my new favourite meal in minutes – butter chickpeas (or butter chicken)

This is my new favourite meal in minutes. I read about it on Stone Soup - you can find her recipe here. Mine is only slightly different because it would be hard to make this recipe any easier. My kids will eat butter chicken without any complaint – probably because it is such a mild curry. I used to buy the canned simmering sauce to make it but this is even more inexpensive and just as fast and easy since I have the spices around anyway. Instead of using a can of whole tomatoes, as she did in her version, I used passata (strained tomatoes). It’s easy enough to make it spicier by adding more chilli powder or flakes, but I keep it mild so the kids won’t complain.

To get it on the table quickly, I start some basmati rice in the rice cooker right away and let it cook while I assemble the rest. And if, like me, you find you used up the last of the basmati rice, nobody will complain if you make it with regular long grain rice.

It’s a bit of a cheat on the original slow simmered butter chicken, but it works. It’s also very good with some frozen peas or some chopped spinach added in just before the cream. I freeze leftovers to take to work for lunches as well.

Butter Chickpeas (or Chicken)

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp garam marsala
• 1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes (I used 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp chilli powder)
• 1 can chickpeas (~ 2 cups), drained or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
• 1 jar strained tomatoes (passata) (400g / 14oz)
• 2 – 3 tablespoons cream

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add spices and cook on medium high heat for about 30 seconds.

2. Add drained chickpeas (or cooked chicken) and cook for another minute or so.

3. Add tomatoes and bring to a fast simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sauce has reduced to desired thickness.

5. Stir in the cream. Taste and season.

Linked to Gastronomical Sovereignty, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday

a ginger syrup recipe for homemade gingerale

I grew up drinking gingerale whenever we had a sore throat or a cold – or just as a treat. We’ve been going through a lot of gingerale here this winter due to constantly passing the same colds back and forth within the family. And living outside of town, it’s not always convenient to just run to the store when one of the kids complains of a sore throat.

I thought I would try to make some myself, thinking that it would be something at least slightly better for us than store bought pop with the extra ingredients. Gingerale is probably one of the better (if there is such a thing) of the pops for having a short list of ingredients, but it turns out that you can make that list even shorter by making it at home. And it’s easy.

Ginger is supposed to be good for sore throats, digestive problems and nausea. I think it makes a good treat with some popcorn on a Saturday night. Both of the kids agreed that this tastes just like store bought gingerale.

Now that I have made it and have seen how easy it is to make, I will keep a steady supply of ginger in the freezer (I just recently learned that you can freeze ginger root) and some ready made ginger syrup (in ice cube form) in the freezer as well – just to have both on hand.

Ginger Syrup

• ~6 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• juice of one lemon (~2 tbsp)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar

Place everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour or until ginger flavour is very strong. Cool, strain through a seive and store in a covered container in the fridge. It should keep for a week or two.

To make a glass of gingerale, add one to two tablespoons of syrup to a glass of club soda.

It will last for one to two weeks if stored in the fridge.

Linked to Frugally Sustainable, GNOWFGLINS

it’s a good day for hibernating.. and making bacon & cheddar muffins

That amount of snow right after Groundhog Day just seems excessive, doesn’t it? It’s definitely a good day to be a cat. Right in front of the fire is prime real estate today.

The tall kid is at her Aunt and Uncle’s place and the dad has gone off to a Super Bowl party in Toronto. That just leaves me, the animals and the small squeaky kid. I made us some bacon and cheddar muffins for a lunch treat – they were a bit of an experiment and turned out quite well. They taste good while still warm and I’m counting on the kids liking them cold in their lunchpails tomorrow.

These are easy and quick to make if you keep some chopped and cooked bacon ready in the freezer. We always have some available – it makes assembling pastas, salads and muffins like these a cinch, rather than a long and splattery process.

Bacon and Cheddar Muffins

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (~6 strips)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried chives (or use 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs

To brush on top of finished muffins:

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Whisk together the dry ingredients; stir in bacon and cheddar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil, maple syrup, sour cream and eggs; pour over dry ingredients. Stir together just until moistened.

Spoon into well-greased muffin cups. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch and muffins are golden. Brush tops of muffins with the melted butter and maple syrup mixture.

Allow to cool for a few minutes, remove from muffin tin and serve warm. They will store well in fridge or freezer, just reheat to serve.

Makes 12 large muffins.

Linked to Wildcrafting Wednesday