Thai Basil Curry Crockpot Goodness

I. Love. My. Crockpot.  We received it as a gift for our wedding in the spring, and ever since then I use it regularly to make delicious curries and slow-cooked meats.  I love it because I will make the meal right before I go to bed, and when we wake up in the morning, we open the bedroom door and our entire home is drenched with delicious aromas.  Then I send my husband off with his Thermos.  This is a great Thai curry with lots of savory spice and hints of coconut.  

The Meat

- 1 pound of beef stew meat

The Veggies

- 1/2 head cauliflower

- 8-10 carrots

- 3 yellow potatoes, skinned and chopped into large pieces

- 1/3 eggplant, chopped into large pieces

- 2 summer squashes, chopped into large pieces

The Sauce

- 1 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 teaspoon onion powder

- 2 tablespoons Thai chili paste

- 1 tablespoon coconut oil

- 1-2 teaspoons tamarind puree

- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch

- 2 teaspoons lime juice

- salt, garlic powder, lemongrass powder, basil, coriander to taste

Chop all your veggies the night before, and toss the raw meat and veggies in the crock pot.  I make my veggie pieces extra large, because they get so soft in the Crockpot that if they are small they will literally cook away to nothing.  Mix together the sauce (or, you could be lazy and buy World Foods' Thai Basil Curry Stir-Fry Sauce.  It has sugar in it, but is gluten free, and has no artificial preservatives or genetically modified ingredients.  Use the whole jar).  Pour the sauce over the veggies and meat, turn the Crockpot on "low" heat, and let it cook overnight (around 6-8 hours).  Go to sleep.





When I wake up, the first thing I do is open my eyes and wish I could sleep later...then I get up and go turn the Crockpot setting to "warm." I send my husband to work with a Thermos of curry and some crunchy apple slices and nuts.  The veggies and meat are SO soft, they melt in your mouth.  I use a slotted spoon to get the curry from the Crockpot to the bowl/thermos, because there is usually greasy liquid at the bottom of the Crockpot.  It is tasty too though if you feel like splashing some into your meal.

Savory Baked Salmon

I love salmon.  I love dousing it in dill sauce, smothering it in dijonnaise, barbecuing it, and so on and so forth. But sometimes I like it baked plain*, with just a little bit of spice and lemon.  

*Plain doesn't mean there isn't work involved preparing your meal, sorry.  Not on my blog, anyway.

The Meat

- 2 servings of sockeye salmon fillets

- 2 teaspoons lemon juice

- savory, dill, bay leaf, salt, pepper to taste

- 1/2 large slicing tomato, sliced (duh)

- 2 tablespoons butter, divided

- capers (as much as you want)

The Veggies

- 1 bunch broccoli

- 1 cup of carrots

- 1/2 red onion, sliced and diced

- 1 cup water

- salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I had a bunch of giant, delicious slicing tomatoes in my Farm Fresh delivery box this week, so I decided it would make a nice addition to the salmon tonight.  I placed the salmon in my baking dish, spooned on the lemon juice, and spiced my fish.  Then I threw a ton of capers onto the salmon.  I layered the slices of tomatoes on top of the fish and dotted them with the butter and a bit of salt.  I tossed it into the oven for 20 minutes.  If your pieces of fish are extra big, check it at 20 minutes, but don't let it go past 25 minutes or your fish will be too dry.  Cooking it like this makes sure that it is flaky, soft, and juicy on the inside, but properly baked and crispy on the outside.  

I stuck the broccoli and carrots into my steamer tonight.  I steamed the broccoli and carrots for 20 minutes.  After 10 minutes I added the sliced red onion - I didn't want the onion to be too mushy or stringy so they didn't need to stay in the steamer as long. 

This dinner is easier on the prep than most of my meals, but still tastes great.  It's perfect for a warm evening!

A Big Hunk Of Meat

Having a huge slab of meat on your plate can be one of life's greatest pleasures.  This tangy, juicy flank steak makes me feel like a cavewoman, but the roasted vegetables keeps the dish from losing any sophistication.   

The Meat

- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of flank steak

- 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard

- 1 teaspoon malt vinegar

- 1 teaspoon horseradish

- 1/2 teaspoon habanero sauce (or to taste)

- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

- salt, chipotle pepper, rosemary to taste

The Veggies

- 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped

- 1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

- 2 summer squashes, sliced

- 1/3 cup baby carrots

- 1/2 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- salt, pepper, dill, marjoram to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients for your meat marinade and slather it onto both sides of your raw flank steak at least 30 minutes before grilling.  You can play with the amounts of ingredients to match the marinade to your taste - some people like it spicier or less mustardy, it is up to you!  We liked this marinade because it was tangy and had a kick, plus we love the way the mustard, vinegar, and horseradish blend with the rich flavor of the steak. 

I roasted my vegetables in some wine and water tonight.  I coated the veggies with the seasoning and olive oil, then popped all the veggies into the oven together in a ceramic baking dish with the liquid at the bottom.  I baked them uncovered for around 40 minutes.  By that time most of the liquid had cooked off and the carrots were firm to the touch but soft to the bite - I prefer this over mushy carrots soo much.  The squashes we soft but alos a little crispy, and the broccoli and cauliflower still had a hint of crunch to them.  We love our vegetables like this.

I grilled the steak on my griddler for around 13 minutes.  I used the double-sided grill to sear the meat.  The cut I had found was 1 1/2 pounds and mostly around 1 1/4 inches thick, the perimeter was a little thinner.  We like our meat pink in the middle, so grilling it for this long left us with a rare-medium rare center.   If you prefer it more medium-well done, leave the steak on a few more minutes.  

A Classic With A Twist

Mmmm, meatloaf.  Who doesn't love the classic family dinner?  This turkey meatloaf has tang and a kick, and you might end up drinking the leftover gravy like soup it's so good.

The Meat

- 1 pound of ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of horseradish
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon organic ketchup
- 1 baby carrot, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf, dried and shredded
- dill, pepper, salt, savory to taste


The Veggies
- 1 pound of fresh spinach, cleaned and loosely chopped
- 1 cup thick baby carrots
- 1/2 cup red frilled lettuce or raddichio
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt, pepper to taste


The Sauce
- 2 teaspoons dehydrated beef bouillon
- 2 large white mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons arrow root powder
- drippings from meatloaf pan


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


Mix all of the meatloaf ingredients together in a large mixing bowl - make sure to squish it up a lot with your fingers so everything mixes evenly.  Then pick up all the meat mixture and pat it into a loaf-like shape in your ceramic baking dish.  I make mine into a log - roughly twice as long as it is high.  Pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.  I usually brush a little ketchup or gravy on the outside to keep it from drying out but still getting a little crispy.  At 40 minutes it will be moist on the inside still.  If you keep it in longer, you will run the risk of drying out your meatloaf.


I boiled the carrots in a 3" deep pan for around 25 minutes and then drained most of the water out.  Next I added the spinach and raddichio with some butter, salt and pepper.  I only sauteed the leafy vegetables for around 6-8 minutes, then the veggies were ready to go.


The gravy sauce was very easy to make.  First I sauteed the sliced mushrooms in a small pan on medium heat with the butter.  After around 2 minutes I added the water and bouillon.  I turned the heat down to low and let it simmer for another few minutes.  Then I added the arrow root powder and the dripping, stirring with my whisk for around 4 more minutes.  The arrow root thickened up the gravy like flour usually does.  

Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce with Pork Cutlets

Oh how I love fresh basil.  We got some in our farmers' market box this week and I couldn't wait to make a tomato-basil cream sauce to smother on top of some perfectly thin cut pork cutlets.  When tenderized and cooked properly, the pork reminds us of veal, an extravagance we rarely indulge in.  

The Meat
- 6 thinly sliced center cut pork loin cutlets
- salt, pepper to taste
- a pinch of fresh basil, finely chopped


The Veggies
- 2 small purple potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 turnip, cubed
- 2 summer squashes, sliced
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped
- 3 heirloom carrots, sliced
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon butter
- oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, garlic powder to taste


The Sauce

- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil or olive oil based mayonnaise (gluten and soy free)

- 1/3 cup of heavy cream

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh red tomatoes

- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

- 1/2 teaspoon of capers

- 3 cloves crushed garlic

- 1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

I boiled the purple potatoes, turnip, and carrots together in my 3" deep saute pot with the water, seasoning, and butter for around 25 minutes.  After around 15 minutes I added the broccoli and squash.  By the end of the cooking time, most of the water had boiled away and everything was soft and delicious.

I prepped for my sauce by chopping up all the basil.  I mixed everything together and sauteed it on low for 15 minutes in a small saute pan.  The sauce is rich and creamy and has tang.  We love it and use it often as a go-to for an Italian style sauce.

I tenderized the pork cutlets with my great tenderizer and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and a bit of the finely chopped basil.  I cooked them on my griddle pan for around 4 minutes per side.  

After everything was cooked I layered the pork on top of the veggies, then spooned the sauce on top of everything.  We love the tenderness of the meat and how great the sauce is.

Feeling Yellow-Orange?

Every now and then my husband asks for a meal that is all the same color.  He thinks it is great fun to challenge me to make a tasty meal while staying in a color group or two.  Tonight was one of those nights, and yellow-orange was the color.  Good thing I'd been to the Farmers' Market this weekend!


The Meat
- 2 fillets of sockeye salmon with the skin
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- salt/pepper/dill to taste
- 1 slice bacon, crisped and crumbled


The Veggies
- 1 cup yellow cauliflower, diced
- 2 yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1/4 cup onion, sliced
- 2 yellow summer squash
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or more, to taste)
- dill, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika, cracked red pepper to taste


The Garnishes
- 4 slices of yellow heirloom tomato
- cracked pepper goat cheese


I threw the veggies in my 3" deep pan and let them cook away with the water, lemon, and spices, on medium high heat for around 20 minutes.  While they simmered I "dressed" my salmon with the lemon juice and spices and fried up the slice of bacon.  Then I grilled up the salmon on my awesome griddler with a little bit of bacon grease left over from making the slice of bacon on my nonstick griddle pan (different from the griddler).  Since the griddler cooks both sides simultaneously, it only took around 7 minutes to finish the fish.  You want to cook the salmon until it is flaky, but check it often to make sure you aren't overcooking it - dried out salmon is not appetizing.


When the veggies and salmon were cooked, I layered the vegetables on the bottom and put the salmon on top.  I sprinkled on the bacon, a few slices of big, juicy tomato, and some delicious goat cheese coated in cracked pepper.  Voila!