Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Still going with my idea of cooking from the pantry as much as possible, I remembered that I had some coconut milk left over from the coconut-curry jasmine rice and recalled this curried split pea soup. Bam, easy, easy, easy. It's an excellent quick meal, done within an hour, counting all the prep time. One small bowl is enough to satisfy, starting with the thick pureed texture to the curry flavors to the tangy notes of lime and cooling effect of the yogurt in the creamy garnish.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup diced peeled potato
• 1/2 t gingerroot, minced
• 2 T chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup yellow split peas
• 1 t red curry powder
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 dried jalapeno flakes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 7 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 T chopped cilantro
• 2 t lime juice
• grating of lime peel
• hot sauce
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add the carrot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. 
2. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the potato and stir to coat.
3. Add the split peas, curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the jalapeno flakes, 1-1/2 cups of broth and coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook until the peas are soft, about45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more chicken broth if it seems too dry. 
5. After 45 minutes, taste to check seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. 
6. Puree the soup with a stick blender to achieve the consistency you like, adding more broth to suit your preference.
7. Make the cilantro-lime yogurt by mixing the yogurt, lime juice, lime peel and chopped cilantro in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a drop or 2 of hot sauce.
8. Garnish the soup with a dollop of the yogurt.

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Coconut-Curry Tofu and Jasmine Rice

Day 2 of living out of my pantry was a success. I had a can of coconut milk I wanted to use up, and my favorite use for that is usually some sort of curry. I usually make a coconut-curry jasmine rice in which you cook the rice in the coconut milk which is to-die-for delicious (recipe to come), but I wanted to make a creamy curry sauce with the coconut milk instead.

Since I was feeling sort of vegetarian-ish, I rummaged around in the freezer for a block of tofu for my protein and pretty quickly got this meal together - once the tofu had thawed and all the excess moisture had been pressed out. The tofu cubes really sucked up the sauce; in the end, they were like little coconut-curry sponges, very tasty. Using the toasted coconut shreds in the coconut milk really amped up the coconuttiness, but I think that it works well with the other flavors, especially the peanut and lime.

If fat content is an issue for you, you can use light coconut milk, but don't be fooled, that still has some fat in it. You wouldn't be wrong to put chopped cilantro in the coconut milk puree which you add to the rice. I love cilantro usually, but I was out of it and was feeling too lazy to go out to the store JUST for that one item, so I said, "No cilantro today." It was just fine and tasty without it.

Coconut-Curry Tofu and Jasmine Rice

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

•  1 3/4 cups water
• 1 t salt
• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice

• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t dried jalapeno flakes

• 2 T canola oil
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 t curry powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t dried jalapeno flakes
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

• hot sauce to taste
• 2 T chopped peanuts
• lime zest

Directions

1. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the shredded coconut until light golden, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly and be careful not to let it burn. As soon as it starts to smell toasted and reach a nice golden color, remove it from heat and transfer to a bowl.
2. Bring 1-3/4 cups water and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add the rice and let boil again.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 18 - 20 minutes.
4. Puree 1/2 cup of the coconut milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, lime juice, and 1 clove of garlic in a blender.  Add the toasted coconut and blend for a few seconds. 
5. Mix the coconut milk mixture into the rice and set aside.
6. Heat some canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and saute until golden.
7. Add the onions, curry, cumin, jalapeno flakes and the rest of the ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and stir everything well.
9. Serve over the coconut jasmine rice, add hot sauce to taste and top with chopped peanuts and lime zest.

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Dark Chocolate Coconut Brownies

I've been absent thanks to a new full-time job, so I no longer have the luxury of indulging in meals that take hours to prepare. I have been seriously into baking lately - mostly on the weekends - and today, though we had those marvelous crèmes brûlées yesterday, I had a serious craving for chocolate, so I whipped up a batch of the Crisis Brownies, but with a few modifications: coconut extract and flaked coconut instead of vanilla and nuts, and the Dutch-process cocoa.

Very good, very deep and intense, these are not cakey or milk-chocolatey.I needed a full glass of milk after one small brownie, bit wow, did it hit the chocolate craving square in the face.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 6 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into large, 1-T pieces
• 2 T heavy cream
• 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 t coconut extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ½ cup chocolate chunks
• 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F and spray an 11 x 7 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
   
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa with a whisk to break up any clumps of cocoa.
   
3. Bring about 1 ½ inches of water to a boil in the bottom of your double boiler; reduce heat and then in the top pan of the double boiler heat the butter and sugar until the butter starts to melt, add the heavy cream, and then gradually add your chocolate, stirring constantly to be sure that the mixture doesn't burn.
4. Once the chocolate is all melted, add the coconut extract and then remove from the heat immediately and scrape into a large bowl.
   
5. Set this bowl inside a larger bowl which has some ice water in it and let the chocolate mixture cool before adding the eggs.Or you can temper the eggs by whisking in a bit of the chocolate mixture while it is still pretty hot.
6. Add the eggs, mixing well.
   
7. Gradually stir in the flour mixture and mix until smooth. add the chocolate chunks and flaked coconut and mix well.
   
8. Spread the batter into prepared pan.This is not a loose, pourable batter like some recipes - this is thick, almost like cookie dough. Don't worry. It's supposed to be like that.
   
9. Bake 25 minutes until a toothpick jabbed into the center comes out clean. This recipe makes very dense, moist and fudgy brownies.
   
10. Transfer pan to a rack to cool before cutting the brownies.
    

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