Coconut Milk Braised Pork Tenderloin

In our attempt to find a way to combine coconut milk and pork tenderloin we came across many recipes for milk-braised pork loin, which apparently is a pretty popular dish.  It sounds strange, I know, but the result is very tender pork with a rich creamy sauce.   The sauce in our version wasn't as thick as expected, most likely from the use of coconut milk instead of regular milk or cream.  But it gave the dish a very unique flavor along with the cardamom pods and cinnamon.  With a side of roasted Brussels sprouts and a baked potato, it was quite a tasty meal!

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin (1-1.5 lbs) or two small tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/3 cup milk 
• 4 cloves garlic, halved
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon cardamom pods
• 4 sage leaves

Directions:
Pat the pork dry and season well with salt and pepper.  Spread the mustard over the exterior.  

In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high and sear the pork on all sides until it is well browned.  Our tenderloin was so large we had to cut it in half and do this in two batches.  

Next, pour both milks into the dutch oven along with the garlic, cinnamon, cardamom and sage.  Add 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until your thermometer reaches 140 degrees F, rotating the pork every 5 minutes.  

Remove the pork to a plate and tent with foil while you reduce the sauce.  Bring the sauce to a medium boil, stirring often.  

After 10-15 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and sage.  Blend the mixture with an immersion blender until all the garlic is smooth.  Taste the sauce for salt and serve over the sliced pork.  The sauce was delicious on top of the baked potato too.

Coconut Mango Rice Pudding

Sean recently picked up the last few mangoes of the summer season which had been ripening and waiting to be eaten.  Inspired by Katie's rice pudding recipe from USA Rice Federation, I decided to make up a rice pudding recipe of my own.  I love coconut milk, and it paired perfectly with the fresh mango and ginger.  With a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and cream, combined it was the perfect light comfort dessert. 

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh mangoes, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used full fat)
• 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus a few tablespoons extra to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 3 cups cooked white rice (about one cup of dry rice cooked)

 
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, bring the coconut milk, half and half, and cinnamon just to a boil, over medium heat.   

Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and whisk until melted.  Turn the  heat down to medium low.  Add the ginger.  Stir the mixture frequently for about 10 minutes or until thickened.  

Remove from heat.  Mix in the rice, mango, and salt, and taste for more seasoning. 

Preheat your oven to a broil, and spray 6-8 ramekins (or a 10 inch square pan) with non-stick cooking spray.   Spoon even amounts of pudding into each ramekin and then sprinkle rest of the brown sugar on top of each cup.  

Place in the oven until the sugar starts to bubble on top.  Remove from the oven, and serve warm.  This dessert is rich but still feels light and creamy from the coconut milk flavor, and the mango adds some bright acidity to the dish.  It definitely reminds you of the flavors of summer!

Coconut Curry Chicken with Basil

The spice blend in this recipe really packs in the flavor, and is complemented by the light and creamy coconut milk and fresh basil.  You can make it as spicy as you like by altering the amount of jalapeno pepper that goes in the recipe.  Served over rice, this is a delicious and satisfying meal!  I found this recipe on Simply Recipes and only made a couple slight changes with the amount of spices used.  This was also a great way to use up some of the fresh basil from our garden before the cold sets in!

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh or breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (we left the seeds in but it was pretty spicy)
• olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix all of the spices (first 8 ingredients) together in a bowl.  Add the chicken and stir until all of the pieces are evenly coated.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes at room temp, or in the fridge for an hour or two.   

In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and add the onion and jalapeno peppers.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more.  Remove this mixture and place it into a medium bowl so you can use the same pan for the chicken. 
You will likely have to do the chicken in two batches to make sure it doesn't get over-crowded in the pan.  Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium-high and place the chicken into the skillet.  Brown for a few minutes on each side, and until the chicken is fully cooked through.  Remove to the bowl with onions, and then continue with the remaining chicken.

Meanwhile, open the coconut milk and mix a couple tablespoons with the corn starch in a small bowl until it has dissolved.  Once all of the chicken is cooked and removed from the pan, add the coconut milk along with the corn starch mixture.  Cook over medium heat and stir until thick and bubbly.  Add the Worcestershire, basil, and ginger. 

Stir to combine and then add the chicken and onion mixture.  Mix well so all of the chicken is coated in the sauce. 

Serve over hot rice, and enjoy!  

Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

After my last time making steel cut oats, (when I discovered I loved them so much) I was thinking of different flavor profiles to go with the next time.  I decided on apple-cinnamon, mixing cooked apples into the oatmeal with fresh chopped apples on top.  I made a double-batch so we could eat it for breakfast all week long, and I'm so glad I did.  It was creamy and delicious, slightly sweet but also tart from the fresh apple.  The cinnamon smells and tastes amazing, without overpowering the dish.  Looking forward to making this again!

Ingredients:

2 cups steel cut oats

1 T vegetable oil, or flavored oil such as hazelnut

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup milk

6 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 t salt

2 T honey

1 t vanilla

2 apples, peeled and diced

1 t ground cinnamon

1 T brown sugar

2 T water

ground cinnamon and nutmeg for garnish

Directions: 

Toast the steel cut oats with the oil in a non-stick skillet for about 4-5 minutes.  

Heat both milks and the water in a medium-large sauce pan until boiling.  Add the toasted oats, cinnamon stick, and salt.  Stir and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and dice your apples if you haven't done so already.  Reserve one apple for topping.  Combine the other chopped apple in a medium non-stick skillet with the ground cinnamon and sugar.  Stir to combine, and add the 2 T water.  Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes.  Take the lid off and allow remaining liquid to cook off.  

  
When the oatmeal has thickened, add the cooked apple mixture, honey, and vanilla.  Stir and taste for more salt.  Top with fresh apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Chicken Ravioli with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce

We love making our own pasta from scratch, when we have the time and energy.  It is actually a lot easier than most people think, and there are endless ways to make it a little different each time.  This recipe was Sean's inspiration to try and infuse some Asian flavors into a typically Italian dish.  So, we made a chicken filling with garlic, ginger, onion, and spices.  When we made the pasta dough, we added tumeric and coriander to give it a brighter color.  We also put some coconut milk in the dough along with the egg.  For the sauce, we used coconut milk, cilantro, lime, and a jalapeno pepper.  It was a cool green color, slightly sweet and tangy to go on top of our rich and savory chicken ravioli.  Our only complaint was that we didn't make more to have for leftovers!

Ingredients:

For the dough-

200 g (about 2 cups) of flour.  We used half semolina and half all-purpose, but you could do all regular flour if you don't have semolina.  The dough is all about texture, so you may need a bit more or less flour than this amount depending on how your dough feels.

1 egg

3 T coconut milk (or one additional egg)

1 t tumeric

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t cumin

For the filling:

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 t ginger garlic paste (or one t each of minced ginger and garlic)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cumin

1 t fish sauce

For the sauce:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped

1 cup cilantro leaves

Juice of half a lime

Directions:

Begin with the pasta dough because it needs time to rest.  On a flat working surface, heap your flour in a mound and create a well in the center.  In the well, add the egg and coconut milk and whisk to combine.  Begin incorporating the dough from the inside of the well slowly, until you have a ball of sticky dough.  Add the tumeric, coriander, and cumin and continue mixing with your hands.

Start kneading the dough, adding more flour a little at a time.  You want to keep adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands when you are kneading.  Knead for about 5 minutes until you have a soft smooth ball of dough.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Next, prepare your ravioli filling.  In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion for about 5 minutes with 1/2 t of salt. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one minute longer.  Remove from heat.  In a small food processor, combine the chicken, onion mixture, cumin, and fish sauce.  Blend until well combined, but not completely smooth.

When the dough has finished resting, divide it into two parts, and start rolling out the one part on a lightly floured surface, with more flour on the side to add when it gets sticky.  Continue rolling, flipping the dough over every so often to make sure it isn't sticking to your surface.  You want it to be pretty thin, about 1/8 inch.  Try to roll the dough into the shape of a long rectangle.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the edges of the dough to form a rectangle, about 4-5 inches wide.  Place about a tablespoon of filling one one side of the dough, about two inches a part.  Place a small bowl of water nearby to wet your finger and dab the edges of the dough before you fold it over to form the ravioli.  When you fold it over, start at the creased edge and press the air out before sealing the opposite edge.  Using a pasta cutter, (which also seals the edges completely) cut the outside of the raviolis to form about 2 inch squares.  If you don't have a pasta cutter, use a pizza cutter or knife, and press the outsides with a fork.

Place your finished ravioli on a plate and cover it while you continue the process with the second half of dough.  We made a few more pieces with our dough scraps, totaling 11.   They are pretty large, so it was enough for the two of us. 

Prepare your sauce so it will be ready when it comes time to boil the ravioli.  In a blender, combine the coconut milk, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper, and add the lime juice. 

 Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop the ravioli into the pot, about 4 at a time.  They should only need to cook for about 2 minutes per batch.  You will see them rise to a float in the pot, and after 30 more seconds remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon and continue cooking the next batch.  Serve in a bowl and spoon a generous serving of the coconut cilantro sauce on top.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.  This was so delicious!  Definitely worth the effort.