Tandoori Chicken

Posted on by aurorameyer

 

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Tandoori Chicken

Let's be honest. We LOVE British Indian Cuisine. J found an amazing cookbook from The Curry Guy and we cook our way through the book regularly. With a few modifications, even our toddler loves this dish. It's best on a grill but we've made it on the stove and in the oven with similar results. 
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Ingredients
  

  • 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs or cubed chicken breast
  • Juice of two lemons
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 cups plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic puree
  • 1 tablespoon ginger puree
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 leave green jalapeños, finely chopped we leave this out when our toddler is eating with us
  • 1 leaves bunch of cilantrofinely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Using a sharp knife, make three slits in each chicken if leaving whole, if you're going the kabob method, dice up the chicken into 1-inch cubes.
  • Squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken thighs and sprinkle with the salt and let sit while you make the marinade.
  • Place all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste. Cover the chicken pieces with the marinade and rub it with your hands deep into the flesh of the chicken. We often stick the chicken and the marinade into a ziptop bag and let marinate for a few hours up to overnight in the refrigerator. You can let it marinate for up to 48 hours, the longer the better!
  • When ready to cook, either preheat your cast iron skillet or preheat your grill. An important note from the Curry Guy that is good for all things grill related: "You are ready to grill when you can hold your hand two inches above the grill without it being unbearably hot."
  • Cook the tandoori chicken turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and the edges are blackened.

Notes

I love this dish and everything else The Curry Guy comes up with. He never lets us down!
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Ham and Cheese Loaf

Posted on by aurorameyer

 

Homemade Ham and Cheese Loaf

Ham and Cheese Loaf

My mom used to make this when my sister and I were little. It was one of our most favorite dishes. Apparently, it’s also pretty easy even if you make the bread from scratch, but let’s be honest the frozen works just as good and is so much less time-consuming!
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Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf Frozen bread dough thawed per package instructions and proofed
  • sliced deli ham as needed
  • slice cheddar cheese we get a block and slice it ourselves

Instructions
 

  • Roll out the bread dough flat.
  • Visually divide it vertically into thirds.
  • On the right-hand third cut diagonal lines using a knife. Repeat on the left-hand side.
  • Layer the ham about four slices thick and then layer the sliced cheese on top.
  • Braid the alternating the diagonal pieces over the ham and cheese.
  • Bake per the package instructions.
  • Let cook and slice

Notes

My opinion:
Just like mom used to make! Mine never looks as pretty as hers does, but it tastes just as good. I can't wait to introduce this to my daughter for school lunches in her future. Some people like to add a little mustard, but I'm a purist and like it plain.
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Quick Yellow Shrimp Curry

Posted on by aurorameyer

Easy Yellow Shrimp Curry Sometimes I really want a good curry, but I don’t have time to toast the spices or wait for it to come together. This super simple curry from Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen is even quicker with our favorite Penzey’s Curry spice blend. Plus the best part is you can add any vegetables you have. I’ve used carrots, zucchini, broccoli and peppers with just as delicious results.

Quick Yellow Shrimp Curry

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 bag frozen shrimp medium shelled and deveined works best.
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 l can coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or any oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons Penzey's Curry Spice mix*
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • handful fresh parsley finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a frying pan, sautee the onions over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they become transparent.
  • Add the spices and garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
  • Add the shrimp and lemon juice. Stir to coat in with the spices, then pour in the coconut milk.
  • Add the peas and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  • Mix in the chopped parsley just before serving. Serve with rice, couscous or quinoa
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My opinion:
This takes less than 15 minutes, 20 if your vegetables aren’t already chopped. It’s simple, delicious and extremely delicious. I only wish there was a little more leftover for lunch the next day, there never is enough!

*If you don’t have the Penzey’s Curry spice mix, the original recipe called for: 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon coriander and optional 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.

p.s. even our toddler loves this dish!
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Toddler Approved: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

Posted on by aurorameyer
Toddler Approved: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

My mom made a version of this when I was a kid and my sister and I recently reminisced about it. I requested the recipe from mom and was surprised at how easy it was to make. I was less surprised at how much Miss A loved it. She loves just about anything with rice.

Toddler Approved: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese use more if you like it cheesy
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup cut broccoli
  • 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts cubed or shredded
  • Additional shredded Colby on top
  • cup *1chicken broth
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Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice

My opinion:
Next time I’ll add onions and garlic and use two blocks of cheese, one mixed in and one to make a bechamel sauce (similar to this one). I’m just not a fan of cheddar cheese soup and broccoli cheese soup.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice
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Toddler Approved: Honey Soy Salmon

Posted on by aurorameyer

Honey-Soy Salmon with Zucchini

This was a surprise win for our family. Even before Miss A’s arrival, we made it a point to eat more fish. Salmon is hard one because done well, it’s amazing. Done poorly, it’s terrible.

On a whim, I tried this Honey-Soy Salmon dish from Parents magazine. It was so easy and even better, Miss A kept asking for more! She wasn’t really a fan of the zucchini, but she also hadn’t had it with the skin still on before.

Toddler Approved: Honey Soy Salmon

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Ingredients
  

  • 4-6 salmon fillets (we get the frozen ones that still have the skin on the number of fillets depends on the number of people eating)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce we used regular
  • Nonstick cooking spray or just some of your favorite oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive
  • 2 medium zucchini sliced into 1/4-inch thick half-moons
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Add honey and soy into a zip top bag, squish to mix.
  • Add the fish and seal the zip top.
  • Turn to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours (we marinated for about an hour).
  • Drain and discard marinade.
  • Preheat broiler. If you have the option of low or high, choose high.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat foil with cooking spray or lightly drizzle oil.
  • Place fish on foil. Broil 5 to 7 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
  • We broiled for about 7 minutes total.
  • While the fish is broiling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onions. Cook about 3 minutes or until just tender; season with salt.
  • Serve the fish fillets with the zucchini.

Notes

Note: if using frozen fillets, be sure to allow to defrost before you marinate. It makes a difference.
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My opinion:
The addition of lightly caramelized onions made the salmon even tastier. We will absolutely be making this dish again. Plus it was so easy, we could make it even on the busiest weeknight!

Toddler Approved: Honey-Soy Salmon with Zucchini
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