Coconut Chicken Chili

I've never been a big fan of chicken chili, but this recipe is great!  The coconut is different and a little sweet, but doesn't overpower the chili.  You could serve it over rice, and top it with fresh basil, sliced jalapenos, or chopped peanuts.  It think its better without cheese, but you could add that too.  This recipe is kid-friendly (not too spicy) but feel free to kick it up with more chili powder, crushed red pepper, or hot sauce.

Coconut Chicken Chili

• 2 T olive oil


• 1 medium onion, diced


• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces


• 3 tsp chili powder, divided


• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger


• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper


• 2 T garlic, minced


• 1 T flour


• 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk


• 1 c chicken stock


• 1 T peanut butter


• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed


• 9 oz fresh or frozen corn, about 1 1 /2 c


• 1 bunch green onion, sliced

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add onion and saute until softened and beginning to brown.  Add chicken, 2 tsp chili powder, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper.  Saute until chicken is no longer pink.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more.  Add coconut milk, chicken stock, and peanut butter.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in beans, corn, and remaining 1 tsp chili powder and simmer at least 15 minutes, up to one hour.  Stir in green onions and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve over rice, and top with chopped fresh basil, jalapenos, shredded cheese, or chopped peanuts.

Chicken Walnut Filo Rolls

Pretty much anything is good in filo dough - I suspect its the butter.  Filo is actually really easy to work with, though a little time-consuming.  Its pretty forgiving - if you tear a sheet, brush it with butter and paste it to another sheet.

These have a great Moroccan flavor, and can be made in triangles to serve as a canape, or in rolls that can be sliced and served with salad for dinner.  Ground chicken would work really well, but finely diced chicken works just fine too - if its a little frozen it is easier to dice.  Just like most recipes, if you don't have one of the ingredients, you can leave it out, or substitue something else.  I think pine nuts might be even better than walnuts, and a little scallion never made anything worse.

Chicken Walnut Filo Rolls

• 1/2 c walnuts, toasted and chopped


• 1 1 /2 T oil


• 1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 c


• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, finely diced or ground


• 1/4 c raisins


• 2 T olives, finely chopped


• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper


• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped


• salt


• 1 tsp cumin


• 1/4 tsp cinnamon


• 1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese


• 1/2 package Filo dough, thawed


• 1/2 c butter, melted

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat.   Add onion and saute until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken, raisins, olives, red pepper, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and salt to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat, cool, then stir in walnuts and cheese.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.  Heat oven to 350°.

Open filo and cover with a towel to keep from drying out.  Lay one sheet of filo on a flat, dry surface, and brush with butter.  Layer 5 more sheets of filo, buttering each.  Spread 1/3 chicken mixture in the center of the filo.  Roll one long side over the filling, turn both short sides into the middle, and finish rolling up the long side.  Brush with additional butter if needed to seal edges.  Repeat with remaining filo and filling to make 3 logs.  Brush tops and side of logs with butter.

Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown.   Cool 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

*To make triangles, unfold filo and cut into 6 strips lengthwise.  Brush each strip wtih butter.  Place 1/2 tsp filling in one corner of the strip, then fold as you would fold a flag.  Brush with butter to seal, and bake 10-15 minutes.

Thai Basil Chicken

Another compilation of internet recipes.  I planted Thai basil because I love the stuff, but I hardly ever use it!  Chicken tonight, plus I've found several more recipes that look good.  I went a little heavy on the lime, but I reduced the amount for the recipe.  I also only used the chiles in the marinade, because they're smokin' hot - it was the perfect amount of heat for a kid-friendly dish, but if you like spice, throw a few in with the green beans.   I served this over rice stick noodles, but rice would be great too.



Thai Basil Chicken Stir-fry

Slice 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into thin strips.  Toss with:

• 1 tsp fish sauce


• 1 T vegetable oil


• juice of 1/2 a lime


• 1 T minced ginger


• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2-3 Thai peppers, sliced

Whisk together:

• 1/2 c chicken stock


• 3 tsp fish sauce


• 3 tsp soy sauce


• 3 tsp sugar


• juice of 1/2 lime


• 1 tsp cornstarch

Chop 1/3 c peanuts, and prepare 2 c green beans.  Pull leaves from Thai basil stems to make 1/2 c.  Heat a large wok on high.  Add about 1 tsp sesame oil.  Add green beans, and stir-fry until beans start to brown, about 45 sec.  Add 2 T water, turn heat to medium, and cook until water is evaporated.  Add peanuts, turn heat to high, and cook another minute.  Remove beans and set aside. 

Add another tsp sesame oil.  Add half of chicken, draining marinade.  Cook , stirring frequently, until just cooked through.    Remove, and cook remaining chicken.  While chicken cooks, chop basil.  Add chicken stock mixture, chicken, basil, and beans, and heat until sauce thickens. 

Serve over rice or noodles.

Tomato Chutney

A friend gave me this recipe for tomato chutney a few years ago, and I've been waiting all summer to get enough tomatoes to make a big batch.  I canned mine, but it will keep up to 2 months in the fridge.  I used Roma tomatoes and hot peppers from the garden.  The dried cranberries came from Nutsonline - my new source for nuts.  Usually dried cranberries look like raisins, just a little bigger.  These were plump and huge - Bella loved them! 

Here are the ingredients just before I turned the stove on.  The recipe is so simple - everything goes into the pan, bring to a boil, and simmer 45 minutes.  The only hard part (and it's not really hard, just time-consuming) is peeling & seeding the tomatoes.



 

Here's what is looks like after cooking, in the pan and then in jars.  I tripled the recipe, and it filled 7 pint jars, and 6 1/2 pints, plus a little extra for the fridge.  I processed my jars for 10 minutes.



 So...what do you do with chutney?  Here are 2 ideas -

• Chutney Mozzarella Burgers: mix 1/2 c chutney with 1 lb ground beef.  Shape into 4 or 5 balls.  Stick your thumb into the ball, fill indentation with shredded mozzarella, then reshape into a patty. 

Chutney Chicken Sandwich: take your favorite bread, spread with chutney, top with your favorite cheese and grilled chicken or turkey. 

 



Tomato Chutney

• 3 c tomatoes, peeled, seeded, & chopped


• 1 c chopped red bell pepper


• 1 c chopped red onion


• 1/2 c dried cranberries


• 1/2 c cider vinegar


• 1/4 c sugar


• 1/4 c brown sugar


• 2 T minced garlic


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp mustard seed


• 1/4 tsp cinnamon


• 1/4 tsp cumin


• 1/4 tsp allspice


• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped (or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently.  Water bath process 10 minutes for pint jars, or cool & store in the fridge up to 2 months.

Honey Lemon Chicken Marinade

Nothing terribly original, but my new favorite marinade:

• 2 T olive oil


• 2 T honey


• 2 T lemon juice


• 1/4 tsp paprika


• 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh


• 1/2 tsp salt


• pinch freshly ground pepper


• 2 cloves minced garlic

Whisk it all together, coat chicken, and marinate 30 minutes+.  Makes enough for 2 chicken breasts.  Double or triple if you have more.