winner, winner chicken dinner!

A few months ago I was lucky enough to take a bucket list trip to visit one of my best friends in Peru. I've been wanting to see Machu Picchu for a long time and the fact that Meg moved to Cusco made it the perfect, stars aligned moment to bite the bullet and buy the ticket! 

The colors and flavors of Peru took my breath away. I wasn't really familiar with the cuisine until I did a little research. Depending on where you're at in the country, they're known for different things. Cuy - Guinea pig, alpaca, ceviche, potatoes (over 3,000 varieties), and quinoa to name a few. We were lucky enough to have the chef at our hostel create a feast of peruvian dishes for us to try. I guess that's the perk of being best friends with the owner's girlfriend :)

We feasted on lomo saltado, aji de gaina, potato dishes of all sorts, Mazamorra morada - a purple corn pudding that tastes like Christmas, ceviche, peruvian fried rice, and 3 other amazing dishes that I didn't catch the name of. We feasted like kings. My favorite was the lomo saltado - a simple steak dish with peppers and onions served with french fries AND rice. Everything in Peru seemed to be served with two forms of starches. 

One thing I really enjoyed were all the different ways they used and prepared quinoa. For our first meal in Cusco, Meg took us to one of her friends restaurants. Almost immediately upon sitting down they brought us some little nuggets of chicken crusted in quinoa. Um, GENIUS! I immediately proclaimed to Meg that this would be making an appearance on the blog, and here it is!

I love the idea of using this seed (although I think of it as a grain) to create a healthier, protein + fiber packed chicken finger. I baked mine but if you're feeling naughty, frying would make them spectacular. That's how they were served to us in Peru and I have to say, I preferred the crunch frying gives it. And lets be real, how naughty could it be when you're using such healthy things?! 

quinoa chicken fingers

yields 4 servings

ingredients:

4 chicken breasts or 8 - 10 chicken tenders

2 eggs beaten

2 c. cooked quinoa (I used red but you can use any type)

1 c. panko bread crumbs

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt + pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and set aside. In another shallow bowl, combine: quinoa, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt + pepper.

Pat your chicken dry with some paper towels and then dunk them in the egg mixture. Pick one piece up at a time, allow the excess egg to drip off and then dump it in the quinoa breading mixture. Pat hard so that you get as much of the coating to stick to the chicken breast. Place on a baking sheet (TIP: I like to put my wire cookie cooling racks on top of the baking sheet so that they bake up extra crispy). Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated. Depending on how much mixture sticks to the chicken you may need to add more breading. This isn't science, just dump some more of the breading ingredients and continue dipping. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and place in oven. 

Bake at 350º for about 20 - 25 minutes depending on thickness (15 - 18 if using chicken tenders). Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

improv style:

you can make this gluten free by using all quinoa or using GF bread crumbs. i served this with a roasted red bell pepper sauce but you could add all sorts of fun seasonings/flavors to the chicken tenders before baking. consider using this spice mix or your favorite curry spices lightly dusted on the tenders before dipping into the breading. also, marinading the chicken in some buttermilk or dairy with spices would be a great idea. give the meat some flavor while tenderizing it!

you could even serve these as little chicken nuggets by chopping up the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces. this is how we had them as an appetizer in Cusco. next time i make these i'm totally doing bite sized pieces. 

i used red quinoa but you could use brown quinoa or even experiment with other grains/nuts. additionally, i used panko bread crumbs but experiment with your favorite or whatever you have on hand. i liked a 2:1 ratio but maybe you'd like more or less bread crumbs in the mixture? if you like your tenders extra crispy, i recommend frying them in a little bit of oil instead of baking. watching your cholesterol? you can whip up egg whites instead of using whole eggs.

these can also be frozen before baking and kept in an air tight bag/container for a few months. so make a double batch and freeze half so you can have tons of chicken on hand for later!

gooooooo GIANTS!

I'm going to be honest, I've recently become footballed-out. Yep, I'm not "the cool" girlfriend who enjoys watching football on the weekends and having to live my life around the playing schedule. Don't get me wrong, I root for my teams (Huskies and Seahawks) and I'll watch the big games (and even enjoy them). BUT EVERY WEEKEND FOR MONTHS ON END?!?! I'm over it. 

But I'm really exicted, for two reasons: 

1. football is ALMOST over

2. The Giants made it to the Super Bowl!!! 

This is the boyfriend's team and therefore my secondary team. The Seahawks were out a long time ago, so I've been trying to be "the cool" girlfriend by supporting my man and rooting for the g-men. Usually this means me sitting on the couch next to him while the game is on reading food magazines but it's the thought that counts, right?! And I am actually excited that they made it to the biggest game of the year. It's something I can get amped up about and it's an excuse for me to make fun treats for us while we watch the game. Also, our good friend Tom is a die hard Patriots fan. It's sure to be a good game considering the last time they were in the Super Bowl together, the Giants stole the Patriots undefeated season for a win, oooooooo! Wanna see how the bet between the boys turned out last time?! Sorry Tom.

I wanted to do something a little different but familiar for the Super Bowl this year. After lots of thinking, I decided (with the help of my friend T) to make buffalo chicken won tons. A play on the classic wings without the mess or dealing with chicken on a bone (I'm not a fan of the fat, grizzle, and slime of this type of meat - I know, I know, I'm un-american). Plus I used chicken breast and baked the wontons instead of frying so they're healthier, you know, if it weren't for the cream cheese. But then again, cheese is dairy and dairy is good for your body :) 

I love these won tons because they have what I call the wow factor. Something that sounds fun and tastes good.I hope you enjoy them. What's on your menu for the Super Bowl this year? 

buffalo chicken won ton's 

yields about 50 - 60 wontons. Packages vary by weight, not count which is totally weird. You'll have enough filling for about 60 wontons.

ingredients:

1 - 8oz package cream cheese at room temperature

3 large chicken breasts cooked and finely shredded 

¼ c. blue cheese crumbles

¼ c. franks wing sauce

2 green onions finely chopped

1 package wonton wrappers (about 50 - 60 sheets)

Preheat oven to 400º F. In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, chicken, blue cheese crumbles, franks sauce, and chopped green onions. Combine until thoroughly mixed. If you want, you can combine it in a food processor to make it quicker. I would add the chicken chunks about halfway through if you're doing it this way. 

Next, get a small bowl of water and set up your assembly station (wrappers, mixture, water bowl, baking sheet). Take a damp paper towel and place it over the wonton wrappers - you don't want them drying out while you're making them all. 

Now to assemble. Place ½ TBSP of the chicken mixture in the center of the wonton. Gently rub a little water around 2 of the edges and fold to make a triangle. Press the edges tightly to seal them. If the mixture comes out of the seam, you know you have a little too much filling in there, use a little less of the mixture. Next fold one corner into the center and the other corner on top of that. You may need to secure those corners with a small drop of water too. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for the next 59 wrappers. 

Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Then bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the outside is golden brown. Serve with celery and carrot sticks and a side of ranch or blue cheese. Eat any leftover mix with some tortilla chips.

improv style:

you can use canned chicken, or cook up some chicken thighs instead or do a dark/light meat combo. to save time you could buy a rotisserie chicken and just shred the meat, then you're guaranteed nice juicy chicken. or you could use ground chicken or turkey as a last resort. you can use any kind of "wing sauce" you like. franks is a classic which is why i used that but i think going forward i'd use my own hot sauce. also, green onions are optional. i think the richness of the mixture needs a little sharpness to cut through it. if you don't have any you could use chopped celery instead or leave it out. 

if you wanted to be indulgent, after-all, it IS the super bowl, you could fry these babies in some oil. these can also be made a day or two ahead of time and then baked right before serving. just make sure you store them in an air tight container with a slightly damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. you could even pop them into the freezer and defrost and serve as you want... this is a very easy recipe, it just takes a little time to fill and fold all those wrappers! 

too much work to wrap all those won tons? i don't blame you... it's not for everyone. if you can't be bothered, try making buffalo chicken dip instead! use one less chicken breast and add a little heavy cream or half and half to thin the mixture up a bit. place in a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350º F for about 20 minutes until it becomes bubbly and warm. serve with pita or tortilla chips and carrots and celery sticks. dip away!

perfection

It's very rare when I stumble upon a recipe that needs no changing. My mom first made me this soup about 8 years ago and it was love at first bite. It's creamy, curried, perfectly balanced with a little kick from cayenne, fresh bursts of apple, rich and nutty from dry sherry, and subtle hints of herbaceous dill. This is hands down my favorite soup, EVER. 

If you're looking for a first course for your New Years Eve dinner party, this soup will knock the socks off of your guests. Plus, we all need a rich indulgent last meal before we swear off fatty foods in the New Year, right?! Who needs New Years Resolutions anyway! I promise this soup will not disappoint. 

apple, curry + chicken soup

slightly adapted from pasta & co

yields 3.5 pints (7 cups)

ingredients:

4 chicken breasts 

1 stick of butter (¼ lb)

5 shallots, finely minced

3 celery stalks, finely minced

1 T. curry powder

1 t. chicken bouillon (or 2 cubes)

2 t. dried dill 

1 t. ground black pepper

½ t. ground nutmeg

½ T. cayenne 

½ c. flour

1 c. dry sherry

1 c. chicken stock

¾ c. apple cider 

2 c. half and half

2 c. heavy cream

1 large granny smith apple finely diced (peeled and cored)

salt + pepper

In a large saute pan place chicken breasts with enough water to cover and gently simmer until cooked halfway through (about 6 minutes). Flip breasts over and cook for another 4 minutes until almost cooked. The chicken should still be a little pink in the middle. Chop or shred and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter and saute shallots and celery until soft (about 10 minutes). Once translucent and softened add your curry, chicken bouillon, dill, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add in flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add in sherry, chicken stock and apple cider. Stir until mixture becomes thick. Add in the chicken, cream, half and half, and chopped apples. Gently simmer for another 10 minutes to finish cooking the chicken. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 

improv style:

this recipe is fabulous and fatty... i get it if it sounds scary to consume so much fatty liquid. it's glorious, i promise. still not convinced? ok, ok... you can substitute for coconut milk, whole milk, or any kind of milk. but be warned, you're sacrificing texture and the richness. 

you can adjust the amount of cayenne if you don't like spicy or like it spicier. the cream balances out the spicy so well in this soup. i love spicy but i don't like to burn my tongue. that's what this soup is, balanced spicy perfection. you can use any kind of apple you have but granny smith is my favorite. also you could leave out the chicken or substitute it with tofu to make it vegetarian. if you don't have dry sherry, try using a cognac or brandy. shallots can be substituted for onions and dry dill can be substituted for fresh, just double the amount as fresh herbs aren't as strong in flavor as dried ones. not a fan of celery? me either... it really just adds a textural element to the dish. if you're still not convinced, leave it out, it will still turn out. you can make it gluten free by thickening it with cornstarch or rice flour. 

this is great as a soup but would also be awesome over rice or with rice mixed in. 

fig chicken

Remember last week when I told you I had plans for that fig + thyme jam?! Well, here's one thing I did with it...

I made a glaze and smothered it on some chicken breasts and baked it in the oven. This sauce, glaze, whatever you want to call it is so simple to make. It's got the gooey sweetness from the fig jam and some tang from mustard and a little apple cider vinegar. It's the perfect sweet savory balance for a weeknight meal. 

The first time I made the glaze was for Easter dinner. I smothered it all over my ham - heaven on earth! There's something special that happens when fig comes into play with a savory dish. 

This sauce would pair well with ham, pork loin, chicken, or turkey. I'm not a big seafood eater but I would imagine a fish like Salmon would pair really well with this glaze too. 

figgy glaze

adapted and inspired by Claire Robinson

yields almost a cup of sauce (enough for a half ham or 10 chicken breasts)

Ingredients:

½ c. fig + thyme jam

¼ c. mustard (I used yellow to make it yeast free, I would recommend dijon)

3 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. brown sugar

In a small sauce pan combine all your ingredients. Stir for a few minutes until the mixture is warmed through and the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. Once it's at room temperature spread on your favorite meat. 

In this case I did chicken breasts and baked in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes. 

improv style:

the first time i made this i added ¼ c. bourbon to the sauce. i know some of you who read this probably think i'm an alcoholic but i really believe that it adds a depth to the sauce. if it weren't for being yeast free i would recommend adding bourbon or brandy to the sauce. you can also use any type of mustard you like... grain, dijon, spicy, etc... you could try substituting the apple cider vinegar with balsamic which would play nicely here really it's about building a sauce/glaze/marinade to your taste... like it spicy? add some spice in the form of cayenne, sriracha, spicy mustard, etc... not a fan of mustard? i'm not usually either but in sauces like this i really love the complexity and tang it gives. you can leave it out and substitute a little stock or water to thin down the sauce. 

the ole standby

Everyone has that dish that they make over and over again. It's the meal you can rely on, the one that's quick to make, tastes delicious, and always hits the spot. It doesn't matter if your standby comes from a box, a bag, or you make it from scratch, it's there for you when you don't have the time. 


It's been one of those weeks... early mornings, late nights, hard workouts (ugh). When I'm having one of those days, or even those weeks, I turn to spinach chicken. No clever name, no complicated recipe... just quick, easy, simple food that hits the spot. About 2 years into dating Matt one of our friends asked him what his favorite dish I made was. He replied "Spinach Chicken". "What?!" I said. Really? He's so easy to please! I'll take it! 


If you're having one of those weeks, heck, even if you're not... spinach chicken can be your new best friend too!

Spinach Chicken
yields 5 - 6 servings


ingredients:
5-6 chicken breasts
1 shallot minced
2-3 garlic cloves minced
3 c. spinach leaves
4 T. (1 good glug) white wine - i like chardonnay, use what you have...
2 oz reduced fat cream cheese (about ¼ c.)
2 T. parmesan cheese
salt + pepper


Preheat oven to 350º. In a saucepan, heat a small drizzle of oil in the bottom of the pan. I use olive oil but anything to coat the bottom of the pan will do. Once pan heats up, add shallot. After 3 - 4 minutes add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add spinach and let it start to wilt. Once spinach starts to cook down a bit, add white wine (the steam will help it wilt completely). Finally add cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.


On a baking sheet, line your chicken breasts. Evenly spread cheese mixture over chicken breasts and cook in oven for about 15 - 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. It may take more or less time depending on the thickness and size of your chicken breasts. 


Serve with your favorite side(s). I usually do roasted potatoes and veggies or brown rice. You can even chop it up and place it over your favorite pasta. 


improv style:
the recipe is very flexible... basically you're creating a flavor spread to bake chicken with. if you don't have cream cheese you can use mascarpone, goat cheese, ricotta, or even brie! full fat, fat free, any work... the only thing you sacrifice with fat free is texture and a little flavor (it all depends on what your preference is). add a dash or worsteshire or dijon mustard to add more flavor. you can substitute yellow or sweet onions for the shallots or leave them out if you're not a fan. LOVE garlic?! add more... don't like wine? don't put it in. you can usually substitute chicken stock or any basic stock when a recipe calls for booze. also, adding in some mushrooms to this mixture would be so tasty! you can add your favorite veggies... red bell peppers, arugula, kale, sun dried tomatoes, eggplant - you get my drift?! mix and match your favorites! it's a really flexible recipe and very forgiving.

lunchtime snoozfest

I try to be good and bring my lunch to work every day. Not only does it keep me healthy but it helps me save a TON of money every month. Ironically, I didn't bring my lunch today. The problem with packing a lunch most days is 1. I don't have a lot of time in the morning and 2. sandwiches, while easy, get boring day after day. My new mission is to come up with some tasty and easy lunches for work.

This recipe is my first solve for the boring sandwich blues. I love this pasta salad, it's easy and quick to make. It fits perfectly into a small tupperware container and I can get it ready the night before aka more time for me to sleep in the mornings! This recipe is packed with flavor and the whole grains fill me up!

Lime Cilantro Pasta Salad

ingredients:

for the dressing:

¼ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. lime juice + zest

2 T. honey

1 small shallot minced

½ c. cilantro leaves packed

1 clove garlic

salt + pepper

for the salad:

1 c. whole wheat orzo pasta

2 chicken breasts (cooked and thinly sliced)

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. water

1 c. cherry tomatoes halved

cilantro leaves for garnish

yields 2 hearty servings

In a food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients and pulse until garlic, shallots, and cilantro leaves are pulverized (basically until you have your dressing at a consistency you like).

Meanwhile, heat chicken stock and water in a saucepan for the orzo. Cook orzo until al dente, drain pasta. Add lime cilantro dressing to the warm pasta. It will absorb more flavor this way. Combine chicken slices, tomatoes and cilantro leaves with the pasta. It's that easy! If you like, you can double the dressing recipe and marinade your chicken in it to add even more flavor.

improv style:

for the dressing you can substitute honey for agave nectar or a pinch of sugar instead. Also, you can make this with basil instead of cilantro and add mini mozzarella balls and tomatoes for an italian spin on the dish (think caprese salad)! the recipe isn't set in stone so substitute the herbs and veggies for ingredients you have on hand. don't have orzo? use a different pasta or even a quinoa or cous cous and make it gluten free! you can add some pine nuts or almonds for a bit of crunch too.

greek yogurt is the new sour cream

I will never forget the first time I had tikka masala. My boyfriend and I use restaurant.com to find new places to eat at a great price. They do deals where for $2 you get a $25 gift card to a restaurant, all you have to spend is $35 at said restaurant and you're good to go. Heck yes I'll pay $12 for dinner for 2! One of these restaurants we decided to try was Navya Lounge. Talk about a unique restaurant, it's like they combined 3 restaurants into 1. This place was Indian, Thai, and Russian all segregated but served in one place. Yes there are 3 separate menus.

The highlight of dinner was the amazing pink colored cream sauce that came on the side with the tikka masala. Yes, I now know what it is but I didn't then... When the waiter came by to ask how everything was, I said I'm gonna need more of this stuff (pointing to the sauce). I couldn't eat enough naan that night. I was in heaven and forever changed. Who knew I liked Indian? I had never tried it and I was sure glad I did! Since then I've had many tikka masalas, but none as buttery and rich as that sauce.

I decided to try my hand at making my own tikka masala. After searching tons of sites, I decided to make a version of this recipe. After making it the first time, I definitely changed it up to my tastes. The second and third times I made it I worked on tweaking it until I had it just right. While this is not the buttery and rich version I had at Navya, it's my tasty and healthy version of it. Which brings me to the title of this post. Many tikka masala recipes call for heavy cream. I LOVE heavy cream but I wanted to try my hand at greek yogurt instead. I thought the tang of the yogurt would add nice flavors in addition to it's cool, creaminess. I was right! For my lac-tarded boyfriend, it's much easier to digest than heavy cream too, which was an added plus!

I've been using a lot of greek yogurt in my cooking lately. It has 0 fat, TONS of protein and it adds really great flavor to food. I find myself substituting heavy cream and sour cream and using greek yogurt in it's place. I am a big heavy cream, sour cream girl so greek yogurt is like a miracle food to me! Greek yogurt has all the things I love about my not so ass friendly foods without all the guilt! Try topping it on soups, in tacos, and in your mashed potatoes, YUM!

Back to the task at hand... I know the list of ingredients sounds incredibly intimidating, but never fear, your regular grocer caries them all! It's quite the investment to make it the first time but you'll be able to make this dish tons of times after and you'll be happy you bought all those spices! I buy a lot of my spices from here. If for some reason you can't find them at your local grocer, you can definitely find them on that site. They're super fresh and they usually throw in 3-4 free samples. Like 8 free vanilla beans with every order!

I was surprised how easy this recipe is to make. Aside from needing a ton of spices, it's really similar to making a big batch of spaghetti sauce. Plop a bunch of ingredients into a pot and let it simmer away! It's THAT simple! Indian isn't just for dining out anymore, you can easily make it at home, I promise!

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from allrecipes.com

ingredients:

yields 6-7 servings

for the Chicken marinade:

4-5 medium sized chicken breast

1 c. plain greek yogurt

3 garlic cloves

1 T. fresh ginger

1 ½ t. ground cumin

1 ½ t. ground corriander

¼ t. ground cardamom

¼ t. ground turmeric

¼ t. cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion

2 large carrots

3 garlic cloves

¼ c. blanched almonds ground

1 t. fresh ginger

1 ½ T. garam masala (see above for store information)

1 ½ t. chili powder

½ t. cayenne (optional)

2 T. brown sugar

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

½ c. frozen peas

1 c. greek yogurt or heavy cream

Day before: the chicken needs to marinade overnight. In a large plastic bag or tupperware container, place the chicken breasts. In a separate bowl, chop the garlic and grate the ginger. Add the spices, and yogurt and pour the mixture over the chicken. Rub or stir the marinade so that the chicken is thoroughly covered. Let it sit overnight. The greek yogurt does something fantastic to the chicken. I've never had such JUICY and tender chicken breast until I marinaded it in the yogurt! The enzymes break down the proteins and get absorbed, trust me, it's fantastic!

Day of: preheat oven to 350º. In the food processor, blend almonds until a fine powder is formed, set aside. In a large deep skillet, sauté onion until just tender, add garlic and carrots and cook for an additional minute. Add both cans of tomatoes and stir. Next add the ginger, garam masala, chili powder, cayenne, ground almonds, and brown sugar. If you're not a big spicy person, LEAVE out the cayenne. As is, this dish turns out medium-spicy. If you can't handle the heat, leave it out! Simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes. Just before serving, add yogurt (or cream) and frozen peas. Stir and in 1 minute you're all set! Meanwhile...

Cover baking sheet in aluminum foil (this will save you so much time in clean up). Pull out chicken and place on baking sheet. It's ok if some of the marinade is still on the chicken. You don't want them drowning in the sauce but a little is just fine. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on how big/thick the breasts are. Flip them half way through for even baking. Once they're cooked through, pull them out and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then cut into bite sized chunks.

Serve with basmati rice, naan or if you're trying to be healthy like me, serve with brown rice and whole wheat naan.

improv style:

It's not traditional to put carrots and peas into tikka masala. Try adding your favorite veggies like potatoes or red peppers and mushrooms instead. You can leave them out if you're trying to be a purist. If you like it really spicy, add more cayenne. Vegetarian? Try browning up some tofu or paneer (an indian firm cheese with a tofu like consistency) instead.

OBSESSIONS

We all have them.

Currently I'm obsessed with anything Leopard print. I just found some fabulous leopard print cupcake papers at Sur La Table, oh do I have plans for you! But back to the task at hand...

A staple food obsession of mine is pumpkin. It all started my senior year of college. I'm not sure what brought it on but oh man am I happy it did. I'll never forget the day I fell in love with pumpkin. It was the middle of fall and I went to Noahs for my usual egg bagel toasted with schmear for breakfast. To my surprise, they were out. How could they be out of such a staple bagel flavor at the early hour of 12?! Oh, that's not what you consider an early hour? FINE! With my heart set on a bagel for breakfast I got the pumpkin bagel with pumpkin schmear. If I can't have my staple, I'm gonna go wild! Boy was I glad I did, HEAVEN! Coming home I decided I needed more pumpkin. I had a pumpkin scone for lunch but I still couldn't satisfy my need for pumpkin. I decided to make pumpkin pancakes for dinner and pumpkin cookies for dessert. I was obsessed.

I know to most people "pumpkin season" is over. For me, it never is! I made this Pumpkin Curry soup for my boyfriend about a month ago. It pairs perfectly with my Coconut Chicken Fingers. The first time I made the soup I did it with a fresh sugar pumpkin. The second time I used canned pumpkin, both turned out great! I give you Pumpkin Curry Soup and Coconut Chicken Fingers:

Pumpkin Curry Soup

ingredients:

1 small onion

2 tbsp curry powder

1 large clove of garlic

1 can pumpkin puree (or a small fresh pumpkin that's been roasted)

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

1 c. coconut milk (I used light, for a richer soup use regular)

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 pinch salt to taste

1/2 c. heavy cream (optional)

In a medium sized sauce pan saute your onion until transparent. Add curry powder and smashed clove of garlic (keep it whole) and let cook for 1 minute. Add roasted pumpkin or can of pumpkin, coconut milk, chicken stock and fresh ginger. Simmer soup for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors build. Transfer soup mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Place soup back in saucepan and add salt to taste. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Turn heat down and finish with a 1/2 c. heavy cream just before serving.

I've made it with and without the cream. Both are very tasty. Who am I kidding, everything is better with cream. If you're not trying to be good, go for it!

Garnish with dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt and some pomegranate or pumpkin seeds. I used greek yogurt and pomegranate seeds. The pomegranate ads a burst of freshness, I highly recommend!

improv style:

Don't have fresh ginger? Use a 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger instead. Like it a little spicy? add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Like your soup chunky? Don't puree it. Vegetarian? Use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

ingredients:

for the marinade:

6-8 chicken breast tenders

1/2 c. coconut milk (again, I used light)

1/2 c. greek yogurt

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp chile powder

1 pinch cayenne

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1/4 tsp salt

for the breading:

1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

3/4 c. shredded coconut (make sure it isn't sweetened)

salt and pepper to taste

dipping sauce:

1/2 c. greek yogurt

2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 375º. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and coat the chicken. Let marinade for at least 20 minutes. You can let it marinade over night if its easier. The yogurt makes the chicken really tender. This is some of the juiciest chicken I've ever had!

On a breading plate (just what I call the plate I put the crumbs on) mix all the dry ingredients together. Take the marinaded chicken and scrape off any excess yogurt. You don't need the chicken to be dry, a little yogurt is good to make the coating stick to the chicken strips, you just don't want it dripping with yogurt. Dredge the chicken into the panko/coconut mixture and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil before baking. Bake about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Half way through baking, flip the chicken so it browns on both sides.

Mix together the dipping sauce and serve! Matt (my boyfriend) likes to dip the chicken in the soup. You can serve it with your favorite dipping sauces or try the one I suggested!

improv style:

Love extra crunchy and golden chicken fingers? ME TOO! Fry the chicken strips instead of baking. If I wasn't trying to be "good" I would too! Don't like spicy? Leave the cayenne out. Try a sweet and sour or hoisin dipping sauce with it instead of the yogurt dip.