Indian Food, Take One

Remember how one of my 2012 food goals is to make more Indian food? Well, I'm already on my way! Last week I slightly adapted this SUPER simple Chicken Tiki Masala recipe from Real Simple for dinner one night, and my contribution to a potluck the next! I feel like it was a bit of a cop-out since it was in the slow cooker, but I was drawn in by the short ingredient list and my love for tiki masala. Now I just need to master naan bread for the perfect combo.

Slow-Cooker Tiki Masala
Adapted from Real Simple

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups rice (I did 1 cup white rice for dinner, but brought brown to the potluck)
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and season with additional salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-9 hours.

If you have a fancy rice cooker like me, get your rice set up in the morning and set the timer so that it's ready when you get home. If not, make it right when you get home!

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.

New Food Resolutions: 2012

For 2011, I listed out a few ingredients I either never cooked with or hardly did, and I thought doing a similar exercise would be good for this year. There were some dark horses that snuck their way on my list and now I would never turn back on (I'm looking at YOU cauliflower and Brussels sprouts!). Looking at last year's list, however, I didn't do all that well (we'll blame it on the ever-so-small life event that was our engagement and wedding):

• Eggplant - Yeah, I'm still not a fan.


• Tofu - I experimented with tofu during my Vegan Week and enjoyed it, though it still isn't a favorite and definitely doesn't make an appearance all that often on my table.


• Mussels - Sadly I didn't get to this one. It's going on the 2012 list.


• Tarragon - While I didn't cook much with tarragon, I had it in a few more dishes and discovered I really just don't like it.


• Fennel - See Tarragon :)


• Leafy greens (kale, mustard greens, etc.) - This was by far my greatest 2011 resolution success. Due in large part to the green smoothies Luke and I now drink every morning and to fun and sassy salads, we've incorporated more leafy greens in our diets. This will definitely continue into the New Year.

Here's to hoping the 2012 food resolutions go a bit better!

• Goat - now that this is becoming a bit more "main stream" I might need to take a stab at cooking goat. Let's see how it goes!


• Tamales - After reading a bunch of fun Christmas posts on different variations of tamales and enjoying some at my mother in law's house for Christmas, I'd like to try these this year.


• Homemade ravioli - you've seen my post on homemade pasta. Now I want to take it a step further to make some delicious homemad ravioli. Hoping to accomplish this by February!


• Indian cuisine - I never make it, that's sad. Also, I never eat it except for the Indian offerings at the hot food bar at Whole Foods. This year, that's all changing!


• Make my own tortillas - how have I never done this?! Luke and I go through taco phases, but I have a feeling once I master the tortilla, they'll be a lot more frequent.


• The whole bird: Other than occasionally roasting a whole chicken, I rarely opt for the larger cuts of meat or the whole bird. Not only is it a better value to buy it all, but often you get a great deal more flavor by cooking larger cuts.

I also realized earlier this week that I don't have a basic mac and cheese recipe on the blog (a crime considering how much I love it and make it!) anything else you're hoping will appear in 2012?

Thanks for another great year,

Apron

New Year, New Ingredients

Sometimes even the most adventurous cooks and eaters can fall into a food rut, and while I don't consider myself amongst the most adventurous, I do lament that I have several "safe eating" patterns that I've fallen into in 2010.

With that in mind, I want to make a list of ingredients that I rarely, or never use, but would like to. Here are a few to get me started:

• Eggplant
• Tofu
• Mussels
• Tarragon
• Fennel
• Leafy greens (kale, mustard greens, etc.)

What ingredients do you shy away from? What would you like to see me experiment with in 2011? What are your New Years resolutions?

Happy New Year!

-Apron