Spicy Romaka Chicken

This is the maka version of the Spicy Romano Chicken i had at Johnny Carino's the other night.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1 pound pasta of your choice (i've used bow-ties and whole-wheat penne)


• 5 tablespoons butter, divided


• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced


• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped


• 1 red bell pepper, chopped


• 4 green onions, white and green tops


• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, dry packed, cut into strips


• 1 can artichokes packed in water, chopped


• 1 pint heavy cream


• 1/2 cup shredded romano cheese


• salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the broiler and broil salted and peppered chicken breasts 4-6 inches from heat for 6-7 minutes, then turn and broil another 8 minutes or so until internal temperature reaches 160°F.

Meanwhile heat a pot of salted water to boiling and cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, drain and toss with 2 tablespoons butter.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in skillet and sauté mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper.

When chicken is done, slice thinly or dice and add to skillet.

Add green onions, sun dried tomatoes, and artichokes to skillet. Continue to sauté until everything is heated through and onions have wilted.

Add heavy cream to skillet and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by almost half, about 7 minutes. Add romano and stir until melted. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Enchilada Lasagna

This was a huge hit! We mixed up a batch of guacamole to serve on the side. You can use ricotta instead of the cottage cheese if you like. It's my preference, but a couple of my family members have a strong dislike for ricotta.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: about 1 hour
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 32 ounces small-curd cottage cheese


• 1 pound sausage (I used turkey breakfast sausage because I had it on hand. Chorizo would be great.)


• 2-4 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, diced


• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed


• 1 pound cooked diced or shredded chicken


• 2 large eggs


• 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated


• 3-4 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce


• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions

Empty container of cottage cheese into a strainer. Rinse with cool water and allow to drain.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in large skillet. Add jalapeños just before sausage is done and continue cooking until sausage has no remaining pink. Add corn and chicken to the skillet and stir to combine. Continue stirring occasionally over medium heat until heated through.

Combine eggs and drained cottage cheese in food processor. Pulse. Curds should be broken up and eggs should be mixed well with cheese.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Begin layering:

1. Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce over bottom of 9" x 13" casserole dish.


2. Place 4 lasagna noodles on top of sauce.


3. Spread one-third of cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles.


4. Spread one-half of meat mixture on top of cottage cheese mixture.


5. Top with 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese.


6. Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce over cheese.


7. Top with 4 lasagna noodles.


8. Spread half of remaining cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles.


9. Top with remaining meat mixture.


10. Add half of remaining grated cheese.


11. Pour remaining sauce over cheese.


12. Place last 4 lasagna noodles on top of sauce.


13. Spread remaining cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles.


14. Top with remaining Monterey Jack.

Bake 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

The raita and naan recipes are over here.

Curry Paste

Store this paste in your fridge. It gives an amazingly rich flavor. If you can't find the curry leaves in a local store, you can get them here.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole coriander seeds


• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds


• 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds


• 1 tablespoon whole fenugreek seeds


• 2 dried red chiles


• 2-3 curry leaves


• 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder


• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric


• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar


• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

Grind whole spices (seeds, chiles, leaves) into a powder. Transfer to a bowl and add the ground spices, use a fork to mix the spices together. Add the wine vinegar and stir to a thick paste. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water and stir to form a paste.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a small skillet or a wok and stir-fry the spice paste for about 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Allow to cool slightly before spooning into airtight jars.

Smooth the top of the curry paste, then heat another 2 tablespoons oil in a clean pan and carefully pour on top of the paste in the jar to help prevent mold while refrigerated.

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Saffron Rice

This delicious rice will make everybody happy. My whole-grain-resistant husband loved it!

Prep: 5 minutes
Soak: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Stand: 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups brown rice (basmati if you can find it)


• 3 cups water


• 3 green cardamom pods


• 2 whole cloves


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 3 tablespoons milk


• 1/2 teaspoon saffron

Directions

Wash rice in cold water. Soak in fresh cold water for 20 minutes.

Drain soaked rice and place in a saucepan. Pour in the water. Add the cardamom, cloves, and salt. Stir, then bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the milk and saffron in a microwave-safe container. Heat for 1 minute on low heat.

Add the saffron milk to the rice and stir. Cover again and continue cooking over a low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat without lifting the lid. Leave the rice to stand for about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork just before serving.

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Chicken Jahlfrezi

Um... I really don't know what to say. This is one of the most complexly-flavored dishes I've made in a while. There is so much going on with the spices here, from the handmade curry paste to the fried whole cumin seeds to the blend of spices added during cooking. And note that you have cilantro in three forms here: whole seeds (coriander = cilantro), ground seeds, and fresh leaves. This dish is traditionally quite hot, too, so feel free to use any type of chile pepper you like, with as much heat as you want.

Sometimes I cheat and chop the veggies, etc. as I go - you do not want to do that with this recipe. You won't have time. Chop it all up-front. I even found it helpful to have the spices measured and prepared beforehand on this one.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil


• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds


• 1 onion, finely chopped


• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped (I use red; my husband can't eat green bell peppers)


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 3/4-inch piece of ginger root, minced


• 1 tablespoon curry paste (see above)


• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder


• 1 teaspoon ground coriander


• 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes


• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes


• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Directions

Heat oil in wok and fry cumin seeds for 30-40 seconds until they begin to splutter. Add onion, peppers, garlic and ginger and fry for 6-8 minutes.

Add curry paste to the pan and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, coriander, cumin and salt. Add 1 Tbsp water. Stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

Add chicken and stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and half of fresh cilantro. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle remaining fresh cilantro on top.

I had a big delicious meal planned for tonight, but my husband's grandmother needed to go to the ER (fortunately she is okay) so dinner sort of got scrapped. I ended up eating leftovers from last night while my son made dinner for himself and his girlfriend.

However, I could NOT let this dessert go undone!

Creamy Peach Crisp Pie

This is so delicious... my mouth is very, very happy right now!

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Cool: 3 hours
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• pie crust to fit 9-inch pie pan (make your own or buy one)


• 4 cups sliced, peeled peaches


• 2 tablespoons peach preserves


• 1 cup sugar


• 1 cup sour cream


• 3 egg yolks


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1/4 cup flour

Topping:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour


• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/4 cup cold butter, sliced thinly

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place the crust in your pie plate. Trim the edges. Combine the peaches and preserves, set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla. When well-combined, whisk in flour a little at a time. Transfer peach mixture to pie crust, then pour batter over the peaches.

Bake for 30 minutes. While baking, combine topping ingredients except butter in the mixing bowl of a food processor with the "S" blade attached. When well-mixed, add butter piece by piece with processor running, allowing to process until the mixture resembles damp sand.

Sprinkle topping over pie. Shield edges of crust with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Bake another 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool pie completely on a wire rack for 3 hours before serving. Store the pie in the refrigerator (if there is any left!)

Sesame Ginger Chicken

Soooo easy! And soooo delicious, too. ;)

Prep: 10 minutes
Marinate: 1 hour to overnight
Cook: varies
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced


• 3 tablespoons minced or grated fresh ginger root


• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes


• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil


• 1/4 cup (untoasted) sesame oil


• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


• 1/3 cup tamari (soy sauce)


• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into "chicken tender" sized pieces

Directions

Combine all ingredients except the chicken. Pour marinade over chicken in container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Stovetop: Using tongs, remove chicken to skillet. Pour marinade over chicken in skillet. Cook on medium-high, covered, for 15-20 minutes, turning chicken once or twice. Remove cover and simmer on medium to medium-low until most of marinade has reduced to about half the original volume, turning chicken pieces often.

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Garlic Rice

This is delicious all by itself, and is a perfect side dish for this chicken.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40-50 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice


• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise


• 2 cups water

Directions

Rinse rice several times. Place in saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until water has evaporated and rice just begins to smell warm and nutty. Add garlic and water. Stir and bring to a boil, immediately lower heat to the lowest simmer you can get on your stove, and cover the pan. Do not remove the cover! When your timer goes off you may lift the cover slightly to see if the water seems to be completely absorbed, and remove a few grains to check for doneness. Try to be as quick as possible so you don't let out any extra steam. If done, remove from heat, leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. If not done, let cook another few minutes and check again. You will eventually figure out exactly how long your particular stove takes!

You can do this with white rice, too; cooking time will be 15-20 minutes.

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Tonight's Salad

Play with the ingredients to suit you!

Prep: 7 minutes
Servings: 4 very generous servings, probably 6-8 regular servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 2-1/4 teaspoons rice vinegar


• 2-1/2 teaspoons tamari (soy sauce)


• 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons honey


• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger


• 1 clove garlic, grated


• 3/4 teaspoon Huy Fong Chili-Garlic Sauce


• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil


• 2 tablespoons plus 2-1/4 teaspoons salad oil


• 1 teaspoon lightly toasted sesame seeds


• 5 ounces mixed salad greens - I prefer a half-and-half baby spinach/spring mix


• 4 white mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced


• 1/2 of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced


• 2 thin slices of red onion


• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions

Combine first 9 ingredients in a jar. Shake well. Heating the honey slightly can help it mix better. Toss with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.