No-Butter Chicken

I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now. I absolutely love butter chicken and when I found that it is Max's favorite meal, I knew I had to get a recipe for it.

For those of you that don't know, Butter Chicken is a very popular Indian dish that is thought to have originated in New Delhi. It is typically made with chicken cooked in a Tandoor, but can be roasted or pan cooked as well. The chicken is cooked with various spices (like Garam Masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili) and a tomato butter cream sauce.

This version is quick, taking about 30 minutes to prepare, very tasty, and omits the butter, making it a healthy option when you're craving this particular dish.

I knew I had a hit on my hands when I brought the bowl of chicken to the table and Max went crazy for it. He ended up eating three helpings! I served the chicken with brown rice and broccoli for a very healthy, filling meal.

No-Butter Chicken

From Gourmet Day to Day

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Ginger
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
4 oz Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup Water

Directions

1. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger.
3. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion is golden.
4. Add the tomato paste, sugar, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and salt.
5. Cook for 2 minutes to incorporate flavors.
6. Add the chicken and coat completely with the spice mixture.
7. Add the yogurt and water.
8. Cook, while stirring, until the chicken is done (about 8 minutes).
9. Serve over rice and/or with naan.

Yields: 6 servings (approx. 1 Cup each)

Wee Bites - Banana Peanut Butter Mini Muffins

I've decided to start posting about some of the food that I make for Max. Toddler food can be so much fun! It's all miniaturized and cute. I try to make his food fairly healthy. I sneak in fruits and veggies whenever possible. Like most kids, Max has a sweet tooth, so I play on that in order to get him to eat more healthy stuff.

I made these muffins for the first time this week. I've made other banana muffins for Max and he always enjoys them. These have peanut butter added in to give them a protein boost. I had some over ripe bananas that needed to be used up and with Max not eating well this week (he's cutting another molar!) I thought I could kill two birds with one stone.

I initially made these following the recipe I found to the letter. Vince ended up eating that batch. They were really really good. Then I played around with the recipe to cut the sugar and butter and I think they came out pretty awesome!

These muffins were featured in this week's Muffin Tin Monday post. They have been a huge hit with Max.

Banana Peanut Butter Mini Muffins

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Very Ripe Large Bananas
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (can sub Whole Wheat)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Optional: 1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Lightly grease mini muffin tins with cooking spray, or use paper muffin liners.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the applesauce, eggs, and sugar.
4. Add the peanut butter, bananas, flour, and baking soda.
5. Mix well, making sure the bananas are completely mashed and incorporated.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using).
7. Pour the batter into the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
9. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Yields: 48 mini muffins

Broccoli Salad

I first had broccoli salad two years ago during Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. I know, I know. Sometimes I think I've lived a sheltered life. Anyway, a friend of the family brought it to dinner and it was a huge hit. We all asked for the recipe, which she kindly rattled off but none of us thought to actually write it down!

I always thought to make it again but never got around to doing it or looking up a recipe for it. Well, I finally did. The recipes I found all seemed to be a little off from what I remembered having. So I took one and modified it to what I could remember. It turned out perfect! I will now keep this in my repertoire for quick, tasty side dishes.

Broccoli Salad

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

6 Cups Raw Broccoli Florets
2 Cups Raw Carrots, shredded
1/2 Cup Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Fat Free Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli, carrots, cheese, sunflower seeds, and raisins.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
3. Add the mayo dressing to the salad and toss until completely coated.
4. Serve chilled.

Yields: 8 Servings (3/4 cup per serving)

Muffin Tin Monday

I finally jumped on the bandwagon of Muffin Tin Mondays! Now that Max has fully reached the independent toddler eater phase, I find myself trying to get creative with his meals. I don't know if it's a common question posed to mom's of toddlers, or moms in general, but it seems that I get asked quite often if Max is a picky eater. The answer is never cut and dried.

In the grand scheme of things, he eats pretty well. He will try just about anything once. He might hate something one day and love it the next. So, I keep testing the waters when it comes to his food. Until very recently, like that last week or so, he still preferred most of his food to be in puree form. I think it's a texture thing. I still can't get him to eat regular oatmeal, but he will scarf down baby cereal oatmeal. He eats most fruits and proteins in their intended/natural form. He absolutely will not eat any vegetable unless it is pureed. But if you puree it, he'll eat any of them.

I take that back, there are some veggies that he'll eat whole. He loves eggplant and recently he started eating tomatoes and mushrooms. He will also sometimes eat peas whole.

Ok, so once I started getting creative with his meals I became obsessed with bento lunches. They are just so cute! However, Max doesn't go to daycare or any type of preschool/nanny so I really couldn't justify getting a lunch box set for him. That's when I found Muffin Tin Mondays! I can do all of the cute little bento stuff and put it all into muffin cups! What a genius idea! The muffin cups are the perfect size for Max's appetite and I can give him a variety of foods to choose from for his meal. He also gets to feel like a "big boy" and choose what he wants to eat. It's a win/win.

Off to Michael's, Target, and Walmart I went to get my supplies. I *may* have gone a little overboard with this stuff. I just couldn't help it! I tried a few over the weekend and they went over well with Max. So today is our first official Muffin Tin Monday.

Please excuse the poor picture. I didn't have much light and haven't had time to set up my new camera and photo studio since moving.

Max's lunch today consists of:
A glass of whole milk
A banana peanut butter mini muffin with chocolate chips
Cinnamon Teddy Grahams
Yogurt peanut butter dip
A cup of yogurt
Leftover Chicken Tikka Masala from dinner last night
Cut up strawberries

Chocolate Glazed Baked Vanilla Doughnuts

Mmmmmm...doughnuts. I finally joined the ranks of bakers who make their own doughnuts. Yummy, cakey, chocolately, goodness at any time, day or night. It took me awhile to take the plunge and buy a couple of doughnut pans, but boy was it worth it.

My first foray into the doughnut world was a simple one. I chose an easy vanilla doughnut with a chocolate glaze. I was a little surprised that it took me several batches before I came upon a recipe that I really like, and then several more tried for the glaze. What I ended up with was so yummy that I try very hard not to make them every morning.

These babies come out super fluffy and moist. The chocolate glaze is decadent and doesn't get flakey like most doughnut glazes. The first time I made them, they didn't stick around long enough to tell how well they stored but the next time I made them, I put some into an airtight container for the next day. I have to say, they were definitely better fresh. They were ok the next day but would really not last any longer than that for freshness.

Chocolate Glazed Baked Vanilla Doughnuts

Adapted from Gourmet Day to Day
And Just Baked

Ingredients

Doughnuts
2 Cups Cake Flour (or 1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour + 1/4 Cup Cornstarch)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
2 Large Eggs
1 Tablespoon Butter, melted

Chocolate Glaze
2 1/2 Tablespoons Butter
2 oz Chocolate Chips
1 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/8 Cup Hot Water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Liberally grease doughnut pans with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, and eggs.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients.
5. Mix until just combined. (Over mixing will create tough doughnuts.)
6. Spoon the batter into the doughnut wells until about 2/3 full.
7. Bake 7-8 minutes, until golden and the tops spring back when touched.
8. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then removed to a wire rack until cooled completely.
9. As the doughnuts cool, make the glaze.
10. Using a microwave safe bowl that is wide enough to dip the doughnuts into, melt the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave at 20 second intervals, until smooth and shiny.
11. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and water.
12. Dip the top of each doughnut into the warm glaze.
13. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes for the glaze to set.

Yields: 12 Doughnuts

Cheeseburger Cups

This is another recipe from Emily Bites. I've tried several of them with varying degrees of appeal. I decided to try this one on a night when I knew I needed a quick meal that could easily be reheated.

I chose a night that I had Zumba class scheduled. These nights mean that Vince comes home from work, gives Max dinner and then gets him ready for bed. While Vince is taking care of Max, I whip something up for grown-up dinner. I don't eat before my classes (that would be a disaster) so I make something that Vince can eat once Max is in bed and that I can reheat for myself when I get home. This recipe fit the bill.

I was actually a little surprised that I liked it so much. I was a little leery of the ingredient list but it come out really tasty! It does not really taste like a cheeseburger, more like cheeseburger Hamburger Helper. It was quick, easy, tasty, and very few points. All pluses that have made this a recipe that I've made several times with great success. It has gotten rave reviews from Vince, Max, and my sister-in-law who is also watching her points. I typically serve two cups with a large salad for a complete dinner.

Cheeseburger Cups

Adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients

1/2 Pound Lean Ground Beef
2 Tablespoons Dried Minced Onion
1 Tablespoon McCormick Hamburger Seasoning
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
4 oz Can Chopped Mushrooms
4 oz Can Salt Free Diced Tomatoes
4 Wedges Laughing Cow Lite Queso & Chipotle Cheese
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
1 Tablespoon Mustard
16 Wonton Wrappers
1 Cup Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Liberally grease 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.
3. In a large skillet, brown the meat, onions, and garlic powder.
4. Drain off the fat from the meat.
5. Mix the mushrooms and tomatoes into the meat.
6. Mix the Laughing Cow cheese, ketchup, and mustard into the meat mixture.
7. Mix thoroughly until the cheese is completely melted and coats all of the meat.
8. Line each muffin cup with one wonton wrapper.
9. Using half of the meat mixture, fill each muffin cup.
10. Using half of the shredded cheese, top the meat in each muffin cup.
11. Place another wonton on top of each cup.
12. Repeat the layering of meat and shredded cheese.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until crispy.
14. Let the cups cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Yields: 8 Cups

Lemon Squares

As a kid, I remember my mom being in the kitchen 90% of the time. She was always cooking something. She made (and still makes) her own pasta, tomato sauce, bread (of all kinds), pretzels, pickles, jams/jellies, cookies, cakes, pies, you name it and she's probably made it. She has always loved cooking. My father's job had us moving around quite a bit when I was a kid. I attended 8 schools between 1st grade and high school graduation. Through all of our moves and all of the different towns and cultures, my mom's food was always a constant in our lives. It was the ultimate in comfort food.

When we moved to Southern Illinois, we found that people ate all sorts of stuff that we had never heard of. So naturally, my mom tried to make some of them. Being Italian, she wanted to try Italian Beef and Italian Cream Cake (neither of which is actually Italian). She hated both and decided to leave the new foods to the "natives".

During our stay in Marion, we soon found that a staple dessert brought to everything from church potlucks to PTA meetings, Girl Scout meetings to work BBQs, was lemon bars. They were always there and always went fast. As kids we learned to covet this potluck delicacy and yearned for our mom to make them at home. Alas, she refused. So, we would anxiously await the next gathering, hoping that someone would remember the lemon bars.

My obsession with this lemony confection died down once we moved to the Chicagoland area, where they are not as readily made. I went years without eating or even thinking about making lemon bars. That was until I moved to Virgina. Southerners love their lemon bars! So, I went on a quest for a tried and true recipe, and then I made it better.

This recipe has been a staple in recipe book for about 8 years now. It is always the first thing requested for me to bring to a party and is usually the first thing to run out. It is a really easy and quick recipe, making it the perfect choice for any party when you need a quick dish to bring. The crust holds up really well to the moist ultra-lemony custard topping. The powdered sugar topping is the perfect compliment to the tartness from the lemons. It is a crowd pleaser!

Lemon Squares

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

3 Cups + 6 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 1/3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Butter or Margarine, softened
6 Large Eggs
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Lemon Juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Liberally grease a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, combine 3 C of flour, powdered sugar, and margarine.
4. Mix well to combine.
5. Pat the dough into the bottom of the baking pan.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and slightly browned.
7. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, 6 Tbsp of flour, and lemon juice.
8. Carefully pour over the hot crust.
9. Bake for 20 minutes.
10. Cool completely in the pan.
11. Once cool, dust the top with powdered sugar.
12. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares.

Yields: 24 squares