Three Indian Inspired Chutneys

I've got three Indian-inspired chutneys for you. Bright and summery...the bomb diggity spooned over salmon. Serve them with chicken or your favorite protein. Think of them as chopped salads or salsas to enjoy with warm chapati, tortilla chips or pita bread. Toss some beans into them for a light vegan meal. The mango chutney is spiked with creamy coconut milk.

A welcome addition to Indian meals as well as backyard bbq's, each one has its own character. They all share the warmth of sesame and the heat of chili in common. Cool and crunchy, the chutneys are a nice choice during the warm weather months.

Easy Indian Chickpea And Spinach Curry

I used to work every evening as a counselor/administrative assistant in a crisis center. Stress eating was the norm there. On busy nights, the staff (myself included) subsisted on vending-machine snacks, greasy pizza and take-out Chinese. We all wondered why our waistlines were ever expanding? Why we felt tired? Why we were never satisfied by what we ate?

Vanilla Bean Coconut Cream

Simple, natural, elegant and delicious...this creamy coconut milk dessert tastes like French vanilla mousse. It's easy to prepare if you follow my foolproof method. A real vanilla bean is what makes it so special.

Summer Squash With Thai Coconut-Chil Sauce

Fresh, light, easy and tasty....this is summer eating at its best. Quickly roasted to bring out the sweet flavors, a generous platter of patty pan squash and zucchini is served with a cool and creamy coconut sauce. The Thai-inspired sauce is spiked with chili, lime, ginger and basil. Enjoy this lovely dish over rice for a light lunch or dinner. Serve it alongside fish or chicken. The sauce alone is great on almost anything.

Thai Chickpea Curry

Do you love Thai food? I adore it. The sunny flavors of curry paste, creamy coconut milk, perky ginger and fresh lime juice are refreshing in summer and real mood-boosters in winter. This wholesome and healthy chickpea curry is bright and tasty. It comes together in about 30 minutes. Everything is simmered in one pot for easy cooking. Pair the curry with steamed rice for a complete protein. I love it with Jasmine rice. For me, using a rice cooker makes this dinner even easier to prepare. The curry reheats well for workweek meals too.

Thai Chickpea Curry Recipe

Makes About 5 Cups

Some Notes & Tips:

Find a Thai curry past that you like. I love Maesri brand. 1 1 /2 tablespoons of it in this recipe is plenty spicy for me. It's a well rounded and flavorful curry paste that comes in small cans for convenience. This is not a sponsored post. It's just my recommendation. I find it in Asian supermarkets and online. It comes in green, red and yellow.

I use a microplane zester to mince the garlic and ginger.

You can use light coconut milk, but it won't be as creamy and the sauce will be thinner.

In winter, you can substitute canned chopped tomatoes for fresh.

Ingredients

• 2 16-ounce cans of chickpeas rinsed and drained
• 1 can of full fat coconut milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of red, green or yellow Thai curry paste.  I use Maesri brand. 
• 1 medium red or white onion, chopped. I use red.
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• A large handful of fresh Thai basil, regular basil or mint, chopped
• Oil for cooking. I use a scant tablespoon of sunflower oil.
• Salt to taste

To Serve:
lime wedges
a splash of soy sauce, shoyu or tamari for umami flavor
steamed Jasmine rice

Instructions

Put some oil in a pot or sauce pan and saute the onions, with a pinch of salt, until soft. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, curry paste, tomatoes, garlic and ginger. Adjust the salt to your taste. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with fresh basil and a few squeezes of lime juice.

Bon Appetit!

xx ~ Jilly  

Thai Red Curry Noodles

I've hit a roadblock with embroidery designing. My last larger pattern was Madame Butterfly. Since then, I've done some small freebies, which people enjoy. But the bigger ideas aren't coming to me. When that happens, I put my needle and thread away and head to the kitchen. Recipe ideas flow without any effort. They continuously pop into my head, before I go to sleep, on long walks with my beagle, while brushing my teeth. I write them down because I can't keep up. I cook up a storm. That's my process. It's a bit insane with lots of messes in the kitchen. But I am not one without the other. My cooking and sewing fuel each other.

Green Curry Meatballs With Creamy Coconut-Basil Sauce

Every once in a while a recipe comes along that's stellar and special. A culinary idea is formed and then something magical happens. The ingredients surprisingly combine into a delicious dish that's more than you imagined. You're not really sure how it turned out so good. But you're thrilled it did! Oh mercy, these easy, Thai turkey meatballs make me thank the Good Lord for coconut, lime & ginger.

Toasted Coconut-Lime Muffins

My husband is coming home from a tiring business trip. He spent his birthday on the road. He doesn't have a huge sweet tooth. He doesn't even like cake, which is mind boggling to me. So instead of a birthday cake, I made muffins. He loves muffins. I whip up lots of different kinds, like my Incredibly Moist Blueberry Muffins and French Vanilla Pear Muffins. You can view all of them in the Recipe Index. He's a fan of the cozy, toasted coconut and lime combination in this recipe. I love that there's no mixer needed to prepare them. They have moist centers, slightly crunchy exteriors, with a texture and flavor similar to scones. They're delicious eaten warm, minutes after they're made, with a little butter or tart marmalade. Brew some coffee or tea!

Thai Garden Vegetable Soup

Today we care so much about what we eat. Yet we have less time to prepare nutritious food. My favorite midday meal is soup. I make a lot of quick ones. This rainbow-colored recipe is ready in about 30 minutes. A bit of chopping and dropping into a pot is all that's required. It's a fun, healthy, Thai-take on garden vegetable soup. I like it much better than the old standard. Spiked with chili, lime and creamy coconut milk, it makes a light and lively lunch paired with crusty rolls or crackers. With an abundance of vegetables, pops of  sweet peas and fresh scallions, this non-traditional veggie soup is a good choice for springtime. It's wonderful sprinkled with Thai basil or regular basil.  If you're craving a satisfying Southeast Asian bowl of deliciousness, give it a try!

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Cream & Sriracha

Nothing says comfort to me more than soup. I come close to slurping it 365 days a year. This luscious sweet potato soup is a gift to yourself or people you love. It's rich and velvety like a bisque. It's satisfying, but not heavy. Cinnamon and coconut lend their warm notes. Perky lime and sriracha sauce counter the sweetness of the potatoes and wake up the taste buds. It hits all the right flavors and textures: creamy, spicy, tangy, sweet.

Vietnamese Vegetable Soup with Coconut Rice

By now, you know how much I adore soup. My Vietnamese vegetable soup is a quick take on traditional slow simmering pho ga. Chicken is added for protein. Tofu or shrimp work well too. Here, a light and flavorful broth is loaded with lots of tender-crisp Asian vegetables, spicy ginger and a finish of fresh lime. Soft hints of warm spices lend an authentic taste to the soup. Earthy mushrooms and soy sauce give it an umami flavor. 

This glorious soup leaves me feeling restored and content, especially during cold and flu season. It's a deliciously nutritious meal. It's ready in under 30 minutes and you control the sodium level. As the rice cooks and the soup simmers, the kitchen fills with sunny aromas. If you're in need of a reboot, put on your PJ's, line up your favorite movies, make a big pot of Vietnamese soup and slurp your stress away.

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup With Sweet Potatoes

There's five feet of snow on my balcony here in New England and it just keeps on coming. This spicy, restorative soup is a necessary escape from the Arctic-like weather. A big bowl of hot soup makes my heart happy. There are many simple soup recipes here. If you're interested, check the Recipe Index to view all of them.

My Thai chicken coconut soup is brimming with colorful veggies. The right amount of heat makes it warm and inviting. Sweet potato counters the spice and gives it substance. It's filling, but not at all heavy. The delicious broth is spiked with creamy coconut milk, red curry paste and a squeeze of fresh lime. Steamed Jasmine or sushi rice is the perfect add-on. Think fluffy rice and luscious soup and you'll get the picture. This soup is better and much more nutritious than my favorite Thai restaurant version. The taste is authentic and pure. It's is ready in under 30 minutes. Best of all, it's easy to cook. Even if you've never made Thai food before, you can do this. You'll be happy and proud that you did.

Thai Noodle Soup

Is there anything better than a big bowl of Asian noodles? It's up there on my list of favorites, along with chocolate, mashed potatoes and fresh baguette. When I was working as a young social worker in Philadelphia, I had lunch every single day at a no-frills Vietnamese noodle soup (Pho) house. They only served soup and they did it right. I slurped soup there so much that the wait staff insisted that I learn to use chopsticks properly. I love the contrasting textures and flavors of these kinds of soups: tangly noodles, crunchy bean sprouts, tender-crisp veggies and flavorful broth.  

Toasted Coconut, Quinoa & Oats Cereal

Since I don't work in a psychiatric emergency room every night anymore, I'm much more equipped to curb my stress-eating-tendencies, which included uncontrollably munching a half a box of Cheez-its in one sitting, scarfing oreo cookies for dinner and...the never fail.... mindlessly shoving pizza slices down my gullet. Sounds peachy, doesn't it? Now that my work hours are reduced, I'm going for long walks with my beagle. When I eat pizza, I'm sitting down, with my husband, to savor it. I'm also whipping up my favorite cereal. Life, for the moment, is more balanced. 

My homemade granola cereal has delicious coconut flavor and a crunchy texture. It fills the kitchen with divine, warm aromas as it bakes. My husband sprinkles it on yogurt with fresh fruit or honeyed strawberries. I love to mix-in dark chocolate chips and eat it with very cold milk.  

Think you don't like quinoa? Think again! When it's toasted with oats and maple syrup, something magical happens. Even picky eaters will love this healthy breakfast. They won't even know the quinoa is in it. Loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, omegas, trace minerals, fiber, iron and protein, I always feel well nourished after eating it. Get your crunch on!

Quick Lime & Coconut Cream Cake

The French are fond of quick cakes. They're often made with yogurt and lemon. Here I swap the 3/4 cup yogurt for one cup of coconut cream. I also bump up the coconut flavor by using pure coconut extract. The recipe is based on one I found in a vintage (circa 1978) cookbook by the editors of Marie Claire called The Best of French Cooking.

I love the fresh lime flavor and the tropical notes of this cake. My husband seems to like it too. He has been eating a slice everyday, warmed in the microwave. I also like that it's easy to prepare. But it's a bit dense, probably because of the coconut cream. Maybe the trick is to reduce the coconut cream. I'm leaving it in your hands. If you decide to try this recipe, I'd love to know your suggestions to make it better. It's almost vegan, except for one egg. The cake benefits when served with diced tropical fruit (such as mango or pineapple) and whipped cream. My husband loves it because he likes plain citrusy cakes.

Thai Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

Coming home to a bowl of lentil soup is cozy. Here, the humble red lentil is elevated to new heights. Made with coconut milk, the soup has a creamy texture and a healthy dose of omega 3′s. The flavors of ginger and chili work beautifully with the mellow lentils, perking them up. Thai basil and lime are fresh finishing touches.

Being Middle Eastern, I’ve eaten my share of lentil soups. This time, I ventured out of the box, wanting something a little different...something smooth and luxurious with a more lively flavor. 

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

This whipped cream is wonderful! A bit of coconut extract will really enhance the tropical favor. It's great on fresh fruit as a light summer dessert. If you follow my instructions, it's a breeze to whip up. 

Coconut milk is rich in vitamins, omega 3′s and minerals. It has manganese with helps regulate blood sugar and promote healthy skin. It contains copper, vitamin C, zinc, potassium and magnesium. 

Fresh Pea Soup With Coconut Milk & Thai Chili

When you’re in need of warmth and brightness, turn to this soup. If you find yourself yearning to see and taste something fresh and green it will come to your rescue. 

A stop at the market to pick up some flowers, frozen green peas and a few other ingredients is an easy plan to cure the blues. This creamy soup has a beautiful mellow flavor. It’s healthy, but you’d never know it by the rich taste. A scattering of whole peas, tossed in at the end, create a bright pop in your mouth. This dish is particularly good in winter, when you need a fast-green-fix. It’s equally welcome during spring.

Healthy Hot Chocolate Cereal

It's only natural that a serious chocolate addict would find a way to use it in her morning cereal. Velvety cocoa powder is stirred into simmering cereal. The result is a warm bowl of chocolaty goodness. Cocoa is high in antioxidants. You can feel good about eating this. It'll keep you full for hours.  

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Cream & Thai Flavors

Need a feisty and fun sweet potato recipe for your holiday table that won't give you a sugar crash before the pumpkin pie is served? Then this recipe is for you. Don't get me wrong, I won't turn down a serving of marshmallow covered sweet potatoes. But this dish is a nice change from the often cloyingly sweet marshmallow dish. Thai-inspired whipped sweets will jazz up a holiday turkey dinner. It's light, creamy, spicy and sweet. The chili and lime energize the sweet potatoes with fresh flavor.