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 with just a bit of sweet from the dried cranberries. An earthy dish that is a great vegetarian main dish or a perfect side to a fish or chicken dinner.

Grilled Mushrooms with Couscous

4 servings
208 calories per serving

4 whole Portobello mushrooms
4 T white balsamic vinegar
Pam
½ c chicken or vegetable broth
½ c water
¼ t turmeric
2/3 c couscous
¼ c dried cranberries
½ t lemon zest
¼ t salt
1 t oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. chopped fresh spinach
2 T water
1 T margarine
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped

Cut 4 slits in the top of each mushroom about 2 inches long and ½ inch deep. Remove stems and place top facing up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with half the vinegar and spray with Pam. Turn the mushrooms over and sprinkle with the rest of the vinegar. Spray again with Pam. Cover dish with plastic wrap and set aside. Combine broth, water and turmeric in a small pan. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the couscous, cranberries, lemon and salt. Remove from heat and cover and let stand 5 minutes or until ready to serve the dish. Heat another saucepan and add oil and then sauté garlic for one minute. Add the greens and 2 T water and cook 3 minutes. Add the margarine and stir in for 30 seconds. Remove from pan and keep warm. Cook mushrooms 3 minutes each side and place stem side up on a serving plate. Spoon the couscous mix on the top and then top with the greens. Sprinkle with bell pepper and serve immediately.

The ginger was the big flavor in this dish and that’s all right by me ! Ginger and cumin just belong on lentils. This is not a super low cal side, so serve it next to a lighter dish like fish or chicken.

Curried Lentils

6 servings
186 calories per serving

1 ½ c dry lentils, rinsed and drained
6 c water
1 t ground cumin
1 t oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 t chili and garlic sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
1 t powdered ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t ground turmeric
½ t salt
2 T chopped cilantro

Bring lentils and water to boil then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Once in a while, spoon off the foam that appears on the top of the pot. Heat a skillet and add cumin, oil and onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add tomato and chili sauce and continue cooking until tomato is very broken down, about 5 minutes. When lentils are tender and water is absorbed mix all together except the cilantro and cook 15 minutes. Add cilantro just before serving.

This has the most awesome Middle Eastern flavor ! It was spicy without being too hot and the texture of the cheese really went well with the chopped spinach – - it picked up the spices of the spinach nicely. This was my first time making cheese and it was well worth it. It was a definite ‘2 thumbs up’ from the whole family

Homemade Cheese with Curried Spinach

4 servings
302 calories per serving

2 quarts 1 % milk
1/3 c lemon juice
4 t oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground coriander
¾ t turmeric
¼ t salt
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c chicken broth
2 T tomato paste
2 t jalapeno pepper sauce or Asian chili and garlic sauce

Bring milk to a boil (be careful to not let the bottom scorch – be patient and do it on medium or medium high heat rather than cranking it up to high) then remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let stand about 15 minutes so that the curds and whey separate. Line a colander with a doubled piece of cheese cloth, place in the sink, and pour in the milk mix letting the whey drain away. Let sit 20 minutes or so and then pull together the cheesecloth and squeeze gently to remove any more liquid. You can use a light twisting motion and that helps. Then flatten into a disk on a plate and then place a small saucepan on top of it and place an unopened canned good in the pan to create a weight on top of the cheese. I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and it worked great. Do not refrigerate. Let stand 2 hours or until firm enough to cut.

In a large skillet heat 2 t oil and add onion and garlic and cook 7 minutes or until tender and then add the coriander, turmeric and salt. Mix and then add the spinach, broth, tomato paste and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet. Cut the cheese into ½ inch chunks. Heat 2 t oil in skillet and add the cheese cooking for 4 minutes or until light browned and crusty then gently stir in the spinach and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Here’s a couple more pictures of the cheese making process:

Curds and Whey separating

Cheese Disc