Three Cooks In The Kitchen

One of my favorite activities with my girlfriends is cooking together.  There is something really special about being in the kitchen with your friends and preparing a wonderful meal.  It also helps when you are all tackling a new recipe  because there is nothing three friends can’t figure out in the kitchen together!  Last night we decided to prepare a fusion coleslaw with chicken satay and peanut sauce.  The end result was nothing short of amazing!  Plus we were feeding three hungry boys who had surfed all day and they seemed extremely impressed with our culinary skills!

I will first introduce the chefs.

This would be Tamsen, with a bag full of Hutchins Farm produce!
And the lovely Ashley

with my new bible (Food to Live By)

We flipped through the bible/cookbook and decided to make the fusion coleslaw with chicken satay and peanut sauce.  We began by slicing some cabbage and making the different sauces/marinades the two recipes called for.

While the ladies chopped away I made the marinade for the chicken

This turned out amazing!

The three of us gals where having so much fun in the kitchen I think Taylor got a little jealous and decided to come and join in on some singing and dancing! He has some pretty great dance moves!

If you are wondering about the headlamp he was in charge of grilling the chicken and it was dark outside!

The ladies and I were pulling things together pretty quickly and efficiently. Things go so smoothly with extra help in the kitchen!

Looking pretty good!

The grill master!

Dinner is served!

Three proud cooks!

Recipe for Fusion Coleslaw (we made variations to the real recipe)

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 cup shredded green cabbage

2 large carrots coarsely grated

1/3 cup thin strips of scallion greens

1 jalapeno pepper, cut into slivers

3 tbs unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp Asian Chile garlic sauce

1 tbs finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts

1/2 cup raisins

2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Place the red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, scallion greens, and jalapeno in a large bowl.  Stir to combine

2. Place the sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, chile sauce, and ginger in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly.  Shake the jar vigorously to combine.

3. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.  Add the peanuts and raisins and toss again.  Refrigerate the coleslaw, covered, to allow the flavors to develop, 2-4 hours. Serve chilled, garnished with sesame seeds

Recipe for the Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

2 tbs curry powder

1 tbs ground coriander

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch wide diagonal strips

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 tbs unseasoned rice vinegar

3/4 cup peanut oil or canola oil

1. Place the curry, coriander, cumin, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to blend.  Spread the spice blend on a plate and set it aside.

2. Dip the chicken into the spice mixture, coating the chicken all over.

3. Whisk together the coconut milk, rice vinegar, and oil in a small bowl.  Pour this mixture over the chicken.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours

5. Grill the chicken on the barbecue until fully cooked!

Recipe for the Peanut Sauce (which we poured over our chicken and coleslaw!)

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 tbs peanut butter

1 tbs curry powder

2 tbs sugar

red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry powder, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Season with red pepper sauce to taste and more sugar as needed!

Enjoy!