Tag: cilantro

Easy Chicken Tika Masala for Dinner

Working full time out of the house and raising a family has it’s own challenges. One of those challenges is meal preparation. Wherever I can cut corners to save on time – but still provide healthy and yummy food – I take those opportunities! This dinner is super easy to make because the hardest part of making the Chicken Tika Masala is already prepared for you. I’ve made Tika Masala from scratch before – several hours of prep and cook time – but my family loves this ready-made version from Costco more… win for Costco!

For an easy dinner for 4 people (2 adults, 2 teenagers) try this menu for Easy Chicken Tika Masala:

Sukhi’s Chicken Tika Masala from Costco
Basmati rice
Stonefire mini naan from Costco
Vegetable
1 cup cilantro, rough chop for garnish

 

Directions:

1. Use your rice cooker to prepare 1.5 uncooked rice.

2. While the rice is cooking, start a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, carefully drop in one of the bags of Sukhi’s Chicken Tika Masala. Don’t open the bag, keep it sealed to boil. You can start from frozen if you forgot to take out of the freezer earlier, it’ll just take a few minutes longer. I usually let it boil for about 8-10 minutes. You can microwave the Tika too, but I try to avoid microwaving food as much as possible so that it’s not rubbery. The boiling doesn’t take that long anyhow.

3. Prepare your vegetables while the Tika Masala is boiling. We prefer steamed broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts. You can make a green salad too, but with this yummy masala sauce, I think you’ll enjoy having some warm veggies to dip into it.

4. The Stonefire Mini Naan is a great way to enjoy the Tika Masala. Keep it in the fridge to last longer. Just as you’re about to eat, toast the mini naan to heat it up. Stack on a plate to keep warm. Be careful, the bread will be hot out of the toaster.

 

To put on the table:

1. Put cooked rice in big bowl with serving spoon.

2. Carefully remove the Tika Masala package from the boiling water. Cut the edge with scissors and pour into a serving bowl – careful of splatters because it’ll be hot from the boiling water. Provide serving spoon.

3. Veggies in a bowl with a serving spoon.

4. Fresh chopped cilantro in a small bowl as a garnish for the Tika. This adds a wonderful extra layer of flavor.

5. Plate of toasted naan.

To plate from the table:

Each person will want a heaping scoop of basmati rice, then scoop the Tika Masala on the rice – add a sprinkle of cilantro! Scoop of veggies on the side of the rice. Break off a third the naan and scoop up some of the Tika Masala sauce, chicken and rice. Yum!

Leftovers make for a great work lunch the next day… if you have any left overs. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

 

Recipe: Asian Noodle Green Salad

asian-noodle-green-saladAsian Noodle Green Salad
Ingredients for dressing – whisk together and set aside:
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup gyoza sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon julienned thai basil leaves

Salad ingredients:
2 cups asian noodles, cooked then chilled and cut into 1-2″ pieces
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 small cucumber, cubed
1-8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1-15 oz can baby carrots, drained and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chia seed
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 cup baked tofu, cubed (I buy at Trader Joe’s; substitute edamame)
Toss together above ingredients with 1/2 dressing mixture. Add to 1 head red leaf lettuce and toss well. Serve with 1 avocado cubed and 1/2 cup rough chopped cilantro.

Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side. Will be plenty for 3 adults, or use as side dish for 6 people with another Asian dish.

Recipe: No Cheese Nachos

no-cheese-nachosBefore going nutritarian, I was a sucker for nachos and all the cheesey gooey goodness. So here’s my version of no cheese nachos!
Ingredients:
Rice/bean chips
Diced tomato
Vegetarian chili
Cubed avocado
Chopped cilantro
Salsa

Just as good as the real deal!

Recipe: Mexican Tortilla Pizza

mexican pizzaFound this great recipe for Mexican Tortilla Pizza by Ellie Krieger on FoodNetwork.com. We really enjoyed it! Below is the original recipe and how we adjusted.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 corn tortillas, or whole-wheat tortillas (6-inches in diameter)
1/2 cup Black Bean Dip, recipe follows
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded green cabbage [we used purple cabbage]
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
[We added fresh guacamole on top as well.]

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tortillas onto a baking sheet and spread 2 tablespoons of black bean dip on top of each tortilla. Top with tomato and cabbage and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle some cilantro on each one. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into wedges.

BLACK BEAN DIP:

2 teaspoons olive oil [we used water instead]
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin [we used coriander]
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil/water in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute more. Put the beans into a food processor. Add the onion mixture and the rest of the ingredients and purée until smooth. Yield: 1 cup

Recipe: Chickpea Ginger Curry


 chickpea2Love Indian food, so created this vegan curry.

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium white onion, diced
2 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoon sliced fresh ginger
2 15-ounce can chickpea (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
5 dried chiles
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 15-0unce can light coconut milk
Water

DIRECTIONS:

In medium sauce pan on medium heat, water sauté onion, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of chickpeas and blend in high-powered blender with coconut milk. Return to sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir occasionally for 20 minutes.

chickpea

Before serving, remove bay leaves and dried chiles. Be careful to remove all pieces of chile because will cause serious gastronomical pain!

Serve with wild rice. We used forbidden rice cooked in rice cooker. Sprinkle with cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Eat To Live: Bean Enchiladas

image

These enchiladas were really tasty! We made a few embellishments, of course. We’ll make this Eat To Live recipe again!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped [we used 1 orange bell]
1/2 cup sliced onion [we diced the onion]
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, divided, no-salt-added or low-sodium
2 cups cooked or canned no-salt-added or low-sodium pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed [we used 1 15 ounce can of black beans and 1/2 can of white beans]
1 cup frozen corn, thawed, or fresh corn off the cob [we used 1 can corn]
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro [we used 1/4 cup in the cooked mixture; added fresh on top]
1 tablespoon chili power [we used 1 teaspoon chayene pepper]
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6-8 corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
Saute the bell pepper and onion in 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce until tender. Stir in the remaining tomatoe sauce, beans, corn, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and cayenne (if using); simmer 5 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the bean mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Serve as is or bake 15 minutes in a 375-degree oven. [We put 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, put in the enchiladas, then added about 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce on top of each enchilada. We added lime juice, cilantro and avocado, would’ve added fresh salsa, but didn’t have tomatoes to make the fresh salsa.]

Next time:

  • Dice the bell pepper
  • Use pinto beans