Sunday, August 30, 2020

Instant Pot Red Coconut Curry Noodles

 Mark especially liked this. I like using the Instant Pot.  Mark said to make double the sauce next time. 

INSTANT POT RED COCONUT CURRY NOODLES

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS
 
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
 
COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES
 
ADDITIONAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
 
TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  •  4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  •  16 ounces fettuccine noodles, broken in half
  •  1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk, light or regular
  •  1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (see note)
  •  1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
  •  1 tablespoon red curry paste (see note)
  •  3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  •  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
  •  1 cup snow peas, halved or whole
  •  1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips
  •  1 cup small diced carrots or matchstick carrots
  •  Fresh, chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pour two cups of the broth into the bottom of the electric pressure cooker. Layer the noodles on top of each other in 5-6 layers, alternating directions (see picture in the post for a visual) so they don't clump together while cooking.
  2. Pour in the remaining two cups broth.
  3. Whisk together the coconut milk, Thai chili sauce, fresh ginger, red curry paste, garlic and salt. Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker. Do not stir.
  4. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal, and set the pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 4-5 minutes. (The exact time will depend on the brand of noodles - take the al dente cooking time, cut it in half and subtract another 1-2 minutes.)
  5. Quick release the pressure. If liquid spurts through the valve, close the valve and wait 5 minutes before trying again. It's ok if there is remaining liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker - it will continue to absorb into the noodles for perfect sauciness.
  6. Give the noodles a good toss with tongs and add the vegetables. Close the pressure cooker and let sit for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables steam in the residual heat. Toss until combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
  7. Serve the noodles with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro, if desired.

NOTES

Noodles: the fettuccine noodles are obviously not authentic to a curry noodle dish like this, but they work great. You can try subbing in rice noodles or other noodles if you're ok experimenting with the cooking time/method.

Curry Paste: I almost always use the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste. It has a mild kick to it. You can dial the amount of red curry paste up or down depending on the brand or how spicy you want the noodles.

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: I usually have the Mae Ploy brand of this sauce in my fridge, so that's what I use.

Vegetables: you can increase the veggies and customize what kind you use - zucchini, broccoli, etc.

Quinoa Salad

 This tasted fresh.  The dressing needed a kick and a bit of caesar dressing got added in.  It made a good combo. I used garden tomatoes instead of mini ones and used a quinoa grain mix from Costco. 

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/detox-quinoa-salad/


Quinoa Recipes: Healthy Quinoa & Veggie Salad

A delicious and healthy quinoa recipe made with all-natural ingredients.
CourseMain Course
CuisineHealthy
Keywordquinoa recipes
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings6 servings
Calories131kcal
AuthorChelsea Lords

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa thoroughly rinsed
  • 2 cups water
  • 3-4 ounces spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 5-6 green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 large limes, juiced
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Follow package instructions to cook the quinoa. Transfer to a large bowl and aside to cool completely.
  • To the bowl with the cooled quinoa, add the chopped spinach, rinsed corn, rinsed black beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, and finely chopped cilantro.
  • Toss together.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the salad and toss to coat.*
  • Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.

Notes

*Only add dressing to what you plan on eating in the same day. Unfortunately, this salad doesn’t sit super well with the dressing. If you are planning to have leftovers, toss only what you’ll being eating on day 1 with the dressing. Other than that, this salad can store in the fridge pretty well for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Tomatillo salsa

 I can’t remember if this is the recipe I used now! So frustrating because my family loved it. I think this is similar to the one  although I didn’t cook anything. A few weeks before, I threw the tomatillos in a food processor and froze it. Then I put the salsa together after defrosting. 

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tomatillo-salsa-verde/

Shepherd’s pie

 I remember hating this when younger but this recipe is pretty good! Lucy says this is her favorite meal. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/


I just did instant mashed potatoes