DMFlavors.com Recipe of the Month: Curry Spiced (not spicy!) Shrimp

Curry Spiced (not spicy) Shrimp

• 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 6 each cloves
• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• To taste red pepper, ground
• 10 leaves curry leaves, fried in vegetable oil (see below)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound 16-20 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 ounces coconut milk, canned

Place coriander, cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard, peppercorns and cloves in a dry heavy skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn dark, not burnt, about 12 minutes. If heat is too high, outside of seeds will burn before they get cooked inside. Cool completely.
In a frying pan with about 1/8 of an inch of hot vegetable (just starting to smoke) oil at medium high heat, carefully drop curry leaves into oil and stand back as leaves may splatter oil. Cook leaves until browned all over and remove to drain on a paper towel.
Grind seeds and leaves to a powder in a cuisinart or spice grinder or coffee mill (be sure that the grinder is dedicated to spices as the oils from the seeds may leave residue). Mix in turmeric. If using red pepper, add at this point.
Add 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture to the peeled and deveined shrimp and marinade for 1/2 hour.
Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the remaining spices. Heta on med/high with stirring. Heat until very fragrant but do not burn.
Add shrimp and cook until just starting to turn orange (do not fully cook shrimp) and spices coat the shrimp, about 2 minutes.
Remove shrimp from pan and place on a plate. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar to pan. With constant stirring, cook until sugar is well blended and dissolved and sauce is bubbly and beginning to thicken. About 12 minutes total. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Add shrimp to pan and continue cooking until a nice yellow colored sauce is produced, about 4-5 minutes. Do not overcook shrimp.
Remove from heat and serve shrimp over cooked rice or noodles. Adjust heat by adding red pepper if necessary.
*We recommend doubling the spices in this recipe and reserving the spice blend for other curry dishes. Keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

DMFlavors.com Recipe of the Month: Curry Spiced (not spicy!) Shrimp

• 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 6 each cloves
• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• To taste red pepper, ground
• 10 leaves curry leaves, fried in vegetable oil (see below)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound 16-20 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 ounces coconut milk, canned

Place coriander, cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard, peppercorns and cloves in a dry heavy skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn dark, not burnt, about 12 minutes. If heat is too high, outside of seeds will burn before they get cooked inside. Cool completely.

In a frying pan with about 1/8 of an inch of hot vegetable (just starting to smoke) oil at medium high heat, carefully drop curry leaves into oil and stand back as leaves may splatter oil. Cook leaves until browned all over and remove to drain on a paper towel.

Grind seeds and leaves to a powder in a cuisinart or spice grinder or coffee mill (be sure that the grinder is dedicated to spices as the oils from the seeds may leave residue). Mix in turmeric. If using red pepper, add at this point.

Add 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture to the peeled and deveined shrimp and marinade for 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the remaining spices. Heta on med/high with stirring. Heat until very fragrant but do not burn.

Add shrimp and cook until just starting to turn orange (do not fully cook shrimp) and spices coat the shrimp, about 2 minutes.

Remove shrimp from pan and place on a plate. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar to pan. With constant stirring, cook until sugar is well blended and dissolved and sauce is bubbly and beginning to thicken. About 12 minutes total. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Add shrimp to pan and continue cooking until a nice yellow colored sauce is produced, about 4-5 minutes. Do not overcook shrimp.

Remove from heat and serve shrimp over cooked rice or noodles. Adjust heat by adding red pepper if necessary.

*We recommend doubling the spices in this recipe and reserving the spice blend for other curry dishes. Keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

DMFlavors.com Recipe of the Month: Really Wild Stuffing with Mushrooms and Rice

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Recipe of the Month

Really Wild Stuffing With Mushrooms & Rice

• 8 Tablespoons Vegan "butter" Sticks
• 4 Large Onions -- quartered & thinly sliced
• 1 1/4 Pounds Assorted Wild Mushrooms -- Sliced
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme Leaves -- Chopped
• 5 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 3 Teaspoons Fresh Sage -- Chopped
• 1 1/3 Cups Wild Rice
• 1 1/4 Cups Long-grain Rice
• 1 3/4 Cups Dried Pears or Cherries -- Coarsely chopped
• 3/4 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley -- Chopped
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley for Garnish -- chopped

Melt half of the spread over medium heat. Add the onions and cook while stirring until caramelized. (20 -30 minutes) Transfer the onions to a large bowl.
Melt the remaining spread in the same pot and add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of the thyme. Cook until the mushrooms are brown and tender. Add to the onions in the bowl. Season with salt and pepper
In a large (3 -4 quart) deep saucepan bring the broth, 2 teaspoons of sage, 1 tablespoon of thyme to a boil. Add the wild rice and return to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Mix in the white rice and continue to cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Add the mushrooms , onions and remaining thyme and sage and dried fruit. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes stirring to prevent sticking. Add the parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Final preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9"x13" pan. Add stuffing and cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray, greased side on stuffing. Bake until heated through about 30 -40 minutes. (check center temperature with a kitchen thermometer (140 -150 F) Uncover and continue to bake until the top is slightly crisp and golden brown, 15-20 minutes more.
Spinkle with an additional 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley.
This stuffing can also be stuffed into a turkey if you aren't vegan.

David Michael and Co. Recipe of the Month: Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

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David Michael and Co. Recipe of the Month: Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cup Yellow onion, small diced
• 1 teaspoon Garlic -- minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger -- grated
• 1 Tablespoon Brandy
• 1 Cup Chicken broth
• 4 teaspoons Light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon Salt, kosher\
• 3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste*
• 2 Cups Pumpkin puree, (NOT pumpkin mix) -- canned
• 1/4 Cup Coconut milk (regular or light) -- canned
• 1/2 Cup Water **
• Optional: 2 teaspoons Toasted pumpkin seeds

Note:* Thai curry pastes have different heat intensities per brand. Start with 1 teaspoon, taste broth, then add to the spice level that suites your tastes.
Assemble all ingredients and equipment.
In a medium saucepan, using medium to medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil to the pan.
Add onion, sauté until soft and translucent (approx. 5 minutes).
Add minced garlic and ginger; sauté until fragrant (approx 1 minute).
Deglazed the pan with brandy, simmer for 30 seconds.
Add chicken broth, sugar, salt and Thai red curry paste. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Stir pumpkin puree and coconut milk into simmering broth.
Add water (**for a thinner consistency add any additional water in 1/4 cup increments to achieve desired consistency).
Bring to a simmer, then heat for additional 5 minutes on low heat.
Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
Optional: for a smoother soup, puree using animmersion mixer or a blender.
Garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds.
 

Check Out Our Blog about the Impact of Organic Foods - DM Flavors

http://www.dmflavors.com/blog/2012/09/13/the-impact-of-organic-beyond-nutrition/

Last week, a Stanford University study came to the conclusion that there is little evidence of increased health benefits from organic foods versus their standard issue, non-organic counterparts. “There isn’t much difference between organic and conventional foods, if you’re an adult and making a decision based solely on your health,” said Dena Bravata, MD, MS, a senior associate with Stanford’s Center for Health Policy who helped lead the study comparing organic and conventional foods.

The study was fueled by the growing popularity of organic products – which by definition are produced without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or chemical food additives. All that organic foods lack that differentiate them from conventional options they certainly reflect in price as they are, in all cases, more expensive than non-organic options, sometimes even costing twice as much.

While this study does indicate that there are no immediate health benefits from organic versus conventional foods, it also concludes that organic produce has a 30 percent lower risk of pesticide contamination than its conventional counterparts. Just because we don’t know the long-term health benefits or detriments of this difference, does not mean the point should be dismissed. Does the 30 percent pesticide difference add up over the course of years or over the course of a lifetime? Maybe it does. And maybe it doesn’t. But for the consumers in the “maybe it does” camp, paying higher prices for peace of mind is a reasonable trade-off.

Let’s not forget that for many organic-seeking consumers the value isn’t placed on their health alone – but also on the health of animals and the environment. There are undeniable differences between the affects of organic versus conventional farming on the health of the world around us. So, although eating an organic apple versus a conventional apple may not be more nutritious for us, there are other health implications that hang in the balance.

DM Flavors' Recipe of the Month: Stuffed Chicken Parm!

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Recipe of the Month

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

Spinach Stuffing

• 1 Box (10 Oz) Spinach, Frozen -- chopped
• 3 Ounces Cream Cheese - Regular or Reduced Fat at Room Temperature -- Softened
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese -- Shredded
• 1/2 Teaspoon Basil Leaves - Dried
• 1 Clove Garlic -- Minced
• 1/8 Teaspoon Oregano - Dried
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Chicken & Breading

• 2-3 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Whole Egg - Beaten or 1/4 Cup of Egg Subsitute
• 3/4 Cup Crushed Wheat Crackers
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese -- Shredded
• 1 Teaspoon Basil Leaves - Dried
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 1/2 Cups Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Defrost and drain the spinach. Ring dry in towels if necessary
Place the crackers in a plastic bag and crush to a fine crumb.
Place the Chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a flat meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4" thick
Heat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9x13" glass baking dish with a cooking spray.
For the Stuffing: In a bowl mix together th spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Basil, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper to taste
For the chicken: Spread about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of spinach stuffing on the pounded chicken breasts and roll up. Secure with toothpicks if needed
Place the cracker crumbs, basil, pepper, parmesan, salt and ground pepper in a shallow bowl and mix together
Beat the egg or place the egg substitute in a bowl
Roll each chicken breast in the egg , followed by the cracker crumbs. Place the toothpicked/ open side down in the baking dish. Bake 10 minutes.
Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until center reads 165 F on an instant read thermometer and the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve with pasta or a salad - Remember to remove the toothpicks if used.