Creamy Curried Coconut Frappe

inspirations from India...

To finish up this series, I've made a frozen coconut cocktail laced with curry powder. Just a little goes a long way with this drink. I was inspired in two ways when dreaming up this concoction. First, is that many Indian curries are made with coconut milk and of course curry powder. And second, I thought about chai tea and all the different spices combined with steamed milk. Chai tea also comes from India, how appropriate!

So, for this recipe I've combined toasted coconut, Bailey's, coconut rum, milk, curry powder, and ice in a blender. Whiz it up in seconds and serve with a little more curry powder and toasted coconut for garnish. Again, I'm using the curry powder I made in the first post of this series, but any will do. This drink is a fun and delicious twist on a classic creamy coconut cocktail. Try it tonight. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 4

1/2 C Shredded Sweetened Coconut

1 C Bailey's Irish Cream

1/2 C Coconut Rum

1 C Milk

1 tsp. Curry Powder, more for garnish

2-3 C Ice Cubes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Toast the coconut: Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Make the frappe: In a blender combine 1/3 C toasted coconut, Bailey's, coconut rum, milk, curry powder, and ice. Blend until the ice is crushed and the drink is smooth.

Garnish and serve: Divide the drink among 4, 8 oz. glasses. Garnish with a sprinkle of curry powder and toasted coconut. Serve with a straw and enjoy. Cheers!

Grilled Curry Cauliflower Steaks w/ Chimichurri

a whole lot of grilling going on...

There's lots of grilling going on now that summer has unofficially started. Thank you Memorial Day weekend! And, as most of you know, I don't eat chicken, beef, or pork...so...what to grill? Well, there's lots of things I can eat. Any seafood is great on the grill. I enjoy a veggie burger now and then. And, portobello mushrooms are fantastic grilled. Fruit is also a winner - pineapple, peaches, even strawberries. But when I saw Guy Fieri grill cauliflower "steaks" on one of his shows last year, I was inspired. So, for this post I'm grilling cauliflower!

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of cauliflower raw, but roasted with spices it's pretty good. So, of course grilled cauliflower coated in curry powder has to be tasty. I'm again using the curry powder I made. Check out my prior post for the recipe. But, that didn't seem like quite enough. So, I thought, what is steak served with? And, chimichurri came to mind. If you've never had chimichurri it's a lot like a pesto, but with different herbs and no Parmesan cheese or nuts. The recipe I've posted here came from someone I used to work with and it was the perfect addition to my steaks. Grill something new, cauliflower steaks, here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Chimichurri
1 C Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
1 C Fresh Cilantro
1/4 C Fresh Oregano
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 Lime, zest & juice
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cauliflower Steaks
2 Heads Cauliflower
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 T Curry Powder
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

Directions
Preheat a grill (or grill pan) to 350 degrees.

Make the chimichurri: Combine the parsley, cilantro, oregano, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop. Add the lime zest, juice, salt, and pepper. Then, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until everything comes together. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the steaks: Remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower heads; leave the core intact. Set the cauliflower on their base and halve them vertically. Then slice each half vertically again, into 1 inch steaks. Reserve the ends for another use. Put the steaks on a sheet tray and coat them on both sides with the olive oil, curry powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Grill the steaks & serve: Place the steaks on the preheated grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and marked. Remove to plates and top with the chimichurri. We had grilled Romain salads with ours. Enjoy!

Curry Chickpea Tikka w/ Cool Cucumber Dipping Sauce

golden as the setting sun...

For this next series of posts I'm focusing on curry powder. There are many varieties of curry powder, but ironically, they don't exist in or come from India. Instead, curry powder is thought to have been invented by the English to help recreate dishes had while in India. Thus, we have many varieties of what we call "curry powder" here in America.

So, I've created my own version of curry powder and will then incorporate it into each recipe for this series. Traditionally whole spices would be used. They would be toasted in a dry skillet and then ground with a spice grinder. I'm taking a few short cuts and using all ground spices. I hope that makes it more feasible for you to make this at home. Once the golden curry powder has been made, it can be stored for months in a cool dry place (with other spices). First, let's make the curry powder...

Ingredients - Makes ~1/2 C
2 T Ground Cumin
2 T Ground Cardamom
2 T Ground Coriander
1/4 C Ground Turmeric
1/2 T Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Directions
In a small bowl combine all of the spices. Whisk together. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Next, lets make the appetizer...

I've created this appetizer by fusing my Indian curry powder with a Middle Eastern favorite - falafel. These delicate "tikka" or chickpea balls are made in a food processor, rolled in panko, and originally were to be fried. However, I found that the tikka were too delicate to be fried. So, to avoid disaster, I put them into a well oiled mini muffin tin to bake. This recipe is quite delicious, but it was definitely trial and error on my part. I've therefore adjusted this recipe and I believe it will work just fine for you! Let me know if it doesn't. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Makes ~20
Curry Chickpea Tikka
2 Cans Low-Sodium Chickpeas, rinsed & drained
2 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
1 Inch Ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
2-3 Green Onions, roughly chopped
1/2 C Cilantro
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 T Curry Powder (recipe above)
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-1 1/2 C Panko Bread Crumbs
Cooking Spray

Cool Cucumber Dipping Sauce
1 C Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cucumber, shredded & squeezed dry
1/2 Lemon, juiced
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Directions
Make the curry powder following the directions above. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the chickpeas, garlic, ginger, green onions, cilantro, lemon juice, and curry powder in a food processor. Pulse 10-15 times to finely chop everything. Then, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until a thick paste forms. Don't add too much oil. This will cause the paste to become too soft and you won't be able to make the balls.

Next, make the tikka by rolling ~2 T chickpea mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the panko, pressing a bit to help it adhere. Continue making the tikka until all of the chickpea mixture has been used up. Then, liberally spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Put the tikka into the mini muffin cups and then liberally spray each with the cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool and serve.

While the tikka cook, make the dip. Combine the yogurt, shredded cucumber, lemon juice, and a pinch each salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place the room temperature Curry Chickpea Tikka on a platter and serve with the Cool Cucumber Dipping Sauce. Enjoy!

Frozen Minty Grapefruit Bars

naturally sweet, tart, fresh...

About two months ago I was ordering a few things on Amazon...mostly kitchen stuff that will debut on this blog! And, one of the things I got was ice pop molds. It was still chilly out, but I've always wanted to get some and I was pining for summer. So, I added them to my cart and checked out. Now that it's finally staying warm it's a great time to try them out. So, for this recipe and to finish up this series I've made Frozen Minty Grapefruit Bars.

Grapefruit loves mint. There are many salads, sauces, and dessert pairing the two. Therefore, I thought I'd join in and make these super simple frozen fruit bars. My ice pop molds only hold about 3.5 oz each. So, this recipe is roughly 2 cups of liquid. It's important to leave about 1/2 inch space at the top of each mold as the water will expand as it freezes (a little physics for you today!). So, adjust the ingredient amounts to fit your ice pop molds. No molds? No problem! Fill small paper cups (suggest Dixie), cover with foil, and insert a popsicle stick. Voila! Don't let anything stop you from making these sweet, tart, and fresh fruit bars. Here's how to make them...

Ingredients - Makes 6 (~3oz.) Bars
3/4 C Granulated Sugar
3/4 C Water
Pinch Kosher Salt
~10 Fresh Mint Leaves, divided
1 1/4 C Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
To Make: Ice Pop Molds

Directions
Separate about 4 mint leaves from the rest and finely mince them. Set aside.

Make the mint simple syrup: Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and dissolve the sugar, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining whole mint leaves, and steep for about 10 minutes.

Fill the molds: Next, remove the mint leaves from the simple syrup. Pour the syrup and grapefruit juice into a measuring cup or spouted bowl. Stir in the minced mint leaves. Then, carefully pour the liquid into the molds, making sure to leave about a 1/2 inch space at the top.

Freeze the bars & serve: Put the caps on the molds and place them in the freezer. Allow the fruit bars to freeze until solid, 5-6 hours. When ready to serve, quickly run the molds under warm water. This will help loosen the mold. Serve and enjoy!

Arranged Seafood Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Happy Mother's Day...

Today we celebrate Mom. She does (and still does) so much for us. She's there when you need someone to talk to, supports you, and helps you no matter what. She may have given me life, but without her unconditional love I would never have known how to live. My mom is my best friend and I love her dearly. If I had been making her lunch today, I would have made this salad (she came over for dinner instead).

This arranged seafood salad takes a bit of time to make since everything needs to be chopped, but it's worth the effort, especially if it's for Mom. The shrimp and scallops are gently poached and then mixed with crab, avocado, green onions, dill, mayo, and sour cream. This seafood salad is creamy and fresh. I then arrange this on top of lettuce and surround it by grapefruit, jicama, radishes, and radicchio. Finally, I top the salad off with an easy grapefruit vinaigrette. Spoil Mom with this seafood salad. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Salad
1/2 lb. Bay Scallops
1/2 lb. Medium Size Shrimp, peeled & deveined (tails off)
1 (8 oz.) Container Crab Meat, picked over for shells
2 Avocados, pitted & diced
3 Green Onions, sliced
2 T Fresh Dill, chopped
2 T Mayo
2 T Sour Cream
1 Head "Living" (or Boston) Lettuce
1 Grapefruit, supreme
1/2 Jicama, cut into match-sticks
6 Radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 Head Radicchio, chopped

Vinaigrette
1/2 Grapefruit, zest & juice
~1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Cook the scallops & shrimp: Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the scallops and shrimp and poach for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Pat dry.

Make the seafood salad: Combine the cooked scallops and shrimp to the crab, avocado, green onion, dill, mayo, and sour cream in a large bowl. Season with salt to taste, cover, and refrigerate.

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl combine the grapefruit zest and juice. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Add the sugar and a pinch each salt and pepper. Whisk again, taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside.

Arrange the salad: On a large plate put 4 or 5 lettuce leaves down. Place a 1/4 of the seafood salad into the center. Then, arrange the grapefruit, jicama, radishes, and radicchio around the seafood salad. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Citrus Salsa

celebrate Cinco de Mayo...

It is indeed May 5th (where has the time gone?) and the year is just flying by. Today we celebrate the Mexican heritage and Mexico's victory over the French during the Battle of Puebla. While this unofficial holiday is celebrated today, it shouldn't be confused with Mexico's Independence Day, which is September 16th. The best thing about today is that I always celebrate with food, such as tacos, margaritas, churros, and of course chips and salsa.

This year I've made a very different salsa - one that I saw on Pintrest. So, this is not my recipe. All credit goes to this site and cook: Closet Cooking. This recipe is tangy and sweet and full of citrus fruits. Yum! For this series of posts I'm focusing on Ruby Red Grapefruit. Nothing says spring more than citrus and this one just happens to be red. Try this unconventional salsa today. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 6-8
2 Large Navel Oranges
2 Large Ruby Red Grapefruits
1 Lime
1 Jalapeno, diced
1/4 C Red Onion, diced
2 T Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Kosher Salt
To Serve: "Hint of Lime" Tortilla Chips

Directions
Supreme the citrus: Begin by cutting the oranges, grapefruits, and lime into bite-size pieces. The best way to do this is to "supreme" the fruits. Cut off the top and bottom of each fruit. Set flat and cut away the rind, working from top to bottom and rotating the fruit. Then, cut between the membranes to release the segments. Hold the fruit over a bowl while cutting out the segments, that way the juice is captured. Finally, cut each segment into bite-size pieces.

Prepare the salsa: Put the diced fruit, jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro into the bowl with the collected juices. Add a big pinch of salt. Mix everything together well and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 1 hour).

Serve: I suggest pairing this salsa with my favorite tortilla chips - "Hint of Lime" and serving it as an appetizer. But, this would also be delicious on top of fish tacos, shrimp quesadillas, or margarita marinated grilled chicken. Get creative! It's a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Enjoy!