Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

It's a sad fact that not all food is pretty. And because this particular dish is not pretty in a very big way, I hesitated to share it with you. But it's so easy, and it's so good, that I wanted you to have this recipe in your repertoire of slow cooker dishes. It's not often I run across a really good Indian slow cooker recipe, but this is one of them. I'm not sure of the exact source, all I know is that, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, January 25, 2017 issue, this version was adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe. So there's another plus! Good, easy, and Weight Watchers approved. So it may be ugly, but it's tasty and good for you, so two out of three isn't bad. Oh, and it's 125 calories per serving. Woo hoo!

If you enjoy a flavorful exotic dish like I do, then I think you're going to enjoy this. I am kind of sick of rice and noodles, so I served mine on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, and really liked it. You can do what you like. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, peeled and cut in a 1/2 inch dice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Place chicken thighs into the bottom of a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker.

Place canned tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add onion, garlic, garam masala, brown sugar, cumin, coriander, and kosher salt. Stir to blend. Pour tomato mixture over chicken thighs.

Cover slow cooker and cook on "high" for 3 to 4 hours or on "low" for 6 to 8 hours. Just before serving stir in the Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro. Serves 8.

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This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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Culpeppers’ Meatloaf

I love Wednesdays, would you like to know why?  I love them because it is the day that the Food Section is published in the newspaper (for me that is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Forget the hard news, sports, and editorials, on Wednesdays it is all about food. My favorite column in the weekly food section is called “Special Requests” where locals write in requesting favorite area restaurant recipes. Some of them are not at all to my liking, but last week it featured a recipe from a long standing favorite restaurant (that serves the best chicken wings), and one near and dear to my meatloaf-loving heart: Culpepper's Special Meatloaf.

Of course I had to try it. I collect meatloaf recipes like people collect teacups or DVDs. This one was different from all others that I have as it included an ample amount of cream cheese. I made it last week for friends who came to watch the Ballgame and it got thumbs up all around. Cream cheese!  Who knew?

Culpeppers’ Meatloaf

Yield: 9 servings

2 large eggs

½ c. chopped onion

3 T. Knorr beef base

2 t. black pepper

2-1/2 t. minced garlic

1-1/2 t. Worcestershire

1-1/2 t. paprika

½ t. cumin

1 c. unseasoned bread crumbs

6-1/2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef

Ketchup, to cover

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cover a wire rack with foil, place inside a larger roasting pan.

In a large bowl, gently whisk eggs without adding air, then stir in onion, beef base, black pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, paprika, and cumin until well blended.  Stir in bread crumbs, cream cheese, and ground beef, really working and compacting the mixture until color is uniform and no pockets of seasoning or air remain.

Flip mixture onto the foil-covered rack and form a rectangle about 3 inches high.  Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Coat meatloaf with ketchup on all sides.  Bake for 15 more minutes.

Let cool slightly, then cut into 9 slices.

To serve Culpepper-style, serve with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.

  

If you are ever in the neighborhood, give Culpepper’s a try.  It’s located at:

3010 West Clay

Saint Charles, MO 63301

(636) 916-3102

  I’ll meet you there!

  This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Show and Tell Friday 

Meyer Lemon Applesauce

It is both apple season and Meyer Lemon season, so when I saw this recipe in the November 6^th edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch I could not resist!  As I am intensely busy with Thanksgiving prep, though, I decided to just toss all of the ingredients into my 1.5 quart crockpot, set it to low, and let it go all day.  I used a combination of Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, and Melissa’s Organic Crimson Gold Apples.  It was so good that we were fighting over the last spoonful.

Meyer Lemon Applesauce

Yield: 3 cups

4 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped into ½-inch pieces

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water

Zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of kosher salt

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the apples, sugar, water, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the apples are very soft and some have broken down completely, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the applesauce warm or chilled. The applesauce will keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for 1 week.

This post is linked to:

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Red Pepper Hummus from PW Pizza

My penchant for roasted red peppers is well known. I always have an open jar in the fridge (as you saw here) and an extra jar (or two) in the pantry. As I type this I have thin slices of seared strip steak in the crockpot along with sliced onions, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers yielding, I hope, a delicious dinner of pepper steak this evening, and a tasty filling for soft tacos tomorrow night. But I don't want to get ahead of myself.

I'm a fan of hummus, but not the plain garlic-tahini-and-chickpea variety. No, I like hummus with a sense of style. My two favorites are fresh basil hummus and roasted red pepper hummus (a lovely duo on the holiday sideboard, by the way). As a rule, hummus is very easy to make. Keeping some simple ingredients on hand will never leave you wanting when guests drop by, or you're invited on the spur of the moment and don't want to arrive empty handed.

This recipe is from PW Pizza in the Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis, and was published recently in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It is easy to prepare and oh, so delicious. It's a great dip, but also makes an excellent sandwich spread, adds great taste to deviled eggs, and brightens up even the simplest of salads when stirred into Ranch dressing. I like mine extra smoky and with a lot of zing so doubled up on both cumin and lemon zest. Yummy!

Red Pepper Hummus from PW Pizza

Yield: 2 1/4 cups

8 ounces Melissa’s fire roasted red peppers, drained

2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (colored portion of peel)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Ground red (cayenne) pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Warm pita wedges or fresh vegetables, for serving

1. Cut a few strips of roasted red pepper to use for a garnish; set aside.

2. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the remaining roasted red peppers, garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper, cumin and a dash or two of cayenne. Pulse to chop and combine ingredients. With the motor running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube, processing just until combined. Stop the processor to scrape the sides as necessary.

3. To serve, mound hummus on a platter. Top with feta cheese and reserved red pepper strips, then surround with warm pita wedges or fresh vegetables.

Per 1/4 cup serving: 175 calories; 5g fat; 1g saturated fat; 2mg cholesterol; 6g protein; 26g carbohydrate; noa sugar; 4g fiber; 465mg sodium; 50mg calcium.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Deep Butter Cake

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Whoever it was who wrote to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and requested the recipe for Helfer’s Pastry Shop’s Deep Butter Cake has my deepest gratitude. That cake has been a favorite of mine since the seventies.  That fact that I can now make it at home makes me swoon.  It was quite by accident that I stumbled upon it here and, naturally, had to make it immediately.  It was as good as the version the shop sells, but I like to think that my adaptation of their already delicious recipe is what makes it Food for the Gods.  The above link will take you to the original recipe, my adaptation is below.

Deep Butter Cake

from Helfer's Pastries and Deli Cafe adapted by Pattie Tierney

For crumb mixture:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor (see note)

1 cup all-purpose flour

For batter:

11/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Butter Sweet Dough Flavor

13/4 cups cake flour

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Prepare the crumb mixture. In a small mixer bowl beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, butter flavoring and flour; beat at low speed just until crumbly. Cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch-square baking pan.

Combine 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large mixer bowl; beat on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs; beat on high speed 2 to 3 minutes or until light.

Combine milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring. Alternately add cake flour and milk mixture to batter, starting and ending with flour. Beat on low speed, scraping sides of bowl, until well mixed.

Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly in prepared pan. Spread batter over crumb mixture. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until top is deep golden brown and cake tests done in the center with a wooden pick. Cool 5 minutes.

Place a flat plate or cake board on top of the pan. Hold the pan and plate together securely; turn over. Carefully remove the pan. (The crumb side is now the top of the cake.) Dust with powdered sugar.

Note: According to the original recipe, the inclusion of butter flavoring is essential to the success of this recipe.  While butter flavoring may have its place, it can’t hold a candle to this wonderful bakery emulsion. You can find it on Amazon here. Trust me when I tell you that you’ll never be sorry that you have this ingredient in your pantry.  It makes a world of difference, transforming your tasty pastries and baked goods into bakery shop quality products.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sweets for a Saturday

Nancy Drew's Chicken Salad

"In the old days, chicken salad was served either to children, or at tea rooms to ladies who had been shopping and wanted a light lunch. If you remember your Nancy Drew mysteries, you will recall that Nancy and her chums, wearing their sport frocks, would jump into Nancy's roadster and after chasing a nasty thief or smuggler, would stop at a tearoom and eat chicken salad and homemade rolls with iced tea." --Laurie Colwin

Two of my loves are food and mystery, and I'm passionate about them both.  The story surrounding the above stack of books that I encourage you to read here, is what made me decide to make chicken salad today, and share this wonderful recipe with you.  It is not Nancy's recipe, of course, but it is one of which I have no doubt she would have approved.

 The recipe is from Remy's Wine Bar in Clayton, MO, and can be found in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch publication SPECIAL REQUESTS (that I have mentioned many times before because, truly, it does not contain a recipe that is not exceptional).  A very tasty and different chicken salad. I loved the addition of the pistachios. I also liked the vindaloo paste, but I like things a bit spicy so next time will probably double it.

RED CURRY CHICKEN SALAD

Yield 8 servings

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoons vindaloo paste or more to taste

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

2-1/2 pounds baked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Fresh tomatoes, for garnish

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vindaloo paste, garlic, salt, pepper and wine; whisk thoroughly until combined.  With a rubber spatula, fold in pistachios, raisins, onion and celery.  Gently fold in chicken cover and chill.

To purchase a copy of SPECIAL REQUESTS

(and get the second volume MORE SPECIAL REQUESTS for FREE), please click here.
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