Easy dinner recipes with a kick

A guest post by Melissa C, a writer for the BlogContentGuild

Some people think “easy” and “flavorful” are mutually exclusive, but that certainly isn’t the case. There are plenty of places to find easy dinner recipes, but what about those times when you’re feeling adventurous and — dare we say — a little bit spicy? Read on for two delicious (and easy!) recipes with a kick.


Crock pot curry

This recipe, inspired by Taste of Home, takes less than half an hour to prepare. Like most crock pot meals, it cooks long and slow with minimal supervision.

Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast halves
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- 3 sliced green onions (divided)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Cooked rice to serve over

Salt the chicken breasts and lightly brown it in a skillet. When browned, transfer the meat to the crock pot. Add the curry, cayenne, turmeric and coconut milk to the pot and stir. Add about half the onion, and then cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is tender.

After the chicken is cooked, mix together the cornstarch and water and add it to the pot. Turn the heat up to high and allow the sauce to thicken for about half an hour. Once the sauce is thick enough, spoon the mixture over rice and season with lime juice. Garnish the dish with the remaining onions and enjoy!


Mexican the mas rapido way

If Indian isn’t your thing, try out this taco recipe from Cooking Light to add some spice to your weekly dinner schedule.

Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into strips
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
-  1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (or more if you want it spicier)
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup chopped tomato
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 8 tortillas (flour or corn, whatever you prefer)

Season pork with salt and pepper and sauté it with olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When browned (about four minutes), remove the pork from the pan and set it aside. Sauté onion and jalapeno in the pan until tender, about five minutes. Add the broth and simmer for five minutes, then stir in the tomato and simmer for an additional two minutes. Add the pork back to the pan, along with the cilantro and lime juice. Cook for about a minute or until the pork is done.

Add the mixture to heated tortillas and enjoy! This dish is great with chips and salsa or a bean side dish.

Add these recipes to your repertoire for those days when the normal fare just won’t cut it.

Lemon-curry chicken

We love all different curry mixes.  This particular one, with only a small amount of cumin, may be a good way to introduce a reluctant curry-eater to the beast :-)  You can easily double or triple this recipe to do more chicken; as printed below, it's enough for 4 decent sized chicken thighs.

Lemon-Curry Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 T tomato paste
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 t cinnamon
2 t coriander
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t salt

Put the chicken into a zip-loc bag along with the sauce ingredients and mix it around until the thighs are fully coated.  Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove and sear each side of the chicken in a little oil.  Place the skillet into an oven heated to 350 and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes.    

Spicy noodles

So easy, so tasty, not particularly healthy though ;-)  For a once in awhile treat, these noodles are great.  It's also really easy to make a much larger batch and serve them as a side dish for a crowd.

Spicy Noodles

8 oz spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine

1/2 c natural peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t crushed red pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 c dry roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely
5-6 scallions, chopped

Start the pasta water and break the pasta in half before boiling.  Drain and rinse.  For the sauce, whisk the peanut butter through the garlic together in a small bowl and add to the pasta.  Add a handful of the chopped peanuts to the mixture and combine.  Garnish the top with the rest of the peanuts and the scallions.

Chick pea curry with tofu

Since Mike isn't a huge fan of tofu, we don't have it all that often.  However, as long as it's soaked up some good flavor first, like in this curry dish, he doesn't complain at all!  Serve it over nutty good Basmati rice.

Chick pea Curry with Tofu


Canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 t cumin seed
1 t coriander
1/2 t turmeric
Pinch of black pepper and cayenne pepper
1 cake of firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 c cooked chick peas
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
Chopped fresh spinach
Salt

Basmati rice

Start the rice.  In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic till soft.  Stir in the spices and tofu and cook for a few minutes.  Add the chick peas and tomatoes and heat through.  Wilt some spinach into the dish and serve over rice.

Another lentil stew

Oh this is soooo good.  If you like figs and spice, and we really like figs and spice in our house.  I made a batch of the Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Fig Stew exactly as instructed by the Hannaford recipe.  I ended up adding more water than they called for (you can also use stock instead), and I left out the optional cilantro as we are just not huge fans.  But oh my...we are definitely fans of this stew.  I made a second batch - a double batch actually - to share at a potluck later in the week.  We didn't bring much of it home.

Lentil vegetable stew

This is an incredibly versatile (and tasty) lentil concoction!  You can serve it plain as a stew, you can serve it over Basmati rice, or you can add more vegetable stock and some spinach and make it into a soup.  You can add a dollop of yogurt and make it creamy, either with or without the spinach.

No matter what, it's just darned good stew!


Lentil Vegetable Stew

Vegetable oil
Large onion, chopped
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1-1/2 t garam masalah (my favorite mix)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
4 c water
2 c green lentils, rinsed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 c vegetable broth
Salt
Options: additional broth, fresh spinach, a dollop of yogurt, Basmati rice. 

Prepare rice if you are going to serve the stew over it.  In a large sauce pot or dutch oven, cook the onion in oil until soft and lightly browned.  Stir in the spices and garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the water through the salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and  cover, simmering until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.

Serve as is, or serve over rice.  Add spinach if desired, additional broth to make a soup, and top with yogurt if desired.

Dhansak sauce

Dhansak sauce is a savory Indian sauce that you can toss over cooked vegetables and rice to really spice it up!

Dhansak Sauce

Vegetable oil or clarified butter
1/2 t cumin seeds, ground
1/2 t fennel seeds, ground
1/2 t cardamom seeds, ground
1/2 t chili powder
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t cinnamon
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 t fresh ginger, chopped
1 t brown sugar
4 T tomato juice
2 T dried onion flakes
1/2 c garbanzo beans, mashed in their own liquid
3 T hummus
1/4 c spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 t garam masalah (my favorite)
Salt
Lemon wedges for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Stir fry all the spices with the garlic and ginger for about a minute.  Add the sugar, tomato juice, onion flakes, beans, and hummus and mix well.  Add a bit of water if needed and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Add spinach, garam masalah, and salt and simmer a few more minutes.  Mix sauce with rice and cooked vegetables and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Sag gosht stew (spinach and beef)

This stew can be made in a dutch oven on the stove top, or it can be started in a skillet and finished in your crock pot if you need to simmer the beef a really long time.  As long as I'm home, I like the dutch oven method, but it's nice to have alternatives!  Make this dish with less water and serve it over basmati rice.  Made as a stew, I like to have it with Naan. 

Sag Gosht Stew

Vegetable oil
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t fennel seeds
1 t ground cardamom
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t fresh ginger, minced
1 T your favorite curry powder or paste
Water
1 lb stew beef, cut into small cubes
6 scallions, chopped leaves and bulbs
4 to 5 c vegetable stock (less if you want to serve it over rice)
1 T tomato paste
1 T ketchup
Bunch of spinach or beet greens, chopped
1 t dried mint
1/2 t vinegar
1 T garam masalah (my favorite)
Salt

Grind the seeds and stir fry through the bay leaves briefly.  Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute.  Add the curry powder or paste and add a bit of water to loosen the browned bits.  Add the meat and scallions and brown lightly.  Add more water to allow them to simmer for about 5 minutes without sticking.  Add the stock, tomato paste, and ketchup and allow to continue simmering (adding water as needed) until beef is very tender, an hour or more, or transfer to crock pot and simmer that way.  Before serving, add the greens, mint, vinegar, and garam masalah.  Salt as needed and serve over rice (thicker version) or with naan bread (stew version).

Braised chicken tikka

We have a favorite method of preparing Chicken Tikka for the grill or the oven, and now I've found a delicious way to braise it!  The results are almost like a stew.  If you wanted to thin it a bit more, it would be excellent served over rice, but we decided to just spoon it into a bowl and enjoy it with Naan. 

Braised Chicken Tikka

Garam masalah
A dash of tumeric
Salt
Flour
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into tenders
Canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, minced
28 oz can of plum tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 c half and half

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with a mixture of garam masalah, salt, and tumeric, and roll in the flour.  In a dutch oven, brown the chicken in oil for a few minutes and remove to a plate.  Add more oil and cook the garlic, onion, and ginger until they begin to brown.  Add a few teaspoons of garam masalah and a dash of tumeric, and stir for about 1 minute.  Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of flour and stir to coat.  Add the tomatoes and liquid, breaking up the tomatoes as they simmer.  Cook while stirring for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the half and half and add the chicken.  Cook while stirring for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve in a bowl over rice or with naan.       



  

Punjabi masalah lamb stew

I've shared the recipe for Punjabi Masalah Lamb before, but this is a variation.  Instead of fresh tomato, I used a can of diced tomatoes, and added a can of black eyed peas, some carrots, and more liquid.  We had it served like a stew over some basmati rice. 

Turkey rogan josh

We had rogan josh awhile back, substituting pre-cooked turkey for the lamb.  It was delicious.  I don't know how my Indian friends would feel about it, but there weren't any leftovers at our table!

Since the turkey was already cooked, I followed our usual recipe for rogan josh but added the turkey and some additional vegetables (orange bell peppers and green beans) at the same time as the onions, garlic, and ginger.  We served it on a bed of baby spinach and had rice on the side.  It took right around thirty minutes to put the meal together.

Vegetables in korma sauce

We went vegetarian last night, using up all of the wonderful vegetables that we're still able to get fresh here in New England.  I made a korma sauce to simmer the vegetables in...it was delicious!  Instead of rice, we boiled up some orzo pasta to make this a 30 minute meal.  I think next time we'll stick with rice, but it was an interesting change.  

Our favorite Indian recipes

Let's start with a look at Indian spices and how they're used, and then move on to our all-time favorite dishes.  Some of these I've had to simplify since I don't always have access to all of the ingredients (or time) that I might like.  And I also don't own a tandoor!

You'll be able to find this list linked in the sidebar, and I'll be adding to it from time to time.  Hope your family grows to love Indian food as much as we do!

Dahl

Black eyed peas dahl

Red lentil curry

Tandoori chicken without the tandoor

Naan


Rogan josh


Chicken tikka


Mint chutney


Lamb and lentil stew


Diwali rice pudding


Ceylonese sauce for vegetables and rice


Punjabi masalah lamb


Curried carrot soup


Spicy chickpeas


Vegetable vindaloo


Pineapple chutney


Sweet potato soup


Korma sauce

Cherry tomato chutney

Panini with leftover chicken tikka

Italian combinations are not the only possible ingredients for panini. These tasty grilled (or oven-heated) sandwiches are also a wonderful way to use up leftover Indian meats and curries. Whenever I make chicken tikka, for example, I always make extra so that we can have some panini a few days later.

Here’s what I like to do with the chicken tikka. You can use plain pre-cooked chicken and just add Indian spices to the sauce if want. Leave the chicken out, or substitute tofu if you’d like a vegetarian meal. These hearty sandwiches can be ready in under thirty minutes.

Panini with Chicken Tikka

Crusty bread slices or rolls, toasted
Shredded chicken tikka (or plain chicken seasoned spices from chicken tikka recipe)
Yogurt
Crushed tomatoes, fresh or canned
Chickpeas
Olive oil
Garlic, cumin, cayenne, salt, and allspice

Mix the shredded chicken with the yogurt and some cayenne pepper. Mash or process most of the chickpeas until roughly chopped. Stir in the rest of the chickpeas, some olive oil to moisten, and season with the spices listed.

Spread a layer of the chickpea mixture on each sandwich, top with the chicken mixture, and roll in foil to grill or heat in the oven. About 10 minutes at 350 does it.

Cherry tomato chutney

This is an excellent accompaniment for chicken or fish! Spicy sweet, and pretty to look at. Grape tomatoes are fine to use instead of cherry tomatoes if you'd prefer.

Cherry Tomato Chutney
Olive oil
Shallot, chopped
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 t cardamom
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t coriander
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 T lime juice
Salt and pepper

Heat oil and cook the shallot until soft. Add the tomatoes ad the spices and simmer for a few minutes until tomatoes soften. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve cool or room temperature.

Korma sauce

Korma sauce is a lovely Indian curry, but very very mild. If your family likes the idea of curry, but some recipes are just too strongly flavored, try this one! I like to use the sauce to smother vegetables and rice, but you can use it on mild-flavored fish or chicken as well. Usually when I make korma sauce, it’s a vegetarian night for us :-) The recipe below makes enough to thoroughly smother rice and veggies for four.

Korma Sauce

3 T ghee or canola oil
1-1/2 t cumin seeds
1 t fennel seeds
1/2 t cardamom seeds
Cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t fresh ginger, minced
Onion, chopped
1/4 c water

3/4 c cream (or evaporated milk, or a combination)
1/2 c coconut milk

1 - 2 t garam masalah (prepared, or my favorite mix)
Salt

Optional garnishes:
Toasted almonds
Cilantro

Stir fry the seeds and spices until fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and stir fry for until soft but not brown. Add the water and heat to boiling. Lower the heat and add the cream and coconut milk. Heat thoroughly. Just before serving, stir in the garam masalah and the salt. Serve over rice with cooked vegetables, garnishing with almonds and cilantro if desired.

Sweet potato soup…lightly curried

Ok, it’s a stretch to claim that this is Indian food, because I made it up as a way to use up some leftover sweet potatoes. But I used my own spice mix instead of “curry powder,” so I feel somewhat justified in claiming Indian inspiration :-)

Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth if you’d like, and you’ve got a great vegetarian meal! Serve with some good crusty bread, and it’s a filling meal too. This is easily a thirty minute meal as long as you are using pre-cooked sweet potatoes. Whenever I make them, I throw in some extras to make soup.

Lightly Curried Sweet Potato Soup

2 T canola oil
2 t curry powder or spice mix
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 - 4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and mashed
4 - 5 c chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and milk, in whatever proportion you want
1 T lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Cook oil and curry powder in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add celery and onion; toss to coat in oil and spices. Stirring frequently, cook for about 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk (if using), lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Pineapple chutney

We served this at Thanksgiving this past year, and it went great with the turkey and fixings! I think it’s getting added to our permanent list of holiday magic recipes. It’s also tasty served with any other poultry dish. We do a lot of crock pot chickens in the cold months, right into the early spring, and this chutney dresses the plain dish up beautifully!

Pineapple Chutney

1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped fine

2 t canola oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1/2 t cloves
1 t red pepper flakes
1/2 c dried cranberries
Cornstarch (optional, may not be needed)
1/3 c fresh mint leaves, chopped
Chop the fresh pineapple, and collect 2 to 3 cups of fruit. Save the rest for another use. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion until very brown. Stir in the spices and heat through. Add the cranberries and pineapple, and cook until fruit is softened. Add a bit of cornstarch if needed. Remove from heat and stir in mint.

Vegetable vindaloo

Delicious delicious vindaloo sauce! The spicy tomato sauce described below can be used with chicken, pork, and lamb as well as with vegetables. We particularly love it with just vegetables, though, and as one of our vegetarian meals for the week, we don’t even miss the meat!If you do decide to add meat to the dish, you can add a cinnamon stick :-)

If you’ve done once a week food preparation, this meal will go together really quickly, but it needs to simmer for a long time in a crock pot to be its best. It’s a great make-ahead meal. Put everything together in the morning, and walk into a house filled to the brim with good smells in the evening!

Raw veggies mixed with sauce

Vegetable Vindaloo

2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 T fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 t brown sugar
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 t cayenne
1 T white vinegar
6 oz can tomato paste
1-1/2 c water

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Head of cauliflower, any variety, chopped
15 oz can of kidney beans, drained
Salt and pepper
1/2 c fresh or frozen peas, thawed

Place the garlic through the water into a bowl and beat together to make the sauce. Place the onion through the kidney beans into the crock pot, pour the sauce over, and stir to coat. Simmer on low for at least 4 hours (more is fine). Add salt and pepper if desired, and stir peas into the mixture just before serving. Serve over basmati rice.

Spicy chickpeas

Spicy chickpeas, also known as Kabuli Chole in Indian cuisine, are a wonderful side dish for a meal that needs some spice, or can be mixed into a green salad, or even pureed to make Indian “hummus.” We love these things!

You can start with dried chickpeas, soak and boil them up if you’d like, but I usually use the canned ones.

Spicy Chickpeas
(Kabuli Chole)

2 19 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 t cumin seeds
1 large red pepper, chopped

Vegetable oil
1 T fresh ginger, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 - 4 jalapenos, chopped

1 t garam masalah
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges

Mix the chickpeas, cumin seeds, and red peppers together in a bowl. Saute the ginger, onions, and hot peppers until they are soft. Add them to the chickpeas, along with the garam masalah, salt, and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.