Thai Chicken Soup with Rice

I like my chicken soup to be a little on the creamy side - usually I get this result by adding a can of cream of chicken soup to the pot, but yesterday I happened to be out so I had to get creative. The only creamy anything I had in my pantry was a can of coconut milk - this is what I came up with:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3-4 carrots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons red thai curry
3-4 cups cooked rice (great way to use leftovers!)

Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Add onion, celery, carrots and saute until softening (you could add other vegetables here as well - maybe snow peas or broccoli) Add garlic and ginger and saute a few more minutes until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro or fresh mint.

Kimbap (aka Korean Sushi)

I first saw this made by Andrew's stepmother who is from Korea. More recently, I learned to make it from a group of international students (or their spouses) who meet for a weekly culture group. You will be amazed at how easy and tasty it is! Most of the ingredients mentioned below can be found in an asian market - some of them may even be available in the ethnic section of your local grocery.

Start by making a batch of sushi rice. One of the best step by step tutorials on how to do this can be found here. One of the major differences between Korean and Japanese sushi (aside from not using raw fish) is the flavor of the rice. While Japanese sushi uses rice vinegar to flavor the rice, Korean sushi uses a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. Start off small and add to suit your tastes.

Lay one sheet of roasted seaweed (sushinori) shiny side down on a bamboo sushi mat.

Using the back of a spoon (or fingers well oiled with sesame oil) press the sushi rice in an even layer on the seaweed, leaving about 1/2 inch at one end.

Place your ingredients at one end of the sushi roll. We used pickled daikon, pickled burdock (often packaged together at asian groceries), steamed spinach (not pictured), and imitation crab. You can use pretty much anything you like. Some popular combinations can be found here.

Using two hands (when not taking a picture), roll the sushi tightly. Use the mat to get started, then let it fall back and just roll, pressing lightly so the rice will stick to the seaweed as you roll. When you get to the end, use a little bit of water to moisten the seaweed and seal the roll.

Voila! Here is your finished product! Using a sharp knife cut the roll into 1/2 inch slices.

And serve with your favorite dipping sauce - we especially like Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
Enjoy!

Asian Barbecue Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup honey

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 minced cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sliced scallions for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, scallions, ginger and cayenne pepper. Pour into recloseable plastic bag, add chicken, turn to coat, and marinate 1 to 2 hours in refrigerator. Remove chicken. Boil marinade in a small pan for 2 minutes. Arrange thighs on rack of broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack on foil-lined broiler pan; place pan on oven shelf on medium position. Broil about 7 minutes; turn and broil about 5 minutes more, basting occasionally with marinade until thighs are done, taking care not to burn. Garnish with scallions and serve.

I replace the honey with corn syrup or agave nectar since Andrew is allergic. I've also replaced the orange juice with lemon juice and it tastes just great as well.

Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe is easily adaptable for whatever meat or veggies your family will eat. I happened to have only broccoli and onions on hand so that's what I used. The thing that makes the dish work is the sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp cooking wine (can also use grape juice or apple juice)

2 Tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Blend the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. If you are using meat, cut into bite size pieces and cook until brown. Remove to a plate. Add veggies, cut into small pieces, to the skillet (you may need to heat a bit more oil first). Cook until firm tender - you still want them to have a good crunch. If using multiple vegetables, add the crispier ones first (like broccoli or carrots) and the softer ones (like snow peas or scallions) after the other vegetables have been cooking for a few minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. When the vegetables are cooked to the desired crispness, move them towards the outside of the skillet. Mix the sauce and pour in the middle of the skillet. Stir it around until it begins to thicken and then toss with the meat and vegetables. Serve over rice.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Can I just tell you how shocked I was when we sat down to eat and my kids LOVED these! I thought for sure the lettuce would put them off, but I have finally discovered the reason that iceberg lettuce exists... to get kids used to eating salad. We're all about baby steps here folks - the good stuff can come later, I'm just thrilled they're eating any kind of lettuce! This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks - Minutemeals: Quick & Healthy. Here it is with my alterations:

Brown 1 pound ground turkey. Add 3 scallions (sliced), 1 large garlic clove (minced), 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for about 2 more minutes then cover and simmer on low/warm to let flavors soak into meat. Serve wrapped in leaves of lettuce along with chopped cilantro.

Curried Chickpeas with Herbed Barley

We usually eat Indian curry, which isn't really my favorite, but this recipe calls for Thai curry - and I loved it! It's definitely spicier though, so I have to tone it down for the kids.

I used the meat that was leftover from the lettuce wraps, added a can of chickpeas, 1 tbsp red curry paste, and 1/2 cup water. Saute for a couple of minutes to mix in the curry and let simmer for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Wilt a bag of baby spinach and mix in with the bean/meat mixture. Serve over barley.

Herbed Barley

Heat 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp oregano, 1/4 teaspoon thyme until boiling. Add 1 cup quick cooking barley. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Crunchy Chicken Salad

This is the classic Ramen noodle and cabbage salad. My kids wouldn't touch it, but A and I finished off the whole bowl!

2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 cups shredded cabbage (I like Fresh Express Angel Hair cabbage shreds)
1 package chicken-flavored ramen noodles
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 flavoring packet from ramen noodles
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Place chicken and cabbage in mixing bowl. Break noodles up and add to cabbage with onions and sesame seeds. In small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, and 1 tsp ramen flavoring. Pour over slaw, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in slivered almonds. (Side note: I didn't have sesame seeds so I mixed a 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil in with the dressing - I think you actually get a better taste that way.)