Garam Masala

Suddenly I am taking pleasure in cooking again! New foods, spices, techniques ! I'm learning about my body and what makes it work better. Eating well doesn't have to involve rice cakes and prunes!

OK, this started out as a dip but it made so much that I improvised and did this! I made the dip two days ago and it has been thickening in the fridge.

Creamy Cucumber Dip

by New Century Nutrition

Serve this cool, creamy dip with pita chips or wedges of fresh pita bread.

2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and grated

1 lb. firm tofu

3 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup finely sliced red onion

Let the grated cucumber stand for 10 minutes.•

In a blender, mix the tofu, lemon juice, garlic, salt, coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper until completely smooth. • Squeeze the cucumbers to remove excess moisture and combine with the red onion. Stir in the tofu mixture. • Chill 2 to 3 hours before serving. Serve with crispy pita chips.

Makes 6 servings

This could be used to dip veggies, as a spread....I had so many fresh cucumbers and I didn't want them to become pickles. This makes quite a bit and there is only two of us so that's why the second recipe happened!

*******************************************************************************************Onesmartcookie's Garam Masala Chicken by Onesmartcookie

My craving for Indian food made me think of this. Its an alternate to heavy grease laden and fatty foods that we used to love from one of our favourite places.

Take away is now at home! This can be done vegetarian but I did it with chicken.

*2 Chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

*one large Onion chopped into large pieces

*2 garlic cloves chopped

*2 tomatoes chopped

*Peas

*1 Tablespoon of oil

*1 tsp of garam malala (cardamon, coriander, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg).

I browned the chicken in the oil , added the onion and garlic until it started to turn a light brown. I then threw in the peas from the freezer until they defrosted and added moisture. Then, I added the peppers. I like mine a bit on the crispy side. I then added the chopped tomatoes with 1 Tsp. of garam masala. I wish I had mushrooms for this! I love my shrooms! Turn down heat, stir and cover for five mins. Then, slowly fold in 1/2 cup of cucumber dip and heat through. This is your thickening agent because of the tofu. Serve over brown rice. You can make it as spicy as you want. Very aromatic! Yum~!