I have always enjoyed coleslaw.  It is especially refreshing alongside the heavy, meat–laden barbecue meals that are so popular here in Texas.  I created this recipe years ago in an effort to convert the coleslaw haters.  If you a a cilantro hater then I just don’t know how to help you.  But if it’s the cabbage that just doesn’t quite turn you on, I have the solution here.  This salad is gorgeous when you take the time to shred red and green cabbage with a chef’s knife but is just as tasty with pre-chopped coleslaw mix.  Creamy, crunchy, sweet and spicy, if you’re the type to pluck a cilantro leaf from the bunch and chew it while absentmindly chopping then this is the coleslaw recipe for you.   Click here for the recipe »

Indian food took a long time to grow on me.  It wasn’t until I had a break through with Ryan’s Chicken Tikka Masala that I started to really like it.  Now, I crave the bold spices and thick sauces.  This chicken vindaloo is just that, spicy but not hot, with just enough meat and vegetables, and lot and lots of thick, flavorful sauce for soaking up with rice or bread.  Cooked low and slow in the crock pot, this dish has no cream or extra fat and so is thankfully low-calorie.  Which means you can have an extra piece of garlic naan-an Indian flat bread, sort of like a pita-for spooning up the tomato sauce.

I added green beans to the sauce but you can omit them, or you can also add peas (which I would have if I had them), carrots, potatoes or any other vegetable you like in a curry.

Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo

• 2 cups fresh green beans
• 1 lb chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt (or salt to taste)
• fresh cilantro or parsley

1. Layer green beans, chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon stick in crock pot.
2. In a separate bowl, combine tomato sauce and all spices.  Stir to mix well.
3. Taste tomato sauce and salt as desired.  Pour sauce mixture into crock pot.
4. Cover crock pot and cook on low 5 hours.
5. Before serving roughly chop a bunch of fresh cilantro or parsley and toss gently into crock pot.
6. Garnish with more cilantro or parsley and serve with basmati rice and garlic naan.

If you want to cook this in the crock pot over a longer period (say 8 or 10 hours) I would use bone-in chicken and add a little water or chicken broth to the crock.  You shouldn’t need much.  The chicken and onions will make extra juices along with the tomato sauce but if you know that your crock pot tends to dry out then add some-you can always reduce the sauce a little before serving by turning to high and cooking with the lid off for 30 minutes or so.

You can use store bought flat breads to serve alongside this dish for a super easy meal, but using the crock pot to cook the chicken gives you ample time to make your naan from scratch if you want to.  If you don’t want garlic bread, just omit the minced garlic from the recipe, but the garlic naan is delicious-buttery and soft and garlicky.  Plan to reheat your extra naan in the oven or on the griddle, it gets gummy in the microwave.

Garlic Naan

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 1/2 cup bread flour or all purpose flour, approximately
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1. Combine warm water and yeast in a bowl and let stand until frothy.
2. Stir in sugar, salt, milk and egg until thoroughly combined.
3. Begin folding in flour 1 cup at a time until you have a workable ball of dough that isn’t too sticky.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
5. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with a damp cloth and set someplace warm to rise for 1 hour.
6. Once dough has risen, punch down and knead in minced garlic. Alternately you can leave out the garlic for regular naan.
7. Form dough into 8 balls. set out on an oiled cookie sheet to rise for 30 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth.
8. While dough is rising heat a grill pan, griddle, or heavy skillet to medium high heat.
9. Roll out one ball into a thin circle about the size of a pancake or the size you want your bread to be.
10. Brush the surface or the grill with oil and place the dough circle on the hot surface.
11. Cook several minutes or until brown, brush the uncooked side with melted butter and flip over to cook.
12. Brush the cooked side with butter and once browned underneath, remove to a plate and keep warm in a warm oven or under a dish towel.
13. Repeat with all dough balls: roll out, grill one side, brush with butter, flip, brush with butter, remove.
14. Serve warm, sprinkled with chopped parsley or cilantro if desired.

To me, this is Steak Stroganoff.  The Beef Stroganoff of my childhood is made with ground beef and has a bit of ketchup  and Worcestershire in the sauce.  However you make it it is a great comforting weeknight meal that can be elegant and impressive at the same time.  I used a little white wine to deglaze the pan here but you can use brandy or Marsala, or just a little extra beef broth.

Beef Stroganoff

• 1 lb top sirloin, trimmed of fat and sliced into thin strips
• 6 tbsp butter, divided
• 8 oz mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional, can use brandy, Marsala, etc)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp flour (if needed)
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 12 oz extra wide egg noodles, cooked

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add 1 tbsp of butter and as soon as it melts and before it starts to brown add half of steak slices.  Toss, then cook witout stirring for a minute or two or until well browned on one side.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Flip steak pieces over and brown the other side, about one minute.  Remove steak to a plate.
3. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the remaining steak. Reserve seared steak.
4. Repeat with 1 tbsp of butter and half of sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt and pepper.  Reserve to the plate with the steak.
5. Repeat with another table spoon of butter and remaining mushrooms.
6. Turn heat down to medium and the last 2 tbsp of butter.  Add onions and garlic and saute until soft.
7. Add white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits in the pan.  You can also use a small amount of beef broth if you don’t want to use alcohol.
8. Once wine has cooked off add sour cream and beef broth, stir and heat until smooth.
9. If the sauce seems too thin you can thicken it by removing a 1/4 cup of sauce and stirring in 1 tbsp of flour and adding it back in.
10. Add steak and mushrooms back into sauce. Stir and simmer until hot. Boiling the sauce heavily will result in the sour cream curdling but it isn’t so fragile that you can’t bring it to a nice simmer.
11. Taste and add salt and pepper.  Stir in chopped parsley.  Serve over egg noodles.

Serve with sweet peas and garlic bread for soaking up the creamy sauce.

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Before moving to Texas I had never heard of Migas.  As soon as I tried them I fell in love with the soft scrambled eggs, cheesy fried tortilla chips, spicy salsa, and bright cilantro all mixed together and served piping hot!  It is a great breakfast to have when you have stale tortilla chips or extra corn tortillas that are going to go to waste.  My mother-in-law first made migas for me with diced tomatoes but I use fresh salsa instead because we always have it on hand and I think it lends a spicier, brighter flavor.  If you don’t have access to fresh salsa at the grocery store (refrigerated in the produce section, not the jarred stuff)  you can make migas the morning after making a batch of this salsa or your favorite salsa.  You can also just use diced tomatoes or leftover pico de gallo.

Migas

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 cups corn tortilla chips or chopped corn tortillas
• 1 bunch green onions (green and white) or 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced (de-seed depending on how hot your salsa is!)
• 2 oz good melting cheese, shredded, like cheddar, Colby, Jack
• 1 cup mild fresh salsa
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

1. In a mixing bowl or large glass measuring cup combine eggs and milk, beat lightly with a fork.
2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
3. Fry tortillas in oil until crisp and starting to brown, add onion and jalapenos saute until soft. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Pour egg mixture into the pan with chips and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Stir eggs gently until soft-set. Sprinkle with cheese and stir to combine.
6. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add salsa.
7. Allow salsa to warm up in the center of the skillet for a minute before gently stirring into the egg mixture.
8. Taste, salt and pepper.  Turn off the heat and stir in fresh cilantro.
9. Serve immediately.