The rub on this leaves a mildly spicy coating on the meat – none of the individual flavors stands out by itself – they all mingle and create a great flavor that leaves you coming back for more.
Chili Rubbed Steak
6 servings
290 calories per serving
2 t caraway seeds
2 t cumin seeds
½ t coriander seeds
2 T tomato sauce
1 T red chili paste
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¾ t chili powder
2 lb. boneless beef sirloin
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
In a skillet mix the 3 seeds and cook on medium high for 3 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, being sure to stir constantly then cool completely. Using a coffee grinder, pulse seeds to a fine powder and then combine with tomato sauce, chili paste, oil, garlic and chili powder, salt and pepper. Spread the spice mix over and refrigerate 2 – 4 hours. Grill meat 20 minutes or to desired doneness. Remove from heat, tent with foil and let sit 10 minutes before slicing.
This is another great authentic recipe that cooks all day in the crock pot – it turns out a fantastically tender and juicy meat that is easily shredded and tastes great with a bit of lime and avocado.
Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Rub spice mix into the pork.. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and add the broth then put the pork on top. Cover and cook on low about 10 hours, turning half way through. Remove and let cool then use 2 forks to shred the meat. Use the left over liquid to moisten the meat. Plate and squirt each portion with a bit of lime just before serving. I like to serve this on a flour tortilla with some avocado slices (not included in calorie count above – add 210 calories for a flour tortilla and 2 -3 slices avocado)
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.
I’ve made this with beef and I think I actually prefer it with chicken ! The chicken almost looks like beef since it has all the spicy goodness coating it and the flavor is mellow and deep like a good mole. This is not a REAL mole, but the flavor is definitely similar and once you taste this, you’ll find yourself craving it 🙂
Chicken Mole Stew
6 servings
297 calories per serving
2 T unsweetened cocoa
2 T ground coriander
3 t garlic powder
3 t ground cumin
3 t ancho chile powder
3 t paprika
3 t oregano flakes
¼ t cinnamon
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 c flour
1 T oil
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped green bell pepper
½ c dry red wine
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
Combine the first 8 ingredients then stir in the chicken and mix well. Remove the chicken and then add flour to the rest of the spices and whisk well. Then add the chicken back and toss. Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium high and add chicken pieces and sauté 5 minutes browning all sides then remove to a plate and keep warm. Add onion and pepper to the pan and cook 6 minutes then stir in the wine and tomatoes (with their liquid), add back in chicken, cover and set heat to low and simmer 1 hour stirring occasionally.
This has a definite Middle Eastern flair to it with the coriander and cumin as the main seasoning. Serve next to Eastern Fried Rice for a great vegetarian meal.
Zucchini Boats
4 servings
107 calories per serving
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
½ T oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz. button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 t ground coriander
¾ t ground cumin
½ c chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam. Scoop the flesh out of the middle of the zucchinis to create boats for the filling. Chop the removed flash and reserve. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions 5 minutes then add garlic and cook another minute. Add chopped zucchini and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes then add coriander, cumin, chick peas, lemon, parsley, salt and pepper. Stuff the zucchini shells and bake 35-40 minutes.
This is great served with sliced up veggies or pita chips. It has a nice mellow flavor and makes a great snack or appetizer.
White Bean and Garlic Dip 8 – ¼ c servings
71 calories per serving
10 cloves garlic
1 19 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 T low fat sour cream
2 T lemon juice
2 t sesame oil
½ t ground coriander
¼ t salt
¼ c chopped parsley
1 t paprika
In a small pot of boiling water cook the garlic for 3 minutes. Drain and reserve 2 T of the cooking liquid. Peel the garlic and in a food processor mix the garlic, reserved cooking liquid and beans and mix until you have a smooth puree. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, oil, coriander and salt and process to blend. Serve sprinkled with parsley and paprika.
Peppersteak is great no matter how you slice it 🙂 But this recipe really is a winner – the sauce made with coffee and balsamic turned an already savory dish into something just exquisite.
Texas Peppersteak
4 servings
226 calories per serving
½ t ground cumin
½ t ground coriander
½ t chili powder
¼ t salt
¾ t pepper
1 lb. boneless top sirloin steak, trimmed
1 clove garlic, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oil
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 t brown sugar
½ c brewed strong coffee
¼ c balsamic vinegar
Combine first five ingredients. Rub steak with cut garlic and then rub the spice mix into the steak. Heat 2 t of oil into a skillet and cook the steak 6-8 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Get a nice sear on the outside for extra flavor ! Remove steak from pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Add 1 t oil to the skillet and stir in the pepper and onions and cook 4 minutes then add the minced garlic and brown sugar and heat a minute before stirring in the coffee and vinegar. Heat 3-4 minutes. Slice steak into thin pieces and plate with pepper mix on top. Pour any sauce from pan over platter.
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:
