Thai Coconut Green Curry with Chicken and Zucchini

We are adventurous eaters, nothing too crazy, but we do like to try foods from lots of different ethnic backgrounds.  Thai is a great one, because of the variety of food choices.  I always told people that I didn't like curry, but come to find out, it is not that I don't like curry, I just didn't like the ONE curry dish I tried years ago.  This is a great recipe to try if you are just getting your feet wet on trying NEW things.  It's spicy, but NOT tongue numbing, and you can adjust the amount of curry paste you add.  Give it a try and if you do, send me a comment!

Ingredients:

• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped in semi circles (1 medium onion)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 (4 oz.) can green Thai curry paste (less if you don’t like the heat)
• 1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces (about 2 breasts or 6 tenderloins)
• 1 lb. chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces (about 3 thighs)
• 2 (14 oz.) cans coconut milk
• 1 T. fish sauce
• 1 T. soy sauce
• ½ T. sugar
• 2 zucchini, cut into semi circles about ½ in thick
• ¼ C. fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• Cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until soft about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the curry paste and cook for two minutes.
3. Add the chicken and stir fry for two minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk and incorporate the curry paste into the milk.
5. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through about 10 minutes.
7. Add the zucchini and allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Serve in a bowl with cooked rice on the side.  Place sambal (chili paste) on the table for those who like extra heat!

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Maesri brand curry paste and Chaokoh brand coconut milk, they can be found at most international food stores.
• This freezes great!

Sausage Cornbread Dressing

This is a cornbread dressing recipe that I got out of a school cookbook.  I added a few of my own touches, but it is fairly easy to make and has great flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread, prepared, cooled, and crumbled
• ½ loaf of French bread, stale, cut into cubes
• ½ C. (1 stick) butter
• 1 C. onions, chopped
• 1 C. celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• 1 lb. pork breakfast sausage
• 1 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. sage
• 2 (15 oz.) cans chicken broth (you won't use it all)

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, and celery over medium heat in the butter until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add sausage and chop it up while it cooks for 10 minutes.
4. Add the green onions, Creole seasoning, and sage and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add some cornbread, chicken broth, and then some french bread, alternating and scrapping the bottom of the Dutch oven often. (you might not need all the cornbread, I usually only use about 3/4 of the pan of cornbread and about 1 ½ cans of the chicken broth.  Keep adding until it feels like the proper consistency.)
6. Cook for 10 minutes and continue scrapping.
7. Remove the dressing from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
8. Place the dressing in a casserole dish or baking pan.
9. When you are ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips and Tricks:

• Make the cornbread the day before you make the dressing.
• You need a really sturdy spoon to stir this dressing.  It gets thick as it cooks, but it’s important to keep it moving.
• I have served this at a pot-luck dinner and skipped the baking step.  I put it in a crockpot and kept it warm for hours.  It still tastes great.