Vegetarian Pumpkin Curry

September 19, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've been craving curry of all types lately. I'm not exactly sure why either. Perhaps it's the change in weather that's increasing my desire for something warm and spicy. I attempted to make a green chicken curry last week but was not exactly a fan of the overwhelming amount of spice-heat that came from it. Yikes! It's a recipe that is definitely a work in progress.

This week I decided to go with a red curry, which is generally what I order when out at any thai place. I think red curry is generally a little less spicy than the green, but that also depends on how much of what curry paste or powder you put in.

With pumpkin season in full swing, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use up some nice pumpkin puree! I've added it to chili before... so why not curry?...

Chickpea & Quinoa Cakes

September 12, 2014 Amanda Plott

So, I'm not really a huge fan of seafood. Okay... and by that... I mean I absolutely cannot and will not eat any sort of seafood. I've been that way for my entire life, even after living on the Oregon coast for 5 years! It has nothing to do with taste or texture, because honestly... I've had very few tastes of seafood. It is completely a mental block.

My mom says that if I would just try seafood, I would love it. Hah. Good luck getting me to try any! With all of that being said, I can't help but day dream and wonder when I see a beautiful fresh seafood dish. One thing I think I would enjoy is a crab cake.

So, this is basically my vegetarian... vegan... paleo take on a crab cake!

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

September 3, 2014 Amanda Plott

We love pickles in this house.

My little girl alone goes through about a jar every week or two this summer. She's especially fond of pickled carrots as I've found out recently. And have you seen the price for pickles? Holy moly! If you're wanting a good pickle, you're going to be paying $3-4 bucks a jar. Eep!

The past few weeks I've been playing around with a grocery service that delivers organic and local produce straight from nearby farms to your home. I've been getting the 'local box' which comes with a variety of that weeks 'special' produce, fruits and herbs. It's been fun and very interesting. I get to work with a lot of new-to-me ingredients that you normally wouldn't find at the grocery store either; such as sweet potato greens, hon tsai tai, and cucamelons.

Well, I was supposed to get cucamelons, but unfortunately they were swapped for something else after I had planned on pickling them. Bummer. Oh well! I did still get some fresh organic dill in my delivery so I decided I'd just pickle some cucumbers and carrots instead!...

Kota Kokinisti (Stewed Chicken)

August 27, 2014 Amanda Plott

This is one of the best chicken dishes I think I've ever had. Seriously. It's one of my new favorites and I'm pretty sure it'll go into 'regular rotation' now. For such a rich and hearty dish, you'd be surprised to know that it is gluten-free, clean and especially lean - coming in right at 300 calories.

Now, mine did require a bit of babysitting but that's because I cooked mine for way longer than the initial hour needed to cook the chicken through. In fact, I left mine to sit for a few hours, which only boosted the already amazing flavors...