Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
From the Kitchen of Amy Day

Ingredients:

Chicken (2-3 breasts or bone-in chicken breasts)
Plain Yogurt
3-5 TBSP Butter
1 small onion, diced
1 TBSP fresh ginger
1 TBSP Garam Masala Blend
1/2-1 tsp each of gound ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and curry powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBSP fresh garlic, minced
1-2 boxes of creamy tomato soup
half and half





1.  Cook some chicken (I like to roast bone-in, skin on breasts, but I'm sure you can handle this part on your own.  I think it's best for this recipe if you marinate your chicken in plain yogurt before cooking, but basically a few chicken breasts cooked any way will work).
2.  In a large pot, melt a few tbsps of butter and sautee a diced onion in it.  Add about 1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger.  Cook over low heat for a while.  (It's important to use fresh ginger.  While there are other spices that go into it, they're not "spicy" at all, and the fresh ginger is really the one thing that adds any heat).
3.  Add your spices.  I start with about a tbsp of garam masala blend, and then I add about 1/2 tsp each from the list of ingredients in garam masala (increase quantities of these things if you don't have garam masala): ground ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom (go a little heavier), cumin (go a little lighter), and curry powder.  Cook the spices with the onion and ginger for a little while (you might need to add more butter).  Add a decent amount of salt and pepper. 
4.  Throw in a tbsp of minced fresh garlic.  Cook for a little while.
5.  Add any creamy tomato soup.  I get boxes of it from Henry's.  I use about 2 boxes for this, depending on how much I'm making (I like to keep a large quantity in the fridge for the week); 1 box is fine for a small quantity.  Sometimes I do 1 box of creamy tomato soup and one can of diced tomatoes.
6.  Rip or chop up your chicken and add it.  Cook it all for a while.  Taste the broth, and if it's underseasoned, add cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg or curry powder.
7.  Add a splash of half-and-half to make it as creamy as you want it.  More is tastier, but more calories :)
The traditional way to serve it is with jasmine rice and naan bread.  Since that's not the healthiest, I've been eating it over lentils lately, and that's super yummy.  I've also been adding a lot of various light-colored beans and cauliflower to bulk it up and add nutritional value.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle
From the Kitchen of Kristin Sumption (The Domestic Doozie)


Ingredients


  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it's fresh)

Directions

  1. Tape Parchment paper down on your countertop. In a glass bowl, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook in microwave for 6 to 7 minutes on High (700 W); mixture should be bubbly and peanuts browned. Stir in butter and vanilla; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
  2. Quickly stir in baking soda, just until mixture is foamy. Pour immediately onto parchment paper. Let cool 15 minutes, or until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container. *You may need to alter the cooking times based on the wattage of your microwave.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Healthy Turkey Chili

Healthy Turkey Chili,
From the kitchen of April Warner


Chop up one small onion and a medium sized pepper.  If you want to add more vegetables you can-it really doesn't add a lot of calories. Spray a small amount of pam (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan lightly) into a pot that you will later use for the chili) and stir fry the vegetables. Side note- I always use pam as opposed to oil or butter.  You only need a small amount! a lot less calories!
In the mean time, get the lean ground turkey (I use about a pound usually-depends on what the package has in it or how much I have prebagged/frozen before hand I think yours was a little over a pound if I remember right) and brown the meat and drain the grease.  I don't add anything (oil, etc) to the pan when I brown this.  If you want to make it spicy, you can add chili powder and crushed red peppers.  
After the meat is browned, put it into the pot with the vegetables.
Add 1 cup of kidney beans and 1cup of black beans.  I actually experiment with different types of beans sometimes but those are the types I used when I made yours.  I usually get low sodium when available.
Add 46oz (about a large can) of tomato juice.  I use low sodium, 100% juice. Heat the whole mixture until it boils.  If you want, you can add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar.  It just helps with the taste and will only add about 30 cals to the entire recipe.  Depending on how liquidy or thick you want it depends on how much juice you use.
The calories will vary slightly depending on brands you use, but it shouldn't vary too much.  The only time it should significantly vary is if you use different types of meat (lean vs not lean), etc.  Also, the weight of the meat will cause it to vary a bit if it is a pound vs 17oz or something.  Other than that, it should be about the same as I told you last time (116 calories I think it was).  I calculated it again and it was within a few calories per serving (with different brands).

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar
From the kitchen of Brittney Beard

1 can of back beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of shoepeg corn (drained and rinsed)
chopped jalepenos (about 4-5 depending on how much kick you want it to have)
1 whole red onion (chopped)
3 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and diced)
A LOT of fresh cilantro
1/2 a bottle of Italian Dressing

Mix all together and enjoy with triscuits or tortilla chips!


So tasty....I personally sampled some of this tonight and it was amazing! I can't wait to make it myself! It's perfect for parties!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Homemade Pizza Dough

Homemade Pizza Dough
From the kitchen of Melissa Williamson

Items needed: Bread Machine

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Warm Water
2 TBSP EVOO
4 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

Put into bread maker in that exact order, before adding yeast, make a well in the middle of the flour and then add.

This dough makes enough for two pizzas. I typically use one and then put one in the freezer (in a ziploc baggie) for the following week!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Cashew Chicken

I am making this tonight (I found it on Pinterest):

Cashew Chicken
by eclectic recipes


Cashew Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped
8 cloves garlic
1 cup cashews
1 bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
8 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 water or chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
steamed white rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook white rice according to package directions. Preheat large skillet or wok over low heat. Add olive oil, garlic and cashews to skillet. Saute over low heat until garlic becomes golden, but don't let the garlic brown, or it will become bitter.
2. Salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add cornstarch to a small bowl with the water and mix well. Add cornstarch and water to chicken. Then add hoisin sauce and vinegar. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Just before serving, add green onions and serve with rice.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Pesto, Sausage Pasta

Pesto, Sausage Pasta
From the Kitchen of Stephanie

Here is a recipe that is super simple that my kids have been gobbling up lately.

What you need:

Your favorite Pesto (I prefer the fresh one from Trader Joe's or homemade)
Your favorite Pasta (We have been enjoying the High Fiber, Mini Penne Pasta from Trader Joe's)
Your favorite Sausage (We like the chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage from Trader Joe's)
Your favorite veggies (We have used peas, broccoli, and brussel sprouts)

What you need to do:

***Before starting anything put water on stove to start boiling for pasta

1. Dice and cut your sausage (I have found that one link per adult and 1 link per 2 kids works out well) and then throw it in a non-stick pan and brown it (I don't put anything in the pan...don't want those extra calories).

2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed. (I tend to do a 1/2 cup of pasta per person eating and then we end up with a little left over for the next day for a lunch or a quick meal the next night)

3. When the pasta has about 4-5 minutes left, throw in your veggies (if it's peas or broccoli) and cook until desire tenderness. (if you're making brussel sprouts, I prefer to sauté them in a non-stick pan with a little bit of diced onion and garlic to brown them).

4. Once everything is cooked, drain pasta and veggies and add back to the pot. Then take 1-2 tablespoon fulls of pesto and add to the pasta and stir, then add the sausage!

Enjoy!

Chicken With Rice Soup

Chicken with Rice Soup
From the Kitchen of Emma Caro

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder (this is to season the chicken with when you cook it)
Better Than Boullion
32 oz of Water
Near East Rice Pilaf
Carrots (chopped)

1.Bake the Chicken breasts in the oven (I usually bake chicken in the oven at 375 for about 35 minutes)...once done shred or dice
2. Dissolve Better than Boullion (BTB) in the 32oz of water in a big pot on the stove (I followed the measurements for BTB for how much to add to that amount of water, but it's really to taste)
3. Add the rice and contents of the seasoning pouch from the Near East Rice Pilaf
4. If you want to add Carrots, now is the time to add them.
5. Bring to a boil
6. When rice is just about cooked through, throw in the chicken and let it all cook together until the rice is done. (You can add more broth depending on how thick or thin you like your soup)
7. Give a final taste test and adjust salt and pepper if needed
8. Serve with warm bread :)

Friday, August 17, 2012

Easy Beef Taquitos

These look amazing to me! On the site Women Living Well, she has posted another fabulous recipe link for Homemade Beef Taquitos.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Triple Berry Cobbler

Tripple Berry Cobbler On a site that I follow, Women Living Well, they posted this amazing recipe that I wanted to share: Triple Berry Cobbler

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
Found on Pinterest
This is a Martha Stewart Recipe



Ingredients
4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)
Directions
. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.
. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
. Add beans and beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.