Curried Crab with Coconut and Chili

So good that Emeli wore it!

The boys digging in like savages!

 Greg and I were watching the "Food Network" and Chef Curtis Stone came on to discuss the best dish he has ever made.  It looked so yummy and easy that we decided to give it a go!  We even went so far as to cover our table with a big sheet of plywood and put kraft paper on top of that for the shells!  Then we invited our friends Mike and Emeli over and feasted!!!!  It is delicious and I think this sauce would be excellent with fish, shellfish, chicken, veggies or even beef!!!!  DO NOT skimp on toasting and grinding the whole spices ~ the flavour that is produced is what makes this dish!!!!

CURRIED CRAB WITH COCONUT & CHILI

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lbs live crab (we used blue crab)

1/4 cup whole coriander seeds

1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

Sea salt, to taste

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

5 garlic cloves

1 white onion, chopped

1 large green chile, chopped roughly

1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive)

1 medium ripe tomato, diced

10 fresh curry leaves (didn't have this so I used 2 tbsp hot curry powder)

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp chili powder

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

• Place the crab in the freezer for 2 hours, or until it stops moving (this is really a humane way of killing them because they just go to sleep ~ especially if you are squeamish about killing them!  Otherwise buy frozen!!)  Remove the legs and crack them with a rolling pin.  Remove the top fo the shell and clean out the insides with your fingers.  Chop the crab and top shells in half.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns.  Stir constantly until they become fragrant and toasted, approx 3 to 4 minutes.  Cool completely.
• To make the paste, grind the toasted seeds with a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.  Transfer this dry mixture to a food processor and add the vinegar, coconut flakes, ginger, garlic, chile and onions.  Blend to form a paste.  
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat.  Add the paste and saute until fragrant and some of the juices evaporate, approx. 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the tomato, curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and cook until the tomato are tender and melting into the sauce, approx 5 mins.  Add the crab and 1/2 cup water, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the crab pieces are cooked through, approx 10 mins.  Mix in the coconut milk and simmer for 2 to 3 mins to allow flavours to blend.  DO NOT boil the coconut milk as it will split.
• Place the crab either directly on your kraft paper or on a big platter and dig in!!!

      

    

Roasted Broccoli & Red Grape Salad

In the pursuit of cleaning out my crisper drawers, I made this delicious side dish last night...think it is a keeper!!!  Roasting the red grapes with the broccoli draws out their natural sugars - YUM!  Try this and you won't be disappointed!!

ROASTED BROCCOLI AND RED GRAPE SALAD

Ingredients:

6 cups broccoli florets

2 cups seedless red grapes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp each salt and black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup low-fat, low sodium mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Toss broccoli and grapes with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast for 10 minutes, toss and roast for 10 minutes more.
• Remove from oven and place into a medium sized bowl.  Toss with chopped onion.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and sugar.  Drizzle over broccoli mixture and toss to coat.
• Garnish salad with crumbled bacon, if using.
• ENJOY!           

Easy Carrot Salad

Lately I have had an abundance of carrots in my CSA boxes from Cooper's.  While I have been using quite a few in the slow cooker for roast suppers, there were still some hanging around in the crisper.  So I created this salad last night and it was delicious ~ it is a traditional carrot salad with the addition of tomato and cilantro!

EASY CARROT SALAD

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and grated

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

1/2 cup sour cream (I just used goat yogurt)

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 tsp salt

Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

• In a small bowl combine the first seven ingredients (carrots to salt).
• Cover and refrigerate until chilled
• Remove from fridge and garnish with cilantro and pepper just before serving.
• ENJOY!         

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

I created an entire meal of side dishes for dinner last night (in an attempt to use up the vegetables that are lingering in my crisper!!) and this was phenomenal!!!  Not only is it super-easy, but super delicious too!!!  Devon had 3 helpings!!!

PARMESAN-ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients

6 cups cauliflower florets (approximately one large head or two small heads)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Reggiano (or Peccorino Reggiano for a lactose free version)

1/4 cup butter (or coconut, grapeseed or olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2/3 cup slivered almonds

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

• Heat oven to 425F
• Place cauliflower florets on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for 20 minutes, toss and then sprinkle with Parmesan.  Roast 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt butter.  Add the garlic cloves and saute for 20 seconds (or until fragrant but not coloured), then add the almonds and bread crumbs.  Saute until golden. 
• Combine the bread crumb mixture with the roasted cauliflower in a bowl and serve.
• ENJOY!!         

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

With the awful cold, winter weather we are still receiving, this is a lovely and easy stick-to-your ribs kind of meal....simply awesome comfort food!

EASY SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

3 lbs of cubed stewing beef

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free)

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup baby carrots

4 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp ground black pepper

 2 cups boiling water

1 package of dried onion soup mix

 3 tbsp butter

3 onions, sliced

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup warm water

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

 

• Place beef in a large plastic bag. Combine 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt; pour into the bag with the meat, and shake to coat.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add stewing beef, and cook until evenly browned on the outside. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the carrots, potatoes, parsley, and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together 2 cups of boiling water and dry soup mix; pour into the slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, melt butter and saute onions until softened; remove to the slow cooker. Pour red wine into the skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Remove from heat, and pour into the slow cooker.
• Cover, and cook on high for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 6 hours, or until meat is fork tender. In a small bowl or cup, mix together 2 tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup warm water. Stir into stew, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened.
• ENJOY!! 

*We enjoy a little kick to our food so we added some of the sherry peppers we eke out from Bermuda - it adds such a lovely flavour to stews (meat or fish) if you can find it!*

 

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

I had a crisper full of bits and pieces of a variety of vegetables, and Greg and I had a big lunch so we only wanted something light - this totally fit the bill!  Easy to put together, super healthy and delicious!

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Ingredients:

Rice paper wraps

Any fresh vegetables you enjoy (I chose pea shoots, enoki mushrooms, Thai basil, yellow bell peppers, cucumber and carrots). Larger veggies such as cucumbers and carrots should be cut into thinly sliced matchsticks

Warm water in a medium-sized bowl

Sauce:

4 tsp fish sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce

• Combine fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce in a small bowl.  Set aside.
• Place the rice wrappers, one at a time, in the warm water for approximately 5 seconds each, or until softened.
• Lay the wrapper on a clean, dry towel.  Layer vegetables on top of each other, down the middle of the wrapper.  Fold the right side of the wrapper over the vegetables.  Fold bottom of wrapper up toward the middle, roll the wrapper from right to left.  Place wrapper on platter or plate.
• Repeat for as many rolls as you want to make.
• Serve spring rolls with fish sauce and ENJOY!

*Another delicious sauce to create for these rolls is a Hoisin & Peanut Sauce.  3 tbsp Hoisin sauce combined with 1 tsp chopped peanuts!*
*The rice wrappers, fish sauce and Hoisin sauces can be found in the International section of most grocery stores or Asian supermarkets.*    

       

Mini Basil, Tomato and Feta Frittatas

The Finished Product!!!

What the frittatas look like going in to the oven.

All puffed up when they first come out of the oven!

I pulled this recipe out of People magazine back in September for its simplicity, but didn't try it out until yesterday.  I made them for a breakfast with my girlfriends and everyone agreed this was "one for the blog"! LOL!  I intend to try a variety of combinations such as sauteed arugula, bacon and mushrooms, or swiss & asparagus, or spinach and sundried tomatoes, or feta, olives & salami....the possibilities are endless!  The nicest thing is that because these are made in muffin cups, you could make personalized frittatas with the minimum of effort!!

MINI BASIL, TOMATO & FETA FRITTATAS

Ingredients:

6 tsp crumbled feta (I used goat feta)

6 basil leaves, torn

6 grape tomatoes, quartered

Salt and black pepper, to taste

6 large eggs, beaten

Cooking spray

• Preheat the oven to 360F.
• Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.  Divide feta, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper equally in each muffin cup.
• Pour the eggs equally among the tins and gently mix the ingredients together in each cup.
• Place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin cups.
• Serve and ENJOY!    

*These are really puffy when they first come out of the oven, but will deflate as they cool - doesn't affect the flavour in any way! *  
      

Slow Cooker Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Greg leaves for work at 5am most mornings and with this cold weather, I wanted to have something nice and warm for him to eat before he leaves (but without having to get up and make a breakfast! LOL!)  I happened to see this recipe and it is a definite keeper!  I intend to experiment with a variety of ingredients such as toasted almonds and dried wild blueberries, or dried cherries and walnuts!!! The chewiness of the steel cut oats, along with the sweetness of the apples and the delicious aroma of cinnamon will undoubtedly make it a favourite in your home!

SLOW COOKER OVERNIGHT APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL

Ingredients:

2 apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cups of non-fat milk (I use vanilla almond milk as we are dairy-free)

1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup steel cut oats

2 tbsp brown or coconut sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of butter cut into pieces (optional)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground chia or flax seed

1/4 tsp salt

• Coat the inside of the 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray or oil (trust me - this saves a TON of cleaning!!)  Add all ingredients and stir to combine.
• Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it to low for 7 hours (overnight)  Resist the urge to lift the lid of the slow cooker as this adds an additional 30 minutes of cooking time to the recipe...trust me, the aroma will escape no matter what!
• Serve topped with nuts, raisins or maple syrup and ENJOY!!!        

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Almonds & Saffron

A friend of ours has an annual "Groundhog Day" dinner party with a different theme each year...this year it was Moroccan food!!! YUMMY!  This is a mild and flavourful dish ~ and don't omit the cilantro as it does more than merely garnish the dish; it makes a vital contribution to the flavour and character of the dish!  As this was prepared for a large number of people, I shredded the chicken rather than leave it in large pieces, but it didn't affect the presentation or flavour at all!

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE WITH ALMONDS & SAFFRON

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 large chicken breasts

2 onions, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 small carrots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2/3 cup chicken stock

A large pinch of saffron threads

1/3 cup almonds, freshly ground (or almond meal)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup of roughly chopped cilantro leaves

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid.  Add the chicken and brown evenly.  Transfer chicken to a paper towels to drain.
• Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic to the pot and cook gently for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly coloured.  Add the stock and saffron.  Stir in the almonds, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Return the chicken to the pot and add enough water to almost cover the chicken.
• Heat to a simmer, then cover the pot tightly and cook gently for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a knife.
• Remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter, cover and keep warm.  Boil the cooking liquid to reduce it to a thicker consistency and intensify the flavours.  
• Scatter the cilantro leaves over top and serve.
• ENJOY!