Quinoa with Chicken, Almonds, and Squash

As I promised in my previous post, I am sharing the other recipe with you. Actually this is a dish I have made before when I still was in Lebanon and I found myself craving it a couple of weeks ago. Yeah it is this good! On the first time making it, I replaced the butternut squash with potatoes since I had none. This time, we forgot to pick up some couscous from the store, so we had to find an alternative. After consulting with Clint for a few minutes he suggested quinoa. I had bulgur or rice in mind, but I thought it could be a great opportunity for me to try quinoa, on all levels. I have never tasted it before, so you can tell I never cooked it either. So quinoa it was.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Mango and Habanero Chicken Sausage

I have been cooking more than usual, but I have not been taking photos as much. Some of the things I made were recipes I found online and appealed to me to try. I have taken pictures of some and left some out.  I am going to share a couple of them with you, these are the only ones I have pictures of.

My Mom’s Moghrabieh

Since I have posted an info page about Moghrabieh, I noticed that it arose a lot of interest. And since then I have been meaning to post a recipe, but you know my story with taking recipes from my mom.  And I wanted her recipe in particular, because Moghrabieh comes out perfect with her.

Pizza from Scratch (Chicken-Garlic and Pepperoni-Pineapple)

Pizza is probably one of the most consumed dishes of all here in the USA. This is probably because it is relatively cheap and there are such a variety of ways to prepare it that there is bound to be a combination of crust, sauce, and topping selections to please nearly anyone. There are thin, crispy crusts for those who enjoy a New York style pie; thicker, doughier crusts for those who like the West Coast style; and even the infamous Chicago style with another layer of crust on top of the entire pie. Sauces range from pesto to ranch to creamy-garlic to marinara, while the list of possible toppings are too many to list here.

Mandarin Quinoa Stir Fry – An Intercontinental Fusion

Although I like great tasting food as much as the next guy, I do tend to pay attention to my health and diet. All of those college biology courses might be to blame, but I I have also had an innate interest in health since I was just a little tike. Recently I have been on a workout routine that requires me to have a large amount of good quality protein in my diet. As I don’t want to overload myself with too much saturated fat, I began considering adding some plant sources to meet my protein needs and lo and behold I came across Quinoa.

Chicken Tikka Masala Dinner Party

This post has taken me a while to write, my sincere apologies. It has been a mixture of laziness and been overwhelmed in work and life in general. So, I have actually completed the challenge a few weeks ago, but only managed to get to the writing bit now…

Chicken Tikka Masala for Family Lunch

My brother and his family and my sister and hers were invited to lunch on Sunday; it seemed like a great opportunity for me to make the challenge.

I had to triple the recipe, because we were eight people to eat.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

I got a chance to make the chicken tikka masala recipe the other day for my family and so jumped on the opportunity. I made the dish with no changes from the challenge recipe as this was my first time making it. The flavor was very similar to the one served in the local Indian restaurant here I love so much and surprisingly it was not that difficult to make!

Challenge 12: Chicken Tikka Masala

Hello fans and fellow Taste Buds! I have really been anticipating my attempt at making this dish since the birth of our blog. My first time trying this spicy treat was actually just a few years ago at an Indian restaurant called the Punjabi Dhaba in a small town near my home. The chicken tikka masala I had there was so impressionable on me that immediately upon trying it I had made up my mind that it was among my all time favorite dishes! I hope some of you will have an equally enjoyable experience with this.

The origin of chicken tikka masala is disputed with some believing it came from the Punjab region of India, while others claim it was the creation of a chef in an Indian restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland several decades years ago. Its similarity to butter chicken gives rise to some of the ambiguity of its beginnings. Tikka literally means “small chunks” and masala is a “mixture of spices.” The chicken goes well with this curry masala, but I have had it with lamb tikka as well with similarly delectable results. I have also heard of other versions made with tofu and paneer (an Indian cheese), but I have not had a chance to try those for myself.

Finding the Passion…

I haven’t written for the blog in a long time, or managed to do the challenge. I have finally mustered up the courage to write an entry.

I still haven’t done the challenge, and here is why.