Archives
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Dec | Feb » | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Pork and Kale Chili
In spite of this dish having kale, this was a big, big hit. A great dish to make in this chilly weather.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound good quality ground pork
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 14 ounces can chopped fire roasted tomatoes with chili
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 14 ounces can of any kind of beans (I used black and pinto), washed and drained
- Salt
- 10 ounces baby kale, chopped
Heat a heavy large pan with olive oil. Add the ground pork and cook on medium heat, separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the ground cumin, ancho chili and oregano and continue cooking and browning for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and a teaspoon of salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and beans and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to stir. Take lid off and add the kale and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the kale is wilted and cooked through. Check for seasonings and garnish with cheese and serve.
Minced Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
- 1 pound minced chicken (thighs)
- 1 tablespoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Add the chicken to a medium bowl. Dissolve the corn starch in the rice vinegar and tamari. Add the corn starch mixture, mix well and marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Keep refrigerated.
Sauce
- ¼ cup black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
Mix the black bean and sweet chili sauce. Keep aside.
- 2 to 3 bunches broccolini, cut the tops off and chop; cut the green stalks and chop, keep aside
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 inch ginger, grated
Heat a wok like saucepan with the olive oil. Add the broccolini stalks, ginger and garlic. Saute on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the minced chicken and cook while separating on high heat. Add the broccolini greens and mix well. Add the black bean sauce and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with rice or noodles.
Crispy Tofu with Sugar Snap Peas
Celebrating Chinese New Year!
This is a great recipe to make for Meatless Mondays… I love making tofu dishes- we all love it. Recently I have been getting my inspiration from the New York Times cooking site – it has lots of really really good ideas. This recipe is from there.. I tweaked it a bit but it is still quite similar. Try this one, it is a winner!
- 1 14 ounces package extra firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup corn starch
Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 large jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- Juice of 2 medium limes
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
Transfer all the ingredients to small bowl, mix well and set aside.
- Peanut oil
- 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Drain tofu and wrap it with several layers of paper towel and place on a plate. Top with a heavy can and let the tofu drain for 30 minutes. Unwrap the tofu and into four parts and then diagonally. Dry with more paper towels and keep aside.
Transfer the cornstarch and salt into a wide bowl. Dredge the tofu and set aside. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons peanut oil and start browning the tofu on each side for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out of the pan, add more peanut oil and add the sugar snap peas and scallions. Stir fry until soften- 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and garnish with cilantro, basil and sesame seeds. Serve with brown rice.
Paneer and Peas Korma
- ½ pound paneer, cut into small squares and soaked in warm water
- 2 tablespoons fresh cashews, soaked in ¼ cup warm water for 20 minutes
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Transfer the drained cashews, cream, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic to a blender. Add some water if necessary and blend till a smooth paste is formed. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon kauri methi (dried fenugreek)
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a heavy saucepan with the oil. Add the bay leave and cinnamon stick and sauté for 20 seconds. Add the cashew paste and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper, turmeric, salt and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the drained paneer and peas and bring back to a boil and simmer half covered with a lid for 10 minutes. Add the kasuri methi and cilantro. Check for seasonings and serve warm.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
I tweaked this recipe from New York Times cooking section- it is definitely one of my favorite places to get inspired as they have such amazing variety of recipes. This one reminds me of my childhood in India ordering sweet and sour chicken from a local Chinese restaurant called Suzie Wong.
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Mix the cornstarch with the salt and pepper and toss the chicken pieces in the cornstarch mixture.
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil plus more
- 4 to 5 dried red chilies
Heat a large non-stick frying pan with the oil on high. Add half of the chicken and cook, turning occasionally until golden brown and near cooked, about 4 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the chicken and keep aside.
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup canned pineapple chunks
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Mix the vinegar, honey, pineapple juice, ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a small bowl and keep aside.
Add more oil to the frying pan if needed. Heat on medium heat and add the dried red chilies. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the onion and pepper and sauté on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the sauce, pineapple chunks and the chicken. Bring to a boil and let the sauce reduce on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked through. Check for seasonings and garnish with scallions. Serve with white or brown rice.
Indian Fish Curry
This recipe is inspired by a bengali fish curry. It doesn’t have any tomatoes or yogurt as a base for the gravy. It is mostly flavored with spices including mustard seeds and onion seeds- which is one of my favorite combinations. It is quite simple and quick to make…
- 2 pounds fish fillets, (any white fish will do)
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
Marinate the fish fillets with the lemon juice, turmeric and salt.
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons kalonji (onion seeds)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups water, fish or chicken broth
- Salt
Heat a non stick pan with the 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Saute the fish pieces briefly on high heat. Keep aside. Add the leftover oil from the non-stick pan to a saucepan and add the remaining coconut oil. Heat the pan and add the mustard and onion seeds on medium heat. Saute for a minute. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, coriander powder and bay leaf. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the liquid and salt and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces and simmer for a few minutes till the fish is cooked through but not over done. Check for seasonings and serve with rice.
Easy Citrus Chicken
Here is another yummy, healthy chicken dish. This particular one has Latin flavors. I started with marinating the chicken- I do think it is the key to amazing flavor every time. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika and garlic. I later made a sauce out of the left over marinade- always a good idea! To thicken the sauce, I dredged the chicken pieces in a bit of flavor before cooking. The dish came together in no time at all and it was delicious.
I served the healthy chicken breasts with citrus broccoli and some sweet potato oven fries.
- 3 to 4 chicken breast filets, boneless, skinless and pounded thin (about ½ inch)
Marinade
- 1 cup orange juice
- Juice of one lime
- 1 to 2 tablespoons agave
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
Add the orange juice, lime juice, agave, salt, paprika and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Add the marinade and chicken to a zip lock bag and marinate for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Take the chicken filets out of the marinade and dredge in flour and salt (save the marinade for later). Brown the chicken on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Take the filets out and add the marinade into the frying pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Add the chicken filets and cook on a medium flame until chicken is done (time will vary according the chicken thickness). Serve hot with pan sauce on top of the chicken.