Black-Eyed Peas and Chicken Curry

This was a completely new experience for me, both with the black-eyed peas and the garam masala seasoning.  My youngest daughter and I really love this dish.  I adapted it slightly from a recipe on Veronica’s Cornucopia, including increasing the black-eyed peas to two cans.

I’ve seen garam masala in the spice aisle at my grocery store, but the recipe Veronica provided used items I already had on hand and I love the flavor.  Note that the recipe below for garam masala makes enough of this seasoning for several meals.

BLACK-EYED PEAS AND CHICKEN CURRY

• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch cayenne, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala*
• ½ cup undiluted evaporated milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cans (14-15 oz. each) black-eyed peas, lightly drained
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned.

Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add evaporated milk, broth, black-eyed peas and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon mixture over rice, sprinkle with cilantro.

Makes 4 generous servings.

*Easy Garam Masala (makes about 3 Tablespoons)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix spices in a small bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.  Use only 1 teaspoon for this recipe.

From the archives:

January 20, 2011 - Maple Walnut Muffins

January 21, 2008 – Easy Potato Yeast rolls

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Chicken Imperial

I found this recipe in an old Southern Living Dinner and Supper Cookbook.  I adapted the recipe to make a smaller amount and to omit some items I didn’t have on hand.  A note in my cooking journal says:  “First made 1/9/98 for Nancy and David (daughter and husband) – both loved this.  I especially liked it.”

Allow 2-3 hours to marinate the chicken.

CHICKEN IMPERIAL

• 2 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Dash of salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 3 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl, pour sherry over, cover and marinate in the refrigerator  for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from marinade and pat dry.

Combine crumbs, salt/pepper, parmesan cheese and almonds.

Dip chicken in melted butter then place in bowl of coating mixture, pressing down on both sides.

Arrange in Pam-sprayed pie plate.

Bake uncovered  @ 350 degrees F for one hour.

2-4 servings

My daughter and I like small servings of meat or chicken, so I divided one breast between us and have one to put in the freezer for another day.  I served it with Yukon Gold potatoes which had been microwaved and then browned in butter along with some mixed vegetables with some added butter and a sprinkle of Goya Sazon seasoning for each dish.  We also had some cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden marinated in Italian dressing.  It was a good meal.

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Slow Cooker Caper Chicken

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is what we enjoyed last Friday.

This is a tasty low-fat dish adapted from one I found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks.   The count for the chicken and sauce according to my Diet Power software based on 6 servings is:  144 calories, 9.18 g fat, 56.9 mg cholesterol, 1.54 g carb, 0.2 g fiber.  Additions such as rice and vegetables should be counted separately.

SLOW COOKER CAPER CHICKEN

• 2 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves, each cut into 3 sections
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 dashes Greek seasoning
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup steak sauce (A-1 Steak Sauce)
• 2 Tblsp. capers in brine

Place the chicken breast pieces in the slow cooker.  Pour lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with black pepper and the Greek seasoning.

In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter with the steak sauce and capers.  Pour this mixture over the chicken breast pieces and cook for 4-6 hours on low.

I served this chicken and sauce with rice and steamed broccoli.

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Slaw and Breaded Chicken – 1940s Recipes

One of my Christmas gifts was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo”rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

The writer notes that the Salad Dressing recipe is “Mom’s”.  I used about half as much bacon as the original and added a grating of black pepper.

I know the 1940s cook would have spent some time shredding the cabbage and carrots, but I took advantage of a nice bag of slaw mix.

I don’t like soggy bacon, so I waited until serving time to sprinkle it on top of the slaw.

SLAW DRESSING – A 1940s RECIPE

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• Grating of black pepper
• 3 cups slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
• 3 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, egg and vinegar.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble.  Lower heat slightly and continue to cook and whisk for one minute.  Grate pepper on top of the mixture and stir in.  Set mixture aside to cool.  This will make about ½ cup of dressing.

Place slaw mix in a large bowl.  Pour on the cooled dressing.  Mix well and cover.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.

When serving, sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top.

Yield:  4 servings

The “Ideas on Breading Chicken” are pretty much what I use all the time.  I make the bread and cheese cracker crumbs in the food processor.

I didn’t want to “boil chicken till ½ cooked” and instead used breast meat that had been pulled from a stewed chicken.  It’s wonderfully moist and tender.

I always used undiluted evaporated milk for dipping chicken before breading and feel it works as well as an egg and milk mixture.

BREADED CHICKEN BITES

• 2 cooked chicken breast halves
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 cup cheese cracker crumbs
• ½ cup evaporated milk, undiluted
• About 2 Tblsp. olive oil for frying

Cut the chicken breast halves into 12 bite-size pieces.

Mix together the bread crumbs and basil.  Place in a small bowl.  Place the cheese cracker crumbs and milk in two separate small bowls.

Dip half of the chicken pieces in milk and then in the basil/crumb mixture.  Drip the remaining chicken pieces in milk and then in the cheese cracker crumbs.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the breaded chicken pieces and brown.

Yield:  4 servings of 6 bite-sized pieces each (I made a half-batch for our supper for two)

For supper, I boiled potatoes with their jackets, then cut them in wedges, sprinkled on salt and pepper, and browned them in olive oil.  They were a good accompaniment to the breaded chicken bites and slaw.  It was a delicious supper.

Click here for my post on stewing a whole chicken.

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Poulet d’Artichoke

The recipe for this chicken and artichoke dish is adapted from a recipe in a favorite cookbook, Southern Sideboards, published in 1978.  It makes a nice luncheon dish when my daughters and I get together.

POULET D’ARTICHOKE

• One 14 oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
• One 10-1/2 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp curry powder
• ½ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup bread cubes
• 1 Tblsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Oil a 9×9 inch baking dish

Drain artichoke hearts and arrange in an oiled 9×9 inch baking dish.  Spread cooked chicken on top.

In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder and pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with cheese.

In a small skillet, melt butter and toss bread cubes to coat.

Place cubes on top of chicken mixture.  Bake uncovered @ 350 for 25 minutes.

4 to 6 servings

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Autumn Chicken and Beans

My youngest daughter e-mailed this recipe to me back in November of 2003 – a dish that was just right for the brisk weather of November.  It’s a quick and easy dish to make if you have cooked chicken breast on hand.  The one-cup servings are perfect for those watching the fat and calories before and after Thanksgiving.  A two-cup serving would be a hearty autumn meal.

AUTUMN CHICKEN AND BEANS

• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup diced tart apple
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp olive oil
• 1 cup cooked, cubed chicken breast
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 15.5 oz. can of cannellini beans*
• 1 Tbsp. raisins
• Salt/Pepper

*Navy, Great Northern, pinto or kidney beans can be substituted

In a large skillet, saute onion, pepper, apple and garlic in oil until apple cubes are fork tender.

Add the chicken, cumin, and cinnamon.  Stir in beans and raisins.  Heat to boiling, then lower heat and simmer 5 to 8 minutes until mixture is slightly thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve at once.

4 one-cup servings or 2 generous servings.

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Teriyaki Chicken on a Bed of Spinach

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is what we enjoyed this week.

This is my version of my favorite dish at The Works Brick Oven restaurant in Loveland, Ohio.  It’s very flavorful and tasty and I like to stir the spinach leaves into the hot mixture to steam them.  My version is a good substitute and low in fat/calories, but there’s nothing like being in the old building in historic downtown Loveland (Ohio) enjoying the real thing.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN ON BED OF SPINACH

• 1 tsp olive oil
• Large sweet onion, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed fork tender
• 1 cup cooked chicken breast, cubed
• ½ tsp. sesame oil
• Dash or two of Mongolian Fire Oil (optional)
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 5 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves
• 4 tsp. roasted sunflower seeds
• 2 Tblsp. dried cranberries

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion slices over medium heat until translucent.

Add mushroom slices and cook until mushrooms start to soften.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Stir in steamed broccoli, cooked chicken breast, sesame oil, fire oil and teriyaki sauce.

Divide spinach leaves among 4 plates…

…and spoon piping hot chicken mixture on top of the spinach to allow it to steam.  Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.  Serve immediately.

Based on 4 servings, nutritional count per my DietPower software is:  148 calories, 5.5 g fat, 17.5 g carbs, 1.1 g fiber, 10 g protein.

Weight Watchers Plus/Points:  4

For dessert, we had an old favorite – Apricot-Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing

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Chicken Bryan (almost like Carrabbas) and Lumpy Mashed Potato Casserole

My favorite celebration meal is Chicken Bryan at Carrabbas Italian Grill (Deerfield Twp., near Cincinnati).  I like to get the small portion which is served with a large scoop of their lumpy mashed potatoes.

I saw a recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks – Tasty Kitchen which sounded similar and gave it a try with a few adaptations.  It certainly serves well as a Chicken Bryan fix for between-celebration dinners.

The original recipe called for rubbing the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper and then cooking in a saucepan over medium heat for 25-35 minutes.   I prefer to stew a whole chicken (my post on stewing chicken is here) and then cut off the breast portions.  The chicken is tender and juicy when prepared this way and can be cooked in advance.

For six servings, I cut each stewed breast half into three portions.

CHICKEN BRYAN

• 2 chicken breast halves cut into 6 portions, stewed or cooked in a saucepan
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. onion, chopped
• 1 Tblsp. garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 8 Tblsp. cold butter, cut in slices
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Grinding of black pepper
• 6 Tblsp. goat cheese

To Make the Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan, place the butter and onions on medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, red wine and lemon juice.  Increase heat slightly and simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes.  Add butter one slice at a time, stirring after each slice until butter is melted.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.  Simmer until mixture is hot.

Place a portion of warm chicken on each plate.  Top each piece of chicken with a tablespoon of goat cheese.  Pour on a scoop of sauce.

I served the chicken with my version of Lumpy Mashed Potatoes

LUMPY MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

• 6 medium potatoes
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tblsp. chopped chives
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease a 9-inch casserole

Cook and mash potatoes with a masher, leaving some lumps.  Add cream cheese and butter and stir until cheese and butter have melted and blended.  Add sour cream, chives, garlic, salt and black pepper.  Mix well and spread in prepared casserole.  Sprinkle with bacon and bake uncovered for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees F.

6 servings

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Chicken and Asparagus Dish

I had some fresh asparagus I needed to use up and some  chicken breast cut from a stewing hen.  Surely, I could make a nice lunch for my two daughters out of this.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS DISH

• 3/4 cup cold milk
• 3/4 cup hot milk
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tblsp. dry minced onion
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 Tblsp. chopped pimiento
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 1 cup of steamed asparagus, cut into 2-3″ pieces
• 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken breast
• 2 Tblsp. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray or oil four individual baking dishes

To make the sauce:

In a medium saucepan, place the flour and whisk in 3/4 cup of cold milk until smooth.  Add the hot milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to bubble.  Continue whisking for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

In each of the 4 prepared baking dishes, place 2 Tblsp. of  sauce.  Layer on top of the sauce 2 Tblsp. of chicken and a couple pieces of asparagus).  Cover this layer with another 2 Tblsp. of sauce  and repeat layers of chicken and asparagus.  Cover with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.  Makes 4 very tasty lunch-size servings.

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Henny Penny Chicken Casserole

I was looking through an old cookbook I bought in 1986, The Best of the West – Westwood First, of Course.  Westwood is a suburb of Cincinnati.  The book was published by the Westwood First Presbyterian Church and is filled with homey recipes submitted by members of a self-described “eating church”.

I was looking for a casserole that would use some cooked chicken, frozen mixed vegetables and some Cincinnati light rye bread.  I started to make the dish and realized that in 1986, Westwood loved cheese and butter – a lot.  I adapted the recipe to make it acceptable for our diets and I like the resulting casserole.  It’s comfort food at its best.

HENNY PENNY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

• 1/4 cup melted margarine or butter
• 2 cups soft bread cubes (I used light Cincinnati rye bread)
• 1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked according to package directions, drained
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven @ 350 degrees F.  Butter or spray a 2-quart casserole.

In a large skillet, melt the butter/margarine and add bread cubes, tossing to coat.

Reserve 1/2 cup of bread cubes.  Place remaining cubes on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Spoon cooked mixed vegetables over the top of the bread cubes.

Spread shredded chicken over the mixed vegetables.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and cold milk.  Add the chicken broth and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to bubble.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for two more minutes, whisking continually.

Stir in the grated cheese and pour sauce over the chicken in the casserole.  Dot with remaining bread cubes.

Bake covered @ 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes more.

Servings:  4 to 6

This is a really delicious casserole and the addition of the rye bread cubes gives it a special flavor kick.

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