Panang Cucumber Curry

This has been such a hard two weeks.  Two weeks ago my cat Crookers had to be put to sleep.  Then last Sunday my youngest cat, Little Kitty started getting sick.  It began with her throwing up and I took her into the animal hospital because it wouldn't stop.  Then she got a very bad respiratory infection last Wed and stopped eating and drinking.  Thursday I went to 5 different stores buying things to try to get her to eat and drink.  I turned the bathroom into a sauna a few times a day to make her feel better.  It has been nuts.  I guess that this is what it is like to have a sick child, I am just looking forward to getting her back to normal.  She is starting to eat and drink again, luckily, and hopefully the infection will go away in a day or two.  

One of my favorite recipes is my stir-fried cucumbers and I wanted to try to make another cucumber recipe where the cucumbers were cooked because I have a hard time digesting raw cucumbers.  This recipe looked interesting but a bit scary-- curry and cucumbers?  However, the two unlikely ingredients work together well and it definitely makes a meal that you haven't had before!

Panang Cucumber Curry

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

I Tbs of olive oil

1 4 oz can panang curry paste (I couldn't find any, so I used red curry paste instead)

1 13 oz can of light coconut milk 

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest

2 tsp soy sauce

1 large english cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 red pepper cut into strips

1 small onion

1/3 cup of thai basil leaves

1 container of tofu

2 tsp lime juice

Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels.  Put on a plate and put a plate on top of it to press.  Wait 30 minutes then pat dry.  Cut into cubes.

Put oil in pan and heat on medium-low.  Add curry paste and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often, until it gets fragrant.  Add coconut milk, lime zest, and soy sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes until it begins to thicken.  

Add cucumber, pepper and onion.  Cook 10 - 12 minutes until cucumbers are crisp tender.  Add in basil and tofu and then cook for around 4 more minutes.  Add lime juice and serve.  

Saffron Rice with Curried Apricot Dressing

I miss posting my recipes.  Since April I have been enrolled in the American College of Education, a online masters degree program for instructional leadership.  There has been a lot said about online colleges, but I have to tell you that comparing my masters or Phd classes at UIC to this program, this is a lot more work.  Each week I have a paper (last week 17 pgs this week 13), 2 quizzes, 1 test, 3 discussion posts averaging 1 page each and around 75 pages to read.  Totally overwhelmed.  Plus I am doing my internship as a school administrator, working and coaching Special Olympics soccer.  My brain is about to explode and I spent 7 hours working on stuff for work today and needed a break.  Something that wasn't related to education.

This summer I didn't do much cooking.  I have been so wrapped up in this program that there really was not any time for it.  I was also dealing with switching doctors for my gastroparesis.  The best thing happened though, turns out that I do not have GP and am now on a medicine that is making my symptoms so much better.  I even ate ribs the other day without being in extreme pain for 2 days.  Woo hoo!   That does not mean that I am leaving vegetarianism behind.  Going back to meat, I find that eating well-made vegetarian meals is more flavorful.  However, now I will be able to have much more options when eating out (especially on vacation which was soooo hard for the past 4 years)

This has been my favorite recipe that I have made since April.  It is also a perfect fit for fall.  It has pine nuts and sweet potatoes but the apricot dressing gives it a great tartness.  The dressing also works awesome on salads.  

Saffron Rice With Curried Apricot Dressing

Adapted from Color Me Vegan 

Ingredients for Rice

3 Tbs olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups uncooked basmati rice

1/2 tsp saffron steeped in 1/4 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups of cubed roasted sweet potatoes

1 tart apple, diced and tossed with lemon juice

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 toasted pine nuts

Ingredients for Apricot Dressing

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 Tbs curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup oil

Salt to taste

In a saucepan, add 1 Tbs olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until softened.  Then add the cumin, pepper, and salt.  Saute for 1 min.  Add the rice and stir constantly for 2 min.  Add saffron in water and vegetable stock.  Bring to boil, cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 40 - 25 min until rice is cooked.  Toss peeled cubed sweet potatoes with 2 Tbs olive oil and roast on baking sheet at 450 degrees until slightly browned (around 30 min).  Also toast pine nuts.  

When rice is cooked, put in a bowl and add sweet potatoes, apples, scallions and pine nuts.  

To make dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified.  Add more spices to taste if you feel it is needed.  Combine most of the dressing with the rice and taste.  If you think it needs more dressing, add more.  Serve and enjoy!

2 Sides: Curried Swiss Chard and Broccoli with Mustard Vinaigrette

Happy New Years! I'm a bit tired but made another cool dish today for lunch so I have to get some of my others posted before I forget them.

These two dishes are great sides. I made the broccoli slaw first a few weeks ago. It was the first time I have ever tried broccoli and I thought it was tasty (for broccoli). However, since I have always been told not to eat broccoli with GP, I only had a few bites.

The second side dish, curried swiss chard, is a visually stunning dish. In Barbara Kingsolver's books she kept singing the praises of swiss chard and how beautiful the rainbow chard is, so I wanted to try. I found a curry recipe in my Color Me Vegan cookbook but didn't have any curry paste, so I improvised. I looked at a few good recipes online that only needed curry powder and created this side for my family Christmas lunch. I didn't like the taste of chard, so unfortunately it is crossed off my new foods list, but everyone else liked the dish and my mom asked for the recipe. The best part is, the chard is so cheap! I got a bunch for $1.35 and it was organic.

Curried Swiss Chard

Ingredients

1 bunch of swiss chard

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tbs of curry powder

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the tough ends of the swiss chard and throw them away. Then chop the stems (up to the leaves) in 1/2 inch thick pieces. Heat a saute pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions, garlic, and stems to the pan and saute until tender.

Chop the green leaves and cook them until wilted. Take off of heat. Stir in the curry powder and add salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli with Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 pound of steamed broccoli

2 tbs of whole grain mustard

4 tbs of rice wine vinegar

2 tsp of honey

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Put the steamed broccoli in the food processor and pulse until it is in big chunks (like pre-made broccoli slaw. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Then pour over broccoli and mix.