Brussels Sprouts and Lima Beans in Masaman Curry

It was cold and rainy tonight, and I wanted something really hearty and warm. I spotted some Brussels sprouts and Lima beans in the fridge. I LOVE both of these veggies and debated which one to eat, or whether I should combine them in a nice warm chicken soup. I really wasn't in the mood for soup, so I opened the cupboard and stared into it, looking for inspiration.
That's when I spotted this can of Masaman curry paste. I know it's a bit unorthodox to combine these veggies with Masaman curry paste, but I decided to give it a try. (I had a half hour to change my mind because the beans were still in their pods and I had to shuck them first.)
Everything is simmering away, filling the house with the wonderful curry aroma. I like to evaporate off most the liquid, but if you are serving with rice, you can leave the liquid in and serve once the veggies are tender. I really enjoyed the curry flavor with these veggies. It really hit the spot for this cold, rainy evening.

Approx. 200 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Lima beans (I used fresh, but you could easily use frozen)
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 1/2 Tbs Masaman curry paste (approx. 1/4 can)
• 2-3 cups water

Directions

1. Shuck Lima beans if they are still in their pods (or use frozen).
2. Cut ends and "ugly" leaves off the Brussels sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise.
3. Slice onion.
4. Add water and curry paste to a skillet. Bring to a boil.
5. Add onions, beans, and Brussels sprouts.
6. Simmer until Brussels sprouts are tender but not soggy.
7. Evaporate off as much water as you want.

Squash with goat cheese and dill

On Christmas eve, I made an appetizer of cherry tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese and dill (I forgot to take pictures). I had some of the cheese and dill mixture left over, so I decided that I would add it to some squash I had. I liked this better than the stuffed tomatoes!

While I ate this dish for lunch, it would also make a nice appetizer or side dish.

Approx. 240 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Ingredients

• 1 small winter squash (3" across or approx. 1 cup mashed)
• 1.5 oz goat cheese
• 5 sprigs of dill

Directions

1. Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
2. Place squash cut side up on a paper plate, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes (turning midway).
3. Chop dill and mix with softened goat cheese.
4. Add cheese to cooked squash.
5. Scrape squash from skin, mixing with cheese mixture, being careful not to tear the skin on one half.
6. Place full mixture into one half, and serve using the skin as a bowl.

Quince and Blueberries

Approx. 70 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

After making my lamb dish, I still had 1/2 quince left over. I decided to eat it warm for dessert. My original plan was to mix it with pomegranate seeds (which I think would be a delicious combination) but I was too lazy to open a pomegranate and dig out the seeds. So, I decided blueberries would be the next best thing. I only had frozen, so I decided to use them.

The berries and quince were a flavorful combination. If I had any whipped cream, I would have tooped the warm fruit with a spoonful. I think that would have really made this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium quince
• 2/3 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

Directions

1. Peel, core, and slice quince.
2. Place in a bowl and cover with a wet paper towel.
3. Microwave for 5 minutes, or until tender.
4. Add blueberries (since mine were frozen, I microwaved another 2 minutes until they were thawed).
5. Optionally add a spoonful of whipped cream.

Slow Cooker Lamb with Quince, Carrots, and Sweet Potatoes

After trying the quince, I decided that it would taste amazing with lamb. I'm not sure why I immediately thought that, since I only eat lamb once every couple of years and I've never cooked lamb in my life. But, I decided that I must have lamb with my remaining quince.

I bought a small arm chop to cook along with some beautiful baby carrots, a sweet potato, my pineapple quince, and some garlic and rosemary.

Since I've never cooked lamb before, I decided that I couldn't go wrong if I threw it in the slow cooker/crock pot. My instinct was spot on. The quince was delicious with the lamb!

Approx. 340 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 7 oz lamb (arm chop)
• 1/2 medium pineapple quince
• 1 small sweet potato (approx. 1 cup cubed)
• 10 baby carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 stems rosemary
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Peel, core, and cube the quince.
2. Peel and cube the sweet potato.
3. Peel and slice the garlic.
4. Trim excess fat from the lamb.
5. Add sweet potato and quince cubes to the bottom of the crock pot.
6. Cover with slice of lamb.
7. Press garlic slices and rosemary onto the lamb.
8. Cover with baby carrots.
9. Add water.
10. Cover and cook on low for at least 8 hours.
    
    

Pineapple Quince and Butternut Squash

It's been a while since I updated this blog, mostly because I ran out of new ideas of things to cook and just made dishes that were already posted (or variations of them).

Then I discovered this "new" fruit - the pineapple quince. I had no idea what to do with it, so decided to buy 2. That way I could experiment a little bit.

After a very brief google search, I learned that you need to peel and cook the quince, otherwise it is woody and really sour. You also need to completely remove the core, otherwise it is really gritty tasting. These are important things to know!

Since I don't use my oven to bake things, I decided to "poach" the quince slices in a little bit of water and white wine. (The "ice cubes" are really frozen white wine - I make ice cubes with leftover wine and then use the cubes for cooking.)

Part way through cooking the quince, I decided to toss in some chunks of butternut squash, and sprinkle the whole mixture with some dried sage and freshly grated ginger. The final product was so tasty that I ate both servings! The best way I can describe the flavor of the quince is that it has a slightly tart cooked apple flavor, layered with the flavor of rose petals.

Approx. 100 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups butternut squash
• 1 medium pineapple quince
• 2 oz white wine
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• water

Directions

1. Peel, core, and slice the pineapple quince.
2. Peel and cube the butternut squash.
3. Add the quince to a skillet with just enough water to cover the bottom of the skillet.
4. Add white wine and bring to a boil.
5. Cook quince for about 3 minutes and then add squash cubes.
6. Cook until squash and quince is tender (approx. 6 minutes).
7. Add sage and ginger.