Japanese Style Chicken Curry

I love food because they always have memories associated with it. My fondest memory with this dish was a night with my college boyfriend. He was 6'1" with broad frame. He had a great appetite. I was teeny tiny: 5'3" and 96lbs. But it was obvious that size had nothing to do with how much we could eat. Even though I was half his size, I ate just as much as him (if not more). We could destroy a sushi buffet's business in one sitting. Anyways, one night we decided to cook dinner at home. We made about 2 cups of uncooked rice (this is probably equivalent to 4+ cups of cooked rice) and this dish, enough to feed 6 people. We were planning to save some for his parents and brother... but by the end of the night, the rice cooker, as well as the pan of curry, was completely empty. We sat on his couch for the rest of the night rubbing each other's tummy. Haha. I wish I still had that metabolism...

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 Carrots, cut
2 Red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Red bell peppers, cut
1/2 lb Sugar snap peas
1 Yellow onion, cut
1/2 package of Curry bricks

Directions
1. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes. Boil until cooked half way through. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a large pan with olive oil. Add carrots and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, onions, and potatoes. Cook vegetables halfway through. Add water to just cover the vegetables. Reduce the heat and let the vegetable simmer.
3. Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil in a small pot. Add 1/2 package of Curry brick and let it dissolve. **You can place the curry package and water in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute**
4. Once dissolved distribute the curry throughout vegetable broth. Let the mixture slowly simmer on medium heat until thicken.

**If you like curry to be more thin, you can add more water**

Pumpkin (and Carrot) Cream Cheese Muffins

This year, I'm working Thanksgiving. :( While everyone is getting food coma from a delicious turkey dinner, I'll be busy doing neurological assessments every 4 hours so my patients don't go into an actual coma (haha. I thought that was clever). The plus side is that my co-workers and I will be having a little Thanksgiving brunch. YAY!!! I love brunch's.

Anyhoos, I didn't want to make a my pumpkin pie for brunch (maybe next year) so I did my research on pumpkin cream cheese muffins from various sources and created these lil fellas. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. :)

Cream Cheese Filling
1 (12 ounce) package cream cheese (if desire less cream cheesy taste, use 8 ounces)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Muffin
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin (substitute with grated carrot for carrot cream cheese muffins)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour the pan or use muffin cups.

2. To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.

3. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

4. For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.

5. Place pumpkin (or carrot) mixture in muffin cups about 3/4 full. With one spoon, create a deep well, then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.

6. Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

**recipe equal approximately 15 muffins**

Tilapia Fish Taco

The key to maintaining a healthy mind and spirit is to take care of your body. Lately I've been accomplishing this by cooking meals everyday and daily exercise. Damn. I feel so good. :)

Tonight I had a craving for fish tacos. The salsa recipe is from my dear friend, Diana. Love you, girl.

Marinade:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
5 limes freshly juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon zesty powder blend
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12oz tilapia fillets

Salsa
1/2 onion, diced
2 jalepanos, diced
3+ tomatoes, diced
1 bunch cilantro, diced
6 limes freshly juiced
salt

Toppings
1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
1 small head cabbage, cored and shredded
2 avocados sliced
2 limes, cut in wedges

Directions

1. To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, garlic, zesty blend, chili powder, seafood seasoning, and black pepper in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

2. To make the salsa, combine the onions, jalepanos, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt for taste.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove fish from marinade and pour in baking dish (more moisture add a few spoonfuls of marinate to fish). Bake fish in oven until it easily flakes with a fork (usually about 12-15 minutes).

4. Heat the tortilla in nonstick pan. Add shredded cabbage and flaked fish to tortilla. Top with avocado and salsa mix. Squeeze a couple more lime wedges for an extra kick.

ENJOY!!! I love Tilapia Thursdays!