Maple Curry Chicken Pasta

MAPLE CURRY CHICKEN PASTA

This is a great dish from a restaurant in town. The combination sounds strange, but I promise you, it is DELICIOUS! Savoury and sweet all at once. I use whatever veggies we have on hand, but peppers, shredded carrots and onions are usually in it. You could add zucchini, mushrooms, water chestnuts, etc...



Ingredients:

• 1 package of pasta cook, slightly undercooked (I use penne noodles, but linguine is good too)
• 1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, slightly under cooked, cut into strips or bite sized pieces
• 1 c. cream (I used milk and it tastes the same!)
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp curry paste
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed (1 tbsp of jarred garlic)
• Sliced peppers (I use 3 of different colors)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 c. shredded carrots
• olive oil
• pepper
• red pepper flakes (optional, add if you like is spicy :)
• 3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into pieces. Cook until outside is browned, but slightly pink in the centre. Set aside. I ususally grill it, but you can boil, bake or fry too.
2. Put pasta on to boil, you will add it to the sauce at the end, so try to time it accordingly.
3. In a large skillet, cook vegetables in oil and garlic until they are starting to soften. Add chicken back in skillet.
4. Sprinkle sugar or splenda over veggies and chicken. Cook for 3 mins.
5. Pour maple syrup over it, mix and let it cook for 3-5 mins, or until slightly caramelized.
6. Add curry paste and milk/cream. Simmer for 10-15 mins.
7. Strain pasta and add curry from skillet. Cook on low heat for about 5 mins covered, stirring regularly so the pasta cooks up some of the sauce. To be flavourful, this should be quite saucy, almost runny.
8. Top with chopped green onion.

**The leftovers are almost better then it is fresh, because the pasta absorbs so much sauce. YUM!

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

GRILLED STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

Ingredients:

• Portobellow mushroom caps
• Spinach
• Red onion
• Goat cheese
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Parlsey

Directions:

1. Sauté red onion in a little EVOO and garlic, until soft. Add spinach and wilt.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms. Brush with EVOO/garlic/parsley mixture. Place mushrooms on grill, cap (top) up. Grill for 5-10 mins, until underside is soft. Remove from grill and pat off liquid.
3. Stuff with onion/spinach mixture. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
4. Put back on grill until goat cheese is melted and mushroom is cooked through.

Comments:

First of all, how the heck do you spell this kind of mushrooms? Portobellos? Portabellas? Whatever. Ok, I have read a few recipes involving portobellows, but was too lazy to go look them up, so I just made this up using what we had in the fridge. Oh. My. Goodness. these suckers were goooood. Everyone gave them rave reviews. We had them with steaks and grilled artichoke. I could totally imagine serving them as an appetizer, drizzled with reduced balsamic.

Zucchini Bread

ZUCCHINI BREAD

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini or apple (I probably used at least twice this much, just shredded up a medium sized zucchini, as pictures above)
• 1/4 c. cooking oil
• 1/4 tsp. shredded lemon peel (I didn't use this, didn't have any on hand)
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
1. Greas a loaf pan and set aside. I used two small loaf pans, which impacted my cooking time. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture; set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini, oil and lemon peel. Add zucchini mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in the nuts.
3. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 F oven for 55-60 minutes for 1 loaf pan or 35-40 minutes for 2 loaf pans, or until wodden toothpick is clean. Cool on wrack, store overnight wrapped and slice.

Comments:
This was my very first experience working with zuccini. Allegedly, when my mother was pregnant my parents ate a lot of zucchini. She also had hideous morning/all day sickness and therefore, for many years our house was completely void of zucchini. I just ate a piece, still warm and it was very good! Full of veggies and whole grains too :)

Blueberry Buckle

This was dessert with the comfort food meal posted below. Topped with a little vanilla ice cream, this is an amazing old fashioned dessert.

BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
Source: Anglican Parish of Bright Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• salt
• 1 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 c. milk

Mix and spread in 8 x 8 pan. Spread 3 cups of blueberries over the mixture.

Crumb topping:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and spread on top. Bake at 350 F until brown and blueberries are cooked, approximately 45 minutes.

Comfort Food :)

I didn't make Sunday night supper this week, my cousin Joanna put it all together. She did use some favorite family recipes though, so I will share them! I think my sister would describe this as her favorite meal.

Here is a pic of the lovely spread, which included hashbrown casserole, pork tenderloin, broccoli salad, grilled asparagus and slaw:



HASHBROWN CASSEROLE
Source: Barb Frame

Ingredients:

• 2lbs frozen hashbrown potatoes
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. milk
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Mix it all together. Bake at 375 F until heated through and onion is soft. Top with some extra cheese at the end.

Comments:
This is one of my all time favorite comfort food recipes. I could eat pounds of this stuff. We almost always double, if not triple this recipe when making it for a crowd!

PORK TENDERLOIN
Source: Barb Frame

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/4 c. sherry
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger
• salt and pepper
• 2 pork tenderloins

Directions:
1. Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate pork all day.
2. Remove pork from marinade and grill.
3. Simmer leftover marinade over low heat.
4. Slice grilled pork and pour marinade over the sliced pork.

Comments:
This pork is AMAZING! It is my favorite way to do tenderloin. The reduced leftover marinade is so tangy and flavourful. With the right sides, you can defnitely fancy it up enough to serve to guests.

BROCCOLI SALAD
Source: Mary Lou Price

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 1 c. shredded cheese
• 1 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar

Directions:
1. Chop broccoli, onions, raisins and cheese. Combine.
2. Combine mayo, sugar and vinegar. Pour over salad and mix.
3. Let sit for 2 hrs and serve.

Comments:
Another oldie but a goodie! This broccoli salad is always a hit. My old rommate used to add maderine oranges, which was pretty good too.

Peanut Butter-Swirl Brownies

PEANUT BUTTER-SWIRL BROWNIES
Source: Better Homes and Gardens, New Baking Book

These suckers are AMAZING. I usually double the recipe when making for a crowd. Serve warm with icecream, chocolate sauce, crushed nuts and a little whipped cream. Seriously, restaurant quality! I can't say enough about their deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. buter
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. flour
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/3 c. peanut butter
• 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate pieces

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x9x2 pan, set aside. In a saucepan, heat butter until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and eggs. Using a wooden spoon, lighly beat mixture just until combined. Stir in the flour. Remove 3/4 c. of the batter and set aside.

2. Stir the melted unsweetened chocolate into the remaining batter in the saucepan. Spread the chocolate batter in the prepared pan. Set aside.

3. Stir peanut butter into the reserved 3/4 c. batter. Dot the peanut butten atop the chocolate batter. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Using a knife, swirl the batter.

4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins or until the brownies appear set on the surface. Do not overbake. Cool the brownies in the pan. Cut into squares.

Autumn Sausage Casserole

AUTUMN SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Source: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/





Ingredients:

• 1 pound sausage (I used honey garlic, but I can't wait to try it with chicken sausage!)


• 1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)


• 1 yellow onion, chopped


• 1/2 cup chopped carrots (I used about a cup of shredded)


• 3 cups already cooked long-grain rice


• 1/2 cup raisins


• 1 T dried parsley flakes


• 1 T brown sugar


• 1/2 tsp allspice


• 1/2 tsp cinnamon


• 1/4 tsp black pepper


• 1/3 cup chicken broth or water

Directions:

1. Brown the sausages in a skillet on the stovetop and drain, if they are uncooked.
2. Dump everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 5-7 hrs, until heated through and vegetables are softened.

Comments:

I made this quite a while ago and had been meaning to post about it. My parents were so skeptical but were very pleasantly surprised. This stuff is delicious! The perfect combination of sweet and savoury. You could also do this bad boy in the oven on lower heat, until heated through and vegetables are softened. A perfect fall supper!

Chicken Lo Mein

CHICKEN LO MEIN

I have made this a few times for Sunday Supper and while people were initially skeptical, it was a huge hit! The inspiration for this recipe is a kraft recipe, but as usual, I have made some modifications.

Ingredients:
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
Rice noodles
1/4 c. Kraft asian toasted seasame dressing
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic
Sliced veggies (I would suggest green and red pepper, an onion, mushrooms and shredded carrots)
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh green onion, chopped

1. Prepare rice noodles as directed on the package. With rice noodles, this usually just involves soaking them in boiling water for about 7 mins. Slightly under cook them, because you will add them to the skillet at the end and they will suck up the delicious lo mein sauce. You don't want them to be mushy!
2. Heat dressing in a large skillet. Add chicken and garlic. Stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
3. Add chopped veggies, broth and peanut butter. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through.
4. Add cooked rice noodles and soy sauce. Mix it all up. Stir-fry a few minutes longer so the noodles can absorb some of the sauce. If you like it spicy, add some red pepper flakes.
5. Serve topped with fresh cilantro and green onion.

Thai Turkey Burgers

I haven't posted in ages, but I am going to get back at it! I need to start cooking at least one new thing a week. Some of my posts from now on, might not be Sunday Supper recipes, but just new recipes I have tried lately.

THAI TURKEY BURGERS

I had these at a popular restaurant here in town and they were so delicious, I decided to recreate them on my own! So, the source is ME for once!

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground turkey (chicken works too!)
• 1 tbps peanut butter
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp ginger
• pepper
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs (start with this much and add until you get the right consistency
• Pineapple, sliced
• sweet chili sauce
• buns
• red onion, sliced
• green pepper, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients and form burgers. Grill burgers and pineapple slices.
2. Put onion and green pepper in a greased foil packet and grill.
3. Make burger out of turkey, topped with grilled pineapple, onion, green pepper and sweet chili sauce.

Side Salad:

I had some leftover pineapple, so I chopped it up and added it to a salad of spinach, peppers, goat cheese and homemade balsamic vinegrette. For the vinegrette, I just combined equal parts of EVOO and balsamic and added a little garlic and pepper.