Quinoa Leek and Chanterelle Risotto

I'm in the midst of studying for my bar exams right now.  And I've got to say, enough hours of studying civil litigation and family law really makes a girl hungry!  


After about 15 aimless trips to the fridge ... opening and closing the fridge door ... I finally pulled out what's left of my vegetable drawer: a leek, garlic, asparagus, chanterelle mushrooms and rosemary (I really lucked out with my left over groceries - not a bad place to start!).  And I just started to chop...


...30 minutes later, somehow (because of my studying haze, I still don't exactly know how) this was the result! and it was delicious.  Delicious, practical and fast.  The beautiful thing about this dish is you can really throw whatever you have on hand into it.  


This rich, healthy and creamy quinoa risotto with sauteed leeks, chanterelle mushrooms, rosemary, asparagus and a touch of yogurt to the end to make it extra creamy took away my studying woes [even if just for a few minutes]. 

Ingredients [this serves 1]:
1) Half a leek, sliced
2) Handful of chanterelle mushrooms
3) 6 pieces of asparagus, cut in half
4) 1 clove garlic, minced
5) 1 tsp rosemary, diced finely
6) 3/4 cup of white wine
7) 3/4 cup of beef stock
8) 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water
9) 1/2 cup of non-fat plain greek yogurt
10) Salt and pepper to taste.


Directions:
1) Begin sauteing sliced leeks
2) In a separate pot, bring quinoa and water to a boil.  When it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the water.
3) When the leeks start to brown, add the garlic and white wine.
4) When the wine starts bubbling up the sides, add the beef stock.
5) Add rosemary, asparagus and chanterelle mushrooms and simmer sauce down on medium heat, while your vegetables cook.  
6) When the sauce is simmered down to about half and the vegetables are tender, add the cooked quinoa. 
7) Stir the quinoa in to soak up all the delicious flavors in the sauce.  Add the yogurt and taste.  Season to taste with S & P.

Prosciutto Frittata Cups - An elegant breakfast in minutes

This beautiful [and tasty!] breakfast is a great way to start your day.  It is hearty, filling, pretty to look at and...fast! This is the make for your fancy brunch or throw together on a wednesday morning while you're in the shower miracle breakfast.  


It takes under 5 minutes to throw these elegant cups together before you put them in the oven.  And the result is pure breakfast joy.  Really.

I copied this breakfast idea from my good friends over at shrpknvs with a couple of yogurt sisters' twists.  Check out their delicious recipe for "Breakfast Nests" - especially for all you poached egg, sunnyside up lovers out there.  


I went the frittata route because I like a little scramble in my eggs, but you can really do anything to make this recipe your own.  Bake the egg whole, or add any other ingredients you like in your omelettes.  I went the simple route with fresh basil, fresh ground pepper and a dollop of greek non-fat yogurt on top.

Ingredients (for 2 breakfast cups):
1) 2 slices of prosciutto
2) 2 medium size eggs
3) 1 tbsp fresh basil (shred with your hands into small pieces)
4) Fresh ground pepper
5) 2 1/2 tsp dollops of greek plain yogurt


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375.  In a muffin tin, place prosciutto down to form cups (you might have to cut the prosciutto in half and double layer it - just play around with it!)
2) Whisk together eggs, fresh basil and pepper.  The harder you whisk the better - get it as frothy as possible!
3) Pour egg mixture into the prosciutto cups (I poured too much in this time - you don't want to fill them completely to the top, especially if you add cheese to this recipe because they are going to grow!)
4) Put the muffin tin in the oven for 10 minutes.  Take it out at ten minutes, and put two small yogurt dollops on top of each prosciutto cup.
5) Put back in the oven for 10 minutes.


I love the boys over at shrpknvs' idea to add cheese on the top and broil these at the end.  I'm definitely going to try that next time!

Italian Night: Roasted Chicken with Chanterelle Red Wine Yogurt Sauce

I took an italian cooking class last week with my family and loved it!  We were celebrating my cousin's 17th birthday and we all had a blast.  We also made some amazing food.  


The highlight for me was a chanterelle wine sauce we made with the main course.  We mixed in some heavy cream and parmesan and it was to die for.  Definitely not an every night of the week kind of thing.


But it was so delicious I immediately started thinking of substitutes for the cream.  This is going directly against everything the teacher in the cooking class told us about not substituting milk for cream [because it doesn't have the milk fats to keep the sauce together].  I don't think I can argue that the bacterial cultures in yogurt will work any better to keep the sauce from separating! 


So I decided to try mixing the yogurt with 1 part yogurt and 1 part water. And add it at the very end so it didn't reduce enough to separate.  It worked perfectly - just to add a bit of creamy probiotics and turn this dish into one that you can justify enjoying on a nightly basis.


And voila: easy, healthy and delicious roast chicken with a chanterelle red-wine-yogurt sauce.  Buon Appetito!

Ingredients:
For the Chicken (I got this delicious marinade from the cooking class as well!):
1) Two chicken breasts
2) 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3) 1/2 tsp rosemary
4) Zest of half a lemon
5) 1 tbsp olive oil
6) Black pepper
7) 2 garlic cloves, minced


For the Sauce:
1) 1 large garlic clove, minced
2) 2 small shallots, chopped
3) Handful of chanterelle mushrooms
4) 2/3 cup of red wine
5) 2/3 cup low sodium beef broth
6) 2 tsp corn starch and 2 tsp cold water, whisked together
7) 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup warm water, whisked together
8) Olive oil
9) Salt and pepper
10) Asparagus spears, cut in half
11) Gnocchi (I just used store bought - this was a weeknight meal after all!)


Directions:
1) Mix together chicken marinade ingredients. Marinade chicken for an hour or two in the fridge.
2) Preheat oven to 400.
3) Add chicken breasts and cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on how thick they are.  Let the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes before slicing them.
4) Boil water for gnocchi.  Add gnocchi and cook until gnocchi rises to the top of the pot.  Strain and add some olive oil to keep them from sticking.
5) In the meantime, heat up olive oil in a pan.  Add shallots and garlic on medium-high heat. Add chanterelle mushrooms.
6) Add red wine.  When the red wine starts bubbling along the sides of the pan, add beef broth. 
7) Add asparagus spears and begin reducing.
8) Stir in your corn starch
         *Make sure the corn starch is mixed with equal part cold water, and the 
           sauce is hot when you add it to avoid clumping. 
9) Add yogurt mixture and gnocchi and turn heat down.
10) Season with S & P to taste.

Garnish with rosemary sprigs, serve with a nice bottle of chianti and enjoy your italian evening!

Mini Leek and Goat Cheese Quiches

I think I've mentioned that I can't bake to save my life.  That's the other sisters' area of expertise (not her only area of expertise.  She never ceases to amaze in the kitchen!).  The thought of making the pastry for a quiche horrifies me.  Easy solution? Mini phyllo cups.  Even I, the most incompetent baker I've ever met, can handle this.


The result? Mini quiches with sauteed leeks, goat cheese, and ...you guessed it... yogurt!


These little guys are delicious.  Easy to make and packed with a ton of flavor.  Make them for brunch, lunch or appetizers: these will impress any crowd!

Ingredients:
1) 8 sheets of defrosted phyllo pastry
2) Olive oil or olive oil spray
3) 6 eggs
4) 1 leek, thinly sliced
5) 1 tbsp goat cheese
6) 1/3 cup non-fat yogurt
7) S & P


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Place one sheet of phyllo pastry on a cutting board.  Lightly brush with olive oil/olive oil spray.
3) Place another sheet on top. Repeat step on until you have stacked 4 pieces of phyllo.
4) Cut into squares (12 per sheet). 
5) Repeat with remaining 4 slices of phyllo pastry.
6) Place each small square into a muffin tin you have prepared lightly with olive oil.
7) Bake for 5 - 7 minutes until tops are JUST starting to turn brown.
8) In a pan, sautee the leeks in olive oil until golden brown. Let cool.
9) Whisk together goat cheese, eggs, yogurt, leeks and salt and pepper.  
         *You don't want to add too much yogurt here because the tanginess may
          overtake the other delicious ingredients.  Just enough to make it creamy!
10) Pour mixture into phyllo cups.  Bake at 375 - 400 for 15 minutes until tops are lightly golden.


Serve with crispy baked proscuitto, a fruit salad and these Mini-Hashbrown Stacks and you have a delicious sunday morning ahead of you!

Sunday Brunch: Mini-Hashbrown Stacks

I hosted brunch on Sunday and these were a huge hit.  They were crispy on the top and edges and moist on inside.  Top them off with a dollop of lemon chive and yogurt sauce.  


I served these with Mini Leek and Goat Cheese Quiches, my [healthier] alternative to bacon: crispy baked proscuitto (laid flat and baked at 400 for 10 minutes) and fruit salad.  What a delicious way to end the weekend!

Ingredients:
1) 2 potatoes, sliced very thin
2) Olive oil for brushing the muffin tin and each layer of tomatoe
3) Salt and Pepper


Sauce:
1) 1/2 cup of yogurt
2) 1 tbs chopped chives
3) Zest of half a lemon


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Put olive oil in a bowl.  Brush the muffin tin with olive oil.
3) Put a slice of potato in each muffin tin.  Brush top of potato with oil.
4) Repeat, until you have put down 6-7 potatoes slices.
5) Brush top potato slices with oil.  S& P each potato stack.
6) Bake for 40-45 minutes.
7) Let cool for a few minutes.  Remove potato stacks from tin and top with a dollop of yogurt lemon chive sauce.


This was enough for 8 stacks.  Make lots, because everyone will be asking for seconds!

Healthy Crab Cakes with Spicy Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

I know you don't believe me.  Healthy crab cakes? It seems impossible with all the mayo, bread crumbs and deep frying.  But it is soo possible - and soo delicious!!



Lesson learned: cut the @#$% and let the delicious fresh crab speak for itself. These crunchy golden cakes are just made with good wholesome ingredients - and broiled, not fried!

There isn't one ingredient in these that isn't good for you.  I substituted the mayo for non-fat greek yogurt.  I substituted the bread crumbs for a mix of gluten-free breadcrumbs and quinoa flakes.  Finally, instead of frying them, I discovered you can get the same crispiness without all the oil by broiling them. 


Ingredients:
For the crab cakes:
1) 1/2 pound of fresh crab 
2) 1 tbsp non-fat greek yogurt
3) 1/2 jalapeno, diced
4) 1 tsp lemon zest
5) 1 tsp dijon mustard
6) 1 egg, with yolk and white whisked together
7) 1/2 cup glutten-free bread crumbs
8) 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
9) S & P
10) Drizzle of olive oil


For the sauce:
1) 1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
2) 2 tbsp chipotle seasoning


Directions:
1) Mix together first 6 ingredients for the crab cakes.  Add S & P, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of the quinoa flakes.
2) Roll the crab cake mixture into small balls (I used tbsp per ball).  Place on a baking tray.
3) Refrigerate crab cakes for an hour or more.
4) When refrigerated, remove crab cakes and prepare a bowl with the remaining quinoa flakes and bread crumbs mixed together. 
5) Roll crab cakes in the bread crumb mixture.  If it is not sticking, you can whisk together another egg, roll in the egg and then the bread crumb mixture.
6) Drizzle crab cakes with olive oil.
7) Broil on high for no more than 5 minutes (this depends on the strength of your broiler and be very careful not to burn them - check constantly!)
8) Mix together sauce ingredients and serve.


Enjoy eating these delicious crab cakes with no guilt! 

Butternut Squash Gyozas with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

I wish I could take credit for this recipe.  But I have to thank agoisfoto.com for coming up with this amazing flavor combination: sweet butternut squash, salty soy sauce combined with a kick of ginger.  I stumbled across it and I just had to make it.  And believe me they taste as good as they sound [and look]. 


In true yogurt sisters style, I made a couple moderations.  I cut the sugar content by two thirds.  The butternut squash is sweet enough that I didn't miss the extra sugar.  I also didn't add extra salt aside from the soy sauce.  Then, even though I pan fried the gyozas, I didn't need more than 2 tbsp of olive oil to get them nice and crispy.  Next time I might even try steaming them!

Ingredients:
For the Gyoza:
1) 1 pound butternut squash cut into pieces
2) 2 tbsp soy sauce
3) 1 tbsp brown sugar
4) 2 scallions, white an pale green part, thinly sliced
5) 1 tsp grated ginger
6) Wonton wrappers (I used about 25)
7) 2 tbsp olive oil


For the Sauce:
1) 1/2 cup soy sauce
2) 1/2 cup water
3) 1/4 jalapeno, minced


Directions:
1) Heat squash, sugar, soy sauce and salt until the squash is tender enough to mash.
2) Remove from heat.  Mash squash and add scallions and ginger.
3) Lay out wonton wrapper and add less than a tbsp of the squash mixture in the middle.
4) Brush edges of wonton wrapper with water.  Fold the wonton in half and seal edges.
5) Repeat with remaining mixture.
6) When finished, freeze the gyozas until firm, about 10 - 15 minutes.
7) In the meantime, mix the sauce ingredients together.
8) Heat olive oil in a pan.  When hot, add the gyozas, 10 at a time (I only made 10 and freezed the rest). 
9) Cook until one side is gold brown.  Flip and repeat.

Jerk Chicken and Gouda Cheese Quesadillas

We were in Jamaica for a family vacay a while ago and the jerk chicken there was literally "ja-maica-me-crazy." It was so good.  It turned us into jerk chicken fiends.  


We can't come close to getting the moist, salty, smokey, sweet jerk that they have perfected in Jamaica.  But it's worth a shot, right?


I had some left over jerk chicken that we had seasoned with jerk rub and barbequed.  I shredded it and put some jerk sauce on it, combined it with some gouda cheese and cilantro, threw it on a corn tortilla and made some quesadillas out of it. To quote a friend "now, that's a quesadilla!".


I can't emphasize how tasty these ingredients are together.  You're just going to gave to try it for yourself!

Ingredients:
1) 1 breast chicken, shredded
2) 2 tbsp jerk sauce
3) S & P to taste
4) 1 cup medium gouda cheese, shredded
5) 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
6) 6 corn tortillas
7) Olive oil
8) 2 tomatoes, diced
9) 2 garlic cloves, minced
10) Juice of 1/2 a lime


Directions:
1) Mix chicken, jerk sauce, and salt and pepper together.
2) Mix tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, 1 tbsp cilantro, salt and pepper together [the tomato salsa].
3) Heat olive oil in pan.
4) Create quesadilla with 1/3 of jerk, 1/3 of gouda and 1/3 of cilantro on a tortilla. Top with another tortilla.
5) Place in pan and sautee until bottom is browned.  Flip.
6) Repeat to create two more quesadillas.
7) Slice quesadillas in quarters and serve with tomato salsa.

Burrata cheese with tomato salsa

This is an easy and delicious way to start off any dinner party.  Just pick up some burrata cheese, throw together this easy tomato salsa, serve with crackers and enjoy! 

Ingredients:
1) Burrata cheese (you can substitute with buffalo mozzarella)
2) 3 tomatoes, cubes
3) 3 sprigs of rosemary
4) 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic
5) Olive oil
6) Salt and pepper
7) Crackers


Directions
1) Preheat oven to 425.
2) Place tomatoes in baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and place rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves on top. Roast for 35-40 minutes.
3) Remove from oven, discard rosemary sprigs, remove garlic closes from peel, and roughly chop tomatoes and garlic together.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
4) Serve over burrata cheese with crackers.

Chipotle Chicken and Slaw Bites

These little bites have it all.  They are a healthy.  They are delicious - full of crunchy fresh slaw and flavorful spicy creamy chicken.  They cost under ten dollars to throw together.   Oh and did I mention they are easy and quick to make?

I guess there are other reasons that these are my go to appetizers for parties, aside from the fact that they taste soo good, they are the hit of any party.  They sound so simple to make, it's hard to describe the amount of flavor these guys are packing.

So, after much ado I introduce ... Creamy chipotle yogurt chicken and cilantro cabbage slaw in Tostitos scoop cups:

Ingredients:

1) 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

2) 1 cup plain yogurt

3) 2 tbsp chipotle seasoning

4) Juice of 1 lime

5) 1/4 of head of cabbage, sliced into small pieces.

6) 2 tbsp cilantro

7) Salt and pepper to taste

8) Tostitos scoop cups [you can buy them baked now!]

Directions

1) Mix together chicken, yogurt, chipotle seasoning, juice of half a lime and pinch of salt.

2) In another bowl, mix together cabbage, cilantro, remaining lime juice and salt and pepper.

3) Immediately before serving, put chicken and slaw mixes into the scoops cup.

Enjoy the scoops and the rave reviews!

Indulgent Bites of Candied Bacon and Blue Cheese

These are not healthy.  There isn't one redeeming aspect of these.  Except for HOW good they taste.  And their size.   A few small bites can't hurt right?


Who cares.  It's worth it with these little wonton cups full of candied bacon and blue cheese.  I made them with the healthier and equally delicious Chipotle Chicken Slaw Bites so at least guests had a choice, right?


I'm a bacon lover.  I completely subscribe to the view that everything tastes better with bacon.  I didn't think that anything that tasted better than bacon existed...until I discovered CANDIED BACON.  You haven't lived until you try it.  Trust me on this one.  


Balance the sweetness of the bacon against the tanginess of blue cheese and you have an appetizer that guests will rave about and no one will be able to keep their hands off.  Conscious eating out the window.

Ingredients:


1) 1/2 pound of bacon
2) 1/3 cup brown sugar
3) Pepper
4) Blue cheese
5) Fresh wonton wrappers
6) Olive oil


Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2) In a plastic freezer bag, mix together bacon, sugar and pepper, until bacon is well coated.
3) Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  Cool and break into smaller pieces.
4) Bring oven temperature down to 375 degrees.
5) Prepare a muffin tin with olive oil.
6) Place wonton wrappers in muffin tin.
7) Bake for 5 minutes.
8) Place a generous amount of candied bacon in each cup.  Top with blue cheese. Return to oven for another 5 - 7 minutes until tops of wonton wrappers are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Crunchy sweet slaw with apple and candied pecans

I can't bake to save my life.  The other sister is the baker.  Somehow she inherited the baking and cooking genes, and I only got the cooking.  Last time I tried to make cookies they somehow tasted like plastic.

I think when I was born, my sweet tooth was replaced with a 'crunchy savory tooth'.  I don't crave chocolate but give me a bowl of salty crunchy popcorn and you won't hear a word from me. Until the bowl's gone. 

So... this is about as sweet as I get.  But I love this slaw! Green cabbage, granny smith apple, candied pecans, feta cheese, cilantro and a spicy southwestern-inspired vinaigrette. These are my go to ingredients for slaw and salads. I love the flavor combination and there is enough crunchy saltiness to keep me satisfied.

Ingredients:

1) 1/2 green cabbage, sliced into bite sized pieces

2) 1 granny smith apple, sliced into slivers

3) Squeeze of lime juice 

4) 1 tbsp cilantro

5) 2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

6) 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

7) 2 tbsp maple syrup

8) Pepper

For the vinaigrette:

1) 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2) 1 tbsp canola oil

3) 1 tsp brown sugar

4) 1 tsp cumin

5) 1 tsp chili powder

6) Salt to taste

Directions:

1)  Squeeze lime onto sliced apples to keep them from browning.

2) Preheat oven to 375.

3) Mix together pecans, maple syrup and a generous amount of pepper.  Transfer to a foil-lined sheet.

4) Prepare a dish with foil-lined sheet on top.

5) Bake pecans for 15-20 minutes until the maple syrup is bubbling.

6) Transfer immediately to the dish with foil.  The syrup will solidify quickly.

7) Mix together all vinaigrette ingredients.  Use an emulsion blender if you have one to make it creamy!

8) Mix together the cabbage, apples, cilantro, feta, candied pecans and vinaigrette.

You can even make an appetizer out of this.  Just cut up some endive, and make little endive slaw cups!

Healthy Mexican? Crunchy fresh beef totastadas

Mexican food gets a bad rap.  Maybe it's all the cheese, the sour cream, the white flour tortillas, the deep frying ... I had tacos at a restaurant once that were deep fried and covered with gravy.  I don't know how authentic that is but they sure tasted good!  


I love mexican food.  I usually save it for those indulgent days.  But there are so many delicious spices and fresh aspects to the cuisine that there really isn't much unhealthy about it.  Here's my take: play up the spices and the fresh veg and you won't even notice that the cheese and sour cream are missing.  


I'm a carnivore, in every sense of the word.  I could live off of filet mignon.  So tonight I indulged in my steak-lover tendencies with beef tostadas topped with crunchy green cabbage, fresh tomato salsa, chiptole yogurt sauce [had to throw some probiotics in there somewhere!] and lime juice. 

I chose corn tostadas because they are lighter than the typical flour tortilla.  I bought them baked instead of fried and they were still delicious and crispy.  



Ingredients:
For the beef filling:


1) Beef (I bought a piece of striploin and sliced it into long pieces)
2) 1 tbsp cumin
3) 2 tsp chili powder 
4) 1 tsp ground coriander
5) 2 tsp smoked paprika
6) Pinch of salt
7) 2 cloves of garlic, minced
8) 1/2 small onion, diced
9) Olive oil (I used olive oil spray to coat the pan)


For the fresh tomato salsa:
1) 1 tomato, diced
2) 1 garlic clove, minced
3) 1/2 small onion, diced
4) Juice of 1/2 lime
5) 1 tsp chopped parsley
6) Salt and pepper to taste


For the chipotle yogurt:
1) 1 small container of non-fat plain yogurt
2) 1 tbsp chipotle seasoning 


You'll also need:
1) Corn tostadas
2) Chopped green cabbage
3) Lime


Directions:


1) Heat oil in a pan and add the diced onion.
2) Meanwhile, mix the steak and spices in a bowl.
3) Add steak and minced garlic and cook on med-high for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steak.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together the salsa ingredients.  
5) Mix together the yogurt and chipotle seasoning.
6) Assemble your tostada!  Tostada + green cabbage + steak + yogurt chipotle sauce + fresh tomato salsa + some fresh lime juice = delicious, fresh, healthy mexican food.  Voila!

Bringing in the fall with a mouthful - Smoked paprika roasted pumpkin and apples, carmelized onion, crispy proscuitto and goat cheese glutten-free flat bread

It's a mouthful to say - and you haven't even taken a bite yet! The smokiness of the paprika....the crispiness of the prosciutto.... the sweetness of the apples and carmelized onions....topped off with some warm melted goat cheese?  This dish is gold.  Beautiful hearty fall gold.  It is so hearty the flatbread is optional.  




I was given some beautiful acorn squash and apples from the Okanagan in B.C. and I couldn't figure out what to do with them! Luckily, I saw Eat's Well with Others' recipe for Fall Bruschetta and was immediately inspired:Eat's Well with Others - Fall Bruschetta Recipe.  Thank you Joanne!

Ingredients:


Topping:
1) 1/2 an acorn squash, cubed
2) 1/2 a gala apple, cubed
3) 1 tbsp smoked paprika
4) 1 small sweet onion, diced
5) 2 pieces prosciutto
6) 2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
7) Olive oil
8) Balsamic Extract
9) Salt and pepper to taste


Glutten-free quinoa flatbread:
1) 1/2 cups quinoa flour
2) 1 tsp xantham gum
3) 1 egg
3) 1/3 cup olive oil
4) 1/2 cup water
5) 1 tsp salt


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400. 
2) Heat olive oil in a pan.  When hot, add onions and a pinch of salt.  Reduce heat to slowly carmelize.
3) In a bowl, mix in cubes of apple, squash and smoked paprika. Transfer to a baking sheet and put in the oven for 40 minutes or until tender on the inside.
4) On another baking sheet lay out prosciutto and put in the oven for the same amount of time as the squash, until really crispy.  When you remove from the oven break into to bite size pieces.  
5) If you decide not to use the flatbread, toss all the above ingredients with goat cheese, and put back in the oven to warm the goat cheese.  Serve with salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic extract.


If you do decide to make the flatbread:
6) Combine all the flatbread ingredients in a bowl.
7) Roll out ingredients on parchment paper (I have an olive oil spray that I like to use on the paper to keep it from sticking)
8) Place parchment paper on baking sheet and transfer to the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400.
9) Remove and place the squash, apples, goat cheese, carmelized onions and prosciutto on the flatbread.
10) Brush olive oil on the sides of the flatbread that are not covered with the topping.
11) Bake for another 10 minutes.
12) Remove and top with salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic extract.


Get ready for bite after bite of smoky, sweet, crunchy, cozy, hearty .... I could go on and on with adjectives about this one... 

Creamy Indian Goodness - Garam Masala Chicken Curry

In April, I went to India for a couple weeks.  We were only there for a short time but I think I gained 10 pounds from curry alone (the butter naan was where I gained the other 10).  I've always loved indian curry, and every hole in the wall restaurant, every street vendor delivered dish after dish of deliciousness.  

We soon discovered the secret - lots and lots of ghee.  Maybe abit of cream too.  

  

I crave curry on the regular so I decided to come up with a healthier version of garam masala chicken curry to satisfy my craving.  I think this one comes pretty close to the delicious creamy curry I dream about from India.  

I made more than enough for one so I freezed it.  I am planning on going back to India for lunch for the next couple weeks!

Yogurt is such an important part of indian cuisine that it seemed natural to supplement the cream of the curry with yogurt.  I used a plain non-fat organic pro-biotic yogurt, but you can use whatever yogurt you want - as long as it's plain.  

I also substituted olive oil for the ghee.  You don't need much.  The flavors of this curry speak for themselves!

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast cut into cubes

1 large sweet onion 

2 large cloves of garlic 

A generous amount of ginger (I used about an inch of the thick part of the ginger root)

3 tbsp garam masala 

1 tbsp cumin 

2 tsp cayenne (I like it spicy! so feel free to tone down on the cayenne and chili powder) 

2 tsp chili powder 

1 can of tomato paste 

1 can diced tomatoes 

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tbs Olive oil

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in a pan on the stove. 

2) Dice half the onion and add to the oil to soften.

3) In a blender, grind the remaining onion, garlic and ginger to a paste.

4) When the onions are soft, add the chicken and onion/garlic/ginger paste.

5) Add the spices and cook until the chicken is almost cooked through.

6) Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens.

7) Remove from heat.  Incorporate the plain yogurt and add salt to taste.

Serve with brown rice and peas, garnish with cilantro and enjoy your taste trip to India!