Drunken Noodles with Shrimp and Chicken

Everyone in my family loves noodle based dishes. So I work hard to find a variety, and especially ones that include plenty of vegetables. This recipe was just the ticket.

I added two kinds of protein to the typical "drunken noodles" and several varieties of vegetables. I used our favorites: broccoli, peppers and mushrooms, but you could use your favorites - zucchini, asparagus and bok choy would all be delicious.

This is a great weeknight dinner that comes together quickly - and only dirties one pot! Make yourself some drunken noodles tonight!

Drunken Noodles with Shrimp and Chicken

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into thin pieces
8 ounces medium cooked shrimp
8 oz. cooked rice or udon noodles
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. lime zest

Make sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, and lime zest.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, 1 minute, then add chicken. Stir and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a bowl. Heat the skillet again, then add green onions. Cook until softened, 2 minutes. Add peppers, broccoli and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add noodles and toss until completely combined.

Pour sauce over noodles and and toss until combined. Adc in the cooked chicken and shrimp and stir until combined. Garnish with fresh basil and lime wedges, if you like. Makes 4 servings.

Mango Chicken Curry

I love Thai food, and I especially love being able to make great restaurant-worthy dishes at home. This is one of them.

I especially love when I find a recipe that meets my weeknight trifecta: fast, easy and delicious. This is one of them.

There's so much to love here!

This is such a great curry dish. It's so convenient to whirr the sauce together in the blender and then add it to the stir fry. The extra flavor burst from the mango just takes this over the top. We enjoyed it served over rice (and cauli rice!) with stir fried green beans. I hope you love it as much as we do.


Mango Chicken Curry

Sauce:
1 can light or regular coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 large mango, peeled and pit removed
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Chicken:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. grated ginger or ginger paste
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. salt and dash of pepper
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the sauce, in a blender, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth. Set aside.

For the chicken, in a large, nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onion softens, 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces dry to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken turns white on all sides but isn't cooked through all the way, 1-2 minutes.

Add the curry paste, curry powder, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add the sauce mixture and stir well. Bring to a simmer, stirring often to make sure the curry paste and curry powder are fully dissolved. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve on rice with cilantro to garnish, if you wish. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake

So here we have a Valentine's Day dessert obviously displayed on a Christmas plate. Hmmm. Well, the easiest explanation is that I made this at Christmas, but also think it's a wonderful cake for Valentine's, with the beautiful red swirl. It's the easiest and the most true. So don't mind the Christmas plate - just look at the cake.

This is a wonderfully rich cake with swirls of red velvet in the vanilla batter. It doesn't need a frosting or any kind of icing - it's divine just on its own.

So, whether you make it this week for Valentine's, or pin this recipe and save it for Christmas, it doesn't matter. Any holiday that needs an infusion of red and deliciousness is the right holiday for this cake.

Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. vanilla
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk

RED VELVET SWIRL
1/3 cup cocoa powder
5 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. red food color

In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and sour cream until well-combined. Stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition. On low, stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in milk.

In a separate large bowl, stir together 2 ½ cups of the batter, cocoa powder, milk, and red food coloring.

Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, drop two scoops of plain batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Drop one scoop of red velvet swirl batter on top of plain batter. Continue to alternate between plain and red velvet swirl batters until both batters are gone.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert the cake onto wire rack, and cool completely.

Mexican Street Corn Chowder

Well, we barely survived the Polar Vortex 2019... just kidding, we survived just fine. But here in Minnesota, we're expecting more snow and cold temps again this week. Time to make soup! We love soups that have Mexican flavors, and so when I saw this one, I knew I wanted to try it. It's similar to the chicken tortilla soups I've made, but you can never have too many Mexican soups in your repertoire, in my opinion.

I actually served this with chips and guacamole, but you could also add all kinds of fun toppings right to your soup: avocados, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, etc.!

I especially like soups that can cook in the crock pot, making meal planning a breeze, and making your house smell heavenly when you walk in after work! I also love how easy and convenient soup leftovers are to take for lunch on the next day.

Stay warm out there, and eat plenty of soup!


Mexican Street Corn Chowder

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cans cream style corn
1 can fire-roasted corn, drained (or regular canned corn)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted diced green chiles
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/4 tsp. cumin
2 cups shredded Colby Jack Cheese (or Mexican cheese)
1 cups half and half
Optional toppings: fresh lime, fresh cilantro, diced onion, hot sauce, sour cream, avocado

Spray a large crockpot (I use a 6 quart crockpot) with nonstick spray.

Add the chicken, garlic, broth, creamed corn, fire-roasted corn, black beans, diced green chiles, chili powder, paprika, and cumin to the crockpot.

Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 4-6 hours or until the chicken shreds easily.

Remove the chicken and shred.

Return the shredded chicken, and add the cheese and half and half. Stir well to incorporate all the cheese and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings