Baked Eggplant with Cumin

Delicious, spicy eggplant, ready to enjoy!  We adore eggplant and this recipe is super simple and just a bit different, one of our favorites.
Steamed eggplant dusted with spice, ready for the oven.
Baked Eggplant with Cumin

• 2 lbs. medium eggplants
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 heaping tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450F.  Wash and dry the eggplant.  Slit the skin in several places to prevent bursting then steam in a steamer until tender, about 35 minutes.  Allow the eggplant to cool and then cut lengthwise in quarters.  Add the oil to an oven proof baking pan and lay the eggplant slices skin side down.  Sprinkle the eggplant with the paprika, cumin, cayenne,salt, pepper and garlic.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggplant is soft and slightly toasted.
Enjoy!

Beef Keema

This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Ilona’s blog Ilonaskitchen.  Ilona’s blog is chockfull of wonderfully delicious sounding recipes but when Indian food lovers like us happened upon not one, not two, but three keema recipes, well we knew what would be making an appearance in our home this month.  Out of the three recipes that Ilona had posted, we decided on this version as she made it once without the addition of coconut milk and then revisited the recipe making it a second time with the coconut milk, so we figured if she loved it the first time and went back to add in an ingredient as delicious as coconut milk, well it just had to be really, really good.  And good it was, totally delicious in fact and the creaminess of the coconut milk with the spiciness of the meat…pure perfection!

Of course there were a few changes we made to the original recipe.  We really love intense flavors so we cut the amount of meat back but kept the original amount of spice.  Also, we haven’t been eating white potatoes or peas so we swapped out the white potato with sweet potato and just nixed the peas.  We enjoyed the Beef Keema with Plantain Wraps, which kept our meal gluten and grain free but totally flavorful and satisfying.  Enjoy this version or Ilona’s version, either way you won’t be disappointed.

Beef Keema (adapted from here)

• 1 tablespoon Ghee
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 TBS. minced fresh ginger
• 2 TBS. Madras curry powder
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• One 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the ghee. Add the ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking the meat apart into small pieces, until there is no pink left.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger & curry powder. Stir and cook until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the sweet potato, making sure to coat it with all the flavors in the pan. Add the broth, coconut milk and canned tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15-20 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, crush about half of the sweet potatoes into the broth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro, accompanied by plantain wraps, naan or chapati.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Tandoori Chicken Wings

I adore tandoori chicken but as I don't have a tandoor to authentically recreate the dish at home, I try to come as close as possible by using a delicious marinade and high heat cooking in my oven or on my grill.

This recipe is a bit different in that I've made it dairy free by using coconut milk in place of the yogurt that is traditionally used and I chose to use chicken wings, which though I'm sure has been done, I've never had them tandoori style. Eammon was in the mood for wings and I was craving tandoori...so there you have it, Tandoori Chicken Wings.

I realize that the recipe appears a bit overwhelming with the long list of ingredients but it really is simple in that everything is dumped into one big bowl and left to marinate for a few hours and then the chicken is baked or grilled so the hands on time is really minimal and the reward is huge. The wings were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and flavorful throughout. These Tandoori Wings were a perfect way to satisfy everyone's craving.

 

Tandoori Chicken Wings

• 4-5 lbs. chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats, discard tips or save for soup
• 14 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 healthy pinch saffron
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

Combine the coconut milk, lemon juice and all the spices in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Preheat oven to 500F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with coconut oil or oil of your choice. Lay the chicken pieces skin side up. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and the skin is crispy.

Enjoy!

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

One of Eammon’s favorite dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala so when I saw this slow cooker version at Julie’s Table for Two, I just had to give it a try.  The smell of it cooking all day drove us crazy as the aroma was gorgeous and when we tasted it, well pure perfection.  I actually got all the ingredients mixed together in the crock insert of my slow cooker the night before I planned to make it, left it in the fridge over night and in the morning, popped the ready-to-go crock in the crockpot, turned it on and a few hours later we were enjoying a delicious meal…and only the crock to clean up!  Make this dish, you won’t be disappointed.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tiakka Masala  (slightly adapted from here)

• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1 - 29 oz. can tomato puree
• 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt 
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 2 TBS. Garam masala 
• 1 TBS. cumin 
• 1/2 TBS. paprika 
• 1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
• 2 – 3-inch pieces whole cinnamon sticks 
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 
• 1 TBS. cayenne pepper, more or less depending on your heat preference
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBS. cornstarch 
• cilantro, for topping

Place everything up to and including the bay leaves into the removable crock of a slow cooker.  With a spatula, stir to combine everything and make sure the chicken is coated well.  Refrigerate overnight or use immediately.  When ready to cook, place the crock into the slow cooker, cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.

Serve hot over a bed of rice and garnish with cilantro.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, this recipe also freezes and reheats beautifully.

Enjoy!

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry for Daniel

Through my blogs I have met many wonderful bloggers, some in real life but most, just though cyberspace.  It’s amazing though because even the bloggers who you only know via what they write on their blog or by comments they leave for you, you form a bond with them and you look forward to what they write on their blog and what they have to say about what you’ve written on yours.  In my almost 8 years of blogging I have mainly been involved in two online communities, the International adoption community with my Moments with Maisie blog and the foodie community with this, my Cook Lisa Cook blog.  In both online communities I’ve found that most bloggers and those who may not have a blog, but comment on mine, are wonderful, supportive and kind people.  One of those people whom I’ve only met through cyberspace and really because of my participation in The Secret Recipe Club was Daniel Saraga of The Haggis and the Herring.  I’ve loved reading Daniel’s blog as he seemed to have a warm and gracious spirit, his passion for cooking and food shone through in his words and his taste in foods ran right along the same diverse, ethnic and adventurous lines that ours do.  When commenting on my blog, Daniel always made kind, thoughtful and often humorous comments that always warmed my heart and made me smile.  So it was with great sadness that I read of his sudden passing about two weeks back.  Daniel left behind his wife, two sons and third child on the way as well as a large extended family and many friends.  I had tears in my eyes reading Meredith’s words for the loss of her beloved husband, you could tell how much he was loved. 

Daniel was also loved in the online foodie community and that is why today, numerous Secret Recipe Club bloggers are coming together in a tribute day to Daniel by recreating and posting a recipe from The Haggis and the Herring.  

From my reading of The Haggis and the Herring, Daniel seemed to have a special passion for Indian curries, posting numerous delicious versions including Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer, Baked Aloo Kofta Curry, Channa Korma Curry, Channa Masala, Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken, Chicken Madras, Chicken Vindaloo and Chicken Tikka Masala.  So with that in mind I decided to recreate one of his curry dishes.  Unfortunately when I went to make my chosen recipe of Chicken Madras, I realized that I had everything in the house but chicken so knowing how versatile curries are I used what I had on hand for protein, shrimp.  I also decided to bulk up the shrimp with some added veggies as that morning I had picked some gorgeous red, orange, yellow and green peppers as well as some tomatoes from our garden and I also had a package of mushrooms that begged to be used.

I sautéed the veggies which smelled delicious on their own.

Then I added the shrimp which had been marinating in the curry sauce along with some crushed tomatoes and a delicious curry came together.  I hope to try many more of Daniel’s curries and other recipes.  He, his posts, recipes and kind words will all be missed.

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry

• 1 TBS. garam masala
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 rounded TBS. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 rounded TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium/small shrimp but any size would work)
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 3-4 sweet peppers, mixed red, orange, yellow & green
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in 8ths
• 1 - 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes

In a large bowl, whisk together the garam masala, cinnamon, curry powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil.  Stir in the shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a deep pan heat 2 TBS. olive oil on high and add the peppers & mushrooms.  Allow the peppers & mushrooms to brown slightly then stir in the fresh tomatoes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften.  Add the shrimp curry mixture and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, stir and let simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

 

 

Aloo Tikki

Here we are already at the third month of the Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking.  Each month she challenges participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate recipe of the month and then to make and feature that recipe and the blog.  The first month we were challenged to find the ultimate mac & cheese recipe and I made a delicious Velvety Mac & Cheese.  Last month the challenge was chocolate chip cookies and for me, my ultimate was Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps, truly delicious. 

This month we were challenged to find the ultimate mashed potato recipe.  Sounded simple enough as everyone seems to have what they consider a wonderful mashed potato recipe but as I was reading through all the various recipes, nothing struck me.  Don’t get me wrong, they all sounded delicious, some with simple additions some with a myriad of ingredients, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, garlic, herbs and spices but just nothing called to me.  So I looked in a different direction and there were cakes and brownies which had mashed potatoes as one of the ingredients but still, I was uninspired.   Then it happened, I was having lunch with a friend and was happily enjoying some Aloo Tikki,  It struck me, Aloo Tikki are essentially wonderfully seasoned mashed potatoes fried up into little patties, Brilliant!  I was finally inspired so off I went looking for the my ultimate mashed potato recipe in the form of Aloo Tikki and I found it at Arundhuti’s My Saffron Kitchen.  The recipe was simple and the pictures captivating so I was ready to cook…well once I picked up some potatoes. 

I changed the spices in the recipe somewhat to utilize what I had available at home and also to adjust it to my tastes and in the end I have to say, I made some ultimate Aloo Tikki and and I think they qualify as the ultimate mashed potato recipe of the month.  If you think so too, I’d appreciate your vote on the links below.  I hope too that you’ll give Aloo Tikki a try and remember if you have some regular mashed potatoes, they could easily be used as the base for these.

My beautiful Maisie Miao Miao helped by mashing the boiled potatoes.

We mixed all the ingredients together in one big bowl and then using a large cookie scoop I portioned out the potato mixture.

I patted down the scoops to make patties, each about 1/4-inch thick.

I coated the outside of the patties with a cornmeal & cornstarch mixture.

 In about 1/8-inch of oil, I fried the Aloo Tikki.

 Once browned on the first side I carefully turned and browned the other side.

  Crispy on the outside, creamy spicy potatoes on the inside and the peas have a nice little pop when you bite into them, perfection!

Aloo Tikki  (Adapted  from here)

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and boiled until easily pierced by a knife
1 cup frozen sweet peas
1 medium onion, finely minced (I used Vidalia)
2 green Thai chilies, seeded and minced finely
1 red Thai chili, seeded and minced finely
2 1/2 tsp. amchur powder (dried mango powder)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 TBS. finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cornstarch
Oil to shallow fry (I used peanut oil)

Drain and mash the potatoes in a large bowl.  Add the peas, minced onion, minced green & red Thai chilies, amchur powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, grated ginger, fresh cilantro and ground pepper.  Mix well and add salt to taste.  Using a large cookie scoop portion out the potato mixture.  Flatten each ball to approximately 1/4 –inch thick.  In a bowl mix together the cornmeal and cornstarch and then coat each patty lightly with the mixture.  In a large fry pan heat approximately 1/8-inch of oil.  Fry the tikkis on both sides until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.  Salt if desired and serve hot with ketchup or a chutney of your choice.

Enjoy!

Lamb Curry

I have a couple of recipes that I refer to as “spice dump recipes” because I literally take all the ingredients and dump them into a large oven roaster or my slow cooker, give them a stir and let them cook into wonderfully flavorful meals.  This lamb curry is one of those spice dump recipes and though it comes out exactly the same whether cooked in the slow cooker or the oven, I tend to make it in the oven as I generally double the recipe so that I can freeze the curry in both family size portions and lunch size portions for Eammon.  It freezes beautifully and when I need a quick dinner I thaw the curry at half power in the microwave then heat it at full power, make some rice and dinner is on the table  This curry is not spicy or spicy hot and the yogurt gives a nice creamy smoothness to the dish.  We enjoy the curry with Jasmine rice and garnished with avocado and cilantro…but today it was sans cilantro because it’s raining cats & dogs outside and I’m too lazy and can’t be bothered to grab the umbrella and put on shoes to go out to the garden and pick the cilantro so just picture a pretty little sprinkling of cilantro on top of the avocado.

Lamb Curry

3 lbs boneless lamb stew meat or chunks of leg meat
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 beef bullion cubes
4 cups water
1 lb mushrooms, sliced or quartered
5 TBS curry powder
2 TBS fresh rosemary, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
3 TBS Garam Masala
3 TBS minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried fennel
2 TBS dried oregano
4 large baking potatoes, cubed
2 small cans tomato paste
2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use fat-free)

Cilantro and/or avocado for garnish

Oven method: Pre-heat oven to 325F; Add all the ingredients with the exception of the yogurt to an oven safe roaster and stir to mix well. Cook covered 4-6 hours until the meat and potatoes are nice and tender. Once ready, remove from the oven and stir in the yogurt.

Slow cooker method:  Add everything with the exception of the yogurt to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. Once the meat and potatoes are nice and tender, turn off the cooker and stir the yogurt into the curry.

I serve the curry over Jasmine or Basmati rice and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.

Enjoy!!

Mint Lassi

Thursday night I attended a Indian cooking class and though everything made and served was delicious (and those recipes will be coming) one real standout for the evening was the mint lassi which was served at the beginning of the class.  In the past I’ve only made and tried mango lassi which is sweet and creamy like drinking a fruit smoothie so nothing oh-too adventurous, unless you consider the addition of cardamom adventurous.  So last night when I was handed a glass of mint lassi I honestly was a bit hesitant as I didn’t quite know what to expect.  Then I thought about it, mint ~ love it and drink mint tea all.the.time, yogurt ~ eat it almost everyday, cardamom ~ nothing new there and some sugar ~ well I do have a sweet tooth.  So I knew that I liked all the individual ingredients and honestly I’ll try almost anything once, so I gave it a try and am I glad that I did because mint lassi rocks!!  I enjoyed the drink so much Thursday night that first thing the next morning I went out to the weed patch garden and picked fresh mint so that I could enjoy my new found treat again.  We weren’t given a recipe or amounts but were told that the drink can be made as minty, sweet or creamy as one desires.  But I’m thinking that no matter how it’s made, this mint lassi is refreshing and light and a perfect drink for a hot summer afternoon.

Mint Lassi

2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup plain yogurt (I used fat-free)
2 cups ice cubes
seeds from 4 green cardamom pods, pods discarded
4 TBS. Whey Low Gold (brown sugar, agave or sweetener of your choice)

mint leaves for garnish

Put everything but the garnish mint leaves in a bender and process to a slushy consistency.  Pour in glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves.  Serves 4.

Enjoy

Aloo Gobi

Cauliflower was on a great sale recently so I picked up two heads thinking that I’d use one for cauli-rice under a curry and the other I’d do my usual and we’d just enjoy the florets roasted with a bit of garlic, salt & pepper.  But I’ve been craving Indian spice flavors so I thought why not change things up and do something a bit different.  After a quick check in the pantry and knowing that I had potatoes and onions I decided on Aloo Gobi (aloo = potato & gobi = cauliflower).  I was too lazy to actually go and look up a recipe so I prepared this based on partial memory of making it previously and the flavors that I thought should be there.  So this recipe is probably not very authentic but very delicious none the less.  

Aloo Gobi

1 head cauliflower
4 medium potatoes, peeled (I used Russet)
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup fresh minced ginger
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 TBS ground cumin
1 1/2 TBS ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 450F.  Cut the cauliflower into florets and the potatoes into bite-size pieces.  In a large bowl toss the cauliflower and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil then place in single layer on a large foil lined baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.  While the cauliflower & potatoes are baking heat 1 TBS of oil and the butter in a large frying pan.  Add the onions and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the the cumin, turmeric and salt and stirring continuously, cook one minute.  Add the water to the frying pan and stir to combine with the onion-spice mixture.  Remove the baked cauliflower & potatoes from the oven and add them to the skillet.  Toss with the onion-spice mixture until well coated.

Enjoy!

Home Style Chicken Curry and The Secret Recipe Club

I read about a secret recipe club over on Amanda's blog and it immediately intrigued me.  How it works is, each month you are assigned a different participating food blogger and without telling them, you make one of their recipes of your choosing.  Then on a specified date everyone who is participating that month posts their recreation or version of the recipe they made.  I thought, what a great way to find some new food bloggers and try out some different recipes while also forcing encouraging me to post more to my own cooking blog, so I signed up.  So, I’m hoping that this will be my kick in the tush motivation to post more often to my cooking blog.

This is my first month participating and I was assigned Rachel’s Tangerine Kitchen and was beyond excited because Rachel is blogging from India and her blog is overflowing with wonderful international recipes.  I must have spent hours scrolling through all of her recipes and drooling over all the possible things I could make.  I narrowed my selection down to about seventeen dishes…can you tell that I liked Rachel’s blog a lot!!  In the end what really helped me choose was when she wrote about being brought up on the dishes typical of Kerala cuisine and how those were her comfort foods.  I knew right off the bat that we would love Kerala cuisine as the spices that are used in most of the dishes fall right into the flavor profile that Eammon and I love.  In the end I chose her home style chicken curry and when putting together my shopping list I found it quite interesting that the only thing I had to purchase besides the chicken, were the fresh curry leaves and coconut oil as all the required spices are just staples in my pantry.  If that wasn’t telling that we’d love this dish, I don’t know what was. 

Okay I’ll admit that curry isn’t very photogenic being multiple shades of brown but the taste, well that’s a different story as it was wonderfully delicious.  I’ve never cooked with curry leaves and as soon as I started cooking them with the shallots they filled the house with an interesting yet wonderful aroma. 

I found that I adore munching on the slightly crisp curry leaves once they’ve been sautéed with the shallots or onions and it’s good that I liked the curry leaves and that they weigh close to nothing because they are pricy at $30 per pound.

I thought that the curry would be very spicy hot with the chili powder and all the chilies but it just had a mild kick to it.  The recipe made a large amount and we enjoyed it over a few days and Eammon enjoyed it most served over Basmati rice with a mango lassi on the side.

Rachel’s recipe was simple to follow and I made just a few changes (marked in parenthesis).

Home Style Chicken Curry  (adapted from here)

2 TBS coconut oil
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
Curry leaves (I used 12)
1 c. grated coconut
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 TBS.chili powder
2 TBS. coriander powder
(I added 2 tsp. garam masala)
(I added 1 tsp. fennel seeds)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 TBS coconut oil
4 onions, chopped
5 green chilies, stems removed and slit (I used small green Thai chilies)
1 tsp. garlic paste (I used 1.5 tsp. finely minced garlic)
1 tsp. ginger paste-1t  (I used 1.5 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger)
3 tomatoes, chopped
(I added 2 med. potatoes, diced)
2.5 lbs chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
Salt to taste
For tempering
Coconut oil-1T
Shallots-3 peeled, sliced
Curry Leaves

Heat 2 TBS oil in a very large pan. Add the 6 sliced shallots and the curry leaves. When the shallots turn soft and a golden brown, add in the coconut scrapes. Fry until the coconut turns golden brown. Add in the spices and sauté for a few minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, blend the mixture with a little water into a thick paste.

Into the now empty pan add 2 TBS coconut oil, add in sliced onions and the slit green chilies. Sauté until soft and add the ginger, garlic and tomatoes.  Cover and cook until the tomatoes are very soft and start breaking down.  Add in the ground paste and add a few cups of water.  Add the potatoes and cook until they are soft, adding water if necessary.  Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked adding water to make the sauce your desired consistency.  Add salt to taste.
In a small sauté pan, heat oil for tempering. Add in the sliced shallots and the curry leaves. Sauté until the shallots are golden brown. Pour this into the chicken curry.

Enjoy!!

Curried Roast Chicken Pieces with Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrots

A recent commenter on Cook Lisa Cook left a link to one of her recipes, Curried Roast Chicken Leg with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips.  After one look at her recipe, she had me and I was going to be making her recipe…Or my version of it because she was only cooking for one and also, I can never leave good enough alone.

The combination of coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon & chili powder is always a winner for me so I knew that we would love the flavors.  In addition, my friend Trixie recently gave me a big bag of her homegrown sweet potatoes so I’ve been wanting to use some of those and I had all the other ingredients to make this recipe either in my pantry or freezer.  Making this recipe for dinner this week was a no-brainer.

I of course made some changes from the original recipe as I bumped up the spices quite a bit, added carrots because I had so many in the house and because we love it, a lot, LOT more garlic.  I used chicken leg quarters and they just happened to be huge so if you make this recipe, adjust accordingly. 

The recipe was simple to make, one big bowl and a roasting pan so not a lot of dishes.  The only thing to watch out for is, use gloves because I ran out of them and spread the spice mixture on the chicken by hand and now because of the turmeric I’m sporting lovely yellow nails. 

We loved this recipe as the chicken was juicy and tender with a nice crispy and flavorful skin.  The sweet potatoes and carrots were naturally sweet and wonderfully flavored by the spices and the shallots and garlic were mellow and a great addition to the dish.  Even though I put in quite a bit of chili powder the dish was not “hot” spicy in any way and I will probably up the chili powder the next time I make this…and I will be making this wonderful dish again.  We also enjoyed the cucumber & mint raita and even though it wasn’t needed to “cool” the dish it was a very refreshing addition.

Curried Roast Chicken Pieces with Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrots  (Adapted from here)

For the veggies:

1 lb. baby carrots
2-3 medium sweet potato, peeled & cut into sticks similar in size to the carrots
6 large shallots, peeled & halved
20+ cloves garlic, peeled
1 TBS coriander
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS turmeric
1 TBS cinnamon
2 tsp. dark chili powder (or more to taste)
sea salt to taste
melted coconut oil or oil of your choice

For the chicken:

5-6 chicken leg quarters, skin-on, bone-in, fat & excess skin trimmed away 
2 TBS coriander 
2 TBS cumin 
2 TBS turmeric
1 TBS cinnamon 
1 1/2 TBS dark chili powder (or more to taste)
sea salt to taste
melted coconut oil or oil of your choice

Pre-heat oven to 450 F. 

In a large bowl add the spices for the the carrots and sweet potatoes.  Add enough oil to make a mixture that will easily spread on the veggies.  Add the carrots and sweet potatoes and mix to coat all the pieces evenly.

Lightly grease a large shallow roasting pan and add the shallots, cut side down, garlic and the sweet potatoes & carrots.  Place in the hot oven for 10 but not more than 15 minutes while preparing the chicken.   

In the now empty bowl (no need to even wash it out) add the spices for the chicken and enough oil to allow the spice mixture to easily coat the chicken.  Add the chicken to the bowl and spread the spice mixture over the chicken pieces working it under the skin a bit but not fully separating the skin from the meat.

Remove the partially cooked veggies from the oven and place the chicken pieces on top of the veggies.  Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked completely, depending on the size of your chicken pieces, 30-40 minutes.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the chicken pieces to a serving platter and loosely tent with foil.  Turn on the broiler and place the veggies back in the oven for just a few minutes allowing them to crisp up a little more.

Cucumber and Mint Raita
1 cup plain yogurt (I used fat-free Greek yogurt)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed & chopped very finely
handful of mint leaves, chopped very finely
pinch of cumin powder 
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt to taste.  Chill and serve as a side to the chicken and veggies.

Enjoy!

Mango Lassi

Now that the temperature outside is heating up my thoughts turn to cold, refreshing fruity blended drinks like my Melon Agua Fresca…can’t wait for our melons to come in so I can enjoy those again.  I also love creamy fruity drinks and whenever we go out for Indian food I always enjoy a mango lassi.  Lassi is so simple to make at home, I don’t know why I don’t make them more often as all three of us really enjoy them and they can actually be quite healthy.  On Wednesday Maisie and I went to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market and they were giving out taste samples of canned mango pulp.  Maisie absolutely loved it and since they had it at an awesome price I picked up a case so we’ll be enjoying mango lassi and other mango flavored treats this summer.

Mango Lassi

30 oz. frozen or canned mango pulp or fresh mango
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I use either store bought or homemade fat-free Greek yogurt)
2 cups milk (I use skimmed fat-free)
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
sugar to taste (I generally find it sweet enough so I don't add extra)
ice cubes

In a blender combine the mango pulp, yogurt, milk and cardamom and blend until smooth.  Taste and if needed add sugar a little at a time.  I prefer to then pour the mixture over ice but alternately you can add a few cubes of ice to the blender and blend into a thick frosty drink.

Enjoy!!