It turned out to be an excellent, rich chicken pasta with the perfect amount of spice. All the richness of something like a fetucini Alfredo I’d loved as a kid but have since somewhat outgrown. I think this would also make a great veggie version, removing the chicken in place of 2 cups of halved mushrooms or steamed asparagus tips. The recipe was derived from the one found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-chicken-pasta/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (below)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 fresh baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 green onions, chopped

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• 4 ounces linguine pasta

• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese (Parmesan or Romano works well too)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Directions

1. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat.Place in fridge for 1/2 hour or so for absorption.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).
3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat.
4. Remove 2 tablespoons of bell pepper for final garnish.
5. Remove chicken and cut into 1/4 inch strips against grain. Return to pan.
6. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat on med-low for 8 minutes (while the pasta is cooked) to allow sauce to thicken.
7. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Add pasta to pan with chicken and simmer on low for 4-5 minutes.
8. Plate pasta, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, bell peper and parsley. Enjoy with a nice glass of the open white!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cardamom pods (you might toast these as well)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoon garlic paste or minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger paste or minced ginger
1-3/4 pounds chicken cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

6 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), melted
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions chopped

3/4 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup tomato sauce

4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
3/4 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon garam masala
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons  warm water
2-1/4 teaspoons tamarind paste

Directions

1. Toast the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Add pepper flakes and continue to toast until coriander begins to turn brown and pop. *Note: may need to cover after flakes are added as they will add some capzasin into the air burning eyes
2. Transfer seeds, salt, cardamom, turmeric, garlic and ginger to a food processor. Add a tablespoon of water if needed. You should end up with a thick paste. Mix with cubed chicken in a bowl or bag until evenly coated.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat with the butter and vegetable oil; cook the onions until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the meat and fry for 1 or 2 minutes. Pour in 2/3 of the can of coconut milk and 1 cup of tomato sauce; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and 1 cup of water, kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon stick. Cover with the lid ajar and return to a simmer, cook for about 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is tender. Stir occasionally.
5. Once the chicken is tender, stir in garam masala, sugar, and the tamarind paste dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water; cook 5 minutes longer, or until the sauce thickens. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving

While their site was difficult to actually figure out HOW to buy the tree, at least for me, the shipping and received product made it more than worth the effort. The tree came with a great little booklet to get you started, and it has already doubled in size since I got it. I know I will get my moneys worth just from the bounty it will provide me this summer, and I hope to give it refuge indoors over the winter, to begin the process anew next spring. Time will tell if I have what it takes to keep this little guy alive. *fingers crossed*

So this is a very simple recipe but still one of my favorites. So here goes:

Ingredients

• 1 tbs chopped ginger
• 4-5 medium sized garlic cloves chopped
• 1.5 lbs skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 can of Maesri red curry paste
• 1 can of JFC Coconut milk (seriously, don’t buy that Goya shit anymore)
• 2 cups of freshly rendered chicken stock from last nights carcass… (or whatever you have)
• 6 kaffir lime leaves (2-3 for mere mortals)

Directions

1. Pop the onions, garlic and ginger in some olive oil on med high and cook until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the curry paste and walk it around the pan a bit to get the garlic and kaffir lime rind all happy
3. Add your chicken and stir, cooking just enough to lock in the chickeny goodness
4. Add everything else, stir and put on med high until it starts to simmer
5. Once simmering drop down to low and let that bad boy stew for about 20 minutes.
6. Thats it. See…I told you it was easy

Can't you just smell it???

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 Indian green chili pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground turmeric

• 1 pound chopped fresh collard greens
• 1 pound chopped fresh spinach

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat, and cook and stir cumin seed, chili pepper, garlic, and turmeric until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the chopped collard greens and spinach a little at a time, adding the tougher parts first (the stems and thicker leaves). Continue to add greens, and cook and stir until all greens have been added and all are thoroughly wilted. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and salt. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the greens moist.

Chicken Enchiladas, originally uploaded by balyho0o.

Is it STILL winter. OK well it’s only the start of January and already I’m longing for spring. What better way to dash those wintery blues than a nice spicey Tex Mex dish and a glass or two of vino? Anybody?…I didn’t think so. So anyway, I started out with a pretty standard recipe and tweaked it a bit to my own liking. notice the absence of sour cream, replaced by the goat’s milk yogurt. I really like the way this tases as opposed to bland ole sour cream. That is unless you have access to some nice mexican sour cream or Crema Agria, which has a nice rich flavor as well.

Ingredients

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 diced shallots
• 1 medium sweet vidalia onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium jalapeno grated
  
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 4 cans (4 ounce) chopped green chilies
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• pack of corn or flour tortillas
  
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro for garnish *optional
  
• 1 cubed avocado *avocado is never optional
  
• 1/4 cup Goats milk yogurt (or sour cream) *optional

Directions

1. In a saucepan using medium heat, melt 1 tbs butter and saute the shallots, garlic and onion until tender. Whisk in flour slowly avoiding lumps. Add broth, chilies, salt, jalapeno and cumin. Cook and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Grease a baking dish using the remaining butter and add a little sauce to the bottom. and preheat your oven to 350°.
3. Roll each tortilla adding shredded chicken, some cheese and a nice spoon full of sauce and add to baking dish (you want more specific amounts?). Once your pan is loaded, pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle the jack cheese over the top according to your desired cheese factor preference.
4. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Serve topped with yogurt, avocado and cilantro.
5. Spend 15 minutes trying to get a good photo of your rapidly cooling plate for your food blog which nobody reads, while your dinner mate looks on somewhat annoyed and contemplates appropriate microwave reheat settings.
   

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cashew halves
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2-4 small peppers (depending on desired spiceyness)

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – diced

• 1/4 cup tomato sauce

• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste