sticky, but not overly saucy; add more sauce if necessary.

To serve, mound the noodles on a plate and sprinkle with the reserved bean sprouts, scallions, and chopped peanuts.