Food Friday

This was a pretty good food week. We had shrimp pesto pasta salad (served cold), which was a nice warm weather meal. We had a leftover night and I got a little carried away and ended up making a veggie panini (yeah, Becca was surprised too). I used artichoke hearts, onions, shaved carrot, chopped olives, tomato, and shredded cheese (cheddar, provolone, swiss, and mozzerella) with dijon mustard. We also had turkey meatloaf with sweet potatoes. I decided to fix mine up like they do at Texas Roadhouse - marshmallows, caramel, and cinammon butter.
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The star of this week's menu was Chicken Tikka Masala. Masala = "mixture of spices" and for some reason, this dish has been hailed as "Britian's true national dish". I really never had Indian food until I stayed at my sister's last summer while I was interning in North Carolina. She made a few recipes, and this one I really loved. Here is a link to the recipe, but I'll also list it here with our modifications. NOTE: The recipe has too much salt! I suggest reading the comments and following some of their tips.
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Chicken Tikka Masala (4 servings)
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MARINADE:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala (can replace with another 1 tsp cumin)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 teaspoon salt (actually, eliminate this - there's still enough in the sauce)

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3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

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SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped (or more for more kick)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl or sealable bag, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

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Preheat a grill for high heat.

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Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

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Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on rice (Jasmine is good) and garnish with fresh cilantro.