Easy Weeknight Thai Curry

I’ve been a little quiet about what I’m going to be up to post-graduation, post-ordination, and post-camp. In large part, that’s because I DIDN’T KNOW. Without going into the nitty-gritty details, the usual plan of action would’ve been to return to Texas but because somebody has a job as a hotshot doctor and I prefer to live in the same state as my husband at this point in our marriage, I am staying in Nashville with the permission of the bishops. Besides, Joe probably would not have let me take these guys with me.

So I ended up scrambling around and waiting for God to lead me to that perfect fit where my gifts and talents will be appreciated and used and where I can grow into the minister that God has called me to be. Through a little bit of a fluke and with the encouragement of some dear friends, I interviewed for a year-long chaplaincy residency and got it. I’m going to be a chaplain at the same top-ranked academic hospital where Joe works.

But I also needed to be serving in a parish, not only because I want to and very much feel called to liturgical ministry, but also because my ordination to the priesthood is contingent upon it. After waiting, lots of meetings over coffee, and the connections made through other clergy, it finally happened. Within a few days, everything was squared away for me to serve at an absolutely fabulous parish just a few miles from my house.

However, this also means that I’ll be working six days a week. Not to mention trying to squeeze in making dinner and exercising. So now seems like a prudent time to expand my repertoire of meals that come together in less than 20 minutes. Adding tofu, tempeh, shrimp, or chicken to this might take slightly longer, and I was surprisingly satisfied without a protein, particularly with the brown rice noodles. We spiced it up by adding a bit of Sriracha. Either way, very fast, very satisfying, and enough for leftovers.

Easy Weeknight Thai Stir-Fry
adapted from Sing For Your Supper
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients
1 16 oz package of frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 8 oz package of brown rice noodles
1 cup lite coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
Chopped cilantro, to garnish
Sriracha, optional

Preparation

1. Soak brown rice noodles in hot water until softened. Meanwhile, cook frozen stir-fry vegetables in a pan with a little bit of oil until warm and cooked through.

2. Mix together the coconut milk and red curry paste. Pour mixture over the vegetables and heat thoroughly. Add in noodles and toss to coat.

3. Garnish with cilantro and Sriracha to taste.

Peanut Soy Chicken, Cold Noodle, and Veggie Bowl

I swear that I could cover anything in spicy peanut sauce, and Joe would eat it. Not once did he comment on how many vegetables there were in this dish or how much green there was. My noodles were a little more lukewarm than cold, which is how I preferred them. This meal came together quickly and was plentiful. I added some Sriracha and reflected that below in the ingredient list. It's hard to go wrong with peanut sauce and noodles!

Peanut Soy Chicken, Cold Noodle, and Veggie Bowl
adapted source: A Year in the Kitchen

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, pounded very thin

3 tbsp. creamy peanut butter, separated

1/2 c. lite soy sauce, separated
2 tsp Sriracha, separated

black pepper

6 oz spaghetti

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 bunch scallions, green parts only, sliced

1 6 oz. bag snap peas

1 bunch cilantro

Sesame seeds, sesame oil, grated ginger, or any other garnish

Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Preheat grill pan or skillet to medium-high heat.
In a shallow dish, whisk 2 tbsp. peanut butter with 1/4 c. soy sauce and 1 tsp Sriracha.
Microwave for 45 seconds if necessary, to loosen peanut butter.
Add black pepper, whisk.
Pound chicken thin between saran wrap.
Spray pan with nonstick spray.
Dip chicken in peanut sauce, then place on the grill pan. Cook for 4 minutes.
Drop the pasta in the water, cook for 6 minutes.
Chop the veggies.
In another large bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1 tsp Sriracha and pepper.
Again, microwave for 45 seconds if necessary.
Flip the chicken, cook for another 4 minutes, or until done.
If desired, during the last minute of cooking pasta, add the snap peas to take off the bite.
Drain and rinse with cold water, pour into the bowl with sauce. Toss to coat.
Add the veggies, toss again.
Take the chicken off the grill pan.
Plate the noodles, slice the chicken, place on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Thai Peanut Turkey Burgers

I've never been very adventurous when it comes to turkey burgers. I remember thinking how exotic it was when Joe added apple and celery to his one time. But when I saw this recipe at Cara's Cravings, I knew it would be a big hit with both of us since it included extra veggies in the patty and a lot of flavors that we like. In fact, Joe asked me about halfway through his burger, "You only made two patties?" and then he tried to swipe the remaining few bites of mine!

Thai Peanut Turkey Burgers

source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients

8oz ground turkey

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 large scallion, minced

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

freshly ground salt & pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

handful of cilantro, finely minced (I omitted since I had no cilantro on hand.)

1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce

hamburger buns of your choice

mixed greens

Combine burger ingredients a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. (I cooked mine on our George Foreman.) Form the turkey mixture into two patties. Cook for about 7-10 minutes per side, until cooked through. Serve on buns with cilantro-chili mayo and greens.

Spicy Thai Coconut Tofu Noodle Soup

I had scheduled myself to make this meal on Friday night, but I should know by now that I inevitably end up doing something else on Fridays because I get too tired to cook. So then, I figured I could make it for dinner Saturday, but we ended up going out to dinner with my parents. Sunday, still being considered a feast day during Lent, is the one day a week where I am technically "allowed" to eat meat, so I wanted to save this for a vegetarian day. Finally, I made it for dinner Monday night!

I added extra noodles, which ended up making it a little too noodle-y, though I still enjoyed it. I love the variety of vegetables and the textural contrast between the tofu and the snap peas. I added a little extra curry paste and still wished it had been slightly spicier.

Spicy Thai Coconut Tofu Noodle Soup
adapted from Ashlee's Cooking Blog

Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
4 tsp. ginger paste
Crushed red pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
1 15 oz. can light coconut milk
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups sliced snap peas
1 6 oz package thin rice noodles
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 1/2 tsp. hot red curry paste
2 tsp. honey
1 block extra firm tofu, diced

In a large pot, heat olive oil, sautee onion, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper (to taste, about ¼ tsp.) till fragrant, about one minute.
Add chicken broth, coconut milk and carrots.
Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Add the noodles and snap peas.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and warm water.
Add slurry, curry paste, honey and tofu.
Cook for about 5-10 more minutes. Garnish with lime wedges or scallions and serve.

Ground Pork with Spicy Peanut Noodles

This may be the most successful dinner I have ever made. It was so good and easy to throw together. Since I currently work from 12-7, I prep everything in the morning so that way I can come home and start cooking immediately. I had no idea how this would turn out as this is the first time I've made anything remotely like this, but Joe and I both loved it. Next time I might throw a few more vegetables in, maybe some peas or green onions depending on what I have around the house.

Also, I didn't really measure anything. I was a little worried that it would turn out a little bland, and there's nothing that Joe and I like less than a bland meal, so I put in quite a bit of the Thai chili garlic sauce. That stuff is extremely potent. I may have overdone it (though Joe insists I didn't). My lips were burning by the end of the meal. Next time I will go a little easier on the chili garlic sauce for my sake.

The taste of this dish is out of this world. On your first bite, the creaminess of the peanut sauce gradually gives way to the spice of the chili garlic sauce. It's a great combination. Too bad I didn't think of it first. I got this wonderful recipe from Kristy at Cook, Eat, and Write. Major props to her.



Ingredients
1/2 lb ground pork (I used a whole pound.)
3 T All Natural Peanut Butter
Soy Sauce
Thai Chili Sauce (I'm not sure if this is different from what I used. Mine was Srircha sauce, the red paste with flecks of pepper in it that comes with the green cap.)
1/2 box linguine (I used whole wheat spaghetti.)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium onion (I used a red onion because I needed to use it up.)
3 garlic cloves
frozen peas (I omitted because I ate the rest of my frozen peas in my guilty-pleasure macaroni and cheese the night before.)
2/3 cup pasta water
for spice: crushed red pepper and red curry powder (Mine certainly did not need any additional spice help.)

Brown the ground pork in a large wok or saute pan. Thinly slice the onion and bell pepper and mince the garlic. Add to pork. After the vegetables have been combined and cooked, add some shakes of soy, 3 spoonfuls of the peanut butter, and about 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce. Mix to melt and combine peanut butter. After noodles have cooked, reserve some of the liquid to add to the pork mixture to make it saucy. Toss noodles with pork mixture and serve.

I really like that this dish is so versatile. You could substitute any long, thin noodle or even ground turkey for the pork. I also like that I can throw in any sort of vegetable I'm feeling. If guests were coming over, you could top it with some crushed peanuts, scallions, and lime or throw in some bean sprouts. The possibilities are endless!

Chicken Pad Thai

Okay, confession time. I made this from a kit by Thai Kitchen that comes with the rice noodles and sauce. I'm trying to screw up my courage to make real pad thai, but I wanted to be sure I could master this before I bought a bunch of ingredients from the International Market.

It was pretty good. Joe and I could've dealt with it being a little spicier, but I'll keep that in mind when I graduate to making the real deal. It was a perfect amount for 2 people. It was actually nice to not have to worry about putting away leftovers. I think that I may have overcooked the noodles just slightly. They weren't quite as firm as I prefer. The thing I really liked about this pad thai was that it had all of the texture variations that I love: the slippery noodles, the crunch of the peanuts and the bean sprouts, and the texture of the chicken.



Ingredients
- Thai Kitchen Pad Thai kit for two (includes rice noodles and sauce)
- 4 oz chicken, tofu, shrimp, or vegetables (I used chicken. This might not be enough protein for people who are big meat-eaters.)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- (I also used some green onion I had.)

Instructions
1. Boil 4 cups of water. When water reaches a boil, remove from heat source and soak rice noodles for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Pour 1 tbsp of oil into a large frying pan or wok. Place egg in pan and cook until scrambled through. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and cook the chicken, tofu, shrimp, or vegetables. Once cooked, put the noodles and sauce in the pan and toss until noodles have completely absorbed the sauce. Toss with egg and bean sprouts. Garnish with lime and peanuts.