"Calzone" Thing

I threw this together the other day and it was pretty yummy!  Like a calzone with a pot pie crust.  YUM!

2 cans Pillsbury croissants

1 cup marinara sauce (I used homemade, but canned would work too)

1 large chicken breast (haha)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 white onion, chopped

3 TBS fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

3 small sweet peppers (I used one red, one orange, and one yellow just because)

1/4 spinach, cut into chiffonade ribbons OR 3 TBS basil ribbons

1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/8 feta cheese, crumbled

7 or 8 Kalamata olives, chopped

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375.

Chop chicken and sautee with a little EVOO and the garlic until done.  Set aside in a large bowl.  Add the rest of the veggies, herbs, sauce, and cheese.  

On a baking sheet, lay out all of the croissant dough, making a large rectangle.  I pushed it together with my fingers, but evened it out with a rolling pin.  Cut strips toward the middle, about one inch thick and two inched long, leaving a strip crosswise down the middle.

Pour the chicken mixture down the middle strip, and fold the side strips up to the middle and pinch together. In the end it should look like a stuffed french bread loaf.

Beat one egg and paint over the top, and garnish with either DRIED parsley, oregano, or basil (if you use fresh herbs, they will burn).

Bake for 45 minutes and enjoy! 

Variations:

Use ham and cheddar = cordon bleu

Use ham, cheddar, black beans, and cilantro, like a Mexican style pot pie

Use mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, and cooked sausage = Italian Pizza Style

Replace the marinara with a creamy alfredo sauce... Mmmm.

Put bacon and bleu cheese in it, and replace the marinara with a BBQ style sauce.

Add different veggies like zuccini or shredded carrot:-)

Thai Peanut Shrimp

Whilst on the subject of Thai/ Asian food, I thought I would share one of our favorites. My family loves this dish.  Again, you can vary the amounts and the veggies used as much as you'd like and it would still taste great!

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 16oz can coconut milk
2 tbs peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 tsp curry paste (I prefer red for this recipe, but any kind will work)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (plus 1-2 tsp oil of your choice)
2 tbs sake or rice vinegar
1 tbs dried cilantro
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package Asian style noodles, such as Japanese udon noodles or stir fry noodles
chopped peanuts or sesame seeds (optional)

In a stockpot or in a large, deep frying pan, saute the shrimp in the oil until pink.  Add all of the veggies and cook, stirring constantly so nothing burns or sticks.  Deglaze the pan with the sake or vinegar.  Add the coconut milk, curry paste, and peanut butter and stir well.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until hot.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  Serve the shrimp over the noodles with chopped peanuts or sesame seeds as a garnish.

Good for the Soul Thai Style Curry

Typical Eastern Oregon Spring:  It gets really hot out; I turn off the pilot light for the fireplace; it gets cold two days later; and I can't figure out how to get it back on.  Haha... story of my life.  So to solve the problem of freezing my buns off in my house, I made a big pot of curry.

Personally, I am a fan of the Asian style curry dishes rather than the Indian style.  I still sort of mix the two whenever I make anything.  This is another recipe of mine that can be altered 1001 times and still be awesome. It is another one of those clean- out- your- fridge dishes that I love.

This is what I use in my standard recipe, although it changes almost every time:

2-3 chicken breasts, diced (or beef, or shrimp, or omit the meat to go vegan)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 head broccoli, stems and florets, cut into small pieces
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas, left whole
2 zucchinis, sliced
1 tbs dried ginger or (I prefer) 4 tbs grated fresh ginger
5 or 6 small sweet peppers, sliced (rainbows make it pretty;-))
1-2 jalapenos or hot chiles, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, FINELY sliced or lemongrass paste
1/4 bunch basil, cut into chiffonade ribbons or dried basil
2 16oz cans coconut milk
1 small can diced green chiles
1 small can bamboo shoots
2-5 tbs curry paste (I prefer green for chicken, but red is delicious with shrimp)
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)
soy sauce
sesame oil

In a large stock pot, sautee the meat in the sesame oil (I usually use about 1 tbs, then add a little olive oil so the sesame taste isn't overpowering).  When the meat is done, add the vegetables and sautee until tender, stirring often.  Add the coconut milk, green chiles, curry paste, lime juice and zest, lemongrass, bamboo shoots, then add the fresh herbs.

Simmer uncovered until hot.  Serve over rice with soy sauce.

What I love about this dish is the food allergy/sensitivity/ limitation aspect:  It is dairy free, soy free, sugar free, and gluten free.  It can be meat free easily and still be filling ( I like to replace the meat with diced eggplant).  It's a great vegan or vegetarian dish.  It is packed full of vitamins and different colored vegetables and is low in fat and calories (depending on the kind of coconut milk and meat used).  It's a great, healthy, tasty dinner to make your family when you only want to use one pot and not dirty a bunch of dishes:-)

If nothing else, it saves you from freezing your hiney off on a cold day like today;-)

You can also do this recipe in a crockpot. Cook on low for 5 hours.

College Student version:
Use a frozen bag of stir fry veggies and a jar of premade green curry in coconut milk:-)