Chicken Panang

I'm a sucker for good Asian food.  Chinese, Japanese, Thai and everything in between.  I love it all.  A few years ago, I tried curry for the first time.  It was an acquired taste for me, but once I discovered Panang, I knew I'd hit a home run.  It's spicy, a little sweet, and luscious, with a peanut butter finish.  Great with any meat or veggie (or whatever the hell you have in the fridge), this is a must-keep recipe to add to your repertoire for those often craved exotic evenings.  

Panang Curry 

Chicken Boobs
2 T. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
3/4 Onion, diced
1 1/2 C. Carrots, chopped into small rings
1/2 Zucchini, chopped
3 T. Panang Curry (found in a pouch or a can in Asian grocery stores)
1 Heaping T. of Peanut Butter
1 14 oz. can of Lite Coconut Milk
1 T. Fish Sauce
1 T. Brown Sugar
Basil, nuts and lime juice, to garnish

Sprinkle your chicken with salt & pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until it glistens.  Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes per side or until you get a nice, golden brown edge.  Make sure the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from the skillet and set aside.  When the chicken has had a chance to rest for 5 minutes, slice into pieces about 1" thick.

Add the onions to the skillet.  Cook until they are soft but not browned, about 6 minutes.  Add the carrots and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes.  Stir in the panang curry and peanut butter, allowing it to coat the veggies.  Pour in the coconut milk and stir to thoroughly combine.  Stir in the fish sauce and sugar.  Taste and add more sugar, peanut butter or fish sauce as needed.  Add the chicken back and stir gently to cover it in the sauce.

Serve over rice and garnish with fresh basil, nuts of your choice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Baked Bean & Chicken Soup

Close your eyes for a moment, please.  Yes, you too.  Thanks.  Now, imagine if you will the last BBQ you went to this summer that served dark and delicious baked beans.  I'm not talking about the dreadful "pork 'n beans" you dump out of a can and heat.  No.  I mean those brown sugar, bacon-covered, smoky and tantalizing beans that you desperately want more of, but you know they're so full of bad stuff that you just can't go back for seconds.  Yeah, you know which ones I'm talking about.  Okay, open your eyes!

This recipe is a rendition of those most sinful beans, but in soup form.  This soup is sweet and spicy and hearty, but without the morose heaviness that baked beans imbue.  

4 slices bacon

1 C. chopped onion

1 16 Oz. can Northern beans

1 16 Oz. can black beans

1 16 Oz. can Kidney beans

1/3 C. Ketchup

3 T. Worcester Sauce

3 T. Liquid Smoke

1/2 t. smoked paprika

1 Small Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1/4 -1/2 C. brown sugar

2 T. Molasses

1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded 

1-2 C. Chicken broth or water, or as needed

Tortilla Strips, cheddar cheese & cilantro, for garnish

In a large pot, brown bacon and remove to drain on a paper towel.  Add onion to the bacon grease and cook over medium heat until soft, but not brown. 

Add beans and each of the other ingredients.  Bring to a simmer.  Add broth or water as needed to create desired consistency.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, cheddar cheese and cilantro.  Serve with good, fresh bread.