Sandra's Easy Cooking

The life of a real foodie, it can be good or really bad -you gain weight, then you lose, but we comfort ourselves with food, at least I am.

I try to skip eating unhealthy snacks and go for the apple, but that’s not always a case… A girl needs her chocolate more than you can imagine! 

I go through magazines, blogs, and cookbooks every day to find inspiration, and once you see the picture something magical happens…

The idea for your next meal, something that you haven’t tried before, or perhaps something to comfort you hit your head. 

When I saw a similar recipe to this one it did have spinach and chicken, but I wouldn’t be me if I don’t change it, so little by little I started thinking about the combination.

I had leftover grilled chicken breast in my fridge, and a full bag of organic spinach; soup in that old magazine just had a makeover in my head. Popped my headphone on, cranked the music up and just relaxed cooking.

I love barley so I add in lots of my soups, it also gave an amazing taste and texture to this soup. I made it with Kale last weekend too, and it was very good. 

A full pot of this soup was gone so fast, and I was surprised that my oldest two kids were asking for one more bowl.

It was really good and hearty, not to mention healthy too. If you don’t know what to cook for perhaps colder nights, this is something that the whole family can enjoy with some crunchy bread on the side or Soda bread.

I love bread in general with any hearty soups. Check out my recipes for the most popular on my blog: Irish Soda Bread, No Knead Bread, Australian Damper Bread, Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread,

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Spinach, Beans and Barley Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword soup, chicken,

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 SERVINGS

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 Tsp.  Olive oil
• 1/2 Onion chopped
• 1/2 cup Carrots chopped/sliced
• 1 about 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in cubes (or use grilled chicken breast)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth + 1 Cup of Water
• 1/2 Cup Barley
• 6- ounce baby spinach Kale would work too
• 1 can Organic Great Northern beans or cannelloni beans rinsed
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 Bouillon Cube

Instructions

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add minced onion, chopped carrots and chicken; two options: cook raw, cut into small bits (cubes) chicken, turning and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, about 5 minutes / Or use leftover grilled chicken, cut into cubes and just drop in the pot with the minced onion and saute until onion is softer.
3. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil over high heat, then add Barley.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Let It cook for 15 minutes or until the Barley is tender. (Covered with a fitted lid)
5. Lastly, add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5-7 more minutes to blend the flavors. (If you are using Kale let it cook up to 10-12 minutes)

Recipe Notes

This soup could be done with raw Chicken or already precooked one, grilled or roasted. It does take just a bit longer using raw. For I grilled did give nice aromatic flavor, but if you are not a fan of that,  you can definitely try your way, and give your special twist. Instead of Spinach, you can use chopped kale Or any other greens, even green beans would work perfectly.

I really wanted to learn how to cook good Indian influenced curry. However, I was really lost how to begin because I knew that is not as easy as it sounds.

This past weekend I went to my friend’s house who is originally from Guyana. To my surprise she was making very tasty chicken curry similar to Indian, but not the same though.

While I was listening to her talking when she was growing up I felt so calm and was soaking in every word with pleasure. At the same time, I could relate in one way or another with her.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TASTY DINNER RECIPES

That learning experience making curry her way turned into a few hours of listening to great stories about her childhood. Oh, the memories, food and the life.

I felt closer to her and realized that we are all under one sky and each of us has one thing in common, which is love for food from childhood.

If I tell you my dreams, you would probably laugh! You all know how much I love authentic meals.

My wish is to one day go into people houses in different parts of the world, listen to their story and learn how to cook authentic meals from their kitchen.

This might be impossible but we can always imagine that those wishing one day will come true! Finally today I got the courage to make a change about the curry.

I was experimenting a few times. Well, I always failed, but then started to make the way my taste buds and my stomach would appreciate it.

I have to admit that I love spicy food, but for some reason, curry spice always hits my stomach really hard, so I had to adjust the amount of everything in this particular recipe.

To be honest I avoided for a long time eating and cooking with curry powder just because the taste was too strong for me, and I could never calculate how much is too much.

However, once I tasted my friend’s curry, surprisingly it was not very heavy on my stomach.

I would also say that this is not fusion at all, it is just reduction of spices for our taste, for people who are not used to strong flavors that might people in that part of the world are eating on a regular base.

Now, let’s take you on a dinner trip to the Caribbean and have some delicious Caribbean chicken curry.

Yield: SERVES 4

Caribbean Chicken Curry with Rice

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
• 4 Scallions, chopped
• 1/4 Medium Onion, chopped
• 1 Green Pepper, sliced
• 1/2 Chili Pepper, sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. Curry powder or more if you desire
• 1 Tbs. Cumin powder /or seeds
• 2 tsp. Coriander seeds, grind them
• Pinch of Chili Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
• 2 lb. Boneless Chicken thighs, trim the fat and skin
• 1 Tbs. lemon or Lime Juice
• 2 Tbs. Tomato sauce, or chop 1 large tomato
• Water
• 4 Potatoes
• 1 cup of rice for each serving

Instructions

1. Boil the chicken thighs with a bit of salt; drain and set aside.{this will get rid of the extra fat from the chicken}
2. Preheat the wok and add oil, chopped scallions and onion, minced garlic, sliced green pepper, and chili pepper. 
3. Let that become translucent, and add spices {curry, cumin, chili powder, grounded coriander seeds}; Stir fry for few minutes
4. Add chicken and stir until all the spices are coating the chicken then add 1 cup of water and salt to taste (about 1/2 Tbs.); stir again and cover with a lid. 
5. Let that boil for next 5 minutes.
6. Add more water, to go about an inch above the chicken, 1 more Tbs. of Curry if you desire, and 1/2 Tbs. of brown sugar; cover again. 
7. At this point peel the potatoes, wash and quarter it. 
8. Put all the potatoes on top of the chicken, add tomato sauce and squeeze lemon or lime on top; Cover! Check every few minutes if you need to stir because It can burn easily. If you see that chicken is not completely cooked, and water evaporated you can add more water and salt to season it. 
9. Cook for next 40 minutes on medium-high under the lid or until the chicken is very well done and falling apart.
10. I crushed all the potatoes and made them as part of the sauce and that is optional.
11. Stir, and serve with a bowl of rice or roti.

Notes

I don't like too much sauce, so I made it a bit thicker by reducing the amount of water as well. 

You can add a larger amount of spices if you desire. 

This is not an original recipe, but after I made it a few times I liked this one the best for my own taste. 

You can also add to the recipe 1 tbs. madras curry paste.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Thai Green Chicken Curry is simple and delicious meal for just about anyone. The delicious flavors linger with every bite.

I got a new cookbook for mother’s day, a gift from myself. It is “Cooking school-Thai Cuisine“.

I love Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes but have to tell you that I also enjoy occasional Thai extraordinary food as well.

With that being said, I wanted to explore more extraordinary flavors of Thailand. This book was unbelievably helpful to bring the aroma of Thai cuisine into my kitchen and on my blog.

Click Here for more delicious Thai influenced recipes

Today I am introducing a really easy recipe, and packed with an explosion of flavor. It is smooth and creamy, it is spicy but mild, and light coconut milk is just an amazing addition. 

I versioned my idea to use a coconut shell as a bowl since I already had a coconut, which I had to use a hand saw and then a huge knife to open it!

Mother’s Day!

Besides my new lens from my hubby, a handmade cookbook from my daughter, I got numerous beautiful and thoughtful drawings from both of my boys.

Anyhow, let’s move on, me opening a coconut for 30 minutes is not interesting at all:))  

So here is a recipe that I twigged a bit since it was including baby eggplants that unfortunately I didn’t have.

I really didn’t want to get out of my comfy PJ and drive to the store…so it is what it is, and it was so tasty!

How to get ingredients in the USA:

• You can find in your local store such as Kroger, Publix or Walmart on aisles where is International Food/cuisines. 
• You can visit your International Market and find everything that you need, for just about any Asian influenced dish. 
• Look online! (Personally, I don’t like to order any types of food online)

If you decide to make Thai Green Chicken Curry do not forget to tag me on social media. You can find me on Instagram most of the time so use tag @sandraseasycooking with the same hashtag #sandraseasycooking. If you are private you can DM me a pic.

NOTE:

SANDRA’S EASY COOKING a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking recommended products to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. My Amazon Store.

In the other news, I am opening another blog, Lifestyle Blog! I am working on a website, but you are welcome to follow my Instagram page for now called Semisweet Life. Thanks!

Yield: 4 Servings

Thai Green Chicken Curry

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It is smooth and creamy, it is spicy but mild, and light coconut milk is just an amazing addition. Enjoy!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Peanut chili Oil /I put chili flakes and made it spicy
• 2 tbsp. Green Curry Paste
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 kaffir lime leaves coarsely torn (I got it in the international store)
• 1 Lemongrass stalk finely chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp. Thai fish sauce

Garnish:

• Thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves
• Shaved fresh coconut
• Cilantro *optional or Thai Basil

Instructions

1. Heat a pan or/wok over high heat, and add Peanut chili oil.

2. Add the green curry paste and stir it until aromas are released.

3. Add cubed chicken, lime leaves, and lemongrass and cook it for about 5 minutes or until chicken begins to develop nice brown color.

4. Add coconut milk with just a pinch of salt and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

5. Stir in the Thai Fish sauce and serve immediately, perhaps over some rice.

6. Now garnish is up to you, I had coconut so I garnished it by shaving few slices, didn’t have Thai basil, or any basil on hand so I used cilantro instead just to give you an example and contrast of the colors. I did change the recipe just a little bit but it still seemed very tasty.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest