Asian Chicken Noodle Soup / Peanut Coconut Curry Soup

Broth

1 whole chicken cut into parts
1 large bulb ginger, peeled and in chunks
6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
3 shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
15-20 peppercorns
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil (optional)
salt to taste

1. Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water
2. Add ginger, garlic, shallots, carrot, and peppercorns, simmer on low for 2 hours
3. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt; boil for another 1 or 2 hours
4. When soup is finished, strain ingredients to create broth
5. Shred chicken meat and put back into chicken


Filling

6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped and stems removed
4 green onions, chopped
1 small bulb ginger, made into a paste or very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Oil
Asian noodles (flat rice noodles or udon)

1. Saute mushrooms, green onions, ginger, and garlic in oil for 8-10 minutes, add to soup
2. 5-10 minutes before serving, add noodles (be sure they are soft if using dried)


To make it into Coconut Curry + Peanut Soup

Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of red curry paste (and 1 large spoon of peanut butter if you'd like)

Honey Ginger Lime Tea

Made this when Murat had tummy troubles, but had to doctor it because he hates ginger. I, on the hand, ADORE ginger, and much restraint was involved when trying to not drink the potion I had created for my patient. Anyway, served hot this really tasted like a nice autumn drink, but I can also see this being served cold as a really refreshing way to beat the heat in summer.


Ingredients

1 1/2 mugs of water
1 1x2 inch bulb of ginger
large pinch of cinnamon
1 small spoon of brown sugar
1 splash lime juice
1 small spoon of honey

Directions

1. Peel and chop ginger bulb into small pieces
2. Place into a pot with water and bring to a boil; continue to boil for 10 minutes
3. Add in cinnamon and brown sugar, continue to boil for 4-5 more minutes
4. Add in lime juice, turn off the heat, and add the honey
5. Strain into a mug and serve hot (can also be served cold with ice)

Salmon Cakes

To be honest, I wasn't too crazy about the salmon burgers I made before. These are more what I had in mind, and are way simple to make besides. Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 can salmon, drained
2 medium zucchinis, peeled and grated
2 green onions, chopped
1 large bunch of dill, chopped (you can never have enough dill!)
1/2 - 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (to hold it together)
4 T. mayonnaise
2 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 T. dijon or grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except olive oil together

2. Shape into patties (add more panko breadcrumbs if they aren't holding together)

3. Cook over olive oil on medium heat until slightly browned; there is nothing technically raw in this, so don't worry about undercooking; it's more to hold it together and give it a little crunch.

Cranberry Apple Cole Slaw

Not an original idea, but rather one based off of my friend Elizabeth's idea (and I think she based it on something else as well). Oh, well. Here is my interpretation; all measures are approximate, but anyway, it was super delicious! Murat thought it was too sweet, though, so adjust sugar level according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 purple cabbage, shredded (could also use green, if you like)

1-2 large carrots, grated
2 green onions, chopped
1 apple, diced
1 large handful dried cranberries
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 - 1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. mustard (optional)
small amount black pepper

Directions:

1. Just mix together, obviously.

Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

This isn't an original of mine (I modified it off one I found on the internet) but it was so yummy and easy I had to add it.

Ingredients:

5 anchovy filets, very finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
5 T. parmesan cheese + 1 t. for sprinkling at the end
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 T. lemon juice
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix together. There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Serve with 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped or torn, and croutons and chicken if you like.

Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant

Based on a recipe I found online, this is less work than it looks like other than the initial chopping bit. I made this using a whole chicken but I find it difficult to get both tender white meat AND fully cooked dark meat. Since I prefer light to dark, I'm changing this to chicken breasts, but if you like dark meat you can use that too, but cook it much longer on a simmer than you would for dark meat.

Ingredients:

A bunch of olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves and/or allspice (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1-2 lemons (for juice)
3 large tomatoes, diced
8 chicken breasts (I use bone-in and cut each breast in half)
1 cup water or chicken stock
3 small, skinny eggplants, unpeeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
Sliced almonds for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cook onions over medium-high heat in a LARGE pot until starting to turn translucent; add garlic and cook until fragrant but NOT burned.

3. Add your spices (salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and/or cloves) and cook for a minute or two

4. Add water/chicken stock, tomatoes, and juice from 1 lemon and bring to a boil

5. Meanwhile, drizzle 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplant in a baking dish; toss to coat, then pop in the oven until tender and starting to brown (stirring occasionally), about 25 minutes.

6. Add the chicken to the pot, stir in, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until eggplant is ready.

7. Add eggplant to cooking chicken, stir in, then continue to simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and tender.

8. Sprinkle with almonds before serving (it really adds a nice crunch, don't skip it!)