Indian Spiced Stew with Chicken and Potatoes

 

Indian-style cooking is something that I really hesitated getting into for a while. Hubby loves it, and I like it a lot, too, and for whatever reason it always seemed really intimidating. Probably because it seems so unlike our Western cuisine. But I am here to tell you that I have had success in the last few months with Indian-style recipes.

It’s not as complicated as it seems. It just requires a long cooking time. I will say, though, that my Indian-inspired cooking has been greatly assisted by my discovery of Garam Masala in my grocery store. This is a spice blend that many recipes call for, and it sits alongside all the other more familiar spices. Once I discovered that, the game was on.

One thing I really appreciate about this recipe is its name. Indian-Spiced Stew with Chicken and Potatoes implies that it is done in an Indian-style without pretending to be authentic. The recipe comes from the blog Seasons and Suppers.ca (is that Canada?).

This photo belongs to SeasonsandSuppers.ca

The author recommends serving this dish with fresh naan, a traditional Indian flatbread. I will admit that yes, I do have recipes pinned for making naan, but I’m a one-thing-at-a-time kind of girl, so I just cooked up some Basmati rice and served it over that instead. It was still delicious.

Ratings

Flavor: Five-Stars – The flavor of this dish seemed pretty authentic! It was rich and creamy, heavily spiced and deeply flavorful. Just what I want when I am craving Indian food.

Skill-Level: Moderate – I won’t say this was altogether easy. It wasn’t too difficult, either, but mostly it just takes a long time on the stove. You don’t have to stand over it and watch it most of the time, but it definitely doesn’t fall under “Quick and Easy.” I’m tempted to try it again in my slow cooker to see how it turns out.

Overall: Four-Stars – This dish was really great, and Hubby loved it. The time preparing it compared to delish factor drops it a star for me, though. Still, I would make it again.

Here’s how mine turned out!

One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

When I was a kid, Hamburger Helper was a staple of our household. It was quick and easy and cheap, which was important for my family. My parents were young and both worked, not to mention my mother went back to nursing school when I was a toddler and my brother was a grade schooler. Quick, easy, and cheap were necessary. As we got older, Hamburger Helper appeared less and less regularly, but nevertheless, it holds a special place in my heart that reminds me of home.

As an adult, I will admit that I’ve become a bit bougie. But I am not above admitting that Hamburger Helper is delicious! Still, I don’t buy it because I know it’s crazy high in sodium and other preservatives and I feel guilty when I eat it. But I don’t have to feel guilty when I make this recipe for One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff from TasteAndTell! It’s basically Hamburger Helper that you make yourself. Best part? It only takes marginally more work than the boxed kind. You still even cook the pasta in the same pot as everything else. Love it.

This photo belongs to TasteandTellBlog.com

Ratings

Flavor: Four Stars – We loved the hearty chunks of real mushrooms, and the salty beef flavor was so reminiscent of that boxed kind we both remember.

Skill Level: Low – Can you make a box of Hamburger Helper? The only extra step to this was sauteing some mushrooms first to add in at the end.

Overall: Four Stars – Alright, Hubby and I agreed that this was “Pretty Good,” but promptly ate the ENTIRE pan of it for dinner that night, so I guess it was better than “Pretty Good.” It’s quick and easy and not filled with all those preservatives and chemicals like the boxed kind.

Suggestions: The recipe as is calls for four cups of beef broth, but my version turned out really soupy, even after I used some flour as a thickener. Next time I make this, I’ll be cutting the amount of broth down to at least 3 cups, though it’s possible that 2 cups would even be enough.

I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because as I’ve said before, I can’t stomach dairy so well. Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream if you find you can’t do regular dairy but can do yogurt.

Here’s how mine turned out!

 

Cajun Fish Tacos

I don’t know what it is about fish tacos. I only tried them for the first time a few years ago, but ever since then, man, fish tacos are my jam. I am a sucker for fish taco recipes. I feel like I should just go ahead and make fish tacos a category here on my blog because I am always trying new fish taco recipes.

And with a picture as pretty as this one, how could I resist?

This photo belongs to CuriousNut.com

This recipe for Cajun Fish Tacos by CuriousNut.com was pretty good! But it’s hard to make bad fish tacos, to be fair. Also, that blog looks pretty amazing and I think I may need to go spend some more time there.

My favorite thing about this recipe was the smooth and creamy avocado yogurt sauce, and Hubby declared after eating this that pico de gallo should be a mainstay in our house and why don’t we make it more. To that effect, I’m making some tomorrow for another recipe.

My only criticism is that the fish was somehow not very flavorful. I used Pacific cod, which I’ve discovered is pretty cheap out here on the west coast, and all the spices used to coat the fish I know to be very flavorful. Still, somehow it didn’t quite come through on the finished dish.

Ratings

Flavor: Four Stars – Fish tacos are delicious and you should eat them. Only gets four stars because I’ve made even more delicious ones myself.

Skill Level: Low/Moderate – It’s not really that difficult, but it does have a lot of different parts. If you’re following the recipe, you have to make the pico de gallo (PSA: If you’re not inclined to do that, you can typically buy some in your produce department), then the avocado yogurt sauce, and then season/cook the fish. Nothing is too difficult, but it just takes some time to do it all. Don’t be scared to cook fish! It’s easier than any other meat. This is just pan-seared on both sides for a couple of minutes.

Overall: Four Stars – This was a good recipe that I can recommend. Tasty and relatively easy.

I never claimed to be a food photographer. But these were still yummy.

Shrimp, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce

So this is actually what Hubby and I had for Valentine’s dinner. That tells you how behind I am! Oops.

In any case, this was a pretty good meal, and seafood is always surprisingly quick and easy to cook. It just seems so fancy. But I tell you truly, this came together in under a half hour.

The recipe is for Shrimp, Tomato, and Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce from JuliasAlbum.com. I made it pretty much as is, but since it was Valentine’s Day and Hubby and I are suckers for shellfish, I added some mussels to my version.

This photo belongs to JuliasAlbum.com

Ratings

Flavor: Four Stars – Garlicky shrimpy pasta. What’s not to like?

Skill Level: Low – Pretty easy, really, but seafood can be intimidating. I even used frozen mussels in mine because I’m scared of debearding and cleaning them. This comes together really quickly, so have everything prepared before you start. The thing that takes the longest is really boiling the pasta!

Overall: Four Stars – Good flavor, easy prep and cooking.

Here’s mine! Yum

Quick enough for a weeknight, fancy enough for a special occasion.