Stir Fried Green Beans

Sunday Menu – Roasted Chicken, Lemon Rosemary Potatoes, Stir Fried Green Beans
Farm Share Produce – Green Beans, leafy Fennel tops (both frozen from summer)

Roasted Mustard Chicken
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Mustard-Tarragon-Chicken-358029
I didn’t have fresh tarragon, so I used the Fennel tops frozen from summer to stuff the cavity of the bird. The sauce was really good and this recipe made for a moist chicken. I used chicken broth and not water for the sauce.

Stir Fried Green Beans
Based on http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/stir-fried-green-beans

2 T olive oil
2-3 cups frozen greens beans (fresh can be used too)
1 jalapeno, ribs and seed removed, cut into one inch strips
2 dried chiles, rehydrated in hot water and chopped
Salt
1 T lemon juice

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, jalapeno and chiles. Season with salt and cook covered until green beans defrost and/or warm through, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook uncovered until green beans begin to brown, another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, toss with lemon juice and taste for salt.

Spicy Mango Coconut Chicken

Actual Thursday Menu – Spicy Mango Coconut Chicken

This was another winner. YUM! I’ve had this dried mango I got from Trader Joe’s in the pantry for a while now. I bought them and then wasn’t sure how to use them. For Christmas I got this really great book – The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It is not a cook book, but an index of ingredients with a list for each of what goes really well with it. So I looked up mango, and put together this recipe. I want to say I wrote this recipe. I’ve struggled with this for years – What are the guidelines for writing an original recipe? Do you need to create the flavor profile? Can you borrow techniques? Thoughts…please share!

Spicy Mango Coconut Chicken
Inspired greatly by http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/spicy-coconut-chicken-casserole

1 T olive oil
4-6 pieces of chicken thigh, bone in or boneless, skinless
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 can 14 oz coconut milk
1 ½ cup chicken broth
½ cup water
2 tsp Thai red curry paste
½ dried mango, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup frozen green beans
2 T lime juice
1-2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Brown chicken, 6-8 minutes total; work in batches if necessary. Transfer chicken to plate.

To Dutch oven add coconut milk, broth, water, curry paste, and mango. Bring to a boil; stir in rice. Return chicken in a single layer and any juices to the pot. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook without stirring 15 minutes.

Scatter green beans on top, cover and cook 8-10 minutes more. Add lime juice, stir, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.