Curry Nachos with Mango Salsa- Nachos week day 2

These were different and fun. Mmmm mango salsa. I thought the cucumber dip wasn't quite as necessary, although it was nice to have to cool down the nachos because the meat has alot of curry powder. Like alot. This one also calls for alot of ingredients.

Otherwise fun and different.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/07/curried-nachos-with-mango-salsa.html

• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and grated
• 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided (3-4 limes)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 white onion, diced, divided
• 1/4 lightly packed cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 8 ounces lean ground turkey or lamb
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1-3 teaspoons Sriracha or hot sauce, optional
• 1 (7-ounce) bag baked tortilla chips
• 6 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 ounces low-fat feta cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. For the cucumber yogurt dip, using a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of cheesecloth, squeeze out and discard the excess liquid from the cucumber. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, 2 tablespoons lime juice and mint. Season with salt and black pepper, then cover and refrigerate until needed (this step can be done up to 24 hours in advance).
2. For the mango salsa, in a large bowl, combine mango, bell pepper, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season with additional salt and black pepper and set aside or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a large, nonstick skillet on medium heat and add the ground turkey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and remaining chopped onion. Saute, stirring to break up the meat into bite-sized pieces, until the ground turkey is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Drain excess grease, if needed. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir in Sriracha or hot sauce, if desired, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and additional salt and black pepper.
4. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Arrange chips in a single layer on baking sheet and top with mozzarella, followed by the curried meat mixture and feta cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and chips are hot and crisp, about 12-14 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid from the mango salsa and sprinkle over the top of the nachos. Serve immediately with the cucumber yogurt dip on the side for dipping.

Red Coconut Curry Noodles

I found out that Winona checks this rather regularly, so I don't feel as bad posting something else with coconut milk even thought Danielle doesn't like such things. It's so sad.

These were fun, fast, and good. Nothing out of this world but we liked it. I think the longest part was cutting up vegetables.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/08/red-coconut-curry-noodles.html

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cans light or regular coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cups sweet Thai chili sauce
• 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
• 1 (13.5 ounce) package rice noodles (about ¼-inch wide)
• 1 yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
• 2 red peppers, cored and sliced thinly
• 1 cup broccoli slaw or thinly sliced matchstick carrots- I had no idea what broccoli slaw was so I just did sliced up carrots
• 1 teaspoon salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot over medium heat, scoop the cream off the top of each can of coconut and put it in the pot. (If using light coconut milk, there won’t be cream to use, so use the 1 tablespoon oil called for in the recipe). The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer, stirring constantly, for about one minute.
2. Add the chicken and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.
3. Add the red pepper, broccoli slaw (or carrots) and rice noodles and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom, for about 5-8 minutes. The noodles will thicken and plump up as they absorb the liquid. The mixture will be slightly soupy when the noodles are finished cooking.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken. Garnish with more cilantro, if desired.

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

This was so good. Mmm. I thought Sam was going to die eating it. But that could have just been that he was more hungry than normal, I don't know. I did this in my broiler for about 10 minutes on each side.

Sorry, I'm posting another coconut recipe Danielle. Obviously the rice tasted coconutty but honestly I couldn't taste it in the chicken because the curry and other delicious flavors were there too.

Anna, try this. Like yesterday.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2013/06/grilled-lime-coconut-chicken-with-coconut-rice-top-pinterest-find.html

• Chicken and Marinade/Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• pinch cayenne pepper (One could argue that the amount of cayenne I put in was more than a pinch...)
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges
Coconut Rice:
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
2. For the coconut rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated. remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
3. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (see note above if not grilling) to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a small or medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Place the grilled chicken on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle with sauce (reserve the remaining sauce to serve separately) and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top. Serve with lime wedges and additional sauce.

Notes

You can really use any type of oil here (extra virgin olive oil, vegetable, grapeseed, etc.). If you don't want to use the marinade for the sauce (it boils for 10 minutes to cook thoroughly), you can always make a second batch of the marinade and cook it for 5-10 minutes. Also, curry powder really varies depending on brand. My two top favorite brands are the sweet curry powder from Penzey's Spices and the curry powder from Spice Islands (the yellow powder not the red). If the chicken breasts are really thick, I like to cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken cutlets before marinating. This helps the flavor permeate the chicken and also helps the chicken go further. Finally, if you don't have a grill/don't feel like grilling, you could absolutely broil these in the oven or cook them in a hot skillet.

Bean Curry

This has been slightly confusing/ fascinating to me for a while. So we tried it. At first we were both like hm that's ok, and then it grew on both us. Interesting flavors. I think I should have used a bigger tomato. I added extra Cayenne but I think it still needed more. Black eyed peas were an ingredient I never thought I would use.

No meat, but super filling because it's beans and rice. And literally like 15 minutes. Awesome.

Again from Mel's: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/bean-curry.html

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (see pictures of grating ginger here)
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• pinch cayenne, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
• 1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, chapati, or naan.

Coconut Curry Soup

It seems I've had an obsession with new meals, that are super fast, and somehow contain curry. Winning combinations. Danielle, I'm not sure how much your kids would love these things so I guess Anna, this is mostly for you. Although Danielle's family might like this. It wasn't very hot at all (I quadrupled the hot spice, it called for Cayenne which I randomly didn't have so I used chili pepper) and I still think it could have used more. All in all, fast, good, and curry. Mmmm.

It is, of course, from Mel's Kitchen: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/coconut-curry-soup.html

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, (about 3), cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14-ounces) unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• 3-4 cups hot, cooked rice for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot and shimmering. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Add them to the hot oil. Let the chicken cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and red pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions and peppers are slightly softened. The chicken and vegetables don’t have to be fully cooked as they will simmer and cook further in the next step.
2. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and curry powder. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, gently, for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve a ladle or two of the soup over a scoop of rice and garnish with more cilantro, if desired.

NOTES

Make Ahead Instructions: Follow the recipe through the step through the first paragraph. Transfer the chicken/onions/peppers to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients (except the lime juice, cilantro and rice). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve over rice.