Thai Red Curry Chicken

I'm just going to not talk about my lack of frequent posting today and instead talk about yoga.  Just for a quick change of pace, and because this dinner was eaten at 10 pm so that I could go to yoga before I ate.  I'm lucky the Monkey Scientist grew up in a household where they almost always eat late dinners because this is becoming a more and more frequent occurrence for us, especially since my Tuesday and Thursday yoga classes are at 8.



Like this blog, my yoga journey started in DC.  When I was living in DC for my "intern summer" (my DC readers know what I'm talking about), I was working in a government affairs lobbying office on F Street for a huge IT company.  My family friends have always been huge into yoga, but I'd never been to a real class of my own.  I discovered this amazing yoga studio in Dupont Circle that I would walk to once or twice a week for class.  More importantly, I discovered a yoga teacher who was patient and wise and made me leave with such a sense of calm and happiness that I had never felt in any other type of exercise.  I dragged others to her class with me and enjoyed it all summer long.

I moved back to Michigan at the end of the summer to finish school and tried a yoga class here and there.  In January, I moved back to DC to find that my yoga teacher was off on a long journey that would eventually bring her to settle in Costa Rica.  My yoga studio had been turned into a nail salon (like seemingly many storefronts in DC).  I tried a few other studios, but they were so crowded that I didn't feel the personal centering I had felt before. And then I joined Stroga.



Stroga is meant to bring together strength and yoga.  Instead, I felt like it pulled them apart for me.  When I was going there, there was a big divide between the "strength people" who did group fitness classes and the "yoga people".  We were on different floors and there didn't seem to be a lot of overlap between people taking the different classes.  And so I got really into group fitness.  I learned to love (and hate) kettlebells, medicine balls, and TRX.  And I never ventured down to the yoga floor - in fact I kind of drew away from yoga.  By the time the infamous NY Times article came out, I was done with yoga.  Me and my kettlebells had moved on.

And then I moved to Chicago.  I was dying to join a studio with group fitness classes, like Stroga had been for me in DC.  There is actually a studio that's really similar to Stroga right across the street from my house, but I couldn't justify spending hundreds of dollars per month on a gym membership.  So I joined the regular gym across the street (for less than $40 per month) and tried to bring everything I'd learned at Stroga to my own gym routine.  I saw yoga classes on the schedule, but until I had a big push from my roommate, I had no interest.  But he pushed me, and I'm glad he did.



I am so lucky that yoga at my gym is wonderful.  I've been to what I call "gym yoga" classes at other gyms where they push you and don't correct you, and I think these are the types of injury-laden classes the NY Times was talking about.  Even though one of our weekly classes is yoga sculpt, our wonderful instructors correct me constantly and have pushed me far beyond any limits I felt before.  In fact, my yoga sculpt class is where I am CONSTANTLY being yelled at to plug my shoulders into my back, which has improved my arms stands and head stands tremendously.

So I'm back into yoga.  I feel like I'm getting a lot stronger from it and I'm starting to find that peace of mind back that brought me to love yoga in the first place.  Still, some weeks, I have no interest in going. But others I find myself on the mat three times a week.  For someone who has never been big into working out, that's huge for me.  It makes me earn this curry dish.  With regular coconut milk.



Thai Red Curry Chicken
from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1″ knob ginger, peeled and grated
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 tbsp red curry paste
3 cups coconut milk, light or regular
1 1/2 cups water
2 baby bok choy, chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped snow peas
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and julienned or diced into 1/4″ thick pieces
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
cooked rice or quinoa for serving

Instructions
1. In a dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the coconut oil.
2. Add the grated ginger and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Don't let it start to brown.
3. Throw in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is seared on all sides but not cooked through.  Add the curry paste and continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the water and coconut milk (be sure to shake or stir the coconut milk before adding) along with the bok choy, bell pepper, snow peas, and sweet potatoes.  Bring to a boil.
5.  Once boiling, add the sugar, fish sauce, lime, and salt.  Turn the heat down to medium or low and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Italian Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa

Well, hello again.  I am slowly getting back into the groove.  This week's post is inspired by the eggplant I bought at my local Jewel.  He came with a nose! (and then I gave him sticker eyes and peeled the skin to make a mouth)  How cute is he?  Have you ever grown an eggplant with a little offshoot like this? What causes that?



This recipe is a little bit different than what I usually make, and I liked that. It's rare I make an Italian dish without pasta (seems necessary) but there is no reason not to use quinoa in Italian cooking. It even adds a bit of nuttiness and crunch that pasta lacks. I realize I've been pushing the qunioa lately, but how can you not love it? It's so healthy and tastes great.



Also, since the Monkey Scientist and I moved in with one of my best friends, I've started to make dinners for three.  It's caused me to reevaluate my portion sizes when I'm cooking quite a bit from cooking for just the two of us. Two boys eat a LOT! I doubled the original recipe and we had leftovers, but that's OK with me. At least then I don't have to think too much about lunch in the morning!



The other part of cooking for two boys is that I'm totally outnumbered when I try to make vegetarian meals. "Vegetarian meal" means side dish to these Midwestern boys.  I don't even have my vegepescatarian camp friend to come over and use as an excuse to leave the meat out, since I sadly left her behind in DC (someone make her move to Chicago, please!).  So while I added chicken to this dish, you could definitely substitute it with another can of beans for a Meatless Monday or otherwise vegetarian meal.



This meal was a big hit with everyone. It wasn't the simplest or easiest meal to make (it helped to have 2-3 people in the kitchen) but the dish layered really well. It reminded the Monkey Scientist of Ratatouille - one of our favorites.  The flavors were bold and recognizably Italian, but I didn't miss the pasta at all.  We kicked the spice up a lot, since the 3 of us are not sensitive to spice at all these days, but if you can't handle much spice you can use just a dash of cayenne.  I think this is a great way to use up your gardens at the end of the summer!



Italian Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa
adapted from the Shiksa

Ingredients
1 lb. eggplant, cubed, skin on
1/2-1 lb chicken breast tenders (raw, not the fried kind), cubed
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-2 cups quinoa (I used a mix of red and white)
1 lb. zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if, like us, you can handle it)
1/3 cup fresh chopped basil, divided
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan

Instructions
1. Place the cubed eggplant in a colander and sprinkle all of the pieces with salt. Let the eggplant sit for about 20 minutes (I totally didn't wait this long and it was fine) till beads of water form on the surface of the eggplant. When beads of water have risen on the eggplant, rinse the eggplant thoroughly and drain to get rid of the excess salt.
2. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion to the skillet and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes longer until aromatic.
3. Add the cubed eggplant, crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the eggplant cook for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a mesh strainer or sieve, drain.
5. Bring 3-4 cups water (2:1 ratio with the amount of quinoa) to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the quinoa into the boiling water, bring back to a boil. (I used my rice cooker but my quinoa came out mushy, so I recommend doing it on the stove.) Reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes until it becomes tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Keep a close eye to make sure the quinoa doesn't dry out or burn.
6. In a small skillet, heat a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and cook until just cooked through and you can't see any pink. It's ok if it's a little under-cooked, since it will cook more later.
7. After the eggplant has cooked for 15 minutes, uncover the skillet and add the sliced zucchini, beans, chicken, oregano, cayenne pepper, and 3 tbsp of fresh chopped basil. Stir, bring back to a low simmer, then recover the skillet. Let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes longer till the zucchini is tender.
8. When the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Stir in remaining 2 tbsp of fresh chopped basil and the fresh lemon juice. Season with salt to taste. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
9. When the vegetable and chicken mixture is done cooking, remove from heat. There may be a lot of liquid in the pan. The vegetable mixture should be saucy but not overly liquid. If it seems watery, simmer it for a few minutes on medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve the vegetable and chicken mixture in bowls over the quinoa. Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia and Spicy Tomato Basil Quinoa (I'm back!)

Omigoodness. I am so sorry. I have neglected you for an ENTIRE MONTH. I'm a horrible blogger, but I had some good excuses! I moved! (Did you noticed the header?) The Monkey Scientist persuaded me to move to his hometown of Chicago and so far I am loving every minute of it. However, the move also consisted of 3 weeks without internet, which seriously hindered my ability to blog.  Not to mention the 2 weeks living with the Monkey Scientist's parents, during which I was completely spoiled and only had to cook once or twice. But I'm back now. I'm really going to work on getting back to thrice-a-week blogging, but please bear with me while I get back into the swing of things.



One of my favorite things about moving to Chicago is that I'm close to my baby brother, who is in school at Northwestern.  We haven't lived in the same city for more than a couple of weeks since the summer after my Freshman year of college, and despite our sibling bickering, I love having him around.  And I'm pretty sure he loves having me here - if only because I am willing cook for him.  I gave him a few options to pick from for dinner this week and he chose this pecan-crusted tilapia (the original recipe was catfish but we New Englanders do not eat catfish) and tomato basil quinoa.  A mighty fine choice if I say so myself.

I wanted to spice up the quinoa but accidentally removed the cap from my spice jar instead of opening the shaker and didn't notice before I literally dumped a handful of red pepper flakes into the rice cooker. Oops. I was able to remove a few of them, but we definitely ate spicy quinoa.  The Monkey Scientist would have loved it, but he was out with his own brother at the Bears game.



This dinner was so good, it gave me the kick I needed to get back into blogging. It was super healthy (barely any oil or butter in the whole dish and just a little fat from the nuts) and loaded with flavor.  The quinoa is spicy, nutty, and filled with summery tomato-basil flavor.  I'd love to chop some little balls of mozzarella and spread them throughout next time. The fish was perfectly flaky, nutty, and a little lemon juice complemented it well. I think this meal was a major step up from the frozen pizza baby bro was going to make otherwise.  Plus, it was pretty easy to make. I think baby bro will be coming by more often after this meal!



Pecan-Crusted Tilapia
adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients
6 fillets tilapia (or any flaky, white fish)
1 cup finely ground pecans (I bought them pre-crushed but you could crush them yourself or put them in the food processor)
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 cup buttermilk
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a shallow dish or pie plate, mix together the finely ground pecans, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, dry mustard, pepper, cayenne and salt.
3. Place the tilapia fillets in another shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over the fish fillets. Dip each buttermilk-soaked piece of fish into the nut mixture, dredging completely. Place crusted fish on a parchment paper or silpat-lined sheet tray.
4. Bake fish for 20 minutes. When done, fish should be white and flake easily. Crust should be golden. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.


Spicy Tomato Basil Quinoa
adapted from Pink Parsley

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (I used white)
2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1-2 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil

Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about one minute. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the onion/garlic mixture, tomato sauce, water, quinoa, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne to a rice cooker and cook completely. The quinoa will be tender, chewy, and there will be white, spiral-like threads around each grain. (If you don't have a rice cooker, head back to Pink Parsley for instructions on how to do this on the stove or follow your package instructions.)
3. Move from the rice cooker to a serving bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and basil, and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa

Do you ever have those nights when you're just craving something super healthy, but still chocked full of flavor?  I was the other night, and I happened to find some quinoa in my cabinet.  I used my favorite - foodblogsearch - to look for a good recipe, but everything seemed to be vegetarian.  I wanted to use shrimp since I hadn't had seafood in a little while, so I added it to my search and came across this recipe.



Now normally, I am not a kale fan (aside from the kale salad my best friend makes).  Kale chips? Not my style.  Remember when I made the Tomato Braised Chicken with Kale?  I told you all I just was not feeling the kale. It can be really bitter and I just don't like it that much.  But, as long as I was going to eat healthy, I needed my dark leafy green.  But, I thought I'd give it another shot.  Everyone else seems to love kale these days, why can't I?

I think the trick here was cooking the kale down with a little oil and butter until fully cooked.  I honestly just think it may have been a bit raw last time I made it, and maybe that's why it was so bitter.  This time a huge bunch cooked down by probably 70%, and it really wasn't bitter at all - in fact it was juicy and loaded with flavor from the lemon and tomato sauce.



One of my favorite parts of this meal was the cost.  All of the ingredients cost $5.84.  It could easily serve 2 for dinner or 4 for lunch. I ate it for dinner and then for lunch for a couple of days.  Even if you are trying to save money, I recommend you get a nicer brand of tomato sauce.  A can of off-brand tomato sauce was 33 cents, while Tuttorosso was on sale (by surprise, it didn't even have a sign!) from 60 cents to 40 cents.  The difference in flavor is totally worth the extra 7 cents.



I sort of surprised myself, but I completely loved this recipe.  The kale was delicious, there was just a little bit of shrimp for some seafood (tastes like New England) and substance, and the quinoa was nutty and made the meal feel complete.  I liked it better when the quinoa was really mixed in with the kale and shrimp so that it could absorb all the flavors from the lemon, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes.  Of course, I use way more red pepper flakes than the original recipe called for - and to be honest it wasn't even very spicy still.  If the Monkey Scientist had eaten this, I probably would have had to throw some cayenne in, but he was busy working late again.  I thought this was a delicious meal full of all sorts of healthy and delicious things.

Also - sorry that these photos are pretty out of focus.  My camera was not cooperating.  Some day I'll buy my DSLR and self-focus, but for now I just deal with what I have.



Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa
slightly adjusted from Healthy Green Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup white quinoa
pinch of Himalayan or sea salt (I used garlic salt)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
5 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound shrimp
1 bunch kale, chopped fine
8 oz can tomato sauce (I used Tuttorosso)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
course sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer (this is important or it will be bitter). Bring 1 1/4 c water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until all water is absorbed (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to sit in covered pot for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. In a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, being careful so it doesn't burn.
3. Add the shrimp and kale and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the shrimp have just turned pink and the kale is cooked through.
4. Add tomato sauce and cook for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
5. Serve over quinoa.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Peppers

Here is something Mom never made growing up - stuffed peppers.  My dad detests them.  Apparently my grandmother used to make them, but I have little memory of hers.

I tried to make them once last year and failed. Miserably.  The recipe didn't tell you to pre-cook brown rice, claiming it would cook inside the pepper.  It didn't.

This recipe originally called for bulgur (cooked first!), but I used quinoa instead since I already had it. And I love quinoa!

I also kicked up the spice a lot - per usual. I doubled the amount of red pepper flakes and added cayenne pepper.  I loved the extra spice but if you can't handle the heat, feel free to tone it down or omit all together.

The kicker in these peppers were the artichokes.  Artichokes just might be my favorite veggie (are they a veggie?) - I love them fresh but I also love canned hearts.  I could eat them straight out of the can.  And they are a wonderful addition to this recipe.

Yes, I did bake them in a heart shaped pan.  But only because my 8 x 8 inch pan was used for dessert.  I'll let you know what I made soon!

Overall, this was a really great recipe.  The quinoa is nutty, while the cottage cheese and turkey are hardy, and the peppers are sweet. The dish was very filling! And it really isn't that difficult to put together - although it did make a lot more dirty dishes than I would have liked. The hardest part was finding a side dish, since almost every food group - meat, dairy, grain, veg - were all covered by the stuffed pepper.  We ended up eating it with greek salad, which was a great complement.  I recommend you make these. For dinner. Tonight.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Peppers
Adapted slightly from Cara's Cravings


Ingredients:
1/4 cup quinoa
4 large red bell peppers
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15oz can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 oz grated pecorino romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni) 


Instructions:
In a small saucepan, cook quinoa according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully cut the stems from the peppers and remove the seeds and inner ribs. Cook the peppers in boiling water for about 5 minutes; drain and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cook the ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring to break up the ground turkey, until browned. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and crushed red pepper. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine the ground turkey mixture, cooked quinoa, cottage cheese, basil, parsley, and 3/4 of the pecorino romano cheese; mix well.

Spray an 8x8" baking dish or small casserole. Fill the peppers with the turkey mixture, packing the stuffing in well. Place the peppers in the baking dish and spoon the spaghetti sauce over. Sprinkle with remaining pecorino romano.

Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.