Cold Weather and Hot Caribbean Chicken Curry

Another frigid night last night. I have come to the conclusion that my dog loves the cold weather because the lower the temperature gets, the more he asks me to go outside. I shouldn't complain because he at least asks to go outside although I would understand if he just wanted to pee on a towel inside. IT'S TOO COLD! Silly groundhog and his stupid shadow. I had the urge to just warm up inside like that Campbell's soup commercial where the snowman melts and he turns in to a boy. Problem was, I didn't want just any ordinary soup. Chicken and stars is so plain and boring.

Luckily, I flipped through one of my many cookbooks and I found the recipe for Caribbean Chicken Curry, thanks Family Circle. For thai food fans out there, you know how good curry is, not only just the flavor but the way it fills the air within a square mile of the stove. The nice thing about this curry was the cayenne pepper. I was going to beat the cold by spicing up the belly. And as always, I knew it was going to make enough for leftovers.

260 calories. 3 g fat. 29 g protein. Got your attention yet? Just wait till you taste it. Oh Curry you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind. Hey CURRY!

So here is what you'll need:

• 1.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut each in to 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2- 1 large onion, sliced
• if you love onions, use the full onion, I only used half an onion
• 2 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• if you like it spicy, go with 1/2 tsp, that's what I used and I was sweating
  
• 2 2/3 cups nonfat milk
• 2 cans (10 oz) fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 large mango, chopped
• if you have never used mango, use mango with a ripe reddish skin, watch out for the large seed
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

1. Spray the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray. Heat to med-hi.
2. In a bowl, whisk milk into soup
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in pot for 5 min until lightly brown or cooked through.
4. Remove chicken from pot.
5. Lightly spray pot again and add onion and garlic. Cook until softened about 3 min. Stir in curry powder and cayenne and cook for 1 min.
6. Add the soup mix to onion mixture. Add chicken, tomato, mango. Partially cover and simmer for 30 min.
7. Serve over brown rice.

Talk about hitting the spot. The warm soup consistency coated my bones and insides to make me forget about the winter. Not to mention, adding it to rice made it feel like a really hearty chowder. We just ate the curry out of a bowl with a spoon. Watch out if you're lactose intolerant, you might need a lactaid. It was an easy meal to make even after I accidentally dropped the measuring spoon with the curry. Had to go for a last minute spice run but it was worth it. It was great as is, but my girlfriend and I are debating on how to make it more unique and give it more color. You might see this dish again down the line. Who know's it might have a little basil, maybe some bell peppers, even some shredded coconut. Like I've said in the past, I love playing with food. Recipes are just guides and shouldn't be followed all the time.

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Chinese food CAN BE healthy.... Like this Sesame Chicken

I love Chinese food. I love Thai food. My only problem with it is that you can't really live off it because some of my favorites are so bad for you. So of course I've learned to cook my own. You'll be surprised how easy it is to cook these meals. The toughest part is the prep. If you are shy around knives, get someone else to do it or pick up one of the devices that does all the work for you. I just earned back my privileges of wielding a sharp knife, let's just say band aids are a treasured commodity. I use this chopper and since getting it, I've pretty much become dependent on it.

Another nice thing about Asian dishes is that you know it always tastes amazing as left-overs so you're going to be more likely to want to save it for work the next day. I'm happiest with people that don't like leftovers, because then I end up with great lunches.

When time is limited, this dish never fails. Just defrost the chicken overnight, quickly chop all the veggies, and get it all going. I can't see it taking longer than 30 min. Just remember to toast the sesame seeds.

We dove right in to the food so I forgot to plate it nicely. It still looks good in the tupperware.
350 cal (including the brown rice)

So here is what you'll need:

• 4 Boneless chicken breast halves cut into 1 inch cubes (1 lb)
• cooking oil spray
• 1/2 cup half sweet green and half red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 2 tsp Finely chopped fresh ginger, or use powdered
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced or chopped
  
• 1/4 cup Sesame seeds, toasted and cooled
• Toast sesame seeds in dry skillet over med heat, shaking skillet, until lightly golden, 3-5 mins. Add seeds once skillet is hot.
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Shake chicken & seeds in plastic food storage bag to coat.

2. Spray a large skillet with oil over med heat. Add peppers, saute 3 to 5 mins or until slightly softened. Remove to a large bowl and keep warm.

3. Spray oil in skillet over med-high heat again. Add chicken, saute until browned, 4-5 mins per side. Add to peppers in the bowl.

So far all we have done has been to drop our prepped food to cook. No fancy tricks. You can start cooking the brown rice at the same time. Our favorite is Kraft Minute Brown rice. 10 minutes and you're done.

4. Reduce heat to low. Add teriyaki sauce, ginger, pepper flakes and garlic. Bring to boiling just to thicken sauce slightly. Return chicken and peppers to skillet, tossing to coat with liquid.

Hopefully you chose a skillet large enough for all your food. If you have a wok in the kitchen, use this. You can then add the rice to the wok after you coat the chicken and peppers.

5. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve chicken over the cooked rice if desired.

The chicken hit the spot. I just happen to be a HUGE fan of scallions so I loaded it on like it was a baked potato. Tasted like an authentic asian dish. We were just missing the decorations, the wonton soup and some sake. I don't really know enough about sake to seek it out, but I know if it tastes great then it should be good. I just learned that good sake is consumed cold, restaurants heat it up to hide the flaws.

After your next kung fu class, find some chopsticks, practice your swordsmanship with the veggies and enjoy this meal tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

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