Basmati Rice Indian Style

Last night I made Indian Chicken Kebab Rolls and I wanted to pair it with a rice dish so I made some Basmati rice which is always a great choice when making Indian food.

Basmati Rice Indian Style

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 whole cloves

1 tbsp. cumin seeds

2-3 green cardamom pods

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

2 cups water

salt, to taste

Directions

To a large non stick pot over medium low heat add the oil.  To that add the cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds.  Stir to combine.  Add the onions and some salt to the pot.  Cook the onions until they are a nice golden brown color.  About 8-10 minutes.  Add in the rice and stir until the rice becomes slightly toasted in color.  Add a bit more salt and the water.  Bring to a boil and once boiling, lower the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and serve!

Enjoy!

Shrimp with Summer Squash, Artichokes in Basil Oil over Rice

I wanted something that was light and easy to make so I decided to make a shrimp dish as that takes only a few minutes to cook.  I looked in my fridge and I had some summer squash to use up (zucchini and yellow squash).  I also had a can of artichoke hearts which I thought would go wonderful with it.  It was quick, easy and quite delicious!

Shrimp with Summer Squash, Artichokes in Basil Oil over Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp. basil olive oil (or regular olive oil), plus a little more for drizzling 

2 small-medium summer squash cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 can artichoke hearts (not in oil), drained and quartered

2 lbs. large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbsp. fresh basil chopped

2 tbsp. fresh garlic, chopped

1 lemon zested

1/2 lemon juice

1/4 cup water or stock

salt and pepper, to taste

Cooked white rice

Directions

Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large non stick Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the squash and cook until it becomes golden brown, about 2-3 minutes,  stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in the pot and add the shrimp and saute for 2-3 minutes until shrimp turn pink.  Add in the artichoke hearts, salt and pepper and cook for another minute.  Add in the garlic and the water or broth and cook for another minute until the garlic is soft.  Return the zucchini to the pan and add the lemon zest and juice and stir.  Sprinkle with the basil and drizzle with the basil oil.  Serve over cooked rice.

Enjoy!

Yellow Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes

I'm always looking at different curry recipes.  I just love them. This one is made with yellow curry paste which has lots of Turmeric in it. Turmeric is very healthy for us as it has a lot of anti bacterial properties.  You can find it in most Indian and Asian recipes.  When working with Turmeric be careful as it wills stain your clothes and you won't be able to get the stain out.

Yellow Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (13 oz) can of  lite coconut milk

1-2 tbsp. yellow curry paste

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. dark brown sugar

3 med-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks

3-4 scallions, white parts cut into 1/4 inch pieces (slice the green parts thin and set aside)

Directions

In a large Dutch oven bring 1/2 cup of the coconut milk to a boil.  Add in the curry paste and mix until dissolved.  Add in the rest of the coconut milk, fish sauce, sweet potatoes and brown sugar.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes.

Add the chicken and the scallions.  Stir the chicken into the sauce.  Cover and cook for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chicken is done.  Garnish with the remaining scallions.

Enjoy!

Original recipe adapted from A Taste of Thai

Indian Chicken Kebab Rolls on a Stick

I love eating food on sticks.  I think it's lots of fun!  Your kids will love it too.  These Indian Chicken Kebabs on a Stick are very tasty, quick and easy to make.  They are perfect for an appetizer too and you can definitely put them on the bbq.  You could also make it with ground turkey.

Indian Chicken Kebab Rolls on a Stick

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. chopped chicken or turkey

1 tsp. ground Turmeric

2 tsp. ground Cumin

2 tsp. Garam Masala

2 tsp. ground Cinnamon

2 tsp. ground Coriander

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste

2 tsp. hot mango chutney

salt, to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp. canola or vegetable oil

1 medium red pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 med-large onion, sliced thinly

wooden skewers, soaked in water

Directions

Combine all the ingredients up to the cilantro in a bowl and mix well.  Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so the flavors can meld.

To a non stick Dutch oven add the oil and saute the peppers and onions until very soft and caramelized.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take the bowl of chicken mixture out of the refrigerator.  Wet your hands with water or some oil and form into sausage size shapes.  Put a skewer through each.  Lay the kebabs on a sheet pan lined with non stick foil and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning half way through. Serve with the peppers and onions.

Enjoy!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Even though it's the end of April here in New York, the weather has been rather chilly so I decided to make some soup.  I love clam chowder and haven't had it in a while.  Manhattan clam chowder is tomato based and much less fattening than the New England type which has half and half or cream in it.  This came out really good and I had leftovers which were just as good the next day!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 slices of turkey bacon

1 large onion, diced

2-3 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 qt. chicken or vegetable broth

2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes, added to a blender and pureed

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

6 small red skinned potatoes, cut into small even chunks

2 (6.5 oz) cans of minced clams with their juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay the bacon on a sheet pan lined with non stick foil.  Cook for about 15 minutes, turning half way through until the bacon is nice and crisp.  Let cool and then crumble and set aside.

To a large Dutch oven add the olive oil and cook the carrots, celery and onions over medium heat for about 8 minutes until they get soft.  Stirring occasionally.  Add the minced garlic and stir.  Add in the salt and pepper.

To the Dutch oven add the tomatoes and broth and all the ingredients except for the clams.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling lower the heat to simmer and cover partially.  Simmer for about an hour or until the potatoes are soft, stirring the pot half way through.  When done, taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.  Add in the clams and cook for another 5 minutes until heated through.

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken

For some reason chicken and lemon goes so well together.  The flavor combination is so simple, but yet delicious.  You can even make this for guests as it is a very elegant dish.  It would go perfect on the grill as well.

Lemon Chicken 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (3-5 lb) chicken cut up, or separate parts

3 tbsp lemon infused olive oil

juice of 3 lemons, reserve the peels

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay chicken in an aluminum baking pan.  In a mixing bowl add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Pour over the chicken and using your hands turn all the pieces into the marinade.  Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, turning half way through.  When done, turn up the heat to broil and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it as you don't want it to burn.

Enjoy!

Original recipe from Rock Recipes

Cold Thai Broccoli Salad

As many of you know I am a big veggie lover!  I am always saying eat foods with lots of colors as they are so healthy for us!  This broccoli recipe is a bit spicy as it uses Thai sweet chili sauce which is sweet but yet spicy.  It's not fire hot though so for those of you that are afraid of a lot of spice, don't be as it has the right balance of spice and sweetness.

Cold Thai Broccoli Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded carrot

Directions

Steam broccoli in the microwave until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl add chili sauce, lime juice and salt until combined.  Add sauce to broccoli along with the shredded carrots.  Mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!


Original recipe adapted from Thai Kitchen