Thai Red Curry Chicken

This is a quick and easy curry. I'm sure you can substitute the chicken with something to make it veg or just leave it out all together.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
• 1 1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 halved sliced zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 onion, cut into slices then quartered
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro*

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until done. Add the curry paste, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot and onion. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the coconut milk, then pour into the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 1 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the cilantro.

*Cilantro not pictured here. I forgot to buy some and my plant outside is dead.

This was a simple Veggie Tempura appetizer I made with the curry. I didn't measure anything so I have no idea how much flour or water I used. I dumped some chickpea flour in a bowl, added some curry powder, then thinned with water. The batter almost looked runny but it clings to the veggies so don't worry about that. Fry in oil for a few minutes or until golden brown. I used sweet potatoes, onions and zucchini. The zucchini was too bland for this so I suggest sticking with onions and sweet potatoes.

Busy Weekend

Fresh coat of paint on 1/3 of the Kitchen........Check
I love this color so much. It is finding it's way all over my house.

Sit by fire on a chilly Fall evening.......Check

Satisfy craving for beef stew........Check
I am really not a meat and potato type person. I'm more of a cheese and bread type. Lately I have been craving beef stew. What is making me crave this you ask? I don't know. Could be Fall, Aunt Erma visiting soon, not eating meat for 13 years. It's crazy. Here is the recipe:

Crockpot Beef Stew

2 Tbs Olive oil
1 lb stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
4 cups russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I'm guessing here, I just used what I had left)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups baby carrots

Heat oil in heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Once the meat is done add everything to the crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serve with some warm crusty bread (unless you are gluten intolerant then remember to make some corn bread).

Halloween costumes for one 8 yr old and one 11 yr old.......Check
Pictures on Wednesday. Don't want to ruin the surprise.

Carve Pumpkins......Check
Pictures coming as soon as I buy more candles. Doh!

Quality time with children on Friday night (dance party, karaoke, and board games)......Check
Luckily there is NO photographic evidence of this one!


Fall walk on trail at Rock Creek.......Check
We picked up cool leaves to make sun prints. Yay!


Roast pumpkin seeds from carved pumpkins.......Check
Also super easy to make. Coat seeds in a little olive oil and season with your favorite seasoning (my favorite is Old Bays). Cook in oven at 350º until desired crispiness. 20 minutes maybe? Just don't forget your second batch while you are downstairs processing photos. Doh!

Transitions

There are a lot of changes going on in my life right now. I am not ready to talk about them openly here yet but eventually I will. Trust me when I say they are big life changing events. So this blog is about those changes even if you don’t know all of the dirty details.

One thing that has been a center point during these big changes is yoga. I have been practicing for several years now but two years of that was a very athletic type focus and less spiritual. I stagnated and didn’t move forward. For the last 4 months I have been doing almost daily practice with yogatoday.com. I cannot rave about this site and the instructors enough. They truly are amazing women and I am so grateful that they put this wonderful site out there, and for free! My physical self has been made stronger, my mental health is more stable, and I feel so balanced and graceful because of them. They have taught me so much, and I look forward to continuing my practice with them.

I am going to make some mistakes along the way. We all do. I hope I have the wisdom to learn from them and move on without dwelling on them. I hope that this blog can be a place for me to share my journey with old and new friends. I hope that maybe my writing about this here can help other people in some small way. Thank you for reading.

Namaste

Chicken Salad

We have a local coffee shop with the most amazing chicken salad. The owner only serves it one week out of the month so you know it has to be special. When I first tried it I was reminded of a vegan salad recipe using tempeh. I adapted the recipe to blend the two flavors. This is what I came up with. Honestly, I don't know if the measurements are totally accurate. I have made this enough to know what I like. If you start adding mayo and it look like it might be too much cut back! Also, add your fruit and nuts to your own taste. I like lots!

Jenny's Evil Chicken Salad

2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup mayo (adjust to your taste)
1/2 cup chopped dill pickle
2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic
chopped apple
chopped walnuts
halved or quarter grapes

Mix it all up and enjoy.

The first post is always the hardest so I'm going to make it easy on myself and post a picture.