VSN Recipe Thread and Chat!!

[LuvLee]

Hear Ye....Hear Ye..............Let's hear your recipe ideas and plans and favorites!!!! Quick meals for VSN nights? Special meals for date nights or other special occasions? An old family recipe? Something you'd like to try? Share any and all right here!!!

[UnderstandBlue]

I was just telling Sabrina - cook22 - that we eat this once a week - it's our FAVE!! I was so freaked out by the thought of combining salsa and peanut butter but it turns into a magical Thai sauce - and the chicken thighs are falling apart when it's done.

1.5 lbs. chicken thighs (for me, this was about 6)
1 cup Wright�s Hot Habanero Texas Salsa (Cold section WFM - if you don�t have this, use either cilantro salsa or something with a lot of citrus flavor instead of a lot of tomato flavor)
2 tablespoons fresh ground ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter (Peter Pan - don�t judge - it�s awesome)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp. fresh garlic, grated
2 tablespoons lime juice (I just squeezed two limes - might have been 3-4 TBS)
4 thai peppers, tops cut off
Sea Salt
� C. Sweet Chili Sauce (recipe here) This is NOT Heinz sauce (shudder)

I put 4 whole thai peppers in for heat.

Put thighs in bottom of crockpot. Salt thighs on both sides. Mix all ingredients except sweet chili in a bowl and cover the chicken.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Mine was done at about 5.5 hours and I have a big crockpot.

Before serving, stir � cup sweet chili sauce into chicken and sauce and mix.

Serve with coconut rice. ( 1 cup rice, toasted in oil, then cooked in one cup coconut milk & 1 cup chicken broth. When done, add half a bag of frozen peas, cover for a few minutes until they warm up. Serve chicken over rice.)

[UnderstandBlue]

Thai sweet chili sauce:

Ingredients
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 red Jalape�o or Serrano peppers, deseeded (See note #1 below.)
� cup white distilled vinegar
� cup sugar
� cup water
� tablespoon salt

Instructions
In the blender, pur�e together all the ingredients, except for the last two.
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens up a bit and the garlic-pepper bits begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Lower to low and cook until thick. About 15-20 minutes.
Let cool completely before storing in a glass jar and refrigerate.
Notes
1. I keep the chili seeds in, but your mileage may vary, so adjust the heat accordingly. More seeds = more heat. Keep in mind, however, that the heat is the strongest the day you make the sauce and starts to dissipate gradually. This sauce keeps for a long time, and after a couple of weeks, you can�t even taste the pepper.


Alternate version, in case the ONE DAY of winter we Texans get each year unceremoniously KILLS your peppers with no warning. Do I sound bitter? Good, because I am.

� C. Sugar
� C. Rice Vinegar (or whatever)
� C. Water
1 TBS finely minced garlic (or the 3 cloves above - I don�t like it too garlicky)
1 TBS crushed red pepper flakes (it�s important that you curse loudly about winter while using this)
� TBS salt

1 TBS cold water (optional)
1 TBS corn starch (optional)


Boil sugar, vinegar and water. Add the spices (except salt), simmer until thick. If it�s not thick enough for you make a cornstarch slurry and add it to bubbling sauce. Mix in until thicker, then add salt and cool.