Tag: salt
Super Easy Indian Style Omelet
This is a great, quick snack to have- definitely one of my favorites.. I usually make this delicious omelet when I don’t feel like eating anything else- or I am in the mood for something very spicy. I add lots of serrano chillies and cayenne pepper!
Chili Orange Grilled Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken skinless chicken legs
Marinade
- 1 chipotle pepper with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup orange juice
- Zest of one large navel orange
- 4 green onions, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Blend all the ingredients till smooth in a blender. Add the chicken and the marinade to large zip lock bag and marinate over night.
Take chicken out of bag. Save the marinade and transfer to a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and reduce down till thick like maple syrup. Divide the cooked marinade in half and use one half to baste the chicken while grilling. Serve the other half of the marinade with the chicken once it is cooked.
Lemon Pesto Roast Chicken
Even in summer I crave a delicious roast chicken. A lot of people are intimidated and purchase them already roasted from the stores.. while that is okay in a pinch- it is really easy and satisfying to make your own… and once one tastes the difference, one can never go back.. Try this one next time you are in the mood for a yummy roast chicken..
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4th Of July Recipes- Cole Slaw with Yogurt and Tamarind Vinaigrette
I am all for making things from scratch but I do like to use all the conveniences I can find at the store. For this recipe I bought packaged, shredded cabbage, carrots and broccoli slaw. It saved me a ton of time and made everything a lot easier.
To complete a well-balanced menu, I was going to make a coleslaw dish with the Thai style burgers and potato salad. The recent Bon Appetit issue had a whole article on tamarind and it’s virtues. I am quite familiar with tamarind as I use it for all different things including using it in drinks, dressings and as a condiment.
They talked about pairing yogurt with tamarind concentrate to make a delicious, tangy dressing. I added my own twist by adding roasted cumin to the creamy dressing which gave the dish a nice nutty flavor. Overall, the dish went well with the burger and the potato salad.
What else do you need? Yes, I know what you are thinking- where is the dessert??? Stay tuned for tomorrow and you will have a great recipe for a dessert as well…
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Indian Style Meatballs
I have mentioned this many times- my daughter loves meatballs. In fact, her birthday is coming up and I already know what she will be asking for her special meal. The great thing is that she comes up with really good ideas for new and different ingredients to add to meatballs.
I have to give her full credit for this recipe. She is the one who suggested I make Indian style meatballs. She loves the Indian style burgers I make quite often- in fact she doesn’t like to eat plain burgers restaurants as she only likes the ones I make at home.
So, I ran with her idea and came up with this delicious recipe. I added the usual suspects including ginger, garlic and a shallot. I also added cilantro, coriander powder and garam masala. All of these ingredients created delicious and flavorful meatballs.
I cooked them in my favorite homemade tomato sauce. You can use your favorite store bought tomato sauce as well but nothing like the homemade variety.
This is a great way to change up your usual meatball recipe and make things a bit more interesting…
- 1 pound ground turkey (dark meat)
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro
Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and cilantro into a food processor and process till smooth.
Take the mixture out into a medium bowl.
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg, garam masala, coriander, and salt into the shallot mixture. Mix well and add to the ground turkey. Mix with both hands. Keep aside for 2 to 3 hours.
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Heat the sauce in a large saucepan.
In the meantime form meatballs (the mixture makes about 14 meatballs). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce as you form them. Once all the meatballs are in the saucepan, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.
Spinach and Roasted Corn
This is one my favorite vegetarian, Indian dishes to make. Usually spinach is paired with paneer or some kind of meat in Indian cuisine. Years ago, we had corn and spinach at a restaurant and I thought it was delicious. The spinach is cooked the same way as in the other dishes but somehow corn gives it a wonderful, unique flavor.
I changed it up a bit- of course. I used the roasted corn I buy from Trader Joes. It has a delicious smoky flavor. I also cooked the spinach with dried fenugreek- which brings a unique earthy flavor. It also mimics the smoky flavor of the roast corn really well.
I made it when a friend came over. Everyone loved it including the kids. Make this dish next time you are looking to make something different…
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2-inch ginger, peeled
Process the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Keep aside.
- 1 16 oz pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Blend the thawed spinach until smooth. Keep aside.
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 pack fire roasted frozen corn from Trader Joes (or 3 cups regular corn)
- ¼ cup dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
- ¼ cup half and half
Heat a heavy saucepan with the extra light olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for 20 seconds on medium heat. Add the onion mixture and sauté for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the tomato puree and sauté for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the blended spinach, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander powder. Mix well. Add the corn and fenugreek leaves. Mix well and cook on a medium low heat, covered for 15 minutes. Take the lid off and turn the heat up to high. Add the half and half and stir constantly while cooking for another 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings.
Paneer Makhani (Indian Cheese Cooked in a Tomato Butter Sauce)
This is a very popular dish served in Indian restaurants. Some friends were coming over with their kids and I thought of making Indian food that day. Since I was cooking a vegetarian meal, paneer was definitely on the menu- I just didn’t know what kind to make.
As I thought about all my choices, paneer makhani came to mind. I looked in my blog and realized I have never made it before- how can that be?? It is one of the more popular Indian dishes out there.
This version is the easy and quick one- it is done in about half an hour. There are other versions out there with more complex flavors but I don’t see any reason for that- this one is delicious and simple and best of all a big hit with everyone.
All you need is a can of crushed tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic. One key ingredient is roasted cumin seeds- they impart a lovely, sweet, nutty flavor- not as smokey as the regular cumin seeds. I usually roast some cumin and always have it on hand. Another important ingredient is dried mint- I garnished the dish with some. It provides a delicious flavor as well. In case you don’t have the dried variety, add some fresh mint into the processor with the onions, ginger and garlic.
Try this dish next time you want to have a healthy, quick and easy Indian dish…
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