Buttered Green Beans with Leeks and Sliced Almonds

A leek is similar to a very mildly flavored combination of onions and garlic. An interesting fact- like all of their cousins(onions, leeks, shallots, garlic) let them sit for 5 minutes after cutting before cooking enhances the healthy qualities!

Buttered Green Beans with Leeks and Sliced Almonds

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed (Haricot Verts are my favorite a long thin green bean)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 leeks, thinly sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Lemon zest and juice
black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Steam green beans in a small amount of water with 1/4 teaspoon salt, until beans tender; drain.
2. Toast sliced almonds in a skillet no oils needed. Stir over medium heat till brown. remove from burner and pan immediately as any additional heat will cause them to burn once they reach the browning point.
3. Heat the butter in the same large skillet you did the almonds in, and saute the leeks until they're lightly browned. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Add almonds(setting aside a few for the top) to the fully cooked leeks. Toss the mixture with the steamed green beans and season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle remaining almonds on top.

Crispy Leeks
Cut leeks into 2-inch lengths. Holding the leek sections cut side up, cut lengthwise so that you end up with thin strips, known as the chiffonade cut, slicing until you reach the green portion. Make sure slices are cut very thin to shorten cooking time. Let leeks sit for at least 5 minutes before cooking.

No leeks? Use this simple recipe with just the green beans! Its delicious either way!

Thai Massaman Curry- Beef and Chicken or Vegetarian

This Thai curry is unusual as it is not spicy or hot. Savory, deep, rich and creamy and melting with the most tender chunks of beef.

Thai Massaman Curry

2 lbs of beef, cut into 1.5-inch cubes (The tougher the better. I suggest a beef shank, or other bone in style roasts)

-OR-
Authentic Chicken uses thighs and bone in pieces.  I prefer a chunk so I use 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.  Cubed.
-OR-
Cauliflower(1 head broken into bite size pieces), New Potatoes and Chickpeas

2 cans good coconut milk
1 lb of waxy, potatoes like Yukon Gold or Yellow potatoes; cut into 2-inch chunks.
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
One 4-ounce can of Massaman curry paste, or to taste (1/2 can if like it mild)
2 tablespoons of prepared tamarind paste
2 tbs. Fish sauce, or to taste ( I know it sounds GROSS, but do not be afraid of fish sauce)
2 Tbs Palm, coconut, or brown sugar
1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Optional add ins
7-8 lightly toasted white or green cardamoms, optional
1 teaspoon of lightly toasted cumin seeds, optional
3 Star Anise

Scoop out about 3/4 cup of the top, creamy part of the coconut milk and put in a large heavy-bottomed pot along with the curry paste. Fry the paste in the coconut cream over medium-high heat until the mixture turns into a creamy paste, bubbles up, and the coconut starts to turn oily.
Add the meat into the pot; stir to coat the meat with the curry paste. Add the remaining coconut milk and just enough water to barely cover the meat.
Turn up the heat just until everything comes to a boil; immediately lower the heat so that the curry is gently simmering. Cook, covered, until the meat is almost tender. The cooking time varies, depending upon the cuts of meat usually 1 1/2-2 hours. Beef shank, on the other hand, could take up to 3-4 hours. Chicken and cauliflower takes about 15 minutes so do with potatoes.
Check on the meat periodically. If more water is needed to keep the meat submerged, add it to the pot and restore the gentle simmer after each addition.

Add the onions and potatoes to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. You should add the onions and potatoes at the point where you feel it would take about 20 minutes for the meat to be perfectly tender. Add the vegetables before that point and they become mushy and fall apart by the time the meat is properly cooked. Add the vegetables after the meat has been perfectly cooked and by the time the onions and potatoes are tender, the meat will have been falling apart. This is the part where exact time requirement is not practical and common sense is necessary.
About 5 minutes before the potatoes and onions are ready, start seasoning the curry to taste with the tamarind paste, sugar, and extra cardamom and cumin, if desired. If more fish sauce is needed, add it now. Try to recall the taste of the version of Massaman curry which you like and keep seasoning it with tamarind, sugar, and fish sauce, and tasting until you achieve that flavor. (I like mine a bit on the sweet side with some tang.)

Serve with Coconut Rice and top with chopped peanuts.

Chicken Massaman

Hints: I do not suggest adding other vegetables or using baker potatoes as it affects the perfection of creamy taste and texture.  Also do not use lean and tender cuts of meat.  They will be mushy and ruin the Massaman. 

Coconut Rice

Easy Coconut Rice

21 minutes

1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR vegetable oil
2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice (long grain rice like Jasmine is lower glycemic and wont send you into insulin shock like many other short grain and 5 minute varieties)
1 can good-quality coconut milk
1 3/4 cups water

2-3 Tbsp. toasted shredded unsweetened coconut (toast in a dry pan over medium high heat till browned. Remove immediately)
1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 Tbsp. toasted coconut for garnish

Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot.
Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low. Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
Replace the lid and turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you're ready to eat.

When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork. Taste-test the rice for salt, adding a little more if needed. Serve right out of the pot, or transfer to a serving bowl. This rice is excellent served with a variety of both Thai and Indian dishes, such as curries or seafood recipes. If desired, top your rice with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and ENJOY!

Variation

Carribean Coconut Rice- Add one Cinnamon stick broken in three parts while simmers.  Remove and discard once ready to serve.

Orange Yams with Pralined Pecans

These are the BEST yams you will ever eat! The orange makes all of the difference in amazing joyful flavor!

Seriously.. mom. This is still one of my favorite dishes you have ever made.  And honestly, aside from butter none of the components are my favorite at all.  But you did it.  You made one the all time favorite, holiday, side-dishes ever.

Candied Orange Yams with Praline Pecans

4 pounds yams; 4-6 yams depending on size baked, pulp scooped out; easy instructions below
1/4 cup fresh squeezed (juice of 1/2 orange) (use from concentrate if you needed) add more if dry
2 tsp-1 tbs Orange zest
5 tablespoons Grand Marnier liquor (optional)
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper
2 tablespoons Butter

Easy Baked Peeled Yams

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place  unpeeled yams or sweet potato on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cut each in half place. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Let cool enough to handle and scoop out pulp. This recipe can be the final product left in the skins and enjoyed similar to a baked potato with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, maybe some chili powder.... But for the holidays we really like to go big!

Pralined Yams Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend yams well with 2 tbs butter, orange juice, zest, salt, pepper and Grand Marnier(optional) smash with fork or pastry blender till mashed. Spoon into baking dish. 

Praline Topping
1 cup Brown sugar
4 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Pecans

Prepare pralined pecans by brown sugar and butter a small saute pan, and stir till melted over medium to medium low heat. Use care not to burn sugar, usually only 1-2 minutes. Pour praline over yams slightly pushing into brown sugar and arrange pecans over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, till bubbly and slightly brown. 

Preparing ahead- Assemble all components, beside praline topping 24 hours in advance and store in refrigerator. Add pralines when ready and bake the same.

P.S. If you do not like Pecans just omit the pecans and do a candied topping!