Thai Green Curry

Now that I’ve cooked this recipe several times, I thought it’d be a good idea to type it out and share it. My husband and I absolutely love green curry. I make this dish once every two weeks or so and it lasts for several meals. It even reheats well if you store the sauce separately from the rice and tofu!

Rice
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 14 oz cans coconut milk
4 T. green curry paste
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 t. salt, if needed
fresh lime juice, to taste
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
Favorite vegetables
fresh basil, to taste

Cook rice.
Sauté diced tofu in a frying pan.
While the tofu is cooking, combine coconut milk, green curry paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and salt in a saucepan. Taste and add salt or a touch more of any of the sauce ingredients, if desired. Add lime juice.
Stir in chopped vegetables and serrano pepper. Simmer until vegetables are cooked (6-8 minutes).
Dish up rice in a bowl. Add tofu and sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Notes:
I use Japanese white rice, the same type of rice that’s used in sushi.
We like 1 tablespoon of lime juice, sometimes more if the lime isn’t very strong.
My favorite vegetables for green curry are broccoli, onion, bell pepper, and canned pineapple.

私たちは食べましょう! Let’s eat!

Mondays – Kitchen Day

Today was Kitchen Day. Every Monday I spent time doing tasks like cleaning out the fridge and mopping the floor. I tend to make a mess in the kitchen over the weekend and it feels good to start the week with a newly sparkling kitchen.

I also spent some time learning more about and experimenting with my VitaMix. I used the dry container to make flour out of wheat berries. Very cool!

I used the flour to make banana bread in the toaster oven. It was browning very quickly and seemed cooked all the way through so I pulled it out seven minutes early. Hopefully it turns out alright! I guess we’ll know during breakfast tomorrow.

It’s been a very productive day. I hope everyone else has had a great Monday!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I don’t know if these are the world’s healthiest chocolate chip cookies but they sure are good!

My husband bought me one of these lovelies last week.


A box for me?


No, silly! A box within a box!

So far I love it! I’ve used it to make toast, garlic bread, homemade cookies, frozen pie, frozen vegan mac&cheese, and spring rolls. Next week, I hope to attempt a loaf of bread in the toaster oven. I’m hoping it will save money over the long run and keep the kitchen cooler this summer. I love Washington but we have no air conditioning for those rare 90 degree days!

Have you used a toaster oven to cook anything unusual?

Lasagna Dinner

Last week, my husband worked away from home one day. It was weird being home all day by myself! It was so quiet that I didn’t know what to do. The house echoed.

I had fun preparing a homecooked meal for my husband and presenting it to him when he walked in the door. The pictures aren’t exactly appealing, though! It appears lasagna is not very photogenic.

My whole wheat rolls turned out tasty but I didn’t spray the pan well enough. We were only able to eat the top halves. Oops!

The lasagna was spicy! If you want to try a vegan spicy lasanga, it’s a good recipe.

We are having a beautiful spring! I love the blossoms that are exploding around the area.

Minestrone

So far I’ve ironed the fabric for my monkey quilt… I will make progress!

If you like soup, I have a great recipe! This Minestrone with Tortellini and Pesto was really good.

As a vegetarian, I left out the bacon. I also used a vegan parmesan cheese to make the recipe completely dairy free.

I’ve never used leeks so I had to look up directions on how to prepare it. These instructions were fantastic. I loved the idea of cutting it into quarters lengthwise. It made it so easy to make the final slices!

If you try this recipe, please let me know! We definitely enjoyed it.

In my kitchen

I had a lot of fun in the kitchen last week, playing with the new blender and trying a few new recipes.

Raw Cashew Dip

Spicy Shiitake Mushroom Roll

Tortilla soup from VitaMix cookbook

Notes on last week’s recipes:
Portobello and Zucchini Tacos – We really liked the mushrooms and zucchini by themselves but the tacos were bland. We used vegan Daiya mozzerella cheese and it didn’t add much flavor.
Garlic Sesame Soba Noodles – Fantastic! Definitely a keeper recipe.
Raw Cashew Dip – We’ve discovered we don’t like plain hummus. I’m sure the recipe was good; it just wasn’t to our taste preferences.
Spicy Shiitake Mushroom Roll – FANTASTIC! This was the overwhelming favorite from last week (pictured above). It was so good, I am making it again tonight.

New recipes to try this week:
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Roasted Chickpea Tacos – carryover from last week
5 Minute Wrap
Crispy Fried Tofu with Sweet Chille Sauce – for Judy’s What’s Cooking challenge.

This post will be linked with Menu Plan Monday.

Concrete Goals for 2013

Kat has been discussing goals recently and how important it is to create specific goals rather than general New Years resolutions. My second 2013 resolution is to become more intentional, to spend my time more productively. I thought it would prove useful to write up specific goals and completion dates for several of the most important areas of my life.

Quilting
Abstract Goal – To improve my quilting skills.

Concrete Goals

  • Participate in the 350 Blocks Project. I have no intention of completing 350 blocks as that is way more than I have completed in the past three years total! But I am going to use the project as an opportunity to push myself to finish more (ongoing).
  • Complete four quilts this year. I am currently working on two, a personal lap-sized quilt (March 31) and a baby quilt (Feb 28) for my husband’s college friends’ baby. I also want to start and finish a quilt for my new nephew (April 30).

Japanese
Abstract Goal – To become fluent.

Concrete Goals

  • 30 minutes of study time each and every day (ongoing).
  • Find a language exchange pen pal and write an email once per week (Jan 31).
  • Take the JLPT N3 exam in December 2013. The exam tests reading and listening comprehension and is only offered once a year outside of Japan. We have a testing center here in Seattle. (Registration opens in the fall.)

Health
Abstract Goal – To lose weight.

Concrete Goals

  • Incorporate more fresh food in my diet by including at least one fruit or vegetable at every meal (start by Jan 31).
  • Start eating raw breakfasts at least three times each week (start by Jan 31).
  • Run at least three times per week and train to race a 10k by the end of the year (ongoing).

Homemaking
Abstract Goal – To become a better homemaker.

Concrete Goals

  • Finish organizing my recipe book so that I actually utilize it (March 31).
  • Try at least two new healthy recipes per week (ongoing).
  • Create and follow my daily chores list (Feb 15).

Of course, this does not cover all areas of my life. While I appreciate the challenge of tackling each of these goals, I am a bit overwhelmed by the number of changes it will require. This is why I will have to prioritize and revisit these goals often to make changes based on what is or is not working. I know that January is almost over but there is no better time than now to refocus!

What’s Cooking?

I have been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen lately. I haven’t been able to make the kitchen challenge of cream style corn but hope to later this week. I want to try this Corn, Chili, and Potato Soup. While searching up a cream style corn recipe, I came across a recipe for Black Bean and Sour Cream Enchiladas. The enchiladas are definitely going on the menu next week!

So what did I cook last week?

Banana/Raspberry/Spinach Smoothies

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (batter made in the VitaMix)

Banana/Strawberry/Spinach Smoothies

Apple assembly line

Apple Pie
The finished pie wasn’t much to look at, which is why I didn’t include a photo. I made applesauce with the leftover filling. It was good but very sweet, especially for someone who is used to buying her applesauce unsweetened!

I have several new recipes in the menu this week:
Portobello and Zucchini Tacos
Garlic Sesame Soba Noodles
Raw Cashew Dip
Spicy Shiitake Mushroom Roll
Roasted Chickpea Tacos

I hope to be able to make all of these recipes this week. I have all of the ingredients except the produce items and a couple of spices. Hopefully the $39 left in my grocery budget will cover everything!

This post will be linked with Menu Plan Monday and Judy’s What’s Cooking challenge.

What’s Cooking?

IMG_5876Bruno checks out my new Vitamix!

IMG_5877The first thing I make with it: a chocolate mint frappe

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Green smoothies – bananas, frozen strawberries, and a huge handful of spinach
(fulfilling this week’s kitchen challenge).
IMG_5884IMG_5885Fresh orange juice with breakfast.

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One of my favorite features? It cleans itself! Fill it up half way with water, add some soap, and let it blend for a minute. A perfectly clean blender without having to scrub or take it apart.

I have been saving recipes that require a blender or food processor for the past year. I’m so excited to finally have my VitaMix! There are so many possibilities!