Tandoori Chicken Breasts with Mango-Mint Chutney

This recipe comes from my favorite grilling book, Weber's Way To Grill by Jamie Purviance. If you've ever wanted to learn to grill, get the book. It's fantastic!

Marinade
1 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sweet paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each


Chutney
2 firm ripe mangoes, sides cut from pit
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

1. In a food processor (or my Vita-Mix) blend the marinade ingredients until uniform in consistency, adding 1 or 2 Tbsp of water, if needed (which I didn't). Place the chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat.

3. Lightly brush the mango sides with the oil. Grill over direct medium heat, flat sides down, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they brown, about 2 minutes, without turning. Remove the mango from the grill, crosshatch the flesh in the skin, and scoop out the little pieces. In a small bowl combine the mango with the remaining chutney ingredients.

4. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Wipe off most the marinade clinging to the chicken and brush the chicken with oil. Grill over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm to the touch and no longer pink in the center, 8-12 minutes, turning once. Serve warm with the chutney.

To cut a mango: 

First, cut around the pit by rotating the mango so that the pit runs parallel to the blade of your knife. Cut each mango lengthwise along each side of the pit.

 Crosshatch the flesh without cutting through the skin, and scoop out the little pieces with a spoon.

Even if you're just putting the mangoes into a smoothie (which is delicious, by the way), this is by far the easiest way to cut a mango. Although, if I'm pureeing the mango anyway, I don't crosshatch- I just scoop.

Hummus and Jicama

 Hummus. Tasty, good for you and most importantly- really, really easy to make! I, of course, used my Vita-mix. If you don't have one, I'd recommend using a food processor over a traditional blender as this will be too thick to blend properly. You can always add water to thin... but then it just doesn't taste as good. 

We served this with our jicama that we got from our Bountiful Basket this last Saturday. Just peel and slice however you like. We cut everything into sticks around here. Everything tastes better to my kids if it's in the shape of a stick. Carrot sticks, celery sticks, even fish sticks!

Hummus

• 2 cups garbanzo beans (I soaked and cooked my own, you can also use canned)
• 3 Tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh parsley)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions 

Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, paprika, parsley, cumin, cayenne, oil and garlic into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Serve with bread, pita or bagel chips or use as a vegetable dip. Tastes GREAT with jicama!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Recently I found some heavy whipping cream on clearance for $.45 a pint. I bought all that they had. It's been so fun to find things to do with it. About half of it was turned into butter. Yes, butter. (All you have to do is pour the cream into a jar with a tight fitting lid, add about 1/4 tsp salt and shake and shake and shake until cream is solid. Woila! Butter!) The rest I experimented with. The following dip was served at our little family New Year's Eve party along with some home-made crusty bread. Yum!

Although Holiday parties are over, save this recipe for football parties. It would go great with some Superbowl!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 large clove minced garlic (about 1/2 tsp)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13-in baking dish (or 2 qt. casserole dish). In a blender or food processor, place artichoke hearts, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Pulse until chopped, but not ground. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix spinach, heavy cream, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Stir in artichoke mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

*I actually used spinach from the garden! I had a bunch last Spring so froze a few bags for such occasions as this. Love it!

Salsa (for canning)

This recipe was given to me by a good friend and neighbor and I've been making it every year since. No more Pace in this house! Around here, we call this "the good stuff".

Salsa (for canning)

7 quarts peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
4 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
5 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeno peppers
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups bottled lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp oregano leaves
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

Procedure (as written): Wash and rinse canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids according to manufacturers directions. Wash and dry peppers. Discard seeds and chop. If you choose to peel chiles, peel using this method to blister skins:

Place chiles in a hot oven (400 F) or broiler for 6-8 minutes until skins blister. (I've also used a medium-hot grill.) After blistering skins, place peppers in a pan and cover with a damp cloth or you may put the still hot peppers in a closed zip-top bag. Cool several minutes then slip off skins.
Hot pack: Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano and cilantro in a large pan and heat, stirring frequently until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (mixture should be thick- if not, cook a little longer). Ladle into hot, clean jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wikpe rims of jars with a clean paper towel. Apply canning lids. Put in canner and let water come to a boil in canner. Process for 35 minutes.

**When I make this salsa I make these changes**
I usually leave out the oregano and add an entire bunch of cilantro instead.
I also use lime juice instead of lemon juice
My family likes things spicy so I usually use 3 cups chopped jalapenos (sometimes I throw in a couple habaneros) and 1 1/2 cups chopped chili peppers or bell peppers or any other mild pepper.
Also, I don't peel my tomatoes or peppers. I chop them with my Vita-mix and it gets the pieces small enough that the peels really don't matter. The peels don't change the taste of the salsa anyway, only the looks- which I don't really care about. Feel free to peel if you like spending the extra time!

And a side note... In case you inadvertantly burn your hands with the peppers, use this trick to help ease the pain: Mix 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup COLD water to make a thick paste. You can spread this on your hands, or do like I do and just stick your entire hand in the bowl. Ahhhhh!

My family (and my neighbors) laugh at me every year because at least once a year I end up carrying a bowl of baking soda around with me ALL day! Last year I was slicing habaneros and those little beasts burned RIGHT THROUGH MY GLOVES! (It was very traumatic. I now pick habaneros with tongs and throw them straight into the food processor!) This year I chopped about 2 dozen mild chile peppers thinking 'hey, they're mild... I don't need gloves.' FYI... even mild chile peppers BURN if you cut enough of them!

Salsa

This is definitely salsa season and I'm happy to say I've finally been able to make some fresh salsa from my own garden produce. MMMmmmm! I'm really terrible about measurements when it comes to salsa and sauces. This is normally how I make salsa:
Chop enough tomatoes to fill your bowl about half to 3/4 full.
Add a little less than half as many onions as tomatoes.
Chop enough peppers to thickly cover everything else in the bowl.
Add an entire bunch of cilantro finely chopped (I love cilantro!)
Sprinkle salt all over the top layer of veggies.
Squeeze a couple limes into the bowl
Add garlic a couple cloves at a time until it tastes right.
Add more salt if it needs it.
Add some ground cumin and chile powder if I feel like it.
Taste again.
Add more stuff if necessary.

Since that's not exactly a coherent recipe for most people I did try to keep track of exactly what I put into my salsa these last few times I've made it. Keep in mind this makes a large batch. If your family doesn't put salsa on everything like we do then you may want to halve everything. Enjoy!

Fresh Salsa

10 cups diced tomatoes (about 5 pounds)
1 1/2 cups finely diced mild peppers (like chiles, bell pepper, banana pepper)
1 cup finely diced jalapeno peppers, seeds removed (substitute for more mild peppers if you don't like spicy)
3 cups chopped onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 tbsp red chile powder, ground
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed it will be 2-3 limes)

Dice tomatoes and add to a large bowl. I always like to hand chop my tomatoes so they don't become frothy. I also like them to be pretty which is hard to do with a food processor. Remove stems and seeds from peppers. You should wear plastic gloves for this step... I never do, but almost always wish that I had... Coarsley chop onions, peppers, and cilantro. Add to food processor and process until finely chopped.  Add chile powder, ground cumin, garlic, salt and lime juice. Mix to combine everything. Use within 3-5 days.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 large mango
2 cloves garlic
1 red onion
1 small pineapple
1 bunch cilantro
1 red bell pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar

Dice produce and combine in a large bowl. Drizzle vinegar all over and mix until well combined. Serve with tortilla chips or spoon over grilled salmon or chicken.

Minestrone Soup & Pesto Dip

Here's another one for the Crock-Pot on hot days. In my bountiful basket Saturday, I bought the Italian pack add-on which had a bag full of herbs. I used some to season my soup and the rest I used for a yummy pesto sauce to spread on my bread to go with dinner. Some of the herbs are growing in my garden also, so I had lots of oregano and rosemary to make a strong pesto instead of an all-basil version.

Minestrone Soup

1 large onion
1 lb cooked ground beef (optional- we didn't use it)
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 cups water or vegetable broth (I used the vegetable broth I saved from blanching my veggies on Saturday)
2 c. beef broth (again, leftovers from the last roast I made- it's been int he freezer)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 large cloves garlic
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut (or 1 15 oz can)
1 (15oz) can kidney beans
1 cup. uncooked pasta
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 cup fresh spinach, optional

Chop and slice onions and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, zucchini, and spinach. Mix thoroughly. Cook on LOW 6 hours. Add pasta, zucchini and spinach if desired. Cover and cook 1 hour longer until pasta is tender. Serve with hard rolls and fresh pesto.

Strong Italian Pesto
1/4 cup roasted whole almonds*
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 oz. (about 2 cups packed) fresh Italian herbs
    (I used a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjarom)
1 medium fresh tomato, quartered
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or more if desired)

Process the almonds and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the herbs, cheese, tomato and salt and process until thoroughly combined and the consistency you like. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the chute. Add more salt to taste if necessary and more olive oil if desired. This will keep several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it. Pour it into an ice cube tray to freeze, then transfer pesto cubes to a heavy-duty freezer bag.

*If using raw almonds, spread them on a baking sheet and place in a 350 F degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Use your toaster oven if possible.

Lamb Meatballs, Fruit & Spinach Salad, Kabobs

I am getting so wussy in my old age. It's been so HOT in my house and the outside temps are only in the low 90's as of yet. Either way, the thought of turning on my oven is just about unbearable so we've been grilling the past few nights. I've enjoyed coming up with some different things to cook on the grill- afterall, we can't have steak and hamburgers every night that it's too hot to cook indoors.

In the process of cleaning out my freezer I found some lamb meat that I bought late last year on clearance and with a coupon. It came out to $1.50/lb so I figured it was worth a shot at that price. But, in all this time I've never known what to do with it. The other night I decided to turn it into some grilled meatballs.

Lamb Meatballs

2 lbs ground lamb

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

olive oil

In a medium bowl, using yuor hands, gently mix the meatball ingredients. Do not overwork the mixture (like I did! I mixed the meat in a plastic bag so I wouldn't have to touch it, but I ended up over-working it that way...) or the meatballs will be tough. Makes about 25 meatballs Thread 5 meatballs onto each skewer. Lightly brush with oil. Pre-heat grill to about 400 F. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the meatballs with the lid closed as much as possible until they have browned but are still slightly pink in the center, 4-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

I also bought a pineapple and some peppers last Saturday at Costco that needed to be used. So, to go along with our meatballs, I made some pineapple/veggie kabobs and some Fruit & Spinach salad.

Fruit & Vegetable Kabobs

1/2 large onion

3-4 cups fresh pineapple chunks (1/2 pineapple)

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks

8 oz button mushrooms

2 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks

or 18 plum tomatoes 

 If using bamboo instead of metal skewers be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Thread vegetables onto skewers. Keep the vegetables close enough to just touch, without crowding. Brush with olive oil. Preheat grill to 400 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Grill with the lid closed as much as possible until skins of the vegetables begin to brown and blister - about 8 minutes- turning occasionally.

My last edition to our meal was an afterthought. I just wanted to use the extra pineapple and onions that didn't fit onto the kabobs, but it turned out really great! I made a Fruit and Spinach salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

 

Fruit & Spinach Salad

1/2 lb baby spinach
4 oz sliced strawberries
1 cup pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (if using canned, reserve the juice)
1/2 cup onion, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup Sesame Vinaigrette

Combine salad ingredients. Toss with Sesame Vinaigrette. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to combine flavors.

Sesame Vinaigrette

4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted*

2 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 tablespoons unsweetened white grape juice (or use the reserved pineapple juice)
4 teaspoons sesame oil
 
Combine ingredients in a small jar. Shake to combine. Allow to sit for several hours if possible to combine flavors. Shake again before serving.
*I didn't have any sesame seeds, so I made my dressing without them and it still tasted great.
 
Overall, my opinion about lamb? I think I'll stick with ground beef and turkey. The guys seemed to like them (we only ended up with 4 leftover meatballs) but, while they were good, they don't top my list of favorites. Maybe it's because I kept conjuring images of a cute little fuzzy creature bleating and crying or maybe just because I overworked the meat and the meatballs turned out a bit tough. But at least now I can say I've tried cooking it, right?

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas, Green Chili Salsa, Corn Tortillas

This was dinner a couple nights ago. I'm getting a little behind on my 'blogging'. Turns out I only have time to do one maybe two things per day besides my regular dairly chores. So, a few days ago I went to my friend Stephanie's house and helped her make some Spinache Noodles which she used to make Lasagna. While I was there we also put together a batch of Green Chili Salsa. Here's how we made it:

Green Chili Salsa

1 bunch cilantro

5 cloves minced garlic (2 Tbsp)

6 tomatillos

1 large onion

1 green bell pepper

2 roasted jalepenos (double if you like it spicy)

2 cans diced green chilis

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp oregano

4 cubes chicken bouillon

2 cups hot water

Remove papery shell of tomatillos, wash and cut in half. Place, cut-side down onto baking sheet along with unpeeled cloves of garlic. Put under hot broiler for 5-10 minutes depending how hot your broiler gets. (Ours was perfect at 8 minutes). The skins of the tomatillos will brown and blister. Meanwhile, rinse and chop remaining vegetables. Remove tomatillos and garlic from oven. Peel garlic. Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Add everything to a 2 qt. blender. Puree. Pour into medium saucepan and simmer 10-15 minutes to thicken.

As a reward for my help Stephanie sent me home with 1 1/2 cups of our delicious concoction. So the next day I thought I'd get ambitious and attempt corn tortillas for my enchiladas.. I perused the online websites and found this simple recipe:

Corn Tortillas

1 3/4 cups Masa Harina

1 1/8 cup water

In a medium bowl, mix together masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high. Divide dough into 15 equal-size balls. Using a tortilla press, a rolling pin, or your hands, press each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn tortilla over to brown on second side for approximately 30 seconds more, then transfer to a plate. Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with a towel to stay warm and moist until ready to serve.

Hmmm... problem was that I didn't have any masa so I tried adjusting the recipe as follows.

1 cup corn flour (I ground popcorn- that's what I had)

1 cup white flour

1 cup water

2 Tbsp Lime juice

1 Tbsp red chili powder

1 tsp salt

Well... They turned out pretty tasty, but they weren't exactly enchilada worthy as they kept falling apart when I tried to roll them. I ended up using them for an enchilada casserole which I gave to a neighbor. Lucky for my family I made a backup batch of regular flour tortillas which is what I used for our enchiladas. Now as for the enchiladas:

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

1 cup onion, chopped (I used green onions from the garden)

1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup butter
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 1/2 cups green chili salsa, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I used Mozzarella and it turned out fine)
12- 6 inch tortillas.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, cook onion and green pepper in 2 T of the butter until tender. Combine onion mixture in a bowl with chicken and 3/4 cup green chile salsa. Set aside. For the sauce, in the same sauce pan melt remaining butter. Stir in flour and cumin. Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly (this will ensure your sauce doesn't have a weird flour-y taste). Whisk in chicken broth and cook until thickened and boiling. Whisk in sour cream, rest of salsa and half of the cheese. Stir until melted. Stir 1/2 cup of sauce into chicken mixture. Place about 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill tortillas with chicken, roll up, and place seam side down in dish. Pour remaining sauce over, sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

You can simplify the sauce by using white sauce mix in lieu of the butter and flour. That's what I did and yes, of course, I made my own mix. I will post the recipe for the mix as well as several ways to use it in a later post.

Baked Potato Chips, Onion Soup Mix, Onion Dip, Pasta Salad, Salad dressing

Yesterday we had a barbeque at the In-laws house. Lucky for us, our food assignment was to bring salad and chips. My budget can handle that! I made pasta salad with home-made dressing, Baked potato chips and onion dip.

Baked Potato Chips

6-8 medium Russet Potatoes

1 Tbsp salt

Pam cooking spray (or vegetable oil)

water

Slice potatoes paper thin into a large bowl of cold water. Once potatoes are all sliced, drain water- refill with fresh water and add salt. Allow potatoes to sit for 30 minutes (This helps to remove excess starch from the potatoes). Drain water and arrange potato slices on a greased baking sheet in a single layer. I like to cover mine with foil for easier cleanup. Bake potatoes at 425 for 20 minutes, turning halfway through if desired. Depending on how thin you sliced your potatoes, you'll want to check them halfway through anyway to be sure they don't burn. Remove 'chips' as they become crisp. Some chips will take longer to crisp than others.

Onion Dip

8 oz sour cream (or plain yogurt)

8 oz cottage cheese

1/4 cup onion soup mix*

Combine and stir. Serve with homestyle potato chips.

*Easy Onion Soup Mix

3/4 cup dried minced onion

1/3 cup brown gravy mix

Combine & store in an airtight container.

For the pasta salad, I actually made some spinache pasta. Again, I'm sneaking some greens from the garden on this one, but I can't just let it go to waste! I won't get into the whole noodle making process again on this post- I'll save it for when we eat the Raviolis that I made along with the pasta salad noodles. (The recipe that I used made a LOT of pasta.)

Pasta Salad

1 lb cooked and cooled pasta

1 cucumber, diced

1 zucchini, diced

5 asparagus spears

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup Italian Vinaigrette

1 cup shredded or chopped Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine ingredients and toss with salad dressing. Refrigerate overnight if able to combine flavors. Really you can use just about any vegetable that you'd like or have on hand. I like to make sure that I have at least as many vegetables as noodles.

Italian Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used apple cider- it's what I had on hand)

3/4 cup olive or vegetable oil, or a combination

2 Tbsp finely chopped chives (or onion, or green onion. I use chives because I have so many!)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp dried basil

Combine ingredients in a large jar with a tight lid. Shake well. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

This is what was sent home with us from the barbeque: 2 steaks, 3 pork chops, 4 baked potatoes and 4 rolls. While I would love to eat this all up instead of our own food, I've decided that I'm not going to "cheat" so I will turn it into a few meals for some neighbors.