Annette's Thai Coconut-Curry: A Dinner Swap Recipe

This recipe is adapted from an Epicurious.com recipe and was also inspired by a similar dish I've had at Monica's and several Thai restaurants. It's hard to decide what I love most about this recipe- the sweet flavors from the coconut milk and veggies, which soothes the heat from the ginger and curry; the tangy lime and basil combination; or the strips of meat that, because they are cooked in the coconut milk, are so tender they simply melt in your mouth. If I had to chose one word to describe this dish it would be "bright".

It's extremely easy to make and only takes one large pan; chop everything up ahead of time and just drop the prepped ingredients into the pan at each step. In the version I made for the Dinner Swap, I added bok choy and shredded carrots because Mr. D and I like our meals loaded with veggies, but you can leave out or add whatever veggies you want to create your own version of this dish. And don't be afraid of the heat- neither Mr. D nor I like our food very spicy so even though it has curry in it, this dish is not hot at all. But if you do like it hotter, feel free to add more curry!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (whisked to blend)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons green curry powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound boneless chicken or pork, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce* (also called: nam pla) 
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Optional additions:

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 4 heads of bok choy, chopped, or whole leaves broken off
• Any other vegetables desired

Directions:

1. Bring 1/4 cup coconut milk and curry to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. 
2. Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper and onion; sauté 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in meat, remaining coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce*. Cook until meat is just about cooked through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add shredded carrot and bok choy, simmer for 1 minute. 
5. Stir in basil and lime juice, simmer 1 minute. 
6. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Serve over rice or noodles... or enjoy by itself. 

*Fish sauce can be purchased at your local supermarket or any Asian food store. Or, soy sauce can be used as a substitute.

Jessica's BBQ Turkey Meatloaf: A Dinner Swap Recipe

                                                                                                     Image from kraftrecipes.com

Jessica's great adaptation of the classic meatloaf was inspired by Kraft's Easy Pleasing Meatloaf recipe. But this meatloaf is not the same as what your mom used to make! Instead of beef, she went with a healthier choice: lean turkey... and she upped the amount of BBQ sauce from the original recipe for some really flavorful results! Turkey can be very flavorless but with this recipe, there is a ton of flavor from the herbs and spices in the Stuffing Mix and from a spicy choice of BBQ sauce. Jessica also recommends punching it up a notch by throwing your favorite hot sauce into the mix. Delicious combo of comfort food and BBQ!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1 cup water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup BBQ sauce, divided 

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix ground meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 3/4 cup of the BBQ sauce together in a bowl until just blended. 
3. Shape into a loaf and place in a 13x9-inch baking pan.
4. Coat the top of the meatloaf with reserved 1/4 BBQ sauce.
5. Bake 1 hour or until done.

Francis' BBQ Shepherd's Pie: A Dinner-Swap Recipe

This yummy version of Shepherd's Pie is from Francis... the classic taste of Shepherd's Pie just got kicked up a notch, people! She incorporated Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce into the ground meat and the sweet and spicy taste of BBQ really came through. The addition of sour cream to the mashed potato topping gave it extra creaminess and it complimented the kick from the BBQ flavors very nicely. Here's the added bonus: you don't need to feel bad about serving what is a typically a very heavy dish; Francis used ground turkey, turning this delicious meal into what can now be a healthy option for your family.

Ingredients:

• 0.65 pounds of lean ground turkey
• 4 ½ cups of potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 2 cups of corn
• 1 cup white onion (diced)
• ½ cup of BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet and Spicy)
• 7 Tbsp sour cream
• 3 splashes of milk
• 1/3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/3 Tbsp cumin
• 1/3 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1/3 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tsp olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the diced Potatoes in a large pot with water and boil.
3. Add a tsp of olive oil to a pan at medium heat and add the ground turkey. Season the turkey meat with chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, and garlic powder. Cook until brown and there is no liquid left.
4. In a small pot or saucepan, cook the corn if frozen. You can cook it in boiling water, steam it, or microwave it- you choose! If it's not frozen, there's no need to cook it.
5. In a large pot, at medium high heat, add about a tsp of olive oil and add the white onion. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the cooked ground turkey mixture (from step 3). Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. When the turkey meat is completely cooked, turn off the heat and add the BBQ sauce.
7. When the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and ready to mash, remove the pot from the heat and drain the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pot you used to cook them and add the sour cream, chives and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste, then mash it up!
8. In a 9x12 baking pan, spread a layer of mashed potatoes, ground meat and then corn. Repeat once more and top with a last layer of mashed potatoes. (Remember to reserve enough for each layer so you don't run out.)
9. Once everything is in the baking pan, sprinkle the top with chili powder or paprika. Place pan in the oven for 30 min.
10. Enjoy!

Elisabeth's Kenyan Cabbage Stew: A Dinner-Swap Recipe

My sister Elisabeth made this tender, melt-in-your-mouth stew for a pot-luck dinner swap. The veggies were tender, the broth was rich with flavor, and the cilantro gave this stew just the right amount of kick... not bitter at all! It was surprisingly sweet, actually, from the natural sugar in all the veggies. I'm already dreaming about the way it tastes; cannot wait to make this myself so I can taste it again... YUM!

Ingredients: 

• 1/4-1/2 cup oil 
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 3 plum tomatoes (chopped) 
• 1 cabbage (shredded) 
• 1 carrot (shredded)
• 3 cups water 
• 1/2 green pepper (diced)
• fresh cilantro (chopped)
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (vegetable or olive) in a large pot.
2.  Add the onion and reduce heat to medium.
3. Once the onion becomes slightly browned, add the tomato.  Continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until the tomato is well broken down and is cooked into the oil.  
4. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot, stirring to coat with the stew broth. 
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Add water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, simmering for about 15 minutes.
7. Add green pepper and cilantro.  Cover and let simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
8. Add more salt or pepper to taste.