I have recently fallen head over heels in love. With Indian spices and food. I was always afraid of Indian food. After watching the movie "Along Came Polly" there's a scene in the movie where Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller go to a restaurant and they eat some crazy food that looks like regurgitated baby food with their fingers out of a large bowl. I'm not even certain that they were at an Indian restaurant but for some reason that scene was etched in my mind as what Indian food looks like. So.Not.True. I have discovered the richness of Indian food and I am truly, madly, and deeply in love. Here is one of my favorite recipes. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that I liked but I put my own spin on it.
Chicken Garam Masala (scroll down for Meatballs Garam Masala)
1-lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1- bunch green onions
1- can diced tomatoes, with juice
2-TB water
1-tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
1-2TB garam masala*
Heat skillet and add 1-2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil. Cut chicken breasts in bite sized pieces and add to pan. Season with pepper (and salt if you prefer). Cook until mostly done and add chopped green onions. Add tomatoes, water, and garam masala. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. Serve over brown rice. If you like, add chopped, fresh cilantro over the top and squeeze lime juice over the rice.
*Garam masala is an Indian spice that contains many different spices. If you can't find garam masala then make your own. There are many great recipes out there. Or, you can do what I did and order yourself some from Penzeys- you can order a 1/4c jar for $3.99. They have tons of fabulous spices and they are pretty reasonable in price. You can also sign up for their catalog which they send out each season and it typically includes a coupon for a free product. Besides having spices in it, the catalog also contains some great recipes.
*Cost of the meal is below the recipe for Meatballs Garam Masala
Meatballs:
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast (or super lean ground sirloin)
1-tsp cumin
1-Tb garlic powder
1-Tb kosher salt (or sea salt), optional
1-tsp ground black pepper
1- egg
2Tb-1/4c bread crumbs*
Fresh cilantro, optional
Mix all ingredients. Heat skillet with canola oil (olive oil will smoke at a high temperature so it's best to use canola). Slowly brown meatballs. Once they are almost done, follow the Chicken Garam Masala recipe above beginning with adding the chopped green onions.
* Make your own bread crumbs- toast a few slices of whole wheat bread and drop in a food processor. Voila! Your own homemade bread crumbs.
Cost:
Chicken (Aldi- 3-lb bag of frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts- $5.99)- 1-lb is $2.00
OR
1-lb ground, lean turkey breast- if not on sale approximtely $3.99
1- can diced tomatoes- $.59
1- bunch green onions- can typically get on sale 3 for $1- $.33
1- head of garlic- $.30- if you're using fresh, minced garlic (and you're only using a few cloves)
1- box brown rice $1.29- use 2 of the 4 cups in box- $.65
Total: Chicken- $3.87
Total Meatballs- $5.86
At those prices you can add a yummy veggie like steamed broccoli ($1.39 at Aldi for 2-large or 3-regular crowns) or mashed cauliflower (1-head cauliflower at Aldi $.99). Or go even cheaper and add a couple cans of french-style green beans ($.59/can at Aldi).
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