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Pulled BBQ Chicken Pizza Ring

February 1, 2017 Leave a Comment

We interrupt your regularly scheduled whatever-it-is-you’re-supposed-to-be-doing something to bring you this sweet, tangy, spicy bbq chicken pizza ring. *commence drooling*

Today, we are all about the pizza without the pizza. Huh? Don’t leave yet– I’m gonna guide you through this confusion.

This is the sort of thing that happens when you want a spicy bbq chicken pizza but happen to see a beautiful meatball pizza ring from Pinch Of Yum at the same time, after coming off a full month of no-sugar//no processed carbs clean-eating 30-day marathon. I fully appreciate all things yum- bread related. But first you have to consult with Google, where you end up with 10,000 crescent roll rings but nothing that satisfies that yeasty, doughy crust craving that can only come from hand-tossed pizza.

It’s also the sort of thing that happens when I mention to The Mister that I saw something like it on a blog post for a cheesy meatball pizza ring and I have add it to the my longish list of recipes to make and then ask him again the week of the Super Bowl what he wants to have for dinner this week. And he digs deep into his mental bulletin of all conversations foodstuffs and pulls out the pizza ring I mentioned. Mister– if you’re reading this- well played sir, well played.

This situation works out especially well, if you’re a procrastinator like me, and haven’t actually thought about what you’re making for that Super Bowl party you’ll be hosting on Sunday, this little-work-big-payoff-pizza ring fits the bill as a totally portable, handheld sandwich type thing you can grab and wave animatedly at the TV, you know, for the love of all things football. Because isn’t that what you’re supposed to do during the Super Bowl, other than eat a little too much? So, I being the internet addicted blogger, turned this sweet and tangy goodness into a post, to encourage future procrastination of all things food and cooking.

Friends, while biscuit dough and crescent dough in a tube that explode when you release pressure with a spoon– BTW, is that scary to just me or do you kinda fear that explosion of dough too?- I don’t love the flavor or texture. My advice: save those rolls and biscuits for whatever else you’re supposed to use the cans for- please someone tell me when you figure it out? I’ll stick to my real-ish pizza dough.

I prefer pizza dough made with minimal, whole ingredients; refrigerated pizza dough is fine here but keep in mind that the texture and flavor will vary greatly, depending on the dough and brand. As for this specific ring, I ended up making my own one hour pizza dough, which I included as an alternative, if you have the time//burning desire//obsession to make pizza dough like I do.

I set out to make the pizza ring exactly as written- first time for everything, right?- but I had this idea that was either going to be a huge disaster OR I could creative football-y food and wow my guests with my outside-the-box thinking. I went rogue on this one. And before I could even second guess myself, even after I’d made the meatballs for the meatball pizza ring, I defrosted chicken breasts and pulled out the bbq sauce because I want that sweet and spicy combo in pizza form but I’m really not into committing a pizza form of bbq chicken right now.

Guys, this shredded chicken smothered in sweet and tangy (when it’s me- spicy-) bbq sauce, thinly sliced red onions, gooey mozzarella are #squadgoals right now. And you know what that pizza dough does to that sauce that no dough in a tube can do? It ABSORBS that sauce. Like legit starts to be the stuff (my) dreams are made of. In the end, the pizza dough wears it way better. Be warned- you will need napkins.

So now, you have a chewy pizza crust, perfectly cooked but with tangy goodness, on top of the melty mozzarella. Forget the game– I’m way into this pizza ring right now. What about you?

Other things to make for your epic Super Bowl party:

cheeseburger pizza
caramelized onion and butternut squash pizza
hot oven baked sliders
homestyle game-day chili
baked honey sriracha wings
accidentally outrageous brownies (Buzzfeed featured)

Shredded BBQ Chicken Pizza Ring

Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

prepared refrigerated pizza dough (enough for 1 10-inch pie)
1 chicken breast, shredded
1 cup bbq sauce of choice (I like a sweet and spicy sauce)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
sea salt to sprinkle on top
1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
bbq sauce/ ranch dressing for dipping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, onions, and 1/2 cup bbq sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Roll out pizza dough into a 10-inch circle.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, make 3 intersecting cuts in the center of the pizza 1/3 of the way, that looks like you’re cutting the dough into 6 pieces. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGE.
Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of bbq on the crust.Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese evenly. Top with bbq chicken mixture and cilantro. Top with remaining cheese.
Take the points of the previously cut sections in the center and fold them over the chicken mixture, overlapping with the outer edge of the pizza ring. Pull dough tight along edges to create tight pockets. Tuck neatly and press the overlapping edges to seal.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Place a bowl filled with more bbq sauce or ranch dressing in the center of the ring and serve hot.

Adapted from Pinch of Yum’s cheesy meatball pull-apart pizza ring.

Instant Pot Chicken Meatball+Kale Soup

January 24, 2017 Leave a Comment

2017 has already been a year of firsts for me. I’ve ventured outside my comfort zone in an effort to be more open minded about things I’d written off. Like kale and pressure cookers. And a redoux of the chicken soup I’ve been making for years to turn into a chicken meatball+kale soup. What is even happening in here?

As a college student, I imagined adults in the real world to do things like change out of their pajamas before noon and eat weird looking vegetables like kale. I, on the other hand, was perfectly content with eating things like noodles in a cup, while in my pajamas at 2 PM and writing papers. Noodles in a cup > kale. Until now. After this chicken meatball and kale soup, I’m finally winning this adulting thing. Finally, redemption from the years of showing up at my kids’ school carpool lane with mysterious stains on my shirt and disheveled everything- I’ve turned into a fully fledged adult who eats kale. I’ve even redeemed myself from my irrational phobia of pressure cookers.

When I first got married, we got a pressure cooker as a wedding gift. Within two months, and the first time using it- because why should you ACTUALLY know how to properly operate said gadget?- I tried to open the pressure cooker without releasing the pressure, tugged at the handles and the pressure release valve, and then watched in horror as the pressure came full force and painted a giant yellow circle on my kitchen ceiling. I looked at that yellow stain every single day while The Mister and I lived in that apartment and swore off pressure cookers. Pressure cooking? errrrmmmm, no thanks to that yellow stain redoux. I got by with a little help from the stove, slow cooker, and oven.

P.S. We didn’t get our deposit back for that apartment.

Fast forward to a decade later where I’ve watched the Instant Pot grow in popularity for the last few years and I finally caved and got one on sale a couple of months ago. And then I stared at the box and gave myself a pep talk- I may have had repressed fear and anxiety from the yellow stain incident. Out came the pressure cooker and as my inaugural dish, I made gumbo with 15 minutes of hands-on time. This pressure cooker’s game is strong. I have learned a few things over the two months that I’ve been using the Instant Pot:

The cooking time listed in recipes is how long it takes for the food to cook AFTER coming to pressure. The pressure cooker may take anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes before actually coming to pressure. All of this depends on the amount of liquid in the cooker and how long it takes to heat up. I like to either add hot liquid to speed up the process or keep the pot on the sautee program so the liquid heats up faster and the contents come to pressure faster.
If I’m cooking vegetables, I prefer to do a quick release to stop the vegetables from overcooking. I use this rule for soups or stews with meat and vegetables as well. There should be enough liquid in the soup to keep the meat moist after a quick release.
The Instant Pot, while convenient, is not a replacement for the stove, slow cooker, or oven. I still prefer my roasts slow cooked, like corned beef. They retain so much more flavor from breaking the connective tissue slowly. There are others who swear by it and abandon all their other appliances.
Liquid doesn’t evaporate in the Instant Pot the way it does in a slow cooker or on the stove so if you add 5 cups of broth, you’ll end up with 5 cups of broth at the end. You’ll probably have to add 1-2 cups additional liquid if you follow the recipe stovetop/slow cooker.

If I were to use one word to describe this soup, I would say TENDER.

KALE: Fibrous kale becomes meltingly tender- I’ve decided that this is my favorite way to cook kale. The trick is to remove all stems and chop the kale leaves into bite size pieces so that when the soup cooks, all the fibers break down and the bitterness mellows out too. I used tuscan//lacinato//dinosaur kale for its mellow flavor compared to its counterpart, curly kale because 50 cents a bunch is too good of a deal to say no. You can still use curly kale with the same results. If you like your kale to have a hardier and stronger flavor, you can add it in after the soup cooks too.

CHICKEN MEATBALLS: Let me tell you again, TENDER. TENDER. TENDER. These have to be some of the most tender meatballs I’ve ever had. Can you say TENDER? I used a slight modification of my italian chicken sausage recipe to make the meatballs whole30 compliant. You can also use pre-made italian sausage with the casings removed and rolled into meatballs for a shortcut because life happens and sometimes you have to roll with it. Use a tablespoon and roll the sausage mixture into balls and drop into the broth. I got 32 meatballs.

MIREPOIX: Can we say veggies galore? The combination of chopped onion, celery and carrots is enough to bulk up any soup. Since this soup is a light broth-based soup, I love the addition of extra vegetables. I always have these three ingredients stocked because you can use in so many soups and fillings, like pot pie. You can get these veggies pre-chopped too, if you’re looking to cut down on prep time.

I like to use low-sodium vegetable stock as my soup base because it tends to have sweet undertones which highlights the sweetness of the carrots and meatballs. Chicken stock will have more savory undertones but will work just as well.

I like the addition of a beaten egg at the end, while the soup is simmering on sautee for 2 minutes. It reminds me of egg drop soup and it adds texture and more protein to the soup. You can easily skip this step if eggs aren’t your thang but they’re very much in my top 5 faves like breakfast enchiladas. Feel free to sprinkle grated parm at the end for extra flavor- my kids love it this way!

Instant Pot Chicken Meatball+Kale Soup

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 ½ lbs. ground chicken breast
2 tbsp. arrowroot powder or ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tbsp. dried oregano
½ tbsp. basil
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast or grated Parmesan cheese

For soup:

6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
4 celery stalks, diced
2 medium onions, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
½ tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs, beaten (optional)

Instructions

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE SOUP BASE: On the HIGH SAUTEE setting, add olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add celery, onions, and carrots. Saute for 3 minutes, until vegetables start to become soft. Add garlic, salt, thyme, and red pepper. Add in kale and stir to combine. Add vegetable stock and continue to cook.
MAKE THE MEATBALLS: combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix well. Use a tablespoon to measure out meatballs. Wet hands to help create smooth balls and roll chicken mixture into meatballs. Continue to wet hands, if you feel the chicken sticking to your hands. Add chicken to the soup by gently dropping into the cooking soup. Do not stir or the meatballs will break apart.
SET THE INSTANT TO HIGH PRESSURE: Cancel the sautee setting using the cancel/keep warm button. Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL PRESSURE and adjust pressure to HIGH. Secure lid on the pot and set to pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pot come to pressure. Once the cooker is finished, do a quick release and return the soup to the saute setting.
ADD EGGS: Slowly drizzle in beaten eggs in a circular motion throughout the pot and cook for 2 minutes or until eggs are set. Turn Instant Pot off. Serve with grated parmesan if desired.

STOVETOP DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE SOUP BASE: Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat Add celery, onions, and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes, until vegetables start to become soft. Add garlic, salt, thyme, and red pepper. Add in kale and stir to combine. Lower heat to low. Add vegetable stock and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
MAKE THE MEATBALLS: combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix well. Use a tablespoon to measure out meatballs. Wet hands to help create smooth balls and roll chicken mixture into meatballs. Continue to wet hands, if you feel the chicken sticking to your hands. Add chicken to the soup by gently dropping into the cooking soup. Do not stir or the meatballs will break apart. Cover and simmer for 20 more minutes.
ADD EGGS: Remove lid and slowly drizzle in beaten eggs in a circular motion throughout the pot and cook for 2 minutes or until eggs are set. Remove from heat. Serve with grated parmesan if desired.

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE MEATBALLS: combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix well. Use a tablespoon to measure out meatballs. Wet hands to help create smooth balls and roll chicken mixture into meatballs. Continue to wet hands, if you feel the chicken sticking to your hands.
ADD TO SLOW COOKER: Add olive oil, celery, onions, carrots,kale, ,and all the spices into the slow cooker. Cover with vegetable stock. Add in shaped meatballs.
COOK ON HIGH FOR 4 HOURS OR LOW FOR 6 HOURS.
ADD EGGS: Remove lid and slowly drizzle in beaten eggs in a circular motion throughout the pot cover and cook for 30 minutes on high or until eggs are set. Turn off slow cooker.. Serve with grated parmesan if desired.

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry {Whole30, Paleo Compliant}

January 11, 2017 10 Comments

It’s mid-week. Hump Day. I just can’t life today.

It’s that time of the week where you stayed up last night, later than you should have, catching up (or binge watching) on your Netflix faves, because you need to unwind. Then the alarm goes off in the morning, to go the gym and you hit the snooze button 15 times, only to finally admit that gym+you is just not a reality today. And you’ve made your peace with that. The only redeeming quality of today is cashew stir-fry and all its yumminess, because on wednesdays, you deserve extra self-care for having make it through the gloomy mid-week hump.

I just ate last night’s cashew chicken stir leftovers for lunch. Like literally right now. And my Hump Day just got a whole lot better.

Friends, I have rekindled my love affair with stir-fry. Because why wouldn’t I love the convenience of a 20-MINUTE MEAL with the comforty flavors of takeout without actually ordering takeout and feeling that bloat afterward (hellllooooooooo, soy sauce)? I’m been pressed for time lately, with the kids back in school- homework to be completed and checked, lunches to pack, tests to study for, and of course, tales of drama from the playground. Who actually has time to cook anymore?

So I’ve returned to my old friend, the underrated stir-fry. And what better way to get reaquainted than with a cashew chicken stir-fry? This cashew chicken stir-fry is proof that chicken and cashews are made for each other, especially in the company of their bight veggie friends, like broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots. The vegetables are tender but crispy, flavorful in a light sauce (you can always double the recipe for extra sauciness), and toasty, crunchy cashews, which bring their own unique, crunch.

The cashews: cashews are be my favorite nut– step aside almonds. They’re mild, buttery, and underused. I usually get them raw and unsalted, store them in the freezer (always store nuts in the freezer to prevent the oils from spoiling). Depending on the recipe, you can dry roast and salt lightly with sea salt or go all in and pan “fry” them with a little bit of coconut oil, like I did for this stir fry. The result: an aromatic blend of coconut oil and cashew nut oil. You may have to toast more so you don’t continue munching on them as you prep your dinner. SO GOOD!

The veggies: I used to struggle to get more veggies into my diet. It’s not that I don’t like them because I ❤ them. I just don’t like the visual of overcooked veggies, but stir-fry changes that sentiment. I used onions, red and green bell peppers, and broccoli. I wanted to shave some ribbons of carrots into the stir-fry but my vegetable peeler broke the other day and I haven’t actually gone to the store to replace it, yet. But thank you amazon prime, I’ll be back in business tomorrow, *fingers crossed*. You can easily clean out your fridge and use whatever vegetables you have on hand, or leave out any vegetables you don’t like. Like that forgotten bag of matchstick carrots you got for stir-fries (oops!)

The sauce: This sauce seems like it has some hard to find ingredients, but you can easily substitute with what you do have, if you’re not on a whole30 or paleo diet. I used coconut aminos because I’m on round two of whole30 but you can sub in soy sauce, ounce for ounce. Coconut aminos is a sugar and soy-free alternative for traditional soy sauce, and given that whole30 and paleo diets do not allow refined sugar or soy, this is the closest alternative and a must-have for paleo and whole30 kitchens. I love garlic chili paste and it can be found at most major grocery stores these days. Just make sure it doesn’t have any of the ingredients on the “don’ts” list for whole30 or paleo. Another good everyday substitute is sriracha. And I LOVE sriracha– If you’re a fan like I am, give these wings a try! I could drink this sauce- it had to bribe myself with toasted cashews to leave enough sauce for the actual stir-fry.

The chicken: Chicken breast is my go-to protein. It’s lean, cooks relatively quickly, and is a blank canvas because you can season it however you want, without getting in the way of the taste of chicken. It’s also bland unless you season properly. So season, season, season! I also only had chicken breast on hand but this recipe would work very well with chicken thighs too. Or a mix of both. Or dare I suggest pan-fried tofu? Insert gasp emoji. The most important element to keeping the chicken flavorful is to season with salt and pepper (remember that season, season, season cheer I just did?) and coating it with arrowroot powder/cornstarch and cooking it in a little bit of fat to both brown the chicken and get a crust on the pieces so the chicken stands up to the crispy veggies. Don’t worry about the bits and pieces that get stuck to your pan; the moisture released from the veggies will deglaze the pan naturally.

So go ahead. Win dinner tonight, pack some for lunch tomorrow (or just eat it all tonight, right out of the pan). Me? I’m gonna give this going to bed on time thing a try tonight and report back later.

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

[br]For the stir-fry:
1 ½ lbs. chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 onions cut into bite size pieces
1 red pepper cut into bite size pieces
1 green pepper cut into bite size pieces
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup cashews+2 tbsp. cashew halves for garnish
2 tbsp. arrowroot powder (or 1 tbsp cornstarch)
2 tbsp. coconut oil or oil with high smoking point
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
For the sauce:
¼ cup coconut aminos/soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or ½ tbsp. cornstarch)
1 tsp garlic chili paste, if using (whole30 compliant)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. grated ginger

Instructions

Make the sauce: combine coconut aminos/soy sauce, vinegar, broth, chili paste, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together and sprinkle in arrowroot powder/cornstarch, until completely dissolved. Set aside.
Toast and chop the cashews: heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a heavy bottomed pan or wok over medium high heat. Add cashews and “fry” until cashews are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop all but 2 tbsp. cashews and set aside.
Cook the chicken: in a medium bowl, toss chicken with salt, pepper, and arrowroot powder/cornstarch, coating chicken well. Add chicken in a single layer into the pan/wok and brown all sides over high heat. Cook chicken until center is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from pan and set aside.
Cook the veggies: Heat remaining tbsp. of coconut oil in pan/wok, on high heat. Add veggies and toss to coat. Stir evenly, and continue cooking until veggies are tender but still crispy. Add the chicken back into the pan with the veggies, along with the chopped cashews. stir all ingredients together. Reduce heat to medium. Drizzle in the sauce evenly. The sauce will bubble up and thicken up. Remove from heat. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or by itself.

Notes

If you like saucier stir-frys, double the sauce. The recipe as written has a light coating of sauce but sometimes I double it if I’m serving with rice.

If you’re following a whole30 or paleo diet, make sure you use ingredients without soy, wheat, sugar, or any of the ingredients on the “off-limits” list.

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.

Accidentally Outrageous Brownies

December 19, 2016 14 Comments

Friends, let’s talk brownies.

Who automatically thought about boxed brownies? *raises hand*

I’m not a patient person. Let me clarify. I’m not patient when it comes to measuring out ingredients and sticking with a recipe– or actually, you know, being precise. Great trait for a food blogger, right? I’ve gotten better and forced myself to measure and *gasp* pull out the food scale for precision over the last year, after of starting this blog. It turns out that it’s reeeeeeeealllly easy to give people recipes now. Though for my mother, I still give her directions in ‘palmful’ and ‘index finger deep’ speak. She is, after all, the woman I watched cook growing up and the woman who has never owned a set of measuring cups or spoons.

Back to these brownies. Confession: I’ve ventured out and try something like made-from-scratch brownies, at least until a couple of years ago. Why would I need to when a box of double chocolate brownies does the job just as well? Which is why these decadent brownies were an accident in the first place. I agreed to make brownies for a holiday party at The Little Diva’s school as couple of years ago. More like strong-armed into it. Remember me+baking from scratch —> not a good idea. So imagine my surprise when I went to grab that good ole box of mix from the pantry and I was out. With the kids all sleeping and no other adult to watch them, I made a last ditch effort to make brownies. FROM. SCRATCH.

45 minutes and about 1,243,345 silent prayers later, I pulled the pan out of the oven, half wondering if I was going to be THAT parent. You know, the parent who brings a store made food item to the holiday party, pulls off the label, puts it in the most beat-up pan possible, you know, for authenticity, and presents it as her/his own. Until your traitor of a kid blurts out, to the classroom packed with judgy parents that “these brownies taste just like the ones we had from that store!” And you know your cover, and newfound fandom has come to an end. Never done that? Me? Yeah, me neither. Hey, remember, no judgment here.

Fortunately for me, the night of the accidentally outrageous brownie turned me into the brownie queen at the same preschool that Little Man now attends. In fact, I was “volunteered”again this year by his teacher to bring these outrageous brownies for their school winter celebration. This time, it wasn’t by accident that I made them. Who doesn’t love decadent, perfectly underbaked, chocolatey brownies? With a tall, ice-cold glass of milk, please and thank you. Can we just appreciate that beautiful combination, please? Because those are some serious #relationshipgoals right there.

What does that teach us? You too can bake beautiful, from scratch brownies like a bawss. One of the best things I did was underbake the brownies. Not the gooey messy, uncooked brownies. Think fudgy and the tiniest bit gooey as you pull them out of the oven. In my oven, that translates to 25 minutes in a metal pan. I usually don’t bake cakes and brownies in a glass pan because I find they tend to dry out quickly in glass pans. If you do decide to do a glass pan, try lowering the heat by 25 degrees to keep the brownies moist.

You know why else this brownie recipe have become my go-to recipe? The brownies literally go from pantry to bowl to oven in 5 minutes. That’s less time than it would have taken me to put on my layers of all things winter weather attire, drive to the store, get the boxed mix, then come back. Exactly my kinda recipe. And if you factor in the oven time, 30 minutes to make decadent brownies? Yaesssss, sign me up please. P.S. have you tried this triple chocolate mocha trifle? It one of the best things to do to a brownie. Or if you just need to get started on the chocolate early, hit up this baked chocolate chunk panettone french toast for breakfast!

Let’s talk ingredients. Let me introduce you to coffee. Okay so maybe you guys are BFFs and can’t live without each other, much like my own relationship with coffee. Why coffee? Because coffee highlights the boldness of chocolate. Next time, try it. Try a sip of black coffee after you take a bite of chocolate. When I first learned about this combination years ago —> mind blown. As the brownies cool and settle, IF they last that long (!), the coffee flavor mellows out and becomes undetectable but the boldness of the chocolate remains. I usually have a couple of jars of instant coffee in my freezer. I used decaf because I didn’t want texts in the middle of the night from 20 very angry parents of 20 very energetic preschoolers at 3 AM. Remember, INSTANT coffee, not regular ground coffee– trust me, you don’t wanna make that mistake.

I love brownies with personality. Like you bite into it and you’ve got bold chocolate but then you take another bite and you hit little explosion packets of melty chocolate from that warm brownie. Always warm brownies, guys. Those little morsels of chocolate are chocolate chips. I personally prefer to do dark (or extra dark) chocolate chips, but you can sub them in with semisweet chocolate chips too. I wouldn’t go milk chocolate though because those tend to make the brownie too sweet. And those same chocolate chips double over as a frosting. Seriously guys, I’m all about the lazy baking. I would rather just add chocolate chips on top of the brownies as the 25 minute mark, pop them back into the oven for less than a minute, or until the chocolate chips start to melt. And melt quickly they will, in a warm oven. Use a spatula, spread all over, let cool completely and you’ve got brownies+frosting.

Funny story with this particular batch of brownies. As I moved back to shoot at a different angle, a little hand reached in to grab one of the brownies. Little Man made off with a brownie, I chased him around the house for 5 minutes, got my cardio in for the day, and then he promptly stuffed his face with the entire piece. All of this of course, was followed by a big round of tickles and giggles by the two of us.

Guys, I can’t wait for you to try these out, really. I’ve been so excited about posting this particular recipe because chocolate holds a very special place in my heart. Make them, eat them, and love them. Then make some more, snap some pics, and tell me all about them in the comments or on IG: @mannaandspice.

Accidentally Outrageous Brownies

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 24 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1 cup more chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Grease a metal 9X13 pan and set aside.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and coffee granules. Whisk together until combined well. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter and sugar and whisk together until sugar is completely mixed into the butter. Stir in vanilla. Whisk in eggs.
Slowly stir in dry ingredients with a spatula, just until combined. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.Pour batter into greased pan and bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until brownies are slightly underbaked but mostly firm.** Remove pan from oven, scatter remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies. Place back in oven for 30 seconds, until the chocolate starts to melt.
Remove from oven. Using a spatula or a butter knife, spread chocolate into an even coat. Let cool completely, allowing the chocolate to firm up before cutting into squares.
Store in airtight container.

Notes

*I use alcohol free vanilla extract.
**If the edges start to look dry, cover with aluminum foil. The top of the brownie will start to resemble an unfrosted cake when slightly underbaked.

Make Ahead Breakfast Egg Muffins

December 13, 2016 3 Comments

I got the dreaded text the other day from The Mister. “I think I’m all hardboiled egged out for breakfast at work…”

Hardboiled eggs are fast, protein packed, cheap, and easy to have on hand for breakfast. In the last couple of months, they’ve become my go-t0 standard on the to-go breakfast, especially for The Mister, who usually eats his breakfast during the morning commute. And they make for great quick lunches when you live your life in one hour increment of errands and pick-ups and drop offs of the little people. Egg salad, anyone?

So you can imagine my panic, as I stared down at the text, wondering what to do. I’m the person who preps and packs any and all breakfasts to go and lunch the night before because the morning scene at my house consists of “I’m still so tired!” whinings, mismatched socks, untamable bedhead, and the comforting sounds of coffee grinding. That last part gives me the fuzzies because hellooooooo coffee!

Most of you know of my love for eggs by now. On the weekends, and whenever there is time more elaborate brunch foods, I dive into breakfast enchiladas or skillet spicy eggs and potatoes. Have you tried them? I can’t wait for you to tell me good they are! But on this cold, cold day, where I couldn’t fall back on my version of variety I went to one of my classics: breakfast egg muffins. Who can say no to muffins?

An equally portable, protein packed, nutritious and delicious make ahead breakfast egg muffins. Filled with my homemade italian chicken sausage in every bite, tender potatoes, and fresh herbs, these eggs are no ordinary on-the-go egg breakfast. They have tremendous staying power, are cute and hand held, and dare I say, easily kid-friendly. My kids only heard the words muffins and went to town as I put the muffins on their plates. Never mind they were savory or good for you, they only cared about the muffin part.

I made mine paleo and whole30 compliant but these muffins are a blank canvas for almost every savory add-in possible. I omitted the cheese but if you want indulgent, commit to the cheese. Or if you don’t care for the meat, simply leave the chicken out and replace (or not) with sliced mushrooms to add bulk. Here are so other ideas:

diced onions, bell peppers, mushroom, and pepper jack cheese
green onions, yellow onion, shredded carrots, and bok choy
tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and american cheese
chorizo and green onion

I’m partial to the potato, my homemade italian chicken sausage, and herb combo because the flavor and texture are the perfect wake-up call to these cold, cold December mornings, where I can have my beloved carbs but still get the benefits of eggs. Or make them in advance if you’re planning on travelling during the holiday season so you have breakfast ready to go when you’re out and about. I’ve also been one in my mouth as a post-workout snack.

These muffins will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in the fridge. IF they last that long. I can easily whip up 4 dozen and have that finish within days in my house full of egg and muffin eaters. I haven’t tried to freeze them but I suspect they’d have a blast, hanging out in the freezer. Just wrap the muffin in a paper towel to soak up any water release when they’re heating up.

The muffins rise beautifully as they cook and will fall when cooling- totally normal. You want to avoid overcooking eggs to prevent a rubbery texture; all you want to do is cook the eggs until just set, which for me meant 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. When making these egg muffins, grease the individual muffins tins generously; use your hands if you need to and make sure the entire surface is covered with oil/butter/fat because that’ll allow the muffins to pop right out of the cups when they cool. The first time I made them, I didn’t grease the pan enough. I was scraping stuck-on egg bits for 2 days. Never again! I would think that using muffin pan liners would work just as well but I haven’t actually used it yet. If you do end up using them, I’d love to know how it turns out for you!

You can even get fancy with the muffins and serve with a sauce top like the roasted verde sauce from these enchiladas. Make massive amounts and often! Or top with chopped tomatoes and red onions for added color. Or just do like I do and pop one in your mouth as you run around, chasing a two year old who likes to steal my kitchen towels.

Make Ahead Breakfast Egg Muffins

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Yield: 24 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp olive oil plus more to grease muffin pans
1 lb italian chicken sausage
3 medium yellow potatoes, skin on, diced
5 sundried tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp thyme
1tbsp chives
1/4 cup basil leaves, cut into ribbons
14 whole eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenhiet and grease 2 12-cup muffin pans liberally.
Heat olive oil in a skillet, over medium to high heat. Add potatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes, until potatoes start to develop a golden brown crust. Add salt, pepper, and paprika and cook until potatoes become soft.
Once the potatoes become tender, add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until garlic becomes fragrant and onions become translucent. Stir in chicken sausage, breaking the meat up evenly into the potatoes. Remove from heat and stir in thyme and chives. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs together. Fold in potato and chicken sausage mixture until fully incorporated. Gently mix in basil ribbons.
Divide the egg mixture into the muffin pan cups evenly and bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are just set and cooked.
Remove from oven and cool before removing the muffins from the pan. Store tightly covered in the fridge up to 5 days.
TO REHEAT: Heat wrapped in a paper towel for 30-45 seconds, until eggs are desired temperature.

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad {paleo, whole30 compliant}

October 25, 2016 1 Comment

Friends, we are here today to up your weekday chicken game. Do not take this claim lightly- I’m about to introduce you to an obsession that has become the sweetheart of my entire family. I’ll be honest, I started writing this post a couple of weeks ago and I got distracted because #life and left it unfinished. It turns out a lot happens in a week or two. Like you finish your insane fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants whole30 idea SUCCESSFULLY and decide, hey I can continue this thang because you’re a grown-up and you can eat healthy if you want, dammit. Save for the much anticipated delayed wedding anniversary date night where you end up getting tiramisu bigger than Rome only to realize that sugar is actually really, really sweet. Especially when you haven’t had it for 30+ days. Lesson learned.

But no matter, you won’t let that ruin your night so you walk it off and march on. Plans be waitin’ and the show must go on…literally. So then, what did the rest of my night entail? Guys, we went to see HAMILTON. THE HAMILTON that’s taking up the world by storm. Ever since the soundtrack came out, it’s been playing in my car, non-stop but seeing it live was pretty magical. Now, my days, and evenings are spent singing (off key) songs from the musical, thinking about food and/or taking pictures of food. Always with the taking pictures of food. And somewhere in there, I’ve been managing to keep the kids alive. Major win! With Halloween around the corner, it is most certainly all Hamilton, all the time in this house. And if we can get our kids to love history, I’m gonna call that a major parenting and nerd win.

Remember when I first told you I was doing the whole30? I finished the 30 days and I feel amazing. So much so that I realized I don’t actually NEED that much sugar in my life and I’m feeling ambitious enough to keep up this rekindled love for simple, fresh foods. One of the best parts for food blogger me was reinventing old classics to make them whole30 compliant. I’ve had a lot of fun turning italian chicken sausage into a breakfast staple by subbing in arrowroot flour for the breadcrumbs and omitting the parmesan completely. The result? dah-lish-ous! In the process, I’ve also come up with some new recipes I’m extremely happy with. Like my buffalo chicken cobb salad with a spicy, smoky dressing.

Until very recently, I was not a very big buffalo sauce fan. In fact, I preferred honey sriracha wings to buffalo wings. But lately, I’m obsessed with all things buffalo. It’s spicy without being overpowering; has a tang to it that can make you lips pucker in a gotta-go-back-for-more sorta’ way; and it has the ability to bring chicken’s A game to the table.

When I tell you we’re all obsessed with this salad, I mean O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. As in, the first time I made it, I made what I thought was enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day. I tripled this recipe and brought all of it with me to a family dinner as a ‘just in case we need more’ contingency plan which I didn’t fully expect to happen, because hello control freak me. When I saw the last of the salad being polished off, I wanted to yell ‘noooooooooooooooo’ in slo-mo and grab the remaining shreds of salad in the bowl, tuck the bowl under my arm and sprint like a long distance runner. I resisted that urge and I think the world is a better place for it. People who don’t like salad went back for seconds. The power of this salad tho…

There’s just something about grilled chicken that’s spicy and tangy, tossed with a plethora of veggies and hardboiled eggs, topped with a creamy dressing loaded with flavor and laced with buffalo sauce. It brings heat, zest, bold flavor, and lots of addictability. Also, please don’t mistake this for a side salad. This is a MEAL. As in no more pushing lettuce around on a plate while waiting or the main course to arrive. This buffalo chicken salad is no small time salad. It will call the shots at your party. And guys, full disclosure, you may have a riot on your hands when you get to the last serving and people are at the table waiting to pounce on it. Imagine doing this as your post trick-or-treating meal. Then you can gorge yourself on candy and not feel bad because you ate your veggies. No, I didn’t just say that right after I swore off sugar. You know nothing of this.

If you’re doing this as a paleo/whole30 recipe, be sure to use a complaint mayo. I make my own these days (a post for another day) and I’m pretty sure I never want to get the jarred stuff again. Let me tell you, life changing yummy power. I’ve seen recipes for cobb salad dressing that add buttermilk and sour cream but I’m not the person who can go to the store for one ingredient that’s gonna stay in my fridge until the next time I clean it out. Plus it’s whole30 complaint which means it can’t have any dairy. I made it with classic ranch dressing type ingredients and perked up the flavors with the addition of hot sauce and fresh lemon juice. And wow does that hot sauce wake this dressing up. It’s like a double espresso shot of salad dressings.

The chicken, by itself, is so simple and so outrageously good. It’s two-ingredient perfection. Chicken breasts marinated in hot sauce; that’s it. I used Frank’s original hot sauce but the extra-hot sauce has a special place in my heart. Marinating the chicken is optional- if you’re running short on time, you can just toss the cooked and diced chicken in the sauce afterward but if you marinate, you’ll end up with a deeper flavor and add another layer of complexity. If you do marinate and grill, do it in a well ventilated room because the chili peppers in the sauce will burn and do a number on your lungs. I still maintain, albeit with bruised lungs, the pain was worth the taste of the chicken.

My dear friends, please please please don’t make the unforgivable mistake for overcooking your hardboiled eggs to the point where they are rubbery and the yolks have a gray ring around them. Allow the eggs to cook via steam so the yolks and whites set without taking on the toughness that I know too well. Then, there is the issue with losing half the whites with the shell. I don’t know about you, but my hardboiled eggs used to look like they were mauled while being peeled. I recently learned that all of this is avoidable with a few amendments to my previous method.

bring a pot of water to a rolling boil on high heat. Using a spoon with a long handle, gently lower eggs, one egg at a time into the boiling water.
once the eggs are in the boiling water, continue boiling for exactly one minute. After a minute, remove the pot from heat, cover and let stand for 9-10 minutes. The heat will gently cook the whites and yolks, while keeping the eggs moist.
after 10 minutes, drain hot water and replace with cold water to stop the eggs from cooking.
Gently crack the shell and peel away the shell. I crack the flatter end of the egg where there is an air pocket so it relieves some of the suction and stops the whites from peeling with the shell.

I think this salad has replaced the autumn harvest salad and the tandoori chicken caesar salad as my favorite salad. If you liked the caesar salad, you’re going to LOVE this buffalo chicken cobb salad, even without the bacon. Friends, please do yourself a favor and make. this. salad. Eat now, thank me later. kthanksbye!

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad {paleo, whole30 compliant]

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 medium head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 seedless cucumber, chopped
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large or 2 medium avocados, pitted and sliced
4 eggs, hardboiled, peeled, and quartered
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (less for milder chicken)
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/2 tbsp dried chopped onion
2 tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise (use whole30/paleo compliant if needed)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp dijon or stone ground mustard
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk or hot water
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

MARINATE THE CHICKEN: coat the chicken with 1/2 of the hot sauce, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Set aside.
MAKE THE DRESSING: combine mayonnaise with all the ingredients except for oil and water/milk. Stir with a whisk until well blended. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking the mayonnaise mixture until fully combined. Add the milk/water, 1 tbsp at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Add more liquid for thinner dressing and less for thicker dressing. Adjust salt and hot sauce accordingly. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
GRILL THE CHICKEN: Coat a large pan with oil and cook chicken over medium heat for 5-8 minutes on each side, until the chicken is completely cooked and juices run clear. Cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD: Add lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl along with onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. Arrange egg quarters and avocados on top of the lettuce. Dice the chicken and toss with the remaining hot sauce. Add to salad. Top with dressing and serve immediately.

Chicken Tikka Masala Enchiladas

October 13, 2016 Leave a Comment

This is a very special kind of crazy I’m borderlining on. And one of my proudest moments. Sorry kids, mommy loves you, but the preparation and/or consumption of these chicken tikka enchiladas may have surpassed the joy I felt at your births. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Kinda. In all seriousness though, these enchiladas are no laughing matter. Remember when I promised you a knock-your-socks-off kinda recipe with this bomb tikka masala sauce? I was talking about this even more bombalicious chicken tikka masala enchilada goodness. There is just so much happening here from the stuffed, succulent pieces of chicken swimming in rich, creamy tikka masala sauce, contained in soft, corn tortillas; melty, gooey cheese baked to a perfection; to the spicy yogurt-mint raita. Talk about fusion food adventures ❤.

I relate to these chicken tikka masala enchiladas on so many levels. It is the hybrid of many flavors, and everyone gets along so well. We all need these enchiladas in our lives. I am lover of all things enchiladas and tex-mex. Can you guess by looking at the blog? I have 20,000 recipes of mexican/ tex-mex inspired dishes. The spices in more mexican, and less tex-mex dishes are very similar to the spices used in (pseudo) indian cooking so this marriage of soft corn tortillas and rich chicken tikka masala was the perfect union. These two were made to be wed into eternity, with only good times to be had; even if their existence is short-lived.

I wasn’t anticipating how well these enchiladas would turn out until I looked at the 9X13 pan, full of enchiladas. It was 3/4 empty. After The Mister ate. It took a lot of self control to only eat a normal sized portion for myself, but I did it and when I looked at the pan again and then The Mister’s plate, I knew I’d have to take the pan away before he polished off the entire pan. They were THAT daaahhh-llllisssshhh-ousss! I think I can safely say I won that round of dinner #likeabawss.

Friends, the key to making these enchiladas a quick meal is to make the tikka masala paste in advance with my bomb tikka masala paste recipe. It stores well in the fridge and even better long term in the freezer, so all you’re doing is making the sauce and filling, stuffing warm corn tortillas, topping with cheese, and baking to gooey, cheesy, perfection. A note about the chicken: I like to marinate the chicken in a little bit of the tikka masala paste and drop it into the sauce as the sauce cooks. Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out of the sauce, and shred with two forks, add some of the sauce into a bowl with the shredded chicken, add shredded cheese, and fill the tortillas. I know it sounds like a lot of work but seriously guys, it’s the stuff that fills your stomach with comfort and warms you up on a cool fall night, as you settle in for the night to watch election coverage and all things cable news. #totalnerdstatus.

This election season has brought the concept of crafting narratives front and center for me. Without getting political, I can tell you that I have been critically examining my narrative- history and legacy. We juggle so many identities, both personal and public- ranging from our familial and cultural identities to our professional identities. And while some people struggle to keep those identities very compartmentalized, mine bleed into each other. My narrative is very much interwoven with my multiple identities, just like these chicken tikka masala enchiladas. I would like to leave these enchiladas as a part of my legacy, for many to enjoy, long after I’m gone. You’re welcome, world.

Chicken tikka masala, by itself isn’t actually a “true” indian dish. It’s birth is british, taking heavily/entirely from indian spices and catering to a milder palate. Its migration to the United States, in a very happening food scene, introduced it to the cool cats of tex-mex like cheesy enchiladas and the complex flavors of various enchilada sauces. All of the goodness of tex mex is, of course, inspired by mexican cuisine, for which I am eternally grateful. When you bring all these bold flavors together, expecting a culinary conflict of flavor to see which flavor reigns supreme, you’re actually pleasantly surprised. These complex flavors of each element of the chicken tikka masala enchiladas work together, in perfect harmony, to create a phenomenal balance of texture and taste.

The surprising pull-together factor of this bomb dinner//lunch//brunch/breakfast//we don’t judge how you eat deliciousness, is the spicy yogurt mint raita (chutney). Sauces have a very special place in my heart. They highlight, cool down, or spice up a dish, depending on the flavors of the dish. They’re the underdogs of the culinary world. Think about how many times you make a sauce for a meal. The liquid can be essential to keeping chicken moist, or serves as the perfect sweet garnish to a mild dessert, spices up AND cools down in baked sriracha wings. The possibilities!

This raita has a cooling but spicy effect on the enchiladas. How both? The yogurt and mint are cooling agents but the serano adds a kick. If you prefer a milder taste, either seed the serrano prior to blending or omit it altogether. Note- the enchiladas were on the milder side for me so I kept the serano in for my family and my spice loving offspring enjoyed it. There are also pieces of cucumber and tomato in the raita which lend crunch to the overall dish- I prefer seeded english cucumber but use whatever you have. Just seed it first or your raita may become watery.

Between getting back to my much neglected blog and lif-ing, I found out yesterday that one of my recipes was featured in a Huffington Post Canada piece on thanksgiving leftovers. I was geeking out so hard. I did a happy dance and proceeded to pour over every blog post and make sure everything was in order. I think I needed that to get back into action and make this blog a priority- treat it as my 5th child if you will- because the joy I feel when I share a recipe and get feedback, is unparalleled. Remember, when we were talking about narratives a little while ago? Yup, my narrative clearly focuses on service through food. I love hearing from each and every one of you, letting me know how your cooking adventures are going; if you’ve had any epic fails we can share a good laugh about (I have my fair share); and just what you think in general. Because you matter. Your opinion matters.

And now, because your opinion matters, please commence loving these chicken tikka enchiladas and posting about them.

Chicken Tikka Masala Enchiladas

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 enchiladas 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup + 4tbsp tikka masala paste
3 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp cooking fat
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
12 tortillas*
FOR THE RAITA:
1/2 cup yogurt (low or full fat)
1 tomato, chopped and seeded
1 cup cucumber, chopped and seeded
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup mint
pinch of salt
1 serrano pepper, stem removed (de-seed for milder raita or omit completely)
OPTIONAL:
cotija cheese for garnish
chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN to 375 degrees.
MARINATE THE CHICKEN. Combine 4 tbsp of tikka masala paste with chicken. Coat well. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
MAKE THE TIKKA MASALA SAUCE. In a large saucepan, heat cooking fat over medium heat. Add remaining tikka masala paste and stir for 3-4 minutes, until masala starts to turn a nutty brown. Add tomato sauce. Stir to mix into masala paste. Slowly add in milk and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the marinated chicken, cover and cook for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked completely, until juices run clear. Remove chicken from masala sauce and shred with two forks while chicken is still very hot.
MAKE THE FILLING. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the tikka masala sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Add enough liquid to moisten the chicken and you may need more or less, depending on how shredded chicken you have.
HEAT THE TORTILLAS. In a dry frying pan, heat the tortillas, one tortilla at a time. Heat each side for 15-20 seconds, just until they become pliable. Wrap the tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm while assembling the enchiladas.
ASSEMBLE THE ENCHILADAS. In a greased 9X13 baking dish, spread 1 cup of the unused tikka masala. Taking one tortilla out at a time from the towel, using a pair of tongs, dip into the remaining masala sauce, just enough to lightly coat the tortillas on each side. Fill with a heaping tablespoon of the chicken and cheese mixture. Roll and place into the pan, seam side down. Continue doing this for all the tortillas.** Top the enchiladas with any remaining masala sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
BAKE covered for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 3-5 minutes, until the cheese melts.
MAKE THE RIATA. While the enchiladas are baking, Add yogurt, mint, cilantro, and serrano pepper into a blender. Blend until you have a smooth, green colored sauce. Pour into a bowl and stir in tomato and cucumber. Add salt to taste.
GARNISH with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro if desired. Serve enchiladas warm, topped with mint yogurt raita.

Notes

*I like to use corn tortillas but if you prefer flour tortillas, feel free to use those instead.
**I like to like line up 8 enchiladas across the length of the pan and add the remaining four in the gap at the width of the pan.

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.

Autumn Harvest Bowl

October 7, 2016 6 Comments

I have three words for you. autumn. harvest. bowl.

Talk about clean eating. Yes, clean eating is delicious. This salad is cleaning eating; it’s seasonal eating. This salad is autumn in a bowl. It’s leaves changing colors, beginnings of crisp, cool mornings, and pulling out those gorgeous boots you got on clearance last spring and have been dying to rock all summer. It is teeming with creamy, slightly sweet butternut squash; caramelized red onions; tender yet crispy cauliflower; slightly tart dried cranberries; roasted pumpkin seeds; and firm, tangy seasonal apples. There is just so much happening here. The textures, the flavors, the yumminess. It’s almost too much to handle. ALMOST. And Homer J. Simpson, you DO make friends with salad. If it’s this autumn harvest salad.

Speaking of autumn, have you been apple picking yet? This year, like clockwork, we went apple picking. Apple picking is one of my favorite activities in the fall, next to pumpkin picking and I look forward to it all year. In fact, it’s become something of a tradition at our house to go as soon as humanly possible after Labor Day weekend. We come home with a giant loot that we munch on for days/weeks. And then it hits me- we have a whole bushel of apples and munching on them isn’t quite making a dent so then I start incorporating them into recipes. Sure, apple pie sounds great but seriously, with my sugar dragon roaring, I can’t risk eating an entire apple pie by myself because #sugarmakesmyworldgoround. ESPECIALLY with halloween and thanksgiving around the corner (seriously?! It’s OCTOBER already!)

My sugar dragon has been majorly out of control and ever since I got back from summer to fall life, I’ve been feelin’ it. And not in a good way. I’ve been looking for a way to detox and go back to CLEAN eating. Like real, actual clean eating I can be proud of. When I tell people I’m a food blogger, they expect gourmet, fab food but my reality has been either very semi-homemade or shortcut-based cereal eating for dinner. Total slacking happening here which is why you don’t see me post evidence of my slackmanship. So I’ve been experimenting these last few weeks with different ways of eating. I picked up a book at the library a couple of weeks ago, just as I was walking past the bestsellers and happened to pick it up. I’d heard of The Whole30 in passing before and have thought about doing some recipes. As I was reading, I realized that this might be my way out of my sugar addiction. Enter the whole30. It’s like bootcamp for taming my sugar dragon. Also, please note, I wish I was cool enough to have thought of the phrase sugar dragon but I lifted it from the pages of whole30.

The general premise? You eat whole, unprocessed foods for 30 days. Unprocessed meats (with nitrites), veggies, fruit, seafood, seeds and most nuts are supposed to be the foods that provide fuel for your body. What did I cut out of my diet? Grains of all kinds, soy, dairy, processed meats, legumes, gluten, and ALL refined sugar (natural and artificial). Yes, ALL S-U-G-A-R, including maple syrup and honey. Why would someone subject themselves to this horrible torture? Because you’re trying to break the cycle of sugar addiction, which by the way is in everything as I learned. Even sriracha! I now read the labels on every food item before buying it. It’s amazing how much sugar we are unknowingly consuming! It seems so, so, so difficult but it’s all tough love- and tough love is something I desperately need to get back to my real lyfe of self-care. And there are so many possibilities of so many things you CAN have. I haven’t repeated a single dinner, yet. All you have to do is spend some time prepping and then it’s smooth sailing.

I’ve been modifying my recipes to fit into whole30. Like this blast-from-the past italian chicken sausage. I subbed in nutritional yeast and arrowroot flour for the parmesan and breadcrumbs, and all of a sudden it’s whole30 compliant! I’m two weeks into it and I feel great (now). The first couple of days, I felt like I’d been hit by a garbage truck, filled with sugar, on its way out of my driveway, after having collected my lifetime supply of all things sugar. That first night, I was like a crazy person, talking to myself and trying to will myself to not crave sugar or carbs. I’ve noticed a definite change in my skin, as I’m no longer breaking out. Yes, starch and sugar have THAT much of an effect. I’m not exhausted by 5 which means I’m not secretly celebrating when it’s time for the kids to go to bed. Seriously, WHO IS THIS PERSON in my body?! I might even start believing that I’ve got IT together!

Chia seed pudding, minus the honey, has been a lifesaver when I just need a quick meal. The key is in the dates. But wonderful things like autumn harvest salad have made an appearance in my life and I’m not in a hurry to say goodbye. One of the best things about this bowl is that is so versatile to change and adaptable to different ingredients. It doesn’t have to be an exclusive whole30 kinda thang. But don’t skip the cauliflower, roasted squash and apples. Add but don’t take away. If you don’t have butternut squash, feel free to sub in sugar pumpkin, kuri or acorn squash, or even delecta. This is a fall friendly bowl so give it some autumn produce love. The creaminess from the squash is a great stand-in for creamy cheeses like goat or feta. The key to drawing out the natural sugars and perfect caramelization? High heat roasting.

Cauliflower is a very understated vegetable. It is deceptively delicious and a more nutritious sub for potatoes in roasted garlic cauliflower mash or can take on a whole new flavor profile in roasted red pepper and cauliflower spaghetti. In the autumn harvest bowl, cauliflower takes on the rightful role as as the ‘bulk’ food, especially after it hangs out in the oven with red onion and draws out the subtle sweetness.

Growing up, I DESPISED apples. I would eat other fruit but if you gave me an apple, I would cry. But now, apples > candy. When I had (adult) braces, I lamented biting into a whole apple instead of having to pre-plan and cut into slices. The first week I got my braces off, I ate a million apples. I was like a kid in a candy store, filled and abandoned. It was then that I discovered a world beyond red delicious. Tart and crisp galas, soft golden delicious, and ohmygosh honeycrisp, the apple every appleseed dreams of becoming. The apples in this bowl have impressive showmanship. They add a burst of natural flavor, crisp texture, and offset the sweet creaminess of the squash.

Then we build onto the bowl and this is where it gets fun and creative. Toasted pumpkin seeds add additional crunch to cut through the creamy goodness. Friends, you must toast the pumpkin seeds. You must, you must, you must- untoasted pumpkin seeds are criminal. Start telling yourself, it doesn’t take long and the payoff will make you feel like a baws. For whole30 compliant cranberries, make sure you get cranberries sweetened with apple juice, because dried cranberries, in the normal form, are little sugar bombs. I prefer the apple juice sweetened cranberries because they’re not so sugary sweet and have an unapologetic tang. Some juicy, plump golden raisins would be great as an alternative to the cranberries too!

Friends, the dressing is a very basic, four ingredient dressing I’ve been making for years. It’s foolproof but really brings the bowl together. At this point, if you’re looking for even more bulk, diced grilled chicken is a classic addition. I added grilled chicken to mine for leftovers and I didn’t even end up going back to seconds. That’s how filling it was. I think some citrusy shrimp would be great here too. So go ahead, personalize and make this the dish that makes you friends.

Autumn Harvest Bowl

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled diced (4–5 cups)
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets (5 cups)
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3–4 medium apples, cored and diced
1/3 dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice)
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp divided
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
A handful of chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Toss butternut squash with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Spread out on baking sheet in a single layer.
Toss onions and cauliflower with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread out on baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast vegetables in oven for 15-20 minutes, until squash becomes soft and cauliflower starts browning. Flip with spatula and roast for 5 more minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, place pumpkin seeds in a dry and toast over high heat, until the seeds become light golden brown. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Whisk rigorously with a wire whisk and slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine squash, onions, cauliflower, apples, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle in dressing and gently toss with a spoon until well coated.
*Add grilled chicken if desired*