Chicken and Potato Curry

A delicious chicken and potato curry served with rice.

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 5-8 min

Cooking Time: 25 min

Total:  30 min

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, fresh or tinned
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cube chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garam masala
salt, to taste

Whole Spice Mix
3-4 whole cloves
1 star anise
1/4 tsp. anise seeds
2-inch piece cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds

Curry Spice Mix

1 tbsp. ground cumin
1-2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. fenugreek powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot and add onions, garlic and whole spice mix. Saute until onions are golden brown.
2. Add chicken and curry spice mix and stir fry for 5 minutes.
3. Dissolve stock in boiling water. Add broth, lemon juice and tomatoes to pot with chicken, cover and cook slowly until meat is tender.
4. Add potato cubes and cook until soft.
5. Just 10 minutes before serving, add garam masala. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve with rice or naan.

French Onion Soup

A hearty French onion soup packed with flavour. Garnish with croutons and cheese.

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 5-8 min

Cooking Time: 30-40 min

Total:  45 min

Ingredients
3-4 tbsp. butter or margarine
4-6 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 tsp. sugar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1-2 tsp. dried thyme or a sprig of fresh thyme
salt and pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese, to garnish
unflavoured croutons, to garnish

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt butter.  Add onions, sugar and herbs, and stir to coat onions.  Sautee on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until they caramelize and turn golden brown.
2. Add garlic and sautee for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add red wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and allow red wine to reduce for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the beef broth and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Serve garnished with grated cheese and croutons, and a slice of fresh bread.

Adapted from mylifeasamrs.com and canadianliving.com

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Succulent lemon chicken flavoured with rosemary and lemon.

Serves:  2

Prep Time: 2 min

Cooking Time: 10-15 min

Total:  15 min

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1-2 lemons, cut in half
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, washed and plucked

Directions

1. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium.  Squeeze juice of half a lemon into pan and heat for about 1 minute.
2. Add chicken breasts to skillet, garnish with fresh rosemary and squeeze juice of half a lemon on both pieces of chicken.  Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn chicken breasts over and replace lid.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. As the lemon juice evaporates it will stick to the pan and become burnt.  To give chicken the brown colouring, simply add more lemon juice to the pan.  As it sizzles, stir chicken around.
5. Check to see that inside of chicken is fully cooked and serve with warm with a side of rice and steamed vegetables, or cooled and shredded over a salad.

Thanks Helen for this recipe!

Easy Meatballs

Beef meatballs

Serves: 40 meatballs

Prep Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 45-60 min

Total:  65-85 min

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef)
2 eggs
seasoning spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
1/4 cup quick oats or 10-15 crushed saltine crackers
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 cups ginger ale

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine meat, eggs, seasoning spices and crackers.  Be careful to not over mix.
2. In a large pot, stir together ketchup and ginger ale and bring to boil.
3. Roll meat into small balls, and gently drop them into the heated sauce one by one.  Using a slotted spoon, gently stir so that the new meatballs enter directly into the sauce.
4. Cover and gently simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Serve immediately, or let cool and freeze in smaller portions.

Thanks Aviva for this recipe!

Spinach, Garlic and Pesto Chicken Breast

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Total:  35 min

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3-4 tbsp. pesto sauce
2-3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional)
salt and pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, pesto, salt and pepper.
2. Put spinach at the bottom of an oven proof baking dish, either glass or ceramic.
3. Wash chicken breasts, and place on top of the bed of spinach.
4. Spread garlic and pesto mixture on top of the chicken.
5. Cover with a lid or tin foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear.
6. Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese.  Return to oven and let cheese melt for 5 minutes.
7. Serve immediately, with rice, potatoes or salad.

Hyla's Meatballs

Serves: 35-40 balls
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45-60 min
Total: 65-85 min


Ingredients
2 lbs (900 g) ground meat (beef, chicken or turkey)
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
pinch of cayenne or chili powder
1/4 cup quick oats or 10-15 or so Saltine crackers, crumbled

Sauce

1 bottle chili sauce (looks like ketchup)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 tbsp. brown or white sugar

1 cup tomato juice

1 tbsp. mustard 

1 tbsp. worchestershire sauce 

Directions

1. To make the meatballs, mix together ground meat, eggs, spices and either oats or crackers.  Only mix until combined and then set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat all of the sauce ingredients.  When sauce is heated, roll meat mixture into small balls and gently drop directly into the sauce.
3. Using a slotted spoon, gently stir the balls to allow new meatballs to enter the sauce directly.
4. Cover and gently simmer for 45 min to an 1 hour, or, transfer to a deep baking dish and bake at 350F for an hour.

Thanks Aviva and Hyla for this recipe!

Butter Chicken

Serves: 8, as a side dish

Prep Time: 5-10 min, plus at least 2 hours for chicken to marinate

Cooking Time: 45 min

Total:  55 min, plus time for chicken to marinate

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breast
2 tsp. ginger/garlic masala
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. tumeric powder
1 tsp. salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 tbsp. ghee or butter
3/4 cup half and half cream
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup plain tomato sauce
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions

1. Mix together all the spices and olive oil to form a paste.
2. Wash and cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and place in a large plastic bag with the spice paste.  Gently toss the bag to coat chicken, and let marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Heat ghee in a pan and add chopped onions.  Saute until lightly browned.
4. Add marinated chicken and stir.  Cover and allow to cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
5. Add cream and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add yogurt and tomato sauce, and stir.  Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes on low heat. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit of water. 
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately with basmati rice, or with roti or naan.

Lightly adapted from Daksha's Gourmet Spices: Cookbook Two (2002)

Baked Egg Rolls

Homemade, baked egg rolls filled with shredded chicken or turkey. Fun and easy to make!

Serves: 12 rolls

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 15-20 min

Total:  30 min

Ingredients
Filling

1 1/2 cups precooked and shredded chicken or turkey
1 1/2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1/2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1-2 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp. oil
2 green onions, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
pepper

Rolls
3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
12 large egg roll wrappers

Directions

1. In a frying pan, heat oil and stir fry mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.  Add peppers and saute for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a bowl, combine shredded meat with green onions, peppers and mushrooms.  Add sauces and season to taste.
3. On a flat surface, lay one egg roll wrapper and fill with 2-3 spoons of filling.  Fold wrapper around the filling by following the directions on package.
4. Carefully brush egg roll with melted butter and place on a wire rack that sits atop a baking sheet.  Repeat until all the filling and wrappers have been used.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.
6. Serve immediately garnished with sliced green onions, and if desired, a dipping sauce.

Inspired by jocooks.com

Chicken Salad with Apple

Crunchy, creamy and a bit of sour sweetness, this chicken salad is bound to be a favourite!

Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 0 min

Total:  10 min

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

1 large pre-grilled chicken breast, shredded

2-3 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 large red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed (optional)
1-2 tsp. apple cider or white wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard (or more)

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Adjust taste if necessary.
3. Make sandwiches using fresh bread or toast.

Adapted from lcbo.com