chana saag

Sometimes, when I'm suffering from a creativity block, all I need to do is take a stroll through Whole Foods... the freezer aisle in particular. Yesterday I did just that and saw a frozen dinner called Chana Saag. I didn't look too closely, I just saw chickpeas and spinach and knew that's what I wanted to eat. Yummmmm.

I made this Indian Style Creamed Spinach a while back and although it was a little complex to make, it was one of the best things I had ever tasted. So, I decided to simplify that recipe, add chickpeas, and call it a day. I can proudly say that it was a very good day.

This recipe can be made either hot or mild depending on what type of curry powder you use, but either way the fragrant spices will be heady and flavorful. The evaporated milk adds just the right amount of natural sweetness and creamy flavor to balance those Indian spices. You can probably use coconut milk in its place, but be sure not to let it come up to a simmer or else it may curdle (I learned that the hard way in previous recipes).

I suggest serving this over rice or with some homemade naan to sop up the sauce. I served mine with some rice and while I usually go for jasmine rice, the Chana Saag was so flavorful that plain white rice did the job nicely.

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curry beef with peas

This recipe was born out of a craving for my mom's meat pies, which I haven't had in YEARS (like, 15 at least?). I don't have the recipe, I just remember that it was some sort of ground beef mixture seasoned with curry and stuffed inside of fluffy bread. They were so good that I couldn't pass them up, even on the day that I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed... "I'll just chew with my front teeth," I told myself. That didn't work so well.

So, I planned to create something similar except stuff the yummy beef filling inside of pie crust as sort of an empanada type thing, but then I realized that was way more work than I was willing to commit to today. Instead, I realized that this beef mixture would be great just served over rice or stuffed into a piece of naan, almost like an Indian taco. Yum. Anyway, I didn't include the rice in the price break down because you don't necessarily have to eat it that way. That's just one option.

To keep costs low, I "beefed up" the beef by adding potatoes and green peas. I always try to bulk up beef, which means not only cutting the cost but adding fiber and other nutrients. WIN.

Because I'm a spicy kinda person, I like this with a little chili garlic paste or sambal on top. But that's just me.


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cucumber raita

I had an email from a reader (sorry, can't find the email to fetch your name!) a while back requesting that I try to make a raita similar to the one she had at Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, I've never had raita and there isn't a Trader Joe's near by where I could get some to try. I looked into the recipe anyway and was intrigued. Raita kind of looks like the Indian version of tzatziki... and I LOVE tzatziki.

So, if you're unfamiliar, both are a yogurt based sauce used for dipping, putting on flat breads, or whatever else you'd like. They're creamy, cooling, and tangy. I looked up some recipes for raita and found that there are a million different versions out there. Some with cucumber, some with ginger, some with green onions, some simply with yogurt and a couple of spices . I liked the idea of having both cucumber and ginger to make it extra "cool" on the palate, so I went with that. You can definitely experiment with this and make it your own.

Full fat, strained (or Greek) yogurt is best for this recipe because it makes a nice thick, rich sauce. I happened to have some non-fat regular (not Greek) yogurt in my fridge so I used it instead of buying more. It was still delicious, although much thinner. It was still flavorful and went great with my Tandoori Chicken Bites. I also like the idea of adding a pinch of cayenne to juxtapose the cool cucumber and ginger... I might go add some now :)

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tandoori chicken bites

A week or so ago, I got a wonderful email from a fellow New Orleanian (is that a word?) who said she had seen some yummy looking tandoori chicken nuggets at Whole Foods and she wondered if I could try my hand at making some. Well, I ran right out to that very same Whole Foods, bought the chicken nuggets to taste them, and set to work making my own.

I think I achieved a pretty close replica! Neither nuggets (store bought or my own) are breaded, but if you prefer a breaded nugget, the marinade would make an excellent base to adhere some bread crumbs too. I thought about it, but in the end didn't feel like breading would mix well with the tandoori flavor.

The tandoori spice mix that I used for this recipe was adapted from this recipe. Since most of the marinade is wiped off prior to baking, it wasn't at all spicy. I wanted mine spicy, so next time I think I'll sprinkle on a little bit more cayenne just before baking.

I baked the nuggets because that's just what you do with nuggets, but realized later that it would have been much faster and easier to just toss them onto my George Foreman grill. They'd be a little bit flatter on the grill, but SO much less time and effort.

Oh, and in anticipation of these chicken bites being spicy (which they weren't), I made a cooling raita dipping sauce to go along side. That will be posted later today!

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pineapple ginger lassi

I may have stumbled upon the most refreshing drink on the planet. ...well, one of the most refreshing drinks, anyway.

If you've never heard of a lassi, it's a drink made with yogurt, spices, and sometimes fruit or other ingredients. It's super light, super fresh, and just plain revitalizing. What I LOVE about this drink is how the tart plain yogurt really adds a bright zing. Add in some peppery ginger, and "zing" might be an understatement!

This lassi is lighter and fresher tasting than my usual smoothie, so it's great when I don't want to feel really full. I normally opt for frozen fruit rather than ice cubes in my smoothies, but I wanted this drink to be a "drink" and not a thick, meal-like smoothie. The ice makes it a super cold, liquidy beverage. I used plain yogurt because that's what I always have in my fridge, and I didn't want the flavors muddled by vanilla. Vanilla yogurt would probably be good too, but it will definitely be more dessert like. Also, if you use vanilla yogurt, you may not need as much honey.

One more note: if you're not into fresh ginger, you might try a different spice like cinnamon or cardamom. The fresh ginger in this drink is quite spicy... but that was my favorite part.

Seriously, after a super hard workout, this drink is HEAVEN.

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coconut lentils

One of my all-time favorite, easy side dishes is coconut jasmine rice. So, I started thinking that if cooking rice in coconut milk was so good, maybe cooking lentils in coconut milk would be too? It sure was!

I basically followed the same formula: coconut milk, a little garlic, and a little salt. This time I also added a little turmeric for flavor and color. I kept it simple and mild because I wanted to pair it with the Indian Style Creamed Spinach, which was pretty spicy. If you want to dress these lentils up a bit, you could add a little red pepper (which I did for garnish on a couple photos), or maybe even a little cinnamon! Any way you do it, this dish is quick, easy, and delicious.

I've been just putting the spinach and lentils in one dish for lunch, heating them up together, and taking them both up in one delicious spoonful. They're made for each other!

**It's very important to note that red lentils are different in texture than green or brown lentils. They break down much more and cook faster than the other two. They are like the split pea of the lentil family!

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indian style creamed spinach$8.41 recipe / $2.10 serving

I fell in love with a new blog last week, it's called US Masala. Lots of delicious looking Indian dishes with gorgeous photos. Because I adore creamed spinach AND Indian spices, I immediately wanted to make this Palak Paneer.

Unfortunately, my homemade paneer (fresh cheese) didn't turn out so stellar and I didn't have all of the ingredients that were called for in the Palak Paneer recipe, so what I ended up with was basically just creamed spinach with an Indian flare. And I'll admit, throughout the entire process of making this dish I kept thinking, "oh boy, this isn't working out..." Until the end when it all magically came together and turned into the best tasting spinach I've ever had!

My cost got kind of out of control, so I flubbed there too. To stretch this recipe out further and reduce the cost per serving, you can serve it over rice, or add some cubes of cooked potatoes. The high cost was partly due to the fact that I got a little lazy and picked up half of my ingredients at Whole Foods instead of stopping at my regular grocery store. I definitely could have gotten a better price on some of these items (the tomato, spinach, and onion for example). Lesson learned.

But, I have to say it again, this is the best spinach I've ever had. Ever. You just have to get over the fact that it looks like green goop.

NOTE: Many have found this dish to be too spicy. So, I would suggest starting with 1/4 tsp cayenne and adding more at the end to taste.

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tandoori chicken dinner

One of the hardest parts of beginning to cook for yourself is learning how to combine dishes to make a well rounded, satisfying meal without a bunch of leftover ingredients. So, I'm going to start my complete meal idea series back up!

This first meal is just a combination of a few of my favorite Indian inspired dishes. They're all easy, all super flavorful, and, of course, customizable. Because Indian food tends to be heavy on the spices, the list of ingredients from "my pantry" may seem long, but it's really just a bunch of spices. I don't expect everyone to have a spice pantry as well stocked as mine, so please be aware that you can substitute and improvise. For instance, if you don't have both garam masala and curry powder, you can use either one for both recipes and they'll still be delicious. Also, here is a simple recipe for mixing up your own garam masala spice blend.

Just one special note: the longer the chicken marinates, the better it tastes! So start it the night before or in the morning for best results! Also, buy family sized packs of chicken for the lowest price. Divide and freeze unused portions as soon as you get home from the store.

This meal includes:

Tandoori Chicken Kebabs (double batch) $7.95
Quick Curried Chickpeas $3.16
Yellow Jasmine Rice $1.54
Total: $12.65
Serves: 6


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turmeric chicken

I fell in love with Indian food last year and have craved it ever since. I've experimented here and there but it's still completely uncharted territory to me. I recently discovered the show Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel and I watch it whenever I get a few spare minutes.

Last week I saw her make this Chicken South Indian Style and was totally inspired. Sure, I didn't have *any* of the spices called for in the recipe, nor did I have time to go hunt them down, but cooking is all about improvising. My yellow jasmine rice is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I've ever made for the blog, so I decided to use a similar mix of spices for this recipe.

And of course, there is the jasmine rice. So simple, so aromatic, SO important. This dish just wouldn't be the same without the jasmine rice. It's worth hunting down if your local market doesn't have it. Ethnic markets or major supermarkets with well stocked ethnic aisles should carry jasmine rice in large, 5 lb. bags, which will be a fraction of the cost of the small "gourmet" rice brands. Check the bottom shelf, it's usually hiding there.

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curry roasted cauliflower

Cauliflower was on sale!

It's a rare occasion when the price of cauliflower is what I consider to be reasonable, so when it happens, I take advantage. Roasting cauliflower is (IMHO) one of the best ways to prepare this vegetable. I love garlic parmesan roasted cauliflower, but sometimes I need to switch it up.

This recipe is incredibly simple. The mild, roasted cauliflower is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and fresh peas. I used hot curry powder and I even added some red pepper flakes just to liven things up. Rest assured, if you're not a spicy person, this will still be fantastic with a mild curry powder!

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yellow jasmine rice

Okay, this is a pretty big statement to make, but... This is the best rice I've ever had.

Yep. The flavor was simply out of this world. The aroma as it cooked almost gave me a high. Plain white rice is dead to me now.

If you follow the blog you're probably familiar with how much I love jasmine rice. I don't know how I lived my whole life without knowing about it, but since discovering it a year or two ago, I just can't stop. It's incredible. If you haven't tried jasmine rice yet, get to the store NOW and buy some.

Jasmine rice is naturally fragrant and has the most wonderfully rich, mellow, and almost nutty flavor. You can find it at most major supermarkets either in the Asian section or in the rice section (usually on the bottom shelf). It can be pricy if you buy one of those small specialty brand containers but if you buy the actual Asian brand (in large bags, bottom shelf), its just as inexpensive as regular rice. Also check bulk bins. Some stores will have jasmine rice (white AND brown) in bulk.

Anyway, I decided to kick up the jasmine rice by adding a few spices and something magical happened. The turmeric and cumin added to the rich, nutty flavor of the jasmine rice and the little pinch of cinnamon added just a hint of spicy sweetness... like hitting the cymbals on a drum kit. The first bite was so good, I swear I saw angels.

Okay, if you haven't been weirded out by my rice-love manifesto, here's the recipe:

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mango pineapple chutney

I'll admit, for a long time I didn't know exactly what chutney was. All I knew is that it looked like little jars of jam when I saw it at the store... but why wasn't it with the rest of the jams? It had to be something special.

Right I was. Traditionally, chutney can indicate any number of ground up, paste like condiments served along side a meal, regardless of the ingredients. Americanized chutney is more like jam, often containing sugar, an acid component (vinegar or citrus juice), onion, some sort of fruit or vegetable and a healthy does of spices. This is the type of chutney I made and it was nothing short of magical.

I made the chutney with the intent of serving it over the tandoori kebabs but have ended up eating it on crackers alone or along with a smear of cool, creamy goat cheese. I can also easily imagine this sweet, spicy and tangy chutney dressing up a simple piece of grilled fish, pork or chicken.

This recipe made a huge batch (four cups), half of which I froze. Cutting it in half should be fairly easy, just use one mango, a small can of pineapple and halve the rest.


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quick curried chick peas

I used to be really intimidated by Indian food. The flavors are deep and complex and the recipes often call for ingredients that are foreign to even a foodie like me. Despite this, I'm just so drawn in by the flavors, aromas and colors. I've been experimenting with Indian flavors a lot over the past few months and have noticed that as long as you have a jar of curry powder and a jar of garam masala, you can fake some pretty good Indian food. By no means is it authentic but it's similar and it still tastes incredible.

These curried chick peas are like a pared down version of Chana Masala. It's super quick and makes a great side dish or vegetarian main dish. I've been eating this along side my tandoori chicken kebabs and dipping naan in the rich tomatoey sauce. I'd also love to try them tucked into a pita pocket, maybe with some cheese and fresh cilantro... or perhaps with a poached egg on top! YUM. So versatile.

I used hot curry powder and I still didn't find this recipe to be too spicy. If you want a little heat, you can always throw in some cayenne pepper or dice up a hot pepper and saute it with the onions and garlic in the first step.


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tandoori chicken kebabs

Ahhh, I'm really excited about this one. This has to be one of the best chicken marinades I've ever made. The best part is, you could use this marinade for just about anything, you don't have to make kebabs! Marinate whole chicken breasts, chicken thighs, vegetables or even tofu... The marinade is just plain fantastic.

The tandoori marinade comes together fairly quickly but you'll want to let it sit, soak and marinate for at least four hours if not over night. So, think ahead just a bit and prepare this the night before. Then when you're ready to cook, just take it out, slap it on the grill (or George Foreman) and you'll be eating in no time.

If you don't have any turmeric, I'd be confident saying the marinade will still be killer. Curry powder would also be pretty awesome in there.

Oh yeah, I buy large, 5 lb. packs of chicken breasts for the discounted price and then freeze packs of two. So, this recipe calls for two breasts which gave me about three servings (2 kebabs each). The amount of marinade that this recipe makes could easily support four chicken breasts. Any more than that and you'll want to double the marinade ingredients.


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(not) butter chicken

Okay, I don't really know what this recipe is but I DO know that I started with a recipe for butter chicken (which may not have been all that authentic to begin with) and then it was changed it up to fit my wants, needs and supplies.

The result? Absolutely, freaking delicious. It's spicy, tangy and super aromatic. This is one of those dishes that makes me look forward to eating my lunch every day... even though I've eaten the same thing for the past three days. The left overs are every bit as delicious as day one.

Garam masala is a major flavor component for this dish and can't be skipped. In regular grocery stores it can be pricy (low demand in the general public) so search out ethnic grocery stores, you'll pay a fraction of the price. You can also mix up your own garam masala from individual spices. There are many recipes for garam masala online, one of which can be found here. If any of you routinely buy spices online, please share your experience, favorite merchant and buying tips in the comments section below.

One more note about chicken: boneless, skinless breasts can cost you an arm and a leg if you don't buy them right. First, shop sales. Second, ALWAYS buy value packs. I buy my chicken breasts in a 5 lb. pack and it costs at least $1 less per pound that way. As soon as I get home from the store, I divide the pack up into bags of two breasts each (thats usually what I use per recipe) and refreeze. It only takes about 5-10 minutes and I save at least $5. I actually intended to use chicken thighs for this recipe but buying the breasts in the value pack was less expensive per pound than chicken thighs. Imagine that.


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naan

And now for the much anticipated Naan recipe!

If you're unfamiliar with naan, it is basically just an Indian style flat bread. Okay, maybe it's not "just" flat bread. This stuff is AMAZING. It is soft, pillowy, full of lovely bubbles and so extremely versatile. You can eat this along side of a meal to sop up gravies and juices, you can make flat bread sandwiches with it, top it with tomato sauce and cheese for a quick personal pizza, use it in place of tortillas for quesadillas... the possibilities are endless!!

This recipe is so quick, easy and delicious that it is most definitely my new favorite yeast bread recipe. I can't quite get enough of it. My favorite way to eat it so far is to use it for my breakfast quesadillas or to just melt some mozzarella in it with a slight sprinkle of garlic powder... oh, it's divine!

Big props to The Novice Chef blog for posting the original recipe. I looked at so many recipes before making naan and this was the simplest, most delicious looking recipe that required me to buy the fewest number of ingredients (just the yogurt!).


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dal nirvana

Things are a little tight this month so I made a resolution to use up all (or a lot) of the food that I have in my pantry and freezer. Sure, I should always be doing this anyway but exciting recipes always seem to entice me into trying (and buying) new things.

Anyway, I have two huge bags of lentils (a.k.a. "dal") sitting in my pantry that have been waiting for their day in the spot light. I saw this recipe for Dal Nirvana over on Steamy Kitchen and it looked so scrumptious that I had to try it. The best part is that the ingredient list is mostly items that I already have. Indian recipes are tricky because they usually include ingredients that I don't have nor have I ever heard of! This recipe, on the other hand is different. It's simple, it's delicious, it's super filling and I'd happily eat it every day.

I served the Dal with some simple, steamed jasmine rice and homemade naan (Indian flat bread). The recipe for the naan will be up in a couple of days... it turned out AMAZING!


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