Recipes

Chana Masala

This Chana Masala recipe defines almost entirely the purpose of this blog; to make and spread easy, healthy, flavorful, and $reasonable$ meals. I know, I know…adjective overload but let me break it down for you.

Easy: I’m constantly scouting for meals that can be made ahead and simply re-heated for those busy weeknights. This Chana Masala is easy to make under 40 minutes, takes almost no effort, and tastes even better after a couple a days.

Heathy: Chana Masala’s main ingredient is chickpeas which are naturally low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins and minerals. Need say NO MORE!

Flavorful: The sauce is beyond good. It’s a perfect blend of spices, tomato, cream, and butter. Silky, tangy, and spicy. And it works perfectly with chickpeas.

Reasonable: Either you choose to buy them uncooked or in a can, Chickpeas are cheap. It is definitely a great deal for the amount of protein and nutrition that they offer.

Ok, so here are some notes about this recipe.

I used dry chickpeas, which I soaked in water overnight, rinsed and drained, and continued to rinse until it was time to cook them. Soaking reduces the cooking time and helps with digestion as it removes anti-nutrients common in legumes. But, of course, this recipe works with can chickpeas as well which eliminates those steps.

There are cleaner and healthier Chana Masala recipes out there. This one is as clean as my family and I can handle. YES I used heavy cream and butter and NO I don’t know if alternatives could provide the same deliciousness.

If you are crazy busy and want a meal to come home to, I would use the slow cooker. Just add in all the ingredients to the slow cooker in the morning (except for the cream that you can add right before serving.)

Chana Masala

This spicy and hearty Chana Masala recipe is easy to make and perfect as a make-ahead meal. 
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 30 ounces cooked chickpeas or two 15- to 16-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium potatoes (cubed)
  • 2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 can of stewed tomatoes (whole or diced and NOT drained)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • salt to taste
  • Hot cooked grain (rice, quinoa, or couscous), optional
  • Minced fresh cilantro to taste

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter with the oil in large pot (or saucepan) over medium-high heat. Add onions, a pinch of salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent, stirring every so often. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant.Add ginger and all the spices and sauté for 30 seconds. 
  • Add the can of diced tomatoes and chickpeas. Bring to a low simmer, and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every now and then until liquid evaporates a bit. Remove from heat.
  • Add the heavy cream and simmer for further 5 minutes stirring carefully, until the sauce starts to thicken.
  • Take a taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  • Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley) and serve on its own or over hot cooked grain.
Keyword clean, makeahead, quickmeal, vegetarian

Cuban Picadillo

This Cuban Picadillo recipe is one of my family’s favorite! It’s really quick and easy to make, and if you are lucky enough to have any leftovers you can serve this Picadillo in tacos, empanada filling, baked sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, and just about anything you can think of!

Cuban Picadillo is a saucy, sweet and savory dish that pairs perfectly with a bowl of ANY kind of rice- white, brown, cauliflower rice. It’s so good! If you’ve never heard of picadillo then let’s get you up to speed before you run to the kitchen.

Cuban Picadillo can be made with ground pork or beef or sometimes both. I opted to use ground bison because I’m a huge fan! Did you know that bison meat is much more likely to be grass-fed and organic than beef? It’s true. That’s because bison live freely in the wild, not on factory farms like most of cattle do.

There is not a lot of technique involved in the making of Cuban Picadillo. As for the ingredients, I recommend not passing on the raisins and olives. It gives this dish its sweet and savory staple flavors.

Note: I made this dish ahead to serve it on our busiest night of this week. It’s easy to reheat and serve on top of rice (possibly cauliflower rice this time) with a side of salad. *Top it with chopped hard-boiled eggs to keep up with the traditional Cuban Picadillo

Cuban Picadillo

Another one of my family’s favorite! This Cuban Picadillo recipe is easy, versatile, and perfect as leftovers.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Entree
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cored and seeded, chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (90% lean) I used Bison because why not. See note on post.
  • 2 small diced tomatoes (any type)
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 small diced tomatoes (any type)
  • 1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives plus 2 tablespoons brine
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (for garnish)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and cook until fragrant and tomato paste darkens in color, about 2 minutes. Add 3/4 water and let it simmer.
  • Add meat and cook, stirring and breaking up chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir, raisins, olives, and brine. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until most of the liquid evaporates.
  • Turn heat off, add chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with white rice.
Keyword Bison, Cuban cusine, Family Dinner, Keto, Paleo
J J

Shakshuka

Have you ever craved something you never had before? I’ve seen so much of this dish lately that I actually craved it. Almost like I had a taste of it with each video, picture, and recipe roaming amongst social media.

Shakshuka is a Tunisian dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato pepper sauce. I can say this is the first Tunisian dish I’ve ever made and it’s now top of the list of my favorite egg dishes!

I started by creating the base sauce. Onion, bell pepper and garlic sautéed before incorporating all the contrasting spices, along with tomato paste for a delicious balancing act – sweetness, acidity, richness, and heat!

To finish, I poached the eggs directly in the sauce, covering the pan to trap the heat for an even cooking. And you MUST finish the shakshuka with a generous sprinkle of feta cheese and cilantro.

Serve with pita bread or any kind of bread to mop up the sauce.

I personally think Shakshuka is the ultimate eggs-for-dinner dish, but it is a very popular brunch and breakfast dish.

Notes:

  • This is a basic shakshuka recipe. For what I’ve learned, there are no set shakshuka rules. You can add kale, sausage, avocado onto your shakshuka.
  • I used Cento Italian peeled tomatoes for the sauce and smashed-cut with a spatula. Italian can tomatoes are sweeter and lower in acidity- besides being non-gmo always!
  • Shakshuka! It’s so fun to say! But, do you know what does it mean?

 

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Sheet pan chicken and vegetables shawarma

I should start this entry with “…this sheet pan shawarma” so I respect the SEOs be-all and end-all rules. I don’t live by the rules, but I tend to not break them. Although, I should add sheet pan shawarma in every sentence I write here I’m not about keyword stuffing. My writing is already crappy enough for you to stick around so this is the last sheet pan shawarma mention you will read in this text entry.

I’m still under the full-time working mama spell and making simple dinners that can be easily heat up or thrown together on any giving week night is a must in this household. One of my main weekend goals is to have at least three prepared family meals by the end of Sunday. And, between you, me, and the rest of the world, as much as I love cooking, it is a challenge. Easy to prep and fast to make meals are essential!

So, it goes without saying that this recipe fits right in the quick-easy-versatile category that you can make ahead and eat it in so many ways. This ridiculously flavorful dish is made on a ONE sheet pan, cooks in less than 30 minutes, and you can serve it over rice or stuffed pita bread or in salad. Seriously, you can even eat it just straight out of the sheet pan – which I highly recommend.

 I started by mixing the spices, which is a recipe I always double or triple so I have some left for other dishes. I use this shawarma spice mix in roasted veggies and even as basmati rice seasoning.

After mixing the spices, reserve some to sprinkle over the chicken and veggies before sending them to the oven. I tossed the chicken in the same bowl I mixed the spices in, adding olive oil and lemon juice. I marinated the chicken for one hour for even more flavor, but you can totally skip this step.

Everything else after this is easy. Get the chicken from the fridge, toss the vegetables and chicken together adding an extra splash of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil to freshen it up.  Place it all on the sheet pan and sprinkle the remaining spice blend all over. Don’t forget to line the sheet pan with foil for easy clean-up!

To the oven it goes until all the juices clear- about 30 minutes- and there you have it.

We had the shawarma on top of Naan bread (always keep some in my freezer) because I had no pita and no time to make rice. Finished it with a drizzle of tahini sauce for the win. It was dealicious!

Notes:

  • Although I used chicken tenders cut in stripes for this recipe, you can use chicken breast or chicken thighs cut into small pieces (about 2-inch pieces).
  • Use any vegetable you like! Zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms are great with this spice blend.
  • Add extra cayenne pepper to make kick up the heat!

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One pan curried couscous with broccoli rabe, chicken, and lime-yogurt sauce

It has been a while since my last recipe post. Life, once again, got in between my stove and I. I’ve gotten back to work full-time and it has been a tough adjustment. I’m trying to keep up with the domestic duties and mother responsibilities (not always in that order) and let me tell you this working mom thing is no joke.

Meal prep on weekends has become mandatory. If there are not at least a couple of meals ready to heat and eat during the week I’m a warrantied a hot mess. On top of that, if I don’t pack my own lunch every day, I’ll surrender to all the office junk food, snacks, and endless lattes.

My meal plan has been working so far. I make two to three dishes ahead and have ingredients ready for a couple of dinners that are easy to throw together just like this one-pan curried couscous with  broccoli rabe, chicken, and lime-yogurt sauce. It is so easy to make and turns out good every time. It takes very little effort and the couscous cooks in 5 minutes.

This one-pan curried couscous is packed with greens – I used broccoli rabe but spinach, kale, or any vegetable would work too. The lean chicken breasts are the perfect pairing for an easy to cook protein.

I seared the chicken breasts on both sides and set aside. I used the SAME PAN to cook the veggies on the chicken broth! Yes, same PAN. Then I added the curry powder, place the seared chicken breast on top, covered the pan, and let the chicken finish cooking in the broth. Everything simmered together for about 10 quick minutes.

Once the chicken was cooked through, I removed it and added the couscous which soaked up all the ‘dealicious’ flavors. The raisins are my favorite part of this dish. I added them right into the couscous- they plumped and gave the couscous a sweet contrast.

The lime yogurt sauce cools off the dish and adds a creamy tang touch. I only had Greek yogurt available this time so I had to water it down a bit in order to drizzle the sauce.  Drizzles or dollops don’t pass on the yogurt sauce. It brings this dish to the next level.

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Mole Loco Moco with chipotle macaroni salad

It is that time of year again! No I’m not talking about summer BBQs and backyard cookouts. Not yet! It’s Father’s Day and around here we cook for dad. And we cook the same thing EVERY Father’s Day! Breakfast Loco Moco and macaroni salad.

Our dad-in-chief has Hawaiian roots. Deep Hawaiian roots, especially when it comes to food, so we give him gifts, cards, lots of love and some good homemade Hawaiian Loco Moco.  This traditional Hawaiian dish consists of: white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy (arguably in that order).

But I had to make an executive decision this year. Our Father’s Day will be spent in a convention center watching our oldest play the last volleyball tournament of the year. We most likely have to be there early so there’s not much opportunity for Loco Moco making in the morning. Therefore, Father’s Day Loco Moco have been moved. We are celebrating Father’s Day a bit early and having Loco Moco TONIGHT!

As if moving Father’s Day DAY wasn’t enough, I’m disrupting the traditional Hawaiian Loco Moco. I’m switching out the gravy for mole (yes MOLE! Store bought because I’ve not yet discovered the ways of the mole).  I also changed up the traditional Hawaiian mac salad and made CHIPOTLE mac salad. And let me tell you, this chipotle macaroni salad packs a bit of a kick, just like our dad-in-chief likes!

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there, doing your magic and the things only dads can do. May your Father’s Day be as delicious, saucy and full of aloha as this Mole Loco Moco dish.

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Kimchi pancakes with soy dipping sauce

Fact: There’s very little kimchi doesn’t improve. Try adding it to fried rice, plain rice, omelets, tacos, and-my favorite- quesadilla. Dealicious!

I had tried Korean pancakes before, but this was my first time making and trying kimchi Korean pancakes. I love kimchi and pancakes, so absolutely nothing could’ve gone wrong with this recipe.

There are many recipes out there and they are all very similar. Flour, egg, water and, obviously, kimchi. I had all the ingredients for the recipe and played around with the amounts. I could have added more kimchi to the batter but I used all it was left. If you are a kimchi lover like me you know there no such a thing as too much kimchi!

Here is the recipe for now. I’m working to add a video so you can see how ridiculously easy they are to make.

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One-pot chicken Marsala pasta

The idea that you can throw a bunch of ingredients in one pot and 20 minutes later have an actual meal is pretty amazing. I was not a believer of one-pot anything; except for Paella which can take hours to make. But, after a couple successful try outs, I’m convinced.

These one-pot pasta dinners work, and they are delicious, and super quick to prepare. There are a few tricks, for sure, but the result is usually worth it!

You might be used to seeing photos of one-pot pasta dinners on the www out there, with precisely measured ingredients, grouped in geometrical quadrants, and meticulously placed in a beautiful pot. Yeah. That’s pretty but it’s NOT how it works.

With that in mind, we put together a little video on how to cook this one-pot chicken marsala pasta. It’s amateurish and a bit repetitive but that’s exactly how I made this one-pot meal. No BS. It’s real deal. Here is the video. I hope you enjoy it and give it a try! It’s DEALicious!

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Miso sesame glazed eggplant

This Japanese eggplant recipe is all about that miso sesame glaze. The glaze is good on all varieties of eggplant (carrots, and Japanese sweet potato too). This recipe is incredibly easy to make and as promised on Instagram, I’m sharing it here.

Here is how it goes. I roast the eggplant first, then coat it with the glaze and run it under the broiler. The trick is getting the timing right so the glaze caramelizes but doesn’t burn. Most recipes called for eggplant halves. I like mine in cubes, so the glaze gets everywhere. Either way this dish is totally dealicious: a.k.a. easy to make and affordable.

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Garlic basil focaccia

Focaccia is the easiest kind of bread to make! It doesn’t require any special technic and it only needs a short amount of time to rise. You can top it with pretty much anything you want, and you can eat it with anything as long as it saucy. Focaccia is definitely a bread winner-haha!

I was able to adapted this recipe from a variety of recipes I’ve seeing in my cookbooks and from some of my favorite bloggers. Because I know my baking limitations, I started with a small batch of dough rather than committing to a huge recipe-the idea of ending with endless amount of ‘cardboard tasting focaccia’ crossed my mind. But honestly, it’s practically impossible to mess up this focaccia bread recipe. That’s why I’m sharing it here!

I topped the focaccia dough with basil, garlic, olive oil, and a generous amount of sea salt. Bake at 400F until brownish. The result; moist but airy inside and crunchy top and bottom crusts-although I think it could have used 5 more minutes in the oven for that extra crunch.

The focaccia was more than good enough to devour plain, but I served it with soup. I was hoping for leftovers to make sandwiches for lunch today but not even crumbs were left. I’m definitely doubling the recipe next time.

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