Unfortunately, my tandor was in the shop...

...so, I had to make this delicious Tandori Chicken on my outdoor grill. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and actually pulled out the measuring spoons and followed it to a T (well, I cut it in half). So, I can't take credit for this one, but it was still tasty.

"Tandori" Chicken

1/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt
1/2 lemon--juiced
2 cloves garlic--minced
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger--grated
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
two sprinkles of cayenne pepper
2 chicken breasts, cut into large cubes

Mix all ingredients for marinade and add chicken. Let it sit in the fridge for 4-24 hours. Remove chicken pieces and thread 4-5 pieces each on skewers that have been soaking in water (soaking keeps the skewers from burning). Grill at med-high heat for 3-5 mins on each side.

I served mine with grilled zucchini and onions and aromatic basmati rice. Here are those recipes:

Grilled Zucchini Skewers

1 zucchini
1 small onion
olive oil
salt and pepper

Split zucchini in half then cut into 4-5 slices and cut an onion in quarters. Thread zucchini (longwise) and onion pieces alternately on skewers, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on med-high heat for 10 minutes, turning once or twice.

Aromatic Basmati Rice (Rice Cooker)

Rinse two rice cooker sized cups of basmati rice and then soak them for about an hour. Fill the rice cooker with water just past the two cup fill line. Add:

1 sprinkle of allspice
1 sprinkle of cinnamon
2-3 sprinkles of cumin
a quarter of an onion, peeled and left whole
1 bay leaf

Turn the rice cooker to cook. When finished remove the bay leaf and onion and fluff with a fork. It's that easy. I seriously heart my rice cooker.




PS, I remembered to take a picture this time..of my husband's half finished plate. Hmph...I'll make it to Pinterest someday.

Traditional Chicken Enchiladas--kind of

Growing up, my definition of chicken enchiladas was a soggy flour tortilla filled with boiled chicken and smothered with canned cream soup, sour cream, and colby jack cheese. While this concoction is admittedly delicious, it is, I'm sure, quite the offense to real Mexican food. Over the past four years, I've tried and tried to make a good red sauce and corn tortilla enchilada, but it has always been too spicy, too tomatoey, too soggy, or too corny, until tonight's batch. Even my increasingly picky 15 month old devoured it. This recipe is definitely worthy of living forever on the Interwebs. *remember: all of my measurements are estimates*

1/2 medium onion--diced
1/2 green pepper--diced
2 garlic cloves
1 chipotle in adobo--diced
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup-1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
 salt and pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts
8 white corn tortillas
1 cup mozzerella cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. sour cream

1. Saute onion and pepper in olive oil on medium heat until soft. Add Garlic and chipotle; saute for one minute. Add tomato sauce, water, sugar, spices, and chicken breasts (I cut each breast into fourths so they would cook faster).
2. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer (Thanks to my girl Anne Burrell, I'm starting to understand this concept so my herbs don't burn, unfortunately it is extremely difficult to achieve a slow simmer on my crappy stove.) Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove chicken, shred it, and add back to sauce.
4. Strain the sauce and put the chicken and onions in one bowl and set the sauce aside for later. This would be a good time to preheat the oven to 425.
5. Add the mozzarella cheese to the chicken (I know what you're thinking: Mozzarella cheese has no place in Mexican food. But quite frankly, neither does cheddar cheese but try telling your neighborhood Mexican joint that. This is something I've never used before, and I think it may have made all the difference. It added a really nice salty, rich flavor.)
6. Wrap the tortillas in paper towels and microwave for 40-60 seconds so they won't crack when you roll them. Fill the tortillas with the chicken mixture and place them seam side down in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Spray the naked enchiladas with cooking spray or brush them with oil and cook for 7 minutes. This helps the tortillas avoid a soggy fate.
8. Whisk sour cream into the sauce. Cover enchiladas with the sauce, then sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 3-5 minutes or until very bubbly.