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)

Lasagna with Tofu Recipe

The only thing that sounds worse than a tofu lasagna recipe is a gluten-free tofu lasagna recipe; but it's actually pretty tasty, and still gluten-free.



Camera Girl whipped up this dish and it was damned tasty. I'm not ready to start driving the tofu train, but I am enjoying the ride.

Tofu lasagna Recipe Ingredients:
SAUCE:
1 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1/2 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES (crushed)
1/2 large ONION (chopped)
3 cloves GARLIC (chopped)
15 oz can DICED TOMATOES
8 oz can TOMATO SAUCE
1 CARROT (chopped well)
1 stalk CELERY (chopped well)
2 tsp OREGANO
1/2 tsp BASIL
1 BAY LEAF
SALT & PEPPER, to taste
....or substitute 25 oz jar store-bought marinara sauce, but don't do that :^(

LASAGNA FILLING:
1 pkg gluten-free, rice LASAGNA NOODLES (you do not cook them prior to baking)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin OLIVE OIL
1/2 large ONION (chopped)
6 cloves GARLIC (minced)
16 ounce package EXTRA-FIRM, WATER-PACKED TOFU (not silken tofu)
3 cups fresh SPINACH (chopped)
1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE (shredded)
1/2 cup part-skim MOZZARELLA CHEESE (shredded)
2 Tbsp Kalamata OLIVES (finely chopped)
2 tsp dried OREGANO
1/2 tsp dried THYME
SALT & PEPPER, to taste

First thing, start making the sauce (don't buy pre-made sauce!--or do...maybe you're busy, I don't know).
Heat olive oil and red pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 to 4 minutes. Add Carrot and celery and continue sauteing.
Mix in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes or longer, until flavors are blended, stirring routinely.

While sauce is simmering, heat oil in a large skillet and saute garlic and onion for lasagna filling. Add tofu and spinach to skillet and stir until spinach wilts and the mixture is heated through (2 to 3 minutes). Transfer skillet contents to a bowl and stir in parmesan, olives, seasonings, and 2/3 of the marinara sauce.
Spread half of the remaining sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles over sauce--if using the gluten-free rice lasagna, the noodles will not have to be cooked before using. Spread half of the tofu mixture over noodles. Repeat layers of noodle and tofu mixture. Top with remaining marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover dish and bake in a 350 degree F oven for about an hour.
Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes.
Then eat, man.
Give this tofu lasagna recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appetit!

Want another great gluten-free recipe? Try a Tangy BBQ Beans Recipe for ultimate bean pleasure.

Perfect Pork Loin Chop Recipe

Cook a delicious, juicy pork loin chop recipe perfect every time.



Use a lot of onion and garlic!--especially garlic (those two ingredients are actually good for you, so why not use a lot?). Also, this dish will go well with whatever beer is on sale.

Pork Loin Chop Recipe Ingredients:
PORK LOIN CHOP
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 lg ONION (sliced)
6-8 cloves GARLIC (rough chopped)
fresh ROSEMARY
SALT and PEPPER, to taste

Season both sides of chop before cooking--and don't be timid with the seasoning--it'll make all the difference! I often use just salt and pepper (black pepper AND cayenne), but experiment with your favorite seasonings, too--every now and then I'll season up chops with ground ginger and saute them with onion and sliced, fresh ginger--it's pretty damn good.
Heat olive oil in a skillet (skillet should be suitable for stovetop and oven)--not smoking hot, but pretty damn hot--we want to sear the pork and seal in the flavor.
Place chops in the skillet; they should sizzle when they hit the pan. Add fresh rosemary sprigs. Cook chops 3-4 minutes on one side and then turn. This is for chops approx. 1" thick--adjust cooking times according to the size of the chop you use. Move chops in pan to mix with oil and rosemary. Add sliced onion and garlic. Cook chop 3-4 minutes on second side, then remove skillet from stovetop and slide skillet into oven preheated to 350 degrees F. Cook another 4-5 minutes and return to stovetop. Remove chops from skillet and set aside to rest.
Continue cooking onion and garlic with rosemary on medium/low heat to desired doneness.
Top chops with onion and garlic and serve.
That's it...super easy and super flavorful--it's a great way to cook up a juicy chop without drying it out, so give this recipe a go and let me know what you think, and bob appetit!

And if you're still in a carnivorous mood, give this Crispy, Baked Chicken Recipe a try.

Chole Palak Recipe

Chole Palak is an Indian-style spinach and chickpea dish that’s super flavorful and a breeze to make.  With a few ingredients in the cabinet, this tasty dish is always just a few minutes away.  Thanks for watching and I hope you give it a try.  For more recipe ideas, check out the Chef Buck Playlist:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

ingredients:

SPINACH  (13 oz can or frozen, or 3 cups chopped fresh)

CHICKPEAS  (15 oz can, rinsed and drained)

TOMATOES  (diced, 14 oz can—or 2 fresh tomatoes)

HOT PEPPER  (1 or 2, minced)

GINGER  (1 Tbsp, minced)

OLIVE OIL  (2-3 Tbsp)

CUMIN SEEDS  (1 tsp)

ASAFOETIDA  (¼ tsp)

CORIANDER  (1 Tbsp)

CHILI POWDER  (1 tsp)

TURMERIC  (½ tsp)

GARAM MASALA  (1 tsp)

SALT (to taste)

directions:

Heat olive oil on medium high heat and add cumin seeds and asafoetida.  The seeds should sizzle when they hit the pan and will brown and crack quickly.  Add the tomatoes, ginger, and peppers.  Mix well and then add the coriander, chili, and turmeric powder.  Mix and allow the tomatoes to cook down 3-4 minutes.  Add the spinach and salt and stir well.  Add ¼ - ½ cup water—I like less water, but add as desired throughout the recipe.  Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and mix in chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).  Add another ¼ cup of water, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.  At this point the chickpeas will be soft enough to smash easily with a fork, which you don’t have to do, but I prefer the consistency of the dish if I mush about half of them.  Add the garam masala and stir another minute or two, also adding more water if desired.  And then that’s that.  Finito.  When I prepare an Indian meal, I almost always serve this dish; it’s easy, healthy, and delicious, so why not?

Give it a try, let me know what you think, and bon appétit!