Monica's Chicken Curry

Monica’s Chicken Curry

Indian food is not something we were very familiar with, but had always wanted to learn more about.  Luckily for us, Greer grew up with a family from India (and quite skilled at cooking).  After several scheduling attempts, we met with family and friends at Monica’s house for a demonstration.  Again, knowing very little about Indian food and flavors, we were surprised to find the basic ingredients were ones we were very familiar with and used regularly.  A flavor profile that had seemed exotic now seemed approachable as we could see and taste ties into Mexican, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavors.  We always enjoy cooking classes; add friends and family and you get a great night with a great memory to accompany future meals.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

¼ C Canola oil

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2 White onions, diced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Tumeric

½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Cayenne

½ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Jalapeño, finely chopped

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into ~1” cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Directions

In a 5.5 quart French oven on medium heat add oil and cumin seed, cook until the seeds pop and you can smell the cumin (2-3 minutes).  Be careful not to burn the seeds.  Make the curry base by adding onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves; sauté until the onions are well colored (12-15 minutes).

Add the spices, tomatoes and jalapeño to the base and stir until well mixed.  Add cubed chicken and water for desired thickness; cover and cook until chicken is cook through (~5-7 minutes).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with basmati rice.

Cost

Onions $2.02

Garlic $0.15

Ginger $0.20

Spices $0.75

Tomatoes $2.54 

Chicken $4.97

Cilantro $0.25

Total: $10.88

Per serving: $2.72

This will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheats well.

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

Chicken salad makes a great quick and easy lunch.  This particular recipe was based on a local bakery Greer used to frequent.  Being primarily mustard based, this one feels lighter and healthier than a lot of traditional chicken salads.   Serve on a sandwich, or over a bed of lettuce.  Makes 5 servings.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, grilled
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 Apple, diced
Sauce:
2 tablespoons Dijon
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon mayo
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
½ teaspoon paprika

Directions

Grill the chicken breast, and shred.  Combine with cranberries walnuts and apples and sauce, mix well.  Serve chilled. 
Sauce:
Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Cost

Chicken $1.52
Cranberries $0.99
Walnuts $0.75
On Hand: $1.00
Total: $5.01
Per Serving: $1.00

Leftovers

This keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza
Pizza is much more than tomato sauce and cheese.  There is a restaurant, Urban Eatz, we go to get a quick dinner occasionally.  This is loosely based on one of their pizzas.










Ingredients:
Dough (Mario Batali’s recipe - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html):
¼ c white wine
¾ c warm water
1 ½ fresh yeast
1tbsp honey
1tsp salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ½ c flour

Pesto paste:
Basil

2 Handfuls Spinach
¼ c pine nuts
1/3 c parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings:

1 Chicken Breast, grilled and sliced, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne and red pepper flakes
1 Bunch Cilantro, rough chop
½ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
½ large russet potato, mashed
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Dough: We followed http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html.
Pesto:
Toast the pine nuts in olive oil.
Cook basil and spinach until slightly wilted
Add everything to food processor.
Pizza:
Roll out dough, approx 16”
Spread pesto paste over dough. Add toppings in the following order: half of cilantro, chicken, half of cilantro, mashed potatoes, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese.  Cook at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown. 

Cost:

1 ½ fresh yeast - $0.98
Basil - $1.89
2 Handfuls Spinach - $0.58
¼ c pine nuts - $1.32
Parmesan cheese - $2.00
1 Chicken Breast, grilled and sliced - $2.48
1 Bunch Cilantro, rough chop - $0.99
½ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced - $3.29
½ large russet potato, mashed - $0.47
On hand - $3.00
Total: $15.23
Per Slice (assuming 8 slices): $1.90

Changes:

Before cooking we discussed including tomatillos.  While eating, we talked about switching the pesto for a tomato sauce or alfredo sauce.

Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf

Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf
One of our wedding gifts was "The Newlyweds Cookbook" and this was taken straight from there.  The first time we made it was Valentine's Day this year.  Greer first spotted the recipe, and it was certainly a good find.  As much as we like to mix up recipes, this one worked really well for us as is.  This made 3 full servings. 





Ingredients:

1.5  lbs of Chicken Thighs (with skin on)

1/6 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
A small bunch of thyme sprigs, fresh
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Put the chicken in a large baking dish. Put the oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside for atleast 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Make sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up in the dish and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F until browned and cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately with juices.

Bulghur Wheat Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A handful of cappellini, about 1 ½ oz.
2 garlic cloves
1 ¼ cups bulghur wheat
1 bell pepper, diced
1 roma tomato, diced 
2 ¾ cups unsalted fresh chicken broth
A few springs of thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, break the cappellini into small pieces as you add them to the pan, add garlic and cook, stirring regularly until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in bulghur wheat and a good pinch of salt and mix to coat the grains.

Add the stock and thyme, stir and bring to a boil. Cover over low heat and cook, undisturbed, until all liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add diced bell pepper and tomato. Fluff up grains and serve.

Cost:

1.5 lbs of Chicken Thighs - $3.28
Garlic - $0.50
Bulghur Wheat - $1.06
Roma Tomato - $0.35
Thyme - $0.50
Bell Pepper - $2.49
Lemon - $0.20
Cappellini - $0.75
On Hand (spices, olive oil, chicken broth) - $3.00
Total: $12.13
Per Serving: $4.04
Changes:
We like the roma tomatoes and bell pepper mixed in with the pilaf, but there should be a lot of freedom to change that. 

Leftovers:
The skin isn't crispy the next day, and the chicken dries out slightly, but it makes a pretty good lunch.  Save some of the juice to store with the chicken and pilaf.