Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

1 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
½ tsp pepper
1 can diced tomatoes including juice
1/2 jar red curry paste
1 tsp Caribbean curry mix
2 tbsp honey
1 stalk lemongrass
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
450 g. bag red lentils (~2 ½ cups)
1 tbsp lime juice
4 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups water
2 cans coconut milk (14 oz)

Cook onion in oil and add garlic, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except coconut milk. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 30 minutes longer.

Note: Can be easily frozen in individual containers.

Mennonite Fruit Cookies

1 cup margarine
1-½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup fruit juice
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp each ground allspice, nutmeg & cloves
2 cups craisins or raisins
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups chopped candied fruit peel
2 cups chopped pecans
½ cup whole wheat flour

Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs and fruit juice. Add flour, soda, salt and spices and stir well. Combine fruit and nuts in separate bowl with ½ cup whole-wheat flour. Stir into batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Yield: 90.

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies

4½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp each allspice, cinnamon and ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fancy molasses
¾ cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl stir flour with baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, beat butter with brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar until well mixed, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs one at a time, then molasses. With electric mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture just until mixed. Scrape down side of bowl if necessary. Divide dough into 4 portions. Form into round discs and wrap in plastic wrap. refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with oil or line with parchment paper. Place remaining 3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar in a bowl. Remove one portion of dough. Pinch off about 1 tbsp (15 mL) and roll into a ball. Roll in sugar, then place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining dough, spacing balls at least 3 inches apart as they spread out while baking. Bake until cookies begin to set around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets about 5 minutes. Makes about 95 cookies.

Chicken Fettucine in Garlic Cream Sauce

¼ c butter
2 cloves garlic, smashed & chopped
pinch crushed red chili pepper
1 tsp dried basil
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
4 chicken breasts, cooked, diced
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup half and half cream (10% B.F)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups fresh baby spinach
fresh fettucine for 4
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Saute onion, garlic and chili pepper in butter (very lightly). Add basil and worchestershire sauce and saute this mixture until the moisture is out of the onions. Add chicken and white wine, mix together and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring the contents to a boil. Strain all the solids from the cream sauce and set them aside in a bowl. Reduce the cream remaining in the pan until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Pour the mixture back into the cream sauce and leave on stove just to heat through. Cook the fettucine as directed. Add the spinach leaves to the fettucine to wilt them. Drain. Pour sauce over the pasta/spinach mixture and sprinkle with parsley.

Note: Substitue 1 lb scallops, salmon or shrimp for the chicken. Add with wine but cook for a few minutes until slightly underdone before removing.

Buttermilk Cornbread

¼ pound butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Melt butter and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cormeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into greased 8 inch square pan. Back at 375 F for 30-40 minutes.

Note: My son makes this all the time. He found the recipe on the web and won't change a thing! I would love to add grated cheese and maybe some jalepeno peppers but only when he isn't around.

Grilled Coconut Shrimp

1 400 mL can coconut milk
2 tsp green curry paste

1 tbsp chopped ginger

4 lime leaves
2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 tbsp lime juice

1 lb large shrimps

¼ cup unsweetened coconut

Place coconut milk in a skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes until reduced by a quarter - it should be the consistency of heavy cream. Stir in the green curry paste, ginger, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar. Cook another 5 to 6 minutes or until sauce is thickened and fragrant. Stir in 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of mint and coriander and all of lime juice. Cool.

Divide sauce in half in 2 bowls. Season shrimp with salt and stir into half of sauce. Marinate shrimp in sauce for 30 minutes. Reserve other half of sauce for dipping sauce. Remove shrimps from marinade and discard marinade. Preheat grill on high and grill shrimps about 1½ minutes per side or until pink and slightly curled. Cool. Stir in coconut and remaining mint and coriander to dipping sauce. Serve with shrimps. Place shrimps on bamboo skewers, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Note: Lime leaves can be found in Oriental grocery stores. If you can't find them substitute 1 tbsp grated lime rind.

Stuffed Mushrooms

24 small mushrooms
125 g Herb and Garlic Boursin cream cheese
½ -1 tsp dried chives (or fresh if desired)
bacon (about 6 slices)

Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems. Mix cream cheese and dried chives together. Microwave the cheese a bit to soften it if necessary. Precook the bacon so it is about half cooked, and still 'wobbly' and cut or break into 3-4 pieces. Fill mushroom caps with cream cheese mixture, then top with a piece of bacon in a pyrex or metal rectangular baking pan. You can do this much several hours ahead and cover with waxed paper. Put in oven around 350 F until the bacon it all looks cooked, around 20 minutes.