"Restaurant Style" Chicken Tikka Masala

 

From 40aprons.com

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced, about 1 ½ pounds

For the Marinade

• 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt See Notes for alternate diets
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice about half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried ginger

For the Sauce

• 4 tablespoons ghee or butter, ¼ cup
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 1-2 serrano chiles minced, see Notes for heat level
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger grated
• 3 ½ teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 green bell pepper deseeded and sliced into strips
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• lots of salt to taste
• 2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half, See Notes for alternate diets

For Serving

• basmati rice See Notes for alternate diets
• naan
• fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken

• Combine all marinade ingredients besides chicken in a medium bowl and stir well. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Make the Sauce

• Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add serrano chiles, garlic, ginger, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a nice toffee color, about 20 minutes, adding a few drops of water here and there if drying out and sticking. Add garam masala and paprika and stir well. Cook until fragrant, a few minutes, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary to reduce sticking.
• Stir in the tomato sauce then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to your skillet. Add sliced bell pepper, fenugreek, and salt.
• Meanwhile, cook the chicken. Preheat broiler and place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place chicken pieces on top of the rack. Broil, turning occasionally until browned in spots and cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
• Simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low heat or until thick and more like a paste than a sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir until very smooth. Taste and correct seasonings. Add chicken, stir well, and serve over basmati or cauliflower rice and naan. Top with plenty of chopped cilantro.

Minestrone Soup

1 Qt chicken broth
1/2 lb small tube pasta like ditalini 
1 lb smoked sausage, chopped into coins
2 celery stalks diced
1/2 onion diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 T italian seasoning

Directions:
brown onions in small frying pan until golden (optional)
put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours

Vegan Pesto

2 cups packed of Basil or thai basil
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup peanuts or natural peanut butter
3 T sesame oil
1.5 T rice vinegar
dash of red pepper flakes
1 T agave nectar or honey
1 t soy sauce
1 T lime juice
salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until texture is smooth

Cowboy Salad

I adapted this recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  It's a great summer entree salad that all of my kids will eat!
salad:
1 head iceburg (chopped), 1 bag other lettuce of your choice
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 package of bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled
2 green onions, diced
1/2 bag salad tortilla strips
1/2 box grape tomatoes, halved
any other veggies you'd like to add: carrots or cucumbers would work well

dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup bbq sauce
splash of buttermilk or regular milk to desired thickness
1 T chopped garlic
shake well in a mason jar

Turkey Meatball Sliders

You will need:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 jar marinara sauce
• 5 slices provolone cheese
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 onion finely chopped or 2 T dried minced onion
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 10 slider buns

Directions:

• In a large skillet, combine 2 T olive oil, seasoning, onion, and garlic.  Cook on med-high for 2 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together spice mix from previous pan, turkey, bread crumbs, and parmesan
• Roll into 10 even meatballs. 
• Return to original pan and brown in olive oil
• Pour jar of marinara sauce over meatballs, cover, and cook on medium for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through
• On a sheet pan, place slider buns open faced and brushed with oil.  Add a meatball to each set of buns with a slice of cheese on top.  Bake at 450 for 4 minutes.

PW's salisbury steak and potatoes

This one was delicious.  And all of the kids scarfed it down.

Ingredients

Meat Mixture:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons dry mustard
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 cube beef bouillon, crumbled (or powdered beef base)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Gravy:

1 whole onion, halved and thinly sliced (or diced if you prefer)

2 cups beef broth, more if needed for thinning
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon seasoning sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet, optional
4 dashes Worcestershire
1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
Salt and pepper

Directions:

For the meat mixture: Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, ketchup, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon and some salt and pepper. Knead until all combined. Form into 4 to 6 oval patties, and then make lines across the patties to give them a "steak" appearance.

Fry the patties in a skillet with the butter and oil over medium-high heat on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the skillet and pour off any excess grease.
For the gravy: Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook until golden brown and somewhat soft, for several minutes. Add the beef stock, ketchup, seasoning sauce, if using, and the Worcestershire. Then combine the cornstarch with a little beef broth and add to the sauce if using. Stir and cook to reduce.
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more broth if needed for thinning. Then return the patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.

Kristine's Vegetable Curry

This one was so delicious I just had to post it!
Kristine calls it "potato curry."  But really you can use any vegetables you want.  It can also easily be made as vegan or vegetarian.  You could also throw in some cubed chicken and not make it vegetarian at all!
Anway, here's the recipe.
You will need:

• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (or a bit less)
• 4 T veg oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (I didn't have any on hand, and it still turned out fine)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water or chicken broth
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• Your choice of 3 vegetables.  I used bell pepper, cauliflower, and tofu (not really a vegetable but whatever).  Other ideas include sweet potato, eggplant, zucchini, peas, green beans, carrots, etc.

Directions:

1. "Toast" the first two spices by warming in a dry, nonstick skillet on medium heat, until fragrant.  Kristine skips this step but I went ahead and did it.

2. Heat 3 T oil in dutch oven on med-high heat.  Add onions and vegetables and cook until cooked and golden.

3. Reduce heat to medium.  Add final T of oil to pan, then throw in garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and toasted spices.  Stir 1-2 min.

4. Add tomatoes, water/broth, chickpeas.  Stir and reduce to simmer, 15 min.  Add cream jus tbefore serving.

Savory Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts

2 cans stewed tomatoes

4 T white wine

2 bay leaves

Several shakes of pepper

4 garlic cloves minced

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

4 cups broccoli

Combined everything in the crockpot except the broccoli.  (Or in a freezer bag for later.)

Cook on low 9 hours, add broccoli in last 30 min.

Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker.  In a small mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, ranch dressing mix, chicken broth, garlic powder, parsley flakes, paprika, and oregano.  Pour evenly over chicken breasts.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 or high for 2-3 hours.  Remove chicken and stir cream cheese into the sauce until smooth.  Put chicken back in the slow cooker and serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.  Drizzle with extra sauce.

Slow Cooker Continental Beef

Ingredients

1 cup onion ( diced )
6 tablespoons butter ( or light margarine )
2 pounds beef rump roast ( cut into cubes )
8 ounces tomato sauce 

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 bell peppper- chopped, optional
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sufar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic ( minced )
1 cup low fat sour cream

Directions

Optional:

Saute onions in butter. Remove from pan and brown beef cubes. 

 Place beef, onions, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, sugar, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until beef is very tender. Add sour cream to beef mixture just before serving. Stir until smooth and heated through. Do not boil. Serve over cooked egg noodles. 

Freezer Meal: Coconut Chicken Curry

IN THE BAG- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs, 2 lbs of chopped butternut squash, 2 cups onions, chopped, 8 minced garlic cloves, 1 oz fresh ginger, 2 Tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, dash coarse salt

TO COOK- Add the contents of the bag and a can of coconut milk to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 25 minutes before serving, add another can of coconut milk and a bag of frozen peas.

TO SERVE- Serve with rice. Garnish with chopped cashews and cilantro.

Freezer meal: Braised Peanut Chicken

IN THE BAG- 2 cups onions, 2 cups carrots, 2 cups zucchini, 1 cup red pepper, 1/2 tsp grated lime peel, 2 Tbsp lime juice, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp flour, 4 garlic cloves, 2 lbs. cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs.

TO COOK- Dump contents of bag in slow cooker. Cover with 3/4 cup chicken broth and 3 T peanut butter (whisked together). Cook on low for 5-6 hours. For the last five minutes, add in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 bag of frozen peas.

TO SERVE- To make it spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of red curry paste before serving (I kept ours not-spicy for the kiddos). Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Beans

Recipe:

6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Tbs Olive Oil
2+ Limes, juiced (I like a little more lime then the recipe calls for)
1 large bag of Frozen Corn (or two smaller bags)
4 minced Garlic Cloves
1 finely Chopped Red Onion
2 cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp Cumin or Chipotle powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Take ingredients and split everything into two containers. Mix bag by shaking, seal, label and put in the freezer. Cooking instructions: Cook in Crockpot on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Serve with hot tortillas and dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

• 1 lb. stew meat
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 

Instructions

1. Freezer directions- dump all ingredients into a labeled freezer bag, seal, mix up, freeze flat. It's as easy as that!
2. When you're ready to cook- take the bag out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge. The next morning dump the bag into the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you're going to be longer just add a bit more water so it doesn't dry out. Serve with fresh slice green onions and rice. Yum! 

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

• 2.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons diced onion
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, and place in the bottom of slow cooker.
3. In a small bowl, add honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes and stir until well combined. Pour over chicken.
4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.
6. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
7. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

1 cup Pineapple Juice

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Light Soy Sauce

2 lbs Chicken tenderloins; in chunks

Original recipe makes 4 Servings.
Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is fall-apart.

Katie's African Peanut Stew

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
• A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2 Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3 Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4 Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.
5 Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes

And yet another Taste of Home recipe!  I realized of all the magazines that come through the house, this is one magazine I really use.  I've gifted it to several people and just cant't say enough about it.

My only changes to this recipe is to only add a little hot sauce (I used Frank's) so that it isn't too spicy for the kids, and then put the hot sauce on the table to add more as desired.  It is best on sturdy buns.  Regular hamburger buns get pretty soggy quickly.

Photo from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey

• 2 celery ribs, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium carrot, grated

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 8 hamburger buns, split

• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, optional

  Directions

  1. Cook the first five ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, hot sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; heat through.

  1. Serve on buns; sprinkle with cheese if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey

 

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

 

3 garlic cloves, minced

 

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

 

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

 

1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce

 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 hamburger buns, split

 

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, optional

Chicken Saltimbocca

I pulled this recipe out of an old "Taste of Home" I had floating around.  3 out of 4 kids asked for seconds, so I take that as a win!  I did make a LOT of rice, so I ended up freezing a bunch for another meal.  The original recipe calls for fresh sage, which I skipped since I forgot at the store...  Plus I think this would have scared away kids.  Instead I just sprinkled some dried sage into the sauce, and it added a really nice flavor to the entire dish.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 4 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham, halved
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, cut a slit lengthwise through the thickest part of each chicken breast; fill with prosciutto and two sage leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side; return all to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add wine to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in the sour cream, sugar and minced sage; heat through (do not boil). Serve with chicken and rice. 

Stuffed Shells

This recipe is so easy, a 5 year old could do it!  Short of boiling the noodles, Beatrix prepared this entire dish.  It is a perfect dinner to get the kids not only involved, but taking ownership of the meal.  And they were pretty tasty, too!

1 package jumbo shells
1 jar spaghetti sauce - I used some previously frozen Slow Cooker Marinara
36 frozen meatballs, thawed
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package.  Drain and let cool.
Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13.
Put a meatball inside each shell, and then put in the casserole.
Cover with sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a 350 oven, covered for 35 minutes, and then uncovered for about 5 more, until bubbly.