Wednesday, October 21, 2015

::Thai Meatballs::

The ingredients sound like an odd mix, and the sauce takes on this unsettling grey colour as it comes together, but it all works. Promise. It's just a different kind of meatball. Note: I double up the sauce to meatball ration, but I'll leave the quantities as they were written.

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 unseasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp minced green onions
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced gingerroot
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter {I add way more.}
2 tbsp minced cilantro or basil
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non stick spray.
Combine all meatball ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Form mixture into 40 small (1 inch) meatballs and place on sprayed pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cooked through.
While meatballs are cooking, prepare sauce. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in skillet or pan and heat over medium-high, stirring, until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes until thickened. Add meatballs to sauce and serve hot.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Chicken Enchiladas with an Avocado Cream Sauce

Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • Enchilada Ingredients:
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (remove seeds for less heat)
  • 8-10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
  • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
  • optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese

  • Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • juice of one lime

Method

To Make The Enchiladas:
Prepare the "Avocado Cream Sauce" as listed below. Preheat the oven to 375? F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.
To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.
To Make Avocado Cream Sauce:
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids -- the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.

Recipe comes from here: Chicken Avocado Enchiladas

Thursday, January 15, 2015

::Thai Salad::

A refreshing, tart salad that pairs well with any Thai dish.
Thinly sliced:
Pear
Green apple
Tart mango
Red pepper
Red onion

Fresh cilantro

Dressed with:
2 parts rice vinegar
1 part real maple syrup