Tasty Tuesday

Happy New Year! I've been enjoying using some new kitchen toys that I got for a Christmas: a cast-iron dutch oven (love cast iron!) and a oil mister (my Pampered Chef one no longer misted, just trickled) from Ryan, and a lovely big green mixing bowl (I got to pitch my college-era ugly plastic one) from Mom and Dad. Ryan also got me a great cookbook: Family Feasts from $75 a Week. Everything I've tried has been yummy and easy to make.

My favorite Indian dish is Chana Masala. I tried making it once with a spice mix that I got at the Indian grocery store and it was a flop. I tried this recipe last week and it was a hit! The boys scarfed it down and were happy to have leftovers the next day. It was great with basmati rice and pretty quick to put together. A tip for fresh ginger is to store it in the freezer. It's super easy to grate that way.

Chana Masala

Ingredients

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained (or ones you’ve cooked yourself)

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juices

1 Tb. canola or olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves minced garlic

2 Tb. minced ginger

1 jalapeno or Thai chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 ts. paprika

2 ts. ground coriander

1 1/2 ts. garam masala

salt (at least 2 ts.)

juice of 1/2 lemon (or more to taste)

cooked rice

Directions

1. Saute onion in a large saucepan with oil until softening, about 5 minutes, then add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno for 5 minutes more.

2. Dump your sauteed mixture in a food processor with the tomatoes, and pulse until pureed.

3. Put tomato mixture back into your saucepan and add paprika, coriander, garam masala, chickpeas, lemon juice, and salt.

4. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, more if you can, adding water if it gets too thick.

5. It will be quite thick when you’re done, but you don’t want it to burn along the way. Add more salt or lemon juice if you want.

We love to eat gyros at our favorite Greek restaurant. I came across this recipe a month ago and really wanted to try it out. I finally got around to it on Saturday and it was just as good as the restaurant! I know it sounds a little weird to cook it in a crockpot, but try it!

Greek Gyros in Crockpot

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Hamburger
• 2 teaspoons Cavender's Greek Seasoning Up To 3 ***I made my own seasoning, see below***
• Toppings:
• 1 whole Tomato
• 1 whole Small Red Onion, Sliced Thin
• 1 head Lettuce
• Feta Cheese
• Yogurt sauce:
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• ½ whole Cucumbers
• 1 teaspoon Dried Dill Weed
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• ⅓ teaspoons Salt
• 8 whole Pita Bread

Preparation Instructions

First you need to make your meat. I prefer the crockpot but you can also do it like meatloaf.

For every 1 lb of hamburger you add 2 to 3 tsp. of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning.

If doing crockpot just shape to fit in bottom without touching sides. Cook for 4 to 5 hours on low. If doing in the oven, place on a pan for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 350 degrees.

Next you need to chop….. Tomatoes, lettuce, onions (preferably purple), feta cheese

Then you need to make some sauce…

Homemade Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cucumber finely shredded (the finer the better)
1 tsp. dill weed (dry) 1 Tbsp. dill weed fresh
2 tsp. Sugar
1 clove garlic pressed
1/3 tsp. salt

Mix all together and serve with gyros.

I didn't have Greek Seasoning and figured I probably had all the ingredients to make my own in the pantry (which I did).

Greek Seasoning

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Store in an airtight container.
3. Serve with red meat, pork, poultry, or fish.
4. Yield: 1/4 cup.

And of course you need pita bread for the gyros... This was easy to make and held up well for the gyros. I plan on making it again to have with homemade hummus!

Homemade Rustic Pita Bread

Ingredients

• 1-⅛ cup Warm Water
• 1-½ teaspoon White Sugar
• 1-½ teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil, Plus More For Coating Bowl

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl stir sugar into warm water. Sprinkle the active yeast over top and let it sit to proof for 10 minutes. Next, stir in flour, salt and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Knead until soft and barely sticky.

Coat a new bowl with olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a warm damp towel. Move to a warm place to rise and double in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, remove dough and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a 12 inch rope. Cut into eight pieces, starting in the center. Roll into balls and cover with a damp towel while rolling one dough ball at time into a circle approximately seven inches in diameter.

Place 1 to 2 pitas on a cooling rack or directly on your oven rack. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until puffed in center and golden around the edges. Remove and place under a damp towel to soften and cool.

Repeat with remaining pitas.

Once cool store in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a couple days or freeze up to two months or cut in half and fill! Enjoy!