Recipe: After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup

Turkey soup is one of my favorite ways to use up holiday leftovers. It's easy, simple, and delicious, and it helps you get rid of that turkey carcass a lot faster!  We usually make this a few days after the holiday, when we've snacked on turkey sandwiches for a couple of days, and are ready to be done with it. But if you just want to get that big carcass out of the fridge sooner, pick most of the meat off the bones and put it in stackable containers in the refrigerator, and then use the carcass in this tasty soup. The stock is filled with flavor and good healthy stuff. To get the most nutrients out of the bones, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the stock before cooking.

After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: churl)

Stock:
Carcass from roasted turkey, picked clean
1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
1 large carrot,  scrubbed, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
1 bay leaf
10 whole black peppercorns

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded or chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, taste as you add
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Put the turkey carcass, quartered onions, coarsely chopped carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large stockpot.
• Cover with cold water and set over medium-high heat and bring to boil, then immediately turn heat to simmer and slowly simmer for 1-2 hours.
• Remove pot and pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot.  This should yield about 10 cups of broth.

• Dry the inside of the stockpot a little with a paper towel.
• To the stockpot add the oil and place over medium heat. 
• Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and cook until starting to get soft, about 5 minutes. 
• Add the minced garlic and thyme, stirring to combine for just 1 minute.
• Pour in the reserved stock and bring to a gentle simmer; simmering until vegetables are just soft, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Add the leftover turkey meat, salt, and pepper, tasting to adjust seasoning.
• Simmer just until turkey is heated through. 

Low Carb Recipe: Fancy Faux Mashed Potatoes

Try this recipe for a low-carb side dish for your holiday dinner this Thanksgiving, or just anytime you want the creamy taste of mashed potatoes without all the carbs. It's pretty easy, and very tasty! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and be sure to check back Friday for a great recipe to use up some of those leftovers!

Fancy Faux Mashed Potatoes

Making mashed cauliflower (Photo credit: mary_thompson)

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1 Tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp chicken base or bouillon (or 1/2 tsp salt)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
chives and butter for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Clean and wash cauliflower, then cut into even size small pieces.
2. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, drop cauliflower pieces in and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until very tender.
3. Drain well, then dump onto a surface covered in paper towels to remove any leftover moisture; do not let cool off.
4. Put warm cauliflower in food processor and add the remaining ingredients (except garnish) and pulse process until blended well and has the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Don't over-blend; leave a few lumps, or the "potatoes" will start to get runny.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of chives and pats of butter.

Giving Traditional Favorites A Makeover - Low Carb Holiday Classic Sides

When we start putting our holiday menu down on paper, we usually notice something happening.  The same dishes appear year after year after year.  Aside from the traditional main dish, there seems to be a pattern in many households of our favorite side dishes reappearing.  It's wonderful to follow tradition, but what happens when those family favorites are in conflict with your healthy diet?  Many sides we love are not exactly what you'd call low-carb.  So, how do we reinvent our holiday side dishes?  Let's take a look at a few new ways to treat a few old favorites.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Anyone on a low-carb diet will automatically push past the mashed potatoes and gravy.  We know it's loaded in carbs, right?  But the clever cook can easily replace the traditional favorite with a new favorite; Mock Smashed Potatoes and Golden Au Jus. The secret to this low-carb dish is simply that you aren't cooking potatoes; you're creating potatoes out of cauliflower. 

Boil cauliflower, then mash or put in food processor with cream cheese and other ingredients, and you have a smooth potato-like texture.  You can thicken the “potatoes” a bit with a tablespoon or so of almond flour if you wish.  Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, onion, salt and pepper to add even more flavor. 

Then the gravy is simple. All you need really is the pan drippings, a little water, and a saucepan over medium high heat.  Get the liquid bubbling and let it reduce by half and you'll have a nice, rich gravy without any added flour.  Of course, if you wish to thicken the gravy a bit, a little sprinkling of flour won't add a significant amount of carbs to the meal.

Green Bean Casserole

You know you love a big heaping helping of this favorite dish, but just one look at that can of cream of soup and you also know it's off limits.  But you can have this traditional side dish again;  all you need to do is control the ingredients.

Once you have your green beans cooking and your seasonings ready, you just need the sauce to bring it all together.  That thick creamy sauce is what makes the dish, right?  Create your own cream of soup by making a simple white sauce using milk and almond flour to thicken.  You can also stir in a bit of cream cheese to give it an even creamier texture.  It's really as simple as opening a can once you get the basic technique down.

As for those crunchy onions on top, the carbs don't account for much in the entire dish, but if you want to eliminate them entirely, but keep the onion taste, oven fry some thinly cut onion that has been coated lightly with olive oil.  When they get golden brown, toss them into and on top of the casserole for all the flavor without any breading.

Sweet potato, commonly referred to as a yam in the United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sweet Potato Casserole

This favorite side dish will take a lot of tweaking, but with the carb savings you'll enjoy, it's well worth it. Sweet potatoes are loaded with carbohydrates, and I don't mean a little;  I mean a lot!  One trick for bringing the carb count down is to mix pureed pumpkin in with the sweet potatoes.  You maintain the texture and flavor (remember, pureed pumpkin doesn't have any flavor of its own), and bring the carbs down within a reasonable amount.

Of course, you'll want to avoid as much sugar as possible, so one alternative is to stir in a bit of stevia (a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant - it has no carbs and does not affect blood sugar levels, and it is much sweeter than sugar so a little goes a long way), just enough to bring the sweetness to a level that you're used to.  Another way is to readjust your thinking entirely when it comes to sweet potato casserole.  You may want to make it savory instead of sweet.  A sweet potato casserole made with crispy bacon or sausage instead of marshmallows and sugar could be a nice change on your holiday table.

Cranberry Relish

There are even ways to tweak this tangy sweet side dish.  Cranberry relish is typically not what you would call low-carb.  The amount of sugar in most recipes is pretty much off the scale, and the canned variety is even worse.  But, even though the amount you would normally eat at one sitting won't amount to too much, there are still ways to reduce the normal amount of carbs.

One interesting way to reduce the amount of carbs in a bowl of cranberry relish is to “bulk” up the relish as much as possible with lower carb ingredients.  Surprisingly, the peel of the orange is lower in carbs than the fruit itself.  Fill your food processor with raw cranberries and the zest from the peels of a couple of washed oranges and process until finely chopped.  Then, add sections of the orange, tasting after a few are processed, and stop adding when you have a nice blend of tangy and sweet.  Add a sprinkle of stevia or sugar just until you've gotten the sweetness you like. You'll be surprised how little sugar you'll have to add if you taste it first.

All of these makeovers have one thing in common – you have to just stop and think before you do what you've always done.  Often that's all it takes.  When you rethink the ingredients, you can usually eliminate or substitute something that is healthier and just as tasty.  You may even be creating new holiday dinner traditions.

Recipe: Louisiana Crockpot Chili

Chili is a natural fit for the slow cooker, with a medley of ingredients and spices that blend together over several hours of low-heat cooking, creating layers of hearty flavor. This Cajun version includes the Louisiana flavors of sausage, pork, red pepper, and tomatoes for a delicious twist on chili that will have everyone coming back for second helpings!

Louisiana Chili Time
(Serves 8.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 lb andouille sausage, diced
1 lb ground pork
2 big onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz size) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz size) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz size) can kidney beans, drained (or 1 cup dry beans, rinsed and soaked)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
dash or two hot pepper sauce
pinch instant chicory or coffee (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the andouille sausage and ground pork until pork is lightly browned; break it up as you cook it.  Remove with a slotted spoon and put in crock pot.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and stir well.
• Cover, set on Low, and cook 6-8 hours, until veggies and beans are soft and flavors are blended.
• Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a bit of water to thin it out if desired.
• Serve hot with crusty bread on the side.

Recipe: Crockpot Jambalaya

Use your slow cooker to make this classic Cajun recipe even easier! Just brown the meat, then add everything to the crockpot, cover, and let cook until done - voila - dinner!

Crockpot Jambalaya

Ingredients:

Jambalaya with chicken, sausage, rice, tomatoes, celery, and spices. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 large onion, diced small
1 large green bell pepper, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 lb chicken meat, diced
1 lb pork sausage
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 reg can tomato paste
1 reg can stewed whole tomatoes
1 reg can tomato sauce
1-1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb small to medium shrimp
1 box (10 oz) frozen corn, thawed
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

• Put chicken & sausage in a large skillet, add oil, and cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked and sausage is no longer pink.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring until garlic is just fragrant.
• Add chicken, sausage, onion, pepper, celery, tomatoes, paste, sauce, and uncooked rice to large crockpot. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the pot, stir thoroughly.
• Cover and cook for 6 hours on Low or until rice is tender.
• Add in the shrimp, corn, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and the butter, stir to combine and cook until shrimp is pink and cooked thoroughly; about 20 minutes more.
• Serve hot in bowls with crusty bread and a green salad.

Give Your Slow Cooker A Kick With Cajun Flavors

Cajun cooking originated in the Southern swamplands, bayous, and farmland. The Cajun people were hard-working and lived under very stressful conditions. Their meal choices revolved around local foods that were easy to find. To save time and money, and to feed as many people as they could, meals were very often cooked up in one big pot. This makes using a slow cooker for Cajun cuisine a natural.

The one thing you can be sure of is you can cook up Cajun foods in your slow cooker with great success and enjoy those potent Cajun flavors we have all come to love.  As a matter of fact, the key to great Cajun cooking is to simmer the dish for many hours, and that is why slow cooker cooking and Cajun foods go hand in hand.  Let's take a look at some dishes and the ingredients and seasonings that make them stand out from other southern cooking.

Cover of Slow Cooker Cooking

Cajun Meets the Slow Cooker

Jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, and stew are all easy to cook in the slow cooker.  Why?  Because they're not complicated or fussy.  The neat thing about this type of ethnic cooking is recipes are not set in stone.

When recipes were passed from one generation to the next, ingredients were substituted as needed because of what was available at the time. That is probably why there are so many different variations of the same recipe. Shrimp, oysters, crab, wild game, fish, pork, beans, okra, tomatoes, and rice are all staples in Cajun cooking, but are specific to regions.

Because Cajun foods have an exotic multi-layered flavor and that 'bite' we love, many people think that the recipes call for dozens of different or complicated spices and mixes, but that is not so.  There are really just a few very recognizable spices and condiments that give Cajun food its unmistakable taste.  The following are considered essential in every Cajun kitchen and are perfectly suited for the slow cooking method we love – slow cooker cooking.

Cayenne pepper is the most common spice used in this type of cooking. The mature pepper is ground into a fine powder and is used in conjunction with white and black pepper to give recipes a potent kick.

Gumbo powder, called filé powder, made from ground sassafras leaves, is used in gumbos, soups and stews not only to flavor the food but to thicken the sauce as well.

Etouffee (Photo credit: /\ \/\/ /\)

Tabasco sauce is one Cajun spice most of us are familiar with. It is used in cooking and as a condiment on the table. You will find other hot sauces to enjoy, but you don't want to eliminate Tabasco sauce from your kitchen.

Creole mustard is also a common ingredient found in Cajun cuisine. Although it is often used as a spread for sandwiches and as a dip, many recipes also call for it as an added ingredient in sauces, marinades, and other dishes.

Cajun slow cooker cooking is very flexible and tasty. Whether you want exotic dinners or just plain old good eating, Cajun foods and flavors fit the bill. Because many Cajun dishes are traditionally slow-cooked in one pot, you will find it easy to transform your favorite Cajun meals and make them right in your slow cooker.  All you need is the right ingredients, spices, and a little imagination.  Oh, yes, and a hearty appetite!

Be sure to check back later this week for some tasty Cajun recipes you can make in your crockpot!

Recipe: Beef Pozole Stew

Pozole, or hominy, is a common staple in Southwest cooking. Cheap and versatile, it's mild corn flavor lends itself well to many classic Southwest dishes, such as this one - a variation of which was often eaten by cowboys around the campfire in the old Southwest. It can be made either on the stovetop or in a crockpot. (The crockpot variation instructions are shown in parentheses.)

Beef Pozole Stew

Ingredients:

Pozole! (Photo credit: sea turtle)

1 Tbsp high-heat cooking oil
2 pounds lean beef, cubed small
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 oz tomato paste
15 oz stewed tomatoes
1 can (29 oz) white hominy (pozole)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy Dutch oven until hot, add the beef and sear quickly until browned nicely.  
2. Turn heat down to low and add to the skillet the cilantro, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic and cook gently until the beef is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. (If using a crockpot, add just the onion and garlic to the beef and cook until vegetables start to soften. Then add mixture to crockpot and add other ingredients.)
3. Now add to the Dutch oven the tomato paste, tomatoes and hominy. (Add these to crockpot with the other ingredients and mix well.)
4. Continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir often. You can add some water if the stew is too thick. (Cover crockpot and cook on low about 4 hours.)
5. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.  Serve hot in bowls.

Find More Delicious Southwestern Recipes Here:

American Indian Cooking: Recipes from the Southwest, by Carolyn Niethammer
In this 191 page book you'll discover some of the culinary traditions that the Indians of the Southwest used to make. You'll find 150 authentic recipes like yucca hash, hominy and so much more.

The Food of Santa Fe: Authentic Recipes from the American Southwest, by Dave Dewitt & Nancy Gerlach
In this 144 page book you will find some of the most delightful, authentic traditional dishes of New Mexico. Not only does this book provide recipes for you, it also gives you some geographical and historical context as well.

The Southwest Table: Traditional Cuisine from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, by Dave DeWitt
Enjoy a taste of the American Southwest in this 288 page book. This book provides almost 200 recipes of exquisite cuisine from Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Not only does the author provide you with all these recipes, he provides some cooking terms and ingredients that are specific to Southwestern cuisine.

   

Recipe: Crockpot Chili Beef Tamales

This new twist on a classic Southwestern dish takes the work out of the tamale. With the tasty tamale flavors of corn, beef, chili & cheese, this dish is a snap to make. Simple, delicious, and easy, this one will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Crockpot Cornmeal Chili Beef Tamales

Ingredients:

1 pound lean grass-fed ground beef
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 egg, beaten
15 oz corn
15 oz tomatoes, diced
1 envelope of chili seasoning mix
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Over medium-high heat, brown the beef and then drain off the fat. 
2. Add all the ingredients to the crockpot except the cheese. 
3. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour then turn down to LOW and continue cooking for 3 more hours. 
4. Add the cheese and cook for 5 more minutes just to melt the cheese.

For more great Southwest recipes, check out The Border Cookbook: Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, by Cheryl & Bill Jamison.

This collection of 300 flavorful recipes is sure to whet your appetite. From salsa, fajitas, enchiladas, and pinata pollo - just to name a few - this book provides you with delicious American Southwest border cuisine.

Southwest Cuisine In Your Slow Cooker

In a world where everything moves at such a fast pace, it’s nice to know that you can depend on a nice, home-cooked meal when you return from a long day at work.  In the world of southwest cuisine, there are many recipes that can be turned into a slow cooked delight.  The colors, flavors, and carefully chosen ingredients are what makes America's southwest cuisine stand apart from other regions.  What are some of the reasons for using a slow cooker for your southwest meal?  Let's take a look.

Timing

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We live in a world where everything seems to move at the speed of light.  This 'microwave' society has its benefits, but a good home-cooked meal is not one of them.  Between work, kids, and family events, we often feel we don’t have time to turn around much less come home and prepare a meal from scratch.  That’s where the slow cooker comes in.   With a small amount of preparation time, you can throw a bunch of ingredients together and leave the slow cooker to its own devices while you go about your day.  Then, at the end of the day, your family can all sit down together and enjoy a tasty meal.

Healthy

The slow cooker allows you to prepare a balanced meal that you may not otherwise have the time to do.  Also, you don’t have to add the extra cooking fat that you may use in other methods.  The slow cooker preserves the natural juices and flavors of the foods you are cooking and allows them to blend together to create a hearty, healthy meal.  Slowly cooking vegetables in their own juices means no more throwing nutrients down the drain in the boiling water. If you have a vegetarian in the house, the slow cooker works wonders for meat-free meals, as well. 

Save Money

You can also view the slow cooker as an energy saver.   It doesn’t take up nearly the amount of energy that it would to fire up the oven and have it going for hours.  And, since the idea of the slow cooker is to cook at a low temperature for a long time, slowly cooking and tenderizing your food, it’s also possible to buy cheaper cuts of meat.  Your slow cooker will produce tender, juicy, tasty meals out of the most humble ingredients.

(Photo credit: Tobyotter)

Versatile

Not only can you create well balanced meals in the slow cooker, but you can also make a wide array of appetizers, snack foods, and even beverages.  Hot dips and sauces, along with a variety of tiny bites are perfect in the slow cooker.  Shredded chicken  taquitos and mulled sangria are definite crowd pleasers that are easy to make and serve right out of a slow cooker.  Imagine preparing a snack or beverage the 'normal' way, then tweak it a bit and prepare it in the slow cooker instead.

When it comes to cooking southwest cuisine, we can see there are many reasons why the slow cooker should be put to work in the kitchen.  It saves time and money while making it possible to have a filling, delicious, and nutritious meal or snack waiting when we're ready to sit down and enjoy.

For some tasty Southwest recipes for your slow cooker, be sure to check back later this week!

Recipe: Warm Spiced Lamb With Chickpeas And Kale

While Indian food is often vegetarian, chicken and lamb are the two most commonly used meats. Relatively small and easy to raise, and not forbidden by religion, lamb adds rich meaty flavor to many Indian dishes, including this delicious crockpot curry-like stew. Warm spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger make this a great recipe for a cool fall or winter evening!

Warm Spiced Lamb With Chickpeas And Kale
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb lamb, diced cut into 2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium golden potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz size) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 bunch kale, stem removed and coarse chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
garnish with fresh chopped mint

Directions:

1. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil and lamb and brown lamb quickly, then put in crockpot.
2. In same skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook just for a minute or so until onion starts to soften slightly, then put in crockpot.
3. Add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT lemon juice and mint) to crockpot.
4. Cook covered on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.
5. Sprinkle lemon juice and mint over individual servings.
6. Serve hot with warm naan bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

This classic Indian recipe gets a simple new twist with easy crockpot preparation. It may contain a lot of different ingredients (mostly spices), but once you combine most of them in your slow cooker, you can leave it for the day, and have a delicious Indian dinner ready for you when you return. A little initial prep time gives you an amazingly flavorful and delicious result!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(Serves 6-8.)

Chicken Tikka Masala (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
6 chicken breasts, bone and skin removed, then diced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
garnish with chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, stir together the first 16 ingredients.
2. Add the chicken and stir again to combine and coat the chicken well.  
3. Pour mixture into crockpot, cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
4. 30 minutes before ready to serve, put heavy cream and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together, then add to mixture in crockpot and stir gently; continue cooking for 30 minutes.
5. Serve hot garnished with fresh cilantro.

Find More Simple & Delicious Indian Recipes Here:
   

The Cuisine Of India Comes Alive In Your Kitchen

Think of Indian food and what do you think of?  Curry?  Vegetarian?  Spices brought from India to the New World?  All of these thoughts are correct.  But Indian cuisine has evolved, just like other cuisines around the world.  Let's take a look at what the cuisine of India is really like.

A selection of Indian spices (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spices Make the Meal

You can't talk about Indian food without talking about spices.  There are people who simply won't consider eating Indian food because they believe they can't handle the hot spices inherent in the dishes.  However, there's more to Indian cuisine than burned tongues.  The proper blend of spices has been learned through the ages to impart just the right balance between hot and sweet.

Like most ancient cuisines, the people used what they had available.  In the case of the cook in India, they used spices.  Through the thousands of years of trade and conquest, Indian cooks found and used many spices we still know today.  Chili peppers, mustard seed, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric, and of course, ginger, are recognized today.

One popular spice found in just about every kitchen today is Curry.  This is, however, not a spice.  It is a mix of spices.  More accurately called Garam Masala, this mix is a granulated or ground powder that includes a number of spices which include at least these three;  cardamom, cinnamon, and clove.  When we buy the mix we know as Curry or even Garam Masala, we are getting a calculated blend of flavors known as 'Indian Spices."

These spice blends have a wide range of flavors, and hit the taste buds in totally different ways.  A good cook will know which to choose for which dishes.  Of course, this is something learned through trial and error, but it's a fun lesson, and very tasty!

Chicken Tandoori (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dishes We Need to Know

Many who learn about Indian cuisine at first are puzzled by what they find, or don't find, on the menu.  You won't find beef or pork because Hindus don't eat beef and Muslims don't eat pork.  Much of the population eat a vegetarian diet, since Buddhism was a big influence in India.

But don't let that stop you from trying an Indian recipe.  The spices can, and do, work wonders on any recipe!  Cooking methods also create splendid dishes.  For some of the most tender, juicy chicken  you'll ever have, try a Tandoori Chicken.  And after the main course, you will be tempted by another familiar treat - Kheer.  Think 'rice pudding' then take it up a notch way beyond a sprinkle of cinnamon.

All in Your Kitchen

Tender spicy chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables, and rich, fragrant spices are no stranger to the home cook.  We all want to fill our kitchen with these aromas.  Indian cooking is the perfect way to savor so many spices and flavors all at the same time, and your slow cooker is a great place to start.

Get your spice blend together and season up your meal.  No matter what's on the menu, Indian spices will provide a warm and wonderful treat for the taste buds.  Then, calm it all down with a dish of Kheer to complete the experience.  With just a few simple dishes, like we'll be sharing this week, you can enjoy the wonderful world of Indian cuisine right in your own kitchen.

Recipe: Pesto Rigatoni with Mushroom Medley

This deliciously flavorful dish includes the earthy flavors of mixed mushrooms, along with pine nuts, pesto, and Parmesan cheese for a real taste treat! Substitute other pasta shapes for a slightly different dish, or try different types of pesto to make it your own.

Pesto Rigatoni with Mushroom Medley
(Serves 4-6.)
 
Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) uncooked rigatoni
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
8 ounces mixed-variety fresh mushrooms (button, shiitake, oyster, portebello, or others of your choosing)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1/2 cup prepared tomato basil pesto sauce
1/2 cup freshly diced tomatoes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Put a big pot of salted water on stove over high heat.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, set a large heavy skillet on a burner over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pine nuts, and saute, shaking the pan, until pine nuts are slightly golden brown and fragrant; remove the pine nuts to a bowl and set aside.
3. Turn heat up under large skillet to medium-high, add remaining olive oil and add mushrooms to start cooking them.
4. If water is boiling for pasta, drop the pasta in and cook until just al dente; drain and set aside, keeping warm.
5. Stir mushrooms and when they have browned slightly, add the garlic, stirring until garlic is just fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the vegetable stock, stir, and bring back up to a simmer, stirring occasionally, cooking for about 1 minute longer.
7. Add the tomato basil pesto sauce and stir to combine, then add the pasta and the tomatoes to the skillet, stirring to combine, and turn heat to low and cook just until heated through.
8. Turn out to large pasta bowl, sprinkle pine nuts on top, and serve hot.  Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on individual servings.