Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiris, Thai Chicken Skewer Wraps, Tropical Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

In a previous post, I mentioned a “cooking weekend” which I hosted at our lake house with my friends Nancy and Jenni, and I posted the recipe for the delectable Thai Summer Stew which we made for a dinner.

This time, I would like to post the accoutrements of that meal.

First, from Eating Well magazine, a recipe for Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiris. Usually when you see a coconut daiquiri recipe it included the very high fat cream of coconut, but this one used coconut rum. I subbed unflavored rum and coconut liquer, and it turned out to be a repeater. What more can I say—strawberries, coconut, and rum! As for an accompanying photo… I didn’t really think of taking one!

Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri

Recipe from Eating Well

Makes 6 servings, about 3/4 cup each

Ingredients

2 ½ cups chopped fresh or frozen (not thawed) strawberries (about 12 ounces)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups ice cubes
¾ cup coconut-flavored rum, such as Malibu

Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri Ingredients Cont.

Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri Instructions

Combine strawberries, sugar and lime juice together in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes and rum and blend until frothy. Transfer mixture to a pitcher and serve.

Strawberry-Coconut Daiquiri Instructions Cont.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: 112 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 1 g fiber; 3 mg sodium; 113 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value).
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1/2 carbohydrate (other)

As an appetizer, I prepared Thai Chicken Skewers from Cuisine at Home .

Chicken breast is marinated, then threaded on skewers, broiled (I grilled), and served in bibb lettuce leaves with cucumber and red bell pepper, drizzled with a heavenly sauce of brown sugar, lime juice, red curry paste, peanut butter, shallots, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Delicious!!! We commented that we could be very satisfied having only these for dinner, but then that wonderful stew changed our minds… Anyway, no photo for this one, either. I should have, but we were just too busy eating.

Thai Chicken Skewer Wraps
Makes 16 skewers, about 2 cups sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
6 T. brown sugar, divided
6 T. fresh lime juice, divided
2 T. Thai red curry paste, divided
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1/4” thick strips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
16 Boston or bibb lettuce leaves
16 strips each red bell pepper and cucumber
Lime wedges

Blend cilantro, 4 T. brown sugar, 2 T. lime juice, 1 T. curry paste, pepper flakes, and salt in a food processor till smooth.

Pour over chicken, toss to coat, and marinate 10 min. Preheat broiler to high with rack 6” from element; coat a broiler pan with nonstick spray.

Process 2 T. brown sugar, 4 T. lime juice and 1 T. curry paste with peanut butter, water, shallots, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in the processor (no need to wash the bowl) until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish.

Thread chicken onto 32 skewers. Arrange 8 skewers on prepared pan; cover ends of skewers with foil to prevent burning. Broil chicken in batches till browned and cooked though, 6 min.

To serve wrap a lettuce leaf around 2 strips of chicken, remove skewers, then add bell pepper and cucumber. Drizzle with sauce and lime juice.

And, finally, dessert.

The previous weekend, for a larger weekend-long party, I had prepared two strawberry ice cream pies which I had planned to serve with a strawberry-black pepper sauce. However, a friend added a couple of extra courses and by the time dinner ended, everyone could barely see, much less eat dessert. Which, actually, was a good thing since I had royally screwed up the sauce earlier that evening (I need to work on my caramel-making skills).

The pie itself was a simple recipe—softened strawberry ice cream mixed with a dash of cinnamon and some chopped fresh strawberries, spooned into a graham cracker crust and refrozen.

I hoped that my friends would not mind being “re-desserted”.

This time, I went with a tropical-style sauce for the strawberry pie. It was simple as well. I reduced a can of guava nectar by almost half, added about a half teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with a teaspoon of water) to thicken it a bit further, stirred in a squeeze of lime juice and some finely chopped fresh pineapple. This was cooled to room temperature then served over each slice of ice cream pie, and sprinkled with toasted coconut. It was a hit, with both my friends and with Jack, who had a piece a couple of days later.

Note, take the pie out of the freezer for 5 minutes prior to serving.

And, in a complete turnaround from the above two menu items, no recipe, but I do have a photo! :)

Spring Roll Salad

I love fresh spring rolls, but I have yet to master the process of rolling those wonderful ingredients into the rice paper wrapper tightly enough to please me. So for dinner tonight, since we are experiencing the first over-90-degree day of the summer (in August, yet!), I decided to make a salad using the spring roll ingredients.

For some reason, I seem to have run out of the very thin rice noodles and had to make due with the wide version.

No problem, though, and I decided to chop the cooked noodles a bit in order to make the eating process easier.

Instead of adding Thai chilies to the dressing, as is in the dipping sauce served with spring rolls, I used wasabi powder. Although it was quite good, I think that adding some Thai chili paste, or chopped chilies, to the dressing would have been better (for Jack, it was not spicy enough).

All of my favorite spring roll flavors and textures mingled pleasantly in this salad. Crunchy vegetables, soft rice noodles, and a delicious sauce (dressing). Jack said that it was so good, he won’t even consider it to be a salad. High praise, indeed, coming from a confirmed “salad-avoider”!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Spring Roll Salad

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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4 ounces rice noodles

2 teaspoons sesame oil

10 ounces shrimp -- large; shelled and deveined

1 teaspoon grated gingerroot

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 large carrot -- shredded

1/2 large English cucumber -- thinly sliced into matchsticks

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder -- optional

2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

2 tablespoons chopped Thai basil -- Italian basil can also be used

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Cook rice noodles, per package instructions. Drain, toss with sesame oil. Dump onto a large cutting board, chop through the noodles a few times with a large knife, transfer back to a large bowl and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, mix ginger, garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil into covered plastic container. Add the shrimp and toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare the grill.

Add the shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and green onion to the noodles. In a jar, combine the soy sauce through brown sugar. Shake well, then add wasabi powder (if used) and shake again.

Skewer, then grill the shrimp (coat with cooking spray before placing on grill) for about 3 minutes per side, or until done.

Pour about 3/4 of the dressing into the noodle and vegetable bowl and toss well. Divide into 2 bowls. Arrange the shrimp on top, drizzle the remaining dressing over. Sprinkle with peanuts, Thai basil, and mint.

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Per serving: 599 Calories (kcal); 22g Total Fat (3g Saturated); (33% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 65g Carbohydrate; 216mg Cholesterol; 850mg Sodium

Thai Lemongrass Chicken

As you all may realize by reading my posted recipes, Asian is one of my favorite cuisines. Particular favorites are Thai and Vietnamese foods, and to me summer just is not summer without copious amounts of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro on my entrées.

This is one of our favorite stir-fry recipes, and I can only make it in the summer when my herb garden overflows with mint, cilantro, and Thai basil. As it is doing right now.

Seriously, my mouth is watering just typing this recipe (finally, the handwritten, food-stained piece of paper will be sent to the recycling bin). The chicken is tender, the vegetables crisp, and the lemongrass sauce is seriously drool-worthy. If you don’t have fresh lemongrass, this can be made without it and is quite good, but for heavens’ sake do not use dried lemongrass. I’ve tried it. Flavorless and, well, it’s like munching on bits of straw.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Thai Lemongrass Chicken

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

10 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast

2 stalks lemongrass

3 whole scallions -- thinly sliced, white and green parts

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon sambal oelek -- or other hot chili paste (I use ½ teaspoon)

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium red bell pepper -- diced

1/2 medium onion -- diced

2 medium carrots -- sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon Thai basil -- chopped

1 tablespoon mint -- chopped

1 tablespoon cilantro -- chopped

1/2 medium lime

Cut the grassy part off of the top of the lemongrass and discard. Peel a layer or two of the outer part off and discard. You should be able to see, at the root end, the fibrous part where the roots were attached. Cut this off, and since you should be cutting into the more tender part of the bulb it should be easy, not tough. Slice the lemongrass very thinly going up the stalk until it starts to become difficult. Discard the rest of the stalk. Using the flat side of a large chef knife, bruise the lemongrass slices to release the fragrance. Place in a covered plastic or glass container that will be large enough to hold the chicken.

Cut the chicken breast into 1/2" dice and add to the lemongrass. Add the scallions, pepper, and salt; toss until well mixed, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare the sauce by mixing the broth through the cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the oil then add the chicken mixture, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add the vegetables and continue to stir-fry until the carrots are almost tender (about 3 minutes). Add 1/4 cup of water and stir for a minute. Add the stock mixture and stir continuously until it comes to a boil and thickens.

Remove from heat and serve immediately over cooked rice. Sprinkle with desired herbs. Serve with lime wedges.

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Per serving: 315 Calories (kcal); 9g Total Fat (1g Saturated); (26% calories from fat); 37g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 83mg Cholesterol; 759mg Sodium