My cooking club theme this month was Malaysian, so we gathered last Sunday for a Malaysian feast! We had Shrimp Pad Thai, (Not too) Spicy Chicken, and this coconut curry. Of course, we drank lovely wine with our meal and then had some delicious rice pudding for dessert.

This dish was based on a recipe for Mild Coconut Tofu Curry. I wanted the curry to be flavorful, but not too spicy. Since we were already having shrimp and chicken, I skipped the tofu. One recipe review suggested adding pea pods, which ended up being great for color and variety.

The most challenging ingredient here was the lemongrass. I found it in the store, but wasn’t sure how to use it. I kept peeling the green leaves until I got to a thin yellow stalk on the inside which is the part I used in the dish. That’s what Google said to do, but I have no idea if that’s right or not. The lemongrass did have a great scent, and it was fun to try something new.

The curry ended up with more kick than I expected, but the dominant flavor was really the ginger. I liked the combination of potatoes and pea pods, and this dish held over very well for leftovers the next day. Most of us like cooking club because it challenges us to try new dishes, and this was no exception. I just may need to find another recipe which uses lemongrass….

2 T garlic ginger paste
1/4 c. cashews
2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 small onions, peeled and cut into chunks
1 T canola oil
2 T curry
Dash red pepper
2 c. pea pods
1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

In a food processor, combine garlic ginger paste, cashews, lemongrass, and onions. Pulse until well blended. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add mixture to the pan, and then stir in curry and red pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add pea pods, and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time to break out the grill, and one of the things we grilled were these marinated shrimp. I scouted out some marinade recipes, but ended up creating my own using some of the ingredients we had on hand for other dishes we made over the weekend. Of course, I tossed in some white wine which is always a good addition to any marinade!

The shrimp were good, but just slightly overcooked. It’s so tough to pinpoint the exact moment they’re done. But they certainly looked pretty and had a good flavor which complemented our main dish of the evening, Pad Thai. More on that next week!

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled
2 T canola oil
1/4 c. white wine
Juice of one lemon
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1 T minced garlic
Dash of dried basil
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper

Mix marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl, and place shrimp in bowl. Refrigerate for 3-6 hours. Grill in a basket for 5 minutes, or until pink.

I am still enjoying the last bit of my extended Memorial Day weekend, but I borrowed a blogging machine so I could start sharing the recipes which we all enjoyed. On Friday night, I wanted a quick and easy meal to start the weekend. Pizza, of course! But this is no ordinary pizza, it was inspired by this Exotic Mushroom Pizza recipe, and contains two different kinds of mushrooms, two different kinds of cheese, and red wine. To balance out the rich pizza we served it with a simple green salad.

The mixture of onions, mushrooms, and red wine in the pizza filling was delicious, and we loved the melted Gorgonzola underneath the mushrooms and melted cheddar on top. Unfortunately, I spread the dough fairly thin, and the crust in the center of the pizza was overwhelmed and a bit soggy. It still tasted great (eaten with a knife and fork) but I would leave the dough thicker next time. It was fun to try a variety of fancier mushrooms, but for an everyday meal I think regular button mushrooms would be fine. Just don’t skip the wine….

1 lb. Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. red wine
1/2 c. crumbled Gorgonzola
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Saute garlic and shallots for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add sliced onions and saute for 5-10 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add wine and saute until evaporated, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Spread dough onto a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle Gorgonzola on dough, and then spread mushroom mixture evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the pizza. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Note: The original recipe recommended that the shiitake stems be removed and discarded. This seemed wasteful, and some quick Googling revealed that the stems are often quite tough and woody, but are not dangerous to eat. So I chopped the stems a bit smaller and threw them in. We noticed that some pieces of mushroom in the filling were firmer, but it did not detract at all from the meal.

This is another quick dinner from my pantry and freezer. You can never go wrong with (whole wheat) pasta, but I was looking for a sauce that was just a little bit different. So I got out my food processor, and combined tomatoes and spinach. The sauce was a great combination of red and green, like Christmas in May! The consistency was quite thick so I used several spoonfuls on my bowl of pasta, but it was a really easy way to get in a serving of vegetables. If I had fresh basil on hand, I would have thrown in a handful for a more authentic Italian flavor. I was lucky that I had shredded Parmesan, which was perfect sprinkled on top. It was a quick, nutritious, and filling meal.

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 c. thawed chopped spinach, drained
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste.

Katie from The Small Boston Kitchen tried my recipe for Eggplant Meatballs months ago, and was inspired to come up with some vegetarian meatballs of her own. She made these quinoa veggie meatballs, and I tried the recipe this weekend. I just left out the red pepper and substituted in walnuts for pine nuts.

Quinoa is a super whole grain, but sometimes it sits in my cupboard because I can’t think of enough ways to use it. That problem is solved with these meatballs – and the quinoa gives them a texture that I really like! The spinach makes them pretty, and the combination of vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats makes them filling and nutritious. Smothered in sauce and topped with Parmesan, they made a great lunch, and the rest are packed in containers for meals for the week. Last week of the semester – yeah!

My Mom has been raving about this shaved asparagus pizza for a while. It’s another gem from Smitten Kitchen. She kept asking, did you try that asparagus pizza yet? I am so glad I finally did! She didn’t mention that I’d have asparagus shreds all over my kitchen counter, but that is a minor annoyance compared to the taste of this pizza. You literally shave the asparagus with a peeler and toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. This process takes asparagus from a stalky vegetable to a far more delicate one. And with two different kinds of cheese and a crispy crust, this pizza was just about perfect!

This curry has the kind of rich and spicy sauce that drew me to Indian food in the first place. I tweaked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen slightly, to tone down the spice a bit and allow more time for the flavors to blend together. After so many recent misses in my kitchen, this dish was right on. It was spicy enough but didn’t make me cry. And although I love Chana Masala, the kidney beans here were a nice change of pace. As for that fluffy white stuff right under the curry, I also traded in my usual brown rice. Details tomorrow in a product review.

1/4 c. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 T garlic-ginger paste
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes in juice

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste, and pepper, and fry for 5-10 minutes, until browning. Add tomato sauce and spices, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add kidney beans and tomatoes, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice, or with naan.

When we decided to have freshly made ravioli for Easter dinner, my sister wanted to try a different recipe for tomato sauce. She used the Jamie Oliver Tomato Sauce recipe from Parenting Magazine, which packs a ton of vegetables right into the sauce including onion, leek, pepper, zucchini, carrot, and butternut squash! She added more garlic, 2 cans of tomato sauce and 2 small cans of tomato paste to balance out the flavor. And she even got to use one of her favorite kitchen tools, the immersion blender!