Red Chicken Curry in Coconut Cream

Here is a recipe I made today. If it’s winter where you live, it’s warming and hearty.One more thing, please toast your spices and then blend them – if you can. It’s worth the small effort and your nose will thank you!Ingredients

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 3 – 4 cardamom seeds
  • 4 tblspn oil or butter
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 – 2 shallots
  • 4 – 6 large chicken thighs
  • 1 tblspn garam masala
  • 1 – 3 tblspn curry (I like spicy!)
  • 2 tblspn turmeric
  • 1 tblspn chilli powder
  • 1 can coconut cream
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 4 – 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 fresh green chilli
  • 1 thumb ginger
  • 1-2 carrots or small yam
  • 2-3 zucchini
  • 3 red/yellow bell peppers
  • 2 tsp turmeric

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Keto Lamb Stew: the spring edition

Hello! It’s been a while as life has been busy with getting vaccinated, more work and less time for cooking. Yesterday I made this ground lamb stew. We had some beautiful big radish and I subbed them as potatoes. I’m sure you know, but radish cook soft and just like potatoes, absorb the delicious flavours of a stew and are very satisfying.

To summarise: while browning the onion cut your veggies up, add the lamb, veggies and top with herbs, fresh or dried, add seasoning and simmer until tenderly cooked. Lets go!

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Pork Butt Pot Roast in Red Sauce

Tender, tasty and time saving.

Ingredients

  • 1 pork butt 3 – 5 lbs (depends on your large pot capacity!)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 4 tblspn Grapeseed oil
  • 4 shallots
  • 1 large can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1-2 chillies
  • 1 tblspn smoked paprika
  • 1 tblspn cumin
  • 2 tblspn parsley
  • 1 tblspn thyme
  • 1 tblspn rosemary

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Keto Chile Rellenos

This was quite an adventure to make. My partner was kindly given some peppers at the community garden by a fellow gardener. My sister gave me a fab Mexican cookbook some time ago that I love and I watched a video of an amazing woman cooking chile rellenos on a wood stove in Mexico. Both inspired me. I hope you’re inspired too!

Recipe at the bottom!

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Keto Chicken Mayonnaise

One of the quickest throw together meals for leftover chicken or a handy tin of shredded tuna (which I’m not a big fan of) is shredding a chicken breast or two, adding mayonnaise, a few other diced ingredients and seasoning. I like my Chicken Mayo’ to be chunky, have some tang and a little bit of crunch. If you want some sweetness for those non-keto members of your household, sliced grapes or small dices of firm yellow peaches or apricots are delicious too. A splash of curry powder for a spicier version is also good!

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Tender Buttermilk Chicken Curry with Summer Veg

We’ve had a cool start to summer, it’s been more of an extended spring. I’m not complaining as it meant I could make a late seasonal curry with some local farm chicken.

I tried slow roasting one of these chickens, but the good outdoor life made them strong, tough and healthy, just like chickens should be! Tasty but a tad chewy!

In South Africa we call these chickens “scratchy fowls” meaning they have had a free happy life, scratching in the fields for bugs. Nothing happier than the a vision of a happy scratching fowl roaming free!

So, as buttermilk tenderises chicken meat beautifully,

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Bobotie Egg Bites

We’re going to friends tonight for a party and I’m taking these along as an appetiser. Bobotie is a favourite traditional South African dish, basically a curried ground beef casserole, topped with turmeric egg custard and bay leaves served with “yellow” rice which is infused with turmeric and cooked with cinnamon sticks and raisins, served with a sweet chutney and tomato sambal.

It’s a great gluten free dish. As keto, I would serve it with cauliflower rice tossed with butter, mustard seeds and turmeric. It’s a terrific dish.

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Hot Salad with Pork Chops

When we’re having guests to dinner, I think I go a little bonkers sometimes. I scramble for crazy complex recipes online and get so anxious and stressed about cooking. I was thinking about it tonight while I cooked our supper and the fun I was having winging it for just the two of us. Imagining the flavours, experimenting and then being so happy with the adventure of trying out my musings and the flavourful outcome. It’s my favourite way of cooking.

Tonight was one of those nights. I’m sure you’ve done it too. You’ve experimented and and created a meal that wove the flavours together delicately and delightfully. It’s so satisfying. Then I thought … why don’t I trust my instincts like this when having friends over, and just wing it like I do when it’s just the two of us? It’s so much more fun!

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Dinner for Two

LCHF Waldorf Salad

Chicken Breast Pesto Rollmops

Roasted Petit Peppers

Spiced Cauliflower Mash

This whole meal started with a Waldorf Salad yearning, which usually is inspired by the beautiful apples in the grocers this time of year. Also, my partner was not feeling the best. I only know how to cook, not how to heal, though in some ways food has amazing properties of healing I suppose. I also wanted to partly test drive this chicken idea as I’d like to make a version if it when our friend comes to dinner.

This is going to be more a summary of what I made and not exact measurements. I’m pretty sure that anyone who visits this blog is a way more accomplished cook than I’ll ever hope to be! Run with your own measurements, instincts and culinary acumen!

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