Chicken Tikka Masala

I have a confession to make... I watch The Bachelor. In my defense, I spend about 95% of the time making fun of the people who are on the show, but regardless I know I may have just lost some respect points with some of you. This is a consequence I'm willing to accept.

Every Monday night, I get together with a group of really awesome girls (and one guy who shall now and forever remain nameless for the sake of his manhood) to view this riveting two-hours of television. We take turns hosting and making dinner, and this week was my turn! 

I figured the best way to feed a large group was with a crock pot meal, so I decided to go with one that had been on my "Recipes to Make" pinboard for quite some time... Chicken Tikka Masala! I must admit, as much as I love Indian food, I've only dabbled with cooking it myself a few times as the list of ingredients usually totally intimidates me, but this recipe from LaLoosh looked totally manageable and so I followed it pretty closely. The main changes I made were that I increased the proportions by 2.5x to make enough for all my guests, used ginger powder because I didn't have any fresh ginger, and, because I was short one jalapeno and I me love some spice, I left the seeds/membranes on one of them for some extra kick. I also made extra brown rice and served with a dollop of plain greek yogurt. 

The night before, I chopped all the veggies and mixed everything but the chicken so it'd be ready to go in the morning. As you can see, things got a little crazy that night in the kitchen... (I was also prepping the appetizer -- roasted cauliflower yogurt dip with homemade tortilla chips, which I'll be sharing with you in a future post -- and created a recipe for a giant pot of soup I used for my lunches for the week, which I'll also be blogging about soon!) 

The next morning, I put the chicken in the crock pot, topped with the veggie mixture, and turned it on low. I checked it after four hours and because there was SO much in the crock pot, it wasn't really cooking yet. So I cranked it up to high for the next 2 hrs and 15 minutes. When I came back to check it again, I found it had overflowed (oops!) but was definitely getting good and tender. However, I needed to add some extra salt and because it seemed a bit too liquidy though, I broke up the chicken to absorb some of the flavor and mixed in some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. At this point, I turned it down to low and cooked for another hour and 45 minutes. Now, it's not necessary for you to follow these exact times, but I would suggest checking on it at some point before you intend on serving to break up the chicken into smaller pieces and see if you should add cornstarch. The original recipe suggests 6-8 hours on low or 4 on high for 4 servings so the times will really depend on how much you make. 

As the apartment now smelled overwhelmingly like an Indian restaurant, we were eager to dig in! However, if you're more patient than we were, it's probably best if you let it rest a little. Scoop your Chicken Tikka Masala on top of some brown rice and top with cilantro and greek yogurt. And there you have it -- Indian food made easy! 

The bachelor gang ready to dig in!

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

(makes approximately 8 servings) 

23oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 - 3 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
4 jalapenos (3 seeded)
2 28oz can and 2/3 of a 14oz can of diced tomatoes 
1 1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, plus additional for topping
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
2 1/2 tbsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/4 tbsp salt 
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp lime juice (or the juice of 2-3 fresh limes) 
2 tbsp of cornstarch, if necessary 
Fresh cilantro to taste

Mix onions, garlic, jalapenos, tomatoes, greek yogurt, spices (except cilantro), and lime juice in a large bowl. 

Cut chicken into strips and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with vegetable mixture. 

Cook on high for 2 hours. Turn to low and cook for another approximately 6 hours. With 2 hours left, break chicken into smaller pieces and stir. If too liquidy, slowly mix in cornstarch. 

Cook rice according to the directions on the package. Scoop the chicken mixture on top of rice, top with fresh cilantro and greek yogurt to serve. 

"Healthified" Chicken Fingers and Fries (with Garlic Mayo Aioli)

One of my favorite things to do when I cook is come up with sneaky little ways to make recipes healthier and more nutritious. This can mean adding in some cauliflower puree to mashed potatoes, using cottage cheese to create an alfredo sauce, making ice cream out of frozen bananas, or adding black bean puree to brownies (though I'll admit, that last one turned out pretty gross and I'm still in search of a tasty black bean brownie recipe so please share if you have one!). I get a weird satisfaction out of revealing the "secret" of these recipes to unsuspecting eaters. Although this particular recipe isn't as "out there" as some of the ones I've made in the past, I figured it was best to ease you guys into things... 



A few days ago, I had a craving for chicken fingers and so I decided to make a "healthified" version of the basic comfort meal of chicken fingers and fries. The chicken fingers are baked rather than fried, and the "fries" are actually parsnips! I don't know about you, but I hadn't previously eaten parsnips very often; in fact, I'm not sure I ever actually purchased one before. But sliced in the shape of a fry and baked in the oven under high heat, these babies were soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, making them a great swap for potatoes with added nutrition. 

The key to the chicken fingers was to soak them in buttermilk. This makes them incredibly moist inside. I used dry buttermilk mix because it's easier than trying to use up a whole thing of buttermilk before it spoils. I cut the chicken into tender-sized pieces in the morning and let them soak in the buttermilk while I was at work. Because I'm indecisive, I decided to make two different kinds of chicken fingers. Both were breaded in panko (breadcrumbs would work too if you don't have any panko), but for half of them, I mixed in grated parmesan cheese and a variety of other seasonings to create an Italian flavor profile. For the other half, I mixed in shredded coconut and some spices for a "sweet and spicy" taste. 

After soaking the chicken, you'll dip each piece into the panko and spices mix

So many spices!

and place on a sprayed cookie sheet. Spray the chicken with olive oil using a Misto (or if you don't have one, just lightly drizzle it with olive oil or in a real pinch, spray with cooking spray; you need something on it though or it won't get crispy). Put into an oven preheated for 425 degrees. When the

Ready to take out of the oven

breading starts to get light brown and crispy, flip the chicken over and put it back into the over. Remove

when the other side is brown as well. I ended up baking them 7 minutes on the first side and 9 minutes on the other, but it will depend on the size of your tenders. To be safe, you can cut into one to make sure there's no pink inside. 


For the "fries," peel the parsnips and cut into the shape of fries, approximately four inches in length. Try your best to make them equal in size, especially in width. Because of the shape of my parsnips, some were thick on top and thin on the bottom, so they didn't all cook evenly. Next time, I'd shave more off of them

Here's what they look like when done

to make them uniform. You could always save any leftover pieces that don't make good fries to cook and puree or just eat raw. Anyway, place onto a sprayed cookie sheet and spray or lightly toss with olive oil. I used this recipe as a guide, so I seasoned mine with rosemary, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, but if you don't care for those flavors, season as you please! I baked these for about 16 minutes until they started to brown on all sides, flipping them halfway through, but again, exactly cooking size will vary based on the size of your fries. Because I wanted to save time, I started these at 450 for a few minutes but then cheated and cooked them the rest of the way at 425 so I could put the chicken in at the same time, but if you're making them on their own, you'll want to stick to the higher heat so they get crispier.


I am a condiment fiend, so I served my chicken fingers and fries with ketchup, BBQ sauce, a coconut mango sauce, and a garlic mayo aioli. While many people find it revolting, I adore fries dipped in mayo, so personally, the aioli was my favorite sauce for the parsnips. I also preferred the ketchup with the Italian chicken fingers and the BBQ sauce with the coconut chicken. If you try the recipe, let me know your favorites! The recipes below make enough for 2 large or 3 moderate portions.

Baked Chicken Fingers

12-14 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 c. of buttermilk

Olive oil spray

For Italian seasoning: 

1/4 heaping c. panko

1 tbsp grated parmesean

Garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper to taste

For Coconut chicken: 

1/4 heaping c. panko

1 tbsp shredded coconut 

Garlic powder, chili powder, ginger, salt, red pepper flakes to taste

Cut the chicken breast into tender-sized pieces, approximately 1" x 4". Soak chicken tenders in buttermilk for at least an hour.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the panko and Italian spices in one bowl and the panko and coconut spices in another. If you choose to do all one type of chicken tender, double the measurements. 

Remove chicken from buttermilk and roll in the breading. Place onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Spray the chicken with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes. Flip and place back in the oven for another 8 minutes or until the chicken is light brown and crispy on both sides. 

Parsnip Fries   

5 parsnips, peeled

Olive oil spray

1.5-2 tbsp dried rosemary

Garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Chop the parsnips into the shape of fries, approximately 1/2" x 4" and place on sprayed cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with spices. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8 minutes until they begin to brown. 

Garlic Mayo Aioli 

2 tbsp light mayo (don't use fat free) 

1 tsp lemon juice

Hefty sprinkle of garlic powder (or you can sub minced garlic)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy!

Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

It's 6:30pm, and you're just getting out of work. In between checking your cell phone and figuring out when the next metro's coming, your stomach growls. Crap... you didn't get anything out for dinner, and by the sound of that growl, waiting for something to thaw or making a trip to the grocery store is just not an option. You're about to succumb to the temptation of Chipolte when you remember the latest Gourmet, My Way post. Let me introduce you to your new go-to dinner in a pinch: eggs poached in tomato sauce. It may not sound all that glamorous, but it's definitely delicious. This recipe is simple but hearty, and because it's quite adaptable, you're likely to have all the ingredients already on hand. 

Poached eggs are one of my favorite kinds of eggs. My mom used to make them for me whenever I was sick and mix them with cut up pieces of toast, so it's somewhat of a nostalgic food for me. These days, I enjoy them in a nice eggs benedict, atop a spinach salad, or... poached in tomato sauce! Start out by sauteing some onions and red pepper (or other veggies could work, too) over medium heat until tender. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add in enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pot. I used a basic marinara pasta sauce, but tomato puree or a can of diced tomatoes would work as well. Spice it up with some garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Now carefully crack your eggs directly on top of the sauce so that the eggs remain intact and cover. 

While the eggs are cooking, you can prep the rest of your meal. You'll definitely want some toasted bread for dipping. I went with a multigrain bagel -- Wegman's in-store bakery ones are great -- but a crusty slice of bread or a pita would work just as well. I also sauteed some zucchini as a side. Cook until the egg whites are no longer liquid, but be careful not to overcook -- you want the egg yolks to still be runny. (As a guide, they're getting close to being done in the photo above on the right.) To serve, scoop the contents of the pot into a bowl and top with some parmesan cheese (which will get all melty and delicious!) and another few shakes of your spices if you please. 

And there you have it, folks. A well-rounded, homemade meal in minutes. Enjoy!

Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

2 eggs

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. chopped red pepper

2/3 c. tomato sauce

Shredded parmesan cheese 
Sprinkle of: garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper

Coat the bottom of a small sauce pan with cooking spray or a light drizzle of olive oil. Cook the vegetables over medium-high heat until onions begin to become translucent.

Turn heat down to medium-low. Pour enough tomato sauce into the pot to completely cover the bottom (amount will depend on the size of your pot). Season your sauce to taste and stir.

Once sauce is begins to bubble slightly, crack eggs directly on top of the sauce and cover. Eggs are done cooking when whites are no longer liquid but yolk is still runny inside.

Remove from heat, top with cheese and more seasoning as needed. Serve with bread.

Farro, String Bean, Pomegranate Salad with Ginger Soy Sauce Dressing

Just got back yesterday from an amazing weekend getaway with some close friends to a cabin in the middle of no where -- it was rustic, charming, a bit chilly, but totally worth it. We made a ton of great food, including mountain pies (one with pizza sauce, tomatoes, cheese, and basil and another with nutella with strawberries!), two different kinds of soup, sausages with sweet potatoes and veggies roasted over the fire, and of course S'MORES! But given there was no internet or cell service (not to mention, running water), I took a bit of a food blog hiatus, so today's recipe is one I made for lunch last week. But not to worry -- I have a ton of great recipes lined up to make and share with you all later this week!

 

Before sharing today's recipe, I just wanted to give a little encouragement to those of you out there who might still be hesitant about giving cooking a chance... don't be afraid to make mistakes! Below you'll see my first attempt at making a mountain pie. Whoops! Guess I left it on the fire a little too long! But not to worry, the second one was perfect. If at first you don't succeed... toss your burnt sandwich out in the snow for the animals to eat and stick another one in the fire ;) 

On to the recipe! This was one of those lunches that I expected to be good, but nothing particularly special. Boy, was I wrong! Inspired loosely by this recipe from GreenLiteBites, this is definitely a recipe I'd make again (and that's saying a lot coming from someone who pretty rarely does repeats... after all, there's a world of recipes out there just begging to be tested!). 

I mentioned farro in an earlier post, but for those of you who aren't familiar, it's one of my new favorite grains. It's "heartier" than rice with a bit of a nutty flavor, but not overly "grainy" tasting either; give it a try and let me know what you think! If you don't have it on hand, though, feel free to sub in brown rice or another grain this time around. In addition, this is another one of those recipes where the measurements are flexible -- I'll tell you what I used, but feel free to adjust to your preferences. FYI: I needed to go heavier than listed in the recipe below on the amount of soy sauce I used because my soy sauce is very weak but if you have the potent stuff like they give out at Chinese food restaurants, add it in a little at a time or else you may end up with a salad that's way too salty. 

Farro, String Bean, Pomegranate Salad with Ginger Soy Sauce Dressing

 

¼ c uncooked farro

⅓ large ripe avocado
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
¼ c raw onion

8-10 french string beans
Small handful of spinach
2-3 tsp soy sauce

Ground ginger

Garlic 

Cook farro according to package instructions. 

Meanwhile, steam string beans until slightly tender (put just a bit of water in the bottom of a bowl with the green beans; pop in the microwave for about one minute until they're no longer raw but still have a bit of a crunch). Cut into 1/2" pieces. Cube avocado, chop onion, and cut or tear spinach. Mix all of these ingredients plus the pomegranate seeds and the cooked farro in a bowl. 

In a separate small bowl, mix 2-3 tsp of soy sauce with ground ginger and garlic powder to taste. Pour over salad and mix well. Serve room temperature. 

 

Spicy Charred Pepper Steak Sauce

I mentioned in my first post that I'd be using this blog to share both recipes I created on my own and my experiments testing out others' recipes. This recipe was based off of a recipe from SmittenKitchen, one of my very favorite food blogs. When the author of SmittenKitchen, Deb Perelman, came to DC two months ago on her cookbook tour, I went out to listen to her speak. Unfortunately (or fortunately for her) she is so popular that the place was filled to capacity and I never even caught a glimpse of her! Nonetheless, I was excited I got to hear the voice behind the blog posts that I anxiously await each and every time.

For quite some time now, I've had Deb's Charred Red Pepper Steak Sauce recipe pinned on my "Recipes to Make- Savory" board (check it out if you want to be completely overwhelmed with delicious culinary options). However, I rarely cook red meat, and so it sat, neglected on my pinterest board. But, inspired by my new indoor grill I've already bragged about, I figured "Why not treat myself to a nice steak?".

While basically every SmittenKitchen recipe I've tried is perfect as is, I did make a handful of changes. For starters, I had a jar of hot cherry peppers my Dad gave me that I wasn't sure what to do with and thought this might be a good time to put them to use. Because of that, I decided I would go with a spicier flavor profile for the sauce, so I cut back a bit on the proportions for the molasses. Also, I didn't have any tomato paste on hand but I did have some tomato purée in a tube. While it wasn't nearly as much as the recipe called for, I figured I'd just end up with a stronger red pepper taste and that was fine by me.

I don't have a basis for comparison because I never tried making it exactly according to the recipe, but I'm not sure I ever will because this was so dang good! I started out just putting a spoonful on my steak and ended up adding about two more spoonfuls and using it atop both my side dishes as well...(don't judge). I could also see this being delicious on top of grilled chicken, a baked potato, or even as a spread on some toasted crusty bread. Luckily, even with my huge portion size, this makes about 3 servings so I still have some leftover in the fridge! The original recipe says it freezes well if you want to save some for later, but I don't think that'll be an issue for me ;)
 

Start by placing half a red bell with seeds and membranes removed on a cookie sheet and putting it under the broiler for about 10 minutes until it has developed a good char. Don't be afraid if it starts to get black - that's what gives it flavor! While that's in the oven, put all the rest of your ingredients in a food processor or blender. You'll note I only ended up using half a large hot cherry pepper after all. I wasn't sure what to expect from the peppers, so I gave them a taste before I just blindly threw a bunch in. Boy, am I glad I did - these babies are potent and hot! If you don't like spicy, you could just leave this ingredient out.

After you've removed the pepper from the oven and let it cool just a bit, add it to the food processor and puree everything into a sauce. Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes -- stirring occasionally -- while you prep the rest of your meal. I grilled up a nice steak seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and garlic powder so it didn't compete with the flavor of the steak sauce. I also sautéed some French-cut green beans and cooked some farro. If you haven't tried farro yet, you're in for a treat. I'll be talking much more about it in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned!

Once everything is complete, spread a heaping portion of the sauce on your steak and you'll have yourself what looks and tastes like a 'special occasion meal' but is easy enough to throw together on a work night! As they say, "Beef. It's what's for dinner tonight."

Spicy Charred Pepper Steak Sauce

1/2 medium red bell pepper

1/2 large hot cherry pepper

1 TBSP tomato puree

2 TBSP orange juice 

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TSP molasses

1 TSP olive oil

1/3 TSP salt

1/3 TSP ginger

1/2 TSP ground mustard

1/8 TSP pepper

1/8 TSP onion powder

1/8 TSP allspice  

Preheat oven on broil. Roast pepper on baking sheet until charred, approximately 10 minutes. 

Combine all other ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add red pepper. Puree until smooth. 

Simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!