Coconut Curry Soup with Chicken

I have had some DELICIOUS coconut curries in my past travels! Unfortunately, when I make a recipe, it never tastes the same as when I eat a coconut curry elsewhere. I set out a few months ago to figure out where I was going wrong, and to develop my own recipe that I would be happy with.

This recipe is perfect! (In my opinion.) I think I found the crucial ingredient to making it taste the way that it does. Fish sauce! I am not a big fan of fishy flavors, and fish sauce by itself is whoa fishy! In this soup you don't taste the fish flavor though, instead it adds saltiness and brings out the other flavors. I can't get enough of it, especially in this unseasonably cold spring weather we are having.

Coconut Curry Soup with Chicken
-1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
-4 cups chicken stock
-16 oz. mushrooms
-green onions
-1 yellow onion
-4-5 cloves garlic
-1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
-1 Tablespoon fish sauce
-1 Tablespoon curry powder (more if you like a stronger flavor)
-1 can coconut milk
-1 can bamboo shoots
-1 can mini corn
-salt to taste
-garnish with fresh basil and lime juice

Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces and boil in a large pot of water until cooked. About 8 minutes boiling. You can use the water from the chicken as your chicken stock, or drain and add a store bought chicken stock.

In a pan, saute with the coconut oil: yellow onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

Add sauteed ingredients to the chicken and stock. You may need to add more liquid (water) to make the soup more brothy. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on medium for 15-20 minutes.

Garnish with fresh basil and lime juice. You can add a scoop of rice to this soup as well.

Easy Healthy French Onion Soup

I LOVE French Onion soup, it is a winter staple for me. It can get pretty unhealthy pretty quickly though, so I made a few recipe changes to healthify it so I can eat it more often. Don't be afraid of the cabbage in this recipe, it takes on the flavor of the onions and adds more sustenance since there is no french bread or tons of cheese in this healthy version.

Healthy French Onion Soup
-3 large onions (I use yellow onions)
-1-2 cartons mushrooms
-1 stick butter
-salt to taste
-2 teaspoons thyme (or to taste)
-half of a cabbage
-about 48 ounces beef broth (6 cups)
-swiss cheese (sandwich slices work well)

Chop the onions and mushrooms. Throw them into a pot with the sick of butter and cook until the onions are soft. Add salt and thyme to taste. Chop the half cabbage and add it along with the beef broth to the onions. Let everything simmer together for about 15-20 minutes. Once the soup is in a bowl top it off with a slice of swiss cheese and either melt it in the microwave or under the broiler. That's it!

Roasted Carrot Soup for Fertility

Since we are trying to make a baby AND it is colder weather, what better thing to make than soup. I love soup! I look forward to it all year long. Having just finished a nutrition class, I decided to put my new knowledge to work by creating a fertility soup. Really, it is just a yummy soup full of nutrients that help support the female (and male) body and hormones. Not only is it delicious, but my body is going to greatly benefit from the surge of vitamins and minerals provided by this soup.

Carrots: provide vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, fiber, potassium, folate, some iron.
Benefits: provides antioxidants, helps with blood sugar regulation, keeps hormones in check, helps the corpus luteum produce needed progesterone, supports reproduction and embryonic development.

Roasted Carrot Soup
-10 large carrots (chopped roughly)
-1-2 whole onions (chopped roughly)
-whole garlic bulb (cloves peeled and chopped in half)
-package of mushrooms (chopped)
-2 T coconut oil
-salt to taste
-2 t. fresh or dried thyme
-1 t. curry
-1 t. tumeric
-3 c. water
-3 c. vegetable or meat broth

Chop the carrots, onions, garlic, and mushrooms roughly and toss on a cookie sheet with the oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast at about 425 for 25 minutes

Removed roasted vegetables from the oven and place them in pot with the water, broth, and seasonings. Let the soup come to a simmer. At this point you can leave it chunky, or blend it for a smoother soup.

I topped my soup with grated parmesan and scallions. Happy eating and baby making!

Festive Brussel Sprouts

Here is a quick recipe right before Thanksgiving in case you are searching for one more side dish to add to your table. This is a combination of a variety of brussel sprout dishes that I have searched through.

Festive Brussel Sprouts:
-2 packages of brussel sprouts
-1 pomegranate
-1 package feta cheese
-olive oil
-lemon juice
-salt

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Chop the brussel sprouts into halves or quarters and toss them in olive oil and salt. Scatter the brussel sprouts over a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

While the brussel sprouts are roasting prepare your pomegranate seeds. The easiest way to de-seed the pomegranate is to score it in half and pull it apart into two pieces. Flip the half of pomegrnate downside into a bowl and smack the back of it with a wooden spoon. (This is slightly messy.) Smacking the pomegranate halves this way will knock out all of the seeds much quicker than picking them out with your fingers.

When the brussel sprouts are done roasting put them in a dish with the pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. Season with salt and a squirt of lemon juice.

Buttered Rum!

Last night I was freezing cold in our house and when that happens I usually have a glass of wine to warm me up. Works every time! (Winter is going to make a drunk of me...) Unfortunately, last night there was no wine and I was not about to leave the house. So after looking in my cabinets I decided that I could make something with rum because I definitely was not going to drink it straight. After some online surfing of hot rum drinks, I came up with my own single mug recipe for Buttered Rum. It was delicious and more than warmed me up!

Single Mug Buttered Rum:

Boil some water on the stove top. While water is boiling combine the following ingredients in a mug:
-1 Tablespoon butter
-1-2 Tablespoons brown sugar
-sprinkle of cinnamon
-sprinkle of nutmeg
-sprinkle of cloves
-pinch of salt
-2 shots of rum

When the water has boiled pour it into the mug and stir until butter has melted and all ingredients have combined. Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Mint Ice-Pops

For the last year I have had a rinky dink little freezer-pop maker that I have been using. It has done the job, but the freezer pops are tiny and it only makes a few at a time. So this year for my birthday I asked for a good quality freezer-pop maker and a cookbook to go along with it. When I got it I was thrilled and obviously had to use it immediately!

I made cantaloupe mint ice-pops and they have been awesome! The ice-pop maker makes 10 good sized ice-pops at a time, so we have been eating these things over the last week now. I am happy with the ice-pop maker and the recipe. It has been the perfect after dinner treat to wind down the summer. (And the perfect thing for using some of the mint in our back yard.)

Cantaloup Mint Ice-Pops (from the book "People's Pops")
makes 10 ice-pops
-2/3 cup cane (or regular) sugar
-2/3 cup water
-6 sprigs fresh mint (a large hand full without stems)
-1 cantaloupe peeled, seeded, and sliced

In a small sauce pan combing sugar and water. Bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the mint to the sugar water mixture and let it simmer covered on low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest another 5 minutes while the mint seeps.

Add the cantaloupe to a food processor or blender and puree. Transfer the cantaloupe to a bowl or or pitcher with a pouring spout.

Take the sugar water mint mixture off the stove and strain the mint out. Be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the mint, then discard the mint. Add the mint flavored sugar water to the cantaloupe, mix, and pour into the ice pop molds. Freeze 5+ hours or overnight. I found that the longer I froze the pops the better they were.

Flax, Quinoa, Chia Crackers

Recently in a friends facebook picture I saw homemade flax crackers and was really impressed that she had made her own. I have often bought the $5 tiny box of flax crackers from the store and kicked myself each time for spending so much money on such a little box of healthy crunchies. After seeing my friends picture I was determined to make my own!

My facebook friend sent me the recipe that she had used, but since we have gotten rid of our dehydrator I opted not to use her recipe. So began my great internet search for flax cracker recipes. Over the last few weeks I have tried a variety of recipes, but the one that I use now is a recipe I have created myself. I think it is the best recipe, but that's just me.

Flax, Quinoa, Chia Crackers (gluten-free)
-1/2 cup flax seeds
-1/4 cup ground quinoa seeds (I use my coffee grinder)
-1/4 cup ground chia seeds (I use my coffee grinder)
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-1 Tablespoon dried basil
-chunky sea salt for sprinkling on top

Put the flax seeds in a small mixing bowl and just barely cover them with water. Set it aside and let the seeds absorb the water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes add all the other ingredients to the flax seeds. Mix well. If the dough is too dry add a bit more water. You want the dough to be pliable, but not too wet and sticky. Place the dough in between two pieces of wax or parchment paper and roll it out. It should roll out to be about the size of a pan. Peel both pieces of wax or parchment paper off the dough and place the rolled dough onto a pan with a fresh piece of wax or parchment paper. (Note: don't cook the dough on the parchment paper that you rolled it out onto because it will stick and cook to the paper.) Use a knife or pizza cutter to score the dough, then sprinkle the top with chunky sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take it out and flip it directly onto the pan, peel off the parchment paper. Bake again for 20 more minutes. Break into individual crackers and bake for longer if they need to be dried out even more.

Creamsicle Olive Oil Ice-Cream (Dairy-Free)

Olive oil ice-cream, you say?...yuck! But no really, this stuff is great. I found it on pinterest (what else is new?), made some adjustments to the recipe, and loved it. Even Andy loved it and he is normally not so fond of my food experiments.

I would like to make a side note that this recipe is dairy-free and ice-cream-maker-free. I am trying to cut dairy out of my diet because it makes my stomach feel wonky, so this is a great ice-cream substitute. (I still eat regular ice-cream, just not often.) The recipe is also made without an ice-cream maker, so it is very simple. Lastly, the ice-cream is delicate and melts fast, so don't let it sit out for long before eating it.

Creamsicle Olive Oil Ice-Cream (Adapted from here)
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- a pinch of salt

All ingredients must be at room temperature.
Separate the eggs. Whip yolks with brown sugar until batter becomes fluffy and turns pale.
Add the orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract, whipping constantly. Add olive oil slowly, still constantly whipping.
The mixture should start thickening, doubling in volume and turning a bit creamy.
In a separate bowl whip egg whites (with a pinch of salt) into stiff peaks.
Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
Pour the mixture into a pan lined with waxed paper and let the mixture freeze for a few hours (or overnight) before serving.

Arugula Spinach Pesto

Arugula and Spinach and Pesto...oh my! I hope you are thinking the same thing because wow this stuff is delicious. A few weeks ago we were having dinner at my dad and step mom's place and they had a bowl of bright green pesto on the counter. I made some comment about it being super green and they responded that is was not in fact regular pesto, but arugula pesto. What, my mind was blown! I love, I mean LOVE arugula. It is my summer staple. So the idea that I could make a pesto out of arugula was completely genius.

I set out to make my own recipe, but when I looked for arugula at the store all I could find was a spinach arugula mix. I was quite torn at first because I wanted pure arugula pesto. After standing the store isle for about 15 minutes debating it in my head though, I decided to take a chance with the spinach arugula mix.

I was quite happy with how the recipe turned out. It doesn't taste like regular pesto, as it is much more zesty and spicy. I think it is probably an acquired taste, but if you like the ingredients most likely you'll love the pesto.

Arugula Spinach Pesto
-5 oz. container of arugula and spinach
-1/2 cup fresh grated parmesean
-6 minced garlic cloves (less is optional, that's a lot of garlic)
-1/3 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup pine nuts (I left these out because I couldn't find them)

Throw it all together in a food processor and you are good to go. I used a blender because we don't have a food processor, but it was rough. I would highly recommend using a food processor.

Lately I have been using this stuff for everything! On pasta, in salads, as a dip for veggies, as a spread on crackers. Seriously, I am addicted!

Healthy Chocolate Ice-Cream!

I am a HUGE fan of ice-cream. I could eat it every day, probably even multiple times a day especially in the summer. Unfortunately the dairy and fat in ice-cream do not always sit so well in my stomach (though I still eat it) so I am always seeking an alternative. This alternative also just happens to be quite healthy as it does not have any dairy or sugar in it. I will warn you though, this is more of a smoothie than an ice-cream. I froze it for a few hours so it would have more of that thick ice-cream consistency but it is definitely not as smooth as ice-cream.

Healthy Ice-Cream (or smoothie)
-4 well ripened (almost brown) bananas
-1 cup almond milk
-1/4 cup cocoa powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender until well mixed then pour into a freezer safe container. Freeze for 2-4 hours (check consistency) and enjoy. Or, you can enjoy it right out of the blender. Fun add-ins: peanut butter, chocolate chips, a few drops of mint extract, oreo cookie pieces...etc.
*Side note: If you try to re-freeze this for later it will freeze into one solid block. Either eat it all in one sitting, or freeze it into a popsicle maker for ease of eating.

Nikki's Summer Desserts (Guest Post!)

Hey there! I'm Nikki from Cupcakes for Breakfast. While Ellie is busy moving I wanted to share a few of my favorite go-to summer recipes. While chocolate is usually my go-to, I love baking with fresh fruit in the summer. Head to your local farmer's market, pick up whatever looks ripe and juicy and go from there. Enjoy your dessert outside with friends, music, and some cold bubbly and you've got everything you need for a perfect summer evening.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble 

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2013/06/18/csa-strawberry-rhubarb-crumble/

 

Peach Shortbread

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2011/07/19/peach-shortbread/

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2012/06/07/comfort-and-zest/

Patriotic Fruit Torte

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2012/07/05/patriotic-fruit-torte/

Peach Popsicles

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2011/07/26/peachy-keen-inspiration/

Strawberry Shortbread

http://cupcakesforbreakfast.com/2012/05/29/strawberry-shortbread/

Apple Cake and a Birthday!

Last week was Andy's 28th Birthday! Finally he is the same age as me...for a few months. Every year for his birthday Andy asks me to bake him an apple cake, and to be more specific his Mom's apple cake. The first time we were married and he requested this I thought he was joking. Who would want an apple cake if you could have chocolate cake or something more exciting?! He was serious about his apple cake though. So through my complete boredom of apple cake I forced a happy baker smile and baked him his mom's recipe. To my surprise it was awesome! So moist, simple yet full of flavor. I was completely impressed and kicked myself for doubting this infamous apple cake. Now I faithfully bake it every year on Andy's birthday.

This particular apple cake recipe is baked in a bundt pan, but due to minimalist living I had gotten rid of our bundt pan. So this year I attempted apple cake cupcakes. They were ok, but I definitely recommend the bundt pan. (Now I've got a year to replace the bundt pan that I so happily got rid of...whoops!)

In addition to apple cake, Andy and I had a romantic dinner at the Pacific Cafe. This restaurant came highly recommended by some friends so we figured we would finally check it out. Pacific Cafe is located in the outer part of San Francisco and is not actually near much. The evening was cool with a bit of fog and no one was around the neighborhood when we arrived. I immediately doubted the restaurant and wondered if we should go somewhere else. We stuck with it though and as we entered we realized there was a line! A line, seriously, at this place?! As soon as we put our names on the list a friendly old man greeted us with two glasses of wine. We didn't question it...sure we'll take free wine. While deep in conversation waiting for a table and with almost empty wine glasses, the old man came around with a bottle of wine and filled our glasses again. This happened about 3(!!) times before we were sat. Let me just say that we were a little more than tipsy. Hungry and happy on wine we ordered some appetizers and then dinner. I ordered the salmon with baked shrimp, Andy ordered the tuna fillet. We were stuffed with bread, salads, and appetizers so only a small portion of our dinners were eaten. It was melt in your mouth goodness though! After sitting and eating (and sobering up) for a very long time we happily took our leftovers and headed home. What a great place.

Apple Cake Recipe (via Andy's mom):
5-6 apples, peeled and diced
4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
-Prepare, mix ingredients, and set aside.

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1/2 c. orange juice
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
-Mix together until smooth

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour 1/2 batter then 1/2 apple mixture. Repeat until it has all been used. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1.5 hours. To serve: dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

The birthday boy happily (really, he was happy) munching on appetizers.

(My dinner. The lighting in the restaurant was horrible. This picture doesn't do the food justice.)

Mediterranean Pesto Salad

With warmer days upon us I have begun the transition from hearty meals to lighter fresher meals. Not that the weather transitions that much here in the Bay Area. I think winter was an average of 50 degrees and so far May has been an average of 70 degrees. Still though, I look at the rest of the country and I am reminded of hot summer days, which makes me want to eat lighter meals. That is where this salad comes in.

I tend to get stuck in salad ruts. Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, dressing. Boring! So I am working on getting creative with salads to take out the 'bore' factor. I am a fan of anything Mediterranean, which is the inspiration for this salad. I love a good Mediterranean salad, but this one is a little different. It has similar ingredients, but a very different flavor than a regular Mediterranean salad. Pesto is what gives it that pop!

Mediterranean Pesto Salad
1-2 cans garbanzo beans (chic peas) rinsed
4 large roma tomatoes
2 cucumbers
4 Tablespoons pesto
(Optional: feta cheese and/or any type of olives)

Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers to your desired size and place them in large bowl. Add the rinsed garbanzo beans and pesto. Mix well. That's it, so simple yet so tasty!

What summer salads do you like to make?