Roasted Chicken Sausage Pasta with Pomegranate Garden Salad

The July sun's scorching up the East Coast, not to mention, late sunsets and long, humid days. The kids love it, however. I mean, who won't like to stay out playing till nine in the night, carelessly chasing fire flies and never wanting to accept that it's almost beyond dinnertime!

The hardest thing for me is to have my little boy stocked up with energy for his summer evening playtime. Summer vacation in a new neighborhood brought with it new friends for him and new challenges for me to keep him up and running. I would have to ensure he's eaten a healthy lunch before he steps out.

I always stash up on boxes of pasta and tons of veggies to make this easy lunch for him. He loves pasta. Yes, most kids do! But, more often than not we all end up cooking pasta along with store-bought sauces. In my case however, my son is not fond of ready sauces, which certainly increases my efforts, but gives me more opportunity to explore new flavors that enhance pasta. So, most often I end up making pasta in other ways.

So, here's a dish that can perk up your protein and satiate your taste buds!

Brown Rice Spaghetti with Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken

A couple of stores in the US carry some really interesting things. Among others, I hate why Trader Joe's hasn't yet opened a store around where we live. So, every time I'd go to meet people who lived near one, I'd never miss a chance to hop by and gape at all the line-up of organic, naturally delicious stuff they stock up. I flip like a teenager in love, each and every time I see their packaging and brown bags made using recycled paper.

On one such voracious trip to Trader Joe's I picked up this packet of brown rice spaghetti. Following the package instructions, the first time around I cooked it and tossed it in some regular marinara sauce. No great shakes. Tasted good. But, this spaghetti was so earthy and wholesome I just had  to put it to better use.

On another (not so voracious) mundane grocery shopping day, I picked up some Oscar Mayor  Carving Board Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken. I could possibly eat just this thing all by itself and not want anything else with it. Randomly cut the chicken into chunks, add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, seasoned bread croutons and your favorite dressing and it is a meal in itself! 

And, on another wonderful day when I really was voraciously hungry, I married the most delicious spaghetti with the best deli chicken in town and made this scrumptious lunch.

You need very few ingredients for this one but the outcome will make people thing you slogged for hours in the kitchen. You can even make this with regular pasta and deli chicken (or cooked shredded chicken). Yum is the word. Try it for yourself!

Saucy Indo-Chinese Coriander Garlic Chicken

There's definitely something about the fusion of Indian ingredients with Chinese delicacies. Something that makes one wants to go back for more than one serving. And, that's exactly what happened to me when I ate this dish at an Indo-Chinese restaurant. The combination of a garlic-y sauce with lots of fresh corainder all done up into a gulp-me-down chicken gravy cannot be resisted by a die-hard Indo-Chinese food fanatic like me!

A few days after we devoured this, I began getting haunted by the flavours - almost as if they continued to linger over my tastebuds, daunting me. I simply had to try making my version of the same at home - and soon! So, I did and here it is, just for you!

So, quickly prepare yourself some fried rice to go with this and lay the table for a hearty meal!

Masala Chicken Burgers

It's been a while since I made these now. Over a month really. Somehow, I got too carried away posting cakes and bakes and these drool-worthy fellas sat on the back burners, awaiting their chance to get published on SSTT.

Would'nt it be a shame on me if I had not tried making burgers at home living in the country that almost eats them as a staple meal? What had me running to fetch the ingredients for the same was the show - The Next Food Network Star. Why? This showcased competitors (chefs or otherwise) who'd compete to win a show on the network. Nice, eh? I had my eyes on one participant - Aarti Sequiera, an Indian, who was mixing Indian flavours onto American classics with so much ease, that I simply HAD to do something on those lines at home. Thanks Aarti, for the inspiration! The outcome - Juicy Indo-American Chicken Burgers! Oh and yes Aarti won the challenge and hosts her show on Food Network. She's already had 3 episodes on TV and she sure rocks! Check out her page here. And, when you're done, read up my recipe!

Now, stop drooling and grab those ingredients. This one's so easy, you could be eating it even before you think.

Chicken Manchurian

I have'nt till date met a person who despises Manchurian - chicken or otherwise. It's no surprise that this dish has found its way to the streets of India. And, as always, we Indians manage to add our 'tadka' to everything that hits our shore - be it food or anything else! Indo-Chinese cuisine is one such product. Like Chinese food itself was'nt hearty and filling, we jazz it up to suit our tastebuds and churn out plate after plate on every other street/restaurant.

I can still feel the heat from the chillies in the Cauliflower Manchurian and Vegetable Noodles I used to eat at least twice a week at the street-food vendor back in my college days. Some metabolism I had, eh?! Oh, that feels like ages ago and I am beginning to feel old saying all this. So , before I get way too nostalgic, let me get down to sharing this scrummy recipe with you!

Ingredients

2 lb Chicken breasts (You can use bone-in or boneless) - Washed and cut into bite sized pieces

1/4th Cup Cornflour dissolved in 3/4 cup of water
5 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2inch stick of Ginger, grated
1 Cup Onions, julienned
3/4 Cup Chopped Scallions (Green Onions)
3 Green Chillies, chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Coriander sprigs, chopped
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2-3 tbsp Chilie sauce
1/2 tsp Red Chillie powder
1/2 tsp Ajinomoto (I just use very little to give the dish some authentic Chinese flavour. This is optional. You can use only regular salt, too, if you're not feeling that indulgent)
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Heat oil in a wok/kadai
- Stir the cornflour in the water to form a thin batter. Add some salt and the red chillie powder to this to give it some flavour
- Dip the chicken pieces in this batter and deep fry. Place fried chicken pieces on paper towel drain any excess oil. Oh, yeah let's try to get a wee bit close to being healthy at least at one step ;)
- Now in a shallow saucepan, heat about 2 tbsp. of oil and add the green chillies, garlic, ginger and onions and stir until the onions are transparent
- Add the coriander and stir further
- Lower the flame and pour in the sauces
- Now add ajonomoto and some more salt and fry for a good minute on a medium flame
- Toss in half the scallions and fry for about 30 seconds
- Add fried chicken pieces and fry until well coated with sauce mixture
- Sprinkle left over scallions and serve hot

SERVES 2-3

Chicken Chettinad

Yeah, yeah Chicken Chettinad. Sounds great I know. Tastes even better. But dont begin to assume I knew it the moment I got my hands on the chicken. (*thud* There goes my image in the dumps). We all love this dish, and it is on almost every menu card in nearly every Indian restaurant that serves up non-vegetarian Indian cuisine. So, over the past few weeks I was taken over by a sudden obsession to try out a new type of a gravy using Chicken. Something other than my regular C Cubed. It just had to be something spicy so this one came to my mind. I chanced on this recipe on Indian Food Forever, a website that I think carries quite a decent collection of recipes. The original recipe calls for poppy seeds. I normallly do not use them and did not have them on hand. If you do, then go ahead and 'pop' them in when you try this out. I am sure they'll render a great flavour!

Ingredients
For the masala
1/2 Cup Grated coconut
1" stick Cinnamon
1tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp Coriander seeds
3pcs Cardamom (Badi elaichi)
2 Cloves
1 Star anise
6-8 Whole red chilies
2 tsp Poppy Seeds (Optional. I have not used this)

Other Ingredients
2lbs Chicken, washed and cleaned, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
 1 Cup Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Ginger, chopped
2 tbsp Garlic, chopped
1 tsp Red chili powder
3/4 Cup Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Lemon juice
10-12 Curry leaves
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
1/2 cup Oil
Salt To Taste

Method

- In a large wok/kadai, dry roast the ingredients for the masala
- Grind the roasted masala ingredients to a fine paste in the blender using minimum water
- Add the ginger and garlic to this paste in the blender and run it further to make a smooth paste/masala
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel
- Fry the onions till golden brown
- Toss in the curry leaves and allow to splutter
- Now add the ground paste and sauté for about a minute
- Add the tomatoes, red chili powder and turmeric powder and sauté.
- Add the chicken, mix and cook for 5 minutes and then add 2 cups of water and lemon juice
- Stir
- Add salt and cover and cook till the chicken is done. You could opt to pressure cook at this point.
- Serve piping hot chicken chettinad, garnished with coriander leaves along-side steamed rice, rotis or pooris

SERVES 4

Hearty Spinach and Chicken Soup

Winters are a time when you want to cuddle up with a loved one over a cuppa hot chocolate and get cozy watching your favorite TV show. And that is such a classic cliched statement, I know...I know.

Ah! That rhymed

But, just when the ever-plummeting mercury makes us lazy, all the viruses that make us ill happen to work over-time. Talk about bad luck. Cough, cough...sneeze sneeze! Ugh, even typing it makes me feel sick. Yet, some things are inevitable - and illness happens. And, when nothing seems to satisfy your taste-buds, a soup makes up for it all! What's better than a bowl of hearty spinach and chicken soup when the tissue box seems to be your best friend? Yeah, yeah this one is a wee bit too hearty and can be very filling. But hey, haven't you heard the phrase - 'Feed the cold, starve the fever'?

Oh, and there is another reason you might want to make this slurpy dish. If you are among the people who cannot stop yourself from ordering sweet-corn-anything soups when you dine out, then this is something you will love, too. Try it once and you will stop going ga-ga over the restaurant soups!

Ingredients
1 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast - Washed and cut into about 4 large chunks
2 Cups of Spinach - Washed and julienned
1/2 Cup Corn Kernels - cooked until soft
1 tbsp - Chopped Onion (You can use green onions too)
1 tbsp - Chopped tomato
1 tsp - Garlic paste
2 tsp Corn flour
1/2 tsp Chillie powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Water
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- In a large non-stick saucepan, pour about 1 tsp of oil and turn on the flame
- Once the oil is warm, add the chopped onion and stir
- Add the garlic paste and fry further
- Add chicken breast chunks and fry for about a minute
- Toss in the coriander powder and sprinkle some salt and stir
- Pour water, just enough to cover the chunks
- Close and allow to the chicken to cook fully (Keep and eye on this. You might need to add more water if the chicken absorbs it all)
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, turn off the flame and carefully (yup, its hot!)pull out the chicken chunks onto your work area
- Shred the cooked chicken chunks and toss them back into your saucepan (Take care while doing this since there will be a lot of inherent heat in the chicken chunks. You could wait a couple of minutes and then shred the chicken, so that it will have cooled a bit to make it more 'handle-able')
- Turn the flame back on and add the tomatoes and chillie powder and stir well for about one minute
- Toss in the julienned spinach and stir until it wilts
- Add the shredded chicken, corn kernels and salt and stir
- Pour water (about 2 cups) and allow to boil for 2 minutes
- immer for another 2 minutes
- In another bowl, mix the corn flour with water to make a thin paste and pour it into the soup and stir
- Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally
- Serve hot with bread sticks

SERVES 2

NOTEWORTHY NOTES
a) You can add cooked pasta to this to make it more wholesome
b) Veggies only further enhance the taste of this preparation. Go ahead, and toss some in!

Asian Style Griddle Fried Chicken with Stir-fry Veggies and Salad

Ok. That's one helluva long name, but the dish is pretty darn simple...and you'd take lesser time making it than you would reading this recipe! The only hitch is waiting for the chicken to get marinated, but you could use that time to do your cutting/chopping for the stir fried veggies! So, if you are one of those people who longs to eat chicken but aren't in the mood to make elaborate curries or gravies then this one is for you. It's got just the right amount of spices in the marinade to give your palate a wake-up-call around lunch time. The stir fried veggies and salad side compliment the chicken to make it a 'I-want-more' dish among kids (My son loves this, so I know!). Throw in one or two slices of whole wheat bread to get your carbs if you want to, but I'd say this is as good as a hearty meal on its own.

Ingredients for Griddle Fried Chicken
1 Chicken Breast - Thinly Sliced (Thaw if frozen), Cleaned & Washed
1 tsp Oil

Ingredients for Marinade
2 tbsp Yogurt/Curd
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp Red Chillie Powder/Paprika
1 tsp Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
1 tsp Garam Masala
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Ingredients for Stir Fried Veggies and Salad
1 Cup Your choice of vegetables - Washed and Julienned/Chopped (I've used carrots, green beans, red bell pepper, broccoli, white onion and cabbage)
You could opt to steaming the veggies that do not cook fast, but I prefer my stir fried veggies a bit crunchy so I do not steam them.
1 tsp Red Chillie Powder
1/2 tsp Soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp Oil
1/2 Cup Iceberg Lettuce - Julienned
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and stir to a smooth consistency.
- Drop the chicken breast into the marinade and coat it well. Set aside for about 2 hours
- In the meanwhile, chop/julienne all your veggies
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok/kadai and toss in your chopped veggies one by one -starting from the ones that take a long time to cook
- After about a minute after you have added all veggies add the red chillie powder, soy sauce and salt and stir fry further until it reaches the level of crunch that you like and set aside
- Now, in a shallow non-stick griddle/tawa, pour a very thin film of oil (about 1 tsp) and set it to heat on a low flame
- Place the marinated chicken breast on the griddle and fry on either side until fully cooked. Be sure to watch this and flip sides often, lest you burn it (especially since it is thinly sliced chicken). You could add more oil if you feel the need, but I'd not recommend it. Once fried, place on a kitchen towel to drain off excess oil
- Once ready, place fried chicken, stir fried veggies and salad on a plate and serve hot

SERVES 1

C Cubed

If I've left you wondering what kind of dish this is...well here is the explanation. If there is anything you can taste when you eat this - it's the chicken, coriander and chilies. So, that's how I coined 'C Cubed'!! While the combination itself may seem pretty common, this recipe will tingle your taste buds leaving you longing for more. And, I cannot find an easier way to make super delicious chicken curry.

Ingredients
10 to 12 pcs Chicken - washed and cleaned
1 Onion - Finely chopped
1/2 Tomato - Roughly chopped
1 large bunch (about 3 cups) Coriander - washed (You need not remove the stem)
5 pcs - Green chillies
8 cloves - Garlic
1 tbsp - Ginger, grated
1 tbsp - Coconut
2 tbsp - Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
1 tsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - Pepper powder
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste

Method
- In the blender, toss in the ginger, garlic, pepper, coriander, coconut, green chillies and tomato and grind to a very fine, smooth paste. Use minimum required water so that the texture turns out very smooth. Set aside.
- In a pressure cooker (or any regular vessel), heat oil and add the onions and fry until they turn translucent
- Now slowly add the chicken pieces. Fry on a low flame for about 3 minutes
- Add salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder and further stir until the chicken starts to cook up and release its juices
- Now add a little water (about 1 fl. oz) to prevent the chicken from burning
- Pour the ground paste and stir
- Cover and cook until chicken is done

Noteworthy Notes
1. You can add more water to the dish after its done in order to adjust the consistency of the gravy

2. If you are using the pressure cooker, you could add some more tomato pieces just before you close the dish for cooking. This adds further taste.

Serving Suggestion

Serve hot with rotis/rice

SERVES 3

Spicy Pasta with Chicken Sausage on Salad

Ive always loved to try new cuisines. Ever since we got to the US, if there was one thing that fascinated me was the ease with which American food adapted itself to world cuisines. This is my take on Pasta, only, of course altered to taste the Indian palate!


Ingredients

1/2 cup Pasta - Cooked (I've used Whole Wheat Rotini and Gnocchi)

Refer How to Cook Pasta under the Basics category for instructions

2 Chicken sausages, boiled for about 5 minutes
1 tsp - Garlic, grated
1/4th Onion - Finely chopped
4 Cherry Tomatoes - Quartered
1 tbsp Cucumber - Diced
1/2 cup Iceberg Lettuce - Randomly chopped
1 tsp Red Chili powder (You can use paprika/cayenne powder)
Italian Seasoning, to garnish
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste

Method
- Slice the chicken sausages into discs and set aside
- Heat some oil in a saucepan and add the garlic
- Now, add the onions and stir for a minute
- Toss in the sausages and fry again
- Add the chili powder and stir for another minute on a medium flame
- Turn off the flame and add the cooked pasta and stir again
- Drizzle the Italian seasoning and a little salt for flavour

Serving Suggestion
Serve hot on a bed of freshly chopped salad of iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

SERVES 1