Yes, this is mostly going to be a weekly installment that occurs on Sundays, but this weekend I was out of town, so the cooking is happening today, Monday. I did cook one thing yesterday when I got home and that was a shredded BBQ pork shoulder roast. I just put it in the crockpot before I went to bed and set the timer. This morning, I added a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's hickory and brown sugar BBQ sauce. The pork shoulder roast I used was about 2 lbs. I set the portions to be 4oz each. Here's the nutrition info:
The first thing I cooked today was the Chicken Tandoori. The recipe calls for using a whole chicken, however, to make portioning and such easier for me (and the fact that I prefer dark meat over light meat when it comes to poultry), I used about 3.5 lbs of boneless-skinless chicken thighs instead.
CHICKEN TANDOORI
Ingredients:
-for the glaze:
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
• 4 tbsp cilantro (I don't like cilantro, so I didn't include it, but if you like it, then you can use it)
-for the main dish:
• 3.5 lbs boneless-skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala powder
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
Directions:
• pat the chicken dry and slice slits in it.
• in a small bowl, mix together the garam masala, tandoori masala, lemon juice, kashmiri chili powder, salt, and ginger garlic.
• add in the yogurt and mix well.
• rub this mixture onto the chicken and then sprinkle with the ground clove.
• place the chicken in the slow cooker. (if using a whole chicken, place it breast side up)
• add in the shallots and place the lid on top.
• cook on high heat for 1 hour and then reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 more hours.
• once the chicken is done cooking, place a saucepan on the stove over medium low heat and allow the oil to warm.
• once hot, add in the garam masala and cumin.
• remove the chicken from the crockpot along with the shallots.
• pour the juices from the slow cooker into the saucepan and stir.
• allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the glaze is thick.
• pour the glaze over the chicken and then serve.
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RESTAURANT-STYLE INDIAN RICE
Ingredients:
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 pods of green cardamom (or 1 tsp of ground cardamom)
• 2 whole cloves (or 1 tsp of ground cloves)
• 1 tbsp cumin seed
• 1.5 cups long-grain basmati rice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 onion
• 2.5 cups water
Directions:
• soak the rice for 20-30 minutes, the closer to 30 minutes the better.
• heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. (make sure the pot you're using has a lid!)
• after the oil has heated for a minute or so, it's time to add in your seasonings. they'll need to be cooked and stirred for another minute. in no particular order, add 1 cinnamon stick, the cardamom, the cloves and the cumin seed.
• after the seasonings have had a minute or so to cook and absorb some oil, add your sliced onion. saute the onion and the seasonings until the onion starts to turn a rich, golden brown. you'll see it turning colors and growing softer and softer. (this will take around 10 minutes, depending on the heat radiated through the pot and the size of your onion)
• with a colander, drain your soaking rice. try to get as much water out as possible. then, throw it into your pot with the spices and the onion. cook and stir the rice for 2-3 minutes; you want the outsides to be just lightly toasted. at this point, add the salt.
• add 2.5 cups of water to the pot. give the rice a stir to separate the grains and to fully immerse it in the oil and seasonings. give it a couple minutes to come to a boil.
• once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid. make sure it's on LOW! any higher and the water will evaporate too quickly and your rice will burn. simmer for 15 minutes. do not lift the lid during this 15 minutes.
• remove the rice from the stove and let it stand for 5 minutes. it will continue to steam and cook during this time.
Based on the rice packaging, a serving is 1/4 cup dry or approximately 3/4 cup cooked. This mean this recipe makes 10 servings.
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| sauteing the sliced onion in the oil and spices |
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| added the rice in |
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| rice is done and ready to be portioned out! |
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SPICY SHRIMP W/CORN & BLACK BEANS
Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt (I didn't have garlic salt, so I used garlic pepper)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 lbs medium shrimp
• cooking spray
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/5 cups whole kernel corn
• 3/4 cup bottled salsa
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (again, I left this out because I don't like cilantro, but you can use it if you like it)
• 1 15oz can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
• heat a skillet over medium heat.
• mix chili powder, garlic salt/pepper, and cumin in a bowl and add the shrimp. make sure the shrimp are thoroughly coated.
• coat the pan with cooking spray. toss in the shrimp and saute for 3 minutes or until shrimp are thoroughly cooked.
• add 1 tbsp of lime juice to the pan and stir for a bit.
• remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
• add the corn to the pan and saute for 1 minute. pour the salsa, cilantro and black beans and cook for another 30 seconds. pour the remaining lime juice and stir.
• pour corn and black bean mixture into a serving dish and place shrimp on top.
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| the shrimp coated with the spice mixture |
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| the corn, salsa and black bean mixture |
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| the whole thing all mixed together |
If you decide to make any of these, let me know how they turn out for you! Enjoy!
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