Thai Curry Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, & Cauliflower-5 Star

* 5 Star Thai Curry Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, & Cauliflower
* cane sugar free, dairy free, egg free, fish/shellfish free, gluten free, milk free, nut free, soy free, vegan, wheat free, yeast free
* Common allergens: cane sugar, anchovies

This was really good, I'm thrilled to be able to make Thai food at home and know exactly what's in it!
This recipe originally came from the America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers but I've changed it some of course!

Serves 4

Make rice according to package instructions.

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk (see note below)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (the kind I bought actually said Gluten-Free!)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 large/extra large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
6 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
1 head cauliflower, using just the florets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon lime juice
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

Bring coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, curry paste, and sugar to boil  in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until flavors meld, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and onion and simmer, covered, until nearly tender, about 8 minutes.

Add chicken, beans, and cauliflower to pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes, beans, and cauliflower are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in lime juice and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over rice.

Note: Light coconut milk can also be used in this recipe, though the broth will be slightly thinner.

Shepherd's Pie-5 Star

3/24/10 UPDATE: I made this a few nights ago and used a small beef chuck roast cut up into bite sized chunks. I let them simmer with the onions and a box of beef broth until almost tender then added everything else. I also included several chopped carrots. Because the filling was more like a stew I didn't make this in a 9x13 pan. Instead I spread the mashed potatoes in the pan and broiled them to brown their tops. Then I spooned the stew into a bowl and topped with some potatoes--perfect. I thought it was even better than the ground beef version.

* 5 Star Shepherd's Pie
* cane sugar free, dairy free, egg free, fish/shellfish free, gluten free, milk free, nut free, soy free, vegan, wheat free, yeast free
* Common allergens: none

I made this tonight and as always, it was yummy. The original recipe came from Everyday Food Magazine but I have modified it to be allergen free. I had leftover mashed potatoes from last night's dinner and used those. To make them easier to spread on top of the filling, heat them up for a few minutes.

Serves 4

Filling:

1 lb ground beef or bison
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons gluten free ketchup (this has cane sugar in it)
1 tablespoon gluten free all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 box (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw) I often use what I have, peas or corn, or both
Coarse salt and ground pepper

3 cups Mashed Potatoes:

3 lbs of your favorite potato (I often use Yukon or Russet)
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk of your choice (goat, rice, cashew, etc--I used half and half goat/rice)
1/4 stick of butter of your choice (goat, Earth Balance, etc)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 ounces grated cheese of your choice (goat cheddar, soy cheese, etc) (optional-I use goat cheese)
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives or scallions (optional-I use chives either)

Directions:

Peel potatoes and chop into same size pieces, about 2"x2". Place in large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, lower to simmer and set timer for 15 minutes for Yukon and 20 minutes for Russet.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a large (4-5 qt) heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Cook beef, breaking up meat with spatula, until no longer pink, 5 minutes. While it's cooking chop onion and garlic.


Add onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add thyme, ketchup, and flour; stir until combined. Add 1/2 cup water and vegetables. Cook until vegetables are warmed through and liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain potatoes and add 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 stick butter, onion powder, salt, pepper, and optional cheese and chives/scallions. Use and electric hand mixer to whip the potatoes. Pour in the extra 1/4 cup of milk as needed until you like the consistency. Dip a spoon in, sprinkle with salt, and have a bite--it's the best part ;-)

Spoon beef mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Spread potatoes evenly over beef; using a fork, decorate potatoes with lines and peaks. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch spill over, and bake until potatoes are lightly browned, 10-15 minutes.

Chocolate Covered Macaroons-5 star

*5 Star Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroons
* cane sugar free, dairy free, egg free, fish/shellfish free, gluten free, milk free, nut free, soy free, vegan, wheat free, yeast free
*Common allergens: The chocolate sauce that goes on top of the macaroons has chocolate chips that have cane sugar. You can eat the macaroons plain though and they are still yummy!

These were good, good, good! No one would ever know that these were gluten-free and vegan! They were a little less sweet than traditional and I loved that.

2/3 cup brown rice flour
5 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup agave syrup
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Sauce (for the tops of the macaroons)

2 cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (these have cane sugar so if you need to, eat the macaroons plain--still so good!)
6 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 pinches sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease.

Combine the rice flour, coconut, salt, agave, coconut milk, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix thoroughly The dough will be moist and slightly sticky.

Using your hands, form firmly packed (packing the dough is important so the macaroons stay together when baked) balls about half the size of a golf ball. Push down slightly when you place on the cookie sheet to flatten the bottom of the cookie. Bake until just barely brown, about 12 minutes (15 minutes in my electric Longmont, CO oven.)

While the cookies are baking, make the chocolate sauce. In a double boiler, or with a metal or glass mixing bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring frequently, 10-15 minutes. When chocolate has melted, whisk in the water, canola oil, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Remove from the heat.

Let the macaroons cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets. Before serving, drizzle with the chocolate sauce. Leftover chocolate sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. To use again, simply reheat in a double boiler.

Store chocolate covered macaroons in an airtight container in the fridge.

Makes 2-3 dozen.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream-5 Star

I saw this on my naturopathic dr's website and decided to try it. It's a two step process since you need to chill the concoction before making ice cream. It's in the ice cream maker right now so all I can tell you is how it tastes right now--and that is HEAVENLY! Seriously. I thought it would taste really coconutty but it doesn't. Coconut milk is very thick, like heavy cream. The only way I've made ice cream in the recent past was to use whole goat milk (I've never found goat cream) so the ice cream is yummy but the consistency is more like ice milk. Pretty sure that won't be the case here!

It's heavy, creamy, just the right amount of dark chocolate taste, and just the right amount of sweetness. I can't wait to try it as ice cream! I finely chopped semi sweet chocolate to add to it but can't decide if I will do that--maybe I'll save it until next time. I'll let you know what the final product is like!

* 5 Star Coconut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
* cane sugar free, dairy free, egg free, fish/shellfish free, gluten free, milk free, nut free, soy free, vegan, wheat free, yeast free
* Common allergens: none

Julia's Base Recipe (because chocolate should ALWAYS be the base!):

2 cans coconut milk; 2 Tbs. arrowroot powder; 1/2 cup agave nectar 

Empty cans of coconut milk into a medium size saucepan and add 4 squares of baking chocolate. Whisk to an even texture. Pour 1/2 cup coconut milk into a small bowl and add arrowroot powder. Whisk until no lumps remain, while heating the saucepan's contents on medium heat. Add arrowroot mixture and agave to saucepan and whisk on medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Turn off burner and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and chill in fridge for several hours. Process in ice cream maker according to directions. Enjoy!!

Original Base Recipe:


2 cans coconut milk; 2 Tbs. arrowroot powder; 1/2 cup agave nectar or sugar; 2 tsp. almond extract


Empty cans of coconut milk into a medium size saucepan. Whisk to an even texture. Pour 1/2 cup coconut milk into a small bowl and add arrowroot powder. Whisk until no lumps remain, while heating the saucepan's contents on medium heat. Add arrowroot mixture to saucepan and whisk on medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Turn off burner and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and add almond extract. Chill if desired. Process in ice cream maker according to directions. Enjoy!!


Like chocolate?   Melt 2-4 baking chocolate squares in the saucepan before warming the coconut milk.  Try other extracts for flavoring.  Fruits of any type can be pureed then added to the warm mixture. Have some fun with it!

UPDATE