Coconut Curry Chicken

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to report -- drum roll please – that we have a knitted back to the sweater I am attempting to make! And, as a bonus (or perhaps SHOCK), it looks like the back template provided in the pattern.






I am super-excited about this because this is the first true garment (unless hats and scarves count) that I have ever knitted and, while it is not perfect (the yarn, fortunately, is a very forgiving yarn), it will indeed be a lovingly made, wearable sweater. I am anxious to make and assemble the rest of the pieces. Stay tuned. I promise you will see a post with a completed sweater before the beginning of next baseball season! The pattern is posted on the Knitting Projects page (which is admittedly, a bit scant, but perhaps, with the cooler weather, we will have more projects to post).

This past Tuesday was my turn to cook and I made Coconut Curry Chicken. This is a great dish that mixes the sweet of the coconut and onions with the savory of curry and basil. I modified the following version from a Weight Watchers cookbook.

Coconut Curry Chicken
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 ½ cup thinly sliced onion (I like to use the sweet Vidalia variety)
2 cups of fresh basil leaves (from my potted garden, I might add!)
2 (or maybe five) garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 lb of boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 cup of light coconut milk

Directions
Heat half the oil in a large pan. Sauté the onion for 1-2 minutes, add the basil and sauté for 2 additional minutes. Remove the mixture and set aside. Add the second teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, then add the curry, salt, red pepper flakes and quickly sauté, about 1 minute. Add the chicken breasts and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and onion/basil mixture and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

I served this with brown rice (basmati rice or cappelini work nicely as well), thin green beans, and a salad. We had ginger snaps and Trader Joe’s pumpkin ice cream for dessert (yum)….a very cozy evening…no knitting just delightful conversation!