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Tag: lime zest

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with a Smoked Paprika Cranberry Compote

This soup has yummy Latin flavors and it can be a great addition to a fabulous holiday menu…

  • 4 to 5 medium sweet potatoes, skin pierce with a fork

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and roast till cooked, about half an hour to forty minutes. Take out and let cool. Take the skin off and roughly chopped.

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 chipotle pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • Salt
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • ¼ cup milk
  • Zest of a lime
  • Juice of half a lime

Heat a heavy saucepan and add the olive oil. Add the roasted cumin seeds and sauté for 20 seconds on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, chipotle pepper, brown sugar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth. Transfer back to the saucepan and add the half and half and milk. Mix well and add salt. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes and turn the heat off. Add the lime zest and juice. Mix well and check for seasonings.
Serve the soup with a dollop of compote.

Smoked Paprika and Cranberry Compote

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Bring the cranberries, orange juice, zest, smoked paprika, salt and brown sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer, covered for about ten minutes or till the cranberries burst open. Check for seasonings and cook uncovered for another two to three minutes. Turn heat off and add the cilantro.

Penang Curry- My Version

Panang Curry

A great version to make at home…

Curry Paste

  • 2 to 3 dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soft and seeds removed
  • 1 inch galangal, grated
  • 3 to 4 stalks lemongrass, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 small shallots
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro stems
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peanuts in a small frying pan till aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and grind in a spice grinder. Add to a mortar and pestle. Add the soft red chilies to the spices in the mortar and pestle.
Add the grated galanga, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic and shallots to a small food processor and process till smooth. Add the mixture to the mortar and pestle. Add the shrimp paste to the whole mixture and pound the paste till incorporated together and relatively smooth. Add the salt and keep aside.

  • 1 can low-fat coconut milk
  • 3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin
  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, sliced thin on a bias
  • 1 cup haricot verts (green beans), cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • Juice and zest of one lime
  • ½ cup basil, shredded

Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add the curry paste. Add ¼ cup of coconut milk and sauté on medium heat while stirring constantly. Make sure the milk does not burn. Keep adding as the liquid evaporates and more is needed. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and bring to a boil and cook for a minutes. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer and add the lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, juice and zest of the lime. Mix well and check for seasonings. Turn off as soon as the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with basil and serve with rice.

Thai Style Cheeseburgers with Lime Cilantro Mayo

My love of Asian cuisine continues with these delicious cheeseburgers.. they are really good. Feel free to marinate the meat overnight for extra yummy flavor and serve them with oven baked fries!

  • 1 pound grass fed ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon grated galangal or fresh ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup basil, chopped
  • 1/3 cup mint, chopped
  • Zest of one lime
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed and chopped
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoons oil

Transfer all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well and let sit for a couple of hours in the fridge. Take out half an hour before cooking. Form into 4 to 6 patties, depending how big you want the burgers.

Heat a frying pan with the oil and cook the burgers to the desired doneness. Top with cheese and serve on toasted rolls.

  • 4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, sliced and toasted
  • 4 to 6 cheddar slices
  • Baby spinach

Lime Cilantro Mayo

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Zest of one lime
  • Juice of one lime
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and serve with the cheeseburgers.

Oven Fries with Chives and Green Onions

Oven Fries with Green Onions

  • 5 to 6 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into small wedges

Transfer the wedges and some water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for a minute on a roaring boil. Drain the water and transfer wedges to a lined cookie sheet. Pat dry with a paper towel.

  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle the oil and salt all over the potatoes and toss well with fingers. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or till the wedges are golden brown.

Topping

  • 3 to 4 green onions, chopped finely
  • ¼ cup chives, chopped finely
  • Zest of 2 limes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix all the ingredients and add to the hot fries. Serve immediately.

Refreshing Recipe: Corn Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Fresh Corn Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette I started making this salad a few years ago. I think it was taken from Michael Chiarello at the food network. I made it for barbecue parties and it was always appreciated by my guests. I recently remembered it while talking to my neighbor who was planning on making it for a July 4th barbecue party. Although the salad is delicious- it is a bit time consuming- especially the dressing. 

Later that week, I was making the shrimp rolls and grilled potatoes and I needed to make a salad with the meal. I thought of the corn salad- and came up with an easier recipe. I had the greens and fresh corn in the fridge- so it was just a matter of coming up with the dressing. I used the juice and zest of a lemon, lime and an orange- whisked olive oil, honey with salt and pepper. Very simple yet the flavor was unbelievable- summer in a bite!

The original salad included pecorino cheese, but I decided to eliminate it since I wanted a lighter salad. The cheese does taste really good in the original salad- so by all means, go ahead and add it. I would definitely stick with pecorino- for it’s extra strong flavor. 

The salad is great at a barbecue with burgers or ribs but it is also goes very well with a piece of poached chicken or fish. It is a very healthy salad especially because the dressing doesn’t have very much olive oil. Definitely a summer must in your barbecue repertoire…

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Coconut Lemongrass Rice with Spinach

coconut-lemongrass-rice-with-spinachEveryone has rice in their pantry. I have a few different ones in mine.  I have the Indian basmati which is my ‘go to’ rice. I also have Jasmine– to use when I am making Asian dishes- it isn’t as aromatic as the previous but has a very nice sticky texture that goes very well with stir-fries, etc. I also keep brown rice– I have started using more of it now. It is so healthy and I personally love the nutty flavor of it. It is not as quick to cook as the others so it requires a little more planning.  Lastly I have Arborio rice- for risottos. I love making risottos- all kinds- with shrimp, mushrooms, peas, asparagus- the sky is the limit (I just realized I have not posted any risotto recipes on this blog!- will have to do it very soon!). Anyway, a few other things I always have to make all the different kinds of rice I mentioned, are chicken broth and coconut milk. I used to cook my rice with water but realized a few years ago how much flavor these liquids impart. 

I was thinking about the lemongrass rice I had at Ming Tsai’s restaurant, Blue Ginger. It was creamy and buttery with a subtle citrus flavor.  I decided to use coconut to cook this rice since it is always on my mind and I thought the mango shrimp would go really well with the creamy rice. If you cannot find lemongrass, lime zest can be easily substituted. I also needed to make a vegetable with the dinner- so I decided to add baby spinach in the rice. It worked well with all the flavors and best of all with the cilantro I added, my daughter didn’t even notice she was having a vegetable!

So, my question to you is- what is your ‘go to’ rice?? Also, what is your family’s favorite rice dish?

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup lemongrass, chopped (just the white part in the center)
  • Zest of one lime (If not using lemongrass, add zest of 2 limes)
  • Juice of ½ lime (If not using lemongrass, add juice of 1 lime)
  • 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro

In a wide shallow pan, heat the olive oil. Add the jasmine rice and sauté for a minute on medium heat. Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat once bubbles begin to form on the surface. Once the liquid has evaporated from the top, lower the heat and place the lid on the pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and add the lemongrass, salt, lime zest and baby spinach. Place the lid back and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off and mix the spinach into the rice well. Add the limejuice and taste for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro.