Indian Chicken with Spinach

Saag Gosht
Serves 4-6

SPY - I forgot to seed the tomatoes, so the sauce was extra watery.

Onion Paste
1 large red onion
1.5 tablesppons of ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic

Tomato Mixture
2 medium tomatoes
2 hot green chilies

4-6 tablespoons of ghee or butter, oil
1 cassia leaf or bay leaf
4 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
.5 teaspoon turmeric
6 tablespoon of whole milk yogurt
1.5 pound of lamb or chicken thighs
2 cups of hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 spinach
1.5 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi
3-4 heavy cream or crème Fraîche
.5-1 teaspoon garam marsala
3 tablespoon cilantro

1. Make onion paste. Paste onion, ginger, garlic into blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl and put aside. Without washing, put tomatoes and green chilies and puree until smooth.
2. heat oil in dutch oven over med high heat. whe hot add cassia leaf, cardamon pods, cinnamon, cloves. Cook until fragrant 15 secs. add onion paste an cook until fried 12-15 minutes. Stir tomato mixture for 10 minutes until oil separates.

3. toss in coriander, cumin, turmeric and stir 1 minute. reduce heat and stir in yogurt 2 tablespoon at a time until mixed. Raise heat and add meat, sear 5 minutes. Add hot water adn salt and stir. bring to boil and reduce heat to med low. cover and simmer for 1.5 hours for lamb, 1 hour for chicken.
4. stir cooked spinach, fenugreek leaves, heavy cream, and simmer 3-4 minutes. transfer and sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro. server with hot rice or bread.

Orange Roughy with Indian spice tomatoes

Very simple to make, got some galam marsala around and dashed it in there. I have a costco sized bag of orange roughy at my disposal and I need ways to eat it and not get bored.
Verdict : Super easy to make and the mister liked it . I however, liked the ingredients on paper, but not so much together. Felt bland.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/106415
Ingredients
4 6-ounce orange roughy fillets or red snapper fillets (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick)
3 teaspoons garam masala
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Preparation
Sprinkle fish on both sides with salt and pepper, then with 1 teaspoon garam masala, dividing equally. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add fish and cook until opaque in center, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter (do not clean skillet).

Add tomatoes with juices, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and remaining 2 teaspoons garam masala to same skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish. Top with yogurt and sprinkle with cilantro.

Chicken Au "Champagne" another French women recipe

Chicken Au Champagne - Another French Women don't get fat recipe.
a) Champagne is expensive, even at Costco. Substitute with some American substitute for $7.00 a bottle. Same thing, and you are boiling it to death in an oven.

b) shallots are a nice hidden surprise in the breast, though the color can give a false alarm that the chicken is rare. Don't alarm your guest

c) I chucked in sprigs of cilantro with the chicken because I had some left over. This is not so appealing after baking. Leave out or it looks like kelp.

d) Very simple and cheap, though something about baking "champagne" emits a foul vapor whenever the door is opened and stings your eyes like onions on crack.

e) Next time must stuff with garlic and a hidden cheese surprise!

http://www.mireilleguiliano.com/chickenauchampagne.htm
Ingredients

4 chicken breasts (with skin and bone)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme (optional)
1 shallot, quartered
1 cup Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut recommended)

1. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan, and season them. Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Make a slit in each breast and insert a piece of shallot.

2. Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/2 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.

4. Serve over brown rice. Sautéed mushrooms add a special touch and go beautifully with Champagne. (In a warm frying pan with a touch of olive oil, add clean, roughly chopped mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice, freshly chopped sage, seasoning to taste, and 1 tablespoon of butter.) Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and rice. Serve the remainder of the bottle of Champagne (about 6 glasses) with the meal.

French women don't get fat Ratatouille

I read the book and there are many easy, simple, filling recipes that are good for you and can help you lose weight. Ratatouille is my first attempt. Things I would change.
a) peel the eggplant
b) use fresh parsley
c) chicken stock? maybe a cup.

link to book site
Ingredients
3 pounds Each of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini
12 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
oil

1. Use equal amounts of tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini. Wash and cut into thick slices
2. lay in a heavy stock pot like Le Crueset pot, arrange as one layer after another.
3. Fill to rim, alternate tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, garlic and parsley, also salt and pepper
4. cook and cover over low heat for 2.5 hours
5. Cool for 20 minutes. eat like a soup. add olive oil in and grate fresh parmesan cheese

Leftovers
Use and cook with chicken or meat and then on a pizza. I haven't tried this yet.

Verdict

Delicious and healthy! Use fresh veggies, no canned at all.

Graham apple bake

This recipe originally calls for oats. I didn't have that but I had some graham crumbles lying around from a previously made cheese cake. It was delicious and I used up the left over apples, flour and sugar around the house.

5 cups Granny Smith apples, pared, cored, and sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Streusel Topping

Streusel Topping
3/4 cup flour,
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1/4 cup each packed brown sugar
1/4 white sugar;
Put in 1/2 cup room temp or soft butter or 1 stick of butter until crumbly mixture is formed.

1) Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon; spread in bottom of 11X8X2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping. Bake at 350 degrees F. 35-40 minutes.

http://www.bestapples.com/recipes/recipe.NEW.asp?ID=205

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Pancetta

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Pancetta

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_105721,00.html

I really don't like cauliflower. Maybe broccoli. Chances are I won't make this again.

1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces (about 6 cups)
4 ounce piece pancetta, diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 clove garlic, whole
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the cauliflower for 2 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish and let cool, about 5 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, brown the pancetta. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until combined. Continue stirring for 2 minutes to cook the flour. Slowly add the milk, stirring continuously until the milk has incorporated and there are no lumps. Add the garlic clove and red pepper flakes and stir the sauce over low heat until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add the Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the reserved pancetta. Stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower to cover. Top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs.

Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden and the cauliflower is cooked, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto

Risotto since my class has never been so easy. I had a lot of left over goat cheese, so this recipe was a natural choice to try. This was tasty. But I still like the spicy sausage one more.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shrimp-and-goat-cheese-risotto




Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto

* healthy HEALTHY

TOTAL TIME: 50 MIN
SERVES: 4
ingredients

* 1 quart chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
* 3/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 cup arborio rice (8 1/2 ounces)
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
* 1/4 cup soft fresh goat cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the shrimp, cover and simmer over moderate heat until just cooked, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate to cool. Cover the stock and keep it at barely a simmer.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until it is coated with oil, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1 scant cup of the simmering stock and cook, stirring constantly, until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is absorbed. The risotto is done when the rice is tender but still slightly firm and creamy, about 25 minutes total. Stir in the shrimp. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the basil, goat cheese, Parmesan, ginger and lemon zest. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve.