Chicken Cashew Curry

Curry is one of my favorite, fast meals. The ingredients are super flexible, so it’s easy to make quickly from whatever’s in your fridge, and it’s always delicious! I was craving the chicken-cashew combo last week, so I threw together this curry in only about 30 minutes.

*full recipe below

To start, I chopped three shallots and two carrots:

I cooked these in a pan with about a tablespoon of coconut oil until the onion started to turn slightly translucent:

Next, I added one large chicken breast, cut into small pieces and cooked until the chicken was white on all sides:

Lastly, I added a half can of coconut milk, some curry and paprika, and about a cup of frozen broccoli:

I stirred to combined and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the broccoli was soft and the chicken fully cooked through. Just before the end, I put in about 1/3 cup of cashews:

Yum!

Chicken Cashew Curry, makes 3 servings
Ingredients
- 3 shallots
- 2 carrots
- 1 T coconut oil
- 1/2 can of coconut milk
- 1 large chicken breast
- 3 T curry powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup frozen broccoli
- 1/3 cup cashews
Method
- chop shallots and carrots
- cook in coconut oil in a large skillet until onion turns translucent
- chop chicken and add, moving pieces until all sides are white
- add coconut milk, curry powder, paprika, and broccoli
- bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes
- just before removing from heat, stir in cashews
- serve with quinoa, rice, or grain of choice!

Ground Turkey Thai Curry

This weekend, I enjoyed a lovely girls night with a couple friends. We decided to make a variation of this recipe and ended up with a delicious thai curry of our own. We adjusted the ingredients and measurements and used turkey instead of beef. Here’s the breakdown (full recipe below):

Saute one red onion in a skillet until it starts to brown:

While the onion cooks, chop 3 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger, and two heads of broccoli:

Once the onion browns, add the garlic, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric and cumin, and 1 lb ground turkey:

Cook until the turkey starts to brown and then add 1 tablespoon red curry paste, broccoli, thai basil, and one 15oz can of tomato sauce:

Stir and cook down for about 10-15 minutes until the broccoli is soft:

Squeeze in the juice of a half lime and serve with the grain of your choice (we used whole wheat cous cous).

Ground Turkey Thai Curry
serves 4

Ingredients
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 heads broccoli, chopped
- 1 bunch thai basil, chopped
- 1, 15oz can tomato sauce
- lime juice, fresh

Method
- Saute the red onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until it begins to
brown.
- Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and turkey.
- Cook until the meat starts to brown, and then add the curry paste,
broccoli, thai basil, and tomato sauce.
- Stir and cook for 10-15 more minutes until the broccoli cooks down
and becomes soft.
- Squeeze juice from a half lime over the dish and serve with grain
of choice.

Sweet Chicken Curry and Nico’s

A little while ago, I posted a recipe for Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Dandelion Greens soup. I also made a curry out of the same base ingredients and it turned out really well. Once again, I started with two chopped sweet potatoes in a large pot:

I added a can of coconut milk plus an equal amount water:

Two tablespoons curry and one tablespoon cinnamon:

And let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes:

Add approximately 4 cups dandelion greens and cook for about 10 more minutes:

I shredded three cooked chicken breasts, added to pot, and removed from heat to warm through:

This curry turned out really well! I wasn’t quite sure how much curry/cinnamon to put in, but I thought the final flavor worked well – it was sweet with the curry flare, but not too much.

Sweet Chicken Curry, serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 can coconut milk plus equal amount water
- 4 cups dandelion greens
- 3 pre-cooked chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Method
1. Chop sweet potatoes and add to a large pot
2. Add coconut milk, water, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add dandelion greens and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Shred chicken and add to pot, remove from flame to warm through.

I also recently went to the new taco joint in Uptown: Nico’s Tacos.

Nico’s is located on Hennepin in the ever-changing storefront next to Namaste Cafe. In the last 2.5 years, this spot has been home to Duplex Restaurant, The Birdhouse, and now Nico’s. Nico’s is owned by the same folks behind Amore Victoria – one of my favorite Minneapolis eats. Yet, I don’t think that fact alone can tell us much about Nico’s fate given that Birdhouse was owned by Heidi and Stewart Woodman (Heidi’s acclaim).

A few friends and I went to Nico’s for guacamole and tacos. The guac was delish (but when is that not true?):

 

There’s a nice selection of taco fillings, and I selected one vegetarian (with cactus!), fish, and beef:

 

Tacos are not a go-to food for me, so I might have been less impressed than a big taco fan, but I don’t feel the need to go running back here soon. They are open later though (1am daily), so if you’re in need of a late-night Uptown munch, this could be a good spot to put on your rotation.

Beef Red Curry

I have had a serious appetite for meat lately. Red meat to be specific. This is somewhat uncharacteristic for me, so I’ve been experimenting making dishes with beef. The latest in my culinary exploits: beef red curry.

This dish ended up being a bit spicy, so if you’re of a weak composition, you might do well to decrease the spice content.

*full recipe below

Once the dish gets going, you’ll be adding ingredients fairly quickly. So, before you start, combine all of the necessary spices for the red curry sauce in a small bowl. You will need: garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, fish sauce, sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

Add 1lb. beef (cut into bite-sized pieces) to a pot and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown on all sides:

Once the meat is slightly browned all around (if you cook too long at this stage it will be overcooked!), add in one can of coconut milk and the full contents of the spice bowl:

While this cooks, rinse and coarsely chop three bunches of bok choy:

Add this to the pot and cook on low heat for approximately 10 minutes until the curry is warmed through and the meat is fully cooked:

Beef Red Curry, serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. beef
- 3 bunches bok choy
- 1 can coconut milk 
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 heaping tsp. minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp. coriander
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Method
Combine spices and fish sauce in a small bowl and set aside. 
Heat a medium-sized pot and add 1lb. of bite-sized beef pieces.
Cook beef until all sides begin to brown.
Add coconut milk and spices, stir to combine.
Rinse and chop bok choy and add to the pot.
Cook for approx. 10 minutes until curry is warmed through and meat is cooked to your liking.

As an aside, if you really hate someone, one heartless thing to do would be pour some fish sauce on them. That stuff is rank.

Curried Onions and Eggs

I have been really into eggs lately. Specifically, soft-boiled eggs. They are a great protein source for lunch or dinner, they are SUPER easy to make, and they are incredibly versatile. Since eggs last a long time in the fridge, they are especially convenient for keeping around to use when there’s not a lot of other food in the house. Last week, I was preparing to leave town for 8 days (more on that to come), so I didn’t want to buy any meat or other protein that would go bad if I didn’t finish it. So, eggs were the obvious choice. 🙂 Here is how to make the perfect soft boiled egg:

Bring water in a saucepan to boil. You will need enough water to fully cover whatever number of eggs you want to cook:

Once water is boiling, add in the eggs. You will want to use a spoon to place the eggs into the water. If you just drop them, there is a chance they will crack by hitting the bottom of the pot:

Cover the eggs and simmer for 5 minutes (timing is important, so set a timer). Once the eggs are soft-cooked, drain the hot water from the pot immediately and refill with cold water. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for a few minutes:

Once the eggs are cool, peel and eat or store in the fridge. These particular soft-boiled eggs were made to be served with…brown rice, curried onions, and spinach!

The curried onions were also an “I don’t have a lot of food in the house and don’t want to buy more” concoction, and they turned out great. All you need is one yellow onion, a little butter, and some curry powder. Heat the butter (I used a couple teaspoons) in a skillet:

Once the butter is melted, add in a few shakes of curry powder, adjusted to your spice preference:

Add in the chopped onion:

Cook until translucent and beginning to brown, stirring frequently (it took about 10 minutes for me):

Put everything together…

step 1

step 2

step 3

Delish! Also, as a side note, the brown rice I used here was the quick cook kind. But, instead of using regular water to cook the rice, I used coconut water with a tiny bit of coconut cream. This gave a really nice flavor and a touch of creaminess that I enjoyed. I would recommend it as a pairing with curry and other similarly spiced foods.

 

Curry Tofu Salad

Several months ago I had a tofu curry salad from the salad bar at Whole Foods. It was absolutely delicious! That may have been partly due to the fact that the Whole Foods salad was ridden with mayonnaise (just because their version is vegan, I don’t think that makes it healthy…). Regardless, since that meal I have been wanting to my make own tofu curry salad in a lower-fat way. Today was the day! (full recipe and method below)

First, cook one package of extra firm tofu in a skillet until the edges are browned.

Meanwhile, chop two carrots, two celery sticks, and 2 green onions.

Add raisins, chopped almonds, curry, cayenne, ginger, garlic, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.

Finally, add yogurt, lemon juice, and tofu, stirring until combined. Divide into three containers and enjoy for three easy lunches or dinners!

Tofu Curry Salad
makes three servings
Ingredients
- one package extra firm tofu
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced small
- 2 large celery stalks, diced small
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- dash cayenne
- splash apple cider vinegar
- hefty squirt of lemon juice
- 1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
Method
Cut tofu into small squares and cook in a skillet until the edges are browned. 
Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. 
Once the tofu is slightly cooled, add to bowl. 
Divide into three servings and enjoy!

Although the ingredient list might look a little long, it is actually extremely simple to make – primarily because nearly all of the ingredients simply need to be mixed together. This is a quick way to make grab-and-go lunches for the week. I plan to bring it to work with a tortilla and piece of fruit for lunch!