Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken
1 whole chicken
1 tbsp oil
1/3 cup soya sauce *
1/3 cup brown sugar *
1/2 cup water *
1 tbsp ketchup *
1/2 cup apple juice *
optional: 1/2-1/3 tsp crushed red pepper (i never put this in)
1 garlic clove (of course i put this in) *
1 green onion *
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
2 tsp sesame seeds
Heat oil in dutch oven, brown chicken (skin removed).  Mix together * ingredients.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.  Remove to platter.  Drain sauces back into pan.  Skim fat from sauce.  Blend together conrnstarch and water, stir into sauce.  Blend.  Cook stirring constantly until thickened.  Spoon some sauce over chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve chicken with remaining sauce.  Sesame seeds need to be toasted to develop their nutlike flavor.  Toast in shallow pan at 350 for 10 min.  Watch and stir often.

Spicy Sauteed Chickpeas with Yogourt

2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh gingerroot
1 tbsp curry paste or curry powder
4 cups cooked chickpeas (2-19 ounce tins)
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
4 ounce (125 g ) fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup yogourt cheese
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions; cook until very brown.  Reserve half theonions.  Add garlic and gingerroot to the onions in the pan and cook gently 1 to 2 minutes. Add curry  paste and cook 1 minute longer.
Add chickpeas and stock or water, and bring to a boil.  Cook gently 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in spinach until just wilted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  
Serve with yogourt spooned over the top of chickpeas and sprinkled with reserved onions. 

Yogourt cheese is easy to make with natural style yogourt.  Simply line a sieve with cheese cloth or paper towels, set over a bowl and spoon in yogourt.  Cover and allow to drain overnight in the refrigerator.  The liquid will drain off, leaving about half the original volume of yogourt. This can be done with low fat or regular yogourt.

Cream Cake

Put 4 eggs in a 2 cup measuring cup, then fill it with cream. 
Add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups white sugar
Mix well.
Add:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix well
Add 2/3 cup cold woater
Pour into buttered and floured cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.  The recipe says it makes 2 big cakes ( perhaps round ones).  I made a 9 x 13 and some cupcakes.  A broiled coconut icing tasted good on it. 


Broiled Icing

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp cream (could use half and half)

2/3 cup chopped nuts

1 1/2 cups coconut

Combine in pot till all mixed together, spread on cake. Broil until bubbly and brown. (watch carefully)

Sometimes I buy a magazine so I can get all the good recipes in them and then end up using and acquiring only one or two favorites. Such is Coconut Curry Chicken.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp each salt and pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 can  (14 ounce/400 ml) coconut milk
2 tbsp mild curry paste
4 carrots sliced
1 can (19 ounce/540 ml) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup toasted shredded coconut
In shallow dish, mix flour with 1/2 tsp each of the salt and pepper.  Add chicken and turn to coat.  Reserve 3 tbsp of the flour mixture for sauce.  
In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium high heat; brown chicken, in batches if necessary.  Transfer to slow cooker.
Drain fat from skillet; add remaining oil and heat over medium high heat.  Saute onions and garlic until softened, 3 minutes.  Scrape into slow cooker.
Add stock, coconut milk, curry paste, carrots, chickpeas and remaining salt and pepper to slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until vegetables are tender.  
Whisk reserved flour mixture with 1/3 cup water; stir into slow cooker.  Add peas.  Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Serve sprinkled with cashews and coconut.