coconut milk Archives

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

December 15, 2014 · by Ari ·

This post is sponsored by Swanson®. All opinions are my own.

Creamy Thai ginger skillet chicken with perfectly browned, juicy chicken thighs and a creamy Thai ginger sauce. One pan, tons of flavor.

This chicken.

Me: What do you think I should say about the chicken?

Steve: (in a weird, high, sing-song voice) La da da da da chicken is goooood! I like chicken!

Ummmm, yeah. But, I have to tell you that he was super excited about it when he came home for dinner the other night. You see, using chicken thighs is a pretty rare treat in this house. I just honestly prefer white meat 95% of the time, but when I was at the store grabbing my ingredients, the chicken thighs just spoke to me, so I went with it.

My mom always complains about cooking chicken. She says that, no matter what she does, it turns out dry. Usually I just make Steve grill up all the meat because I’m not super into cooking meat. I love to eat it, but I don’t necessarily feel like it’s my forte, so I was really pleasantly surprised when this chicken turned out just as I had imagined it in my head; better even!

The bold and creamy sauce is to.die.for. I kept trying to spoon more out over my chicken, and I wished I had a big plate o’ carbs to soak it up with. I hardly had to use any seasonings because the Swanson® Thai Ginger Flavor Infused Broth was so flavorful, and brought so much to the table!

The chicken is first browned on the stovetop in a little coconut oil, then transferred to the oven to cook throughout. Browning on the stove, and then baking allows the best browned outside while still keeping the inside soft and juicy. Then you just add in your sauce ingredients right into your skillet, and scrape up some of the extra flavor from the bottom of the skillet, and boom! You’ve got a new, amazing, and unique dish to serve to your friends and family this holiday season. You won’t regret trying something new, and your family will appreciate this unique dish year round!

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

Creamy Thai ginger skillet chicken with perfectly browned, juicy chicken thighs and a creamy Thai ginger sauce. One pan, tons of flavor.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed (about 3 medium)
pinch pepper
1/4 cup Swanson® Thai Ginger Flavor Infused Broth
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
pinch turmeric
dash cumin
Sriracha for drizzling (optional)
fresh cilantro for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet, preferably cast iron. Season chicken breasts with pepper only (I found that salting them made the entire dish taste like salt) and brown in your skillet, about 3-5 minutes per side. You will know chicken is ready to be turned when it easily releases from the pan. If you're having trouble, let it continue to cook. It will release when it's browned and ready.
Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.
Return to stove and, over medium low heat, pour in broth, coconut milk, turmeric and cumin. Use a wooden spoon to stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and incorporating them into your sauce. Serve with a drizzle of sriracha and fresh cilantro. Make sure you spoon extra sauce onto that chicken for serving--it's the best part! Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

https://arismenu.com/creamy-thai-ginger-skillet-chicken/

This blog post is sponsored by Swanson®.

Pumpkin Spice Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

October 1, 2014 · by Ari ·

Homemade sweetened condensed milk made with coconut milk, maple syrup, pumpkin puree and warm fall spices. Perfect as a coffee creamer, or to replace sweetened condensed milk in any recipe. Naturally sweetened, vegan, paleo & gluten-free.

Guess what, guess what, guess whaaaaaaatttttt? It’s finally starting to feel like fall here in Phoenix! After months of running in nothing cooler than 80 degrees (even when you wake up at 4am) and insane humidity (ummm…that “dry heat” thing? it’s not), temperatures are finally dropping and there is a morning chill in the air! I FREAKING LOVE MORNING CHILL!!

In fact, yesterday I was cold at the beginning of my bike ride. Like, I thought about changing into long sleeves. I seriously could not be happier. Weather isn’t the biggest deal in the world normally, but when you’re training for a fall marathon and you live in Phoenix, you start to live and die by the weather forecast. I stalk it daily and check out the 10 day forecast every single day. In fact, today was the first day I was able to see far enough ahead for my 20 miler, and while it still will probably change before then, it’s crazy how close it is, and how close I am to being finished with training.

Marathon training is so weird. You finish your training (other than taper) 3 weeks before the race, so it still doesn’t even seem like the race is close, but then all of the sudden you’re done, and you wonder where all the time went. It feels like things just started to get real, and so soon they will be over, and even though I’ve insisted this whole training cycle that I will never run an other marathon after this, I’m already starting to feel sad about it ending.

One of my favorite things to do when I have an off day is spend the time I would be running creating something delicious / cool / unique / outside of what I would normally make on a daily basis. I love the extra time to be creative and try new things, and this time I returned to my homemade sweetened condensed milk obsession. The last time it came out so ridiculously good that I couldn’t wait to play with it, and make a flavored option.

The best part? This recipe is so, so, so easy, and you can use it tons of different ways. Have a recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk? Sub this seasonal, vegan & paleo version. Use it as creamer in iced coffee, drizzle some on your favorite fruit for dessert, make tres leches cake (<— umm, that is happening soon), or just eat it with a spoon because it’s that good.

Pumpkin Spice Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: approximately 1 cup

Pumpkin Spice Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

Ingredients

1 x 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

Instructions

Heat coconut milk, pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup together in a medium sized pot over medium-high heat until it starts to lightly boil. Reduce heat to a medium to medium-low simmer whisking constantly until mixture thickens and reduces to about one half to one third of original. This takes about 30 minutes. When milk is finished, it will coat the back of a spoon. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Whisk in pumpkin puree, then let cool completely, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

https://arismenu.com/pumpkin-spice-sweetened-condensed-coconut-milk/

Crockpot Curry Soup with Sweet Potato, Chicken & Kale

September 28, 2014 · by Ari ·

Rich, creamy, warm and comforting curry soup with sweet potatoes, chicken & kale is incredibly easy to make in your slow cooker with NO prep time! Healthy, paleo, gluten-free & dairy-free.

Can we talk for a second about trying to make curry soup look pretty? I mean, it’s YELLOW and the sweet potatoes I used were yellow. Side note: I totally prefer the lighter colored sweet potatoes, you? The first time I used them I thought they were mislabeled because for most of my life I knew nothing about vegetables. Anyway, I love them, and I think they are sweeter and softer than the orange ones.

Oh, and ummm cooked kale? The ugliest. If this soup weren’t so freaking delicious, I would have said F it, called it quits, and just pouted while sadly eating straight from the crockpot. Seriously, it’s super fun to live with a food blogger who gets super grouchy when things don’t go her way. The other night I had a melt down because I took like 5 zillion pictures of steam coming off my mac & cheese only to realize the wine glass I had set in the background was still empty. Life is hard sometimes.

Anyway, this soup was totally worth it, pretty or not. With the bold curry flavor, the creamy coconut milk and my very favorite food (sweet potatoes, in case you’re new here), you really can’t go wrong. The chicken cooks up perfectly in the crockpot with extra work involved, and the kale adds a little nutrient + flavor bonus. I love kale. I’m such a cliche.

This soup is perfect for the busy fall months when you want something delicious and warm waiting for you when you come home–it makes weeknight dinners a breeze, and it tastes way more indulgent than it actually is, so it’s a win-win!

Crockpot Curry Soup with Sweet Potato, Chicken & Kale

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Crockpot Curry Soup with Sweet Potato, Chicken & Kale

Rich, creamy, warm and comforting curry soup with sweet potatoes, chicken & kale is incredibly easy to make in your slow cooker with NO prep time! Healthy, paleo, gluten-free & dairy-free.

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 large chicken breasts
2 small onions, diced
2 big handfuls kale
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 x 13.5 ounce cans coconut milk
32 ounces chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons curry paste
pinch ground ginger
sliced green onions and Sriracha for topping, optional

Instructions

Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes, (peel if desired, I didn't) then slice into 1" cubes.
Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Stir all ingredients together and serve. Top with green onions and Sriracha if desired. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

https://arismenu.com/crockpot-curry-soup-sweet-potato-chicken-kale/

Brown Sugar Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

December 12, 2012 · by Ari ·

Would you like to know how many recipes I look at and think “OMG I WANT TO LICK THE SCREEN I NEED TO MAKE THAT!!!” then see that they call for sweetened condensed milk, decide they must be the most unhealthy thing in the world, and there is no way to modify it, so I click my little x and move on.

Too many. So, I made my own. Duh.

I have to say, I’m a little obsessed with the coconut in general right now. I love the sweet flakes for baking, the oil for practically anything, and the milk is proving to be everything I could ever want to use it for, and more!

It takes a little bit of time and attention on the stove top, but this thick, sweet, and almost syrupy (without being too sweet, if that makes sense?) sweetened condensed milk is nothing short of a cooking miracle! And ya know, it’s Chanukah (I will always and forever spell it the CH way, so that I can pronounce it as such), which is all about miracles, so I thought I’d share with you mine. It’s not quite as cool as a light that lasts for 8 days, but I mean, I really love food, so I found it pretty darn exciting.

Obviously, this is only the beginning for this coconut milk. You couldn’t possibly think I made just the coconut milk without special things to use it for, right??

Let’s just say, there’s lots of fun treats in store. 😉

Brown Sugar Sweetened Condensed Milk

adapted from Side of Sneakers

2 cans full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Heat coconut milk and brown sugar together in a medium sized pot over medium heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and reduces to about 1/2-2/3 of original. This takes about 30 minutes. When milk is finished, it will coat the back of a spoon as seen in the above pictures. Let cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream

September 20, 2012 · by Ari ·

What? It’s fall where you are? I’m really sorry, but the high here today is still in the triple digits, so I bring you ice cream.

Special creamy coconut milk ice cream that I can share with all my vegan and no dairy friends, because I really like them. This was made special for Bethany who recently gave up dairy and is taking a more paleo approach to eating. This ice cream isn’t paleo–it has sugar, but it is dairy free, and about a billion times more delicious than any soy ice cream I’ve ever tried.

Have I ever mentioned that ice cream is my very favorite thing? Okay, I know I have a lot of very favorite things, but ice cream has been on the list since I was like 1. And I’m kind of old, so that’s a long time. To be honest, light ice creams are tough to make at home. I’ve made a couple I like, but it’s really tough to get the right texture. Coconut milk is so perfectly creamy–it worked as an amazing base, plus the recipe was so simple!

The flavor combination of coconut milk + brown sugar with dark chocolate was ridiculously good. In fact, I ended up having to give the leftovers to my mom and step dad because I knew I couldn’t be trusted. I got the empty container back about 3 days later. I guess they liked it too 😉

Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients

1x15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips (if you want to keep it vegan, make sure to buy vegan chips)

Instructions

In a medium bowl or blender, combine coconut milk, brown sugar and vanilla.
Freeze mixture according to ice cream maker instructions.
After finished churning, fold in chocolate chips before transferring to storing container.

https://arismenu.com/chocolate-chip-coconut-milk-ice-cream/