chicken biryani
{or what we call “indian jumbalaya”}

 

ingredients

 

2 tsp canola oil

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1in pieces

1 cup chopped onion 

1- 1 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced {if you are a wuss about heat, go with 1 and seed it.}

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup uncooked basmati or brown rice

1/3 cup golden raisins {we used regular}

1 can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup sliced almonds

4 lime wedges {or juice}

1 cup chopped cilantro

what to do

heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. add chicken to pan, saute for a few minutes, then add the chopped onion and jalapeno, and saute until softened {a few mintues}. then add the ginger, garam masala, cumin, salt, and garlic, and saute less than a minute. add tomato, rice, raisins, and broth. then bring to a boil. reduce heat to simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes {until rice is cooked}, stir in cilantro. sprinkle a hint of lime or serve with lime wedges.

notes: i used 2 jalapenos and found it very hot, so we added paprika to soften it up, and for color because we used basmati rice. brown rice is definitely the way to go for color and girth-ness.

cucumber salad

combine
1/2 cup low fat plain {or greek} yogurt with
1 tbs chopped green onion
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsps dill
1/8 tsp salt
dash red pepper
and thinly sliced cucumber
{and tomato wedges if you want}.

notes: i sort of added and changed and went by taste on this one. change it up till you like it. hard to mess up. also, it tastes better after it sits for about 30 minutes. make ahead and refrigerate and you’ll really like the flavors going on in there…