Tandori Chicken and Shrimp

You'll have to forgive me for the bad picture. However, that doesn't excuse you from not trying out this recipe. This marinade is made with non-fat plain yogurt. The yogurt tenderizes the meat and the spices used give it such great flavor. It is a great marinade for summer because it goes so well with a quick couscous salad or rice and a grilled vegetable. I also like to serve some of the reserved marinade spread over grilled flat bread. It is full of all the wonderful Indian spices I like...I LOVE Indian food! I served this chicken and shrimp dish with a salad made from couscous, raisons, garbonzo beans, and cilantro with fresh lemon squeezed over it and seasoned with salt and pepper. I also served grilled veggies and flat bread.

Tandori Chicken and Shrimp

1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ponds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
12 large shrimp

Combine all the marinade ingredients. Add meat and marinade for at least 30 minutes. Thread meat on skewers and grill until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Hoisin Chicken Stir Fry

This recipe was really good and quick to throw together. I made it with a bunch of leftovers because we were going out of town and I didn't want to buy any more groceries until we got back. Trust me....it tastes much better than it looks. I got this recipe from another food blog My Kitchen Cafe. She served it as lettuce wraps, but I preferred to do it as more of a stir fry.

Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls
adapted slightly from Dinners for a Year
Serves 4
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red pepper, diced small
1 10-ounce package baby portebello mushrooms, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 average-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced small
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, diced small
2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce (you can find this by the soy sauce)
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 cups of hot cooked rice
romaine lettuce leaves
sesame seeds
scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add red pepper and mushrooms and saute for 5 - 6 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add chicken to pan and cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until cooked through. Stir chicken and red pepper mixture occasionally while it cooks. Add water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables. Continue cooking until heated through.To serve, line a single serving size bowl with romaine leaves. Top with a large scoop of rice, some of the hoisin chicken, and a sprinkle of the sesame seeds and scallions.Alternately, you can serve the hoisin chicken mixture wrapped in lettuce leaves or omit the lettuce leaves completely and serve the chicken over rice.

*I also added frozen peas and sliced celery since I had some on hand.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Don't be surprised that I am posting about Pizza again because I am sure you will see it plenty of times. Especially throughout the summer. It is just a great meal. Light but satisfying and oh so easy!!!! Plus, I almost always have the ingredients to make some kind of pizza. This recipe is one that I adapted from Rachel Ray on 30 minute meals. I changed it up by adding sliced zucchini (on my half), olives, and carrots. The marinade for the meat is one that you can use on chicken any time. It is SO tastey!!! Rachel knew what she was doing when creating this recipe. If you have never had plum sauce before (used as the pizza sauce), it has a sweet flavor-but it is not too sweet. Give this recipe a try! It is a refreshing change from the usual pizza.

Thai Chicken Pizza

1 pizza dough, any brand
1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers. Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.
Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds ought to do it. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then grill chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice chicken into very thin strips.
While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.
Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts, cut into 8 wedges and serve.

*this is the original recipe-feel free to add what you would like!

Summer Vegetables with Gnocchi

I have always seen gnocchi on the Food Network show Everyday Italian and have thought that it looks so good. I finally decided it was time to stop wondering just how good it was and buy some to try. My conclusion? They are right!!! It is GOOD! It has a completely different texture than any kind of pasta. It is like chewy little nuggets of goodness! I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart's website and knew that we would love it because it was full of some of my favorite flavors and ingredients, lemon, garlic, olive oil, basil, and lots of fresh veggies. I also added one can of Cannelini beans to add a bit more substance and protein to the dish. I also added some fresh asparagus simply because I love it! I served this as a side dish to some grilled pesto chicken and a big green salad packed topped with creamy avocado, toasted cashews and fresh crispy cucumbers. What a great summer meal! One of these days I will attempt to make homemade gnocchi, but for now....store bought is just great!

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini or summer squash, or one of each (about 2 pounds total), quartered and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15 to 16 ounces) frozen gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

I saw this recipe on Closet Cooking (another food blog that I love) and knew immediately that I had to make it. It sounded too interesting and delicious to pass up. Roasting the strawberries in balsamic vinegar intensified the flavor of the strawberries and made them taste wonderful! The roasted strawberries would be delicious over Angel Food Cake too! If you are skeptical in any about this recipe, try it...I know you'll love it. This is by far my husband's favorite flavor of home made ice cream. I doubled the recipe so that we could have left overs to freeze!

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
3 egg yolks
Directions:
1. Toss the strawberries in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Pour the mixture on a baking pan covered in foil folded up on the sides to capture the juices.
3. Roast the strawberries in a preheated 425F oven until they start to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Place the strawberries and the juices into a container and chill in the fridge.
5. Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a sauce pan until it almost boils, about 5 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low.
7. Add one tablespoon of the cream mixture to the eggs to temper them.
8. Add the egg mixture to the sauce pan.
9. Cook at low heat until it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
10. You may want to strain the mixture at this point to remove any bits that may have formed while cooking.
11. Chill the mixture in the fridge.
12. Mix the cream and strawberry mixtures.
13. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream machine.

Coconut Rice with Toasted Cashews

This rice is one of my new favorite side dishes. It is jam packed with flavor. If you don't like coconut, don't be alarmed. The coconut adds a unique flavor but is not overwhelming. There is also a bit of chicken broth to add even more flavor. The peas add another layer of flavor and texture, and the toasted cashews top it off with the perfect amount of nuttiness. I served this rice as a side dish to steamed broccoli and a beautifully grilled steak for my husband and grilled salmon for me.

Coconut Rice with Toasted Cashews
1 medium onion minced
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 medium cloves garlic minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cashews, lightly toasted
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Add 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet with a lid. Heat the oil over medium heat and add onion, garam masala, and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook until onion is softened. Stir in the rice and garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the chicken broth and coconut milk, scrapping up any brown bits. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and cook until the rice until liquid has been absorbed and it is tender. Remove it from the heat and add the peas and chopped cilantro. Fold in the peas and cilantro. Toast the nuts in a dry skillet until lightly golden. Serve the rice and top with toasted nuts. Season with salt and pepper.