Thai Style Beef & Potato Stew

Ingredients:

1.5kg of cubed lean beef
1 large potato diced (in this recipe I used a yam because I was out of russets)
1 tbsp whole tricolor peppercorns
6 lime leaves sliced to thin fine strips
1" piece of galangal sliced
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 sprigs of Thai basil
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsps of EVOO

Turn the stove to Medium high heat.
In a pot place EVOO and garlic. Stir and cook till slightly golden. Add beef and brown all sides of the meat.
Deglaze the pot with stock scrapping the browned bits off the bottom for added flavour. Stir in the potato and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and turn down the heat to Medium.

Add peppercorns, lime leaves, galangal, whole basil stalks only, reserve the leaves for later. Stir and combine with stew mixture.

Cook covered at medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour occasionally stirring. Garnish with reserved basil leaves. Serve with rice, noodles or bread.

Enjoy :)

Thanksgiving Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 loaf gluten free bread - cubed

1 cup cooked brown wild rice

2 celery stalks - diced

1 carrot - peeled and diced

6 mushrooms - diced

3 sprigs of parsley - minced

1/2 white onion - diced

1 tbsp Poultry seasoning

1 cup turkey drippings or chicken stock (you my substitute with vegetable stock for vegetarians and vegans)

1 tbsp butter or margarine

Turn on the stove to medium heat. In a large pot melt the butter and sautee the onions, carrots and celery till soft. Add the mushroom and rice, mixing well. Add the stock, poultry seasoning and parsley. Bring to a simmer while stirring. Add cubed bread and continue to stir until the stuffing has formed. Shut heat off and cover the pot with a lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Serve with turkey, tofurky or whatever floats your boat. I can guarantee this stuffing to be super yummy.

Thai Red Carrot Curry

I was on a whim of trying something new today. I had about a half cup of baby carrots and some thai red curry paste that I have purchased from my local thai restaurant. I thought maybe I could make it a carrot curry sauce. And so I did. For the curry paste recipe, incorporate 1/2 cup carrots with 2 tbsps of your favourite red curry paste. Blend with 1/2 cup of coconut milk. You should end up with a chunky paste.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce or tamari sauce
1 tbsp golden cane sugar or palm sugar
2 tbsps corn starch
2 tbsps garlic granules
1/2 cup carrot, roughly chopped
2 cups coconut milk, seperated into 1-1/2 cups & 1/2 cup
2 tbsps red Thai curry paste
1 handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup asparagus, 1" lengths
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ginger slice, minced

In a glass bowl marinate chicken with fish sauce, sugar, corn starch and garlic granules for 30 minutes to an hour.

In a wok heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add garlic and ginger and stir till it is golden brown. Add mushroom slices and pan fry till golden brown. Add chicken and let cook for 5 minutes, occassionally stirring. Add curry paste and 1-1/2 cups of coconut milk. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add asparagus, stir and cover for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with coriander as a garnish.

Keep in mind that the vegetables can be substituted with any vegetable of your choice. But the carrots will remain an ingredient for the sauce. :) You can also make this a vegetarian dish, use tempeh or tofu in place of the chicken. If you want it to be a vegan dish, then use tamari instead of fish sauce.

This curry is best served hot with steamed rice or flat bread. Hope you enjoy my recipe and feel free to leave me a comment below.

Happy Cooking :)

Food & Lifestyle: August Empties

This was an impulse buy and it was love at first crunch! A nice spicy thai basil curry aroma made with different types of spuds and pumpkin. I love the crunch factor of these chips as it reminds me of kettle cooked chips a lot. I have repurchased this 4 times now and will continue to purchase it in the future.

Add a tablespoon to smoothies, use as cooking oil, use as butter spread and make salad dressings with it. I love this product for cooking and beauty reasons. Moisturize from the inside out. If you would like to know what use this product for in the beauty side, check out my other blog: maydaydesigns.blogspot.ca

For the person that likes efficiency and quick breakfasts. This is the PBJ to grab, no need to clean your knife off or using two knives to make a single PBJ sandy. It's all swirled in one. Love this idea!

Chicken Tamale Pie GF

Chicken Tamale Pie

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup warm water or rice milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 1/4 cup corn flour
1 handful fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup tomato sauce
4 tbsps Picante Bufalo Salsa Clasica
2 tbsps Picante Bufalo Salsa Chilpotle
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded Jalapeño Almond Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the first 7 ingredients (water/rice milk through cilantro), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the Mrs. Dash seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour tamale mixture into a round pie plate coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes. While the tamale pie is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash seasoning.

When the tamale pie is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork).

Pour tomato & Picante Bufalo sauce over top chicken and mix well, pour this mixture on top of the tamale pie and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

Vegan Jelly, Jello

Agar-Agar comes from cooked and pressed seaweed, it is available in powder form. This gelling agent doesn't require refrigeration to gel. This powder can be used in equal amounts as gelatin (non vegan gelling agent).Set 2 cups of liquid using 2 tsp agar-agar powder. Found in most health food stores as well as Asian grocery stores. Keep in mind not to add any acidic fruits or liquids to the mixture as it will cause the gelling agent to break down.

Health Benefits

Agar-Agar is flavorless and odorless, it is also a good source of calcium and iron. It has no calories, no carbohydrates, no sugar and no fat, and is 80-percent fiber. It absorbs sugar in the stomach, passes through the digestive system quickly and eliminates the body from retaining and storing excess fat. Its water absorbing properties also aids in waste elimination. It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. It carries toxic waste out of the body.

Other benefits associated with agar are its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and bring relief to the lungs. It is also considered a mild laxative.

Reference Material: www.fitday.com, www.ehow.com

Here are some recipes that I enjoy using Agar Agar as a gelatin substitute in:

April Fools Berry Soda

Self Layering Jello Dessert 

Instead of cool whip use coconut cream as a substitute.

Homemade Citrus Jello 

What to Do with Day Old Sushi

Have you ever wondered what you could do with day old sushi? Obviously the rice is hard and the nori is all soggy. I wouldn't want to eat it anymore. But with a few simple ingredients you can turn this leftover into Sushi Fried Rice. Keep on reading to find out how.

Ingredients:

day old sushi (minimum 12 pieces are required) 

2 sprigs of green onion (sliced thinly)

2 eggs (whisked)

soy sauce

fresh cracked pepper

lemon zest

vegetable oil

In a wok or a deep frying pan heat up 2tbsps of vegetable oil on medium high heat. Place nigiri sushi fish side down. Let the fish sear a bit and then use a wooden spoon and mash the rice till it breaks apart. We're trying to get the lumps out of the rice, as the rice heats up it will be harder to break apart. As sushi rice is sticky when heated. As the fish cooks you will be able to mash the fish into smaller bits too. Add the 2 eggs and keep stirring, eggs will stick to the pan so keep stirring. Once the egg is no longer liquid and you should have little bits of scrambled egg amongst your fried rice. Add soy sauce, lemon zest, fresh cracked pepper and green onions as desired. 

Enjoy your Sushi Fried Rice!