Coconut Cabbage Carrot Curry

This is a most satisfying meal, bonus... It is VEGAN APPROVED! (I think)

Anyway Jim, There's lots of fiber and laxative naturally in this recipe so be mindful of toilet proximity when you decide to eat it.

You will need

• Ground cumin, turmeric, coriander seed, and cayenne pepper (or curry powder if you're lazy)
• Salt and black pepper
• Vegetable broth
• Water
• Ginger root or ginger paste
• Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Half a medium size cabbage coarsely chopped
• 4 Carrots thinly sliced
• 1 White onion coarsely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of golden raisins
• 1 16 oz can of regular coconut milk

Lets begin. I start like all of my curry recipes with the sauce. Equal parts ground turmeric, cumin, and coriander are the skeleton. Say a tablespoon of each. Then I usually use fresh minced ginger root but I was lazy and used ginger paste. Still Good. Start with the spice combo in a bowl like this...

Next bring a half cup of water and a cup of vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium sauce pan with about two tablespoons of olive oil (EVOO), Continue to simmer and whisk in the spice trio. then add the ginger, about two teaspoons, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper to taste. simmer and stir for about 20 minutes, the sauce should get thick like pancake batter.

Now get that can of coconut milk and add half the can (1 cup), set the rest of the can aside for later.

At this point the Veggies ought to be started. In a large Sauté Pan place two tablespoons of olive oil (you can also combine other culinary oils to the pan, I like either toasted sesame seed oil or there's a wok oil infused with lemongrass I don't know if every grocery store carries it) and bring pan to medium heat. place the cabbage in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes with a lid. Then add the carrots and onions and garlic and cook another 10 minutes and reduce heat to low. Add the golden raisins and anything else you feel like adding such as peanuts. Stir the pan occasionally to avoid burning. Now pour the curry sauce over the veggies and coat nice and even and serve with noodles or rice or naan bread. I prefer rice and this is where the second half of the can of coconut milk comes in. 

If you are making rice with this dish, Jasmine or Basmati rice is usually best, and typically a 2:1 ratio is best, meaning 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rice, which yields plenty of rice for 4 people. (so if you want to make 2 cups of rice use 4 cups of water obviously Jim). also a dash of salt and a teaspoon of butter can be used but this is optional. All you do is put the rice and water together in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil reduce to low and simmer with a lid for 20 minutes, remove from heat for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork. It's just that easy. Now that's pretty standard but what I like to do is use 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water and the remainder of the can of coconut milk (which should be 1 cup). Everything else is the same you are simply removing 1 cup of water and replacing it with 1 cup of coconut milk. This makes the rice delicious by itself and extra creamy.

This pairs best with a pinot grigio... enjoy

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Chili

This is a pretty easy to make and delicious dish. it'll warm the belly and soul on a cold winter eve. But be warned, I would not describe this as mild, but it is sweet, sweet like bear meat...except this is cow meet. So let's begin!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• 1 can of pinto beans (15 oz)
• 1 medium yellow onion coarsely chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic minced
• two cans of rotel chilies and tomatoes (drain the water out)
• one coarsely chopped red bell pepper
• two coarsely chopped jalapeno peppers (keep the seeds inside unless you're a pansy)
• half a cup of yellow corn (I get it frozen)
• one carrot shredded
• butter and olive oil
• half a cup of brown sugar
• tablespoon of ground cumin
• fresh cracked black peppercorns
• kentucky straight bourbon (I like Maker's Mark)
• salt
• cayenne pepper

In a large cooking pot or cauldron on medium heat melt two tablespoons of butter and add two more tablespoons of olive oil. saute onions and garlic until onions are clear and limp with a few dashes of salt. I prefer kosher coarse salt but any salt will do I suppose. Add the beef and cumin and cook just long enough to not be pink. Then add the peppers the corn the brown sugar the carrot and the cans of rotel chilies and tomatoes. Then sprinkle in a few pinches of cayenne pepper and black pepper and about two teaspoons of salt. At this point add half a cup of the bourbon and let it cook down on medium high heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Now reduce the heat to low and add the cans of beans. (Not the actual cans just the beans inside the cans). They should be cans of prepared beans plain no spices. Simmer for 15 minutes and add salt to taste. Now your ready to eat. When you're finished pour the rest of the Whiskey down your throat.

Curry Chicken with Pineapple

Curry is (or should be) always delicious. And if you want to make it at home and not buy a pre-made sauce which often contain MSG or Hydrogenated Oils that are not healthy for you, it isn't too complicated for a simple golden curry sauce. There are of course several types of curry from different regions and have different colors and use different ingredients like tamarind paste or fish sauce. I'm not going to get into all the varieties of curry but I have one recipe that I enjoy and seems to be a hit with my family and guests. People who don't even think they like curry like this dish, and if you are concerned about Fishy taste or shellfish allergy, rest assured, there is NO fish product or seafood in this recipe. Of course One is always welcome to change it up to there preference. I ain't hatin'

So let's begin. You will need,

• Four chicken breasts (boneless, skinless and cubed)
• One medium white onion chopped into half inch squares
• Three large carrots thinly sliced diagonally
• Two green or red bell peppers coarsely chopped
• 6 to 8 cloves of garlic minced
• Two cups of drained pineapple chunks (fresh pineapple is best but canned is fine)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Butter
• Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
• two teaspoons of  fresh ginger root, skinned and minced
• 6 ounces of tomato paste
• Spice Medley which is itemized below...

I start with the sauce and move on to the chicken (or whatever protein you want ((shrimp is also good, or tofu if you're vegetarian)))

Let's say we're making enough for 6-8 people this sauce should yield more than enough and you may have some leftover to fridge or freeze or pour on something else YAY!!! it's ok, you can smile.

You will need in a small bowl

• 2 tablespoon equal parts of cumin, turmeric, and coriander spice. (you could just buy curry powder but this way is better and more fun and less expensive)
• then a teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper 
• two teaspoons of salt (add more if desired while cooking)
• one to two teaspoons of cayenne pepper depending on how hot you want it (it's optional or you could put a gallon of it if you want, show off)
• a teaspoon of ground cinnamon 
• two teaspoons of sugar (I prefer natural sugar crystals)
• half a teaspoon of cardamom (also optional as it can be expensive but adds a beautiful aroma) 

keep this bowl of spices on the side for now and in a sauce pan heat to a boil one cup of chicken broth and one cup of water. *Note all the spices should be ground before you add them to the sauce pan. Add one to two tablespoons of  Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a tablespoon of butter. when the butter has melted, slowly whisk in spice mixture and reduce heat to low, simmer for 25- 30 minutes and whisk occasionally. While the sauce is simmering prepare the Ginger Root and tomato paste in a blender and puree. add the puree to the sauce pan, you may want to use a batter spatula. Continue whisking the sauce until everything is well mixed together. You may add a teaspoon of flour to thicken the sauce but I generally try not to do this. Take the sauce off heat and let it sit for now, it should be like thin pancake batter.

Next, on medium heat coat a large skillet or wok with one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. (I also sprinkle a bit of lemongrass infused wok oil and or toasted sesame oil if these are available to you, it is mostly for taste and helps the olive oil cook at higher heat) add four chicken breasts (boneless, skinless and cubed). While the chicken is still cooking add the onions and carrots. Cook until carrots are tender and add the minced garlic and bell peppers. *Note, the variety of veggies and fruits I add changes according to mood, sometimes I add a cup of golden raisins or peanuts or celery or peas or cauliflower, MIX IT UP JIM. Continue cooking and stirring ingredients together for approximately 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and read the note below!

IMPORTANT: before you add the pineapple be sure to drain extra juice or squeeze it out with a cheese cloth or paper towel being careful not to leave pieces of it stuck to the pineapple, the juice can be saved and served to kids, they Love it YAY!!!

Add the pineapple and pour the prepared curry sauce into skillet until everything is evenly coated, store remaining sauce in the refrigerator. Stir skillet and serve over rice.

*Note you can also stir in two tablespoons of peanut butter  which is AMAZING with this recipe (unless you have a peanut allergy, then you're outta luck pal)

Salsa Verde

• 4 tomatillos
• 3 green chiles (Anaheim or New Mexico)(or you can use jalapenos if you want it more spicy)
• Cut the stems out doofus
• half a white onion
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of fresh cilantro 

      (mostly leaves, no stems like snoop dogg)

• salt to taste (I use a lot)

throw all that stuff in a blender and blend it to kingdom come Jim!

Then sprinkle a few cracks of black peppercorns.

Now listen up, here's my secret: I stir in a teaspoon or two of olive oil (EVOO) and a dash of sugar.

Stir it all up and serve chilled with blue corn chips. (or whatever color chips you want, I ain't racist)

Note you can scoop the seeds out of the peppers first if you are a huge Wimp, and then get out of here!