Posts Tagged sriracha

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Curry

The last few years, I’ve had relatively rotten luck with my garden. First, there are the evil crows in my neighborhood that take great delight in eating all my seeds and sprouts. (And these crows are smart! So smart, in fact, that I’m a little paranoid that they might read this blog post and punish me for it.) In addition, all the neighborhood cats think my raised beds are giant litter boxes. And, to be quite honest, I just don’t have the gift of a green thumb. I can grow herbs, greens, zucchini, and tomatoes. That’s about it.

Last year, I planted an heirloom pumpkin in my backyard. It was a gorgeous blue pumpkin, and it grew phenomenally well. It was the first time I’d planted pumpkin, and I was shocked. However, one day I came home to find that my beautiful blue pumpkin had met an untimely death. Our landlords had hired someone to trim the hedges in our backyard, and the trimmers somehow managed to stomp my poor pumpkin to death. There was no salvaging the plant or the fruit, the pumpkin was gone. I was crushed.

After the great pumpkin debacle of 2013, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to attempt growing pumpkins again. But, I decided to give it one more shot. I planted one little sugar pie pumpkin plant in my front garden (nowhere near the hedges!). Despite my best attempts to kill my garden (read: it was a very hot summer and I was very pregnant), I did manage to grow a few things this year, including one adorable little pumpkin.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my one adorable little pumpkin. I probably should have made a pie with it – after all, it is a sugar pie pumpkin – but, pies just aren’t my strong suit. And I wanted to make something out-of-the-ordinary. Something unexpected. So, I made curry with my one little garden pumpkin. And you know what? Pumpkin curry was a great decision. It was everything I hoped it would be — sweet, savory, and spicy. It was rich and comforting, and the perfect meal for a chilly fall evening. (And we ended up with plenty of leftovers that I froze for post-baby meals! Win!).

The moral of the story is: when life hands you a pumpkin, make curry. The end.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Curry

Adapted from Table for Two Blog

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) of coconut milk
2 cups pumpkin puree**
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (red chili garlic paste, or sub Sriracha hot sauce)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 red potatoes, washed and cubed
3 chicken thighs
1 cup frozen peas
Optional garnishes: Cilantro, plain yogurt, Sriracha

Instructions

In the bowl of your slow cooker, mix together the coconut milk, stock, sambal, fish sauce, pumpkin puree and spices. Once combined, add in the garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and whole chicken thighs.
Cook on low for 6 hours, or the vegetables and chicken are cooked all the way through and the curry is thick and rich. (The chicken should be tender and fall apart on its own, or you can help it along and shred with a fork.) Add in the peas 15-20 minutes before serving, stirring to combine. Allow the peas to heat all the way through before serving.
Serve curry with basmati rice, and garnish with Sriracha, cilantro, and plain yogurt if desired.
Note: After 6 hours in the slow cooker, the curry liquid was still a little thin for my liking, so I transferred it to a Dutch oven and finished it on the stovetop. I cooked it over medium-high for 15-20 minutes and let it reduce until it was quick thick. It turned out perfectly!

Notes

**To make your own pumpkin puree, simply cut a small pumpkin in half. Remove stem and scoop out the seeds (leave the skin on). Brush pumpkin flesh with olive oil. Roast (flesh side down) on a lined baking sheet in a 400(F) oven for 35-45 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft and roasted all the way through. Scoop the roast pumpkin out of the skin and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.

http://rosemarried.co/2014/10/12/slow-cooker-pumpkin-curry/

Friday Favorites: Super Bowl Snacks Edition

In general, I’m not one to write holiday-themed blogs or recipes. Most holiday food comes across as cheesy and inauthentic: heart-shaped cookies and lots of red food coloring for Valentine’s day; eyeballs and severed fingers and candy corn for Halloween; red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. I’m sorry, it’s just not my thing.

And then there’s the Super Bowl. I’m a little astonished by my enthusiasm for the day, considering that I don’t particularly like football. But you know what I do like? The Puppy Bowl. And clever commercials. And lazy Sunday afternoons. And most importantly, I love SNACKS. Especially snacks that are bad for you, such as: pizza, nachos, wings, chips, dips, etc. I love it all. Granted, I don’t often indulge my junk food cravings. I usually eat whole and healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, rice, and organic and free range meat. But this is my one day a year that I throw out all of my food rules. I allow myself to eat junk food. I’m not gonna lie, I look forward to this day every year. I especially look forward to devouring handfuls of Salsa Verde Doritos (they are my most favorite of all the guilty pleasures).

In light of my love for Super Bowl snacks, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite snack and appetizer recipes. (I’ve even included a few healthy – and vegan! – options, for those who would like to enjoy lighter fare during the big game.)

Enjoy! And go Blazers! (Get it? Because I don’t like football…)

Sriracha and White Bean Dip | Rosemarried

Sriracha and White Bean Dip from Rosemarried

FRIDAY FAVORITES: SUPERBOWL SNACKS (ON SNACKS ON SNACKS):

Sriracha and White Bean Dip – My own recipe (and one of my all-time favorite dips). Spicy, easy, delicious.

Lemon Basil Hummus – My own recipe. Vegan, vibrant, and full of flavor. Would go great with pita chips and/or veggies.

Avocado Tomatillo Salsa – Chef Kelly Myers from Xico’s recipe for a fresh, bright, and tangy salsa. No cooking required, just throw everything in a blender and you’ve got salsa!

Garlicky Party Bread – from The Smitten Kitchen. Looks so good (and yet, so bad for you).

Ike’s Fish Sauce Wings – Portland Monthly Magazine was kind enough to share the recipe for Pok Pok’s famous (and insanely delicious) chicken wings.

Creamy Brussels Sprout and Shallot Dip – by The Minimalist Baker. I’ve made this recipe several times, and it always delivers. I prefer this dip to spinach artichoke dip.

Vegan ‘Tuna’ Stuffed Piquillo Peppers – from Mary Eats. My friend Mary is an inspiration. She is very dedicated to a healthy and mostly plant-based diet — and she managed to create an amazing (and healthy) Super Bowl recipe. Mad props to her. (Granted, Vegan Tuna does sound a little scary at first, but as I read the recipe and saw the ingredients I changed my mind. This sounds awesome.)

Guacamole – by 101 Cookbooks. I’m obsessed with Heidi’s avocado dip with mustard seeds, serrano chilies, and curry powder — but I do not believe that recipe is online. (It can be found in her Super Natural Every Day cookbook and I highly recommend it). I’ve not tried this guacamole recipe yet, but if it’s anything like her avocado and mustard dip, it’ll be nothing short of amazing.

Stilton & Shallot Paté – recipe from Ramson’s & Bramble. I think this is just a fancy way of saying “Blue Cheese Dip”. Whatever it is, I want to eat it.

Kimchi Breakfast Bowls

Nich and I went out to brunch a couple of weeks ago and ordered a few things to share. I don’t recall anything else we ate that morning, but I do know we had a delicious breakfast bowl with a fried egg and kimchi. I’ve been craving it ever since.

The funny thing is that I’ve been making a similar rice bowl – Eggs in a Nest – for years. I just never thought to add kimchi into the mix.

I’m not sure why, but the kimchi makes all the difference. It’s tangy, it’s funky, and it’s good. (If you’re not a fan of kimchi, then you’re out of luck. But you should seriously reconsider. Kimchi is wonderful!)

In addition to the funky goodness of kimchi, this recipe is also great because it can be made a million different ways. I basically just sauteéd a few vegetables I had in the fridge (green beans, onions, red bell peppers, kale) and tossed them atop some brown rice. I then topped that with a healthy portion of kimchi and a fried egg. Lastly, I poured kimchi juice (the fermenty goodness left in the jar) and Sriracha over the whole thing.

I devoured the whole bowl in seconds and felt like a champ. I highly recommend you do the same.

KIMCHI BREAKFAST BOWLS
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 heaping cup of kale, roughly chopped
1 small red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly
Olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Various other fresh vegetables: zucchini, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, snap peas, etc.
1/2 cup kimchi, at room temperature (homemade or store bought. I’m a sucker for Choi’s Kimchi, which I get at the PSU Farmer’s Market in Portland. It’s SO stinking good.)

Optional sauces: Sriracha and/or Gochujang

Method:

If you made your rice ahead of time and left it to cool (or stored it in the refrigerator), warm the rice in the microwave or on the stovetop. If your kimchi has any liquid in the jar, pour a little of the kimchi juices into the rice to season it. Stir, and set aside.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Once the oil is hot, add in the onions. Cook for 1-2 minutes before adding in the rest of the vegetables (except for the kale). Season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Once the vegetables are cooked (and starting to caramelize), add in the chopped kale. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to low, and allow the greens to wilt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the kale (and other veggies) are fully cooked.

Divide the rice between two soup bowls. Portion the kimchi and the sauteed vegetables between the two bowls of rice. Set aside. In the same pan you used to cook the veggies, fry two eggs.

Once the eggs are cooked to your liking (I like the yolk nice and runny!), place a fried egg atop each rice bowl. Douse with a hefty squirt of Sriracha (or Gochujang. or both!). Add salt and pepper if needed.

Sriracha & Blackstrap Molasses Pulled Pork

June is just one giant party after another.

While I’m trying to catch my breath from the madness of May (which includes Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday), June comes along with Father’s Day (June 19), my mom’s birthday (June 18), my parent’s wedding anniversary (June 3), and my own wedding anniversary (June 20).

There’s just so much to celebrate!

So, rather than try to celebrate each individual event, my family decided to have one celebration that would cover all the various birthdays and holidays. Originally, our plan was to BBQ and laze about in the sun and eat delicious food together. There was talk of ribs and homemade ice cream! But, the Portland forecast had other ideas. The weather this past weekend was quite lame, to say the least. A BBQ was not in the cards.

But, I wasn’t willing to let the weather win. I was feeling sassy and summery and so I decided to make pulled pork sandwiches. Pulled pork has all the flavor and attitude of BBQ, but can be done indoors with a slow cooker. Done and done.

I’ve made pulled pork a few times over the years and it is always a hit. It’s one of those dishes that is hard to screw up. Throw some pork in a slow cooker, add some seasonings, and walk away for 8 hours. That’s my kind of cooking!

Since I was making the pulled pork for a special occasion, I wanted to jazz up the recipe a bit. I’m not a big fan of ketchup (OK, I think it’s nasty), but a lot of pulled pork recipes use ketchup as part of the sauce base. I was in need of an unconventional and ketchup-free pulled pork. So, I turned to my trusty pantry to see what I could find. I was in luck! I had a few key pantry staples on hand that I knew would work together to make a fabulous BBQ sauce: tomato paste, Sriracha, and blackstrap molasses. The tomato paste would bring the tangy tomato element we’re all used to in BBQ sauce, the Sriacha would add heat, and the molasses would add depth and sweetness.

So, I went for it. I threw it all in a crock pot, walked away for hours, and crossed my fingers that would all work. Thankfully, it did work. It was absolutely and positively delicious. It was everything pulled pork should be – spicy, complex, sweet, smoky, and flavorful. My family and I happily devoured our pulled pork sandwiches (and cole slaw, and potato salad, and cantaloupe, and strawberry shortcake…) and thoroughly enjoyed our celebration of all June holidays. What can I say? I’m a lucky lady. So much to celebrate, and so many wonderful people to celebrate with.

So, here’s to you, June. Here’s to wedding anniversaries, fathers, mothers, celebrations, and a big batch of pulled pork.

Blackstrap Molasses & Sriracha Pulled Pork
(Serves 6)

1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
3-4 lbs pork shoulder

Sriracha & Blackstrap Molasses BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce (more/less depending on how much spice you want)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Spice rub:
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

Method:

Prepare the pork: Mix all spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub the outside of the pork with the spices, and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cooking (can do this the night before).

Slice the onion thinly, and place most (3/4) of the onion slices in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cut pork shoulder down into large chunks (2-3 inches) and trim off any excess fat. Place pork pieces atop the onion slices in teh slow cooker. Toss the last onion slices on top of the pork.

Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients: tomato paste, cider vinegar, molasses, Sriracha, ground mustard and black pepper. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the pork in the slow cooker, reserving the rest of the sauce mixture for later. Cook pork on low heat for 8 hours (Note: I started my pork at 9:30am and needed it to be done by 4 pm. I cooked it on low all morning, but at 2pm I turned the heat up to high.)

When the pork is ready, it should be falling apart and ‘fork tender’. Remove pork (and onions) to a bowl. Discard gristle and shred the pork with 2 forks until desired consistency. Pour any liquid left in the crockpot into a jar, skimming off any unwanted fat. Once the pork has been shredded, place back in the crockpot. Stir in the reserved Sriracha BBQ sauce with the pork. Pour back in some of the cooking liquid, until the pork is moist and juicy.

Serve with yummy buns/bread, coleslaw, and whole grain mustard. (YUM.)

*Note: While the recipe does not start with much liquid, you’ll find the end result to be very moist. As the pork cooks down, it simmers in its own fat and juices. I found there was almost too much liquid, hence why I removed the pork from the liquid and then poured back in the desired amount of liquid. This ensures that you don’t end up with soupy pulled pork sandwiches!

Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad.

I absolutely love this recipe.

If left to my own devices, I would probably eat this particular salad multiple times a week. I crave it often (and therefore, I make it often).

There’s not much I can say about the recipe, only that you need to try it for yourself. So I encourage you to do just that! Give this salad a try — I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Happy Friday, everyone. Here’s to the weekend (and delicious peanutty noodle salads!)!

Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad

1 package rice noodles
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 small carrots, julienned
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

For the peanut sauce:
3/4 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey (*could substitute brown sugar, but I prefer honey)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, smashed
The juice of 1 lime
A generous helping of Sriracha hot sauce (to taste & according to your love of spice! Start with a little and add more as needed!)

Garnishes:
Bean Sprouts
Lime Wedges
Chopped Peanuts
Sriracha sauce

Method
Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and allow to cool. Toss with a bit of sesame oil to ensure that the noodles don’t stick together.

In a small pan, cook red onions with a bit of sesame oil over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes (until soft). Set aside. (*Note: I cook the onions to reduce their potency and given them a slight caramelized flavor. You could include them in the salad raw, I simply prefer to cook them a bit first).

Blend all peanut sauce ingredients together in a food processor. Taste, and adjust to your liking. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a bit of water to thin.

Toss the noodles, peanut sauce, red peppers, carrots, and red cooked onions together until evenly coated. Garnish with fresh lime wedges, bean sprouts, and chopped peanuts.

*Note: While this salad is good leftover, it is best if eaten immediately!

A Trio of Quail Eggs.

What do you do when a friend gives 3 dozen quail eggs?

Before I answer that, let me set the stage.

It was a Friday night, and we had friends coming over for a little Sushi dinner party. I was on appetizer duty, Nich was in charge of the sushi-making (as I can’t make a pretty sushi roll to save my life), and friends were bringing drinks and a host of other goodies.

I was originally going to make regular old sushi appetizers: edamame and miso soup. But then, that very day, my co-worker brought me a carton full of beautiful little quail eggs. I was so excited!

Immediately, I began dreaming up teeny tiny appetizers. For any of you that know me well, you know I’m a bit of a deviled egg fanatic. I own not one, but two, vintage deviled egg platters. So, it should come as no surprise to you all that I was thrilled about the prospect of making deviled quail eggs. In fact, I’d been wanting to make them for a long, long time. Since these particular eggs were going to be paired with a sushi dinner, I decided to go with a Wasabi Lemon Deviled Quail Egg:

I quickly whipped up a batch of my darling little deviled quail eggs, and I still had so many eggs left! I had to figure out what to do with the rest of them. So, I began to dream up other appetizers. Since I wanted to keep with the sushi theme (and stick within the realm of Asian flavors), my next thought was to simply fry up the quail eggs and pair them with a soy sauce reduction. But, then, I had a better idea: I was going to recreate Susan Feniger’s Kaya Toast.

For those of you who don’t know her, Susan Feniger is an accomplished chef (also a contestant on Top Chef Masters) who owns a couple of restaurants in Los Angeles — Border Grill and Street. During our last trip to LA we stopped in for lunch at Street, as we were told that we had to try Feniger’s Kaya toast. We were not disappointed…it was deeeeeeelicious! As far as I can remember, Kaya Toast consisted of a large slice of toasted white bread that was slathered with coconut jam, topped with a fried egg, and served with a dark soy sauce reduction. It was the perfect marriage of sweet and savory.

So, back to quail eggs. Once I remembered the magic of Feniger’s Kaya Toasts, I decided that I was going to make my own mini versions. The only problem: we had friends coming over in 3 hours and I had no coconut jam. Since I didn’t have the time to make my own jam, I frantically searched my local specialty grocery store for any exotic jam that might work. And, I was in luck! I happened upon a jar of ginger jam. I knew the ginger would work well with the soy and the egg, and so my own mini versions of the kaya toasts were born:

Lastly, I must credit the almighty Google for my third quail appetizer. By this point, I was dead set on the idea of a trio of quail egg appetizers. I wanted each of my guests to have 3 separate and distinct quail egg bites. Since my own brain wasn’t coming up with a third option, I turned to Google to help me out. After a quick search, I saw that Ping restaurant serves a Bacon Wrapped Quail Egg with a Sriracha Sauce. I didn’t know you could DO that — hardboil an egg, wrap it in bacon, and top it off with the best hot sauce known to man. I looked no further for other ideas: this was the perfect bite to round out my quail egg trio. I hard boiled the eggs, wrapped them in applewood smoked bacon, and topped them with a creamy sriracha sauce.

I will end this post by saying that our Friday night sushi party was the epitome of all that is delicious. These appetizers were only the beginning of a night of good food with good friends. I was grateful to be given such a fantastic ingredient (quail eggs!), which inspired me to make a few fancy little appetizers.

The moral of the story is: When life hands you 3 dozen quail eggs, make some dainty (and delicious) appetizers for your friends. It will be great, I promise.

(Note: I chose not to write out the recipes for the appetizers here, as I wasn’t sure how many of you have regular access to quail eggs. However, I am more than happy to share my recipes! Please leave me a comment or email me at lindsay dot strannigan @ gmail dot com and I’ll gladly send you the recipes!)