Chicken Tikka Masala

If you like Indian food, you will love this!  Derek requested that we have it once a week, it was so good.  The recipe is from my mother-in-law; she also gave me some of the spices that I didn't have.  Like garam masala.  I can't remember where she said she found it, but I guess it was kind of pricey.  When I find out, I'll let you know. I was also going to make naan, but I didn't give myself enough time, so I guess when I make this again next week I'll do the naan too.

This recipe also makes a lot, so I halved it for the 2 of us and we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1" pieces

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ground chili powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 piece minced ginger - 1" long (I used ginger in a spice jar and just estimated how much)

Sauce:
2 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced and seeded (I used diced jalapeños in a jar, just estimated how much)
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz tomato sauce
16 oz coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag and squish to mix well.  Add in chicken pieces, mix well and put in the fridge several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, heat a large saucepan or frying pan and melt butter over medium heat.  Add the chicken and marinade mixture.  Cook until almost done and add in the garlic and jalapeño; cook one minute.

Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt.  Stir in tomato sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, simmer to thicken about 5 minutes.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve with basmati rice and naan. (We just have jasmine rice and it was good.)

Spicy Black Bean Salad

A couple Saturdays ago at the Gardener's Market here in Logan, one of the booths was giving out samples of this along with the recipe.  I really liked it, so I grabbed a recipe card.  I've been collecting the ingredients that I didn't have since then and we had it for dinner tonight.  It's great for a vegetarian meal, but might be better as a side.  I think Derek was wondering where the meat was tonight.  It makes a lot though, so you might want to halve it!

Ingredients:

Salad:
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used 1 can of corn and it was just fine)
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Brown rice or wheat berries cooked and cooled (about 6 cups)

Dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine black beans, corn, celery, green onion, tomatoes, green pepper and cilantro in a large bowl.  Whisk together ingredients for the dressing and pour over bean mixture.  Add pre-cooked and cooled rice.  Serve well chilled.  Salad can be eaten plain or piled on a piece of lettuce to create a delicious wrap.  (Derek and I also thought it would be good on a tortilla or with tortilla chips.)

Spinach Skillet Bake

I was trying to think of something to make with spinach and ground beef, so I typed those two ingredients into allrecipes.com and this is one that came up.  I put a ton of basil in it, and it was really good!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

In an ovenproof skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Add the spinach, mushrooms, garlic salt and basil.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour and salt until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Pour over meat mixture; mix well.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Bacon-Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

Derek LOVED this.  I don't know who had the brilliant idea of wrapping bacon around chicken, but it's pretty amazing.  Seems like lately I end up changing every recipe I try and this is no exception.  I cooked the bacon/chicken without the potatoes because I had so much chicken, there wasn't room in the pan for anything else.  So I ended up making mashed potatoes to go with it.  Oh, and I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs
• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 12 slices center-cut bacon
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds baby Dutch yellow potatoes
•  
• Seasoning Mix:
• 2 tablespoons dried chives
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
•  
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• 
  
• Wrap each chicken piece in a slice of bacon, trying to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Place the wrapped chicken pieces in a 9x13 inch baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle the onion over the chicken. Push potatoes down into the spaces between the chicken pieces and around the edge of the dish.
• 
  
• Combine the chives, basil, garlic powder, adobo seasoning, and black pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle the seasoning to taste over the chicken and potatoes.
• 
  
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, until the bacon is crisp and brown and the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and serve hot.

Guacamole

This was the rest of our Cinco de Mayo dinner.  I never actually used a recipe for this, so these are all approximations (is that a word?)

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1.4-ish cup cilantro
lime juice to taste (maybe half a lime?)
garlic salt to taste

Cut the avocados in half and carefully peel the skins off.  Cut into small pieces and place in bowl.  Add everything else and mash together with a fork  I like mine kind of chunky, so I don't mash it a ton.

*Hint:  If you don't want your guac to turn brown, put an avocado pit in it.

Chile Verde

Happy Cinco de Mayo yesterday! I used my mother-in-law's recipe and a recipe I found on allrecipes.com to make this one.  It turned out sooooo good.  The pork was so tender and I put lots of lime in.  I love lime.

Ingredients:

1 3-ish lb pork roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp cumin (didn't have any si I subbed chili powder and it was great)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T oil
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3 tsp grated lime peel
2 T lime juice (I just used 1 lime's worth of zest and juice and it was very limey)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Tortillas (corn or flour)
2 T fresh cilantro
Salsa verde (optional)

Trim fat from meat and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper.  Pour a little oil in a hot skillet and cook half the meat until browned.  Remove meat and cook the other half.  Place meat in 4-quart slow cooker.  Add tomatillos, onion, lime peel, lime juice, garlic, and salsa verde if desired.  Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4.  A few minutes before serving, stir in the cilantro.  Serve on tortillas with sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

I got this recipe from Tiff's recipe blog.  I've made them before but I don't think I've ever posted the recipe.  They're really good and they're one of the things Derek requested for dinner on his birthday a few days ago.

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 eggs


Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cut chicken breast into 1 1/2 inch sized pieces
In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese, thyme, and basil. Mix well.
Beat eggs in separate bowl.
Dip chicken pieces into egg batter first, then coat with the breadcrumbs.
Place well coated pieces of chicken on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.