Jenn’s Cook Book

May is an interesting time of year in Michigan, one day it feels like summer and the next is a cold blast with rain, clouds, and thunder to match. The changes in temperature can make it difficult to plan a meal, especially anything involving picnics and outdoor grilling. This unpredictability is what makes zucchini and curry a perfect combination for spring. Zucchini is a summer staple while curry has that gentle heat to warm you from the inside out, and together they can combat any weather.

There are several recipes out there for zucchini hummus, most of them from vegan or raw food websites and blogs. After reading several of the recipes and not quite finding one that I liked, I pieced this together from a variety of sources, adding the curry as my own personal touch. Don’t like curry? Substitute paprika or 1/2 teaspoon cumin.

Please enjoy what might be one of the last Spring Fever posts of the season, as summer (and you can be sure a new project) is right around the corner.  

2 cups peeled, chopped zucchini (about 2 large)
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin recommended)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder

Combine in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Allow to chill several hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Serve with veggies such as baby carrots, cucumber slices, chopped celery, peppers, or with pitas or crackers.

Another adventure in Autumn’s produce, this soup combines rich butternut squash and tart Golden Delicious apples with a touch of curry and cinnamon. The produce used below was grown locally. There were several recipes online for this type of soup, but none really matched what I was looking for, so this is more of an original creation with a little help. Great for a rainy day! This is also going to be Turmeric-mania Recipe #8.

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
3-4 small or medium tart apples, peeled and cored, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups vegetable stock (chicken broth can be used instead)

In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes until tender and fragrant. Add salt, curry powder, and cinnamon. Saute 2-3 additional minutes.

Add vegetable (or chicken) stock, butternut squash, and apples. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, until squash and apples are tender.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat if necessary. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of nutmeg (if desired).

An easy side dish, here is Turmeric-mania Recipe #7. This is fast and flavorful, using just a touch of spice. Please welcome a Jenn Original Recipe!

2 bunches asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces, discarding any tough ends. Heat oil in a large sauce pan or pot over medium heat. Add spices and heat for 30 seconds. Add asparagus and about 1/4 cup water. Toss asparagus until well coated.

Bring to simmer and cover, adding more water if needed. Steam for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper, tossing well. Serve immediately.

Here is Turmeric-mania Recipe #6! This comes from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and uses fresh carrots and chicken broth to make a sweet, spicy, and rich soup (no cream or milk required). Because the recipe makes such a large batch of soup, I froze half of it to save for the first snowfall, which here in Michigan could be next week, next month, or next new year. Appropriately enough, this soup is featured in the Winter section of the book, but is great for a chilly Autumn evening as well. Like Curried Zucchini Soup, this can also be chilled and served cold.

2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (about 3 1/3 cups)
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, carrots, and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Hot liquids will expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar of the blender more than halfway. To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape by removing the cap from the hold in the lid and cover the lid with a dish towel when blending.

Transfer the pureed soup to a clean saucepan. Add more water or chicken broth to thin to desired consistency. Reheat over low, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Saute onions in butter:

Add carrots and simmer:

Puree and serve, here topped with fresh ground pepper:

Let’s keep this on a roll with Turmeric-mania Recipe #5! Here is an interesting update to classic mashed potatoes from Cooking Light magazine, using Yukon gold potatoes with mustard seed, maple syrup, and turmeric, of course. Try pairing these potatoes with steak or pork tenderloin in place of plain potatoes.

2 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 cup fat-free milk  
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pan.

While potatoes cook, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook 2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Add milk, syrup, and turmeric, simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes). Add milk mixture, salt and pepper to potatoes and mash with potato masher or electric mixture to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

This recipe originally was called “Pre-Game Paella” from Campbell’s kitchen and includes shrimp, turkey kielbasa, and chicken. I substituted some fresh vegetables for the chicken, but you could also go vegetarian in this dish by using beans, eggplant, or another hearty vegetable in the dish. And, as promised, here is Recipe #4 for Turmeric-mania!

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
4 cups (32 oz) heated chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa or picante sauce
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 pkg (16 oz) turkey or pork kielbasa
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen shelled and deveined small cooked shrimp, thawed
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen or refrigerated cooked chicken breast strips

Heat oil in a 12 inch or larger skillet. Add rice and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, salsa, and turmeric and heat to a boil. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in kielbasa, shrimp, and chicken. Cover skillet and cook until rice is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.

Seen below, with a vegetable medley replacing chicken breast strips:

Here is Turmeric-Mania Recipe #3, also from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. “Curries can be quite mild or extremely spicy. It all depends on the type of curry powder that is used to make them - and how much is added. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your own taste.” I served this dish with Coconut-Ginger Rice and raisins.

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 oz each)
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder (mild, medium, or hot)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb small red potatoes, cut into 1/2 in chunks
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, preferably “zesty” flavored (do not drain)

suggested accompaniments:
rice
plain yogurt
raisins
toasted almonds
store-bought mango chutney

Place flour on a plate. Dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off excess. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in the same skillet. Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and salt, cook for 1 more minute.

Add potatoes and 1 cup water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender but still offer slight resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice and 1/4 cup water.

Return chicken to skillet along with any juices in the bowl, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with desired accompaniments on the side.

Shown below, served over Coconut-Ginger Rice and sprinkled with raisins. The slightly sweet flavor of the rice and raisins compliments this dish well. The potatoes, onion, and garlic used were all from the Farmer’s Market:

Here is Turmeric-mania Recipe #2, from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. This recipe comes from the winter section of the book, but uses produce that is in season and available at Farmer’s Markets right now. Next time, I would use 4 bone-in chicken breasts instead of 8 bone-in chicken thighs. The spice combination is intriguing, cinnamon mixes with turmeric, ginger, and chili powder to create a sweet-spicy taste, but the real flavor comes from the broth, where all of the vegetables and chicken have been simmering.

8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lbs)
3 carrots, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes, drained
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder 
1/8 tsp pepper
2 medium or 1 large zucchini (about 1 lb), halved crosswise and quartered lengthwise
couscous, for serving

In a Dutch oven (or other 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), combine all ingredients except zucchini and couscous. Break up tomatoes with a spoon.

Bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until the chicken is cooked through yet still tender, about 15 minutes more.

Divide couscous evenly among 4 bowls or plates. Spoon the chicken, vegetables, and broth on top. Serve immediately.

Combine ingredients in a large pot:

Add zucchini to simmering pot:

Serve with couscous:

The couscous I used is a tri-color mixture of regular, tomato, and spinach flavored couscous. Plain couscous would work fine.

Here is my first recipe for Turmeric-mania, using fresh zucchini with a pre-made curry mix from McCormick. This particular brand of curry powder combines coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, bay leaves, celery seed, nutmeg, cloves, onion, red pepper, and ginger (whew!). The recipe below is from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, and “a cup of this soup is delicious, served hot or cold.” Enjoy Turmeric-mania Recipe #1.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, about 3 medium/2 large, sliced 1 inch thick
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and curry powder. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add sliced zucchini and potato, plus 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

In batches, puree soup in a blender (do not fill more than halfway, liquids will expand), until smooth. Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled. Garnish with toasted almonds.

Sauteing onion:

Adding garlic and curry powder:

Simmering zucchini:

Serving soup garnished with toasted almond slivers:

In the vein of Gingerama and Paprika-thon, I bring you Turmeric-mania, a month-long tribute to the spice most commonly known as a key ingredient in curry powder. Part of the ginger family, turmeric gives curry its bright yellow color, as well as a host of other food products such as prepared mustard, canned chicken broth, salad dressings, and cheeses.

A few interesting tidbits: turmeric protects food products from sunlight and can also be used to deter ants. It is also used in sunscreen (primarily in India) and is an anti-scarring agent when combined with milk.

Turmeric, sometimes referred to as the poor man’s saffron, is primarily used in Eastern cooking, specifically Indian and Moroccan dishes. It has a bitter taste, with aromas of orange and ginger, it’s close spice relative.

Curry powder is a mixture of several spices, usually including turmeric along with coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic, fennel seed, cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and/or mustard seed. Curry powder ingredients will vary depending on the brand, but I will be using yellow or “generic” curry in most cases to ensure turmeric is being included in the recipe. Red and green curries are also available, but usually do not include turmeric (hence, a different color depending on the ingredients).

Both curry powder and turmeric have a strong, spicy flavor, so adjust recipes to suit your preferred level of heat in a dish. Most of my dishes will be fairly mild. Each recipe will include turmeric or a curry powder with turmeric in the ingredients. The catagory “Turmeric-mania” has been created, and recipes will be posted there as well as any other appropriate catagory. I am hoping for some Jenn Original Recipes, but I need to become familiar with the spices first, as I have not really cooked with curry powder or turmeric before.

Stay tuned, this should be interesting!