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Fast & Easy Dinner: Thai Pork and Vegetable Curry

partysugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:15:08 -0700

Get the weekend started with this exotic, interesting meal. Thin slices of pork are cooked with coconut milk, curry, and lime juice. Green beans provide snap and red peppers add a nice crunch. Served over a bed of hot orzo, it's filling and delicious.

This dish would be wonderful for a last minute dinner party. To look at the simple recipe, read more.

Thai Pork and Vegetable Curry
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups dried orzo (about 8 ounces)
12 ounces pork tenderloin or lean boneless pork
2 tablespoons cooking oil
8 ounces green beans, bias-sliced into 1 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)*
1 red sweet pepper, cut into thin bite-size strips
2 green onions, bias-sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 14-ounce can unsweetened lite coconut milk
4 teaspoons bottled curry paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. Thinly slice pork into bite-size pieces.
Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large nonstick skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook and stir about 4 minutes or until no pink remains. Remove from skillet.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add green beans; cook and stir for 3 minutes.
Add sweet pepper and green onions; cook and stir about 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Add coconut milk, curry paste, and sugar. Reduce heat to low, stirring until combined. Stir in cooked pork and lime juice; heat through. Serve over hot orzo.

Serves 4.

*A 9-ounce package of frozen cut green beans, thawed, can be substituted for the fresh beans. Add them to the skillet along with the sweet pepper and onions; cook as directed.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Curried Vegetable Hash

partysugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 09:01:12 -0700

Anyone who says a vegetarian meal can't be fulfilling and flavorful must try tonight's rapid yet delicious dinner. A large variety of fresh summer vegetables are stewed with a fragrant curry sauce. Fresh basil and parsley finish off the dish that tastes great alone or over rice. Pair with a cool white wine and you are in for a rewarding and guilt free Thursday night meal. Sound scrumptious? Get the recipe when you, read more

Curried Vegetable Hash
From Vegetarian Times magazine

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. mild curry powder
2 cups peeled, diced summer squash ( 1/2-inch pieces)
2 cups peeled, diced all-purpose potatoes ( 1/2-inch pieces)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn (3 medium ears), or frozen
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 ripe medium tomato, halved, seeded and diced
1 to 2 tsp. chopped fresh basil
1 to 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, flour and curry powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Stir in squash, potatoes, corn, bell pepper, broth and salt until well combined. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat slightly and cook until potatoes are barely tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tomato and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and vegetables are tender and coated with medium-thick gravy, 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in basil and parsley. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve hot over rice if desired.

Serves 4-5.

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Food Section Sampler - Nov. 25, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:15:26 -0800

Behind the scenes at the Obamas' first White House state dinner. - New York Times
The Andy Warhol cocktail is nearly as charismatic as the famed artist himself. - San Francisco Chronicle
How to prevent overeating at the Thanksgiving table. - Washington Post
For restaurateurs, this holiday is looking to be another dreary dining season. - Los Angeles Times
Why one consumer advocacy group is taking a stand against Ocean Spray cranberries. - Boston Globe
Sick of turkey and vegetable leftovers? Transform them into a fragrant Thai curry. - Chicago Tribune
What recession? A 760-gram truffle has sold for $129,000. - Wall Street Journal

Southern (Indian) Thanksgiving

Yum Community — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:42 -0800

This story was written by member courtneyd and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community.

For a few years now I've wanted to try to marry the traditional Southern Indian food my husband grew up enjoying with Thanksgiving as I know it (Southern girl with a love of spice and heat). So this year I did a trial run of a tandoori-style turkey made in the oven.

By next year I hope to build my own tandoor, or at least grill this guy, because it needs a little more heat to crisp up properly. Even so, the meal turned out great! Tandoori turkey, tamarind gravy, creamed saag, masala mashed potatoes, and Whole Foods' naan, which has a slight dinner roll texture, so it works out perfectly for this blended meal. The tamarind gravy was an original creation (that I cannot believe turned out properly, it was sooooo good), and the other recipes were either inspired by or taken directly from The Food of India from Whitecap Books. I love their "food of" series, and my husband is impressed with the Indian recipes.

For the turkey, I followed the instructions from November's Martha Stewart Living to spatchcock a turkey and cooked according to their instructions after marinating for about 7 hours. Not including the marinade time, this meal came together in about 2 hours on a Friday night. Also, we discovered New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc complements Indian food perfectly.

To get her recipes for this Southern Indian feast, keep reading.

Your Political Leanings May Determine What's on Your Plate

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:20:37 -0800

Everyone says that you are what you eat. But could your political party affiliation be the driver of what goes on your plate, too? That's what food trend analyst Phil Lempert (of koodie fame) is arguing. Examining 2009 data from Hunch, he found conservatives opt for "mainstream, comfort food staples," while liberals are likely to gravitate toward "international and exotic cuisines."

According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch.

Those looking to toe the bipartisan line should stick to mutually-loved foods such as hot dogs, bacon double cheeseburgers, ice cream sans sprinkles, romaine lettuce, and salt on a margarita glass. Do these findings line up correctly with your political leanings?

Source: Flickr User thebittenword.com

Reader Recipe: Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:02:18 -0800

There's still a few days left in January, and that means there's still some time to celebrate National Soup Month! Today's soup comes from reader twinkle! Her Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup caught my eye and I have been dying to try it ever since I saw it.

To check out her recipe, read more

Recipe from twinkle

Ingredients:

2 Tbs mild curry paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 large carrot, chopped finely
2 trimmed celery sticks, chopped finely
1 medium size potato, chopped finely
1 large zucchini, chopped finely
3/4 cup red lentils
1/2 frozen peas
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs coarsely chopped cilantro

Method:
Cook curry paste in large heated saucepan, stirring until fragrant. Add undrained crushed tomatoes, stock, carrot, celery, potato and zucchini, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered for 5 minutes.

Add lentils to soup mixture; return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until lentils are just tender.

Add peas; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until peas are just tender. Remove soup from heat; stir in coconut milk and cilantro.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

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Burning Question: Exactly What Is Curry?

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Curry is a broad word used to describe a variety of dishes flavored with different spices. Although the concept of curry originated from India, curries exist throughout the world, and can be found in Japanese, Ethiopian, Thai, Caribbean, and German cuisines, among others. Virtually any spiced, sauce-based dish with vegetables and/or meat can be call a curry, but the popular variety we think of contains curry powder with high proportions of turmeric, cumin, and coriander seed.

The other familiar term, masala, is simply a spice mix; curry powder is in fact a masala. In countries like Pakistan that have numerous curry dishes, however, each has a specific name, and might include a range of spices such as fenugreek, cloves, ginger, hot pepper, and leaves from the curry tree, an herb native to India.

Got a burning question? Contact us.

Source

Reader Recipe: Indian Cauliflower Stew

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:00:32 -0800

In a continued effort to detox after a serious day of gluttony this past weekend, I'm trying to lighten up on the meat and grease and focus on the vegetables. This recipe from dlmslp is just what I need - something that's more vegetables than anything else, but still full flavored. If you're looking for a hearty, impressive meal, serve it as she did - alongside girlc's fragrant chicken curry. To get the recipe and view detailed photos, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member dlmslp

Girlc's Fragrant Chicken Curry and Indian Cauliflower Stew
Good Housekeeping

Thanks girlc! I love the recipe you posted and I added a side of cauliflower stew I pulled from a magazine. I modified using 8 oz. of yogurt and low-fat reduced sodium chicken broth in place of veg broth because I didn't have any. I also used a 16-oz. bag of frozen cauliflower for time.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 med. carrots, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. curry powder
Salt
2 1/2 C vegetable broth
1 med. head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 C chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 C plain lowfat yogurt

Directions
In a dutch oven, heat oil and add carrots and onion. Cook 10-12 mins or until tender. Stir in ginger, curry, and 3/4 tsp. salt into mixture, cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth, cover and heat to boiling. Stir in cauliflower and chickpeas. Cover and cook on medium 15-20 minutes longer, gently stirring until cauliflower is tender. Stir in chopped cilantro and yogurt. Serve over rice.

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Guy Fieri: He's Off the Hook

partysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:20:27 -0700

Last week I had the chance to speak with Food Network's Guy Fieri. He's the host of three shows - Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Guy Off the Hook - and winner of the Next Food Network Star season two. Filming keeps him incredibly busy, but in his spare time, the celebrity chef - who prefers hot dogs to hamburgers and mustard to ketchup - continues to experiment in the kitchen. He's deeply passionate about food, especially food education for children, and encourages "people to get on the food train." Fieri and I talked about his upcoming appearance at New York City Wine and Food Festival, and I got to see a softer side of the "in it to win it" bad-boy chef.

To see what Fieri had to say when we chatted, read more.

PartySugar: Tell us about your role at the Food Festival.
Guy Fieri: I'm new to the whole food festival thing. My first one was last February in South Beach. I'll be doing a live filming of Off the Hook. It will be two one-hour taped specials featuring all kinds of good food. Anybody that's into food, chefs, cooking, partying - they should go to the festival.

PartySugar: At a festival so large, do any chefs make you star struck?
Guy Fieri: No, not star struck. I'm a big fan of a lot of chefs. I love what Emeril created. Bobby is a bad-ass. Rachael took this whole world and turned it into a new realm. Everyone is the King/Queen of their own kitchen, so I respect them all.

PartySugar: Out of all the seasons of the Next Food Network Star, you are the only one who actually became a FN star; why do you think that is?
Guy Fieri: If I had that answer, I would be churning out new stars for the network! I made who I wanted to become. I did things my way. I don't know really. Divine intervention, perhaps?

PartySugar: Have you ever had a bad experience at one of the diners, drive-ins, or dives?
Guy Fieri: Oh yeah. There's no reason to lie. I'm not a food critic. I usually look at the recipes and can tell what will be good and what won't be.

PartySugar: What's in your fridge?
Guy Fieri: Let me open it for you! Organic blackberry preserves, sriracha, six different jars of olives, 10 kinds of mustard, sesame oil, horseradish, fish sauce, unsalted butter, salted butter. I'm sort of a mad scientist when it comes to cooking. I love every type of condiment and sauce. The vegetable drawer is kind of empty. It's only got red pepper, onion, carrots, new potatoes, celery, and beets. The cheese drawer has three kinds of salami, six cheeses, parmesan reggiano. In the freezer I have bacon cut into small portions 'cause my son likes to have a little bacon at breakfast. Smoked elk sausages, spaetzel that I made, capers.

PartySugar: What's your advice to the everyday home cook?
Guy Fieri: Make two new things every week! Break out new recipes, try new ingredients, experiment with new things. Don't make a whole meal of new dishes for your family, but if you want to give curry a try, make your usual rice, vegetables the kids like, a salad, and then the curry. That way if no one likes the new thing, there is still other stuff they can eat. Don't be discouraged when something goes wrong. But really food is so awesome, everyone can do it. The common denominator between humankind is food. It's empowering to cook.

Source

Must-Read: Williams-Sonoma Soup

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:15:48 -0700

Although I've always been a fan of eating soup year-round, now that the weather has cooled down a bit, soup is a regular part of my meal rotation. That was my logic behind acquiring Williams-Sonoma Soup ($16.95). To see my thoughts on the cookbook, read more.

Pros:

Ingredient measurements include other measuring system equivalents: A recipe calling for dried black beans, specifies that 2 cups equals 14 ounces or 440 grams.
In addition to a full-page picture, each recipe contains an added bonus: a tip with a corresponding picture, pertaining to the recipe.
The back of the book has helpful information like stock recipes, basics of making soup, garnish options, a glossary, and an index.

Cons:

The recipes are written in paragraph form, but could have been written in easier-to-follow steps.
Helpful details such as cooking time or nutritional facts would have made a big difference.

Recipes: Some of the recipes call for gourmet ingredients that one may not typically have on hand, such as kombu seaweed flakes, tawny Port, or Thai red curry paste. I flagged the following recipes to make at home:

Classics - New England Clam Chowder
Simple Soups - Puree of Vegetable Soup, Broccoli-Leek Soup
Dinner Party Soups - Three-Mushroom Soup With Sherry, Mussels Mariniere
Winter Soups - Black Bean Soup With Salsa Crema, Provence-Style Fish Stew
Chicken Soups - Avgolemono, Thai-Style Curried Chicken Soup

Imagery: The images are abundant and appetizing.

Overall Rating: I'm a huge fan of this book, which contains lots of staple soup recipes. If you're already a soup whiz with an expansive recipe collection, this book may not be for you, but if you're on the market for a soup cookbook, this affordable book could just be the one. Have you checked it out yet?