A recipe thread!

Low-effort Not-bad Curry (inspired by this far superior but more time-consuming original)

- toast 2 tsp cumin seeds in a splash of oil
- before they burn (be quick, if you are me!) dump in half a bag frozen chopped onions and 4 chopped serrano peppers
- saute until onions are well-cooked, then add a scoop of jarred minced garlic and saute a few more minutes
Then add:
-- two cans chickpeas
-- two cans sweet potatoes, drained
-- half a can to a whole can coconut milk (depending on how soupy/rich you want it)
-- spoonful of jarred ginger paste (also maybe coriander seeds would be good, I didn't think to put any in)
-- curry powder
-- spoonful of tamarind paste dissolved in hot water
Then simmer until everything is hot, and eat!

I like to do more or less the same thing, but with tomatoes and coriander leaves in addition to the chickpeas. My friend (who is Indian) taught me the trick of adding turmeric powder to the onions while sauteeing. It draws the moisture out of them and softens them up really quickly. If you can get a hold of some turmeric and coriander powder, it makes curry awesome. (Use the coriander sparingly, it has a bitter tinge).

But the laziest curry of all is a brick of Japanese curry. Just melt that stuff down.

Oreo Truffles.

Crush one package Oreo's (place in a Ziploc bag and beat/crush/mutilate, kids will love this step) . Mix three cups crushed Oreo's with eight ounces softened cream cheese, blend well (if you've got kids then they can do this with their hands. Form into balls and dip in semi sweet bakers chocolate (you can use chocolate chips provided the humidity's not too high). Sprinkle the remaining crushed Oreo's over the truffles and refrigerate.

These are awesome.

If LFG ever gets the forum back up, I can copy my stuff from over there. I've got a few things on there, like my bacon mac & cheese.

Quick, we need a protein rich side dish, make beans!

Drain one can of beans. Any kind will do, but white beans such as canolini, great northern or navy work best. Chop one or two cloves of garlic (do not mince, the chunks should be fairly large). Heat a teaspoon or so of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic, a half a teaspoon of dried oregano, a half a teaspoon of dried basil and fresh ground pepper and let sizzle until the garlic is lightly golden.

Add the beans and stir. Add enough vegetable broth to come up to the bottom of the top layer of beans, about a quarter cup or so. Add a couple teaspoons of tamari* and stir. Bring to a simmer and simmer for five minutes.

If the liquid is still very thin, mash up some of the beans with a fork, stir them back in and simmer for a few minutes longer.

_____
* tamari - this is a soy sauce that does not contain wheat. For the gluten free folk, this is manna. For everyone else, it's simply the best tasting soy sauce available.

*drool* I'm going to have to try this. Wait, does tamari contain MSG?

Easy baked potatoes? Yes, please!

Pierce the potatoes several times. Take some olive oil and brush it over your potatoes. Make sure to coat the whole potato. Sprinkle whatever salt and seasonings you'd like. I use regular sea salt in a grinder. Individually roll them up in foil and place in a crock pot. Heat on high for about 4 1/2-5 hours or low for 7 1/2-8 hours. And done!

This works really well if you just get home from work, toss them in, and let them cook for dinner later or put them in before you leave for work. If you have a crock pot like mine, it should be fine to put them in on low all day and then it will keep them warm after it finishes. I love my crock pot

I have a very simple chili cheese dip for corn chips.

1 can of beanless Hormel Chili
1 8 oz block of cream cheese
1 small jar of salsa (optional)

mix cheese and chili in small sauce pan until the cheese is thoroughly melted into the chili. Take off of the heat then and the salsa and mix it up.

I use the salsa to spice it up a bit and give it a little more flavor. The chili and cheese by itself is just fine though.
it is very good. Occasionally we sprinkle shredded cheese on top too, but that is another optional item. I have also made homeade chili and just put the cheese in that too, but that takes a bit longer to make.

...we do this, but with Rotel instead of salsa. It's fantastic.

The San-J brand Organic does not.

YESSSS!! I've been dying for some good fried rice :D

Evilly Awesome Teriyaki/Bourbon chicken

You need:
2 large boneless chicken thighs (or breast)
Half an onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons sugar
A shot or two of booze (sake, whisky, bourbon or gin)
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Take 2 large boneless chicken thighs (or breast, if you prefer). Remove the skin and cut into large chunks.
Place the meat in a bowl, and add 1/4 cup soy sauce and a splash of sake. If you don't have any sake, you can use a shot or two of whisky, bourbon, or even gin. Add a tablespoon or two of sugar, throw in the chopped onion, mix it all together and let it sit for about 5 or 10 minutes.

Heat up a nonstick skillet on high heat and put 2 tablespoons of oil in it. Take the chicken and onion out of the marinade and fry it until browned on both sides. (Note: do not pour the marinade into the pan, or throw it away. Keep it for later.) Turn down the heat to medium, and continue frying the chicken until it is cooked through. (If you are not sure, poke it with a knife. If it looks white on the inside, it's done.) Now, pour in the marinade. Leave it on the stove for a couple more minutes until most of the liquid evaporates and the chicken is coated in a thick sauce. Take it off the stove and eat.

Ok, this may be the first time, like... EVER, that my desire to try a dish has outweighed my fear of cooking. Thanks Kea!

edit: Heh, I suppose that the title's enough. No need to repeat the whole recipe.

How to cook brussel sprouts. Yes, I know its Brussels sprouts, but that's too much effort to say or type. This recipe is adapted from the 1997 edition of the Joy of Cooking. The sprouts are so good my son has been know to polish off an entire recipe of them before I can get the rest of dinner ready.

Equipment
This is the skillet of the cooking gods. If you don't have one, run, do not walk, to the big blue box and get one. If you don't have one, use a large skillet with a lid. But seriously, look into a good skillet.

Ingredients

• 2 to 2.5 tbsp Earth Balance Organic Spread
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• About 18 brussel sprouts - use more if you have a large skillet and up the spread to 2.5 tbsp. Use less if you have a small skillet and use 2 tbsp spread

If you don't want to use the Earth Balance, you can use salted butter, or a 50/50 mix of salted butter and olive oil. But really, Earth Balance is the way to go. The critical thing is to use a salted spread so the salting is just perfect.

Instructions
Rinse the sprouts and pat dry. Cut a bit of the end off each sprout. Not much, you just want the dried off bit gone and a clean end for presentation. Too much and the sprout will disintegrate. Slice each sprout in half lengthwise. You should get a lovely cross section view. Be careful! the sprouts can roll. If you haven't already done so, slice the garlic up now as well.

Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the spread to the skillet and let it melt. Add the garlic. Fry the garlic until lightly golden brown. Remove the garlic slices and set aside. The Joy of Cooking throws these away. Don't. You just made garlic chips and you throw them away?! Save'em!

Place the sprouts, cut side down, in the skillet, in all that lovely garlic butter. REDUCE the heat to low, cover and let cook for 17 minutes. Open it up and take a look. If all went well, the sprout bottoms are golden brown and the sprouts are tender. (If not, put the heat back up to medium and cook uncovered until they are.)

Serve the sprouts (face up for a lovely presentation) garnished with some of the reserved garlic chips.

Oh, if you try it, the longer you let it sit in the marinade, the better it'll taste. 10 minutes is about the minimum, half an hour is better. If you leave it overnight in the fridge, then it'll be good enough for barbecue, because all the flavour will have soaked in and it won't matter when all the extra gravy drips into the fire. If you use chicken fillets or drumsticks with a really smooth surface, you'll probably want to put a few gashes in the meat so that the sauce soaks in better.

It's also pretty good if you add some grated ginger to marinade, but that's optional.