Spicy Cranberry Chutney

This recipe is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey who is one of my favorite cookbook writers. This cranberry sauce has a nice kick to it, and the cayenne adds some heat which works very well with Thanksgiving Dinner.

1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced finely
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
3 TBsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne1 can whole cranberry sauce, roughly chopped
dash ground black pepper

Cook the ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and cayenne in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook on a medium heat form about 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half.

Add the can of cranberry sauce, stir and gently heat for about 10 minutes or so.
Cool before serving.

Sesame Salad Dressing

This is one of those delicious salad dressings that just makes your mouth water. It's super easy to make and keeps very well in the fridge, although I doubt you'll have much left over after you try it!

1/2 C rice vinegar
1/4 C honey or brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 inch ginger root, finely grated
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 C canola oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Heat the rice vinegar gently over a medium heat. Add the honey, garlic and ginger root, and stir until the honey or brown sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then pour into a clean jam jar. Add the sesame oil, canola oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds and shake to blend.
To serve:
Pour over mixed salad greens and top with your favourite salad fixings. I love it with red onion, left over rotisserie chicken and mandarin segments.

Rhubarb Fool

This is one of those easy peasy recipes that is just totally sublime. Now that I've discovered how amazing it is, it will be one of my go-to-recipes! 

3 lbs rhubarb, cut into 1" chunks (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C orange juice
2" ginger root, peeled, grated (using a microplane)
2 C heavy cream
7 oz ginger snaps, crushed
1/3 C Cointreau or Stone's ginger wine (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Layer the rhubarb in a baking dish, and spoon over the sugar and orange juice. Evenly distribute the grated ginger in between the chopped rhubarb.
Cook for about 40 minutes and then set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Strain the rhubarb—but be sure to save the gorgeous gingery, rhubarb syrup for serving later! Also, reserve about a dozen pieces of rhubarb to decorate the dessert later.
Blitz the rest of the rhubarb in a blender or food processor and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the heavy cream until thick and fluffy, and then gently fold in the rhubarb pureé.
To assemble the dessert—first layer the bottom of a trifle dish with the crushed ginger snaps. Drizzle the Cointreau or ginger wine over the cookies (optional), and then pour on the rhubarb pureé. Top with the reserved pieces of rhubarb and chill until you're ready to serve.
After serving in individual bowls, drizzle with a few tablespoons of the reserved rhubarb and ginger syrup.

This dessert is absolutely divine. I think it has to be one of my all time favorites!

Thai Chicken

This is adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe. I love the sharpness of the limes and the crunch of the peanut butter. Almost heaven on a plate!

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips/bite-sized pieces
Marinade: 
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp flour
2 T honey
Peanut oil (for frying)

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp hot chili oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
juice of 2 Limes
water, as needed for to get the right consistency

Salad fixings:
Romaine lettuce leaves, roughly chopped
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
baby spinach leaves
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
4 scallions, chopped
bamboo shoots
cilantro, roughly chopped
peanuts
salt and pepper to taste
Basmati rice or Asian noodles

In a bowl, mix together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, lime juice, ginger, and brown sugar (Bowl 1). 
Pour off half of the marinade into a separate bowl (Bowl 2).
Add the chicken pieces and put them into Bowl 1. Add the squeezed limes and allow to marinade for several hours or overnight.
In Bowl 2, stir the flour and honey, and set aside.

Add a few tablespoons of  peanut oil to a heavy skillet, and when it’s hot, add the chicken strips in a single layer (Bowl 1).
Allow to cook for or few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through for about 4 minutes.
Lower the heat, then add the marinade from Bowl 2. 
Stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Cook over low heat for a few mintes, and then allow to cool.

Peanut Sauce: Mix all the peanut sauce ingredients, adding a little water to get a semi-runny consistency. Check for seasoning.

To serve:
Carefully divide the salad fixings between two plates. Add the chicken pieces and top with the cilantro.
Pour on some peanut sauce, and scatter some peanuts over the top. 
Serve with Asian noodles or a portion of Basmati rice.

Asian Turkey Meatballs

This has to be one of the easiest meatball recipes! They’re super easy to make and absolutely scrumptious. The recipe is easily doubled, and I would definitely recommend that you make a double batch as they certainly won’t last very long!

Meatball ingredients:

1 lb  ground turkey
2 scallions, very finely chopped
1⁄2 C cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp  soy sauce
1⁄4 C breadcrumbs 
1⁄4 C oats 
1 egg, lightly beaten

Dipping Sauce
1⁄4 C  brown sugar
1⁄4 C  soy sauce
1 Tbsp  rice vinegar
2 -3 slices  fresh ginger, peeled and gently squashed

Heat the oven to 400°.
Make the meatballs: 
Gently mix together all the meatball ingredients with your hands. Then form the meatballs by using an ice-cream scoop. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for about 23-25 minutes, until cooked and well-browned. 

Make the dipping sauce: 
In a small saucepan stir the sauce ingredients together over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Simmer for about 5 minutes or so, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce begins to thicken.

Remove the ginger slices and serve the dip in a small bowl along side the meatballs.

Tofu and Peanut Stir Fry

14 oz  package of extra firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 x 9 oz packages Japanese style noodles
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/3 C crunchy peanut butter
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1/2- 1 tsp chili paste
1/3-1/2 C cilantro, chopped finely
4 spring onions, sliced finely

Preheat the broiler. 

In a medium sized bowl stir together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and ginger, and gently coat the tofu cubes.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and spread the tofu cubes in a single layer and broil for about 5 minutes. Gently turn and broil for another 5 minutes until the tofu is light brown and crispy.
Meanwhile, sauté the red pepper in the olive oil for a few minutes until softened.
In a medium bowl, mix the the remaining soy sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, rice vinegar, water, sesame seeds, garlic and chili paste and set aside.

Cook the noodles, rinse and drain and place in a large bowl. Stir in the peanut sauce, cilantro, and red pepper. Serve the noodles and top with tofu and spring onions.
This is super scrumptious and really hits the spot!

Hawaiian Orange-Ginger Glazed Fish

This is one of those super tasty toppings which is very quick to make. It's a little on the sweet side, but ever so scrumptious! You can add a little more lime juice to add some extra sharpness if you like. 

Fish of your choice: sword fish, halibut or striped bass

Topping:
1/3 C mayonnaise
1/3 C marmalade
1/3 C plain yogurt
1T grated fresh ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C macadamia nuts
Spring onions, chopped, for garnish

Bake or cook the fish until tender.  Mix the topping ingredients together, and heat very gently. Drizzle over cooked fish of your choice, and garnish with spring onions. Serve with basmati rice and some veggies of your choice.