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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White Chicken Chili

I found this recipe in 2001 on the label of a Bush’s beans can.  I was happy that my husband liked it as much as I did, since he generally preferred beef or pork to chicken.  This is a quick way to make a flavorful, filling meal.  Based on four servings, each bowl has only 168 calories and 2.32 grams of fat.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

• One medium onion, chopped
• 3 Tblsp. olive oil
• 3 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 1-¾ cup homemade chicken broth (or 14.5 oz. can of broth)
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• Two 16 oz. cans cannellini or great northern beans (Bush’s)
• 1-½ cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste (canned broth can be saltier – taste first before adding salt)

In a large saucepan, cook onion in oil for 4-6 minutes until onion is soft.

Whisk flour into ½ cup cold chicken broth.  Add to onion and stir.  Add remaining chicken broth, cumin,  beans, chicken, pepper and salt.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then lower heat and simmer at medium low heat for 10 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Makes 4 servings.  I like the spiciness of the recipe but for more heat, you could add some chili powder.

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Crunchy Oriental Chicken Salad

This salad is adapted from one on Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  My two daughters and I enjoyed this salad for Sunday lunch and as leftovers.  Waiting to add the dressing until the salad is ready to eat keeps it fresh and crunchy.  You could add bigger portions of chicken to the salad.  My family likes the smaller chicken servings.  We all thought the dressing was especially delicious.

CRUNCHY ORIENTAL CHICKEN SALAD

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise)
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame oil

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.  Cover and let set in the refrigerator for an hour to blend the flavors.  Unused dressing can be refrigerated for several days.

Salad:

• 1 cup snow peas (tips and strings removed, torn in half)

• 1 bunch of green onions, sliced (including some of the tender green tips)

•  1 small red pepper, cut in thin strips

•  1 small yellow pepper, cut in thin strips

•  14 oz. bag of cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

•  1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn

•  One chicken breast, grilled (I used the breast from a deli chicken), sliced

• 1/2 cup of toasted almonds

In a very large bowl, place the snow peas….

….sliced green onions, red and yellow pepper strips…

…slaw mix and torn Romaine lettuce leaves.

Toss to mix and place in a covered container.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note:  I love the Lock and Lock containers sold on QVC.  I received them as a gift and they are the best thing I have found for keeping any kind of food fresh.

When ready to serve, put salad mix in bowls and top with sliced chicken.  Pass the bowl of toasted almonds and the salad dressing for each person to take the portions they like.  This keeps everything fresh for further meals.

This is a big salad of 8-10 servings.

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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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Date-Nut Chicken Potato Salad

This is a salad that is a very satisfying meal – chicken, potatoes, fruit and nuts – all made more delicious by a bleu cheese dressing.  The dates add a very special flavor.  I cook the potatoes early in the morning so they have a chance to cool.  Then, it’s a snap to put together the rest of the salad for lunch.  My daughters and I really enjoy this hearty salad.

DATE-NUT CHICKEN POTATO SALAD

• 10 small potatoes (red or Yukon gold – 4 cups cooked and quartered)
• 1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
• ½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• ¼ cup dates, chopped
• 1 cup cooked chicken breast, cubed
• Several gratings of black pepper
• 1 cup bleu cheese salad dressing (your favorite bottled dressing)

Place potatoes in a large pan, cover with cold water and cook until tender (25-30 minutes).  Drain and let cool.

Peel potatoes if desired, quarter and place in a large bowl.  Add chopped apple, chopped nuts and cubed chicken.

Add pepper and toss with a large spoon to mix.  Add bleu cheese dressing and mix to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least ½ hour.

6 servings

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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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A Salad Buffet

My youngest son and his family (including their dog) come to visit every summer around the end of July.  He graduated from college, married his fiancee, moved to St. Louis and began his engineering career all within a month’s time in 1982.  This is my favorite picture of them taken quite a few years ago.  The girls have both graduated from college by now….

…and the dog, Brandy, passed away and has been replaced by Maggie.

Each year, there’s the decision of what to cook, particularly for the big family meal when everyone gets together.  It’s always blistering hot, of course, and I don’t want to spend all of my time in the kitchen.  This year, I decided to serve corn-on-the-cob from my local farm market and a Salad Buffet.  All but one of the salads have been posted previously on my blog and are old favorites:

• Broccoli-Bacon-Pecan Salad.  All of the women in the family especially like this salad.

• Chicken and Fruit Orzo Salad.  Another favorite of the women with chicken, orzo, pineapple, grapes, banana and almonds.

• Vegetable Pasta Salad.  This is an adaptation of the Tuna and Veggie Salad posted previously.  I omitted the tuna so I could have one plain pasta salad.

• Thai-Inspired Chicken and Noodle Salad.  This is a new salad this year and we all like it very much.  It’s good either room temperature or chilled.

THAI-INSPIRED CHICKEN AND NOODLE SALAD

• 8 oz. ( 4 cups) LoMein noodles (or thin spaghetti)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• few gratings of black pepper
• 2 chicken breast halves, baked and shredded
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine canola oil, Teriyaki sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, peanut butter, ginger and pepper.   Mix well until smooth.  Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat evenly.  Gently mix in chicken, cilantro and toasted sunflower seeds.

This makes a big bowl of salad – 6 to 8 servings.

For dessert we had a sundae bar and then went out on the patio to work off the calories.  My daughter-in-law brought water balloons and small fireworks and the visit ended with a flourish.

Already, I’m wondering – what can I cook next year?

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