Spicy Mango Shrimp

We have a favorite little Thai restaurant that we frequent and Brian's favorite dish is the Fried Pineapple Rice. This dish, Spicy Mango Shrimp, looked not only delicious (from our Sunset Magazine cookbook) but seemed similar to a tried and true favorite. We were not disappointed. This was a flavorful, light meal with sweetness from the mango and coconut and just enough heat from the red chili flakes. The only change I will make for next time is to add the basil at the end (along with the coconut) so that it creates more of a flavor/color-pop. The whole meal comes together quickly and is great for a quick weeknight take-out-made-at-home dinner.

Chicken Tikka Masala

We chose to make Jamie's Chicken Tikka Masala last night for dinner. I have tried making this before using other recipes, none of which I would attempt again. This recipe, however, was much more of an enjoyable process and very, very tasty! For being a dish from India, it's interesting how this Tikka Masala now represents typical British cuisine, replacing the quintessential fish and chips; a remnant of Imperialism. Nonetheless, Jamie has created a wonderful home version of this spice-filled meal. The chicken was so tender after marinating in the spiced yogurt that it just melted in your mouth.

Brian felt that the cinnamon was a bit powerful, so next time I will lesson the amount of Garam Masala. I rounded out the meal with basmati rice (steamed with fennel seeds), fresh green beans (boiled, then tossed in olive oil with slivered garlic and curry powder), whole wheat flat bread, and a hoppy IPA... delicious. This will now be my go-to meal for an Indian inspired evening. This would be easy enough to double and serve for a dinner party.

Stephanie

Stuffed Poblanos

Or so I thought. Who knew the great debate happening long before my first encounter with the so-called Pasilla pepper. This is how it began:
I received our new cookbook at my office, eagerly flipped through the colorful pages and settled, rather quickly, on the delicious looking "Stuffed Poblanos" recipe (maybe it had something to with the smell of Chile Relleno in the office... one will never know). I used my lunch break to gather the ingredients at the store, but came to a confusing stop when the pepper that I recognized at site as a poblano, was labeled at the market as a pasilla pepper. "Eh?" After looking up and down the produce for any other identical pepper called poblano, I realized I was on a time crunch, so I grabbed these "pasillas". At the check out the lady looked at me and confirmed, "Pasilla?"..."I guess?!".
So to settle the debate I thought I would simply google the two peppers (in secret of course, because now all my self-proclaimed culinary prowess was coming into question). Come to find out, I was not the only one confused... It appears that this mis-labeling of the poblano as a pasilla is a California quirk that has been noted by such knowledgeable Mexican cuisine chefs as Rick Bayless. Phew!

So, to get on with the actual recipe...

This was a delicious dish: quick, easy, fresh, flavorful; completely doable on a weeknight after a long day of work. This recipe made enough for me to split into 2 medium casserole dishes, so I froze one (prior to baking) for a quick go-to meal in the upcoming weeks.

I made Spanish rice to accompany the stuffed poblanos, which worked well to soak up the slightly-spicy tomato sauce.

Overall, a great vegetarian-friendly meal that's satisfying when you are having a hunger for Mexican food, but won't leave you feeling weighed down with grease. Looking forward to leftovers!

Stephanie