Indian Spiced Chicken with Tomato Chutney and Chile-Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

As I've mentioned previously, my husband despises dairy, but mostly cheese. In case you are wondering, he is not lactose intolerant (everyone asks this), he just hates the taste, texture, and smell of dairy. Of course, I love cheese, so this definitely puts a damper on my cooking/eating style. Sadly, I can't make anything Italian, because it almost always contains cheese or milk/cream. I do miss lasagna and stuffed pastas, but I mostly just miss tomato sauce. Oh, how I love Italian dishes with tomato sauce. You may have noticed that I cook a lot of Indian food, which my family really enjoys, so I decided to try a new spin on tomato sauce - tomato chutney. This dinner was a marriage of 2 recipes - one from Cooking Light, and one from allrecipes. Basically, the CL recipe for "Indian Spiced Chicken with Tomato Chutney" looked delicious, but the chutney recipe was full of ingredients that I didn't have on hand. Instead, I searched on allrecipes for a substitute chutney recipe, and I found a very simple one, which didn't call for so many ingredients. The end result was really great (despite the fact that my timing was truly out of whack on this one). The chicken itself is nicely spiced, but very mellow and simple. Once topped with the chutney, however, it was incredibly flavorful - both sweet and salty, with a really subtle, tangy, ginger flavor. As I was eating it, all I could think about, was, "What else can I make with this chutney?!" It was the simplest component of the dish, but definitely a big winner. The Chile-Garlic Sweet Potatoes recipe is from Eating Well, and it is really simple and quite delicious. It also allowed me to use up some leftover taters and butternut squash, and it was a really lovely side dish with the chicken. These 3 recipes came together beautifully, and, served with steamed broccoli, made for a really well rounded, simple Fall meal.




Make this one. It's a keeper. Kevin's rating: 4 BOWLS

Indian Spiced Chicken with Tomato Chutney

Chutney:
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced seeded serrano chile
1/4 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup coarsely chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
**Or, you can make the chutney my way (see below)!

Chicken:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

To prepare chutney, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and serrano; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add tomato, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 minutes or until mixture is thick. Set aside, and keep warm.

Prepare grill.

To prepare chicken, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add coriander, curry, cumin, and black pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Brush mixture evenly on both sides of chicken; sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve chutney over chicken.

CALORIES 268 (30% from fat); FAT 8.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.5g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 108mg; CALCIUM 36mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.3g; SODIUM 687mg; PROTEIN 40.6g; FIBER 0.9g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Tomato Chutney
Adapted (a lot) from allrecipes.com
Ingredients

* 2 cups chopped tomatoes (Use a can - it's easier!)
* 2 teaspoons ginger (Use the refrigerated prepared kind - easier!)
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (Meh, skip it!)
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 tablespoon white sugar (I used 2 tsp instead - it was perfect sweetness.)
* salt to taste

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cilantro, chili powder sugar and salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and saucy, about 10 minutes. I used my immersion blender, to make this smooth, because my fam isn't into super chunky tomato sauce.




Chile-Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

4 servings, about 3/4 cup each | Active Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed (and peeled, if desired), cut into 1-inch wedges or pieces (I just used 2 huge sweet pots, and probably 8 ounces of butternut squash - way more than the recipe suggests)
* 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
* 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce (see Note)
* 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
2. Combine oil, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce and white pepper in a large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat with the seasoning mixture.
3. Spread the potatoes evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving : 177 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 31 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 348 mg Sodium; 586 mg Potassium

* Note: Chile-garlic sauce (also labeled chili-garlic sauce, or paste) is a blend of ground chiles, garlic and vinegar. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets and will keep for up to 1 year in the refrigerator.

Hoppin' John

When I told Kevin I was making rice and beans for dinner, he balked, meaning that he didn't think he'd be satisfied, so I settled for making Latin Chicken, and Hoppin' John. I've posted about the Latin Chicken before, and we really like the flavor, so I won't get into that recipe, except to say that it was a nice addition to the Hoppin' John. For those who don't know, and have a thirst for history, Hoppin' John is a classic Southern dish, that originated in West Africa. Traditionally, Hoppin' John is eaten on New Year's Day, and is thought to bring a prosperous year, filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls. Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale etc. along with this dish are supposed to also add to the wealth since they are the color of money. When you eat Hoppin' John after that day, you can call it "Skippin' Jenny," which signifies the frugality that will further the hope of prosperity in the new year. Good info, huh?

Anyway, I got this recipe from the Eating Well site, and though it was supposed to be adapted, using barley instead of rice, I used brown rice anyway, I also substituted carrots for the celery, since my celery looked less than stellar. The end result was a tasty, lightly spiced rice and beans dish, that was really comforting and filling. For me, this could have easily been a main dish, but for Kevin, it was really nice with chicken. As an added bonus, Maya loved it, too. I will definitely make this again, but next time, I think I'll make it with barbecued chicken, because they will go better together.





Barley Hoppin' John
Adapted from Eating Well

4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped (I used carrots)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
* 1 cup quick-cooking barley (I used brown rice)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice (I used lime juice)
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed (I used 1 can of black eyed peas, 1 can of pinto beans)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add broth, barley, thyme, lemon juice, crushed red pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the barley is done, 15 to 20 minutes (If using brown rice, extend cooking time to 50 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in black-eyed peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Per serving : 320 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 58 g Carbohydrates; 12 g Protein; 11 g Fiber; 677 mg Sodium; 529 mg Potassium

Black Bean Croquettes

I am always hesitant to post recipes that I think are only good. I guess I hope that every recipe will blow me away and make me drool for more. Well, this was a last minute, thrown together at the last second sort of meal. My sis had been visiting us for the day, and she left at 5:15, and I still had no idea what was for dinner. Oy. This comes from Eating Well, and I had all the ingredients on hand. It's a very simple, basic recipe, and it tastes good. It's nothing special or fantastic, and it didn't hold together all that well, but it tasted good. Basically, it's a black bean burger that should be in "ball shape." I still made them into patties, though, and served with rice. I might hang onto this one, and use it as a black bean burger recipe, if I ever have the craving... So, all in all, this was a sort of keeper. Liked it, didn't love it, but loved that it was easy peasy, and quick. It's also a good way to use up those cans of beans that are cluttering up the pantry.

Chocolate "Don't Judge a Bundt by its Cover" Bundt Cake

This cake was - in a word- terrible. I got the recipe for "Died and Went to Heaven Chocolate Cake," from Eating Well, and the reviews were solid. of course, the cake was not a full fat recipe, and I probably shouldn't expect a winner, when it's not made with full fat ingredients, but still... I am a firm believer, that with the right blend of ingredients, healthy can be made delicious. Anyway, I made this particular cake, because it included buttermilk, which I had in the house, as opposed to sour cream. It was an easy recipe, and the one winning component of it, was the glaze, which I would definitely use again, on another Bundt. The cake, however, was dry and chewy. It looked fluffy and pretty, but the inside wasn't a very light, moist, and cakey texture, like you expect and want out of a cake. I was bummed, because it looked really beautiful, and the glaze was quite tasty, kind of like the outside of a donut. So... I won't be making this again. It wasn't nearly as good as a box of Betty Crocker cake mix. Boo hoo. Hate when that happens.

Sweet Potato Fritters with Smokey Pinto Beans, and Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs

I'm disorganized in the kitchen. Making 2 things for dinner, makes me feel like a hot mess. So, last night, I decided to make chicken for dinner, with these Sweet Tater Fritters on the side. The thing is, I honestly don't know how to make 2 things, like this, and get them to all be ready at the same time. I think double ovens would help, and Kevin cleaned as I cooked, so that helped too... But still, it was messy, and I felt both dishes were only okay, in the end.

I've made this chicken many times, and it goes over really well in my house. It's super easy, and Maya loves it, too. the only issue is that it requires broiling, so you can't really use the oven for anything else, when you make this. It's really tasty though. I'm not a big fan of chicken thighs, but this recipe is a keeper. It's perfect when you don't have much time to cook, and it's a nice main dish, and it really goes well with any side dish.




The fritters came from the new issue of Eating Well Magazine. I had very high hopes for them, because the Corn and Basil Cakes were so delicious. Well, these were, in a word - okay. They were easy to make, and I loved all the ingredients. I did tweak the recipe a bit, to lower the oil content, but nothing major. The end result was a dense, sort of doughy fritter, that really seemed a bit low on flavor. The fritter itself is basically a sweet potato dough with onions and peppers, while the topping is a pinto bean mixture. Well, the topping was terrific, and every time I got a bite of the topping with the fritters, I loved it. The fritter itself? Meh. It needed something. I don't know what. Maybe some garlic? Maybe I should have used a poblano pepper instead of a bell pepper? Maybe more oil? Perhaps using white whole wheat flour was the problem, and accounted for the density? I'm not sure. I want to try these again, because the idea of them sounds so delicious....

Turkey Tamale Potpie, Meets Chili Cornbread Casserole

In a desperate attempt to use up the ground turkey breast that's been lingering in my fridge, I found this perfect casserole recipe in an old Cooking Light. There is something warm and fuzzy about a casserole, but we rarely make them, because they almost always involve cheese or cream. This Tamale Pie recipe is like a turkey chili, with a cornbread topping. The problem was, the reviews of the pie were... sub par. People mentioned that the topping was bland, and that the inside needed a good deal of tweaking. On the same day, I found this recipe for Chili Cornbread Casserole, in Eating Well. So, I decided to get creative, and marry the 2 recipes. I ended up tweaking the Cooking Light recipe, for the inside, and using the Eating Well recipe, for the cornbread topping. Well, the end result was very pretty, and, in my opinion, quite tasty. Kevin isn't a big fan of cornbread, or casserole toppings (he doesn't like potpie) in general, so he sort of scraped off top. Bummer. I was hoping to convert him into a tamale pie lover. Oh well. Anyway, the only issue I had with this recipe, was that I used a very coarse ground cornmeal, which made the topping gritty. Next time, I will definitely use a finer grind. I really liked the flavor and texture of this recipe. I am posting it below, since I adapted it so much. It's definitely an easy, basic, tasty casserole, for a weeknight meal at home.

Pizza Night!

Kevin is on call tonight, so I thought I'd try my hand at something "easy." We have made pizzas at home before, but today I decided to make my own whole wheat pizza dough, which I've never tried in the past (I usually buy it by the bag at the grocery store). I am so glad I made it myself, because it was much better than any of the dough I've purchased, and it was really easy to make early in the day, and use later on. I was even able to freeze a ball of dough for use later. Anyway, pizza is a hit in our house, because Kevin doesn't eat cheese, and I don't love meat, so I make individual roasted vegetable pizzas, and I put cheese on mine, and grilled chicken on Kevin's. I really liked these pizzas. I thought the dough rolled out nice and thin, and had a nice texture, and by baking them in the bottom of the oven at 500 degrees, the crust was crispy, but not overcooked. The vegetables roasted nicely, and you could barely see the dough underneath, for all the veggies on top. Even Maya liked it. She kept saying, "Put the chicken/bread/broccoli in my mouth - it's too sticky!" She didn't want to get messy hands, I guess. These were definitely fork and knife pizzas.

Kevin's Pizza: Grilled Chicken, broccoli, orange peppers, vidalia onions, mushrooms, and tomato sauce

Oh, and lots of roasted garlic.

Marji's Pizza: Most of the broccoli (I'm a broccoli hoarder, I admit it), peppers, onions, mushrooms, sauce, and CHEESE!!!

Our little pizzas at our little table.

Almost done eating, but a messy plate is a pretty plate!

Banana Chocolate Surprise Muffiins and Corn & Basil Cakes

These Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Surprise Muffins were a last minute decision, based on the fact that I had all the ingredients right here in the house. I've been experimenting with different types of flours lately, and this recipe was an adaptation of the recipe on the back of the Bob's Red Mill, Gluten Free AP Flour bag. The recipe was easy to throw together, even with 2 whiny kids in the background, but, unfortunately, it did not receive rave reviews. Kevin said they tasted "very healthy," and this was actually the first time ever, that Maya handed it back to me and said, "I don't like this, I need milk." Oh well. I thought they were okay, especially with the little chunk of dark chocolate I hid in the center. The fact is, you have to get used to the taste of different types of flours. I won't make these again, because I don't want to be the only one eating them, but I will try again with the GF flour - the bananas will have to take a hike. Chocolate is always foolproof in our house, so I guess I should stick to what I know.

These muffins looked very pretty, and smelled really good.

I think these had too much xantham gum. The dough was a bit too elastic for my taste, but I suppose that's where experimentation comes into play.



I rarely cook with fresh basil - well, I rarely cook with fresh herbs at all, actually. I always end up with leftovers that go in the trash, because I don't know exactly how to use them. What can I say? I'm a beginner... Anyway, I've had my eye on this recipe for Corn & Basil Cakes, courtesy of Eating Well Magazine, for quite a while, so I was really excited to try it. In fact, I trekked out in the pouring rain and hurricane-like winds, to Stop and Shop, to pick up basil. It was worth it. This recipe is really easy, it looks beautiful, and it tastes delicious. As previously mentioned, we have a lot of leftovers in the house, so my mission last night, was to create something that could be used as a side dish, so we could also eat leftovers (we have approximately 12 cups of beef barley soup in the fridge). These corn cakes are very easy and quick to whip up on the stove top. They have a very interesting flavor - a mix between a real pancake, and a fresh, herbal, savory taste. They also look colorful and summery, though it took me a couple of batches to get the hang of the timing. They would go really well with grilled chicken or steak, or even roasted or steamed vegetables.
The batter to these cakes is a snap to put together.

I have a lot of leftover basil, so the wheels are turning for tonight... What should I make?

I was shocked (again) that this gloppy batter made such perfectly moist cakes.

The first batch was alittle "light," but I perfected my next couple of batches!



Perfect.

THE CRITIQUE
Corn patty thingies - I've never been more apprehensive about trying something that looks like something I would not like. But, I ended up loving this meal. The basil was so fresh and it tasted like a professionally cooked meal prepared by a seasoned chef. They were light and healthy tasting but the corn really brought out a nice flavor to them. I gobbled them down very fast. I could only slightly taste the egg, so it was really nice. I would like to try this again at breakfast. I tried reheating one of these and they also tasted great, and even Maya loved them. I was so proud of her for trying. 4 bowls!



Gluten-free Muffins - OK, now understand that these were made for Marji only, and I was not the intended target audience of the muffin. That being said, they tasted much like the name sounds - like something trying to pose as a dessert that has something very important missing from it. I'm a tough cookie to please when it comes to dessert and when you try to make it healthy, it's nearly impossible to make it past 2 bowls. This is no exception. It tasted like you're eating air with some weird flavor in it. The chocolate really tasted good, but the stuff around it wasn't that great. I love my wife and I love her cooking. I'm not the biggest fan of healthy desserts - made by anyone. So it's really nothing personal to Marji. If I want a healthy dessert, then I'll eat fruit. 1 bowl.