Maybe Menu

Monday night : Chicken Creole (recipe to follow as it is super-easy and tasty)
Tuesday night : The infamous Spinach pie
Wednesday night : West African peanut soup
Thursday night : I am going to go look for some fresh halibut.
Friday night : I'm finally going to re-test that recipe for Chicken Thighs with Balsamic Orange Sauce served with Couscous & Roasted Vegetables for Denise
Saturday and Sunday are anybody's guess right now but I'll probably aim for some more Seafood and maybe some Lamb and Potatoes.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Creole adapted from Cook Great Food by the Dietitians of Canada.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
19 oz crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
5 oz tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp chopped garlic (or two cloves)
1 tsp hot sauce
(Sometimes I cheat and just use the Vietnamese chili garlic sauce - about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup chopped onion
Place all of the above ingredients in a large slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-2.5 hours.

Turn it to high (if you were cooking on low) and add the following ingredients and cook for 20-25 minutes.

2 cups chopped pepper (I normally go for yellow or green for the color contrast)
8 oz spicy smoked sausage, sliced (If possible I get half and half of mild and spicy Skremska but any smoked sausage will do. If it is not spicy, I just add more hot sauce).

I also added broccoli the last time around and it didn't seem to hurt it at all. I normally serve over rice. A quick easy meal, especially if you have a rice-cooker as well.

There are some Flame sock (v.2) pictures forthcoming as well as a new hat.

Yay!

Sweet Potatoes in a Cayenne, Ginger and Peanut Sauce
from World Food Café by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott

Serves 4-6

4 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, cubed
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and minced
1 pound white cabbage, cubed (edited - I just used regular cabbage)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 ¾ cups (14 ozs) chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup smooth peanut butter
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish (I don’t think this is optional – it really makes the dish)

2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 beets, peeled and grated
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (Or Not – I didn’t)


Heat oil in a large pan.
Saute onion until soft, add garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant, then add sweet potatoes and cabbage.
Add spices when the vegetables are starting to soften and stir to coat.
Add tomatoes and pineapple juice, cover and let simmer until fully cooked.
Stir in the peanut butter, season to taste.

Toss carrots, beets and bananas with lime juice.
I pass the garnish and the cilantro on the side.

Tastes excellent on brown rice.

It hasn't been all Princess, all the time over here. The Suri Raku stole has become my 'rest' knitting at home and it's showing real progress! I am almost ready to start joining the squares.

Soup.

I made this for dinner last night, it's fast, easy and if you're lucky, everything you need will be in your pantry.

Take 1/2 lb. of hot italian sausage (I used chorizo), remove from their casings and brown in the bottom of a stock pot (break it up a bit).

Add stock (I used 4 cups of chicken stock, but 5 or 6 cups would be even better), 2 19 oz. cans of cannellini beans, 4 tsp of chopped garlic, about 1/2-3/4 cup of diced carrot, a bit of rosemary. Bring to a boil, add 1 block of defrosted spinach (chopped or whole).

Serve with bread and post-Christmas/New Year's cheese and olives. Enjoy.

Adapted from Mom's Best One-Dish Suppers