Carrot-Coconut-Curry Soup – Instant Pot Version

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I had some large, farm fresh carrots and onions that I needed to do something with because froze in my fridge! So I mixed together a couple soup recipes I found and added my own touches – it was delicious. Freezing some for my friend who’s having surgery this week.

Carrot-Curry-Coconut Soup
-2 lbs peeled carrots, cut into chunks
-1 large white or yellow onion, cut into chunks and layers separated a bit
-3 c. chicken or veggie broth
-2 T. curry powder
-2 tsp. ginger paste
-2 tsp. salt
-2 tsp. smoked paprika
-1 tsp. ground coriander
-1 tsp. turmeric
-1 tsp. cumin
-Ground pepper
-1 can of lite coconut milk

Combine everything except coconut milk in Instant Pot. Cook on manual high 12 minutes , natural release 1 hour (note: my veggies were a bit on frozen side and I was watching a movie so the NR probably could have been a bit less but I wouldn’t have necessarily adjusted the cook time). Remove lid and puree soup with 1 can of lite coconut milk. Add more milk or broth if you want more flavor or thinner texture. Serve by itself or top off with lime/chopped peanuts/cilantro for more of a Thai flavor.

Easy Chicken Broth

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I admit it – I’m a big fan of those yummy rotisserie chickens at the deli. We have a rule at our house: no one comes home from Costco without a chicken for dinner (and lunch the next day, and the next…). It always seemed like a waste to throw out the leftovers, so I finally took the time to save it and make homemade broth from it. It was easy, delicious, and I’m not sure why I haven’t done it before! Please know that this is a loose recipe and there is no right or wrong – add more of the ingredients you like, substitute herbs you favor more, or eliminate ones you don’t have on hand. If you don’t have time right now, throw the carcass in a plastic bag in the freezer until you are ready. Here are the basics:

Easy Chicken Broth

1-2 leftovers carcasses from a rotisserie chicken (remove the string from the legs)

1 lb. baby carrots

1/2 bunch of celery, roughly chopped (including the green tops)

1 T. chopped thyme

3-4 bay leaves

3-4 chicken bouillon cubes for extra flavor

16 c. water

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 onion, roughly chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

optional: chopped fennel greens or dill

In a large stockpot with the strainer part in, put all of the above ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low and simmer at least 1 hour, and a bit more if the chicken meat isn’t falling off the bones. Let cool then lift the strainer out. Save the larger chicken meat pieces, celery and carrots for later if you wish. Toss the rest of the chicken bones and herbs. Then, refrigerate/freeze or use the broth as needed. This makes an excellent base for chicken noodle soup or Matzo Ball Soup (recipe here)!

chicken broth

Moroccan Chicken Bowl

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I recently ran across a recipe that I had pulled from a magazine quite awhile ago and decided to give it a try. It was the perfect fall day for it – cold and rainy! I made a few variations as I went along, trying to use some things I already had in my cupboards, and it turned out delicious! To save a bit of time, use pre-cooked chicken or throw some frozen tenders in a slow cooker for a few hours with chicken stock to cook.

Moroccan Chicken Bowl

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 c. chopped carrots
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have this, you can make your own)
  • 1 t. ground fresh ginger
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 3 c. chicken broth or water

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-large soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and carrots and cook until softened. Add the pumpkin pie spice ginger, and salt, stirring well. Add broth or water, cover and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Prepare couscous:

  • 1 c. couscous, cooked according to directions
  • Puree: 1-1/2 c. cilantro, 2 T. water and 1 T. olive oil. Stir into cooked couscous and keep warm. (*you can also use 1 T. of leftover Cilanto Pesto if you have some in the freezer like I did!)

3. After carrots are tender in the broth, stir in:

  • 3 c. cooked or rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 1/2 c. golden raisins
  • 6 dried apricots, quartered
  • 1 T. honey
  • 1/4 c. cilantro leaves

4. When chicken mixture is warm, serve over a scoop of the couscous in a bowl and top with sliced almonds and artichoke hearts. Delicious on a blustery evening.

moroccan-chicken

Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers

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I was never a big fan of the traditional green peppers stuffed with rice/ground beef/tomato sauce mixture – probably because I dislike green peppers and the filling always seemed bland to me. This recipe is my spin combining recipes for stuffed peppers with lettuce wrap filling. It can be made and even assembled ahead of time then just heated up for those evenings where the whole family is rushing in late. I prefer the mellow sweetness of yellow, orange and red peppers, but you can use green ones if you prefer. Blanching them (cooking them in boiling water then zapping them with cold water) softens them up and lessens the time needed in the oven for the finished dish.

Ingredients:

6 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

1 c. cooked rice

Chicken Filling from Lettuce Wraps Recipe here.

Make the Chicken Filling first. Then clean the peppers. Cut in half from stem to bottom and remove stem, seeds and any excess membrane. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then drop the peppers (in 2 batches) into the water for 5 minutes until softened. Remove, drain and rinse in cold water until cooled. Spray with oil a large baking dish then put all the peppers in, open side up.

 

Put 1 T. of cooked rice in the bottom of each pepper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to put chicken filling in each pepper on top of the rice. Sprinkle with extra chopped basil or sesame seeds. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes to warm everything up together just before serving.

Asian Inspired Stuffed Pepper serving

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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1 lb. ground chicken
2 T. sesame oil (can use HOT flavored if you like)

1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms (approx. 4-5 medium fresh ones or dried ones, rehydrated according to directions, then finely chopped)
2 T. chopped basil
3 T. hoisen sauce

3 T. teriyaki

1 t. ground ginger
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 8-oz. can each bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 t. cornstarch
Butter leaf lettuce, cleaned & separated
2 c. cooked rice

In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and basil. Set aside. Stir together 1 T. each of the hoisen, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, plus the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger. Pour the mixture on top of ground chicken gently stir to combine.

Sauce Round #2: In a small separate bowl, mix the remaining 2 T. hoisen & teriyaki, 1/2 t. ginger and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken mix in the oil until cooked, stirring every couple of minutes. While the chicken is cooking, prepare Sauce Round #2. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken and simmer a couple more minutes. Serve over the rice or scooped into the lettuce leaves.

Option: Use as filling for Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers

 

Lime & Ginger Shrimp with Coconut Rice

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A few years ago, I tried an easy recipe from a magazine. It was delicious and I passed it on to several people as well. It’s my go-to recipe in warm weather when I have company and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Since I just can’t keep anything the same, I jazz up the recipe a little by adding different ingredients depending on what I have in the house or in the garden. If you have leftovers (I usually don’t), it’s even good the next day but heat slowly since shrimp doesn’t reheat well without getting tough. When served with coconut rice, it’s a fast and filling dinner to eat on your patio. You can also prepare the ingredients ahead of time and start the rice cooking first since it takes the longest.

Lime & Ginger Shrimp

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed & patted dry (if frozen, thaw them)

¼ c. ginger preserves

Juice from 3 limes + zest

2/3 c. chopped cilantro leaves

2 T. olive oil

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the shrimp and cook a couple of minutes until partially done. Stir in the ginger preserves and cook until dissolved and shrimp are done (pink & firm). Drain excess liquid, then remove from the heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve over the rice and top with lime zest for extra flavor.
Coconut Rice

2 c. white jasmine rice

2 c. water

11 oz. culinary coconut milk (concentrated, comes in a Tetra Pak® container) or 14 oz. can of regular coconut milk (not lite)

¼ c. shredded, unsweetened coconut

Pinch of salt

Place the rice in rice cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Set to cook and when rice is done, allow another 10 minutes for it to sit and finish steaming/cooking (if it doesn’t look done, just hit the cook button again). Fluff with a fork before serving.

Options: Use mixture of shrimp and scallops (scallops may need to cook a bit longer depending on size); use basil instead of cilantro; or add a pinch of crushed red chili pepper if you like it spicy!

ginger lime shrimp

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

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I’m discovering that as life gets busier, it gets harder to make time for the simple things such as sitting down to a nice family dinner. I enjoy nice home cooking, but rarely have the luxury of time during the week, so I try to do bigger meals on the weekends and hope for leftovers.

Here’s an easy favorite to throw in the oven and let cook while you do other things. The recipe below is a combination of a few favorites, and I use different herbs almost every time, depending on what I have in the kitchen. Try your own combinations, you won’t go wrong. The best part is that your house will smell amazing and you can tell all your guests that it’s your secret recipe! Try pairing it with oven-roasted Brussels sprouts that you can cook at the same time. The roasting process makes the flavor of the sprouts very mild. Even my mom, the biggest vegetable pusher (who ironically hates Brussels sprouts) ate them!

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

(1) 5-6 lb. whole roasted chicken

1 large lemon, sliced

1 t. dried parsley, sage, or thyme

1 large fennel bulb OR medium onion, cut into eighths

Several sprigs of fresh rosemary or fresh sage leaves, rinsed well

1 T. butter, melted

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Discard the neck and giblets from inside the chicken and rinse it thoroughly in cold water, including inside the cavity. Dry it with paper towels and place on cutting board to prep. On the breast side, loosen the skin from the meat and slip in a few of the lemon slices, dried parsley/sage/thyme and/or sprigs of rosemary. Put half of the fennel bulb or onion chunks in the cavity, along with the remaining lemon and fresh rosemary or sage. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down. Mix the melted butter and olive oil together and brush over entire bird. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the remaining fennel/onion and herbs around the chicken in the pan.

Put pan in oven, uncovered, and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Baste with juices every ½ hour. The chicken is done when it’s tender and meat thermometer reads 180-185 degrees in the thickest part of the breast or thigh. If chicken looks too brown partway through, cover lightly with foil. Remove lemons from cavity and let sit covered for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving with the fennel and onions. Serves 4-6.

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Autumn Clam Chowder

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When fall arrives along with football and cold & flu season, there’s nothing better than a cup of hot chowder. I have tried many different potato soup, clam chowder and other hearty recipes, and settled on this combination as my favorite – it has the best of all flavors and it’s easy to spice it up more or less to your personal tastes. I happened to have a fresh crab for the last pot, so I added the meat in at the last minute for a bit of extra seafood flavor.

Autumn Clam Chowder

(2) 6.5 oz. cans of minced clams

3-4 slices of bacon, cut in half

3-4 medium potatoes, cubed

1 med. onion, chopped

1 t. chicken bouillon

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dried, crushed thyme

(1) 15-oz can fire roasted or southwestern style  corn, drained

1 fire-roasted red pepper, chopped

2-4 T. jalapeno peppers (jarred), chopped

salt & pepper to taste

2 c. milk

1 c. half-and-half

2 T. all-purpose flour

Strain the clams into a measuring cup, saving the juice. Set the clams aside and add water to the juice until it equals 1 cup, then set aside. In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the bacon drippings, add the onions and cook few minutes until soft. Add the clam juice, potatoes, thyme, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Mash them lightly.

Whisk together the milk, half-and-half, and flour. Add to the potato mixture and increase heat back to medium. Cook and stir often until slightly thickened and near boiling. Stir in the clams, jalapenos, red pepper, clams, crumbled bacon and corn. Bring the mixture back up to boiling and until everything is heated thoroughly. Serve in large mugs or bowls, sprinkled with more chopped peppers or shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Autumn Clam Chowder 2

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

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Every so often, I find myself searching for recipes to use up random things that are in my refrigerator or cupboard (is it just me?!). This time, it was root beer. I bought 2 liter bottles for summertime root beer floats when I had friends visiting recently. We used about half of one bottle, and a week later, suddenly there were two opened bottles in the fridge. Still not sure why, but that’s for a different article.

I remembered seeing recipes over the years for spare ribs and BBQ pork made in a crockpot with cola or root beer. I found many variations for Root Beer BBQ sauce online, and combined a few to make my own. I also added in a few more ingredients for my own taste (and to use up even more random findings, like tomato sauce from last year’s garden since the new crop is almost ready…!). This recipe is easy but does take awhile to cook, but it doesn’t take much attention, so it’s easy to have on the stove while you’re doing other fun summertime things.

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

2-liter bottle of root beer (not diet)

1 c. red wine or apple cider vinegar

1 c. tomato sauce

½ c. ketchup

½ cup mustard (regular yellow or deli style)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. hot sauce

2 T. molasses

2 T. brown sugar

juice from ½ lemon

1 t. each kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 can tomato paste

1 t. liquid smoke

3 T. cold butter

In a large pot, boil the root beer down until it’s about 1-1/2 cups and more concentrated, about an hour. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 45 minutes or hour until it’s slightly thickened and the acidic vinegar taste is cooked out. Add in the liquid smoke and butter at the end to finish it off. Serve with your favorite summer grilled meat. Note: any ingredients or measurements in this can be changed to suit your individual taste. For example, more tomato paste for a thicker sauce, less vinegar for less tang, or more brown sugar and liquid smoke for sweeter, smokier flavors, and of course more or less salt & pepper.

Quesokopita with Cilantro Pesto

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One of the reasons I started my website cookingwithkristy.com was because I wanted to see if I could re-create delicious food I had eaten in restaurants without being a full-fledged chef. I decided to extend this idea when my husband recently brought home what looked like a quesadilla from the store along with three different kinds of dips for it. It really was a flat version of Spanakopita, which is a savory, Greek, layered dish made with spinach, feta cheese and pastry crust. I’ve also had this in many restaurants, but it often lacks flavor and is less than savory.

After following the instructions to cook the spinach “quesadilla” (which basically was only reheating it), and sampling it with each of the three dips, I found my favorite combination and challenged myself to try and cook something even better. I searched the web – there are a million different recipes for spanakopita and pesto, so I just picked out all my favorite ingredients and seasonings, simplified the cooking and assembly, and came up with the recipe below. Although it doesn’t look like what came home from the grocery store, it can be eaten with no utensils and tastes MUCH better! I even gave it a new name based on my dear love of quesadillas, and now Spanakopita!

To save time while making this, you can make the pesto the night before and refrigerate, or make it first and just set aside for serving. You can also chop the garlic, leeks and herbs prior.

Quesokopitas With Cilantro Pesto

1 lb. package of fresh spinach

2 T. olive oil

1 leek

2-4 cloves of garlic

¾ oz. package of fresh mint, leaves separated from stems

¾ oz. package of fresh dill, with the thick stems removed

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

16 oz. package frozen filo or phyllo dough (found in freezer section near the desserts)

salt & pepper to taste

spray olive oil

nutmeg

Take out one roll of filo dough & follow directions on package for defrosting & bringing to room temperature. Clean the leek, cut off & discard the dark leafy parts. Cut the rest in chunks & put in a food processor with the garlic or chop finely. In a very large frying pan, heat the olive oil & sauté the leeks & garlic until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, cooking & tossing with tongs until it’s wilted down & dark green. Remove from the pan & put in a colander over a bowl. Press out the excess liquid & let cool.

In the meantime, put the dill & mint in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add to the cooled spinach mixture, along with the feta, eggs, salt & pepper. Stir until well mixed and set aside.

Line two cookie sheets with a piece of parchment paper. Open the package of filo and take two sheets of it. Spray with olive oil, put on the cookie sheet, and repeat 4 times until there are 8 layers. Put some of the spinach filling on half of the filo and fold over the rest. Spray the top with more olive oil and sprinkle with nutmeg. Repeat until there are four “quesokopitas.” Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and flaky. Remove, cool slightly, and cut each into quarters. Serve while warm with the Cilantro Pesto (or plain).

dill + mintspinach mixturespinach mixture spread on filoQuesokopita with Cilantro Pesto