Thai Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry

I really like Thai food.  Most of the time, I settle for having it at a restaurant (although I've made pad thai and pad see ew at home).  However, Thai curries are so easy to make at home.   And another bonus? They are fast, too!  Except for maybe cooking the brown rice (which takes 30-40 minutes), this was a 30-minute meal.

I've actually made a Thai curry with pork before but  now that we eat meatless several times a week, I was curious to try this with cauliflower and chickpeas instead.  I definitely didn't miss the meat -- in fact, I might have enjoyed this meal even more.

Surprisingly, we really enjoyed the rice as well! Usually I serve rice in order to soak up the sauce but this coconut rice was pretty tasty in its own right.  I only used 1 cup of dried rice, which barely worked for 4 servings.  However, if you like more rice, increase the amount below!

Thai Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
Adapted from: How Sweet Eats
Serves 4-5

coconut rice:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/4 cup canned coconut milk (I used 1/4 cup from the coconut milk below)
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup water (or use however much your brown rice needs as described on the package -- my rice cooker needs about 1 3/4 cup water for every 1 cup rice)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

chickpea curry:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red and/or green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small florets, about 1 inch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste + more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (I used everything but 1/4 cup which was used in the rice above)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons freshly torn cilantro
• crushed red pepper, to taste

1. Cook rice according to directions, adding additional water if needed. (I use a rice cooker so I just follow those instructions.  However, if you don't have one, follow the instructions on the brown rice package.  Brown rice typically takes 30-40 minutes to cook.)
2. While the rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Stir in the onion, and cook until they have slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger and curry paste and stir to coat.  Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.  Add in cauliflower, coconut milk, and fish sauce.  Cover, bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until cauliflower has softened. Stir in the chickpeas and cilantro and cook for 3-5 minutes more. Taste and season additionally if desired.  If you prefer slightly spicier, add crushed red pepper, to taste.
3. Serve immediately with the coconut rice.

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Thai Chicken Pizza

I had a feeling we weren't going to like this.  My husband doesn't love peanut butter (I know, right?) and I'm pretty darn loyal to tomato sauce pizzas.  So I'm not sure why I chose to make this Thai Chicken Pizza with a peanut butter-based sauce but perhaps I was won over by the fact that I had pretty much all the ingredients on hand. For whatever reason, I put this pizza on the menu for this week.

While I was making the sauce last night, I even mentioned that we could always buy a pizza if this didn't turn out. Well, it did turn out.  In a big way.  I ended up halving the sauce which was perfect because it added great, creamy taste without being overpowering.  And the toppings added so much to the pizza -- a generous sprinkling of mozzarella, fresh veggies (red bell pepper, green onion, sliced zucchini, grated carrot and chopped cilantro made it onto our pizza), cooked and shredded chicken and a squirt of Sriracha sauce.  (Supposedly, this is supposed to be a knock off from California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Chicken Pizza although I've never had their pizza before.)

When I asked my husband what he thought (which seems particularly important since he consumed 75% of the pizza within 24 hours), he had two words: five stars.  Maybe that says it all.

Thai Chicken Pizza
Taken from: Food.com
Makes 1 pizza

Sauce

• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I used more like 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha (or hot chili sauce), plus more for serving
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup water

• pizza dough (I recommend this one)
• 1+ cup of mozzerella cheese 
• red pepper, thinly sliced (I used about 1/2 red pepper)
• 2-4 tablespoons of grated carrot
• mung beans (omitted)
• zucchini, thinly sliced in rounds
• 2 green onions, sliced 
• cooked chicken, shredded (I used 2 small cooked chicken breasts)
• approx. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• limes (completely forgot to add this but I bet it would be delicious!)

Instructions

1. Premake pizza dough (this one has to rise for about an hour).
2. Preheat the oven to 500.  If using a pizza stone, add stone to oven.
3. To make sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil; boil gently for one minute, stirring occasionally.  (If the sauce seems too thin, simmer on the stove for several more minutes, stirring occasionally.) Set aside.
4. Slice the vegetables and grate the carrots. Slice the limes to squeeze over the pizza when it is finished cooking. 
5. Roll out the pizza dough.  Use a large spoon to spread sauce evenly over pizza dough within the rim. Top with cheese, then add vegetables and chicken (do not add cilantro or limes - they will be added after the pizza is cooked).
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes until crisp and golden and cheese is bubbly.  (Baking in a 500 degree oven that has been preheated for at least 30 minutes will help get the crust crispy).
7. Garnish the pizza with minced cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

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Thai Chicken & Noodles Salad

I often don't like salads for my main course. I know, I know, you can have your protein, carbs and, of course, vegetables in it but somehow, I don't seem to feel as full after a salad (purely psychological is my guess).  So a salad has to look pretty darn enticing for me to bookmark it and place it on our menu plan.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that we've been swimming in lettuce from our CSA box so I'm always looking for ways to use it (not that I'm complaining!). 

This Thai chicken and noodles salad is simple and delicious.  The marinade really is the star of the show.  I marinated the chicken for about 9 hours and it was incredibly flavorful.  We drizzled the extra marinade all over the salad which is a must. 

There's definitely room for imagination (or using up vegetables in your fridge).  Shaved carrots and thinly sliced cucumbers were great in the salad but next time, I'd probably include red peppers as well.  I brought the leftovers to work the next day and my coworker gave me some of her pineapple which I promptly added to my dish. The sweet and tropical flavors from the pineapple worked incredibly well with the dish!

Thai Chicken & Noodles Salad

Taken from: The Parsley Thief

• 1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast {cut into thin slices}
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced {white & light green parts}
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (I omitted)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• 3 1/2 ounces Chinese rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 carrots, peeled & sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• optional toppings: chopped peanuts, sliced scallions, sliced limes, bean sprouts, red pepper flakes, red bell pepper, pineapple, lettuce leaves

1. Begin by making the marinade for the chicken: Add the scallions, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, lime juice, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes to resealable plastic bag. Shake to combine.  Remove half of the marinade (which will be used as a sauce on top of the finished salad).  Place the chicken in the bag with the remaining marinade.  Coat all the chicken, seal & chill for at least 30 minutes (I placed mine the morning of dinner). 
2. Cook the noodles, according to the package instructions, drain and transfer to a platter.
3. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken, in batches, for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until cooked through & golden brown. 
4. Transfer the chicken to the platter with the noodles and top with the carrots, cucumber, basil and any additional toppings.  Serve with the remaining marinade on the side.

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