Tag Archives: spicy

Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl

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The Coup (hmm, how do YOU pronounce it? I always say it like “coo”, drawing on my french, but others say it like a chicken coop). Anyway! The Coup in Calgary is one of my favourite restaurants and it just so happens to be vegetarian and vegan, and delicious. I almost always get the same dish when I go there, I am one of those people, and when I moved to Vancouver I missed that dish very much! The other day I was wandering the internet for recipes to try and came across this funky blog, that happily had posted The Coup’s Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl recipe, right from their cookbook which I have to get my hands on when I get back to Calgary. Well first, I told her how thrilled I was to find this recipe, and second, I made it! And it was GREAT, just like the restaurant. Genesis’ quote, “This meal was f’ing amazing, you should sell the sauce!” (and Gen is not the sweary type) He also wants it known that the pictures I took do not do the deliciousness justice (sigh, my picture taking is still not the best). Anyway, stop reading, start making!

Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl

Recipe adapted with my notes, happily found here, from Meet The Coup Cooks.

We used light peanut butter, reduced sodium soy sauce, and light coconut milk with no issues except I did have to add a dash of salt to the sauce to make up for the reduce sodium soy… a stupid trade off, it was just what we had on hand. I might also add fresh ginger to the sauce next time. I will report back!

Ingredients

Sauce of the heavens (this makes a ton, feel free to halve, or save it for future meals)

  • 2 cups crunchy peanut butter (or smooth with 1/2 cup chopped raw peanuts)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3-6 tbsp of sriracha (or your preferred chilli sauce. The recipe called for 2 tbsps, we added 6, and could’ve gone with more, taste as you go)


Stir-fry

  • 1 package of extra firm tofu (would also be great with cubed chicken, beef, shrimp, etc.)
  • 4 cups of seasonal veggies of your choice (I used zucchini, red peppers, and broccoli)
  • 1/2 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, mix the peanut butter and water together.
  2. Continue to stir until you reach a smooth consistency, watching that you do not burn the peanut butter.
  3. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and continue to cook at a low heat, stirring often for about 20 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, in a large pan, sauté the tofu until the edges are crispy and lightly browned.  Add the chopped veggies and a splash of water to just cover the bottom of the pan. Sauté until tender-crisp.
  5. Pour the peanut satay sauce over the tofu and veggie mixture and heat until it bubbles.
  6. Serve over your favourite grains or noodles.
  7. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Getting ready for saucing.

Spicy Pepperoni Cheesesticks

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By request from my brother-in-law, my sister and I set about making spicy pepperoni cheesesticks to rival the ones he loved as a kid (or teen, or recently, I can’t remember). I knew we had a lot to live up to, so we made sure we were doing this right. I had been eyeing this recipe for a couple days, knowing that these jalapeño sticks would be the perfect prototype for what were trying to create. Reading the recipe I determined that pizza dough was the answer. So we used my regular pizza dough recipe, got some Tex Mex shredded cheese, some very spicy pepperoni sticks, and set about making these delicious treats. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. These came together like gangbusters, they were tasty and satisfied my brother-in-laws cravings. Success!

Spicy Pepperoni Cheesesticks

Ingredients

Pizza Dough
  • 1  package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsps white sugar
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Tex Mex)
The Rest
  • 1 package of spicy pepperoni sticks
  • shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese (jalapeño, cheddar, mozza, etc.)
  • chili powder for dusting

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oregano, chili powder, cheese, salt, and white sugar. Stir well.
  3. Add in the olive oil and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.

    Kel stirs as I pour.

  4. Mix well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out in a rectangle (if possible) to about 1/4 inch thickness.
  6. Slice strips of dough 2 1/4 inches wide.
  7. Place a pepperoni stick in the middle of the strips, place some cheese along side the pepperoni, and pull the dough around and pinch to seal all the way along the stick. Fold the ends over (cut off excess dough and reserve for more sticks) and pinch to seal.
  8. Place sealed sticks on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with more cheese and some chili powder.
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes, the sticks will be golden brown and the cheese will have melted. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Heading into the oven.

Tasty.

Amazing Curry

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This curry is coursing through my veins. I found it, tried it, tweaked it, and have cooked it at almost once a week over the last five months. I’ve made it with chicken and turkey but my favourite so far is the ground beef version. I am going to try the recipes with lentils because Genesis is all about lentils and I can see them tasting amazing in this dish. This is an easy-to-vegan recipe. Switch out the ground beef for TVP, lentils, chickpeas, etc. This time around I added lentils and peas which added an nice texture and sweetness.

Seriously tasty.

AMAZING CURRY

  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1.5 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tsp ground cloves
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 lbs of ground beef (alternatives: 2 lbs ground chicken, turkey, lamb, etc. or veggie it up: all lentils, tvp, chickpeas, etc.)
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 cans coconut milk
  • 1 large red onion (very large… or 1.5 kinda large onions. Can use white or yellow, I just like red onions)
  • 4-6 green serrano chili peppers or jalapeños (to taste)
  • 1 head of garlic (seems like a lot but this is a lot of food)
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1 cup lentils
  • 1 lime

Directions

  • Mix together all the spices in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Brown your protein in a large pot with the coconut oil (or olive oil if you are so inclined), add salt and pepper to taste.
  • While browning the meat chop your onion, peppers, and peel your garlic.
  • Drain your protein and set aside.
  • In the same large pot saute the onions, peppers, and crushed garlic (you can add a little more coconut oil if you need to). Cook until onions become lightly translucent.
  • Add the meat back in. Add lentils and peas (and any other veggies you want) and sprinkle everything with your spice blend.
  • Stir the mixture over medium heat for a few minutes until the spices become fragrant.
  • Pour in your two cans of coconut milk, stir to combine.
  • Cook everything until hot throughout and the meat is cooked (shouldn’t be long if you’ve happily browned away already).
  • Serve over rice, or quinoa, or more lentils, or green beans, or a tire (I bet it will make it delicious). Squeeze lime over everything.

Now… pictures!

Spices lined up, ready for mixing.

Onions, peppers, and garlic.

About to be served.

Spicy Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

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St.Patrick’s Day had my head swirling with recipes for Irish Soda Bread, which made me uncomfortable. Bread… without yeast?!

Now, I am not crazy, I don’t think all breads must have yeast, or a sourdough starter, but I’ve been crazy for yeast since I picked up a fresh jar last month. But I just like the sweetness of yeasted bread; I love the smell as it rises and bakes. I love the chewy, stretchy goodness.

So, with all the talk of these soda breads floating around I scuffawed and tried to ignore it. But last night I was hungry. I hadn’t taken out anything for dinner and I didn’t feel like making anything involved. Remembering the tiny bit of shredded cheddar that had been sitting in my fridge for some time I decided that Irish soda bread was worth a try.

I started with Ina Garten’s recipe but made some changes to make it savory, cheesy, spicy, and delicious.

Spicy Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk (I used 1.5 cups milk with 1.5 Tbsp of white vinegar to make my buttermilk)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until well integrated (pea-sized chunks or smaller). Add the cheese (note that I think it would taste best with 1 cup of cheese but I actually only had 1/2 cup on hand). Mix the cheese in so that the pieces are coated in flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. The dough will be sticky, at this point I just got in there with my hands and mixed it up until it felt right (helpful huh).

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

When done, tear into it with a pat of butter. Taste particularly good with a glass of beer and 30 Rock on television. Yum.