Curried Coconut Chicken w/ Rice

I am totally obsessed with this dish.

It's not spicy, but could be easily if you'd like it to be. I think the flavor is just fantastic. Even the kiddos like it! In fact, we're eating it as I type and Austin (my oldest) just told me how good he thinks his dinner is. One more point for mom.

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs chicken breast - cut into chunks

1 1//2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin)

2 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 large onion

3 garlic cloves

1 can (14oz) coconut milk

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Paprika

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook 1 cup of rice (I do white rice) according to the package directions.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.             

Heat the olive oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add the chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cinnamon, paprika and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve over the rice.

It is such a lovely flavor...that's the best word to describe it. Just lovely.
Try it! It's a great dish if curries scare you...it was the first one that I tried and I'm so glad that I did!

White Bean & Tuna Salad

This was surprisingly fresh, light and super delish! I found the recipe on another blog that I just adore. Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She has some fantastic recipes on there...great stuff.

Anyway, I followed the recipe pretty closely...just a couple tweaks. Here's how I did it:

*Makes about 6 cups of salad

1 red onion (chopped)
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 (5 or 6-ounce each) cans of tuna
3 (15-ounce each) cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
A few splashes of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt and olive oil to taste

In a small bowl, sprinkle some of the lemon juice over the chopped onions while you prepare the other ingredients. This will take some of the oniony edge off the onions.

Drain the tuna and put it into a large bowl. Add the beans to the tuna and gently stir to combine. Add the onions, parsley, cheese, black pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix to combine. Add Tabasco or hot sauce to taste. If the salad needs more acid, add a little more lemon juice. If the salad seems a little dry, add a little bit of olive oil. Add salt to taste.

I toasted up some sourdough bread drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of cheddar. 

I served the salad on the bread. 

I really, really loved this. It was very filling, yet light. The flavor was not really what I expected, so it was a nice surprise and change to good old tuna salad.

The recipe made a TON, so I'll gladly be snacking on it today.

Hello my friends!

I have returned from....well, nowhere actually. I'd like to think that I have a crazy busy life full of spectacular adventures (does keeping your two-year old from mistaking deer poop as jelly beans count as that?) and that is why I've been on blogging hiatus. Actually, I've just been busy with family and normal every day life (in other words...laundry and other various chores).

Anyway, here I am and I am going to try and get back into doing this thing. Since my last post, I have acquired a 2nd 4 legged beast that thinks she needs to eat her weight (plus mine) in food each day. Dogs are fun, aren't they? :) Needless to say, my budget has changed a bit. Not by too much, but I have had to adjust to the extra mouth and the fact that my two kiddos eat as much as teenagers (oh how I fear those years!) now.

My weekly budget is now $100...but this has to include dog food, diapers, paper goods, toiletries, etc. As usual, it's a challenge. I've even come around to using the occasional coupon....GASP! It's all good. I'm not trying to be a grocery hoarder or willing to stand at the checkout for 2hrs in order to get my 18 bottles of Scope for free. I just want $0.50 off of my coffee creamer, thanks.

Okie Dokie. Let's do this thing.

This week summer has decided to grace us here in Colorado with it's presence. About dang time.  That being said, I do not have a/c and the thought of cooking over a hot stove just about makes me break out in hives. I'm going to try and cook all week without using anything other than the grill or crock pot. Well, I may have to throw a bowl of beans in the microwave once or twice...but that's still not the stove. This is what my menu looks like for the moment:

Fri - Cheese Burgers, corn on the cob, baked beans
Sat - Pineapple Chicken Salsa w/ tortillas
Sun - Grilled shrimp skewers, rice pilaf
Mon - Hot dogs (I don't feel so ghetto about hot dogs any more.  I have discovered the glory of all beef dogs and now wonder what the heck I have been feeding my family for the past few years. I am a changed woman.)
Tue - BBQ Chicken, baked potatoes, grilled bread
Wed - Mel's Tuna & White Bean salad over grilled sourdough
Thur - Baked beans & sausage

Wish me luck! Tomorrow is shopping day!