Chicken Jalfrezi

I like to buy rotisserie chickens from time to time if I am short on time or if I just get a craving for it. This recipe uses some of the leftover chicken to create a tasty Indian dish called Chicken Jalfrezi.












I got this chicken at a warehouse store and it is one of my favorites. The seasonings are strong and all of the meat is juicy and well flavored.




Strip off about a cup of meat. The recipe says to cook the chicken first, but if you are using precooked just skip that step.

gather your other ingredients to have them ready to add.




coriander, which I just crush up using the bottom of a glass or the bottom of the spice jar.




crushed coriander




Chili Powder, turmeric root, and cumin. I always pre-measure my spices into my hand before adding but be warned the turmeric will stain you skin if you don't rinse it off rather quickly.




Grab some garlic paste, powder or fresh, just make sure you have it in there somehow, your taste buds will thank you.




get the ginger or ginger powder. I love fresh ginger and I have said before it is easy to store in your freezer and use as you need it.




I didn't have fresh green chiles but I always keep some of these canned guys around.




Now that we have everything gathered together we can cook. Get some shallots, or onion if you don't have shallots around. Dice them up and grab some oil.




Get them in the wok with the oil.




After about 5 minutes add in your garlic and ginger.




While the onions cook get your green pepper.




Give it a rough chop and get it in the wok with your onions after they have been cooking for a few minutes.





Now that they have been cooking its time to get the tomatoes, chiles, and spices in the wok as well.




Bring this to a boil.




Once it is boiling drop in your chicken and give it a stir. Let this cook for ten minutes for the flavors to combine.

While this cooks you can prepare some rice or noodles to put the chicken over.



I have become a huge fan of these Fresh and Easy rice bowls. You microwave them for 90 seconds and they are done! This is the perfect single serving size with just a little leftover for my dogs.




I also opened some wine to serve with this meal. Even if you are eating alone you can make it special with a nice glass of wine or a nice cloth napkin, you deserve it!








This was delicious and a different flavor than anything I have had before. It is not too spicy and you can add or leave out the green chiles to your desired heat level. Just taste as you go so you don't make it too hot. I hope I am giving you ideas for dishes you may not have considered before and bringing a little bit of variety to your dinner table!

Have a great week!

Steak Salad with Grapes and Blue Cheese

I made a little extra steak with my last meal so that I could have this delicious and filling salad. Salads don't have to be all veggies, you can add a little meat in there to make it a meal.




Grab your steak from the fridge.




Give it a slice and remember that raw meat might be bad for you but it tastes oh so good. I put it in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off.




The vinaigrette is simply red wine vinegar and olive oil.




It doesn't get much more simple. You can add some salt and pepper also.




Whisk it up and the dressing is done.




I did the salad with spinach but you can use whatever green you prefer. With the spinach and the beef it is quite high in iron.




Get some grapes




and give them a slice. Don't feed these buggers to your dog no matter how much they beg, they are bad for their kidneys.




So far our salad is very healthy, so its ok to splurge with a little stinky cheese. This is just some grocery store blue cheese, but it is tasty enough.




Get it all combined and serve!




This is a great meal for a hot summer day, or a spring day in Arizona :)

Pan Seared Steak with Salsa Verde and Green Beans

I am back with another beef recipe for all of you red meat lovers. I will also be posting a nice steak salad recipe later this week with the leftover steak. When I think Salsa Verde I picture a salsa made from Tomatilloes but this is a different kind of 'green salsa' and it pairs beautifully with the steak.








Grab your ingredients for the Salsa Verde!


fresh parsley



Capers. Capers are pickled flower buds. I was afraid of them for a while, but now I really like the unique flavor they bring to a lot of things like salads, pizzas and sauces. As explained on Wikipedia, Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (0-7 mm), surfines (7-8 mm), capucines (8-9 mm), capotes (9-11 mm), fines (11-13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm).



I already had some shallots diced up in my fridge.



White wine vinegar.



A good dijon mustard is an absolute must have for your pantry




chop up your parsley. I use my mezzaluna as it is fun and easy. Thanks Nigella Lawson!


The capers are lovely little bursts of flavor. Give those a chop as well.



get everything in a bowl and mix it up. The salsa you end up with is light and flavorful. It would be great with some wilted spinach and it makes a fabulous tuna salad as I found out the next day when I used up the leftover.



This is not a single serving of steak. I am going to make the whole thing so that I can use the rest tomorrow.


get the steak seared up in the pan. This recipe implies you serve this pretty rare, which is A-OK with me. I love my steaks as rare as possible. If you don't you can throw a lid on the pan and reduce the heat a bit and let it cook a little longer.



while the steak browns you can make a side of roasted green beans. Coat them with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Throw them in the oven or toaster oven and broil them up for 5-10 minutes to your desired done-ness.


Flip the steak when it gets browned on one side. Pull it out when the other side browns and let it rest before serving. Drizzle the salsa verde on the top and you are ready to eat!



This is a fast meal and is perfect for a hot day when you don't want to be cooking for too long.
You may not be worried about hot days yet, but it is currently 96 here in sunny Arizona. With that being said I will be doing a lot more stove top and grilled cooking. Also, a few people have commented about toaster ovens and in my opinion they are a must have for cooking for one and for cooking in the summer.

If anyone has any good toaster oven recipes they would like to share, send me an email diningaloneblog @ gmail. com