Chicken Cashew Curry

This was simple and straightforward. First I added salt, a teaspoon of oil, few drops lemon juice to the rice and put it in the microwave to cook. I diced an onion, a carrot and a package of chicken breasts. I rolled the chicken in flour to coat it and got my oiled pan hot. I sweated the carrot and onion till it was translucent then added the floured chicken pieces. I got a little brown all around the chicken but it was still raw in the centre. The cashews went in next. Then I added a heaping teaspoon of curry powder sprinkled over all and stirred it in. I let it cook for a few seconds while I opened a can of coconut milk. I added the whole can and kept the heat high so it boiled off the excess water before turning the chicken to rubber. I also added a few drops of Chinese Fish Sauce to broaden the base of the flavour profile. Salt of course, it all needed salt to taste. The curry by itself isn't particularly hot so more cayenne can be added if desired.

About 2 minutes before the sauce was thickened for serving I added a handful of frozen green peas. I plated the curry over the rice and served with a side salad.

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive/canola oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

salt

mixed pepper

Whisk, toss the greens in it and serve. The bags of precut iceberg, carrot and red cabbage are economical for two people. It makes 4 small salad.

There it is! An exotic tasting treat and hearty meal in under an hour.

Breaded Pork Cutlet

Save On Pork Cutlets again! They're easy, relatively inexpensive and most important, they taste good. That condiment is Fern's ketchup. Sunlight turned it black but the taste is wonderful. The broccoli was steamed and finished in olive oil. The potatoes were mashed with butter, salt and milk. 

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive/canola oil

2 tsp vinegar 

salt

pepper

The vinegar mixture had ingredients that made it taste great but I haven't a clue what's in it. I think it was Dave's dressing from the Laughing Oyster but I'm not 100% sure. As long as there is acid in the dressing it will be fine.

Once again a simple tasty meal for less than $5 per plate and ready in less than an hour.

Cajun Cod with Yellow Flesh Potatoes

Fern has the flu so I had to make a nutritious but not heavy meal. We had chicken last night so when I saw a fresh piece of cod at Save On Foods I picked it up. I pressed it in the thickest part and it sprang right back. If a depression remains only buy it if you like that fishy off taste.

I had yellow flesh potatoes so I used them instead of russet, different flavour. The peas were frozen but the carrot was fresh. The last time I made frozen peas with carrots Fern said, "frozen peas! Is that the best you can do?"

I know he likes celery so this time I chopped up a stalk into the peas and carrots then put them in the microwave to cook. I have a Panasonic Genius with moisture sensor so it measures when the food is cooked. It works well for frozen vegetables and roots.

I got out my trusty fish pliers and pulled out every bone I could find. I always seem to miss one and it ends up on Fern's plate, like it did tonight. I checked the fish end to end for more bones and couldn't find any more. But one remained hidden and Fern got it. Damn!

Anyway, I salted and coated the mostly boned fish with Cajun seasoning mix and laid it in hot olive oil. The potatoes were just boiled and finished with butter. Same with the vegetables. I plated it and called Fern. I turned the fish over and plated when it was done.  A squirt of lemon juice on top and that was it.

"I like the celery in the peas." Fern said as he slowly ate. He has the flu so that's a ringing endorsement considering the circumstances.

Marinated Pork Chops

The ordinary plating belies the taste hiding there. I had marinated pork in mind when I left for the store so this meal was pretty much planned. The rice I cooked with a couple of anise seeds, salt, olive oil and a teaspoon lemon juice. The pork spent several hours in the Food Saver marinator.

Pork Marinade

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 cloves garlic minced

I add canola oil so the olive oil won't burn and it's significantly cheaper. I made sure to fully coat both sides of the pork in the marinade before sucking the air out. At dinner time I slowly released the pressure so moisture was drawn back into the meat. Then I fried them.

The sprouts were steamed, run under cold water to stop cooking, then reheated in olive oil just before serving. The salad was the second half of a bag of iceberg, red cabbage and carrot salad. 

Vinaigrette

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp canola oil

2 tsp mystery acid

1/2 tsp salt

mixed pepper

Whisk and toss the salad to coat.  The mystery acid was red wine vinegar and something else. No idea what but it tasted good. Something I mixed up a while ago and never finished.

The mustard cooks into a wonderful flavour on the meat by itself but, when paired with anise on the rice it went right up to the top and rang all the bells! The breaded pork cutlets are easier but this tastes far better. I would use only one anise seed next time, it was a little too fragrant but the flavour was incredible.

Breaded Pork Cutlet yet again

I chided myself as I reached for the breaded pork cutlet. Not again! I can't keep using what someone else has prepared. I know how to do better now but these are inexpensive, easy, tasty and look home made. When time is short, they fit the bill.

I've paired it with mashed potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts and apple sauce. I didn't make that either. I did run the sprouts under cold water to stop cooking then reheated them in olive oil so they tasted their best. The potatoes have butter, milk and salt so they are moist and tasty. 

I really need to work on my breading.

Cajun Chicken on Lemon Cream Sauce

I coated the chicken with salt and Cajun seasoning. I bought bulk bin Cajun this time and it was perfectly fine. I fried and browned the breasts in a frying pan then put them in the oven at 325F for 30 minutes total cooking time.  The stuffing is Uncle Ben's traditional sage. It's easy, fast, tastes good and goes on sale for $.99 after holidays. I steamed the brussel's sprouts and finished them with olive oil.  The mushroom sauce was simple, I sliced up some mushrooms and fried them so they had a little sear. Then I took them from the pan and set them aside.  

I put 1/2 a teaspoon of flour in the pan and added a bit of butter to the pan and melted it into the flour. I took the pan off the heat and whisked in 1/2 cup of milk and light cream. I whisked the milk into the butter, then added a tablespoon of lemon juice.  I whisked in the lemon and it didn't curdle the sauce! A pinch of salt and I had a nice creamy, lemony sauce. I stirred the mushrooms back in and set it on low heat.

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp olive/walnut/canola oil  (I'm using up the walnut oil before it spoils)

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

Whisk and toss the salad in it.

The creamy sauce cut the heat in the cajun spice and the lemony flavour lifted the whole plate. I liked it. Fern was less enthusiastic about a cream sauce, he doesn't like them. I'm not sure a restaurant would put lemon in a cream sauce but I liked it. Fern, not so much.

Marinated Pork Chop

I marinated the chops in my new recipe and it was amazing! We both would have eaten more if there was some left. 

Marinade

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 cloves garlic smashed/diced

I put the pork in my Food Saver vacuum marinator for about 45 minutes.  I'm not convinced the vacuum does anything for the flavour, but as a marinating dish, it's ideal. The marinade cooks down into an absolutely delicious coating.  

The broccoli was steamed, cooled in water and finished in olive oil. Mashed potatoes finished with butter, milk and a little salt. I also made a small salad

Vinaigrette

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp walnut oil (optional, to use it up before it spoils)

1 tsp canola oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

few drops Worcestershire Sauce

black pepper

salt

This pork tastes better than Save On Foods breaded pork cutlet and Mitchell's souvlaki. It only took me 2 years to do better than my local grocery store. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.