Rice Pilaf

I just made a great rice pilaf in the crock pot. I posted the recipe on my crock pot blog, so check it out if you're looking for an easy and delicious side dish that won't have you standing over a hot stove. Here's the link.

Indian Food Adventure

I have been wanting to make a "real" Indian meal ever since I ventured out of my culinary comfort zone and tried making a simple Chicken Curry some time ago. I fell in love with the flavor of curry and wanted to prepare something else that was new and exotic to us. I decided to seek out a main dish, a side dish and a veggie dish for this endeavor. It took me a while because there are so many great recipes out there and they all sound delicious. I had never really eaten Indian food before but just the sound of the recipes with all the fragrant spices got my mouth watering so I had to give it a try.

I found the main dish recipe at My Dhaba. I had seen recipes for Tandoori Chicken before but this one sounded so good and it was very easy. I was glad it was able to be prepared on my George Foreman Grill (you all know how much I LOVE my grill!!) :) Here's the recipe...

My Dhaba'’s Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken 2 full leg pieces, skinned (I used boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins)
Ginger 1 inch size, finely chopped (I used powdered ginger... in all the recipes)
Garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped
Onion 1, medium size, finely chopped
Cloves 2
Cinnamon ¼- inch stick
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Yogurt/curd 2 tablespoons, low-fat, non-salted; alternatively you may use 2 teaspoon soy sauce, teriyaki, or oriental sauce for getting totally different flavors
Vinegar 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon or as needed to make it more hot
Cummin powder 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
Nutmeg powder ¼ teaspoon (optional)
Paprika powder 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method: Blend ginger, garlic, onions, cinnamon, salt, and cloves to a smooth wet paste and keep aside. Mix all the spice powders - red chilli, cummin, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, nutmeg, and paprika. Heat a pan, pour in the spice mix and roast for a minute on high heat. Combine the wet and roasted spice mixtures and spread all over the chicken pieces. Spinkle the vinegar and pour over the yogurt. Marinate the chicken pieces in this marinade covered for a minimum of 2 hours in a refrigerator, the more the better for a delicious flavor (if possible marinate it covered overnight). If marinating overnight, take the chicken pieces from the refrigerator an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F, place the chicken on the low rack, and cook for 20-25 minutes. Then, turn over and cook for 10 more minutes or till the chicken pieces are completely roasted and get a golden brown color. Adjust the timings accordingly as needed. If chicken pieces are getting dry, you may baste it with a little butter or ghee. Alternatively you may also broil the marinated chicken pieces over an electric or charcoal grill.

Garnish the tandoori chicken with sliced onion rings, tomatoes, lemon wedges, and/or finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it immediately hot-hot. Enjoy!

The second recipe is for Indian Rice and Potatos and I found it on 28 Cooks. This recipe is delicious! Even if you are not a fan of highly spiced foods, give this one a try. The flavor is bright and buttery and so good. Here's that recipe.

Indian Rice and Potatoes
From 28 Cooks

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks
3 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c dried coconut*
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp oil
1 cup rice
3/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lime juice
2 cups water
1/2 c frozen peas
1 tbsp butter

Combine yogurt, cilantro, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and coconut. Add potatoes, stir well, and allow to marinate for a few minutes. Heat oil in large pan, and add cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and cumin seeds. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until cumin turns brown. Add potato and yogurt mixture, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once potatoes are nicely browned, add rice, and cook for another minute or two. Add turmeric, brown sugar, salt, lime juice, and water. Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Add peas to pot, and do not stir in. Cover with lid and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove lid, and fluff with fork. Remove from heat, and stir in butter. Serve and enjoy!

Finally, I made Curried Vegetables based on a recipe for Curried Cauliflower I found over at Delicious Living. This one had a bit too much citrus for my taste but it was still good and went well with the other two recipes. This is the recipe.

Curried Cauliflower
From Delicious Living
(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cups cauliflower florets, washed and dried
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
Sea salt, to taste (optional)

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and ginger for about 3 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, and mustard seeds and saute for an additional 3 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add cauliflower and lime juice and stir-fry on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add coconut milk and broth or water, cover partially, and simmer on low heat for about 5 more minutes, until cauliflower is crisp-tender. Add sea salt to taste, if desired.

If you're new to Indian food or used to eating it often, give these recipes a try they are wonderful!

My 6 year old gave the Tandoori Chicken a thumbs up. In her words "Next time just add a little more salt, a little less pepper and it will be off the hook." I will take that as the highest praise :)

Risotto

After spending a little time studying Jamie Oliver's recipe for Risotto, I felt like it was finally time to take the plunge. After all, after my big shopping spree at Trader Joe's, I figured I had better make use of the goodies I bought. Here is my first attempt. I was pretty happy with the texture of the finished dish, but the taste was missing something to me. Next time I will try adding in some different ingredients to see if I can suite it more to my tastes. My girls loved it for lunch and I have a feeling that my hubby will love it for dinner the next time I make it. If you've never made Risotto before I'd highly suggest you give it a try. The ingredients are not nearly as expensive as I had anticipated and the finished product is well worth the effort.

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

A lot of Jambalaya recipes seem to call for seafood but being that my family does not care for it, I really enjoy this recipe. I love to prepare Jambalaya and corn bread in the cold weather. I always top it with diced scallions and a few dahses of hot sauce. So good!!

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 lb ground beef
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. chopped scallions
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 c. water

Cook sausage in a Dutch oven until browned; remove from skillet and discard drippings. Combine ground beef, bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until beef is browned. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sausage. Cover. Simmer 20 minutes. Add rice and water to meat/vegetable mixture; cover and cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Green Rice

I have loved this rice casserole ever since my great aunt made it for us when she came out to visit when I was a little girl. It's a great recipe to take to a pot luck or as a side dish for any holiday meal. It's very filling and can be a luncheon dish all on it's own.

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Green Rice

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3 c. cooked rice
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. minced fresh parsley
1 c. milk
4 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. worshteshire sauce
1 tsp. salt

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Arroz Dulce - Mexican Rice Pudding

I absolutly love rice pudding... it's so warm and comforting. The recipe I grew up eating is called Arroz Dulce. It's a Mexican style rice pudding that has no eggs in it and it's prepared on the stove top. It simple and very good. Here is my recipe.

Arroz Dulce

2 c. medium grain rice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
½ c. raisins
1/4 tsp salt
14 oz. can evaporated milk
½ c. whole or 2 % milk
Sugar, to taste (about 1/2 c. to 1 c.)

Cook the rice according to package directions with the cinnamon added to the cooking water. Soak the raisins in boiling water with the vanilla added then drain. When the rice is done, mix the salt and canned milk and whole or 2% milk in. Stir in the raisins. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.

Quick Mexican

We had a really long day today so creativity was definitely in order for dinner. I had bought a London Broil last week so thawed that out and put in the crock pot with some Goya Adobo Seasoning and some chili powder and two diced potatoes. I set it on low and let it go for about 5 hours. When we got back home I removed the fat from it, shredded it with a fork and made burritos with it. In the burritos I also put a little cheese and home made refried beans. Served this with Spanish rice. It was a good quick meal.

For the refried beans I warmed up some leftover pinto beans I had cooked yesterday. Once they were warm I mashed them with a potato masher and stirred in a little milk, some shredded cheese and a dash of chili powder.

Here is the recipe for the Spanish Rice.

Spanish Rice

1 c. uncooked long grain rice
3 c. water
1 tsp. beef bullion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. canola oil

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add rice and spices, stir until fragrant. Add water. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover. Cook about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy.