Green Curry

I know I say yum a lot on this blog about my food but this is legit a big YUM! Full of healthy veggies and deep in flavor it packs a punch. Indian food is complex. They have a large variety of different type's of curry depending the region you are in. I make very American curry. What I mean by that is I do not make my own pastes for my curries. I buy red or green paste and I build off of that for my curries. Green is by far my favorite at least lately. Most of the time you get the red curry which is more mild in flavor. The green requires more fresh produce to make and has more items in it. They are both really awesome. If you have a local Woodmen's the paste can be found in the ethnic isle.

What you need~
Green curry paste (2 tablespoons)
2 cans of coconut milk
1 sweet potato                        
1 cup of sweet peppers (chopped)
1 sweet onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic
Chicken stock (as needed)
1/2 cup of green onions
2-2.5 cups of diced chicken
1 cup cilantro
1 cup of basil
1 cans of chickpeas
Olive oil
Curry powder


Start by heating your oil in a pan and adding the paste. Let this toast up until you start to really smell the curry. When that happens add your onion and garlic to sweat down a bit. Then you want to add the sweet potato, peppers, chicken and chickpeas. Cook for about 2 more minutes before adding the coconut milk and chicken stock to thin the curry as needed. This needs to cook down for at least 30 minutes. Season as needed with the curry powder. Don't go heavy handed as the paste already has some kick. Right before serving add your cilantro, basil and green onions. I topped mine with some roasted chickpeas I made and served it with cilantro/lime rice. Ryan said this was a tad too spicy till he mixed in the rice. The lime really cut through the heat nicely.

 

 

I will make this again. Hopefully soon as it has been a while. I hope you get creative and try it yourself.

 

Until next time~

XoXo Emily

Baked Oatmeal

A perfect quick breakfast item. These little beauties can be frozen and microwaved for later eating as well. I would recommend that even if you do not freeze them you microwave them for about 20 seconds to warm them as they taste awesome that way. Packed full of cinnamon and apple they are perfect for these chilly and snowy days we are having.

What you need~
2 cups old fashion oats
1/3 packed brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg white
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped apples (peeled)




Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. I used my stand mixer bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together egg white, egg, applesauce, milk and vanilla. Mix in the dry items with the wet in the mixer or by hand. Fold in the apples. Spoon the mixture into muffin cups that you lightly coated with oil. Bake for about 20-22 minutes.

I eat mine with a yogurt for breakfast. They come in around 100 calories which is a great way to eat a healthy breakfast.

BONUS: I finally got my dream lamp. I always wanted a tiffany style lamp and now I have it. I am in love.


Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Travel Adventures: Door County in Winter

Traveling on a whim has to be one of my favorite things. Saturday Ryan and I decided to head up to Door County to see some music at the Door County Brewery. Door County is always thought of as a summer destination. While it is true that it is great in the summer some businesses tuff it out and are open year round. This trip we did not do any wine tasting but that is always fun. We stopped at some stores in Egg Harbor and Fish Creek on our way to Bailey's Harbor. One store was packed with leather, fur and wood art. Fun to roam in there for like an hour or so.

I promise it was sunny out till I said something about it being sunny. The snow was so pretty.

We stopped at Baileys Harbor Cornerstone Pub & Restaurant for dinner since it was close to the brewery. Always fun to talk to locals and eat some yummy local fish.

I saw this cider place on Wisconsin Foodie and we just had to try it. This was the lavender option. It was good but for sure something to sip on.

Door County Brewing Company serves you pretzels to clear your palate before each beer. Cleaver and yummy.

We decided to try flights of beer to try all of the options they had. This was a great idea. The menu was helpful and so were the locals/employees on giving us history on each beer.

Here is the menu. Little Sister is still my favorite closely followed by the toasted coconut.

A Wisconsin Cheese plate is always something fun to snack on. Dried blueberries made this extra special as I have never had those before.

I cannot take a good picture to save my life. Brother Brothers the band we saw was electric and super fun.  We had such a blast on this adventure. Whom ever says you have to plan out all your trips is crazy. Be spontaneous sometime you will not regret it!

Until next time~

XoXo Emily 

Zuppa Toscana Soup

This is just like Olive Garden's. I hunted for a copy cat recipe because frankly paying $9 for soup, salad and bread sticks is insane. Heck it is Thursday and I still have left over soup that we have had for lunch every day this week. Save yourself some money and make it at home. It is creamy and packed with potatoes. Totally something to warm your bones when the temperatures drop this week.

What you need~
1 pound of sausage (I used chorizo)
6 cups of kale (chopped)
3 large russet potatoes (diced)
1 cup of heavy cream
8 cups of chicken stock
4 cups of water
3 cloves of garlic (diced)
1 white or yellow onion (diced)
1 tablespoon of flour
Nature's Seasoning

Start by prepping all the items that need to be diced. I use a food processor for
my onions and garlic. The potatoes need to be cleaned before dicing. Start browning the sausage in a large stock pot. Season as you go. Add in your onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in your flour and then add your stock and water. Add potatoes and cook until the potatoes are tender (~20 minutes).

Flour to thicken the soup.

 Once the potatoes are done add in the kale and heavy cream. Season a bit more and let the it cook for at least another 5 minutes before serving.

 

Add that kale!

Mmmm creamy.

Finished!

My cheaper version of a classic.

 

I served it with a side salad like Olive Garden and bread sticks. It was super tasty and honestly really easy to throw together. I will make it again.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

How can you go wrong with banana and chocolate? It is a flavor combination that can do no wrong. Do you know why these muffins are so good? SHHHH.. They are healthier than your average muffin.



Dry ingredients.

What you need~
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mashed banana.

4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 large egg
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup  melted coconut oil
1 cup banana smashed (3 bananas)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour









Egg mix, banana and brown sugar.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or liners these can be sticky. Get two bowls out. I used my stand mixer and a large bowl.  In the stand mixture add the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and flour. In the other bowl whisk together your egg and yogurt. Mix in the vanilla, brown sugar, coconut oil and then mashed banana. Slowly add this to the stand mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on just until the batter comes together. Do not over mix or the batter can become dense. Put into your muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when checking the muffins.



The dough.

This were a huge hit and I baked them on Saturday all gone by Sunday afternoon. I was really happy how they turned out and will make them again for sure.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Tzatziki Sauce

Very refreshing and perfect for sandwiches or salads. If you have ever had a gyro you have had that rich tzatziki sauce on top. Packed full of cucumber, garlic and dill flavor it is light but rich at the same time. This recipe makes enough for about 2 cups. Enough dressing for a week.

What you need~
2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
3 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
1 cucumber
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 of a lemon (juice)
1 tablespoon of dill
Salt to taste

Start by cutting your cucumber in half. Remove all seeds from the
cucumber. Place a strainer in a bowl. Grate the cucumber over the strainer. Press out all liquid from the cucumber. This will keep your sauce thick. Chop your garlic up finely. Add all of the items to a food processor and blend well. Best of chilled for an hour before serving.

We had it on gyro salads on Sunday. It was the so good I have had it for lunch two days in a row. I highly recommend you make this for all your sandwich/salad needs.

 

Until next time~

XoXo Emily