Toaster Oven Tandoori Chicken

Greetings my broke brethren and dorm room denizens. I wanted to share my version of Tandoori Chicken with you all. Tandoori Chicken, a popular Indian dish, is made by marinating chicken in a mixture of citrus juice, yogurt, curry and other fragrant spices. The chicken is cooked in a clay oven called a Tandoor (hence the name), the Tandoor can reach and maintain temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat from this oven produces a beautifully crusted chicken that is tender and juicy. Several food service suppliers are beginning to sell clay and stainless steel versions of these ovens for around $3,000. Needless to say I doubt a Tandoor will be making its way into my home anytime soon.


With a few ingredients you can still achieve a Tandoori Chicken that will make you think you are dining in New Delhi. This dish is perfect if you live in a small space, the only thing you will need is a toaster oven and microwave. I am serving this with Basmati Rice, diced tomatoes and onions. If you have the time and space to make a pot of Basmati Rice, go for it. I never did learn to cook rice properly (sorry Grandma) so the microwave rice is a life saver for me. Unfortunately there are no Indian Markets where I live, however by combining a packaged citrus marinade and some curry powder, I was able to produce a marinade that tastes almost exactly like the one from the restaurant I visited. You will be able to find all of these ingredients at your grocery store. To keep this a fairly quick recipe, I would avoid using bone in cuts of meat. Boneless chicken thighs or breasts are best for this dish. Total cost for everything was $7.63 Yields 2 Servings

Tandoori Chicken

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs
6 oz container plain yogurt
½ packet McCormick Mojito Lime Marinade
1 tsp Curry powder
Basmati Rice (I’m using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice)

Preheat toaster oven / oven to 350 degrees
Combine yogurt, marinade mix and curry powder together in a bowl. Add chicken to yogurt mixture.
Stir to evenly coat chicken. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Place chicken on baking sheet/ pan that has been coated with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes.
Turn oven to broil and allow chicken to cook until yogurt coating begins to turn dark brown color
Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with basmati rice and garnish with tomatoes and onions.

Notes / Tips: Make sure that your chicken has a generous amount o f the yogurt coating on it when you place it on the pan. The combination of the yogurt and citrus will both tenderize and keep the meat juicy. If you plan on garnishing the dish with the raw onions, dice the onions and then place them in a bowl of ice water for around 10 minutes. This will take some of the harshness away from the raw onion and make it much more palatable. If you can not find this brand of dry marinade, a teaspoon of lemon pepper and garlic powder will produce a similar flavor.

Mushroom Crostini, homage to Julie and Julia

Any film that is food related is usually on my must see list. 2009’s Julie and Julia was a great movie. Even though Meryl Streep and Amy Adams did an amazing job in the movie, for me the real star was the food. The most memorable scene for me was Julia’s advice on cooking mushrooms. Something as simple as some seasoned up fungi can send your palate on a fantastic voyage. I love all mushrooms; from the meatiness of Portobello and Porcini or the beautiful earthiness of Morrel and Shitake.

For this recipe I will be paying homage to Julie and Julia with my Sautéed Mushroom Crostini. I ‘m using a combination of Button (white), Cremini and Portobello for this recipe, feel free to use any combination you like. With only a few ingredients, this recipe gets all of its flavor from the preparation. It is very important that your oil or butter is very hot when you sauté your mushrooms, this also applies for the bread. If you grill or toast your bread make sure each side is coated generously with oil and/ or butter. Make sure that your mushrooms are not too crowded in your skillet. Overcrowding your pan can cause your mushrooms to steam; you want to aim for a nice brown crust on both sides of your mushrooms.

This is a very versatile dish. I have prepared these and countless other versions for everything from cocktail parties to brunches. Grilled onion or shallot and thyme are two great additions to this. For more of a Mexican inspired Crostini add diced tomato and sprinkle with Queso Fresco. If Gruyere is not easy to find, Swiss is a great substitute. Avoid assembling these to early, the water from inside the mushrooms can make your bread soggy. Depending on the size of your Baguette you will probably YIELD 12-15 Servings

Mushroom Crostini

1 Baguette
1lb (16 oz) assorted mushrooms
2 Tbs Olive Oil or Butter
Salt
Pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere

Heat 2Tbs oil or butter in a large Sauté pan. Slice cleaned mushrooms and blot any excess water on paper towels.
Add mushrooms to hot pan in a single layer and cook until browned on each side.
Slice Baguette at an angle into 12-15 equal slices. Coat each side w/ oil and or butter.
Grill or toast bread until browned on each side.
Season mushrooms generously with salt and pepper. Spoon mushrooms onto each slice of bread.
While still warm sprinkle with grated Gruyere. Serve immediately.

Notes/ Tips: Mushrooms pair very well with a vast array of wines. If you are using earthy mushrooms try Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo. For mushrooms with meaty textures like Portobello go for something bolder like a Cabernet Sauvignon. A full bodied Chardonnay will pair well with standard White Button mushrooms.

Blenders and Cauliflower? Delicious and Healthy? Can it be???

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower, perhaps one of my least favorite veggies growing up gets a much needed makeover in this velvety soup. For all my friends in college this a great recipe for you.Use your blender to puree this soup. I know it’s shocking; it can be used for something besides Margaritas and Mudslides. This is a great go to meal while cramming for exams.

Growing up I used to dread seeing the white brainy looking mass on the dinner plates. I come from a family of great cooks, but none of them ever got it right with Cauliflower. I am not sure why this black sheep (or white rather) of the cabbage and broccoli family seems to perplex even some of the most seasoned home cooks and chefs. Loaded with Vitamin C, low fat, and produces anti-cancer compounds, why is it that most of us only want to drown it in Ranch dip at parties or smother it in Day-Glo cheese sauces?

My head instructor in Culinary School shared one of his favorite cauliflower recipes with me. The dish was composed of steamed cauliflower, herbs, salt and pepper, chopped hard boiled egg and bread crumbs. Beautiful and slightly aromatic the Cauliflower Polonaise was a hit in the dinning room that afternoon. But I didn’t care for it. The dish was composed beautifully and well seasoned; for me it just lacked pizzazz, wow factor, intensity,vigor,….. You get the point. But wait! What if we pureed this sans the egg, incorporated a rich stock and finished it with cream. Then we may have something.

With Speedo season right around the corner I’m looking for ways to cut calories where I can. What is great about this soup is that its texture is similar to one of my favorite soups, Cream of Potato. It is high in fiber and the addition of evaporated milk instead of cream gives it that silky creamy taste, but with less fat and for less money. I already had the dried spices in my cabinet, so I only spent $4.73 on everything Yields 4 servings

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

1 lb fresh or frozen cauliflower florets
2 stalks celery diced
½ onion diced
1 Tbs butter or olive oil
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
1 cup chicken broth
12oz can Evaporated milk

Place butter or oil in a large pot and heat over a medium – high heat.
Sauté cauliflower, onion and celery until onion and celery are translucent.
Stir in thyme and garlic powder. Pour in broth and evaporated milk, simmer for 10- 15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, transfer mixture to blender and puree until smooth. Return soup back to pan, place over heat and simmer until soup is thickened until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes/ Tips: To avoid fractures in your appliance, make sure that your blender can withstand high temperatures before transferring the soup. This soup is great with any sort of garnishes on top: chopped scallions, bacon bits, shredded cheese, ect. I used some thyme and coarse black pepper for mine.

$30 Superbowl Mango Pineapple Magdalenas

Magadalenas are sweet fluffy cupcakes found all over Spanish and Cuban bakeries. I decided not to use the cupcake liners for these because I wanted a more rustic look. Actually I’m lying, I thought I still had liners in the cabinet and the store was closed when I started making these. Anyway, the addition of fruit nectar and crushed pineapple are a pleasant change from the typical lemon flavor. The Mango nectar also gives them a vibrant orange hue. These are ridiculously easy to make and have loads of flavor. The recipe makes about 3 dozen cakes. Time for the moment of truth, total cost for this recipe was $5.34 Whooooo!!!! I’m under budget by .53 cents gumball machine here I come.

Mango Pineapple Magdalenas (Cupcakes)

1 Box Butter Cake Mix
1/2 cup mango nectar
1 Tbs oil
1 large Egg
8oz can crushed pineapple (drained)

Preheat oven to 350
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl
Either spray a cupcake tin with nonstick spray or line them with paper liners
Place one tablespoon of batter into each space filling it halfway, bake for 10 minutes or until center springs back when touched. Serve warm.

Notes/ Tips: Jumex and Valle are two companies that make great fruit nectars. These can be found on either the juice aisle or in the Latin foods section of your grocery store. Dried mango, coconut and other dried fruits will also produce some excellent cupcakes. The butter cake mix gives them a rich creamy taste without the added fat. What fruit and nectar did you use, did you do the cha cha when you tasted how great they are?

$30 Superbowl Party Pulled Chicken Subs w/ Sofrito Sauce & Ensalada Tipica

With only $17.31 left of my $30 budget for game day I still need a main course and a dessert, okay here we go. Two of the most famous Cuban dishes are Cuban Sandwiches and Arroz con Pollo, I decided to marry these two dishes to create my own unique sub. As a southerner I am no stranger to a good pulled pork or chicken sandwich, I used my tried and true method to make a pulled chicken then let it simmer in the sofrito sauce. I will be using chicken thighs, because they are very meaty and moister than white meat. My package for 10 thighs was only $5. 66 compared to the breast which were almost double that. Use any bread you like for this, just make sure you have enough for 10 portions. I would avoid using a Baguette; you want a bread wide unsought to pile on the meat. The Esalada Tipica is Cuba’s version of a tossed salad; the vegetables usually consist of tomato, cucumber, lettuce, onion and radish. The crowd I will be feeding are not crazy about radishes or raw onion, so I will just be doing cukes and tomatoes. To salt the sofrito sauce I used a tomato bouillon cube, Knorr and Maggi are the brands I buy. Total for the subs & salad $11.44 yields 10 servings

Pulled Chicken Subs w/ Sofrito Sauce

10 chicken thighs rinsed & patted dry
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbs Oil
2 Garlic cloves minced
1 tomato or chicken bouillon cube
 6oz can tomato paste
1 lrg green pepper sliced thin
½ lrg onion sliced thin
1 cup of water
Sub Rolls or French Bread

Preheat oven to 350
Season each thigh generously with salt and pepper. Place Thighs in an oven safe pan that has been sprayed w/ nonstick spray. Add enough water to cover the bottom of your pan. Cover with foil and cook for 30-45 minutes (until meat pulls away from bone).

While chicken is cooking prepare Sofrito sauce. Heat the 2 Tbs of oil over medium heat and sauté garlic. Stir in bouillon cube until dissolved. Stir in remaining ingredients, except bread and reduce heat to low

Remove chicken from oven, cool until you are able to pull meat off each bone, Discard skin fat, and bones. Stir pulled chicken into sofrito sauce. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes.Toast bread and spoon chicken mixture onto each slice.

Ensalada Tipica

3 large Tomatoes
2 large cucumbers
1 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chop veggies. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over chopped vegetables. Toss to evenly distribute dressing.

Notes / Tips: You can make your pulled chicken the night before, and stir it into your sauce a few minutes before your guests arrive. If you enjoy spicing things up, add in a tsp of red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce. The bouillon cubes that are used for this are slightly larger than the standard ones. Look for these in the Latin foods section of your grocery store. Use any combination of veggies you like for the salad, be sure you do not put dressing on it to early, this can cause your veggies to wilt.

$30 Superbowl Party Onion Straws

Oregano & Garlic spiced Onion Straws

Onion Straws are not really screaming Cuban or tropical, I just had not made any in a while and I figured this would be the perfect time. You may have most of the items needed in your pantry and fridge (cooking oil, flour, milk and eggs). I am using large Vidalia onions, they produce a sweeter onion ring. When preparing these use one hand to dip in the milk wash and the other to dip onions in the flour. This will prevent your hand from being covered in gunk at the end of the process(neat freak alert). The thinner you slice your onions the quicker they will cook. Has anyone tried using those onion goggles when chopping onions, now and then I will find an onion that has me crying more than I did when Sharptooth was eating the cute little baby dinosaurs in The Land Before Time. Perhaps that was sharing too much. There are a few tips you need to follow when frying. 1 make sure your oil is hot enough you can test it by holding a piece of bread(with tongs) down in the oil. If little bubbles form around it and brown the edges, it’s ready. 2 Make sure you do not put too much in at one time; this will cause your oil’s temperature to drop. 3 wait about 30 seconds between frying batches of onion, this will allow your oil to come back to it’s ideal temperature. I had to buy some peanut oil to fry these so my total came to $8.56 yours may be less if you have the pantry items already. One large onion makes about 3 servings

 Onion Straws

4 large sweet onions (Maui, Vidalia, Yellow)
1 large egg
1 cup milk
½ cup water
2 ½ cups flour
Salt to taste
Pinch black pepper
Oil for frying (I typically use peanut or canola)
Garlic salt
Dried Oregano



Preheat heat large pot filled with cooking oil
Peel onions and cut into thin rings or slices.
Mix together egg, milk and water. Put onions in the bowl, turn onions to ensure each piece is coated with the milk mixture.
In a large bowl combine flour salt and pepper. Grab a large handful of onions out of the milk wash, shaking off the excess liquid. Place the onions in the bowl with the flour and toss until they are all coated with flour. Use your tongs to remove them from the flour and place in the hot oil.
Fry onions in small batches for about 3 minutes or until they are a light golden brown color. Drain on paper towels and lightly sprinkle them with garlic salt and dried oregano.

Notes / Tips: These onions are great for just about any event. For an Italian starter sprinkle them with grated Parmesan cheese and dried basil. They are also fantastic on top of meatloaf or Bbq sandwiches. Making Green bean Casserole? Top it with a few of these to make it your signature dish. How did yours turn out?

$30 Superbowl Party Tortilla de patatas

Potato Chip Tortilla

No that it is not a picture of Pac-man, this just smelled so good I couldn't resist taking a slice. Unlike the crispy chips we love covering in fluorescent orange Nacho Cheese, or dipping in salsa; this Tortilla does not contain flour. This is just a fancy schmancy name for a potato omlette. Typically it is served as tapas and cut into small slices or cubes. When making this feel free to add in whatever you like. Ham, spinach, capers, bell peppers and onions are all my favorites. The recipe usually calls for super thin slices of potato but if your knife skills are not the best, just do what I do and use your favorite potato chips.


Oh yes the Kid has done it again. I can't take all the credit for this one though; this recipe has been adapted from one of my favorite chefs, George Duran. Use a thicker cut chip, either Ruffles or your favorite Kettle Chip. While we are talking about potatoes, do you all remember when Dan Quayle had that little boy misspell potato haha good stuff. Okay back to our game plan, total cost for this Game Day treat (drum roll please) $4.13 Yields 10 servings

Potato Chip Tortilla

8 large eggs
1 11-ounce bag of potato chips, slightly crushed
1 small yellow onion sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of Black pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
Coat either a 13x9x2'' pan or two 8" pie plates with nonstick cooking spray
Whisk eggs and stir in chips, set aside for about 5-10 mins so eggs can hydrate the chips. Stir in onions, salt and pepper. Pour into prepared pan / plate and bake for about 10- 12 minutes or until edges are golden and center has set.

Notes/ Tips: I used Wavy Lays bbq for my tortilla. I garnished it with a few large shreds of White Cheddar. Avoid chips like salt and vinegar or pickle flavored. The sour taste from these chips can cause your eggs to take on a well, funky musty flavor. So did you add any other veggies to yours, what flavor chips did you use?

Game Day Feast

Okay so Cleveland did not make it to the Superbowl, I still had to represent for my team .With the Superbowl being held in Miami this year, I thought I should pay homage to some of the fantastic Florida cuisine. Miami is a melting pot of several different Latin and Caribbean cultures and foods. Cuban dishes are the predominant foods in several of the restaurants there. One of the great things about Cuban recipes is that they have layers upon layers of flavor, my favorite thing about them is that they are fairly cheap to make and they feed a crowd. My dishes for the Superbowl should only cost you about $30 bucks and they will make enough for 10 people. Another way you can cut some cost come game day, is ask one or more of your buddies to bring the drinks.You can never go wrong with soft drinks and beer. If you are more into mixed drinks stir up a batch of Mojitos or a pitcher of Sangria.If you have not perfected your recipe for either of those, check out some of the many sites that specialize in making drinks. Let's get cookin.........