TRADER JOES: CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA: NOM

$3.49

I have been meaning to try Trader Joe's frozen Indian food for a while and I finally pulled the trigger and purchased their Chicken Tikka Masala. I saw pretty good reviews online and decided to try it out myself. Of course like most microwavable meals the food is much bigger on the box than it is inside. You only get about three pieces of meat inside and the portion of rice is pretty small. What's great about this meal is that it's fast! Like any microwavble meal. Quick and Easy! What I didn't like about it was the fact that it is pretty bland. Indian food is suppose to be pretty flavorful but this pretty much tasted like air. One the box it says "Authentic Indian Recipe"I would really beg to differ. : /

GIRLS NIGHT IN: THAI CURRY FISH RECIPE

Over the weekend my friends and I decided to have a girls night in and cook up a meal. Sometimes these nights are just needed plus it was pouring outside in NYC so it was the perfect night to stay in. I came across this recipe for Thai Curry Fish. I'm a big fan of Thai food and never tried making it before. This meal was very quick and easy to make. It took no longer than 30 minutes to make!

•  INGREDIENTS:
• 3-4 fillets of fresh or frozen fish - any type
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 table spoons of brown sugar
• 1 to 2 table spoons of fish sauce
• 1 table spoon of salt
• 2 table spoons of red curry paste
• 1 table spoon of vegetable oil
• Freshly cooked rice
• Half a bag of spinach (optional)

We took a trip to the supermarket to pick up a pound of cat fish. You can use any type of fillet fish of your liking.

 Add fish, spinach, and red pepper. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes

Place fish and curry sauce on top of a bowl of white rice and voila! NOM NOM NOM. Hope you guys enjoy this meal as much as we did.

QUICK AND EASY: BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Anyone who knows me knows I have an intense love affair with bacon. I'm convinced everything takes better when bacon is added to it. I was having a friend over to watch the Real World/ Road Rules challenged ( yes I still watch that) and decided to make a nice appetizer for us to munch on during our little viewing session. I came across this simple and easy recipe for bacon wrapped asparagus. It was not only quick to make but also very cheap! I cooked them in an oven but you can also place them on a grill. This would also be a great treat to make during a BBQ. You need skewers to wrap the asparagus and bacon in, so just always remember to soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before placing them on a grill. A three alarm fire really kills any BBQ. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did. NOM NOM NOM : )

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium asparagus
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 pound hickory smoked bacon (do not use thick cut)

Directions

Special Equipment: Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes. 

Preheat your over at 300 degrees

Trim the asparagus of the woody ends. Place on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Wrap bacon slices around each asparagus spear. Skewer both ends of asparagus on each side to secure the bacon. Add 3 to 4 asparagus to each skewer.

Heat until the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crisp about 15 minutes; halfway through the grilling flip the asparagus. Transfer to a platter, remove the skewers and serve. NOM NOM AWAY!

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons  olive oil 

1/2 cup diced onions 

 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 

1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves 

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 of parsley 
•   Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry
• STUFFING
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of parsley 
• Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry

First place one head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water. Make sure you remove the core prior. The cabbage leaves will slowly start to get soft and become easy to peel off the cabbage.

In a big mixing bowl place all of the stuffing ingredients and mix. Cabbage rolls are usually made with tomato sauce but I used Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry. I used the brand Szechuan.

Make sure the cabbage is tender and then begin to place the stuffing mix into the cabbage leaf. Fold the top of the leaf down over the stuffing, fold the sides of the cabbage leaves toward the center and roll up to enclose the filling.

Pour some of the marinade sauce over the cabbage rolls before placing in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The rice and meat will cook inside the cabbage.

....then VOILA! NOM NOM NOM

PANCHOS: NOM NOM

I recently went out for Mexico at a spot called Pancho's in Teaneck NJ. It's a favorite of my friend who lives in the area. It has a cute atmosphere, pretty good service and they sell a drink that comes in a pineapple. What more can you ask for right? I'm usually not a salad person unless it is filled with a ton of things that aren't healthy for you at all. I got the Mexican salad which was pretty tasty. Could have been a bit bigger but it did the job.

SPAGHETTI W/ GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL

I was reading People Magazine on my way home from work and came across this recipe for Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. Apparently this is Rihanna favorite meal to get at the Beverly Hills restaurant Scarpetta.


INGREDIENTS:
1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound of spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, thinly slices
A pinch of red pepper flakes
2 table spoons of chopped fresh parsley


Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is aldente.

 As the pasta cooks heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes. continue sauteing until the edges of the garlic just begin to brown, about 2 more minutes. Add the reserve cup of pasta water and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir for 5 minutes.

 Turn heat down to medium-low and add the drained pasta with the oil, parsley and garlic mixture.  Toss until the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid, about 3 minutes

QUESADILLA CASSEROLE: NOM NOM NOM

I  CAME ACROSS THIS RECIPE FOR A QUESADILLA CASSEROLE WHILE I WAS BROWSING THE WEB FOR NEW RECIPES .  I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING QUICK AND TASTY AND THIS DID THE TRICK. THIS MEAL IS ALSO VERY CHEAP TO MAKE WHICH IS ALWAYS A PLUS.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Pound of ground beef
  One 29-ounce can black beans, drained, 1/2 cup 
• liquid reserved3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Five 10-inch flour tortillas
• 8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup store-bought enchilada sauce

                    In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and onions. Cook until beef is brown.

Once beef is brown add corn, parsley, and beans to skillet. I added red pepper flakes and salt to the mixture.

                                                     Add 1 cup of Enchilada sauce            

                                    

In a greased pan add a thin layer of the beef/bean mixture

Place two tortillas in the pan and add cheese on top. Continue to layer more of the mixture then two more tortillas and cheese.

Heat oven at 400 F. Once you are done layering place pan in oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the broiler for only 1 minute.

Feel free to serve with some left over enchilada sauce.