Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus was invented to make me happy, I think.  It's so simple yet can have so many different flavors and versions.  That makes it a fantastic snack or appetizer.  And it's fairly healthy too!  Woot!  This is by far the best hummus I've had and Jeff agreed.  It's soooo good!  Slightly sweet, a little spicy, mmm mmmm.  And I love the color.  It makes a festive addition to any meal.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

source: Allrecipes.com, slightly adapted by Amy's New Kitchen
serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained-reserving the juice
4 oz roasted red peppers
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt




In a food processor combine all ingredients and pulse/blend until smooth.  Add some of the reserved garbanzo bean juice if necessary to acquire the consistency you desire.  (I probably used 3-4 Tbsp)  Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well blended.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Butter Chicken

I love Indian food.  Why?  Because it almost always involves chicken and rice!  I have never tried Butter Chicken at a restaurant before but I thought it sounded interesting so I went ahead and tried it even though I had no idea what I was in store for.  It was good.  I wouldn't say I loved it but Jeff did!  So I am posting it anyway because I know this recipe is capable of people loving it and maybe that person is you! 

Indian Butter Chicken

source: Joelen of What's Cookin', Chicago?, slightly adapted by Amy's New Kitchen
serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 white onion, chopped

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp ginger, finely grated

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

2 cups tomato puree

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pinch salt

1 pinch black pepper
1/4 cup finely ground cashews


Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and season with 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.  Cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 


Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by heating 1 Tbsp oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat.  Saute onion until soft and translucent.  Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add tomato puree and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.   Stir in cream, yogurt and cilantro.  Reduce heat to low, and add the browned chicken.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving, add the ground cashews and stir.  


Serve over steamed basmati rice.

 Does that not look awesome?  We had this with pita and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus!  More on that later! 

I made some slight changes to the amounts of ingredients from Joelen's version of this recipe.  There was a little too much garam masala for my taste so I halved it in my recipe.  I also added a jalapeno pepper because I think it would've added a little kick and really put this dish over the top!

Curried Rice Pilaf

OhMyGod, I love rice!  Not really sure why, but I have loved rice since I was just a little thing.  And I've been known to just eat a big old bowl of plain white rice for lunch or dinner, oh-and breakfast too.  Now that I've started experimenting more with flavoring my rice I'm much more open to 'tainting' my rice now that I know how much more I can like it.  (Honestly-I didn't even think that was possible!)

This recipe is a simple, tasty way to upgrade a side dish of rice!

Curried Rice Pilaf

source: Food Network, June 2010 magazine edition
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
zest of one small lemon
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
pinch of Turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup basmati rice
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 tsp sea salt
Juice from half a lemon
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup cashews, chopped


Saute onion, garlic, lemon zest, curry powder, turmeric, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan with the butter and olive oil until lightly browned.  Add rice and stir until lightly toasted.  Add water, season with salt then bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork, add lemon juice, cilantro and cashews and serve immediately. 

I can't wait to make gyros and make this rice again to accompany them!  It's not exactly traditional rice to go with gyros, I just think it sounds good!

Hummus

I've made this recipe twice now and I absolutely love it.  It's such a simple recipe but packs some pretty good flavor.  It's a spin off from the recipe Hummus III at All Recipes.com

Hummus
Serves 4


Ingredients:
1 14 oz can of chick peas with the juice reserved
3 tsp tahini
One lemon, juiced
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pinch of paprika to top it off


Drain the chick peas and reserve the juice in a separate bowl for later.   Add the chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add juice from the chick peas as often as needed for the consistency you like.  Transfer to another bowl to serve and top with a pinch or 2 of paprika to dress it up.

This is so much better than the store bought hummus.   The recipe is easily doubled, but I only have a mini food prep and it wouldn't hold much more than this.  So I halved the recipe from AllRecipes.com and it works perfectly!  Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

For Valentine's Day this year I wanted to do something different, so I made Chicken Tikka Masala with saffron rice and homemade naan.  It was actually quite delicious.  I was a little nervous for my first Indian dish, so I couldn't be happier with the result.

The recipe is from allrecipes.com and other than a few changes (recommended by the reviews on their website and I'm glad I listened)-it was perfect.  For starters-omit almost all the salt in their recipe.  That is an obnoxious amount of salt.  Use less ginger, and we added a serrano pepper for a little bit more bite.  Other than that it didn't need any changes.  And it tasted better than we've had at some restaurants.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 long skewers
•  
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic, serrano and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

We served this up with some yummy Cheesy Artichoke Triangles as an appetizer.  It's a Pampered Chef recipe and there will definitely be more on that later.  It was also really good, and another recipe I would make again.