In My Kitchen

Who: 4 Hour Recipes blog

What: Green Curry Chicken and Vege

When: last night

Where: our kitchen table

Why: once again I am seeking to reduce our intake of refined white flour and sugars- so we have cut our most grains from our diet- the question there for is what do we replace it with? Not even necessarily a dietary concern- we don't need to replace rice for a full plate- but texturally and taste wise we have come to expect something to eat with curry!

How:

1 package baby corn
1 can bamboo shoots
a handful of chopped coriander leaves
2 cloves garlic- minced
1 bell pepper- julienned
2-4 tablespoons green curry paste (depending on taste)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 1 lime
riceaflower (stay tuned to find out what this is-life changing!)
2 chicken breasts diced into 1" cubes

1. heat olive oil and cook chicken and remove chicken from pan

2.  add veggies to the same pan and cook veggies until tender

3. add chicken back into the pan with veggies, add curry paste

4. stir in coconut milk and heat through, letting the coconut milk and curry paste blend thoroughly

5. mix in lime juice and coriander leaves

6. serve over riceaflower

   Now at this point you are probably wondering what on earth is riceaflower? All riceaflower is is cooked cauliflower coarsely mashed to the consistency of rice- rocket science this is not! We do not have a microwave so all we do is steam a head of cauliflower and then with a potatoes masher mash the steamed cauliflower to desired constancy. This is an excellent replacement for rice and one my taste buds really love!

In My Kitchen

Who: Pinned from a friend on Pinterest

What: Marinated Mushrooms

When: just last night

Where: on the BBQ out on the deck! Yup it's staying lighter out longer each day!

Why: last fall I was going through some health stuff and started on a path to better nutrition- recently I got even more serious about it- I am kick starting my metabolism post babies and incorporating more vege- like a lot more vege into my diet! In an effort not to get bored I am searching out new and interesting recipes mainly to replace the rice on my plate!

How: This could not be easier! Since our kiddos don't eat mushrooms I thought there would be plenty of leftovers but no- the Mr. and I ate them all- so good!

1/2 tablespoon harissa
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
a few pinches of oregano
2 cups mushrooms


- whisk together harissa ( the star of this recipe- caution spicy!), olive oil, balsamic and oregano in a bowl- clean and slice mushrooms in half- I used white mushrooms as that's what I had on hand but Portobello or Brown mushrooms would also be great! Add mushrooms to marinade, toss to coat and let stand for a half hour.

- preheat over to 350 degrees or heat up grill- roast in over for about 10 minutes or grill on BBQ for about 5 min per side

Seriously try this- so easy and so, so yummy! The Mr. who is not as big of a mushroom fan as I am even had seconds- this recipe is a sure fire winner!


* I purchased my harissa at La Marche St George
* the original recipe is from the blog Dinner & Dreams

In My Kitchen

    

     While I enjoy a good sweet as much as the next person I am much more of a savoury type gal- olives, capers, salami- now those are my idea of treats! It might also be said that a person can't live on Halloween candy alone - nor should they be allowed to try! So with this in mind I am making one our our family's favourite dishes today- this can stand alone as a main or be a tasty side.

Sauteed Cabbage with Apple

The Goods:

1Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
1 small Savoy cabbage, sliced thin
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thin
1 tsp salt( not necessary)
1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

The Deal:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until light brown. Add butter and sliced cabbage. Cook for 20 minutes, or until cabbage is soft. Add apple, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add sour cream, mix well. Cook another  minutes or so. Turn off heat, add vinegar and serve.
* I added bacon to the mixture pictured above- it tastes pretty good but be sure to cook bacon well before adding it to the cabbage dish*

   This recipe comes out of a very old edible Vancouver magazine- issue sixteen to be specific! I find this is one of those winter recipes that are perfect for adding a big dose of veggies into your day when you are feeling a bit lacking in that department.

  Now that it is November I am going to be kicking my Holiday making into high gear this weekend- which means dragging the Mr. and Littles to various fabric stores this weekend! May you find a spot of sun this weekend and if it rains- I hope you get your craft on! Happy Friday Friends!

P.S.- friends don't let friends drink and sew- but if you must have a boozy coffee mid project- watch your fingers!

Peanut butter heaven

    Today I was going to share one of my stand by recipes, an oldie but one of my kitchen work horses- the good old reliable Banana Bread. Then the following happened. I was on Pinterest- yes you can follow me, I Pin often and usually only the highest quality of stuff that I like, did I mention I Pin often? I may have a problem.Anyways the kids are making forts and one is napping so I am on Pinterest and I come across the most tempting looking goodie. I followed the link to the Bakerlady's website. And then this happened...

A few hours later I  regained consciousness and this is what I saw...

-melt 1 cup of butter and blend together with 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs,2 cups of confectioners sugar and 1 cup of peanut butter

- once blended spread evenly on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan( ungreased)

- melt together 1.5 cups of chocolate chips with 4 tbsp peanut butter

- spread this on top of bottom crust

- chill in the fridge for an hour- the squares not you

- cut up or just dig in with a spoon

- yah that just happened!