Recipe of the Week: Thai Beef Curry & Coconut Rice

This recipe was inspired by my friend Evelyn deGallery. At a recent talk I did for my Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group, I asked the audience to bring one recipe to share with the other mamas. Evelyn says this recipe is her kids' favorite dinner. I tweaked the recipe a little bit to simplify it. This dish is great for employing some of those fresh summer vegetables like peppers, fresh basil and onions.

If you don't have time for homemade curry sauce, you might try the Trader Joe's brand of red curry or yellow curry sauce. Both are mouth-wateringly good. If you are not using brown rice, use only two cups of liquid to cook every one cup of rice.



Thai Beef Curry

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, sliced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
-2 steaks, thinly sliced
-2 organic red or yellow peppers, cut into 1-inch strips
-8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Sauce:
-2 large cloves garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
-2 tablespoons fish sauce (available at Whole Foods or in the Asian section of grocery stores or R-N Asian market)
-1-2 teaspoon red curry paste (available at Whole Foods or in the Asian section of grocery stores or R-N Asian market)
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 cups organic coconut milk

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a skillet. Add onions, ginger and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add sliced steak and brown. Meanwhile, mix ingredients for sauce in a bowl.
3. When steaks are browned, add cut red peppers and torn basil leaves. Saute peppers with meat for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour sauce mixture on top of beef and vegetables. Allow to simmer until sauce thickens slightly about 5-7 minutes.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
-2 cups brown jasmine rice
-2 1/4 cups water
-2 cups coconut milk (usually 1 can)
-5 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
*rice cooker

1. Combine rice, water and coconut milk in rice cooker.
2. Cook in rice cooker (or on stovetop) as you normally would. Takes approximately 15 minutes.

May Menu Planner

The late Spring produce has hit the market, which means berries are in full force along with snap peas, asparagus, herbs like basil and oregano, and even some small zucchini. For Mother's Day we have a tradition of serving up a special lunch after church for the grandmas. This Sunday our feast will showcase some fresh strawberries and cherries from the farmer's market - not as dessert, but heaped on top of our main dish - Strawberry-Balsamic Chicken - and our salad. The Strawberry Salsa can be made ahead so firing up the grill on the chicken is all we have to do for that dish. Our advice: skip the long lines to take Mom out to eat and make a special meal at home. It saves money and everyone can help out!

Sunday - Mother's Day Lunch
Sparkling Pomegranate Juice
Mini Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tarts
Baby Greens Salad with Pecans and Cherries
Strawberry-Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Wheat Berry Salad
Chocolate Chip Cannoli

Monday
Mahi Mahi Green Enchiladas
Baby Greens, Black Olives, Corn and Cherry Tomatoes

Tuesday
Grilled Portabella Sandwiches
Tomato-Basil Bisque

Wednesday
Thai Curry Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas
Coconut Jasmine Rice

Thursday
More-Please Meatloaf
Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Avocado Sauce

Friday
Luscious Leftovers
Whole Wheat Blueberry Bars

Saturday - Paul's 30th Birthday Bash
Fondue Party
Dessert: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries & Cream Puffs

P.S. If any of these recipes look tempting to you, click on the link or leave us a comment and we can send them to you.