Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

Every year, some of our local restaurants participate in "Arizona Restaurant Week" in which they set a 'prix fixe' three course meal at a great price. It is really fabulous! So my post is going to be short today, since the husband and I are going out to dinner (--happy dance-- without children --happy dance--)in support of this awesome local deal.

So, here is what we had for dinner last night. I love curry flavors, and this was a great way to prepare tilapia!

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce
From: Cooking Light, September 2002

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice (I used brown rice)
4 lime wedges

Directions:
Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Info:
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, 1/2 cup sauce, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 lime wedge)
Calories:506 (30% from fat)
Fat:17.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.5g)
Protein:29g
Carbohydrate:56.6g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:82mg
Iron:2.7mg
Sodium:616mg
Calcium:47mg



The Result:
I cooked my fish under the broiler for 5 minutes. It turned out perfectly cooked and flaky. This was a great twist on tilapia and one that I will make again. I added herbs,sauteed onions, and almond slivers to our brown rice for a little textural boost. Yum, yum, yum!

Thai Chicken Skewers with Coconut Curry Dipping Sauce and Curried Rice Salad

The hubs got me a new phone yesterday, and I wanted to get dinner on the table fast so I could go play with it!!! Thankfully, this recipe totally worked out so I had plenty of phone time. :) This meal was super-flavorful and it came together pretty quickly. The chicken recipe actually came to me via Facebook, of all places. Since I follow Weight Watchers, this recipe popped right up on my feed. How convenient! The rice recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 cookbook that I am holding hostage from the library. (Someday, I will return it...just not anytime soon!) I love both Indian and Thai curries, and this combination was totally satisfying.

Thai Chicken Skewers with Coconut Curry Dipping Sauce
From: weightwatchers.com via Facebook

Ingredients:
1 can(13 1/2 fl oz) light coconut milk, about (1 3/4 cups)
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped, or to taste
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste, Thai-variety
1 tsp ginger root, fresh, grated
1 tsp lime zest
3/4 tsp table salt
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded thin, cut crosswise on the diagonal into 16 strips

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, cilantro, sugar, curry paste, ginger, lime zest and salt until blended; set 1 cup of coconut milk mixture aside for dipping sauce.

Transfer remaining coconut milk mixture to a resealable plastic food storage bag (or shallow glass container with cover). Add chicken to bag (or container), seal and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, soak sixteen 18-inch wooden skewers in water for 20 to 30 minutes(to prevent scorching).

Preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan rack with nonstick aluminum foil (or use a nonstick baking sheet coated with cooking spray). Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread one piece of chicken onto each skewer and place on prepared pan; coat with cooking spray. Broil, turning once, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.

(*****ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or grill pan for attractive grill marks.******)

Meanwhile, bring reserved sauce to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Arrange skewers on serving platter. Spoon sauce into a bowl for dipping. Yields 2 skewers and about 1 tablespoon of sauce per serving.

Jen's Notes:
I opted to cook my chicken on the gas grill. I think it only took about 5 minutes for perfectly cooked, juicy chicken.

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Curried Rice Salad
From: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups of brown basmati or long-grain rice
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 Tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine the raisins, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Cook rice according to package directions. Cool rice to room temperature and set aside.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened; about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in ginger, curry powder, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in raisin mixture, then transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Add the rice and cilantro to the bowl with the raisin mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.




(The dipping sauce...not the most attractive photo; but it was so yummy!)

The Result:
This was so tasty, and my whole family gave this meal a 'thumbs-up'. The chicken and dipping sauce was so yummy, and in no way a "healthy" sacrifice. I love recipes that are good for you, but still are enjoyable! The curried rice salad was also a big hit. It was tangy, spicy, sweet, tart, savory, and had great texture. It was the perfect side dish to our skewers.

Thai Green Curry Shrimp

This is another one of those cheater recipes. I impulsively purchased a jar of Mai Pham Thai Green Curry Base at Williams-Sonoma, and I wanted to use it right away so I could see what it was all about. I doctored up the sauce base and this is what I came up with for our dinner. I served it over some brown rice for a quick and easy supper.

Thai Green Curry Shrimp

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1/2 cup of diced red onions
1 clove of minced garlic
1 jar of Mai Pham Thai Green Curry Base OR any green curry sauce of your choice
1 bag of large frozen raw shrimp
1 can of light coconut milk
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon of Siracha hot sauce
1 cup of cooked green beans (I used frozen and steamed them in the microwave)
1 cup of cooked peas (I used frozen and steamed them in the microwave)
salt to taste
cooked brown rice
fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add diced red onion to pan and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add coconut milk, curry powder, Siracha, and Thai Green Curry Base. Stir and reduce by half. Turn heat down to medium low and add green beans, peas, and shrimp. Simmer until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Season with salt to taste. Serve over cooked brown rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.



The Result:
This was a yummy and easy dinner. Nothing super-fantastic, but good. I would make it again, if I had a jar of sauce on hand; but I don't know if I would go out of my way to make it specifically. For a fast, thrown-together, meal it certainly met my expectations, and I don't know if I would do anything different to change it. Overall, I would say it was good, but not great.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

I don't really feel like typing today, so I am going to keep this really short and sweet. My son has decided to completely stop listening to anything I say, and I am running out of patience. In fact, he is sitting in "time out" as I write this. Sigh. Anyway, here is what I am making for dinner tonight...

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

I plan to pretty much follow the recipe, with a couple of minor exceptions. First, I don't have any unsalted peanuts in the house. I plan to use salted cashews instead. I think I will break them up a little so they are smaller, too. Then, since the cashews are salted, I will really have to be careful with how much salt I add to the recipe. I think I will just taste it, and see how it goes. Then, I plan on using chicken breasts instead of tenders. I think I will just cut the breast meat up into strips and proceed with the recipe as indicated.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

So far, I am having one of those days where nothing really sounds good to eat. I am pretty ambivalent to food right now; and that is a strange phenomenon, to say the least. I haven't even eaten lunch yet, since nothing sounds good to me (except for cinnamon cookies, but I am trying to refrain). It is very odd. I thawed out some chicken breasts, with the intention of making this dish for dinner tonight. However, I was very "eh" about it. So I went back and read my original post for this dish and perked up a little. All of a sudden, I got a little excited about having this meal again. I remembered how stinkin' good this recipe truly is, and I got back into the swing of things. Whew! Crisis averted!!! For a second, I was worried that an alien host took over my brain and gave me an aversion to food. Now that I know that no such nonsense has occurred, and I can fully enjoy our Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles for dinner.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

I don't think I will deviate from this original recipe. I like it exactly how it was written, so I think I will just keep it that way.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

My mother in law and I took my son to get his three year old pictures done today, so I was out until late afternoon. I can't believe how big my baby has grown! He looks like such a little man in his photos. Sigh...so big! Anyway, I planned ahead and defrosted twice the amount of chicken I needed for last night, so I could throw together this dish once I got home. Despite this dish not being a traditional Thai dish, I still think it delivers all the flavors that I love from that style of cooking. It quick and easy to put together, and best of all, fairly well-balanced. I don't think I am going to make any major changes, so I will just link back to my original post.


Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles


Okay, disregard the above statement...I am going to make a couple changes. I am going to use Udon noodles, instead of spaghetti; and I don't have any cole slaw greens or cilantro this time around. I am hoping that the dish will still be just as good as it was last time; despite the lack of various greens and herbs. I think I will throw some edamame into the mix, as well...just for good measure. This is one of my favorite dinners, so I am looking forward to tonight's meal!

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

Last week, my friend Claire told me about a yummy Thai peanut dressing/sauce that she found at Costco. Based on her recommendation, I bought a bottle without really knowing what to expect. Well, today-almost a week and a half later-curiosity got the best of me, and I finally got around to opening it up. I wanted to take a wee taste to see what it was like...after all, it was just sitting there in the fridge begging to be sampled. I peeled the little safety disk off the lid-opening and took a finger full of sauce. Oh man!!! This stuff is awesome!!! Seriously, even straight from the bottle it is fan-freakin'-tastic...YUM! I gave my 3 year old son a little taste, too. His eyes lit up and he said, "ummmmmmm....more, Mommy!". So, the two of us finished licking the safety lid until it was squeaky clean (except for our germs) and then disposed of it. (Yes, I realize that was gross...but it was in the privacy of our own home for Pete's sake!)

I immediately decided to bump the recipe that I had scheduled for tonight, so I could make something with this sauce, instead. After a quick swap-a-roo on my menu plan and a peek in my fridge, I got my game plan together.

I have a ton of whole wheat spaghetti noodles leftover from last night. Also, I still have a half of bag of cole slaw salad greens (without the dressing) that need to be used. I figured I would re-purpose both of those items into a dish similar to the one that Claire made last night with the very same sauce (here is her blog post link to Peanutty Udon Noodles with Tofu so you can see what she did with this marvelous condiment). We are not tofu fans, so I am going to use chicken tenders as my main protein. Also, my recipe will not be as precise since the bulk of my ingredients are from leftovers. I don't really have a set recipe, so I am going to write one on the fly. I will let you know how it all turns out. If anything changes significantly, I will make sure to amend the recipe with my 'results' post later on.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of canola oil, divided
1 lb. of chicken breast tenders (with tendons removed)
1/2 cup of flour
cooked whole wheat spaghetti noodles
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 small bag of Asian-style frozen vegetables
1/2 bag of pre-shredded cole slaw salad greens (without cole slaw dressing)
1 cup of Thai Peanut Sauce (Rikki Rikki brand)
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek chili sauce
1/3 cup of peanuts, unsalted and toasted in a dry pan
1 Tablespoon of lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
chopped green onions, for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place flour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and dredge into seasoned flour, making sure to shake off any excess. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown chicken tenders in 1 Tablespoon canola oil on both sides. Once chicken is brown and cooked, remove to a plate and set aside. Add additional 1 Tablespoon of canola oil to hot skillet, and add frozen veggies to pan. When veggies are still crisp and warmed through, add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Then, add cooked spaghetti noodles,Sambal Oelek, and chicken stock. Simmer until liquid reduces by half. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Add cooked chicken, and Thai sauce; stir to combine. Add shredded cole slaw greens and mix thoroughly, until slightly wilted. Add lime juice and stir to combine. Remove from heat and top with cilantro, green onions, and toasted peanuts. Serve immediately.



The Result:
I think this is my new favorite dinner. It was everything I anticipated...and then some. Savory, peanutty, just a touch spicy on the finish...sigh...I need some better adjectives, because my description is not doing this meal justice. Let's just say that I am ridiculously pleased with myself for pulling this dish together! (Okay, I can't take full credit for this dish since the sauce was pre-made...but it was still soooo super-yummy.) I did have to make a couple changes, while I was cooking. I amended the recipe to show the additional ingredients and directions. The cook time was pretty fast, considering most of the ingredients were already cooked to some degree. Overall, this turned out very well balanced and delicious!

DeCio's Thai Peanut Pasta

DeCio pasta is a fresh, dried, linguine pasta that is sold locally at specialty shops. I discovered it at our downtown Phoenix Farmer's Market, but they sell it online too. There are many different flavors to choose from; tonight I am going to try a new variety called Szechuan Orange Spice. This recipe came off of the DeCio website and it sounds really good. I wanted to try something out-of-the-ordinary for our dinner, but I did not want to run to the store to buy anything. I have everything on hand for this recipe...with some minor changes. I think this dish would work well with white or brown rice, as a substitution for the pasta. I will serve this meal with some vegetable spring rolls and dipping sauces that I purchased from Trader Joe's. I am looking forward to this recipe, since I love Thai flavors. I will let you know how it turns out.

DeCio Thai Peanut Pasta
1 pkg DeCio Orange Szechuan pasta (or serve with rice/noodle of your choice)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into pieces
1 red or yellow bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions:
Cook pasta to al dente, drain and set aside. Coat skillet or wok with non-stick cooking spray. cook chicken until lightly browned. Add the bell pepper, cook 2 minutes. Set aside. in small bowl dissolve cornstarch in cold coconut milk. Pour into skillet. Cook stirring for 2 minutes, until thickened. Reduce heat. In small bowl combine peanut butter, garlic, honey, lime juice, orange juice, ground red pepper, soy sauce and honey. Add to skillet stirring until smooth. Add chives, cilantro, and reserved chicken and peppers. Toss with pasta to coat. Garnish with toasted peanuts. Can also toss 1/2 cup of toasted peanut gems in with pasta.

Jen's Notes:
Another substitution would be to use the cheap, Ramen noodles instead of the flavored DeCio pasta. I would just ditch the MSG-laden 'seasoning' packet that they come with, and cook the plain noodles. Angel Hair pasta would work...man, I am just full of ideas today. At any rate, plain noodles or rice would be a workable change.
I am going to steam some frozen, Asian-style, veggies to toss into this dish. I may make extra sauce so everything gets coated. I will omit the red peppers, since the Asian-style veggies that I bought already have red pepper in them.

I don't have fresh ginger, so I will use the dried ginger that I have in the pantry instead. It is important to note that dried spices are always a little more pungent than fresh. I just adjust my recipe accordingly, and use a little less than the recommended amount. Also, I don't have fresh oranges to squeeze for fresh orange juice; I will have to make due with good, old OJ from concentrate.