Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken

from The Wicked Noodle

To roast butternut squash, place on a sheet pan, toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 450F until caramelized and fork-tender (about 15 minutes, depending on size). If your curry and cayenne have been sitting in your cupboard for awhile (over six months), add at the same time as the garlic. This will help bring out some of the flavor (do this any time you have older spices that need refreshing).

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 T minced ginger
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (low-sodium)
• 1 cup coconut milk (not sweetened)
• 2 t curry powder
• 1 large pinch cayenne powder
• 2 cups butternut squash, chopped into bite-sized pieces and roasted
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnishing
• Rice Select Texmati Rice, cooked, for serving

Cooking Directions

1. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken and cook on high heat until browned on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium-high and add remaining 1 T olive oil to dutch oven. Add onion and ginger. Cook for a few minutes until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook for about one minute more.
3. Add tomatoes and pumpkin puree to pan. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until puree is lightly browned.
4. Add broth, coconut milk, curry & cayenne powders; bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and butternut squash and simmer for 10 minutes longer.
5. Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and serve.

Crock Pot Super Garlic Chicken Legs

from Food.com

Ingredients: 
6 chicken legs (more or less as needed)
20 garlic cloves (skins left on - I actually take the skins off)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons oil

Directions: 
Place garlic cloves in crock pot.
Mix spices together in med bowl.
Pour oil into separate med bowl. - I usually skip the oil and just sprinkle the spices on the chicken in the crock pot directly. 
Dip chicken legs in oil, then roll around in spice bowl, until chicken is nicely coated in spices.
Place chicken legs in crock pot with garlic cloves surrounding it.
Pour chicken broth over all ingredients.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Home Remedy

from Good Food Matters

Apple Cider Vinegar,
Honey,
Ginger,
and Cayenne…
plus some water.

Combined, that quartet of pantry ingredients creates a potent remedy to some of the ails of winter: Sore throat, hacking cough, tight congestion.

Combined, they turn into a curious orange syrup that can cut through the croup.

And, the taste is really good!

Kimchi Fried Rice

Recipe adapted from Dennis Lee, Namu Gaji, San Francisco
from TastingTable

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 stick unsalted butter
3 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)
6 bacon strips, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cups cooked and cooled rice (preferably Koshihikari)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
4 cups napa cabbage kimchi
¼ cup gochujang (Korean chile sauce) or substitute 2 tablespoons Sriracha
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 large eggs
1 green scallion top, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon kizami nori (thinly sliced nori; optional)  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a wok or a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the butter, hot dogs, bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Mix in the rice and salt, then add the sesame oil and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is slightly browned and heated through, 6 to 8 minutes.

 2. Add the kimchi and stir until incorporated. Add the gochujang and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and divide the rice among 4 bowls.

3. In a small skillet set over medium heat, warm 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Carefully add two eggs and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 1½ to 2 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the eggs to two of the bowls of rice. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggs. Sprinkle some of the scallion and nori over each bowl and serve.

Kombucha Tea

from Fab Fit Fun

• Obtain a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) from a GT Synergy Bottle (can be bought at health food stores). Pour the bottle into a glass jar or container.
• Boil about 12 cups of water.
• Take it off the heat and allow it to cool for 2-5 minutes.
• Add five bags of black or green tea (Nadine always uses green tea because of the health benefits of green tea — antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-aging, just to name a few). She combines it with other teas like Rooibos tea (“antioxidant-rich, vitamin-rich”), rosemary (“great for memory”), and spearmint (“wonderful for digestion” and has a relaxing effect).
• Add 1 cup of sugar to the tea. You can use refined white sugar, but Nadine prefers whole cane sugar because of its nutritional benefits.
• After about 30 minutes, strain the tea — if you use loose-leaf tea, make sure all the herbs are strained out so as not to irritate the SCOBY.
• Stir the sugar around in the tea.
• You will want the tea to cool down to room temperature before you add it to the SCOBY.
• Once the sweetened tea has cooled down, add the tea to the jar with the SCOBY.
• Cover with a thin cloth towel or paper towel so that no particles get in but it can breathe. Secure the towel with a rubber band.
• Leave in a dark place, like the cupboard.
• Leave for about a week and then you can try it to taste. If you like it, drink it straight from the bottle or pour into another container and put it in the refrigerator for later drinking.

Almond Blast Oatmeal

from Fab Fit Fun

Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1 cup light coconut milk, unsweetened
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
2 teaspoons dry coconut flakes, unsweetened, low fat
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/4 cup almonds (optional)

Directions:
1. In your slow cooker, combine the oats, coconut milk, almond milk, coconut flakes, and cocoa powder and whisk until the cocoa powder is well incorporated into the milk.
2. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until liquid is completely soaked up by the oats.
3. When finished, stir in the almonds (optional), allow to cool and serve.

Nutrition Information:
Makes approximately 2 cups
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 129
Total Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 72mg
Total Carbohydrate: 14g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 5g

Pretzel Rolls

from une bonne vie

The Dough
6 - 7 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 cup water, slightly warmed

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

The "Bath"
7 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons baking soda

In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.Whisk 5 3/4 cups of flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. 

Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture. Pour into bowl with flour and salt. Knead in the bowl until dough is mostly smooth. Only add more flour if your dough cannot be easily handled. The dough will be somewhat stiff. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and put in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute. Cut dough into 15 pieces. (Cut more pieces if you would like smaller size rolls.) Form balls by pulling the dough under. Place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.

While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pretzel "bath" ready. In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil. Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them "poach" for 1 minute total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown.  These are best eaten the same day they are made.

Do-It-Yourself Kale Chips

from Fab Fit Fun

It’s super simple — just tear up a head of kale, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 and voilà — you have crispy, crunchy perfection!

Bacon & Eggs in Toast Cups

from The Noshery

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bread
• 6 slices of bacon
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheese
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin pan with butter non-stick spray.
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut circles out of bread slices about 3 inches in diameter. (I confess I do not have a cookie cutter so I use the lid to my tub of orzo pasta and just cut around the edges ;D)
3. Take bread circles and press them into the muffin pan, set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet on medium-high. Cook bacon on the skillet until partially cooked but still pliable, about 3 minutes.
5. Shape bacon strips into the toast cups, fill with 1 Tbs of shredded cheese. Place in the oven for 5 minutes, allowing the bacon to toast just a little more. Remove from oven.
6. Crack your egg and separate out most of the egg white. Drop eggs into the cups, sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Place back in the oven and cook until white begins to set, about another 8 – 10 minutes.  The yolk should be creamy.
7. Remove from oven when done and pop out using a spoon, serve warm.

Creamy Jambalaya Pasta

from PlainChicken.com

1/2 pound Farfalle pasta
1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup heavy cream (or half & half or evaporated milk)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion or 2 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese


In a large pot, boil water for pasta. Salt water.  Boil pasta and cook until al dente.  Set aside.

Brown sausage in a small skillet over medium heat. Once browned, add onion and saute for two minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add white wine to skillet, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.  Let wine reduce by half, about two minutes.
Stir in Cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper and tomato sauce. Add cream and heat to almost bubbling, then reduce heat to low. Allow the cream mixture to reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Toss with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

from Iowa Girl Eats

Makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:
1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar

For the maple icing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon skim milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.
2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.
3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.
4. Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Cucumber Cocktails

from Dishing Up Delights

Cucumber Mint Lemonade
(By Esi)

1 1/2 cucumber juice (recipe follows)
6 tablespoons mint simple syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sparkling water
Vodka
Lemons, cucumber, and mint for garnish if desired

Mix the cucumber juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice together in a pitcher. Fill a glass with a few cubes of ice. Add 1/4 cup of the cucumber/lemon mixture, 1/4 cup of sparkling water, and 2 tablespoons of vodka. Stir to combine and serve immediately.

Cucumber juice
(By Esi)

Makes 3 cups

4 English cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped.

Blend the cucumbers in a blender or food processor until liquefied. Set a strainer over a bowl and strain the juice, making sure to squeeze the extra juice from the pulp. Set aside.

Mint Simple Syrup
(By Esi)

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
2 springs mint

In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and mint over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely in the refrigerator. Once the mixture has cooled, discard the mint.


Basil Simple Syrup
(By Esi)

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
4 large basil leaves

In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and basil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely in the refrigerator. Once the mixture has cooled, discard the basil.

Cucumber Basil Limeade
(By Esi)

1 1/2 cucumber juice
7 tablespoons basil simple syrup
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sparkling water
Vodka
Limes, cucumber, and basil for garnish if desired

Mix the cucumber juice, simple syrup, and lime juice together in a pitcher. Fill a glass with a few cubes of ice. Add 1/4 cup of the cucumber/lime mixture, 1/4 cup of sparkling water, and 2 tablespoons of vodka. Stir to combine and serve immediately.

Pickled Cucumbers

from Nourish Network

2 cups rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 medium limes)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pound Japanese, Persian, English or pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced (1/8-inch thick or thinner)
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Combine cucumbers, onion, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add vinegar mixture and stir to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before serving, or transfer cucumber mixture to a clean jar and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Yields 1 quart