Thai red curry dragon fruit chicken salad

This post is sponsored by #FreakyFruitsFriday. I received fruit from our generous sponsor, Melissa's Produce, to assist in recipe creation. As always, all opinions are my own.

A twist on chicken salad using Thai red curry paste, coconut cream, fresh dragon fruit, and Thai basil for a delicious and fun light dinner or lunch.

Mulligatawny soup

Mulligatawny soup is something I've been intrigued about since the infamous soup episode of Seinfeld many years ago. I recently decided it was time to do a little research and give this intriguing sounding soup a try. 

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I learned that Mulligatawny is an English soup based on an Indian soup. I read a lot of recipes and not one was the same... some used chicken, some used lentils, some used cream, some used coconut milk... but a lot of the basics were the same - onions, carrots, celery, apples, curry powder, bay, and something creamy. 

The soup turned our terrific. My only complaint is that it was terrible to photograph. All the apples floated to the top and all the other stuff fell to the bottom. So, it just looks like a curry broth of apples! But trust me, there are a lot of other goodies hiding and swimming below the rich curried broth. 

This is a soup absolutely fit for a chilly fall or winter evening. It will serve about four people.

Coconut cream pie

For some reason, I have been wanting to make a coconut cream pie for months....since last summer, really. I'm not even sure if I've ever had a coconut cream pie before. At least not one that was truly homemade.

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I think the only kind I've ever had consisted of coconut pudding and cool whip and it was many years ago. So I'm not sure why I've been craving this pie, but I'm glad I finally made it. I've been really loving all things coconut lately.

Making a coconut cream pie from scratch is time consuming. I used this recipe from Betty Crocker, but changed a few things. One thing I changed is that I didn't add the butter to the filling (by accident), but after I don't really think it was necessary. 

It was already very rich and creamy. Another thing is that I used unsweetened coconut. Since I usually cut the amount of sugar in desserts anyways, I didn't add any more sugar and it was sweet enough for us. Below is my modified recipe.

Kabocha squash and coconut pudding

I have to admit that I have missed having sweet treats around to pop into my mouth after dinner now that all the Christmas cookies are gone. 

West African chicken and peanut stew

 

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I don't like to complain about the weather, but 55 to 60 degrees in December with rain? Really? We got our Christmas tree the other day and it was pouring rain. I'm sitting here with the window wide open. 

We live in Buffalo, NY folks - the place where everyone thinks has crazy amounts of snow. Last winter I wasn't even able to use my snowshoes once. It's weird and makes it really difficult to get into the Christmas mood! We are used to snow and cold. I don't want any blizzards or anything, but I also feel like it's spring.... It makes baking cookies or knitting gifts feel.... I don't know..... just not right....

It also makes dinners a little more difficult. Usually we are craving stews, soups, and other cold-weather dishes, but not so much when it is this warm. But, that's not going to stop me from making wintery meals. I'm hopeful that we will see some winter this year. It's still early..... and, I'm hopeful that we will have at least a covering of snow as we get closer to the holidays. 

This stew is a stick-to-your-bones kind of meal that is perfect for a cold evening. I've been wanting to make a version of this dish for quite a while and finally used this recipe to do so (I modified it slightly). The combination of ingredients sound strange -- the flavor is unlike anything I've eaten before, but after a couple bites, we both agreed that we liked it a lot! 

This dish will easily serve four hungry people. It's a simple dish to put together, but does take some time to simmer. It's a perfect stew to warm you up after coming in from the cold (if it's cold where you are).

Tom Kha Gai (Thai chicken coconut soup)

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I love this soup... Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, all around tasty - what Thai food is all about. While this recipe probably isn't truly authentic Thai - it's a decent version with ingredients you can find at many larger grocery stores. Items like lemongrass, fish sauce, and Thai chiles have become much more accessible over the last few years. 

You may have had this soup as a started at a Thai restaurant as it tends to be pretty popular. The broth takes some time to get really flavorful, but otherwise the soup is pretty simple to make.

This recipe serves two as a main dish or four as a starter.

Tom Kha Gai
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 can (14 oz) unsweetened light coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass (sliced into about 1 inch pieces)
1-2 Thai chiles (or other small red chiles)
about 6 slices of ginger root (about 1/4 inch thick)
about 1 tablespoon cane sugar
juice of 1 lime
1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 chicken breast thinly sliced
about 2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
3 scallions, thinly sliced (whites and greens, but keep separated)
about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
thin rice noodles (optional)

In a large soup pot, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger root, chiles, cane sugar, and fish sauce. If you want a mild soup, use only one chile. For a hotter soup, use one-two chiles and pierce the skin. Cook over medium heat until the broth comes to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour. 

Remove all the lemongrass stalk, ginger root, and the chiles from the broth and discard. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and whites of the scallions. Bring to a low boil and cook until the chicken is cooked through. 

Add noodles, if using (they will cook in only a couple of minutes) and the lime juice. When the noodles are soft, serve immediately. Top with the scallion greens and cilantro. You can also top with thinly sliced chiles (if you want a spicier soup), extra fish sauce, and/or fresh basil leaves.