Curried Coconut Chicken

This recipe is super easy to make, and is delicious over basmati rice.  You can add plain yogurt or mix up some Indian "raita" to cool things off if you want.  I have not reheated it from frozen, but it is one of our favorite dishes around my house so I am excited to share it with you.

Some modifications that I made were using 2.5 tablespoons of curry powder rather than just 2 and using creamy marinara sauce (can mix alfredo and marinara if you want) rather than straight-up red sauce.

  Enjoy!

Happy Fall Time Everyone!

I am so excited about this food swap.  Everyone's food looks great!  I just wanted to post this link about the homemade stir-fry I made.  The recipe online is really just for two servings so I tripled the size so that it should serve a family of 6.  (The sauce packet looks really small, but I made the meal for my family tonight, and that little bit of sauce goes a long way!  I also cooked with just a little bit of sesame oil with the canola oil when I fried up all of the ingredients and my family thought it was a hit!)  So,... the proportions should be for each kit:  3 cups rice already cooked, 1/2 cup sauce, 1 lb. chicken, ( I didn't triple the chicken, because I thought 3 lbs. of chicken was a little excessive) and a mixture of vegetables all the same portions as everyone else.  I hope you enjoy!  :0)  The link to the recipe is:  http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-prepare-your-own-frozen-stirfry-dinners-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193932   This was made by Emma Christensen, and I thought it was a great idea!  I actually bought some nice stir fry sauce at the store and compared it to the homemade sauce, and this sauce wins hands-down.  Nothing beats homemade!!! 

Here are the instructions for cooking the meal from the freezer to the wok:  It's time to wok and roll!

To Heat Up & Serve the Frozen Stir-Fry Meal

• Defrost Sauce: Remove the stir-fry dinner from the freezer. Place the sauce in a bowl of hot tap water to thaw.
• Heat Rice: Transfer the rice to a microwave-safe container, cover loosely, and heat for 2 minutes. If not fully warmed, continue heating in 30 second bursts until warm. Keep covered and set aside. Alternatively, the frozen rice can be added to the skillet with the vegetables.
• Cook the Chicken: Warm 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet (like a cast-iron skillet) or a wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is warm, add the frozen chicken. Spread the chicken into a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken develops golden spots and is warmed through, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the Vegetables: Add the frozen vegetables to the skillet with the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are hot and crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Mix with the Sauce: Pour the warmed sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Stir until the sauce is thickened and coats all the ingredients, about 1 minute.
• Serve: Serve the stir-fry over rice. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to a week.

• Thanks ladies for your hard work in preparing your meals too! 

• Happy Eating!  :0)

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole serves 6

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-tomato-broccoli-mozzare-153919

12 ounces farfalle pasta (I used rotini)
1 pound broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
3 large ripe tomatoes, divided
3/4 pound onion, diced (I sauteed these ahead of time so they wouldn't be crunchy)
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves, divided
1/2 pound fresh full-fat mozzarella, divided
3 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (4% milkfat or greater)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Add the farfalle and cook for 11 minutes or until barely al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer basket on the stovetop, just until tender. Drain thoroughly and chop roughly into bite-sized florets. Toss with the cooked pasta. Chop two of the tomatoes into rough pieces, and add them to the pasta. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, along with the drained chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of the chopped basil. Tear about 2/3 of the fresh mozzarella into thumbnail-sized chunks and fold this into the pasta mixture.

Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir this liquid into the pasta mixture until well combined. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Spread the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Slice the remaining tomato into half-moons and arrange on top of the pasta. Tear the rest of the mozarella into bits and scatter between the rows of tomato slices. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top has melted and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over top. Let stand for a few more minutes before serving.

I haven't cooked this from frozen, but we did eat it the day I assembled these.  It was good, but the pasta is a bit overcooked!  SORRY!  I also read a lot of reviews on the website and decided to saute the onions ahead of time so as not to be eating them crunchy.  All the veggies I used were from our local farmshare or from our very own little garden!  Next time I'd add more tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Rigatoni with Sausage, Squash, and Tomato

Feb 3

Rigatoni with Sausage, Pumpkin, and Tomato Sauce (Rachael Ray)

Serves 6

salt and pepper
1 lb. rigatoni
1 cup chicken stock
generous pinch of saffron (20-24 threads)
2 tbls. EVOO
1 lb. sweet or hot sausage (I used sweet since I'm not a fan of spicy foods)
1 lb. pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into small dice (I used half butternut, half squash for variety but  won't do that again because the pumpkin cooked faster than the butternut so it's a bit mushy - sorry about that!)
1 onion chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used minced)
1 fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper instead, because I didn't want it to be spicy - I figured people who like spice could always add spice, but you can't take spice out!)
1 can (28-32 oz) san marzano tomatoes (I only used half a can per recipe, because it seemed like a lot of tomatoes!)

grated pecorino-romano, served at the table

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• While the pasta is working, in a small saucepan, heat the stock and saffron.  Keep warm.
• In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat.  Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned.  Add the pumpkin (or squash), onion, garlic, and chile;  season with salt and pepper.  Partially cover and cook for 7 minutes.  Stir in the saffron stock and tomatoes.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, 15 minutes.
• Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce and toss.  Serve in bowls and top with the cheese.

For the freezer meals:  I have never frozen this before, but a website I looked at had a very similar meal listed as a successful freezer meal, so I'm hoping it works!  I tried to cook the noodles a bit less than it called for because I've heard they can get a bit soggy - so I am hoping the noodles hold up!  Everything is cooked, so the meal will only need to be reheated.  You can either pop it in the oven and bake it, or drop it in a pan on the stove.  Enjoy!