Author: natashapaterson

Butter Chicken

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2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” cubes
¾ cup plain yogurt
4 Tbsp tandoori masala
2 tsp ginger paste, or minced ginger
2 tsp garlic paste, or crushed garlic
1 Tbsp oil (for frying)

3 Tbsp ghee (or butter if you don’t have ghee)
2 large onions, chopped (will later be pureed)
4 tsp ginger paste, or minced ginger
4 tsp garlic paste, or minced garlic
4 tsp coriander
4 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric
680 ml jar of passata (or about 3 ¾ cups tomato puree)
1 tsp brown sugar (or to taste)

1 cup heavy (35% whipping) cream

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger and garlic. Allow to marinade for 20 minutes to 24 hours, covered in the refrigerator. (If rushed, you can use non-marinated chicken.)
  2. Melt the ghee in a large pot, over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they turn translucent and begin to sweat, about 5-7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn. Add all the spices and cook for a few more seconds.
  3. Transfer the onion and spice mix to a blender. Add the passata and blend until smooth. (You can add a bit of water if necessary, to help it blend.)
  4. Put the blended sauce back in the the pot and cook over medium-low heat for ten minutes. (If you have time, you simmer it longer for even better flavour.) Taste it and if you’d like it a bit sweeter, add the sugar.
  5. Heat the Tbsp of oil in a frying pan, over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken (discard any extra marinade) and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken to the sauce and heat everything through and allow to simmer for a few more minutes to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir in the cream.
  7. Serve over rice, with naan and oven-roasted broccoli.

Carrot Cake

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1 cup sugar (this has been halved from the original recipe)

¼ cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups grated carrots

1 (19-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

¼ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

  1. Mix the sugar and oil together in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and stir in.
  2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. (You can do this right in a 2-cup measuring cup.)
  3. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture.
  4. Blend in the carrots, pineapple, and pecans.

Icing:

½ cup butter
1 cup cream cheese (one 8 oz pkg)
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Stir in the icing sugar, and finally the vanilla.
  2. Spread evenly over the cooled cake.

Apple Crisp

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1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups oats
2 tsp cinnamon
5-6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced

  1. Cream together the butter, sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon until crumbly.
  2. Place the apples in an un-greased 8” X 8” pan. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Pat it in with your hands.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Suggestions:
Serve this hot out of the oven with vanilla ice cream or milk.

Apple Bavarian Torte

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Crust:
1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup flour

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) pkg cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg

Topping:
4 cups sliced apples
3 Tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon

Crumble:
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup sliced almonds

  1. Combine ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom of an 8×8 pan.
  2. Cream ingredients for the filling until smooth and spread over crust.
  3. Place ingredients for the topping in a saucepan and cook over low heat until apples are just slightly tender. Spread over filling.
  4. Combine butter, flour and sugar for the crumble and sprinkle evenly on top. Sprinkle almonds over that.
  5. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Decrease to 375 degrees and bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Zucchini Muffins

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Makes two dozen.

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder

3 eggs

2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 cup oil

3 cups grated zucchini

½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

  1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Beat eggs until light and fluffy, in another bowl. Add sugar, vanilla and oil. Stir in zucchini and nuts.
  3. Stir zucchini mixture into the dry ingredients. Fill greased muffin tins.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Suggestion:
For chocolate zucchini muffins, add ½ cup cocoa to the dry ingredients in step 1.

Apple Cinnamon Crepes

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Crepes:
1 ½ cups milk
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp oil
4 tsp butter

Crepe Filling:
Apples, peeled/sliced (about five)
Butter (2 Tbsp.)
Sugar (to taste)
Cinnamon (to taste)

Vanilla yogurt

Grated cheddar cheese

  1. Blend eggs and milk with an electric beater.
  2. Add flour and oil and mix until smooth.
  3. Heat frying pan to medium-high heat. Grease lightly with a little butter. Stir batter, then pour 2-3 Tbsp of batter all at once into the pan, swiftly tilting pan in all directions so batter flows over entire surface. After about 30-40 seconds (when surface looks slightly dry), flip the crepe. Cook for about 20 seconds longer.
  4. Fry apples in butter (leave slightly firm). Add sugar and cinnamon.
  5. To serve, place crepe on plate, top with apple filling, sprinkle cheese on top, add yogurt and wrap up.

Makes about 10 crepes.

Carrot Orange Muffins

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½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar* (original recipe had 2 cups)
2 eggs
1 cup carrots, grated
1 orange, peeled, then grated
2 cups whole wheat flour (can substitute all purpose)
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

  1. Mix together the oil, sugar and eggs. Then stir in the carrots and orange.
  2. Mix together in another bowl the flour, soda, powder and salt. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in the nuts last.
  3. Pour into greased muffin tins.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

* For a sugar-free option, you can replace the sugar with 1 cup of honey, or 2 cups of pureed dates.

If you have a food processor, just grate the carrots in there, and then puree the orange afterwards to save on dishes.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup water (approx.), divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar oil. Whisk in eggs, vanilla and half of the water. Fold in flour mixture (do not overmix). If batter is too thick, stir in the remaining water, a little at a time. Fold in pecans.

3. Spoon batter into a lined muffin tin.

4. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is firm to the touch and a tester comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Egg McMuffins

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12 English muffins
12 eggs
12 slices bacon (or bacon rounds), cooked
12 slices cheese (I prefer regular cheese, but you can use processed, or just leave the cheese off)

1. Grease a muffin tin with butter or bacon fat. Crack

one egg into each muffin cup. Break the yoke with a fork. Bake eggs at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until set.

2. While the eggs bake, slice the English muffins in half.

3. Toast the muffins under broil for 2-4 minutes. (This step is optional.)

4. Lay out all the muffins on the counter. On each one, add a slice of bacon, an egg, and the cheese. Put the top on the muffin. Wrap in tin foil or saran wrap.

5. These can be stored in the fridge if you’re eating them within a couple days. Otherwise, freeze them.

6. To reheat (thawed) muffins, remove wrapping, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave on 50% heat for one minute.

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Lentil Salsa

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2 (19 oz) cans lentils
1 (10 oz) can corn
1 (pint) container cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
1 ½ cups feta
4-6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cumin
Juice of 2 lemons
5 Tbsp olive oil

  1. Drain the canned ingredients. (Rinse to reduce sodium.)
  2. Combine ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Serve with Tostitos.

This recipe was graciously shared with me by my cousins, Olivia and Scarlett.