chicken skewers with spicy peanut sauce

You know how I feel about peanut butter. (And, in case you don't, let me fill you in: it borders on obsession.) Peanuts are a food you can feel good about eating because of their super-charged monounsaturated fat, which is a nutrient noted for its cardiovascular benefits. I've also read that peanuts have an antioxidant in them that is good for skin recovery, so make this after a day in the sun.

This peanut sauce, which also brings super-healthy fresh garlic and ginger into your life, comes together quickly in a food processor and makes a great dip for veggies the next day. Serve it with a light and fresh side dish - I did sauteed spinach and steamed summer squash - and feel good about dinner tonight.

Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Makes four servings 

• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk (shake the can before pouring!)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 shallot or onion, sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (or 2 additional teaspoons low sodium soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast pounded slightly and cut into 1-inch strips
• 8 (8-inch) skewers, soaked for 20 minutes
• 3/4 cup spicy peanut dipping sauce, recipe below
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted peanuts

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, coconut milk, soy sauce, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, and ginger. Add the chicken strips and marinate for at least an hour. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.
2. Skewer the chicken and preheat a grill to medium heat. Cook two to three minutes per side until meat is cooked through and has light grill marks. (You could also broil these until juicy and just done, flipping halfway through the cooking.)
3. Serve chicken skewers with sauce, and garnish with basil or cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
Sauce can be made a day ahead of time, and will keep three to four days in the refrigerator. It doubles as a yummy, healthy veggie dip for next-day snacking.

• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter (skip the overly processed or reduced-fat varieties - you'll miss out on this food's natural goodies!)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Serve with grilled chicken skewers.

coconutty granola bars

Yes, I admit it. I adore coconut. It's sweet and flaky, and just so ... tropical. Love it.

And I fell in love with these granola bars in part because of it. But I also love that granola bars test better when they're homemade, not to mention they're better for you and cheaper. What's not to love?!

Make these when you want to work with your hands - it's the best way to mix all the ingredients together. Enjoy!

Coconutty Granola Bars

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (depending on how sweet you like them)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates*
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots*
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries*

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300.
4. Place the oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least two to three hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

*Use whatever dried fruit you have on hand.

Need more snack ideas? Try these:

• Brown bag popcorn
• Roasted tomato and corn salsa with charred poblano peppers 

summer salads, part five: thai chicken salad with peanut dressing

If I could never have peanut butter again, I think I would die. Easily one of my favorite foods, this salad brought it into my life in a wonderful way: a peanut-buttery and coconut salad dressing. Yes, please. This is an easy one to whip up when you have some leftover chicken to use, or just pick up a rotisserie bird from the store like we did. Annnnd the expandable pants make another appearance.

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients

• 6 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 2 cups fresh, trimmed snow peas (or bean sprouts)
• 1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped into thin rounds
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 4 lime wedges (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine coconut milk and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and cool for 2 minutes. Pour warm coconut milk mixture over lettuce mixture. Sprinkle with peanuts; serve with lime wedges, if desired. Serve immediately.

Need more ideas? Check these out:

• Summer salads, part one: smoked turkey salad with cranberries and bleu cheese  
• Summer salads, part two: grilled shrimp salads with basil-garlic dressing
• Summer salads, part three: spinach and bacon salad with grilled peaches and homemade bleu cheese dressing
• Summer salads, part four: loaded lentil salad with feta, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette
• Thai ginger-honey beef salad

basil chicken in coconut curry sauce

So, I believe I have mentioned several times (like here) how much my husband loves "spicy flakes" (the affectionate term we have given to crushed red pepper) and flaming-hot foods in general. This means that he loves nuclear Asian foods, like fresh Japanese wasabi (his soy sauce mixture is a deep green color and nearly smoking when he's done concocting his ratio) and stir fries, and Indian cuisine. When we visit our local Thai restaurant, he orders a seven on a scale of one to five and then he asks for red-hot chilies packed in oil on the side. We've even had the chef come out and check on him half way through the meal - partly out of sick curiosity and partly to make sure he was still breathing. For Christmas, we got three separate spice packs of all sizzling seasonings.

And then he married me. The medium salsa, the oh-my-lips-are-burning from mild wings, the level-two-Thai-food girl.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like the flavor that comes with warmish foods, but I also I like to  be able to taste other things going on in a dish. To me, heat should add a little something in the background, not overwhelm food. Which is exactly what this dish did. It was flavorful and interesting, while still providing a noticeable heat. Good stuff. And, it gave him the chance to use his spicy seasonings from Christmas. No matter what your preferred heat level, this one's a win.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
(from Epicurious)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (buyer beware: this bottle was almost $8 at Publix!)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (a kick-ass superfood!)
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are more flavorful)
• 1 red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• Lime wedges
• Hot cooked Jasmine rice
• Red pepper flakes

1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder and turmeric. Set aside.
2. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into one-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for two hours in the refrigerator.
3.  In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.
5. Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet and whisk to incorporate the bits left on the bottom of the pan. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to help it dissolve. Add the dissolved corn starch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture and ginger. Cook two to four minutes more to cook through.   
6. Serve over rice with lime wedges and top with basil.

whole-grain banana-coconut muffins that even coconut haters love

One recent holiday, my in-laws were in town for a few days. I always like to cook for family that stays with us, and this was no exception. On Saturday morning, I had three ripe bananas just dying to be baked into something. Remembering this recipe that I clipped from the newspaper (of all places!), I whipped them up in no time. Before even realizing that they had coconut in them, my father-in-law took down three of them.

My brother-in-law and said father-in-law share the coconut-hating gene (the BIL calls toasted coconut "bones," because their crunchiness catches in the back of his throat like it would if you swallowed a bone, haha). Despite that fact, they both like these muffins. And you will, too. They make a great breakfast, and they freeze well. No muss, no fuss (whatever that means) and no waste. And wholesome to boot. Enjoy.


Banana-Coconut Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c flour (I use 1/2 whole-wheat pastry flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c coconut flakes
• 1 1/3 c mashed banana (~4 medium)
• 1/4 c buttermilk (or milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 3/4 c light brown sugar
• 1 egg

1. Heat oven to 350. Line the muffin tin with papers (or grease it).
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix in coconut.* In another bowl, mix mashed bananas with vanilla and buttermilk.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the oil and sugars for two minutes. Add the egg. When incorporated, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the banana mixture in two parts, until just combined.
4. Fill 12 muffin cups evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Note: by mixing baking ingredients like coconut or fruit into the flour mixture you keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter during the baking process.