Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe -- an Indian Favorite

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular Indian recipes in the world, and for good reason.
I like chicken tikka masala with a rich, creamy sauce--plenty to mix in with the rice and scoop up with some warm flatbread. Give this dish a try and let me know what you think--it's one of my favorites.
Ingredients for chicken tikka:

2 lbs boneless, skinless CHICKEN
1 cup plain YOGURT
1 tsp GARLIC (minced)
1 tsp GINGER (minced)
2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
1 Tbsp CORIANDER POWDER
1 Tbsp GARAM MASALA
1 Tbsp CUMIN
SALT

Ingredients for masala sauce:
1 ONION (chopped well)
2 tsp GARLIC (minced)
2 tsp GINGER (minced)
1 JALAPENO PEPPER (finely chopped, optional)
or ½ tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES (optional)
1 Tbsp TOMATO PASTE
1 28oz can CRUSHED TOMATOES
1 pint HEAVY CREAM
½ cup CILANTRO (chopped)
2 tsp CORIANDER POWDER
½ tsp CHILI POWDER
1 tsp TURMERIC
1 tsp CUMIN
1 tsp GARAM MASALA

Use 2 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken. You can use dark or light meat as you prefer. For this recipe, I like to cut the meat into strips that are easier to handle while marinating and cooking--later I'll cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces to add into the creamy masala. Mix a marinade of plain yogurt, ginger, garlic and lemon juice. Season the chicken strips with garam masala, cumin, coriander, and salt and coat with the marinade. Set in the fridge to marinate for at least a few hours, ideally overnight.

After the chicken has marinated, lightly coat a baking pan with oil. Remove as much of the marinade from the chicken as possible and arrange on the pan. Bake the chicken in a 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until nearly cooked through--adjusting the cooking time as needed depending on the size of the chicken strips; finish the chicken under the broiler to add a slight char to the outside. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the creamy masala.
In a skillet, on med high heat, heat 2 Tbsp of oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Add minced ginger and garlic and saute 1 minute. Then add onion--also a fresh hot pepper, or red pepper flakes if you want to add a little heat to the dish. The onion and pepper should be chopped up well for a smoother sauce. Continue sauteing for 5-6 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder; stir into the onion mixture. Add tomato paste (or don't--it'll be good either way--just a little more or less rich and tomatoey, so adjust according to your personal taste). Add 28oz can of crushed tomatoes.
Add salt to taste and mix ingredients thoroughly. Allow ingredients to come to a bubble, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 15 minutes, stir in garam masala and heavy cream and continue cooking on low heat for 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro.
Chop the cooked chicken strips into bite-sized pieces and stir into the masala. Remove from heat and serve over rice.
I hope you give this chicken tikka masala recipe a try, I think you'll love it.
Another Indian favorite of mine is Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta)

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This quick chocolate chip cookies recipe makes a perfect weekend treat--it's a super quick and tasty recipe that I have never mucked up--which is saying something. Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients:
½ cup SUGAR
¼ cup BROWN SUGAR
½ cup BUTTER (soften)
2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
1 EGG
1½ cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
½ tsp BAKING SODA
¼ tsp SALT
1 cup CHOCOLATE CHIPS
(or ½ cup chocolate chips and ½ cup chopped nuts)
directions:
Set out butter to soften and egg to come to room temperature.
Combine sugars, butter, vanilla extract, and egg in a bowl and mix well; you can use a mixer if you like, but I never have--just stir with a spoon to a smooth-ish consistency, do it as well as you can and that will likely be good enough (most things in life are like that, I find).
In another bowl, add flour, salt and baking soda (just ½ tsp BAKING SODA, if you add too much the cookies will be bitter, dude). Add chocolate chips and nuts--or if you don't want nuts, just add chips--but that would be nuts. Mix ingredients well.
Add the sugar/butter combo to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. The dough should stick together when pressed.
Arrange spoonfuls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet--about two inches apart. The recipe makes about 18-22 cookies, I usually get 17 or 18 cookies, cause I like mine kinda big.
Slide cookie sheet into an oven heated at 350 degrees F and let bake 10-12 minutes. When cookies are brown around the edges and lightly golden on top, they're finito. Cool on cooling rack or eat them hot out of the oven with a glass of milk or a White Russian, depending on how your day is going.
Give this easy chocolate chip cookies recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!
And for another sweet tooth fix, try these heavenly Caramel Oatmeal Squares.

How to Make General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's Chicken is a delicious dish you'll find at most Chinese restaurants--and you can make the very same dish in your own kitchen at home. The chicken in this recipe is baked instead of deep fried, which is a little healthier and a lot less messier, if you're into that kinda thing. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.
Ingredients:
3 cups crushed CORN FLAKES (or panko crumbs)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless CHICKEN
1/2 cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
2 EGGS, whisked
2 tsp SESAME OIL
5-6 GARLIC cloves (minced)
1 Tbsp GINGER (minced)
1/4 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES
1/3 cup SOY SAUCE
1/4 cup APRICOT JAM
3 Tbsp HOISIN SAUCE
2 Tbsp CORNSTARCH
1 Tbsp BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 2/3 cups WATER
SESAME SEEDS and GREEN ONION for garnish
Toast sesame seeds (make extra, 'cause they're a great addition to all kinds of dishes). You'll need about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken cut into roughly 1" pieces--dark or white, whichever you prefer. We're gonna bread and bake the chicken 'cause it's healthier and less messy than frying.
Set up a breading station:
In a bowl, season 1 cup of flour with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whip 2 eggs.
And in a third bowl set out your breading--use panko flakes or crushed cereal. Coat each piece of chicken in flour, then egg, and then roll and coat with bread crumbs and arrange on a greased baking sheet. When all the chicken is breaded and arranged on the pan, coat the top lightly with an oil spray. Slide the chicken into an oven heated at 400 degrees F and allow to bake 20 minutes. When the chicken is golden and crispy, remove from oven and set aside.
In a bowl, combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and water. Mix well. Heat sesame oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add pepper flakes, garlic and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes and then add sauce. Constantly stirring, allow the sauce to come to a simmer. When the sauce begins to bubble, continue stirring a few minutes until the sauce thickens into a syrupy consistency--this will happen quite quickly. Add the chicken and stir, tossing the chicken until it is well coated with sauce. Transfer chicken and sauce to a serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Serve with rice or noodles.
And that's it...give this General Tso's Chicken recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
And maybe you'll like this Moroccan Chicken Recipe, too--give it a look.

Black Eyed Pea Salad Recipe

Black eyed peas are beans, dude! Try out this Black eyed peas recipe the next time you're in the mood for a healthy and tasty salad; beans are a great way to turn a salad into a meal, especially garbanzo and kidney beans, but give black eyed peas a go...I bet you'll like 'em. This salad is a nice complement to a spicy meal--in fact it's based on a dish we get all the time at an Indian restaurant where it's served to balance out the spiciness of other dishes.
Ingredients:
2 15oz cans BLACK-EYED PEAS
3-4 GREEN ONIONS (chopped)
1 stalk CELERY (chopped)
1 CUCUMBER (sliced)
1 CARROT (shredded)
3 PLUM TOMATOES (cut)
zest and juice of 1 LEMON
1 cup CILANTRO (chopped)
4 Tbsp BALSAMIC VINEGAR
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 ½ tsp CUMIN
½ tsp CHILI POWDER
2-3 Tbsp HONEY HOT SAUCE, to taste
SALT and PEPPER, to taste

 In a small bowl, mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with spices. Toss into the beans, onion, vegetables (EXCEPT tomato). Cover, and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, or overnight....longer the better. Remove from fridge, mix in tomato, add additional seasonings if desired, and serve.

 And if you've never tried jicama, give this Jicama Salad Recipe a try.

Oatmeal Squares -- Easy Caramel Chocolate Chip Treat!

Caramel Oatmeal Squares make great dessert treats--or bribes, if you need to motivate someone.



Ingredients:
Bars:
1 3/4 cup OATS
1 1/2 cup FLOUR
3/4 cup BROWN SUGAR
1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
1/4 tsp SALT (optional)
3/4 cup BUTTER (melted)
1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
1 cup PEANUTS
1 cup CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Caramel Sauce:
3/4 cup BUTTER
1 1/2 cups BROWN SUGAR (firmly packed)
2 Tbsp WATER
1/4 tsp SALT
3/4 cup EVAPORATED MILK
1 Tbsp VANILLA EXTRACT
1/4 cup FLOUR (added after caramel has cooled)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Then, make the caramel sauce.
Combine butter, brown sugar, water, and salt in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to boil and continue to stir for 5 minutes depending upon thickness desired. The longer it boils, the thicker your caramel sauce will eventually be. If you don't stir the pot while the caramel is cooking, it will be a disaster, not as bad as knocking over the cake at a wedding, but the caramel will burn, which will kinda suck.
After 5 minutes, remove sauce from the heat and stir in evaporated milk and vanilla. Set aside to allow caramel to cool and thicken.
Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
In a bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in butter until well blended.
Reserve one cup of mixture to use as a topping later.
Press remaining mixture into bottom of greased pan. Bake 10-12 minutes until light brown. Let cool 10 minutes. Top with peanuts and chocolate pieces.
Take your caramel sauce and stir in 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Drizzle over nuts and chocolate (keep within 1/4 inch of pan edges). Bake an additional 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool. Then cut into squares. Give this oatmeal squares recipe a try and let e know what you think.                                                                Enjoy! (chocolate, peanuts, caramel...what's not to enjoy?)

Need a dessert lickety split? Try this Quick Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.