Chicken Tikka Masala

I love Indian food and I have for too long been intimidated by the idea of cooking it myself. I had never heard of so many of the spices, nevermind know where to track them down. Thankfully I've discovered Uncle Sam's Good and Healthy Products, a natural food store downtown where I can buy bulk spices for soo cheap. Chicken Tikka Masala was the first dish I tried, because it merely required Garam Masala (available at Uncle Sam's and even Price Chopper) and a few other spices I could easily attain in powder form. I'll someday work my way up to the whole pods and seeds spices. Maybe.

If you have Garam Masala, you can make this dish. My rendition is a little more health conscious... a cup and a half of heavy cream is a little ridiculous and in my opinion detracts from the depth of the dish.

Chicken Tikka Masala
adapted from Pastor Ryan's recipe
Serves 4

3 chicken breasts
salt + pepper
ground coriander
cumin, to taste
½ cups plain yogurt
6 tablespoons butter (I used 4)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 chunk (approximately 2 inches) fresh ginger (I used 1.5 inches)
3 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 can (28 ounce) crushed or diced tomatoes
1 Jalapeno or Serrano chili, diced (optional)
chopped cilantro
sugar
1-½ cup heavy cream (I used 2/3 cup of light cream)
2 cups basmati rice
1 tsp turmeric

Preheat broiler. Season chicken with some cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Coat on all sides with plain yogurt (I used Chobani greek) and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 7 minutes on each side. If you don't have yogurt, I've been lazy before and just grilled seasoned chicken in a George Foreman, or even use leftover cooked chicken. While the chicken is cooking, Start making your sauce. Grate the ginger. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, and add the onions and garlic. After they are slightly browned, add the grated ginger (if you don't have fresh, use a teaspoon of powdered, or to taste). Throw in the chili here if you want it spicy, then add the Garam Masala. Next add the can of tomatoes, scraping the bottom of the pan to stir it up. I prefer crushed, but diced works fine too. Add a tablespoon or so of sugar, or to taste. Turn heat to medium low and let simmer.

Meanwhile make your rice. You can make it in a rice cooker or on the stove. Add 2 cups of rice and 4 cups water, the turmeric and the remaining butter. If you're using a rice cooker, turn on and walk away. For stove top, let it boil and then cover and turn to low until done, and try not to open the lid too much for steam to escape.

Return to your sauce and add the cream. When your chicken is done, chop into bite size pieces and stir into the sauce. When your rice is almost done, throw in some frozen peas and let the heat of the steam cook them. Serve your Chicken Tikka Masala over the cooked rice and top with chopped cilantro.

Chicken Pesto Cream Pasta with Artichokes

Pasta is usually my go to meal when I haven’t planned out my dinner or am facing a shortage of groceries. Needless to say I’ve come up with some pretty creative ways to throw together an interesting pasta meal. I use my base creamy pesto sauce, and then I just throw in whatever is in the fridge and I’ve got a delicious and colorful meal.

Chicken Pesto Cream Pasta with Artichokes
Serves 2

2 cups grilled/cooked chicken
1 cup artichokes (canned or frozen)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
2 tbsp prepared pesto
2 chicken boullion cubes or 1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
4 oz egg noodles
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
Fresh parsley for garnish

First chop your onion, prepare all other the ingredients for throwing together. Cook onion in olive oil on in a medium shallow pan for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add white wine to deglaze the pan, then add artichokes and let reduce until half. Meanwhile, cook your pasta in a pot with water and the boullion cubes/chicken broth. This infuses flavor into your pasta. Once the pasta is almost al dente, drain out the liquid and add the reduced onion/artichoke/wine mixture. Add cream, pesto, and red pepper strips to the pot. Stir until the saucy liquid is almost completely absorbed. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Pollo Torta (Grilled Mexican Sandwich)

I was inspired by my recent trip to San Diego, where Mexican food is abundant, cheap, and delicious. It was also the first time I came across the Mexican torta, which is a sandwich characterized by its crusty bread and is garnished by a variety of toppings like avocado, sour cream, jalapeños and lettuce. This is an awesome dish to make for lunch with leftover taco night ingredients. My rendition was Panini style and I used Tuscan Pane bread because that’s what I had.

Pollo Torta (Grilled Mexican Sandwich)
2 slices of bread
½ avocado, sliced (or prepared guacamole if you have it)
a spoonful of refried beans
½ cup cooked chicken (or any other meat if you have it)
¼ cup pico de gallo
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese, or 1 slice
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt + pepper to taste
Lime juice
Sour cream

Preheat your Panini press (or George Foreman). Spread refried beans on one slice of bread. Season your chicken with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice to your taste, and add that over the bean layer. If your chicken is already seasoned, just add them. Next place the avocado slices, and then pico de gallo (a chunky salsa with little liquid, if you only have runny salsa don’t add it ). Top with cheddar cheese and the bread. Grill for 5 minutes or until done. Top with sour cream and additional salsa.