Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license
Chickpea Curry
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 approximately 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
2 teaspoons Sweet Curry powder
1 teaspoon Penzeys Curry Now powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (15 oz ) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (smash one can with a fork)
28 oz can, petite diced tomatoes
1 can full fat coconut milk
2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onions, salt; sautè until translucent, about 6 minutes stirring every now and then. Add garlic and sautè for 1 more minute.
Add ginger and all the spices; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add diced tomatoes then chickpeas.
Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.
In a small bowl mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the chickpea mixture and cook for 5 more minutes or until thickened.
Take a taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve over basmati or brown rice.
I made this recipe for the first time this evening for our dinner. The balance and depth of flavors was very good. Most of the ingredients are easy to have on had, with the exception of the fresh cilantro (which seems to go bad in just a few days — or is it me?).
This is a quick and easy, delicious (meatless) curry.
RECIPE REVIEW
Penzeys Recipe: Curried Chicken with Basmati Rice pilaf
In a food processor or blender combine and purée:
1 large onion, cut into eighths
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger root about 1″, peeled (or use 3/4 t. powdered ginger)
2 jalapeño peppers, quartered and seeded
Image by Jutta M. Jenning via Flickr CC license.
Image by Dubravko Soric via Flickr CC license
Image by Daniel R Blume via Flickr CC license
Image by Q family via Flickr CC license
In a large skillet:
Heat extra virgin olive oil (3 to 4 Tablespoons).
Brown 10 – 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs for about 4 min per side until browned.
Remove the chicken to a platter.
Add a little more oil if needed.
Add 1/2 t. whole cumin seeds and stir til they sizzle (1 min. or so).
Add the purée to the skillet along with
2 T. sweet curry powder
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. salt
Cook all this for 5 to 10 minutes until it is golden and fragrant.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to cover well with the curry.
Add 1 1/2 to 2 c. water or chicken broth.
Bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min or so.
While the chicken curry is simmering it is time to make the rice.
Image by Laura Turner via Flickr CC license.
Basmati Rice Pilaf:
2 c. basmati rice
3 1/2 to 4 c. water or broth
1/2 t. sweet curry powder
1 t. salt
Heat water or broth to boiling. Rinse rice. Add rice and curry powder to boiling water. Return to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover tightly and set the timer for 13 or 14 minutes. Check toward the end to be sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fluff. Top with any or all of the optional stir ins below.
optional stir ins about 1/4 c. each:
sliced green onion
thawed frozen green peas
chopped fresh cilantro leaves
This recipe might look complicated but it is essentially just a few steps. The onion/garlic/ginger/jalapeño mixture is a breeze, then the chicken simmers in the sauce. While that cooks, then you are taking care of the rice.
My family really enjoys this curry! It is very tasty; nicely spiced but not overpowering. You can serve the chicken with plain rice if you want to simplify it, though.
Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs from Once Upon a Chef
Basically the chicken recipe involves marinating the chopped up chicken thighs in Greek yogurt plus gobs of spices: paprika, cumin, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, black pepper, lemon juice, garlic, etc. After marinating, the chicken is threaded on kebabs and grilled. Voila! That is it. The hardest part is finding all the spices (in my messy spice cupboard) and remembering to marinate the chicken. The chef recommends marinating for several hours or overnight, but I usually manage it for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Basmati Rice Pilaf from Once Upon a Chef
For the rice pilaf, the onion is browned in butter and then the spices (turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, garlic) and basmatic rice are added to the skillet. After all those ingredients get acquainted in the hot butter, the liquid goes in. After it simmers for a while, the almonds and raisins get tossed on top before serving.
REVIEW: FIVE FORKS!
Both recipes are EXCELLENT. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but once you get organized it is not difficult.
I love the flavor and the healthy eating factor.
Tweaks:
I used chicken broth instead of water in the pilaf. I also added 1/2 cup more rice and about 1 1/2 cups more water. I cook rice in a 1:2 ratio of rice to water usually so I added the extra broth/water to be sure the rice would be moist and cooked through. One could use brown rice. A little saffron would be nice, too.
As I mentioned, I couldn’t find all the spices in my cupboard. I couldn’t find the paprika nor the turmeric. They seem to like to hide. I substituted sweet curry powder one time and Maharaja another time. I think I also used tandoori spice in a pinch. Basically anything that has turmeric in it will be fine. As always, I use Penzeys Spices.
I did not use all the salt in the marinade. I used about 1 teaspoon.
I used bottled lemon juice and left out the zest today. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to fiddle with real lemons. I used real garlic because I happened to have some, but the minced or chopped garlic in a jar would be perfectly good for this recipe.
DO use Greek plain yogurt. NO vanilla or anything other flavors!
If you don’t have time to put the chicken on skewers or if it is raining — or if you just don’t feel like grilling out — heat up some olive oil in a large skillet and brown the marinated chicken on medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through. If the marinade sticks to the skillet and begins to burn, add a little water or chicken broth to deglaze the pan. We did it this way tonight and it worked really well and tasted really great!
I saw this recipe posted on a friend’s wall. I shared it with my husband because it looked like a pretty easy recipe that he and our daughter would like. I am not a big fan of smoked sausage (the kind that comes in a tight plastic wrapped ring), so I would be happy if they ate it sometime when I wasn’t home.
Well, one night this week — we were all home. We happened to have the ingredients to make this recipe so I gave it a try. Here is the recipe:
Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
1 package of smoked sausage, sliced into rounds 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 6 or more large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes olive oil sea salt or kosher salt freshly ground black pepper smoked paprika (or any kind of paprika — I used Spanish Smoked Paprika from Penzeys) dried thyme (or any blend of herbs that includes thyme — I used Bouquet Garni from Penzeys) 1 cup of good quality grated sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Spread the oil out over the pan. Set aside.
Put the sausage rounds, onions and potatoes onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme (or other herbs). Toss together with a wooden spoon (or your hands) until everything is evenly distributed.
Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
We had a bag of baby spinach leaves, some fresh parmesan cheese and some kalamata olives so I made a quick little Greek-Ceasar salad to fill out the meal.
Our daughter made pumpkin bread (using a Trader Joe’s mix) for dessert.
It was a not too time consuming, delicious, and fairly reasonable clean up.
Every liked it. Even me.
Overall: FIVE forks!
This recipe is adapted from one published by The 205 Tavern of Church Point, LA on their Facebook page. If I ever get to Louisiana, I would love to look up this place and have a bite to eat there. It looks like they specialize in Cajun food and it all look delicious!
I got this recipe from a family of food-lovers. (Thank you, Schoonovers!) If you like chili but are in the mood for something a little different from the traditional chili (tomato-meat-beans), then I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.
I have made it a couple of different ways. It works really well in a crock pot. I also sometimes make it on the stove top. Either way, it is quick to make and delicious to eat.
Of course, I always make a few changes to most recipes, so I’ll make note of those changes.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used the kind in a jar. Use more or less to taste. I use more.)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb. total), chopped (I prefer chicken thighs. You could also use leftover chicken or meat from a deli roasted chicken.)
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (I like the 32 oz. boxes of broth, especially Trader Joe’s organic broths. YUM.)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 t. ground cumin (If you aren’t sure how much spice, you could cut down on this. As always, I use Penzeys spices.)
2 t. dried oregano
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used only about 1/2 t. of cayenne for my family. The last time I made this I used 1 1/2 t. of regular chili powder instead and it tasted great.)
3 cans (14-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (Look for a large jar or can that has close to this total amount to save time opening cans.)
*oh — smash one can of the beans with a fork or potato masher before added them to the soup pot. This will thicken the soup nicely.
salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes:
shredded cheese (A good sharp cheddar, colby-jack, or pepper jack would be tasty)
chopped jalapeno pepper (I haven’t done this one. You could even use the pickled, jarred or canned jalapeno.)
cilantro (Always!)
sour cream
crushed taco chips
Procedure:
The easy way is to put all the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and walk away for several hours.
I’ve used bone-in chicken to make this, even in the crock pot. I dug it out of the crock pot shortly before serving time, took the meat off the bones and threw the meat back into the pot. It was not a big deal.
On the stove top, I’ve browned the chicken and sautéed the onions and garlic in olive oil, then added the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 20 min. or until you are ready to eat.
This is good with corn bread or with crunchy cheese quesadillas. A nice salad is always a good thing, too.
I am fortunate to live near a Half-Price Books bookstore. I love books, stationery, music, cards, CDS and LPs — you name it — this store seems to have it.
I tend to browse the cookbooks at this store, even though I already have a HUGE collection of cookbooks at home. (I also have a really good Goodwill store nearby, too. Hardback books, including cookbooks, are only $1.79.)
I have a combination of three part-time jobs right now, so cooking dinner has become a somewhat rarer activity than it was previously.
I decided to try this recipe because you can only eat out so many times in a week before you get tired of
food that involves deep-frying
food that involves a drive through
food that begins to all taste the same
food that has no vegetables in it
Ingredients: *I tweaked a few ingredients and amounts so this isn’t exactly like the recipe in the book
1 pound of spaghetti noodles (or Chinese egg noodles if you can find them) 2 T. toasted sesame oil
1 whole roasted deli chicken
1 cucumber peeled, quartered, seeded, sliced and diced 4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts) 1/3 dry-roasted salted peanuts cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic 1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeeled (I grated mine) 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari 2 T brown sugar 1 T rice vinegar 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 c hot water (I used the pasta water as it was cooking)
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water. Drain and toss with sesame oil
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the garnishes and sauce.
Also de-bone the deli roasted whole chicken. Cut the meat off the bones; save the “runnin’ gears”– the bones, skin and carcass — to make some quick chicken stock for future use. Keep the meat warm until the pasta is ready.
Garnishes: 1 cucumber peeled, quartered, seeded, sliced and diced 4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts) 1/3 dry-roasted salted peanuts cilantro, chopped
Mix the ingredients (listed below) in a blender and blend thoroughly. Toss this mixture with the pasta. 1 clove garlic 1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeeled (I grated mine) 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari 2 T brown sugar 1 T rice vinegar 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 c hot water (I used the pasta water as it was cooking)
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain. Put it in a large bowl and toss it with the 2 T of sesame oil.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a blender. Blend. Add this mix to the sesame oiled pasta.
Also while the pasta cooks, de-bone the deli roasted whole chicken. Prepare the garnishes.
To serve: Put pasta on a plate. Top with desired amount of chicken plus generous garnishes of cilantro, peanuts, scallions, and cucumber.
Image by Madeleine via Flickr CC license This image is not the actual recipe I’m posting. It looks very similar to this, though.
REVIEW: This recipe was quick to fix. It has very good flavor and was delicious. I happened to have nearly all the sauce ingredients on hand, so it was not a huge amount of items to buy at the grocery store — basically just a deli chicken, a cucumber and maybe some spaghetti, cilantro and scallions if you happen to have none of those things at the moment. I liked the fact that it tasted a little Thai and a little Chinese — but that it wasn’t overly spiced in either direction. You could definitely bump up the crushed red pepper if you need more heat or add Siracha sauce at the table.
This could easily be made vegetarian if you leave out the chicken. You could add tofu.
I think it would be good with grilled shrimp instead of the chicken. If you have them, fresh bean sprouts would give a nice crunch as well. You could use honey instead of brown sugar in the sauce. I grated my ginger into the blender because I didn’t want to chomp down on an unblended chunk of ginger. I would add more garlic next time, too.
It would be nice to add some toasted sesame seeds. I didn’t have time or energy for that, but it would be good.
FULL FORKS for this one! FIVE FORKS! Go fo it! Please let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it.
I have tried a few times to make salsa without a recipe. “How hard can it be?” I asked myself. I have eaten many baskets of chips at Mexican restaurants with many little bottles and bowls of various kinds of salsa — so I thought of myself as somewhat of an expert. Surely, I could just whip some up.
Well, it didn’t work out so well. Mine came out runny and tasteless. I had garden fresh tomatoes and cilantro and onion, clearly the essentials — but somehow the texture and the taste was all wrong.
image via Flickr CC Jordanmit09
I looked about for an actual recipe. I have two of the Pioneer Woman cookbooks now. I have been very happy with her recipes, both in the books and online. I tried watching her show, but it just isn’t my style. I like her writing and her recipes, though, very much. I think her photography is pretty spectacular, too. The cookbooks are beautiful to look at and to read. Every recipe I’ve tried of hers has been very good.
You can read about the most recent Pioneer Woman Cookbook: (read about it in her blog post here)
There is a point to all this. Back to the salsa issue. In the newest cookbook, Ree has a delicious looking salsa recipe in the Cinco de Mayo section that I just had to try. Even in Wisconsin in the middle of winter, I could get all the ingredients quite easily. I whipped it up in a very short time in my food processor. The best part is: it tastes delicious!!
Since this cookbook is pretty brand new fresh off the presses, I could not find the new salsa recipe posted anywhere online. I don’t want to get into copyright trouble with PW, so I am going to post the salsa recipe she already HAS on her website and suggest revisions so that you can come close to (okay exactly!) replicating the newer recipe. If that doesn’t make sense, just skip it and go on to the yummy food part.
image by Charles Williams via Flickr CC
Here is the Restaurant Style Salsa recipe from the Pioneer Woman website:
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice (or two 14 oz. cans)
1 can (10 Ounce) Ro-tel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
1/4 cup Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
1/2 whole Lime Juice
For the complete recipe and directions, please refer to PW’s website.
To update this version, make these adjustments:
Use two cans of petite diced tomatoes instead of the large can of whole tomatoes. I drained my cans of tomatoes.
Use a whole onion instead of 1/4 c. Cut it into chunks before putting it in the food processor.
Add 1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These come in little cans in the Hispanic food aisle in grocery stores. I added one and a half.
Add 1 teaspoon of cumin instead of the lesser amount.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt instead of the lesser amount.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar instead of the lesser amount.
Use a whole bunch of cilantro (tear off the stems).
Use 1/4 c. lime juice (or more to taste).
That is it. You can make either version or a combo of both. I think you could experiment with using two cans of Ro-tel and one can of petite diced. You could add garlic. You could use green onions instead of the white. You could use red onion. Be sure to drain the cans of tomatoes, but don’t drain the Ro-tel.
This is what my salsa looked like! YUMMMMMM.
My salsa! Made following PW’s Chipotle Salsa recipe in her new cookbook. Image by The Tromp Queen.
I was so desperate to try this salsa that I had to make my own tortilla chips. I had bought the ingredients for the salsa, but forgot to get tortilla chips! Since Wisconsin seems to be in an eternal Polar Vortex lately, I didn’t want to go back to the store for just one item. I did, however, have some extra corn and flour tortillas in the fridge. So I heated up a stainless steel pan with about 1/2 to 1 inch of oil (canola, veg, peanut whatever you have), cut the tortillas in half and then each half into wedges, and quickly fried them til brown on both sides (you have to flip them over with metal tongs or a fork — don’t use plastic!). Drain on paper towels and salt with kosher or regular salt. De nada!
While we are on the chips and salsa topic, Pioneer Woman’s Pico de Gallo is absolutely delicious!! I highly recommend it. Basically her recipe is equal parts of chopped tomato, onion and cilantro. Add a couple of jalapeno peppers (or just one, de-veined and de-seeded), lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. It is so good! I love this on fajitas, tacos or just with chips. If you make guacamole (the recipe is in that same link) you can mix the Pico de Gallo and guac together, too. Yes. Now we all need a margarita.
Overall Recipe REVIEW:
The recipe is quick, easy and delicious. The ingredients are easy to obtain: there is nothing fancy here. I really enjoy the balance of flavors. This tastes as good or better than most of the restaurant salsas out there. This recipe would be easy to adapt for personal tastes, though — more or less spicy, more or less lime juice, etc. I highly recommend all the recipes in this blog post!
5 out of 5 forks!!
Enjoy!
Please let me know you how your recipes turn out if you try any in this post. I’d love to hear your results.
The Tromp Queen COOKS! 