Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

This really hit the spot with me tonight.  I don't cook with curry very often but after making this dish, I may have to change that.  All four of the adults who consumed this tonight had seconds.  Always a good sign.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 medium red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (By seeding the jalapeno you lose most of the heat but retain great flavor.)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

3 cups hot cooked rice

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, garlic and peppers in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chicken and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink.

Combine coconut milk and cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Carefully add to skillet, whisking vigorously. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir for another minute. Serve over hot rice.

Cooked Salsa

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product!  Oh well.  I have been waiting for the past month to have enough tomatoes and peppers ripe at the same time to be able to make this recipe.  I had high hopes of canning this but realized after I had already started, that I needed pint size jars and I only had quart size.  So I ended up putting some in the fridge for immediate consumption and freezing the rest in small freezer jam jars.  I am going to ask Santa for a second freezer for my garage!  I got this recipe from my friend Cami several years ago.  On all of the vegetable measurements, I just approximated.  I'm guessing this recipe would yield about 10-12 pint size jars.

Cooked Salsa

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped*
5 cups green bell peppers, chopped and seeded
5 cups yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
5-8 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white vinegar (I used maybe half a cup.)
3 T. salt
1 T. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup dried onions
2 cans tomato paste (I only used one.)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I used 2-3 T. dried.)

Combine everything but the dried onions, tomato paste and cilantro (unless you use dried) and simmer for 2 hours uncovered on the stove top.  Add the dried onions and tomato paste and simmer ten more minutes.  Then add the fresh cilantro and simmer five minutes more.

*To peel tomatoes, blanch them.  That is, put them in a pot of very hot (nearly boiling) water and let them sit for 60 seconds.  Then transfer them to a sink of freezing cold water.  The skins should pull off easily.  

Granola Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Ruby years ago.  These are a little more like a crunchy cookie than a chewy granola bar but definitely healthier for you than the average cookie.  My boys love these and have been asking for them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Granola Bars

Cream for 2 minutes:

1 cup brown sugar (I substituted coconut sugar.)
1/2 cup butter (Could also substitute coconut oil here.)

Add and mix:

2 T honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Add and then mix quickly:

1 1/3 cup wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut

Fold in by hand:

1/2 cup craisins or raisins
1/2 cup sliced almond (With nut allergies here, these have to be omitted.)
1 1/2 cup Rice Krispies
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Press mixture into greased cookie sheet.  (Large jelly roll pan works great.) Bake at 350 for about 20-22 minutes. Cool and then cut into strips.