Burma Chicken Dal Curry

Recipe taken from Skinnytaste.

Modified a little. Subbed garbanzo beans for the split peas.  Chicken breast instead of bone-in thighs.

-I used the Instant Pot version, but seemed overcooked because didn't use the right chicken. Will rec less time next time.

-Needed more veggies - maybe an extra bell pepper, but likely bc got a too small onion

-Too much liquid, so add less water next time.  Maybe try chicken broth instead and less salt?

-Added a dash of fish sauce (as per the comments in the website)

-Doubled curry and garam masala 

-Added extra garlic bc I couldn't gauge how many to peel - probably peeled 2 whole garlics

-Also didn't cook chicken separately, browning.

-Overall, tasted good and tasted healthy.  Would make again with some more changes.

Ingredients

-Thing of chicken

-1 Tbsp paprika

-1/2 tsp turmeric

-1 tsp Kosher salt (instead of 1 3/4)

-1 Tbsp olive oil

-1 oz piece of ginger (used 2 because had a big piece)

-2.5 cups minced onion (1 large yellow onion)

-1/3 cup minced garlic

-1 Serrano pepper (instead of Thai chilis)

-2 bay leaves

-2 1/4 cups of water (see above, too much)

-2 tsp curry 

-1 tsp Garam masala

-1 tsp fish sauce

-1 can garbanzo beans

-VEGGIES - 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, maybe another one if onion too small?

-cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Season chicken with paprike, turmeric, and salt

2. In Instant Pot, press saute, and heat oil

3. Add ginger and cook until browned, 2 minutes

4. Add onions, and cook until softened, 3-4 min

5. Stir in garlic, chiles, bay leaves, and cook 2 min

6. DIDN'T DO - remove onion mixture and cook chicken separately, browning, about 3-4 min on each side

7. Add water to onion mixture.

8. Add chicken, garbanzo beans, veggies (bell peppers), curry powder, garam masala.

9. Stir, cover, and cook high pressure 20 min --> too high, try 15 min

10. Serve with cilantro, rice, avocados

*Indian

Korean Chicken with Gochugaru

Modified recipe from pickledplum.com (Korean Sticky Chicken Recipe)

I can't believe HEB had it, but they had a bottle of Korean spice or gochugaru.  I wanted to use it for a recipe in Roy Choi's book, but feeling lazy, so I just googled for a recipe that used it and found the above.  It tasted pretty good, and Eric liked the change-up.  Had that hint of Kim Chi, but I didn't tell Eric that, haha

Ingredients:

-1 lb of chicken, diced

-2 Tbsp gochugaru (generous amount!)

-2 Tbsp soy sauce

-1 Tbsp rice vinegar

-2 Tbsp honey

-1 Tbsp cornstarch/arrowroot

-sesame seeds

-scallions

-VEGETABLES: oven roasted broccoli, another night - onion, red BP, snap peas, broccoli in oven - seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, sesame seed/oil (consider adding the gochugaru to veg)

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken in some soy sauce, gochugaru, rice vinegar for a couple of hrs.

2. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, cornstarch/arrowroot

3. Cook meat 

4. Add soy sauce mixture to pan and stir

*Asian

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Taken from Skinnytaste.com

Eric said he would have gotten apple pie if at his mom's for Thanksgiving.  

Overall, not sure if I would make again. Better if re-heated in the oven, but not as "crisp" as we would have liked.  I think I put too much honey - was the end of the bottle and had estimated - was a little too sweet.  Also, Eric felt that it was good, but only if paired with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients (filling):

-6 medium apples (honey crisp or gala) peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

-1.5 ounces of raising, small box

-3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

-1 tsp fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

-1 Tbsp cornstarch

-1/4 cup of honey

Ingredients (topping):

-1 cup quick oats (used rolled oats)

-3 Tbsp light brown sugar, not packed (used dark brown sugar)

-1 tsp cinnamon

-2.5 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat oven 350 F

2. Combine apples, raisings, cinnamon, honey, and lemon juice in large bowl

3. Sprinkle with cornstarch.  Toss until fruit coated

4. Place fruit in an ungreased baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake 15 min (try 30 min).  Remove from oven

5. Mix the remaining topping ingredients.  Sprinkle over fruit

6. Bake about 60 min (try 30 min first) uncovered or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender.

Note:

Basically, around 40 min, it looked burnt, so maybe cook longer covered for the apples and then less time uncovered with the topping?

*Dessert

Cinnamon Apple Popcorn

Basic recipe,  but can attribute to Tarateaspoon.com

Ingredients:

-Popcorn

-Freeze-dried apple chips (1package of 10 g from HEB)

-Cinnamon

-Butter or Coconut oil

-Sugar - used 1 tsp of Monk fruit

-Salt - didn't use, but would try a pinch

Directions:

1. Cuisinart-ed 1 pack of freeze-dried apple chips + cinnamon + ?sugar (+next also pinch of sugar)

2. Mix in coconut oil + seasonings + popcorn

Notes:

Eric liked it.

Seasoning was pretty heavy at the bottom.  

Next time, would try omitting the sugar.  

I used 2 Tbsp of butter, but wasn't enough so added another 1 tsp of coconut oil.  Next time, just use coconut oil only + pinch of salt?

I didn't measure the cinnamon, because only had a little bit in the bottle and dumped the whole thing in, but next time, would be generous.

*Snack

Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Curry

Pretty good recipe from PipingPotCurry.com.  I doubled the amount.

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp ghee or oil (used avocado oil)
-2 tsp cumin seeds
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1 Tbsp ginger, grated
-1 Tbsp garlic, minced
-1 can of tomato puree
-2 lbs chicken, cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
-1/2 cup of water

-2 bell pepper, diced

-1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed
-1 cup of canned coconut milk (I used lite)
-2 tsp garam masala
-2 Tbsp lime juice (1 whole lime)
-cilantro to garnish (didn't use)

-avocado to garnish

Spices
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp ground turmeric
-1 tsp paprika
-2 tsp coriander powder
-2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Put Instant pot in Sauté mode.
2. Add ghee/oil and cumin seeds.  Sizzle for 30 sec
3. Add onions, ginger, and garlic.  Sauté for 3 min until onions turn golden brown.
4. Add tomato puree and spices.  Mix and let sauté for 3 min.
5. Add chicken pieces.  Sauté for 4 min. 
6. Add water, bell peppers, and garbanzo beans

7. Press cancel and close lid. Manual cook on high for 4 min (I did 6 min because of doubling recipe).
8. When pot beeps, quick release.
9. Stir in coconut milk + garam masala  + lime juice.  

Note: recipe called for sautéing longer in end to thicken, but I didn't do this step because I wanted it to be more liquidy.

*Indian

Balsalmic Thyme Pork Tenderloin

 Recipe taken from cookingfrog.com

Ingredients:
-Pork tenderloin
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 Tbsp chopped thyme
-1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Trim off silver skin of pork
2. Heat oven 425 F and line roasting pan with aluminum foil
3. Season pork with pepper, salt, and thyme
4. Cook pork for 22-25 min
5. In the meantime, make balsamic reduction.  Pour balsamic vinegar in a little sauce dish over high warmth.  Heat to the point of boiling, diminish warmth to low and stew for around 5 min until thickened.
6. Brush half portion of balsalmic blend onto pork in the last moments of cooking.  Save the rest for serving.  Do NOT let balsamic cool off, so keep on stove on low and mix once in a while.
7. Take pork out of oven and let rest for 5 min.

I served with mini potatoes and green beans.  It was a little difficult to do the green beans and balsamic at the same thyme.

I also cooked 2 lbs of green beans and it was a good batch so had too much leftover even for 3 nights.  I cooked the green beans "Scarlett Pasta" style with the sliced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and then butter.  They were pretty good.  Would have to think of something else next time.  

*American

Pesto Pasta (variant of Scarlett's pasta)

So, I have been watching 'The Chef Show' and decided to use their Scarlett's pasta and apply it to pesto. Didn't add parmesan or parsley and instead added pesto.

*NOTE: tasted without adding pesto at the end, and I don't think it is flavorful enough with wheat pasta. It needs the pesto.  Also a note on pesto.  Can do 1 full frozen cup of pesto for just pasta, but if doing pasta + veggies, you need 2 frozen cups.

Ingredients:

-Half a lemon

-fresh grated parmesan (omitted because used in pesto)

-2 Tbsp butter

-1 cup chopped Italian parsley (omitted because didn't have)

-1 pinch chili flakes

-pepper

-salt

-3 cloves thin sliced fresh garlic

-1 cup pasta water

-1/3 cup olive oil

-pasta

-veggies (used onion, asparagus, bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes)

-chicken

Directions:

1. Slice garlic cloves thin

2. Boil pasta

3. Heat olive oil in large pan on medium and add sliced garlic.  Toss gently for 30 sec, and add chili flakes, salt, pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add cooked pasta, pasta water, butter, and lemon

5. Stir gently and bring to gentle boil.  Toss mixture to coat well.

6. Let mixture set for 30 seconds.

7.  Mixed in pesto, any veggies, and chicken

*Italian

*American