Erin's Easy Eats

Tandoori Chicken and Phyllo Samosas

May 11th, 2008 by Erin

Both of these recipes came from this month’s Cooking Light. They are both absolutely wonderful. They are by no means “quick and easy” (the samosas took about 45 minutes, plus baking time, and the chicken takes about 15 minutes of prep followed by a day of marinating…) but the result is well worth it. Although I used bone-in thighs this time, I’ll probably use skinless, boneless thighs next time to get more marinade on the meat. This is served with a mint raita, which accompanies both parts of the meal well with a cool creaminess. I sent the husband outside to grill the chicken while I assembled and baked the samosas. I had never worked with phyllo dough before, and after a slight rough start (sorry, top three sheets) I found great success.

Tandoori Chicken (this is the full recipe, I halved with great success for four bone-in thighs)

• 2 tsp oil
• 4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground red pepper (I used about half that)
• 2 c. chopped onion (no need to get it too fine)
• 1/2 c. chopped ginger (a lot, trust me)
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 16 boneless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)

Heat oil in small nonstick skillet. Add paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, tumeric, and red pepper. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place onion, ginger, jalepeno and garlic in food processor, blend until smooth. Add spices, yogurt, lemon juice, and about a teaspoon of salt. process until smooth. Transfer mixture to large ziplock bag, add chicken, squish around to coat. Marinate overnight, turning occasionally. Grill 7 minutes on each side until done (again, ours took longer ’cause of the bone-in business.)

Samosas

• 2 1/2 c. peeled, chopped baking potato
• 1 c. peeled chopped carrot
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 2 1/2 Tbs peeled, chopped ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 16 sheets phyllo dough

Cook potato and carrot in boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes, drain. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add about 1 Tbs oil. Add onion to pan, cook until just softened. Add ginger, garlic, red peper, cook 2 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Add potato mixture, peas, cilantro and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Process half of mixture in food processor until coarsely chopped - it should retain it’s texture. Repeat with remaining half.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two cookie sheets with cooking spray (or non-stick foil or your trusty Sil-pat.) Place a sheet of phyllo dough on large chopping board. Fold in half lengthwise. Spoon about three tablespoons into top right corner. Fold end over end like a paper football. Instead of tucking the end under, spray lightly with cooking spray, press end to “body” of samosa, and place seam side down on cookie sheet. Repeat 16 times. (You’ll be talented by the end!) Place both cookie sheets in, and cook 13 minutes, rotate the sheets, bake another 12.

Mint Raita

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. chopped mint
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients, stir around. Lick the bowl when you’re done with dinner.

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Rice Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

I made this as an accompaniment to the tofu and red peppers.  Correct me if I’m mistaken (and I know the peanut butter could potentially be an issue) but I believe this is my first vegan meal.  Vegan!  This sauce is really simple, and adds a good flavor.  I added some more after I took this photo because I found the noodles were sticking together too much.

Super zoom on broccoli!!!

For sauce:

• 1/3 c. lime juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs grated ginger (hello microplane, my love)
• 3 Tbs water
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 3 Tbs peanut butter (being the PB fiend that I am, I may have added more… shhh)
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp chili paste (wowza! this stuff is awesome!)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  I cooked a pound of rice vermicelli, added some steamed veggies, and sauteed it all together in the sauce for about 2 minutes.  Lovely!  (The whole recipe of sauce is enough for 1 lb. of noodles.)

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No Knead Pizza

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

I’m jumping on the No Knead Dough bandwagon.  I have been in search of an easy, good, pizza crust.  I like chewy pizza, no thin crust here.  I like those pizza bones to be worth my while.  Things in my bread machine weren’t cutting it (unintentional pun, but I’m leaving it) so I went with this instead.  Could not be easier!

• 3 cups flour (I used bread flour)
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• (I added this for pizza dough, but you can easily leave it out) 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning

Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.  Add water and stir well (get those arm muscles working!)  Dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover, and allow to sit for 12-20 hours.  (HOURS.  Really.)  For pizza, I then divided it in half, rolled each into a circle (using lots of extra flour because like I said, it’s super sticky) and then cover it again and let it rise for two hours.  We topped this one with tomatoes, sausage, and peppers, and baked it for 14 minutes at 425.  (I used the pizza stone this time, but won’t next time because it makes things too crispy for me.)

If you want the original recipe, albeit reprinted, visit the lovely Kiija’s food blog here.

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Shrimp Tacos with Two Kinds of Sauce

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

As planned, we whipped up some shrimp tacos and made the mayo salsa from the chicken biscuit “sandwich” from the other day. I also made up some pico de gallo, because it was requested.  They turned out very well, and other than the ton of chopping, cooked up quite quickly, too.

Shrimp:

Peel and devein about a pound of shrimp.  I sprinkled some taco seasoning mix on mine, and just sauteed them until they were just finished - I used large shrimp, so I didn’t overcook them for once.

To refresh your memory, the mayo salsa:

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pico de Gallo - Essentially everything in the salsa mayo but without the mayo

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 jalepenos, deveined and seeded to your liking (the more seeds/veins you leave, the spicier it will be)
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbs lime juice (maybe a little more)
• salt and pepper to taste

Stir it all together.

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Turkey Cutlets and Sauteed Mushrooms

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

This is a staple from my mom’s kitchen. I’m not really sure where she got the recipe originally, but it has stood the test of time. I add a little cheese (not originally in the recipe, as far as I can remember) and pretend like I’m making beautiful food from Take Home Chef, which I watched for about 2 hours today. Sigh.

Ingredients:

• 4 turkey cutlets (about 1 lb, total)
• 2 Tbs grainy Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly (I really should stop buying the presliced mushrooms, which are sliced, apparently, with a saw held by giants. They are way too thick)

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese together. (I do this in a bag and pretend it’s Shake ‘n Bake.) Pat turkey cutlets dry. Spread each all over with 1/2 Tbs mustard apiece. Coat with breadcrumb mixture. Cook on a preheated nonstick skillet with a little olive oil over medium high heat, turning until nicely browned and cooked through. Add wine to pan, allow to cook off nearly completely, turning cutlets once to get both sides in wine. Remove cutlets from pan. Add a little bit more olive oil (or butter, if you’re me) and add mushrooms. Do not add salt until the very end, I promise. The mushrooms will brown and release their own juices. Then add the salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken with Lotsa Stuff

May 1st, 2008 by Erin

This has a really fancy title. “Chicken Cutlets on Buttermilk-Cheddar Chorizo Biscuits with Tomato-Olive Salsa Mayo.” Whew. I believe they were supposed to be sandwhiches, but um, I did mine “open face” or lazy, and I could eat it with a fork, which is also lazy. I hate olives, so I left them out. You will never see olives on this blog. If you love olives, I am just saving them so there are more for you.

Really, the standout of this meal, which was new to us this week, was the salsa mayo. We were immediately trying to think of other things it could go with. Watch next week when we have the same salsa mayo with grilled shrimp tacos and Mexican rice.

Biscuits:

• 8 oz. buttermilk biscuit mix (I didn’t have this, so I made mine from scratch. Jiffy or Bisquick would work just as well and be a lot easier.)
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb. Spanish chorizo (which is already fully cooked) finely chopped

Place mix in a bowl, stir in cheddar and chopped chorizo. Add water or milk according to package directions. Form into 1″ thick square. Cut into 4 squares. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes (mine actually took almost 20. I blame this on the “from scratch” business.)

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)
• If you like olives, add 10 chopped green olives and let me know how it is

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beg my mother to tell you the Tabasco story in the comments.

Chicken

• 4 thin chicken cutlets (I halved breasts the thin way)
• 1/2 Tbs. ground coriander
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Season chicken with all that stuff. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. (I imagine it would be equally wonderful on the grill.)

I just piled everything on top of everything else, but if you want a sandwich, split the biscuits, place chicken, then mayo, then some leafy lettuce, and then the biscuit top on top. Top on top. Hop on pop. Oof.

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Strawberries (or other fruity things) in the Snow

April 30th, 2008 by Erin

A coworker of mine made this for another co-worker’s birthday. Upon learning just how easy it is, I thought I’d make it, but I swapped cherries for strawberries, but the man likes cherries. Forget about y’all strawberry folk. (Really, I wanted peach because my hormones told me so, but cherry is actually my favorite, especially in canned pie filling land.)

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small box cheesecake instant pudding mix
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 c. water
• 4 eggs
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 12 oz. cool whip
• 21 oz. can pie filling (whatever flavor you like)

Mix cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water and eggs until well blended. Bake in 13×9 at 350 until done (about 30 minutes, but check it.) Remove from pan and let cool.

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar and beat until smooth and slightly fluffy.

To assemble cake, slice cake into two thin layers and place one layer back in pan. Top with half of cream cheese mixture and half of cool whip. Place other layer on. Repeat cream cheese/cool whip layering. Top with pie filling. Refrigerate 2 hours or until ready to serve.

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Catfish Po’Boys

April 30th, 2008 by Erin

Now, I’ve seen lots of recipes for these, but I just couldn’t be bothered with following one, so today you get a recipe of my own creation. A lot of my recipes are simply muddled through versions of someone’s real recipe, but… well, if you cook enough, you’ll understand.  I am tired of being plagued by Popeye’s commercials and seeing catfish for dirt cheap in the grocery store, so I stood up and took action.  Plus, everyone loves a good sandwhich.  Overall, this meal took about 20 minutes to make (as long as it took me to bake the fries that went with it.)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb catfish nuggets
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 Tbs Cajun seasoning and 1/4 tsp (divided)
• (a shake or twelve of Old Bay, if you live around my parts)
• 1/4 c. mayo
• 2 Tbs relish
• 1 Tbs grainy Dijon
• hot sauce to taste
• Sub rolls
• Fixin’s (I had lettuce and tomato with mine)

Combine relish, mayo, hot sauce, mustard, and 1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine milk and egg. Soak catfish in mixture. Combine rest of Cajun seasoning (and Old Bay if you’re using it) with cornmeal. Doing just a few pieces at a time, dredge catfish through cornmeal.

Here, you have 3 options to cook your catfish:

1. Deep fry it. I don’t know how to do this even though we have a fryer. It scares me
2. Start your fish in a little bit of oil in an oven-safe frying pan, to get it browned up, and then put it in the oven
3. Omit all the frying nonsense, and put it in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes

Split your sub rolls and broil them inside up for just a minute or two until they get crunchy. Slather with your hoppin’ mayo, top with fixings, and consume heartily. (Arr, matey.)

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Raspberry Butter Braid

April 28th, 2008 by Erin

I saw this recipe wandering around a few different feeds that I subscribe to. I seem to have tracked its original location to zesteasy.com, which is a fun blog with lots of interesting recipes, photos, and promotions.

I had a little trouble keeping the jam in the bread tube while it was baking. Most of it creeped out through the seams. I think next time I’ll wet with some water and crimp both sides (with a fork) for a pretty braid. The husband rated it “good, not great, with great points deducted” for oozing of jelly onto the baking sheet. He did like the glaze I made up mixed with the jelly though.

I cheated and used the bread machine (mixed all the dough ingredients and set the monster to dough, worked fine for me!) but here is the original recipe, which includes the hand done method (for all of you strong folk.)

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 large egg, beaten to blend, room temperature
4 cups (about) unbleached all-purpose flour (you might need less - I needed all of it because it was so humid yesterday)
3/4 cup raspberry jam (or other filling of your choice)
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tbsp. water

Scald milk in heavy, medium saucepan. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Let stand until butter melts. Pour mixture into large bowl. Cool to 105 to 115 degrees. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Add yeast mixture and 1 beaten egg to milk mixture. Here is where I deviated. I scalded the milk, and let it cool, and then dumped everything, through 3 1/2 c. flour, into the bread machine. I had to add another half cup of flour because it was still so runny.

Stir in enough flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Lightly grease large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Grease two heavy large cookie sheets. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out between hands and floured surface to 18 inch long rope. Using a rolling pin, roll each rope flat, into about, a 3 inch wide strip.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of jam (or filling of your choice) down the length of each strip. Fold dough over filling to seal in jam in the ropes. You can brush the edges of the dough with a bit of water to help seal the dough.

Arrange 3 ropes side by side on 1 prepared sheet. Braid ropes (it helps to start in the middle and work your way out.) Pinch ends together and tuck under loaf. Repeat process with remaining 3 ropes on second cookie sheet for second loaf. Cover each loaf with kitchen towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush egg wash over loaves. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.

I glazed mine with a combination of about 2 Tbs melted butter, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, a pinch of salt, about a Tbs of milk, and about 3/4 c. powdered sugar. Mix until it looks like icing and your husband lets you take pictures of him looking like this and does not care.

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Coming up this week…

April 28th, 2008 by Erin

Raspberry Butter Braids - my jelly laden foray into breakfast bread (still tasty, but sticky!)

Catfish Po’Boy Sandwhiches

“Crispy thing with the chicken and the onions and the orange”  (As titled by Rick, after I had no idea what he meant at first)

Breakfast for dinner!  (I’m not posting recipes since we’re having breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, and Rick is making pancakes.  A master flipper.)

Turkey Cutlets in Mustard Wine Saucewith Sauteed Mushrooms

Chorizo and Cheddar Biscuit Sandwiches with Marinated Grilled Chicken

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