Monday, September 6, 2010

Chicken Curry

I got this recipe back in undergrad, many moons ago, from my roommate at the time, Aleya. This is an authentic homemade chicken curry and is delicious. I haven't made it in absolute ages and am not sure why... I think it may be because it doesn't freeze well, due to the potatoes. Though I suppose I could always just make it without the potatoes to freeze it and add them in the day I'm serving it. I served this with brown basmati rice and a salad.

This recipe makes quite a decent portion. I made it when we had people over for dinner this weekend and 5 of us ate it for dinner. I think there was enough leftover for Jerome and myself to eat it for another 3 dinners.

3 C chicken, skinned and cut into pieces
5 tbsp. oil (I just used a bit)
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tin peeled tomatoes, chopped (I used the large can)
5 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste (be sure to use fresh ginger and not powder, as it's not at all the same)
2 tsp. dried coriander
2 tsp. dried cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
3 tbsp. plain yogurt (optional)
salt to taste
lemon juice to taste




1. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, ginger, garlic and all the powdered spices. Fry on low heat for 10 minutes, adding a little water at a time, until sauce is well blended.

2. Add yogurt (optional) and tomato paste and cook until sauce is dry. Add the meat and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until meat juices are dry.

3. Add 2-3 cups of water to desired consistency (the gravy should be quite thick if it is to be served with naan, paratha or rotli and slightly runny if it is to be served with rice).

4. When meat is tender, add potatoes and cook until potatoes are done.

5. Add lemon juice. Bring to a boil and serve with naan, paratha, rotli or rice.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

This recipe was sent to me by Katie, who had gotten it off of the Whole Foods website - a store that I love and wish we had in Quebec...

If you make sure that the vanilla, cocoa and chocolate chips are gluten-free, then these cookies are gluten-free and a great option for anyone with Celiac disease. I made them for my sister this weekend, who has Celiac. Finally an easy dessert that I have the ingredients for that I can make for her when she's visiting!! These would be particularly good with peanut butter chips.




1/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/4 C coconut flour (I picked this up at the bulk food store)
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)




1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

3. Sift together cocoa and flour into a second bowl, then add to butter-sugar mixture and beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts, then set aside to let batter rest for 5 minutes. (Coconut flour will absorb the liquid and thicken as it sits).

4. Drop the cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are slightly set in the centre. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Creamy Maple Syrup Dressing

This is a simple, tasty homemade salad dressing. I have no idea where I found the recipe, but it's one of few salad dressings that both Jerome and myself like. I love oil and vinegar dressings, with tons of vinegar in them... my mouth is watering just from writing that. Yum! Jerome doesn't really like vinegar and prefers creamy dressings, which I'm not a huge fan of. This one is creamy but still has a bit of the tangy flavour to it that I like of a salad dressing.

1 C your favourite mayonnaise (I used Hellman's light)
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1/4 C apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Chill and serve with salad.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Apple Cake/Muffins

Wow... I wrote this back before we left for France months ago and just came across it now, realizing that I didn't ever post it. So the comments are no longer timely (nor is the tank top that I am wearing in the photo as I stare out the window at the snow on our front lawn), but here's the recipe all the same.

This recipe comes from the cookbook Simply Great Food by the Dietitians of Canada. I was looking for a healthier recipe to use some of the apples we got while apple-picking this weekend and knew this cookbook would have something good. I used all whole-wheat flour instead of the recommended mix of white and whole-wheat. The recipe is actually for carrot cake, but they recommend using either a mixture of carrots and apples or just apples as a variation, so I made it with only apples this time. I also threw in a handful of raisins and opted to make it in muffin tins instead.




3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C grated carrots (or apples, or a mixture of both)




1. In a small bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

2. In a large bowl, bean eggs, oil, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined. Fold in dry ingredients. Stir in carrots. Pour into prepared 13 x 9 inch pan.

3. Bake in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for 30 to 35 minutes.


Makes 20 servings.