Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1 inch cubes

Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 piece minced ginger (1-inch long)
• 6 bamboo skewers

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (buy in Indian market)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream or Coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Soak bamboo skewers in water.

Thread chicken on skewers and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour (overnight is best).

For sauce, melt butter on medium heat. Add garlic& jalapeno; cook 1 minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala& salt. Stir in tomato sauce. Simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cream; simmer to thicken- about 5 minutes.

Discard marinade. Grill or broil chicken, turning occasionally, to cook through- about 8 minutes.
Remove chicken from skewers; add to sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice, naan or pita bread. Serves four.

496 calories in 1 serving, 30 g fat (17.5 g saturated)

Garlic Naan

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• butter
• garlic powder
• fresh or dried parsley

Directions

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the yogurt till the dough is too stiff for a spoon, then knead it in the bowl till it holds together well, adding more flour if necessary. Turn it out on a floured surface and continue kneading for about 5 minutes till the dough feels smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, covered with a towel, to rest for an hour or longer.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle, either seasoned cast iron or a good non-stick finish. Heat your oven to about 500 and have the broiler on.

Take the dough out and cut it into 10 equal pieces. Form each into a ball and press the balls flat into round discs. Take 1 piece of dough at a time and roll it out on a floured surface till it is about 8-10 inches across and less than 1/4 inch thick. Lay it on the hot griddle and cook it over a medium heat, flip after 2-3 minutes. Bubbles should form and turn blackish-brown. Slide a spatula under the naan and transfer it to the oven, directly onto the rack, for a minute or two, just till it finishes puffing up into a balloon and begins to color lightly on top.

Remove naan from the oven and brush it lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley.

Continue this way with all the dough, stacking the breads into a napkin-lined basket. Serve hot, fresh from the oven.

To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil, in packets of 4 or 5 breads and put them in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

213 calories in 1, 1.2 g fat (0.6 saturated)

Baked Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets

Directions

In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Orange Juice Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 C sugar
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 C milk
• 3 C flour
• 1/2 C orange juice concentrate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix eggs, sugar, butter, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth. Add milk, flour and orange juice concentrate. stir until well combined.

Bake in a greased 9 1/2 x 11-inch pan for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

Frosting:

• 8 oz whipped topping, thawed
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 - 1 C powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp orange juice concentrate

Cream whipped topping and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and orange juice concentrate. Mix well and frost cooled cake. Garnish with orange peel shavings. Serves 12.

496 calories, 20.3 g fat (12.4 saturated), 0.9 g fiber

Tomato Cream Pasta

This is my husbands very favorite pasta (it's a Rachel Ray recipe).

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 C vodka (don't worry, you'll cook the alcohol out)
• 1 C chicken stock (for vegetarian option, use vegetable stock)
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes (32 oz)
• coarse salt and pepper to taste
• 16 oz pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat, drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 4.

632 calories in 1 serving, 10.7 g fat (3.7 saturated), 7.3 g dietary fiber

Leprechan Punch

Ingredients

• 2 liters pineapple juice
• 2 envelopes unsweetened lime Kool-Aid
• 1 liter lime sherbet
• 2 liters ginger ale or 7-Up soda

Directions
In large punch bowl combine pineapple juice and Kool-Aid. Stir. Add sherbet in scoops. Slowly add ginger ale or 7-Up. Let stand 15 minutes to froth.

Zucchini Fettuccine

This is what we ate on St. Patrick's day. My one regret is that I wish I would have used spinach fettuccine to get the dish a little more green.

Ingredients

• 1/4 C butter
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 C sliced mushrooms
• 2 C shredded zucchini
• 1 C chopped bacon
• 1 C fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley to garnish

Boil 1 lb of fettuccine noodles for 7-8 minutes, or until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet and saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Add and cook shredded zucchini until tender. Add, but do not bring to a boil, bacon, Parmesan cheese and whipping cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir noodles into the sauce mixture and garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 6.

379 calories, 31.8 g fat (16.3 saturated), 0.9 g fiber