Sauces

All-Purpose Fresno Chili Sauce

April 4, 2018 4 Comments

I’m a little out of my element right now because this weekend, I was walking around outside with only a sweater on and Monday morning, I watched the snow blanket our backyard. And that same afternoon, the sun came up and melted all the snow. So now, I’m confused about whether I should be pulling the cover off the grill, or retreating inside and cranking up the oven to make some comfort food.

But first things first. I have a relevant for all of the seasons secret sauce. This sauce is some major awesome-sauce. This is an all-purpose, back pocket sauce kinda situation happening right here. It’s not so much a secret sauce anymore because it’s so good that I’m all about the sharing. You can use it as a sauce itself (which I do often), as a marinade (chicken please), and as a finish touch to most proteins- I’m lookin’ atchu, fish tacos. This fresno chili sauce has been in the works for a quite a while now, first making its appearance at the Thanksgiving table of all places. That’s also a story for another time.

All-purpose fresno chili sauce is exactly what the name suggests. It’s made from bright red, raw fresno chili peppers that you can find in most stores. it’s a peri-peri sauce meets the accessible ingredients factor type situation. It has a distinct heat but not so much that it overwhelms those who prefer the flavor of heat and not the spice. That being said, you can also use other kinds of peppers to vary the heat and flavor. If you want it hotter, try using ghost pepper or bird’s eye chili peppers (the base of peri-peri sauce) or go wild with those small thai chili peppers. Or for a milder taste, try a de-seeded jalapeno. The key is to make sure the peppers are red because that’s what gives the sauce its orangey hue. Personally, I think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world but I’ve always been a little on the weird side.

I like my sauce on the hotter side so I usually end up putting 2-3 chili peppers in the blender, without removing the seeds. It may seem like a lot but if you’re using it as a marinade, the heat in the sauce will become pretty mild once it’s on chicken/fish. I usually use this on chicken and like to brush some more on after pulling the chicken out of oven, while it’s still hot, to bounce back some of the spice. One of my favorite things about this sauce is that it’s a one and done type of sauce. It doesn’t need stovetop time. Throwing everything in a blender and pureeing until smooth is exactly my type of sauce with minimal effort and big results.

I was actually going to make this a two for one recipe kind of deal but this sauce is so good that it deserves it’s own post. I ended up using the fresno chili sauce as a marinade on bone-in chicken thighs when I first made it, saving half of it to brush on the chicken at the very end. I also served the sauce as a condiment and it was a huge hit alongside the turkey. This recipe makes about 1 full cup of sauce. I usually marinate 6-8 bone-in thighs in about half of the sauce and keep the rest for later. I like to keep it on hand because, it is after all, my all-purpose sauce.

Uses for this sauce:

√ marinade for your protein of choice to be thrown on the grill.

√ over your breakfast (or dinner) eggs. All day. Everyday.

√ chicken/tuna/tofu salad instead of the mayo (someone make some stat and report back!)

√ as a dip for dem chips, standing at the counter, after the kids go to bed. Is that even acceptable? Asking for a friend…

√ toss your wings here during football season. Save me some, kthxbye.

Fresno Chili All-Purpose Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 5 mins
Yield: 1 cup sauce 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2–4 red fresno chili peppers, stems removed (deseeded for mild)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1/2 cup olive oil
4–6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 cup warm water

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients in a blender, until the sauce is completely smooth. Add additional water, 1 tbsp sat a time, for a thinner sauce.
Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid, in the fridge, for 2-3 weeks.

Shortcut Instant Pot Butter Chicken

February 28, 2018 10 Comments

Shortcut Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken| Manna & Spice

I’m sending an SOS for comfort food. So are my kids. We’re all in the thick of the under-the-weather situation that winter brings us and I need a reprieve, even if only in for a moment, and only in the form of food. I’ll take it. Also, please tell Spring I need her to come desperately, kthxbye.

But really, butter chicken is a staple in my house. My kids request it weekly and it’s one of the first meals I ever made for The Mister, at his request. Of course I didn’t know what I was doing when I made it that very first time and watched in horror as the cream separated. These days, it’s a different story. It’s rich, creamy, familiar, comforting, but its preparation is no longer traditional. If you’ve come here looking for a very traditional recipe, with marinated chicken bells and whistles, this is not it. There are many butter chicken purists in this world. I am not one of them. I am, however, a flavor purist. So I assure you, what this butter chicken lacks in tradition, it makes up for more with taste.

Shortcut Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken| Manna & Spice

This butter chicken is for the lazy cook (me), the person who can’t plan ahead (also me), and the person who wants a fast, easy, and repeat meal (hi, still here). In fact, this butter chicken is a 25-minute meal that is for the person who claims they lack creativity but still want takeout type Indian food. Yep, I timed myself, from start to finish and it took me a whole 25 minutes, including chopping, peeling, and cleaning up. Also bonus- the list of ingredients are minimal and you can find them at most stores. It’s THAT kinda meal. And finally, its made in the Instant Pot so no babysitting required. Those of you who prefer the stovetop way, I’ve got you covered too.

Butter chicken is the stuff that is always, and I mean ALWAYS, present at Indian restaurant buffets. And I don’t even know the origin. All I know is that I didn’t grow up with it. It was a discovery in my mid-twenties because I’d been living under a rock but it was love at first bite (see what I did there?). I thought it was a dish that could only be made at restaurants so I never attempted it. Also, I looked at the list of ingredients and didn’t even *want* to attempt it. But attempt it I did, in the days when I couldn’t just go to the grocery store and buy a jar of garam masala. I ground my own, which just became a habit but am 100% okay with grabbing a jar off the shelf, in the name of an easier dinner making situation.

Here’s the thing though. I’m often disappointed at how unflavorful butter chicken turns out when you order it. The color looks about right but the layers of spice, mingling with the slight hint of sweetness is just never the right combo. It’s either too spicy or too sweet or too neither. So much so that I decided life without a good butter chicken was unsustainable in my butter chicken loving household. By which I mean, my children request I make it every. single. week. That and the creamiest instant pot mac and cheese. Thank you, children, for picking instant pot meals. I’m more of a easy rogan josh kinda girl, also whole30/paleo compliant!

Shortcut Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken| Manna & Spice

So, this butter chicken has:

√ a silky, creamy, luscious, tomato cream sauce, making it the perfect gateway food to Indian food (if you haven’t tried Indian food yet. Also, why the heck not????). you

√ succulent, tender pieces of chicken, which is true lazy cook fashion, haven’t been marinated and taste every bit as good, if not even better (but I won’t tell if you don’t)

√ very little hands on the stove/pressure cooker to the table time, giving me more time to do things like play a round of Uno with the kids (or latest gaming obsession)

√ the ideal mopablity for soft, fresh naan (want me to do a recipe soon?) OR rice, you pick. Or if you want to go all out non-traditional, eat both simultaneously!

√ perfect color transition into spring with that pop of orangey goodness, but still maintaining the rich, comforty flavors and textures we crave in wintertime (can you tell I’m channeling spring with all my might?)

Shortcut Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken| Manna & Spice

Did I mention that with a little bit of creativity, you can make this butter chicken totally whole30/paleo compliant? Why? Because that’s adaptability is how I survive. Also, it’s one of the best ways that I can feel like I’m winning at life. So adapt away.

*For whole30/paleo: use avocado/olive oil/ghee to cook the onions. Omit the honey totally for whole30 (still delicious) but keep for paleo, and use full fat coconut milk in place of the cream. Finish with a tablespoon of melted ghee instead of butter. Consume with cauliflower rice!*

Shortcut Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken| Manna & Spice

Shortcut Instant Pot Butter Chicken

★★★★★ 4.7 from 3 reviews

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: 4-6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 tbsp neutral oil of choice (olive/avocado/ghee for whole30/paleo)
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1/2 tbsp minced garlic (1–2 medium cloves)
1/2 tbsp minced ginger (1 inch piece peeled and minced)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp kosher salt (up to 1/2 tsp more if adjusted for taste)
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (less for milder sauce)
1 1/2 tbsp honey (omit for whole30)
1/4 cup concentrated tomato paste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 lb cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (full fat coconut milk for whole30/paleo)
1 tbsp butter to finish (use ghee for whole30)
cilantro and 1 tbsp of extra heavy whipping cream for garnish

Instructions

On the high saute function, heat oil in the liner pan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant and onion is soft.
Add garam masala, turmeric, salt, and cayenne pepper. Sautee quickly and add chicken. Stir to coat chicken. Add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. slowly add water, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to entire there are no bits of tomato stuck to the liner. Stir in honey, if using.
Cover with lid, making sure vent is turned to sealing function. Use the HIGH POULTRY function and set cook time to 15 minutes. Once done cooking, vent pressure immediately.
Change to medium/normal saute function and stir in heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, adding up to 1/4 cup additional water if you need to thin the sauce out. Stir in butter/ghee until melted and turn off Instant Pot. Garnish with cilantro and whipping cream.
Serve hot with naan and/or basmati rice.
STOVETOP DIRECTIONS- Heat oil in a pot , on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant and onion is soft.
Add garam masala, turmeric, salt, and cayenne pepper. Sautee quickly and add chicken. Stir to coat chicken. Add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. slowly add water, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to entire there are no bits of tomato stuck to the liner. Stir in honey, if using.
Cover with lid and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll need more water, up to 2 cups more water to prevent the mixture from burning.
Remove lid and stir in heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup additional water if you need to thin the sauce out. Stir in butter/ghee until melted and turn off Instant Pot. Garish with cilantro and whipping cream.
Serve hot with naan and/or basmati rice.[/br]

5 Minute Mint Chimichurri Sauce

February 7, 2017 Leave a Comment

I’m ready for summer. I want unrestricted access to sunlight, not these meager rations we’ve been getting in my part of the world. I want to go outside without adding a 10 minute buffer for the layers of warm clothes that have to go on before I can leave the house. A simple, breezy dress and a pair of sandals will do just fine right now, thank you very much.

Sadly, it seems like my hands and feet are destined to be ice cold for the foreseeable future so I guess I’ll have to settle for bringing some green, summer flavors into my life via food stuffs.

mint
cilantro
parsley
lemon (+zest)
fresh jalapeno peppers

Otherwise called chimichurri sauce. Also known as my snack by the spoonfuls. Move over, Nutella- mama’s got a new fave!

This chimichurri sauce, my friends, is the sauce to end all sauces. Traditionally, it’s a sauce that’s served over steak but I’m living on the edge and breaking that rule. It’s the wonder sauce that becomes a sauce, marinade, erm *snack*, dip, glaze, and so much more. I dipped tomatoes into it today as a snack. Then I used it to make chimichurri shrimp with cauliflower fried rice. Yep- that happened and will happen on this blog soon! Be still my beating heart. Can I also add that the cauli-rice was tossed in chimichurri, for an extra ooomph?

I love the addition of mint to chimichurri. Mint has to be my absolute favorite herb. Or maybe it’s cilantro. Actually do I HAVE to pick just one? I mean, pack a food processor with mint, cilantro, parsley, garlic, jalapeno peppers- unseeded if your life goal is to eventually burn off your tastebuds-, garlic, salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice (and zest, if you please); give it a few spins. Taste. Taste. TASTE. Add a pinch, or teaspoon or two of cayenne, if you’re a heat seeker. Store.

Complicated? No.

Delicious? Yes.

I’ve always been a mint-coriander chutney kinda girl. You know the bright green, spicy sauce you eat with samosas? Yup, I’m the hoarder of said sauce in my family. I used to buy a bottle a week, until I realized I could actually make it on my own. Then I met chimichurri. And I had an a-ha moment– the addition of parsley for a little edge to a mint-corriander chutney. Then came the addition of olive oil- for robust, mainstreamable flavor. From that emerged this version of chimichurri that is marinatable, spreadable, dipable. It doesn’t get any better.

I now have a yummy, versatile goodness all-in-one-sauce that I can whip up in less than 5 minutes. No chopping necessary, which works out so well for the lazy me who just wants to snack on some pita chips with chimichurri like yesterday.

Can I confess something?

I eyeball the herbs 95% of the time. Sometimes I go with more mint, sometimes more cilantro, and sometimes more parsley. Sometimes I add two jalapenos, sometimes seeded, sometimes not. And sometimes, when I feel like splurging, I add a handful of pine nuts– this doesn’t come cheap and I may have to sell a kidney to fund this pine nut addiction. You can add all sorts of things as long as you have keep the flavors balanced. You need

salty
tart
spicy
rich—> not a flavor but how else do you describe the addition of olive oil for flavor and richness?

You know what I did with the jar that’s sitting in the fridge right now? I topped a generous dollop of the chimichurri sauce on my make ahead breakfast muffins this morning. I can easily see myself subbing in this chimichurri for the cilantro-mint charmoula with this vegetable tagine. I’m pausing for a minute here to look at those pictures from back then and comparing them to the pictures now. Holy moly does that recipe need a reshoot!

This chimichurri sauce stays good in the fridge for about two weeks, giving you lots of chances to spice up your meals. You can also freeze it. It’s a great way to use up all those herbs you may not use in time- make the chimichurri, pour into an ice cube tray, top with a thin layer of olive oil and freeze. Why the oil? The oil helps the herbs retain their vibrant green color.

Once frozen, pop them out of the ice cube tray and into freezer bags and use within 6 months. Just take as much as many cubes as you need and thaw in the fridge. I add the frozen cubes straight into a hot pan like I did when I made my chimichurri shrimp with cauliflower fried rice–recipe to come later this week!

Chimichurri Sauce

Yield: 1 1/2- 2 cups 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro with stems
1 bunch parsley, with stems
1 cup mint, stems removed
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 jalapeno, split in half and seeded (leave seeds in tact if you want spicier chimichurri)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lemon, juiced and zested (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Add all ingredients and 1/4 cup olive to a food processor jar. With the food processor on low speed or pulse, add in remaining olive oil. Do not puree completely. You should be able to see tiny pieces of the herbs. Use water to thin out if necessary.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze with a thin layer of olive oil on top and use within six months of freezing.

3-Minute Clean Eating Mayo {Paleo, Whole30 Compliant}

January 9, 2017 2 Comments

Happy New Year!

In true slacker fashion, I’m about a week late in glad tidings of the new year but when you’ve been travelling during the holiday break + have two birthdays to celebrate in one week, things get busy here in at the start of January. Especially if said birthdays are the birthdays of a now 4-year-old Little Man and a freshly minted 6- year-old Little Diva, who are both under the impression that though their birthdays are two days apart, the are the only two creatures on earth to ever have had a birthday. As a result we have to declare national holidays on these blessed days and pulling out all the stops. But, enough about them. Let’s discuss squeaky clean eating and this squeaky cleaning eating mayonnaise.

Yeah, go ahead and take it in. I’ve gone weird(er) on you and now am trying to sell you homemade mayo. I hadn’t ventured into the fancy schmancy mayo making territory until recently. I had only ever gotten that fix by watching Ina Garten make delicious looking, artisanal mayonnaise in her gloriously lit kitchen and thinking that I would never be able to enter that level of cooking. But now, I’m calling you from the other side- homemade mayo is so fast and so easy that I decided I need to dispel this myth of mayonnaise in a store-bought jar being easier.

The first time I made my clean eating mayo with EVOO, I looked into my food processor bowl and squealed with excitement. The Mister was reading at the time and I heard myself say/yell, “3 minutes ago, this was oil, egg, salt, garlic, and lemon juice and now it’s MAY-freakin-O!” In other words, what the heck did I just make? Did I really move to the next level of culinary achievement? It was like finding a rare pokemon.

The Mister was very happy that I was happy but his expression clearly read “Oooookkkkkaaaaay, wierdo!”

To be fair, that’s how 90% of my conversations with most of my friends and fam go.

I’ve made a conscious effort to eat better and eliminate as many processed foods as possible over the last few months. I even did a round of whole30 last fall, right around halloween, so I wouldn’t steal my kids’ candy while they slept, like I do every year #parentconfessions. As a result, we still have a mountain of candy, untouched because I may or may not have forgotten to drop the bag off to the millions of people collecting candy for charity (oooooooppppsss). So now, this has become me: a person who is consciously aware of what sugar does to my moods. As a result, I started paying even closer attention to the ingredients and nutritional breakdown in our so-called packaged but healthy foods and noticed sugar and corn syrup solids were becoming a common theme.

Mayonnaise has an undeservedly bad reputation. It’s supposed to be unhealthy, greasy, high in fat, and something you have to avoid if you’re watching what you eat. My recipe omits the canola/palm oil, sugar, and preservatives so you’re left with heart healthy olive oil, an egg, and seasonings. One batch makes about 1 1/2 cups and stores well for 1-2 weeks in the fridge but I rarely end up having it longer than that anyway because there are always uses for mayo like the dressing in my buffalo chicken cobb salad (also whole30 compliant) or the dressing for these hot oven baked sliders. I’m not telling you to, in one sitting, devour the entire jar of freshly made mayo, use it as an enhancer and it’s not the villain we have made it out to be.

THE OLIVE OIL: Use the mildest olive oil you can find because olive oil tends to carry a robust flavor, which is not something that you ideally want in mayo. I know there are several brands (Bertoli and Pompeii come to mind) that sell an extra milk version of olive oil. The lighter the color of the oil, the milder it is.

THE EGGS: Room temperature eggs and lemon juice is ideal. The oil and egg coagulate better when all the ingredients are at room temperature but don’t give up if you forgot to take the egg out of the fridge. Simply cover the egg in warm water and let sit for 3-5 minutes, while the egg warms up. Same goes for the lemon, though I generally keep my lemons counter top so they’re always ready to juice. Fresh eggs are also best, for food safety. I’m not telling you to drive 3 hours to the nearest farm and hand pick the eggs, but use eggs that are purchased recently.

THE FOOD PROCESSOR: When you run the food processor, fitted with the regular chopper blade, slowly stream in a cup of the olive oil. Don’t dump it, you’re going to end up with a soupy mess. Just a slow, steady stream while the food processor emulsifies the mixture. By streaming, I mean a very thin and steady trickle through the spout of the food processor.

So when your mayo turns out, and I’m sure it will, do your happy dance and shout from the rooftops: “I MADE MAY-faraheekeeen-O!” and repeat often!

Clean Eating Mayo {Paleo/Whole30 Compliant}

Prep Time: 3 mins
Total Time: 3 mins
Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 large egg at room temperature*
1 1/4 cup very mild olive oil/avocado oil**
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 peeled garlic clove
1–2 tbsp lemon juice/juice of half a lemon (at room temperature)

Instructions

With the blade fitted into the bowl of the food processor, add the cracked egg, along with 1/4 cup oil, salt, pepper, mustard powder, garlic clove, and lemon juice. Fit securely with lid and and run the food processor on high.
Slowly drizzle in remaining cup of olive oil, in a steady steam through the food processor spout as the processor runs. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
Store in an airtight container/glass mason jar with a lid, in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

*if you don’t have room temperature eggs, cover a whole egg with warm water for a few minutes to let it warm up.
**the milder the flavor of the oil, the less the taste of the oil will come through in the mayo. There are brands that sell very mild versions of olive oil. The lighter the oil, the milder the flavor.

Bomb Tikka Masala Sauce

October 10, 2016 2 Comments

Friends, I’ve been holding out on you. I’m guilty of recipe hoarding with this fab, anything but ordinary, bomb tikka masala sauce. I’ve have this in my draft box for weeks, while life just got the best of my time. But I will hoard no more, even if it means breaking out of my whole30 challenge bubble and posting a recipe other that was not originally a whole30 one (note: can be made whole30 compliant). This sauce, oh this sauce, is something I can’t wait to eat again- and I certainly couldn’t wait to share with you. Especially when the masala sauce goes double duty in chicken tikka masala enchiladas. WHAAAAAAAAAAA???? I can’t even. Just you wait, my friends. JUST. YOU. WAIT.

I never knew what tikka masala anything was until I was an adult. I know. ME. An wholly raised Indian, raised in the most traditional of ways never met tikka masala until later in life. To my credit, tikka masala isn’t actually ‘authentically’ indian. Such deception, in the creamiest of ways. It lures you in with promise of rich comfort and keeps you interested with its complex, tomatoey and nutty flavors. And you’re like , HELLO, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? Just like that, you’ve been spoiled for the rest of your life thinking you’re having something authentically indian. Then your world shatters when you find out that it’s deceit. But I’m here to tell you, it’ll be okay. Tikka masala is so good, it doesn’t matter that it’s actually a British creation. It’s tikka masala sauce; all can be forgiven.

My most critical critic comes in the form of a 5 -year-old. The Little Diva would thrive reviewing food for a living. She has never been one to shy away from giving a 100% unbiased review of my cooking, followed by a very encouraging “don’t worry- you’ll get the recipe right eventually. EVENTUALLY!” as she happily skips off to play. When I watched her eyes grow wider and then a huge grin appeared on her face, I knew the tikka masala sauce simmering away on the stove had been conquered. The secret is in the paste, with freshly ground spices and a nutty base. Tikka masala paste, you’ve been put on notice. You are delicious.

Does it take a little bit of time to make? Yes. Will you love it and love me for it later? Absolutely. Make the paste once and have it ready in the fridge for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for six months. The payoff and the wow factor make this masala sauce worth breaking that sweat. So go on, flex those culinary muscles, whip up a batch and invite your family and friends over for a friday night dinner. With the tikka masala paste in hand, you’ll be cooking like a boss.

Tikka masala paste is very versatile. You can go full cream and make a very rich and decadent sauce. I find that when I substitute milk for a part of the cream, it makes for a lighter, but still just as flavorful sauce. Want to make it vegan//paleo//whole30 compliant? Easy peasy. add canned coconut milk in place of the milk and cream. Full fat coconut milk will make this sauce creamy and rich while a reduced-fat version will give you a lighter sauce. For a vegetarian version, add lightly fried pieces of paneer; for a vegan version, pan-fried tofu cubes. And for the omnivores, boneless marinated pieces of chicken (in the paste) make this the ultimate chicken tikka masala. The possibilities are really endless here. I’m thinkin’ leftover thanksgiving turkey tikka masala. Or the chicken tikka enchiladas I’ll be posting. #drool.

You know how I’m always pushing to toast your spices? TOAST those spices because toasted spices —> winning sauce. Toasting spices draws out oils in nuts and concentrates flavor. In spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, it heavily perfumes the mixture and less becomes more. So the takeaway from this toasting conversation: toasting= winning at flavor ✨. If you can’t find the spices required to make garam masala, usually stocked at south asian grocery stores, pre-ground garam masala is readily available at most stores this days. Go ahead, use it- judgement free zone here.

You’ll end up with an orangish thick paste, with flecks of green and red. Love that green. That green, my friends, is the fresh and bold mint and cilantro that perks up your taste buds and creates the mmmmmmmm! lip smackability factor. I get it, you’re tired, you’re hungry– you want deliciousness for dinner. A quick deliciousness that wipes away the work week and transports you into an indian restaurant (or your mom’s kitchen) and as you use your warm, chewy naan to sop up this bomb sauce, you know you’ve hit the culinary jackpot. Go ahead, do the macarena and celebrate like the 90s are back.

Anything But Ordinary Tikka Masala Sauce

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 2 cups masala 1x

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE TIKKA MASALA PASTE:
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 tbsp garam masaala (recipe follows)
3” knob ginger, peeled and sliced
2 onions, peeled and quartered (I used one red and one white)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup, roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup mint, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon and zest
1/2 cup unsalted almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp turmeric
3 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder
FOR THE MASALA SAUCE:
2/3 to 1 cup tikka masala paste (less paste to keep it more mild)
3 cups milk
1/2 cup cream (to make vegan/whole30/paleo compliant, use coconut milk and water to equal 3/12 cups of liquid)
8 oz tomato sauce
2 tbsp cooking fat such as coconut oil/ghee/vegetable oil
FOR GARAM MASALA:
2 tbsp coriander
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp allspice berries
2 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp green cardamom pods
2–3 black cardamom pods

Instructions

MAKE THE GARAM MASALA. In a dry pan, over high heat, toast all the spices for the garam masala until fragrant, 2-3 minutes tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Please in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind into a fine powder. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 year.
TOAST THE ALMONDS AND COCONUT. In the same dry pan, toast the almonds and coconut until the coconut becomes golden brown and releases a nutty fragrance. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
PUREE ALL TIKKA MASALA INGREDIENTS. Place the toasted almonds, coconut, and all remaining ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you have a mostly smooth paste. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three weeks and in the freezer for up to six months.
MAKE THE MASALA SAUCE: Heat cooking fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once fat is heated, add 2/3 to a full cup of the tikka masala paste, depending on your spice preference. Saute until the paste is fully cooked and begins to separate from the fat, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and cream, or coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add grilled chicken/tofu/paneer if desired*.
Serve with white rice and/or naan.

Notes

*if adding chicken, marinate cubed chicken in 1/3 cup tikka masala paste for at least 1/2 hour and grill or cook stovetop until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Baked Honey Sriracha Wings

April 9, 2016 1 Comment

Today, I bare my soul to you and the entire internetting world so that my top hits list will forever be etched into the mysterious coding language of the blogging world. It’s still all a mystery to me, but as long as I can blog and get my love for food out there, I’ll let it remain magical and mysterious. For reals though my top five hits list (2-5+honorable mentions are interchangable on any given day and fall on and off the list):

The Divine
The Mister
my crazy kiddos
food/this blog/my ?/you guys (okay, so that’s actually a few things)
sriracha sauce

honorable mentions:

my sister and her convincing ways to get me to do the craziest things possible
my bed because glorious sleep
my gym membership (more love/hate than just solidly love)

Why am I telling you about this? Because, did you notice #5? I ? sriracha sauce. As in when I heard about a potential shortage of sriracha, I went to Target (and pretty much every other store I could) and cleaned off their shelves. Yes, I’m that crazy hoarder you hear about on the nightly news. And guys, I rationed that sauce like my life depended on it. I would silently pray and breathe a sigh of relief when the Little Diva would ask for something else besides eggs with sriracha for breakfast. She has almost that same love for spice that I do…ALMOST. In fact, she asks for spicy eggs and potatoes and the sauce on these twice baked potatoes.

And while I love sriracha, I do not love wings. You’re probably thinking ‘Who is this weirdo and why is she telling all of these offensive things like her disdain for wings?!’ It’s true though; I do not feel the love for chicken wings. Wings, whenever I eat them, leave me with an I-ate-all-that-fried-stuff-and-it-wasn’t-even-worth-it feeling. They’re traditionally breaded and then deep fried. But it all changed for me when I started baking my wings naked. Naked as in no heavy breading/flour coating; just plain wings with some salt and spice, broiled to perfection.

These chicken wings, or drumettes, are in their most simplest form and then they’re tossed with a sweet and spicy glaze made of two very easy to find ingredients: sriracha and honey. That’s all that’s in the sauce. At first, I was thinking about what else to add but then I decided, why complicate a fantabulous thing? Sometimes, less is more and simplicity makes for the most flavorful food.

Speaking of simplicity, these wings have very little hands on time and are almost impossible to mess up. All you’re doing is:

marinating (or cooking immediately) chicken wings with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder
baking then broiling said wings to crisp up the skin
tossing the wings in a saucepan with sriracha sauce and honey and cooking until the sauce thickens and adheres to the chicken
eating until you can’t eat any more

The honey sriracha sauce is so complex, which is pretty amazing given that it’s made with two amazingly simple ingredients. It has a ton of heat which is partially muted by the sweetness of the honey; still, there is plenty of heat and is a spice-lover’s paradise. The skin becomes crispy after broiling so you get crunch as you bite into the chicken, and even with the heat, you just want to lick all that amazing sauce off your fingers. With the crispy skin, you won’t miss the heavy coating or the oil. I actually licked the tongs after I finished plating the wings. True story.

An important note: you’ll want to line your baking sheet/pan with aluminum foil and spray it generously with cooking spray or a nice coating of oil to prevent the wings from sticking. But stick they will. I line my baking sheets with silicone baking mats, which are worth their weight in gold. They prevent food from sticking to the pan and ruining my baking sheets. I have a few different sets: one for sweet treats, one for savory foods, and one for roasting vegetables. If you don’t have these mats, parchment paper will work as an-in-a-pinch-alternative but be very careful because it will burn under the broiler if left too long or too close. Technically, parchment paper is only supposed to be safe in the oven until 400 degrees but I’ve been able to use it under the broiler, as long as I watch constantly.

These wings are also perfect for football day finger food when served with this chili. In fact, the honey sriracha wings went almost as fast as I set them out during my superbowl party and my guests prefered them to the traditional buffalo wings that were also on the table.

On second thought, why wait until football season? Just make them now! And don’t forget to rate and review this recipe and tagging me on IG @mannaandspice.

Baked Honey Sriracha Wings

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Yield: 4 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup sriracha sauce
1/4 cup honey
16 chicken wings, cut into drumettes (leave skin on)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line baking sheet with a silicone mat or non-stick cooking spray.
Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels. Place wings in a large bowl and toss with salt, pepper, and paprika*.
Place wings in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Increase heat to full broil. Turn wings over and move baking sheet to the top shelf of oven. Broil for 10 minutes. Turn wings over again and broil for another 10 minutes, watching to make sure wings don’t burn**. Remove from oven.
In a large pan, add honey and sriracha bring to a boil on high heat. Add wings and toss with tongs to coat them with the sauce. Continue cooking on high heat until the sauce thickens and the glaze sticks to the wings.
Serve with blue cheese dressing if desired.

Notes

*marinated wings can be left in the fridge for 1-2 days; you may also prep the chicken wings in advance but it is not necessary.
**if wings start to get too dark too quickly, move the baking sheet to the middle rack.

Quick & Easy Red Enchilada Sauce

March 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Everyone should have a few enchilada sauce recipes in their repertoire; a green, a white, and a red sauce. Because these flavorful sauces are not just for enchiladas. You can use them for a plethora of dishes like chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, chicken tortilla soup, tamale pie, and the list goes on and on. In fact, I made enchilada sauce today just so I had a fantastic sauce for chicken tamale pie, which will be my next post. Let me recollect myself as I start thinking about that tamale pie…

Enchilada sauce is very customizable. It can be mild or extra-spicy; complex in flavor or very basic; gourmet or budget friendly or somewhere in between. My enchilada sauce falls somewhere in between the spicy and complexity range while still being budget friendly. If you don’t have an ingredient or don’t like one of the peppers/heat sources, you can probably omit them and still end up with a pretty fantastic sauce. As long as you keep the base of tomato paste, chicken/vegetable bouillon, and cocoa powder. This sauce is also:

easily freezable; make and freeze in 2 cup batches. Defrost when needed and apply liberally. Always apply liberally. Always.
stores well in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
makes a big batch- we’re talking 8-9 cups.
deliciously addictive. You have been warned.

If you know me at all, you know my deep-rooted relationship with heat. But it’s more complicated than a love-hate relationship. I love heat when it’s complex, with deep, rich flavors. If it’s spicy for the sake of being spicy, it loses its general appeal and becomes relevant in very (few) specific instances. And I’ve discovered that (dried) chili peppers + unsweetened cocoa=BFFs. It’s a very surprising combination but the cocoa powder mellows out the heat in the chili peppers while subtly highlighting the rich, deep sweetness that can be found in peppers and pepper (chili) powders. My cocoa infused chili is proof of that. My father-in-law made it for his Superbowl party this year and got rave reviews (total attempt at humble-bragging happening here)!

The other unique thing about this enchilada sauce, other than being super easy and fast, is that it’s made with dried pasilla and guajillo peppers. Pasillas are very mild peppers with sweet undertones while guajillo peppers have a spicier and more bold and punchy finish. The key is to use scissors to split the peppers open, carefully de-seed them, cut them into strips with the scissors, and add them to the sauce. These peppers have become more popular over the years and even some big box stores carry them. They also hold up very well to the acidity of the tomato base, even cutting the tartness and giving the sauce more body.

Once the ingredients are in the pan, they cook for 5-10 minutes, until the flavors mingle and have a chance to mellow out and the peppers become soft. Then puree and cool and store until ready to use or freeze for deliciousness later.

And don’t forget to apply liberally!

Quick and Easy Red Enchilada Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 8-9 cups 1x

Scale

Ingredients

6 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 guajillo peppers, de-seeded and cut into strips
3 pasilla peppers, de-seeded and cut into strips
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes*
6 cups water

Instructions

In a medium saucepan whisk in water to tomato paste and bring to a boil on medium heat. Add remaining spices (except flour) and continue boiling, stirring to prevent the sauce from boiling over, until peppers are soft, about 5-8 minutes.
Whisk in flour until fully dissolved. Some lumps may remain. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until sauce thickens, coating the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
Pour into the cup of a blender and puree until sauce is completely smooth.
Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

*use vegetable bouillon if you want to make this a fully vegetarian sauce.

30-Minute Marinara Sauce

December 13, 2015 2 Comments

What’s not to love about marinara? The tangy, slightly acidic bite of tomatoes, soft, sweet onions, the complex flavors of the finely chopped herbs! Oh, I wish you could take a bite of this sauce! And did I mention the versatility of this goodness in a jar? On pasta, as a pizza sauce, as a dipping sauce for breadsticks and calzones, there are so many ways to use marinara I could make countless posts just with recipes for those dishes alone. But a lot of people are so intimidated by making it fresh– enter the jarred sauce. But, stop. STOP. Put the store brought marinara sauce and slowly walk away. It’s not as hard as you think it is. My 30-Minute Marinara Sauce takes…well, 30 minutes to make and you’ll think twice about buying jarred sauce again.

When my oldest was a toddler, she insisted on having psh-ghet-tiiiii as often as possible. As a result, we’ve eaten a lot of spaghetti over the years. While marinara sauce is a relatively low-fat sauce, I wanted to make it a vehicle to deliver as much nutrition to my then three year old as possible. I came up with the perfect solution: chia seeds. Yes, CHIA SEEDS. In the sauce. Surprise! These little seeds sitting in your cupboard can be used in something other than smoothies. And they just sort of melt into the sauce so you can’t even taste them. Sneaky, sneaky!

I prefer chunky, “meaty” marinara sauce. They offer a sharp contrast to the texture of whatever they’re paired with. Top some al dente pasta with the marinara sauce, add some hand-shaven parmesan cheese (or grated if you’re in that camp) paired with a crusty piece of bread and you’ve just created my carb-friendly favorite. There is just something about a homemade pot of marinara sauce that puts a smile of my face. In fact, as soon as I finished making it, I grabbed a crusty roll and dipped right in.

Should you be so lucky as to get a piece of the perfectly softened garlic in the marinara, you are in for a piece of treat. While uncooked, the garlic is strong and pungent but once cooked in the sauce, it becomes this soft, sweet chewable treat. I fish out the pieces of garlic. I eat them off my kids’ plates. I offer extra dessert to them if they give me their garlic. I am the garlic hoarder.

30-Minute Marinara is the perfect sauce to make over the weekend, store in an airtight container in the fridge and use during the week. It keeps in the fridge up to 2 weeks and even longer in the freezer, about 3 months. Or if you’re canner, can it and make it last EVEN LONGER (if you don’t eat it first). I’m not a canner because food doesn’t last in my house long enough to be canned. And you put in a nifty mason jar, it’s a great present. Giving someone a homemade jar of marinara sauce: now that’s love!

30-Minute Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 8 cups 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz whole, peeled tomatoes
`3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp chia seeds
3 cups warm water

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot, on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until they become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minutes.
Add in tomato puree and whole tomatoes. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, lightly mash the mixture to break up the whole tomatoes, leaving some pieces.
Add in sugar, salt, basil, thyme, oregano and bay leaves. Stir in water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to prevent sticking.
Take off heat and stir in parsley and chia seeds.