Thursday, May 24, 2012

Curry

1 TBS red curry paste
13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1 chicken breast
1 1/2 TBS fish sauce
2 TBS sugar
one can bamboo shoots
1/4 red pepper
1/4 green pepper
1/4 small onion
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

In a bowl, whisk together curry paste and coconut milk. Transfer to pan or wok and mix in chicken, fish sauce, sugar and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Mix the red bell pepper, green pepper and onion into the sauce pan or wok. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pineapple, serve over cooked rice.

***
My friend, Ashley, made this for me one night, and I could NOT get enough of it.  I made it myself tonight, and it turned out perfectly!  This is SO YUMMY!!!!!  You could definitely leave out the chicken and add other veggies.  You can find canned bamboo shoots in the Asian aisle, they are tasty!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Amaranth Hot Cereal

This recipe makes 2 servings.

The evening before, soak 1/2 cup amaranth in a bowl of water.

In the morning, rinse the amaranth well in a fine-mesh strainer with cool water.  Transfer to a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water and a small pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir and serve!

I like this best with a splash of milk, a sliced banana and some frozen berries.  YUM!

Note:  Cooked amaranth DOES have a slight crunch to it...it does not mean the grain isn't cooked.


Amaranth is high in protein and contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals.
AmaranthAmaranth, available at Amazon.com.

Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a balance of amino acids. These grains are round and tiny, smaller than mustard seeds. gold in color with flecks of black. It has a crunchy texture and is very chewy.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Ideas for using Chia seeds

Wondering how to use chia seeds? Chia seeds are very easy to incorporate into your diet. Below is a list of ways I have used them in my recipes. I would love to hear of your unique ways of using chia seeds.
1. Mix 1 dessertspoon of chia seeds with a quarter cup of water to make an egg substitute for baking cakes and cookies.
2. Add chia seeds to apple juice to make “sago”.
3. Grind seeds and add to hot milk to make a “porridge”
4. Mix seeds through yogurt.
5. Add seeds to soup to thicken.
6. Grind seeds and mix with flour, milk and eggs to make pancakes.
7. Add seeds to salad dressings.
8. Eat Chia seeds whole and raw as a snack.
9. Add whole seeds to diluted fruit juice to make Chia Fresca.
10. Make Chia Pudding by adding whole seeds to milk, nut milk or soy milk.
11. Blend chia seeds into smoothies.
12. Make a “lassie” by blending chia seeds, yogurt and fruit juice.
13. Add chia seeds to beaten eggs, soak for 10 minutes and make an omelette.
14. Mix with worcestershire or bbq sauce and brush over barbequed meats.
15. Add ground chia seeds to flour when making bread.
16. Make chia pan bread by combining chia seeds, eggs, milk, flour and baking powder. Cook in a heavy based pan with a lid on.
17. Add whole chia seeds to a cake batter to make a heavy poppy seed like cake.
18. Add seeds to stews to thicken.
19. Throw some seeds into a stir fry.
20. Make a thin batter of ground chia seeds and milk and cook in a slow oven to make crackers.
21. Sprinkle seeds over a salad.
22. Pureed fruit, chia seeds and a little fruit juice is a good topping for ice cream.
23. Stir whole seeds through cooked lentils.
24. Soak seeds in beaten eggs and use this mix to make a frittata.
25. Cook brown rice in vegetable stock and stir chia seeds through when rice is cooked.
26. Top a cheesecake with chia seeds soaked in fruit juice to make a gel toppingl.
27. Add whole or ground seeds to cookie mixes.
28. Mix ground seeds with ground beef to make meatballs.
29. Cook brown rice in apple juice, add grated apple and stir whole chia seeds through the mixture for a tasty dessert.
30. Toasted ground chia seeds mixed with honey and cinnamon makes a wonderful base for cheesecake.
31. Add whole seeds to granola.
32. Mix white chia seeds that have been soaked in milk through mashed potatoes.
33. Sprout the seeds and use in salads.
34. Mix ground seeds with butter or peanut butter for a nutritious spread.
35. Cinnamon, ground chia and butter is great on hot scones.
36. Add a desert spoon of black seeds to a green jelly mix for “frogs egg jelly”.
37. Spread a mixture of honey, cinnamon, dried fruit and ground chia on to filo or puff pastry sheets, roll up and cook in a hot oven.
38. Mix the seeds, whole or ground through Nutella.
39. Add ground seeds soaked in an egg to bind a hamburger mix.
40. Soak chia seeds in milk and mix through hot oatmeal.