Chicken Tikka Masala w/ Basmati n Tumeric Rice

Jay and I love cuisines from around the world. We are fortunate in that the area we live has many great restaurants, including several Indian places. We have come to really enjoy Indian food! So a couple of weeks ago, I set out to make Chicken Tikka Masala. To say we enjoyed the meal would be an understatement. We loved it! I was very pleasantly surprised at how flavorful it was, especially when I cut a lot of the fat and calories. We have already made it again, so that makes it twice in about 2 weeks. Obviously we liked it :) I hope you like it too!

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from AllRecipes

serves 4

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

pinch ground red pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 TBSP miced fresh ginger

**

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

**

Sauce:

1 TBSP butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup half and half (or 3/4 half and half, 1/4 whole milk)

1/4 cup chopped fesh cilantro (oprtional)

In a large bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Stir in chicken, cover and refigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat a grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard the marinade. Grill until jices run clear. It only takes about 5 minutes per side.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Saute the garlic and jalapeno for about 1 minute over medium heat. Season with cumin and paprika. Stir in the tomato sauce and half and half. Simmer on low until the sauce begins to thicken, around 20 minutes. Then add the grilled chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes. Pour over rice tumeric basmati rice (recipe below) and garnish with cilantro.

Tumeric Basmati Rice

Mealplanning101

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

pinch salt

1/4 TBSP (so a little less than a tsp) tumeric

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Pour rice, water, salt and tumeric into saucepan or rice cooker and stir a little. Simmer until done (I use a rice cooker, so I just push the little button down :) )

After the rice is done, mix in the peas, and serve! You could also mix in raisins before cooking if you want to add a little sweetness. If I can convince Jay to like raisins more I will try this next time!

Working It Out

Despite my lack of posts, I have been hitting the pavement, as well as my DVD player :)

I have been limiting my miles to 10 or less per week (shock, gasp!)

It is very frustrating at times, but I have felt this is what I need to do with my other current health "issues."

I have had fun running along the river with my friend and her two kiddos. I am sure we look like quite the site running with 4 kids, and the kiddos passing crackers across strollers while we run. We have had a great time :)

I have also been working with my Jillian Michaels DVD and she kicks my butt every time. Especially with the Hollow Man with Scissor Kicks move. YOWZA!

But my abs and butt are thanking me... I love it when I can feel how hard my muscles have worked.

With all of my double stroller running, it has really improved my solo running time! I ran 4 miles at approx a 7:36 pace. I guess I should have done more of my half-marathon training with the stroller! Next time I guess...

Feeling Crafty

I saw these cute little cake plates on The Crafting Chicks blogs, and I fell in love with the idea. We love to entertain, and it is always fun to have decorative plates and such. I just made a small tray and would hold petite desserts.

I used:
(1) candle stick (dollar tree)
(1) pretty yellow plate (goodwill)
GLUE - E6000

VOILA!

Ain't it perrtty?