Mango Lassi

Lassi is a traditional Indian drink made with yogurt, fruit, honey, milk and cardamom. I was first introduced to this incredibly addictive drink last week during dinner with a friend at my favorite local Indian restaurant, The Oven. We had just finished our dishes and were quite full, but when my friend mentioned this delicious drink that aids in digestion (much needed after such a rich meal!) and has great health benefits, I said YES that sounds great! The Oven had both mango and strawberry but they were out of mango for the evening so we had the strawberry and it was seriously one of the best things I have ever had. There was just the right amount of sweetness from the honey, tartness from the yogurt and smooth texture from the milk and strawberries. 

I knew I needed to recreate this drink and luckily, my friend lived in Singapore for 2 years and Lassi was a drink of choice over there. She had an awesome recipe she passed along. I have tweaked it a little bit and really like it absolutely no matter what I do to it.

Instead of feeling like I need chocolate or a dessert to finish my meal, I will usually just make a small Lassi and feel totally satisfied - and I know I am getting probiotics from yogurt, fruit and natural sugar from the honey. Bring on the Lassi!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped mango (I have used both fresh and frozen, but if you use frozen you don't need the ice)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon cardamom (I didn't have cardamom so I used cinnamon instead)

1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk or low-fat. I used low-fat)

1/2 cup ice cubes

Instructions:

1. Puree mango, honey, cardamom and a pinch of salt in a blender.

2. Add the yogurt and puree until smooth.

3. Add the milk and ice, puree until smooth and serve immediately

Enjoy!

Nom Nom Naan

A three day weekend. Oh it held so much promise. Starting with a fabulous staff holiday party complete with me winning a gift card for some delish food at the Embassy Suites hotel and some dancing at a new lounge downtown, but ending with a runny nose and phlemmy cough. Boo. After spending much of Sunday lounging on the couch watching movies and tv, I decided some comfort food would do just the trick to make me feel better. Well, along with my strict regimen of cold pills, allergy pills, humidifier refills, medicinal tea (No, Carrie, I am not drinking"pot-tea") I do believe some homemade Naan should do the trick.


Indian food is something that I find very comforting. It fills you up with this warm, savory and spicy feeling that can be washed down with a glass of red wine and a dollop of hummus on some naan. Naan is an Indian bread that somewhat resembles a pita and can be made to encompass any flavor you may choose. For my first attempt at homemade naan, I played it safe and only topped the bread with flavors. I used garlic powder, curry, cumin, butter and some pesto. Next time, I plan on incorporating raisins in some of my dough balls, adding pine nuts to the dough and maybe even trying a sweet naan with honey and cinnamon. 


Have you ever taken a bite of something and just closed your eyes and savored the texture, flavor, chewy goodness and warm feeling it brought to your senses? Well, good Lord, you need to and you can do it with this bread. This was seriously a very simple process and totally worth the outcome. Dip it in a little Olive Oil or hummus and share this starter with friends and family, they will be sure to thank you for the experience....and compliment you on your brilliance in the kitchen ;)
Enjoy, friends!


Ingredients:   Makes 8 loaves of Naan
2 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
1/2 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp oil

Instructions:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center of flour.
2. Combine milk and yogurt and pour half of it into the well and with your hands, slowly mix it together.
3. Add the rest of the liquid slowly and combine it all together slowly until a soft dough is made. The dough should be soft enough for you to be able to dig your finger into it without applying any pressure. If dough sticks to hand too much then use little bit of oil on hand and then punch into the dough.
4. Cover with damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least 2 hours. I pre-heated my oven to 175°, turned it off and then set the dough inside.

5. After a few hours, dust your working board, take out the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes. 
6. Divide the dough into smaller balls (in this case you should get about 8 balls to make naans).
7. Dust the board again and flatten the balls to make bread which is a little thick and elongated. Roll these balls out flatter than what you think may be necessary, they will puff up!
8. Sprinkle one side of the dough with whichever flavor you want.
9. Brush the other side with water.

Heat a thick bottom skillet or a wok or any heavy bottom pan with a lid. Once its nicely hot place the naan wet side down which would stick and cover it with a lid. I used a cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly.
Let it cook for about 30 secs or until you see bubbles on it. Flip the naan and cook it on the other side for a couple of minutes until you see a few charred brown spots, then you will know it's ready!

Indian Chicken

I consider myself fairly competent when it comes to simple mixing of flavors and spices and am comfortable enough in the kitchen to experiment with them. Well, I am not (yet) accustomed to cooking Indian curry dishes. I have tried my hand at a the mixing of the curry, cumin, yogurt, pine nuts, raisins and on and on. It never turns out quite right and although I am hungry by the time I finally finish that dang dish and eat the whole thing I know I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. As usual, Whole Foods has come to my rescue. I have found these simmering sauces by "Seeds of Change" that taste delicious, are not crazy expensive and add just the right flavor I have been trying to create. Although I do not plan on giving up on my Indian experiments, I am grateful for the quick fix found in a jar that helps me whip up just what I am craving. Until I find the perfect combo (I welcome any and all advice here) I will continue to use and love my Madras simmer sauce!

Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless chicken breasts
Frozen peas
White onions, sliced into rings and cut in fourths
Brown or white rice
Madras simmer sauce (I used about 6 oz from the 12oz jar)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:
1. Prepare rice whether it be instant or long cook
2. Sweat onions in EVOO in a pan on Medium High heat
3. Add the chicken to the onions and sautee until no longer pink (about 8 to 10 minutes). Cover with Madras simmer sauce.
4. Toss in the peas and cook together for another 7 to 10 minutes or until peas are fully cooked and sauce has mixed throughout all of the ingredients
5. Serve chicken with rice on the side or scoop it on top of the rice and eat it all together!

Enjoy this super easy and fast Indian meal!