Curried Thai Sweet Potatoes and Lentils - gluten free, vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 c lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups broth, you could use *vegetable or chicken (*vegan)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled and diced
• 1 t tumeric
• 1 T curry powder
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded
• 2 jalapenos, minced (remove ribs and seeds)
• 2 t fresh grated ginger (I love the stuff already pre-ground in the tube or jar)
• 1 can (14.5oz) fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can light coconut milk
• salt to taste (I used 1 t)
• fresh cilantro for garnish
• Red pepper chili flakes optional for added spice
• Optional: 2 small chicken breasts, baked and cubed (not vegan)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring lentils, broth, and sweet potatoes to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and lentils are barely done cooking. 
2. Add in the tumeric, curry, salt, fire-roasted tomatoes, and ginger to the same pot and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute onions, garlic, and jalapenos for 2-3 minutes.  Then add in the sliced cabbage and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the sauteed mixture to the large pot and stir in the coconut milk.  Top with fresh cilantro.

I went ahead and included some baked chicken in this dish for some added protein, but that is optional for sure.  I used 2 chicken smaller chicken breasts, (baked and cubed) and added them in with the coconut milk.  Without adding in extra heat, this is about a 1 star recipe and great for the not -too-spicy curry lovers.  For the adults, we added in a couple shakes of red pepper flakes for some extra kick.  Absolutely delicious both ways! Sometimes it's nice to keep it mild and let everyone add in the spice factor that they prefer.  This was a very healthy, hearty, and flavorful dish.  Really delicious!!! Photo credit and recipe inspiration goes to Pinch of Yum.

Thai Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 of a red onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, chopped or julienned
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup diced green onions
• ½ cup cashew halves
• Optional: 1 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (rotisserie chicken would make this fast and easy!)
• For the peanut sauce: 
• 1/2 c peanut butter
• 1/2 c hoisin sauce (asian section of grocery store)
• 1-2T fresh grated ginger (you can buy this pre-ground, easy!)
• 1 t chili paste (asian section of grocery store)
• 1/3 c hot water

Instructions

1. To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
2. Make peanut sauce by whisking all peanut sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. I always start out with a little bit of dressing and usually add more to suit my taste preferences. Alternatively you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat; however the flavors of the dressing usually soak into the salad so I love adding it to the quinoa first.
4. Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature.  Delicious topped with extra peanut sauce and even fresh lime.

Although there is a bit of veggie chopping with this recipe, it was relatively fast, easy, fresh, and delicious!  We will definitely make it again!  I added chicken to serve it as a main dish, although that is nutritionally not necessary.  I would leave the chicken out if I was serving it as a side dish.

This recipe was inspired by ambitiouskitchen.com.  Photo credits to ambitiouskitchen.

Baja Fish Taco Bowls

Ingredients:

• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 3-4 tilapia filets (or other fish of your choice - mahi mahi, cod, etc.) *I used the frozen filets from Costco
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh would be ideal, frozen is next best *what I used as corn isn't in season right now, canned is last choice)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• cooked brown rice (I used 2 cups uncooked) or you use spinach for a low carb option
• Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, baja ranch (equal portions ranch dressing mixed with pico de gallo or salsa)

Directions:

1. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and rub on both sides of fish filets. I used all my seasoning, but this could be easily adjusted for your preferences.
2. In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, heat about 1-2 T of olive oil.  Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds before adding the fish filets to the pan.  Cook fish on each side for several minutes.  I flipped the fish when the white color (indicating it was cooked) starting creeping up to the top side/edges of the fish.  Fish is done when it is white all the way through and flakes apart.  Remove fish filets and set aside.  Do NOT clean the pan out.
3. In the same pan, add corn, red bell pepper, and onions without additional oil.  Stir and then let cook for a couple of minutes without stirring.  Repeat the stir and wait process a few times until the peppers and onions are tender crisp. The "wait" part of this process gives them the roasted touch and blackened edges. Add in the black beans and stir to heat through.
4. In a bowl, layer rice, corn/bean/pepper/onion mixture and top with fish (flaked apart).  Top with your preference of goodies listed above!

My family FLIPPED over this meal!  100% repeater... and probably next week even! We also did a low carb version by serving up the fish and veggies over spinach instead of rice and used pico de gallo or baja ranch for the dressing, also delicious! It was quick and easy.  Extremely healthy too depending on how you top it.  Love, love, love!  adapted from a recipe on pinchofyum blog.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 chicken breasts (cooked chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces) 
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives (chopped) *I didn't include these 
• 1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 12 grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 english cucumber (sliced and quartered)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

We absolutely loved this recipe!  We served it with some toasted pita bread cut in triangles and used them sort of like scoops/chips. The flavor was fresh and this will definitely be a repeater!

Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

• 5 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and pulp removed
• 1 1/2 c quinoa
• 3 c chicken stock
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground turkey (I used chicken breakfast sausage)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t ground tumeric
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1 10 oz package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 cup golden raisins
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 t salt
• Optional garnish: 1 T chutney per serving (I used Major Grey's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Place squash cut side down on two large cookie sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 40 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, place quinoa and chicken stock in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or so until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
3. Place onion and ground turkey in a large nonstick skillet and use a spoon to break up ground turkey.  Heat over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes or until the turkey is browned and cooked through and onions are tender.  Add garlic, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg and cook one additional minute, stirring frequently.  Add spinach and stir until well combined.
4. In a large bowl, stir cooked quinoa, turkey mixture, raisins, lemon juice, and salt until well mixed.  Pile mixture evenly into cooked squash (top with chutney if desired) and ENJOY!

This recipe comes from cakebatterandbowl.com and is one that will definitely be a repeater.  Each half of a filled squash is not only packed with nutritious ingredients, but weighs in at just about 350 calories.  So it's a perfect, healthy dinner option jam packed with exciting flavors. My foodie girlfriend, Tessa, recommended the chutney topping, which for my tastebuds was absolutely perfect! Enjoy!

Easy Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

8 pieces of naan or pita flat bread

2 medium chicken breasts, cooked (season with salt and pepper) or use a rotisserie chicken

2 c shredded mozzerella

1 medium bell pepper, sliced thin (red, orange or yellow)

1/4-1/2 small red onion, sliced thin

fresh cilantro

Peanut sauce:

1/2 c hoisin sauce (found in the asian cooking section of the grocery store)

1/2 c peanut butter

1-2 T fresh ginger, grated

1 T Sriracha hot sauce (adjust to your liking or use another spice/hot sauce you have)

1/3 c hot water

Directions:

1) Prepare the peanut sauce. Combine the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and 1/2 tsp of sriracha sauce in a bowl. Peel the ginger and grate it straight into the bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of hot water and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the chicken into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and red bell pepper.


3) Spread about 2 Tbsp of the peanut sauce over each piece of naan or pita bread. Top with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, a handful of the chicken, some red bell pepper, and red onion.


4) Place the pizzas on a perforated pizza pan, cookie sheet or directly on the oven rack and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly (about 10-15 minutes depending on which method you use). When the pizzas come out of the oven, top with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy!




This recipe is slightly modified from one found on Budget Bytes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

source

Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons (or more) garam masala or Tikka Masala (Indian spice blend paste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4)
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, cayenne pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
3. About an hour before eating, cook the rice according to your rice steamer's directions.
4. Just before serving, stir the coconut milk into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.

Baked Southwestern Eggrolls

The recipe idea for this meal came from Robyn Louis' FB page.  I adapted it to suit my style of cooking and my clubmates' tastes!  The recipe that follows fed eight people.

Ingredients:
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
48 oz. low-fat/low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup lime juice
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
3 teaspoons organic honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large + 1 small can of green chilies, diced
3-10 oz. cans of organic black beans
1 cup of spinach, fresh, de-stemmed & chopped 
10 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, ground
4 cups of colby/jack cheese, shredded
40 egg roll wrappers
non-fat cooking spray

Directions:
Combine first seven (7) ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours at 250 degrees. 
After all of the prep-work has been done to the next four ingredients, combine all remaining ingredients from the green chilies through the shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl. 
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 
When the chicken is fall-apart tender, remove it from the crock pot to cool about 15 minutes.  Once cooled enough, shred the chicken with a fork and add it to the mixing bowl, combining thoroughly. 
Rolling the egg rolls is a little tricky, but once you establish a routine...it'll go along quite smoothly.  Coat a baking sheet with non-fat cooking spray.  Then coat a dinner sized plate with non-fat cooking spray.  Lay out one egg roll wrapper so that one of the four corners is facing you.  Spoon about 1/4 cup of chicken/bean mixture onto the egg roll wrapper about 1/3 of the way from your corner to the adjacent corner.  Tightly roll the wrapper, ends tucked in or out (your preference), and make sure all corners are securely against the egg roll when finished rolling.  Repeat this procedure, including the spray on the dinner plate, 39 more times ;-)
Place egg rolls on your baking sheet just so they are not touching each other.  Bake a full pan for 16-20 minutes, turning over at the half-way time if you prefer.

Cook's note:  Greg and I loved this meal!  I also served saffron/cayenne flavored yellow rice and guacamole dip with the egg rolls.  Warning: this meal is very time-intensive.  From the time I started preparing the different vegetables, and then shredding the chicken...and eventually rolling the egg rolls, I had been working for 4 hours.  With cook time, this meal (for eight people) took almost 5 hours.  We thought it was well worth it though! 

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken

 Original recipe from epicurious.com
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper* OR 2 teaspoons dried crushed Cayenne pepper plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt** (8 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 unpeeled lemon; thinly sliced into rounds, 
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place Cayenne pepper and sweet paprika in a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons warm water and let stand until paste forms, about 5 minutes. Add yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to spice mixture in bowl; whisk to blend. Stir in garlic and lemon slices, then chicken. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. NOTE:  I marinated the chicken for 24 hours, in a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer baggie in the refrigerator.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Discard marinade in bowl.  Brush grill rack with oil or use a non-stick cooking spray. Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 10 to 12 minutes on each side. I served the chicken with cilantro/lime Jasmine rice and cucumber/tomato Greek salad.

Red Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb. dried red lentils (I found these in the bulk section)
1 c. currants
1/3 c. capers
1 1/2 c. finely chopped red onion

Vinaigrette ingredients:
3/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
1 t ground cumin
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t coriander

Directions:

1. Wash lentils.  Cook in boiling water 5-6 minutes or until just tender.  Rinse and drain well.
2. Combine with dressing and let sit overnight.
3. At least 2 hours before serving, add currants, capers, and onions to lentils. Allow to marinate for several hours more.
4. Place in bowl or on platter and garnish as you please.

I first had this salad with a fabulous salmon dinner made by my step-mom, Kris.  Instantly fell in lurve with this salad.  GREAT flavor and obviously pretty darn healthy for you.  This recipe is very easy to make although with the marinating time, you obviously have to plan ahead.  Fabulous dish to take to or serve at a BBQ or picnic this summer.  This recipe is only slightly modified from one found on Cooks.com

Curried Chicken with Pears

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  
• 2 fresh pears, unpeeled, cored, cut into eights
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

1. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Cook 5 minutes per side or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the pears and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Remove from the skillet.
3. Add the onion and remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the curry powder and flour. Add the broth and ketchup and bring to a boil.
5. Return the chicken and pears to the pan and coat with the sauce.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Divide among plates.

Ginger Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
* 1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
* 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 2 tablespoons water
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 8 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
* 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

*I also add rice to the wraps. It makes them a bit more filling.

Baja Fish Tacos, Ole!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• About 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 pound flaky white fish (such as mahi mahi or cod), cut into 4 pieces
• Salt (to season)
• 8 fresh corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 2 cups of raw coleslaw
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Mexican crema (light sour cream + hot sauce and/or salsa, to your liking)
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges 

Directions:

Marinate the Onion
Put the onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red wine vinegar to cover well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to several weeks.

Marinate the Fish
Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the ancho chile powder, paprika, cumin, chopped cilantro, and some salt. Mix well. Place the fish on a dish and pour the marinade over it, making sure to coat the fish well on both sides. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the Fish
Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place in the hot pan (there is no need to add more oil). Season the fish with salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn over, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish into the pan with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.

Heat the Tortillas
Place four of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between two slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Assemble and Serve
To assemble the tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the marinated flaked fish onto the center of a tortilla. Squeeze a bit of lime juice on the fish.  Top with your choice of: marinated onions, coleslaw, cheese, avocado. Drizzle Mexican crema over the top. Enjoy!

Chicken Souvlaki

• 4 pieces flat bread or pitas
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 3/4 cup crumbled Feta
• 1/4 cup kalamata onions, pitted
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  
• 1 small cucumber, diced
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (I used dried)
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200° F. Wrap the bread in foil and place in oven.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, Feta, and olives.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oregano, thyme, pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons of the vinegar, and the lemon juice. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the oil, whisking constantly until incorporated.
4. Pour 2 ½ tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the tomato mixture, toss, and set aside.
   
5. Add the chicken to the remaining vinaigrette and toss. Place chicken on grill and cook until done.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining vinegar. Spread the bread with the yogurt sauce and top with chicken and tomato salad. Fold in half, if desired.

I adapted this recipe from Real Simple. The original recipe called for baking the chicken, but I think grilling it made it absolutely delicious!

Trinidad Stewed Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Mix the green onion, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and olive oil.  Marinate the chicken for up to 8 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the butter in a deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, and cook until the sugar has melted into a nice golden brown syrup. Add the chicken pieces, and brown while turning continuously. (If any of the brown sugar clumps up due to the cold chicken/marinade, don't worry, it melts/dissolves in the next step).
3. Pour in coconut milk and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the ketchup.
4. Mix cornstarch with 2-4 tablespoons of water prior adding to sauce to thicken. 
5. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve chicken with the sauce over rice (try coconut rice). 

I found this recipe (which I modified) from allrecipes.com.  I am a sucker for recipes with coconut milk and was also lured in by all the great reviews it had.  I modified a few things as I went and also from reading reader reviews and suggestions.  I was really excited about the end result and will definitely be making it again!

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice (note that other types of rice, such as brown rice, will not work for this recipe)
• 1 cup good-quality coconut milk (not "lite")
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2-3 Tbsp. dry shredded coconut, unsweetened or sweetened (baking type)

Preparation:

1. Place rice in rice cooker. Add the water, coconut milk, salt, and shredded coconut. Stir well (use a plastic or wooden utensil to avoid scraping off the non-stick surface). Cover and set to cook.
2. Once your rice cooker switches to "warm" mode, allow another 8-10 minutes for rice to finish "steaming". This will ensure your coconut rice is fully cooked and pleasantly sticky.
3. Gently fluff with chopsticks before serving (some of the shredded coconut may have risen to the surface - just stir it back into the rice). Taste-test it for salt, adding a little more until desired flavor is achieved.

For a recipe for the stove top: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/thaicoconutrice.htm

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup frozen sweet peas
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked, cubed chicken meat
• 4 cups cooked brown long grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice seasoning
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and onion to saute until semi-soft, then add celery, bell pepper, frozen sweet peas, Chinese Five Spice, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Stir in cooked, cubed chicken and stir-fry another 5 minutes. Then add rice and stir thoroughly.
3. Finally, stir in scrambled eggs and 1/3 cup soy sauce, heat through and serve hot. 

NOTES:  In the original recipe from allrecipes.com, the reviews suggested adding the Chinese Five Spice seasoning for more flavor.  I'm so glad I did - it's a blend of cinnamon, anise, fennel, ginger, clove, and licorice root = delish.  I adapted the recipe only a tiny bit to make it healthier (lower sodium + sub brown rice).  Additionally, you must know that the prep for this takes a LONG time.  Even though I bought pre-cooked chicken breasts from my local deli, chopping the veggies and chicken for this dinner club meal took 2.5 hours.  Actual time cooking took a bit less than 30 minutes.  I tripled the recipe above for dinner club.  If you're only making this for a group of 4 or less, prep time will probably be cut by 1/3.  Further, brown rice is awesome and wholesome for this recipe, but is best if steamed in a rice cooker.  Use the least amount of water called for considering the quantity of rice you're steaming, because the fried rice is supposed to be "dry" not sticky.

I served this with chopped cashews, chopsticks and fortune cookies :).

Chicken Shawarma (Chicken Gyro)

Ingredients:
 
Chicken:

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 large (or 4-5 small) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons tahini *I found this in the Kosher section of the supermarket
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredients:

• 6 (6-inch) pitas
• 3 cups spinach
• 18 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices (large tomatoes, more if using smaller tomatoes)
• 1 cucumber quartered and sliced thin 
• 1/4 red onion sliced thin 

Directions:

1. Combine chicken marinade ingredients and chicken breasts and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.  Then transfer chicken breasts and marinade to deep skillet to cook through.
2. Remove breasts from marinade and slice thinly.
3. In another bowl, combine sauce ingredients and mix well with a whisk.
4. Serving options:

• Grill or broil pitas and top with veggies, chicken, and dollop of sauce (as shown in picture).
• Open pita and stuff with veggies, chicken, and dollop of sauce
• Make a mixed "chopped salad" with veggies, chicken, and sauce.  Broil pitas and either tear chunks off to scoop salad with or cut up pita into "chips" and broil to eat as a side along with salad.

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish of garlicky meat or poultry served on pitas. This chicken version is flavored with a savory yogurt sauce, really similar to the gyro.  This dish is very light and healthy.  After making it, I wasn't feeling really confident that my family would go for it.  But to my pleasant surprise, hubby had seconds and Emma's plate was clean (she didn't try the sauce, and no onions for her).  We had some difficulty eating it the "tostada" way which is in the picture I took.  We found it much easier to go the chopped salad route, mixing all the veggies, chicken, and sauce together, and then using the pita shell like a scoop.  This also mixed the sauce in really nicely.  I made some modifications to this recipe that I originally found in Cooking Light.  If you're into light and healthy or a fan of the flavors of the middle east, I think you'll really enjoy this recipe.

Chipotle Black Beans

Ingredients:

1- 16 oz. can of black beans
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon Cholula Chipotle flavored hot sauce

Preparation:

Spray a medium sized sauce pan with cooking spray.  Saute bell pepper, onions and garlic in bottom of sauce pan.  Drain some (~1/4 cup) of the bean "juice" into the sauce pan when sauteing is finished.  Drain the remaining juice from beans and rinse beans.  Stir in the beans and add chipotle hot sauce to the sauce pan.  Simmer beans mixture on low for 15 minutes.  Serve warm.  These beans go well with the BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders from this blog!

Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Penne

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 8 oz. penne pasta
• 1 lb. asparagus (I've also used broccoli)
• 4 T toasted sesame seeds (reserve one for topping)
• Sauce ingredients:
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 4 T sesame oil
• 3/4 T hot chili sesame oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 3 T chunky peanut butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Toppings: 
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 3 green onions, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Boil chicken breasts until cooked through.  Let chicken cool before shredding.  You can pick it apart with your hands or use two forks for this.  Put chicken in large bowl.
2. Cook penne noodles as directed.  Drain.  Toss with a tiny bit of extra sesame oil to keep noodles from sticking.  Add to large bowl with chicken.
3. Snap ends off of asparagus and put spears in boiling water for 1 minute.  Remove from water, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Add to large bowl.
4. In a blender, combine all the sauce ingredients until well blended.  Pour over the penne, chicken and asparagus.  Add 3 T toasted sesame seeds.  Stir until well-coated.
5. Serve either warm or chilled.  Topped with 1 T sesame seeds, cucumber and green onions.  Serves 4.

Man, I love this dish!  Like I mentioned in the ingredient list, I've also made this with broccoli which is also very tasty (although asparagus is my favorite).  If you wanted more kick to it, you could beef up the hot chili oil.  Since I make this for my whole family, I usually scale back on the hot chili oil (to 1/2 T) - then Roger and I add extra hot chili pepper flakes to add the heat, while Emma can have a less spicy version.  I've also frozen this dinner (minus the toppings) and thawed later - it worked surprisingly well.  Easy to make in bulk too, it would also be a great pasta "salad" to take to any kind of potluck/event.  Thanks to Stacy Ferney who shared a recipe with me that inspired this one!