Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe for chicken tikka masala is slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It is spicy, flavorful, totally delicious... and a great way to use up plain yogurt ;)

For this India-inspired British dish, begin by marinating chicken in yogurt and pungent spices for one hour. Start some rice. Then, while pan-frying the chicken, cook up a creamy, spicy, tomato-based sauce which pairs beautifully with the chicken, and serve it up over rice. I almost can't eat it without some naan on the side, too!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(serves 3-4)

Chicken Marinade ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

1. Slice raw chicken into strips or bite-sized chunks.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Add cut-up chicken, stirring to coat well. Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 8 hours).
3. Heat frying pan and cook chicken over medium heat until done.

MEANWHILE....

Masala ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces tomato sauce (one small can. I use the no salt added variety)
1 cup milk/cream (or Mexican crema worked really well)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan. 
2. Add spices and heat until aromatic. 
3. Stir in tomato sauce and milk or cream. Milk is likely to curdle, but this is fine. 
4. Cook over low heat until sauce is hot and thick. Pour over chicken in its entirety, or serve separately if preferred. 

Serve hot over rice and ideally with naan -- yummy!

Curried Chicken, Lentils & Rice

In an attempt to eat a healthier diet, I've been trying some new recipes lately. I was seeking lentil recipes when I came across this one. Although the original recipe is missing some information, I made some guesses and have come up with a dish that I like quite a bit.

The combination of spices in this turns out a pretty hot dish. I've played around with it a little (I think the ginger is what really gives it its kick, along with the chili flakes) but have not yet successfully toned it down (I have only made it about 3 times). So, if you don't like spicy, you might want to skip this recipe.

Curried Chicken, Lentils & Rice

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I've used a handful of dehydrated onion)
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup rice (I've used long-grain white rice; the original recipe suggests Basmati, I bet brown rice would be pretty good)
1/2 cup minced carrot (I've used a small handful of dehydrated carrots)
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
2 cups chicken broth/bouillon
~1 lb. chicken breast, cut to about 1" cubes
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves (optional; it's good with it, but if you don't have spinach, it's fine without)

1. Combine olive oil, onion, curry powder, ginger and cumin in a saucepan. Sauté on medium-high heat 4-5 minutes until onions are transparent. 
2. Add the lentils, rice, carrot, and red chili flakes, stirring to coat with spice mixture. Pour in chicken broth. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes. Check occasionally to be sure it is not dry; you can add water about 1/4 cup at a time if it looks too dry.
3. In the meantime, stir-fry chicken cubes in a separate pan with a little bit of oil until cooked through. Season to taste with salt, pepper, perhaps some garlic powder.
4. Add cooked chicken and lemon juice to saucepan with rice and lentil mixture. Cook another 5-10 minutes, covered, until rice and lentils are done.
5. Remove from heat; stir in chopped spinach leaves. Cover and let sit 5-10 minutes, until spinach has wilted.
6. Serve hot. The original recipe calls for serving with a minted yogurt garnish.

Pumpkin Soup

According to the calendar, it is mid June, but the weather we're having today sure doesn't feel like it! With a high of 60°F, this hot harvest-time recipe is sure sounding yummy...

I found this recipe for pumpkin soup a few months ago on a blog called A Little Tipsy. You can see the original recipe and some fun Halloween ideas here. I altered the original recipe just a bit to match the ingredients I had on hand and make it a touch less fattening. This soup is not sweet as pumpkin recipes tend to be; it uses the vegetable more like the squash it is!

Pumpkin Soup
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
~1/3 cup flour
1 medium onion, grated or diced
4 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or the equivalent in bouillon powder, to make 4 c broth)
1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 2/3 cups milk

1. In a large pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter/margarine. Stir in flour, making it almost doughy.
2. Add onion, bouillon, and water.
3. Stir mixture until smooth and thick - you will need to mash up your doughy flour-butter mixture to combine it with the other ingredients.
4. Add pumpkin, salt, lemon juice, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine - try to break up the pumpkin so your soup has a smooth consistency.
5. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
6. Let simmer 15 minutes.
7. Add milk and heat through but not to boiling.
8. Serve hot! A Little Tipsy has a recipe for pumpkin-shaped bread bowls that would be oh-so-cute as a "dish" for this soup.

Scones

Thomas' family periodically had these scones for after-school snacks or other occasions. They go well adorned with honey or jam, and you can add raisins to the batter should you want. This recipe is originally from the Tassajara Bread Book.

Scones
1 C milk
1 T lemon juice
6 T sugar or honey
1 egg
3 1/2 C flour
3 t cream of tartar
1.5 t baking soda
1/2 C melted butter

1. Mix all ingredients excepting the butter and flour.
2. Slowly mix in the flour, then the butter.
3. Roll out dough to be 1/4-3/8" thick.
4. Cut dough into triangles (3" by 4" by 5" works well).
5. Deep fry to a light golden brown. Avoid letting the scones rest on the bottom of the pan.
6. Enjoy! If done right, these are good hot, warm, or cool.

Great casserole for a cold day

Thomas' family has some pretty great recipes that he has introduced me to. When we tried this one for the first time together a while back, I knew it was a winner. We recently made it again so we could share it with our readers!

This Chicken Broccoli Casserole has a rich, creamy sauce that is a great compliment to the broccoli, especially. Take this to a potluck or serve it up at home as a meal all by itself. My bet is, even picky eaters will like it!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole
frozen broccoli (1-2 small packages, depending on the size of your baking dish)
either 2 cans cooked chicken OR 4-6 chicken breasts (again, dependent on the size of your baking dish)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. If you are using chicken breasts, cook by boiling. Then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Defrost the broccoli you will be using in the microwave. Add a little bit of water, but do not fully cook it. The idea is to remove the ice.
4. Make the sauce by combining the cream of chicken soup (we had a larger-than-normal can, so we just used one), evaporated milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed well.
5. Begin layering your ingredients in a casserole dish or other baking dish. Start with broccoli, then add chicken, then pour on a layer of sauce. Keep adding layers until you run out of room or ingredients.
6. Bake your casserole for about 45 minutes, or until it starts to brown slightly. 
7. Let cool and enjoy!

boiling chicken breasts

broccoli, thawed in the microwave

sauce ingredients

sauce ingredients, about to be combined

sauce, whisked until adequately combined

chicken breasts, chopped, and broccoli being layered in baking dish

adding sauce

ready for the oven!

ready to eat!

Let us know what you think!
oxox