This is one of my daughter’s favorite dishes and she made it up for me the other night. My goodness, this has to be one of the best things I have EVER eaten. You can taste each individual spice and it’s like heaven on earth.

Chicken Tikka Masala

4 servings
403 calories per serving

Marinade:
1 c plain non fat yogurt
1 T lemon juice
2 t ground cumin
1 t cinnamon
2 t cayenne pepper
2 t black pepper
1 T ginger, minced
2 t salt
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken cut into bite size pieces

Sauce:
1 T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced and then cut the rounds in half
2 t ground cumin
1 ½ t coriander
¼ t cardamom
¼ t turmeric
2 t paprika
¼ t cayenne
2 t salt
4 oz. tomato paste mixed with 4 oz. water
1 c heavy cream
¼ c cilantro, chopped

Mix all the marinade ingredients except the chicken. Place chicken in a zip loc bag and add the yogurt mix. Mush it around to coat all the chicken and then refrigerate 1 hour to overnight. Preheat grill. Grill chicken in a grill basket 5-6 minutes or until done. (You can also broil 4 minute a side)

Melt butter and sauté garlic and jalapeno 1 minute then add all the spices, tomato paste mix and cream. Simmer 15 minutes to thicken. Add chicken and simmer 5 minutes to heat through. Garnish with cilantro.

Savory, hot chili – make it as spicy or as mild as you like. This one bulks up the veggies and uses turkey and very lean ground beef so it comes in at a low calorie count for a good sized portion. For 400 calories you can have a huge portion ! Try making this the next time you have a football party.

All the different tomato products used in this recipe have their own unique flavor and the combination of them is just perfect. But if you don’t particularly like one or another, feel free to substitute.

Cook this stovetop for hours to get that deep, rich, long simmer flavor – or you can cook this in the crock pot all day long while you are at work. Chili also does well in a pressure cooker. If you need instructions, just write to me and I’ll be happy to send you info.

Big Pot o' Chili

20 servings
210 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 onion, chopped
20 oz. lean ground turkey
16 oz. very lean ground beef
5 ribs of celery, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 t minced garlic
10 oz. mushrooms, chopped
15.5 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15.5 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 15.75 oz. cans Campbells Pork and Beans (this addition really mellows out the tomato base)
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
14.5 oz. fired roasted diced tomatoes
14.5 oz. stewed tomatoes
3 oz. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (if you don’t like heat, remove this ingredient. If you like it very spicy, add more of this ingredient)
29 oz. tomato sauce
1 T salt
1 T pepper
2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
5 T chili powder
3 t cumin
2 t basil flakes
2 t parsley flakes
3 t oregano flakes

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven or soup pot. Saute onions, celery and green pepper and yellow pepper 15 minutes. Add the turkey and beef and continue cooking until meat is done. Be sure to break up meat into little pieces as it cooks. (if cooking in a crock pot, do this first step stove top in a skillet and then turn it all into a heated crock) Add garlic and mushrooms and stir. Add all spices and mix well. Bring to a boil them lower and simmer for 2-3 hours on a low heat. Stir occasionally and adjust spice during the last half hour of cooking. (if cooking in a crock pot, cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours)

The leftovers freeze well – so don’t be afraid of the huge serving size. You can also cut this in half and make 10 servings – just halve everything. Serve with low fat sour cream and low fat shredded cheddar as a garnish / topping.