Spicy Peanut Noodle Stir Fry

With two kids now and not much time for cooking we have been eating far more pasta then I would like to admit. So, I have been trying to make the healthiest dishes I can with noodles.

A few days ago on Pinterest this yummy looking recipe for Spicy Peanut Stir Fry popped up.  I didn't have all the ingredients and decided to change things a bit, it was delicious and pretty quick, I will definitely be making it again.

Spicy Peanut Stir Fry

1 medium onion chopped

2 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1 red bell pepper, sliced into 2-inch strips

2 tbls cashews

1/2 package spaghetti noodles
3 tbls Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids or soy sauce
1 tbls olive oil
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
3 tbls silan
2 tbls rice vinegar
1 tbls water
1/2 tbls chili powder
1 drop doTerra cilantro essential oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced (both green and white parts)

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Add the red bell pepper strips and continue sautéing for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the cashews and continue for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Bragg with the peanut butter, silan, rice, vinegar, water, chili powder and cilantro essential oil and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Rinse and drain the noodles, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the peanut sauce and sautéed red bell pepper. Serve the noodles topped with the scallions.

Coconut Milk Curry

I love curry and this curry is amazing and super easy. My amazing friend SR made this Squash and Chickpea Curry. I couldn't get enough of it, it was so unbelievably delicious. She used frozen spinach instead of chard since it is much easier to come by.  Using her recipe I made this curry a couple of times and not once did I actually put in the veggies that the original recipe calls for. One time I used sweet potate, white potato and peas and tonight I did carrots and red lentils. I haven't used vegetable stock in it and I make it on the stove top and cook it for less time, and it still came out great! Ha ha I am so bad at following recipes.

Here is the original recipe from SR. (I don't know her original source.)


SQUASH AND CHICKPEA CURRY

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) cubed peeled butternut squash
2 cups (500 mL) diced peeled potatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced gingerroot
3 tbsp (45 mL) mild curry paste
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable stock
1/4 cup (60 mL) natural cashew butter or peanut butter
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) packed shredded Swiss chard
1 cup (250 mL) frozen green peas
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh coriander

Preparation

In slow cooker, combine squash, potato and chickpeas.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally, until onion is
light golden, about 7 minutes. Add curry paste; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add to slow
cooker.

Add coconut milk and stock to slow cooker; stir in cashew butter and salt. Cover and cook on low for
about 4 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in Swiss chard and peas. Cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until Swiss chard wilts.
Sprinkle with coriander.

Cheaper Substitute for Water Chestnuts

Turnip is a great cheap substitute for water chestnuts. Just slice the turnip into thin slices and saute it with oil for a few minutes, then add a little salt and water, cover and let cook until soft, then you can add them to any asian dish or eat them as a side dish. They remarkably taste like water chestnuts. 

Cinco de Mayo Dinner

As a California girl who loves Mexican food, I decided to make a Cinco de Mayo inspired Shabbat meal since it was Cinco de Mayo.

We had a vegan Hot Tamale Pie as the main.  We like spicy so I added in finely chopped fresh hot pepper.  In my opinion this recipe needs the extra spice and could use more cumin, chili powder and salt.  As always I used dried beans instead of canned, just soak the beans for as long as you can, preferably over night) and then boil in water until soft but not mushy.  Adding some spices in while the beans are cooking could add an extra flavor too!

To make a full protein we had green rice (arroz verde) loosely based on this recipe and using brown rice instead of white.

There was of course one of my favorites, homemade salsa (pico de gallo)!

And for dessert we had Chayim Cupcakes Mexican-Style!

OLE!!

Moroccan Couscous

In honor of all of those who gave their lives for Israel, our dinner for the end of Yom HaZicaron and the beginning of Yom HaAtzmaut!

Make this quick spicy couscous recipe healthier by using whole wheat couscous or make it cheaper by using a couple carrots instead of sweet potato.

Pasta With Lenils & Kale

A great healthy and cheap dinner that kids should like too!

This recipe has simple ingredients, but has a few more steps than I like, but is worth it.

I used fresh kale from my garden and I used the larger, regular brown lentils and doubled the amount.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Popcorn

My new obsession is cauliflower popcorn!
I have been wanting to make it fr a while now and finally did. Cauliflower is pretty cheap right now in the shuk and this is a great healthy very tasty snack or side. It doesn't take too long to make as long as you don't mind checking the cauliflower for bugs. So far I haven't had a problem with cauliflower, when I am choosing heads of cauliflower I push the florets a bit apart and peak in between to check for bugs, saves a lot of time and heartache.

The Kosher By Design Entertains book has a recipe that I based mine off of. I used less oil and didn't see the need for sugar. I also cooked it until the cauliflower was browning and getting a bit crispy.

This is so yummy, I want to go make it now!

This is the recipe from kbd entertains:

2 heads cauliflower, cut head into medium sized florets and discard stem
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric
6-8 tablespoons olive oil

preheat oven to 450. line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. in a large bowl combine salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika,turmeric and oil. add cauliflower and toss to evenly coat. place in a single layer on the prepared sheet. roast uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the largest pieces can be pierced with a fork. if the tops are starting to get too brown, toss the cauliflower during the baking process