Bake Sale Brownies (Aka: BEST BROWNIES EVER!)

Tonight my cute sister-in-law made the most fabulous gluten-free brownies.  She actually used the America's Test Kitchen Bake Sale Brownies recipe, but just switched the flour for gluten-free.  They were so amazing!  Definitely worth a try.

Bake Sale Brownies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

 Preheat oven to 350 and move an oven rack to the middle position.  Grease an 8in square pan (or line w/ foil).  Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave, stirring often, for about 1 to 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.  Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until well mixed.  Pour batter into prepared pan and about 22-27 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Tikka Masala

Phil & I only recently discovered how much we like Indian food.  It really is fabulous.  I’ve been looking for a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala (my favorite Indian dish) for a while now, but usually they’re quite complicated or consist of 17 ingredients I don’t even own.  This one was meant for me.  The only thing I had to go buy is cayenne pepper.  It was really easy to make and it turned out amazing.  Phil said it tasted “real,” which I think meant that next time we go out for Indian Food I’ll try something else, because this is just as good as what I could buy there.  Just a warning, I made this last night and my kitchen still smells like it today.  Well worth it, I might add.

Chicken Tikka Masala      

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (I used lime)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used ground)
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or chunks
Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute.  Add the seasonings. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add cilantro and grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve over hot rice.
And maybe open a window. =)

Coconut Curry Noodles

I got this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Café and we loved it!  It was really easy and tasted fantastic.  Here is the recipe as adapted by Mel:

Cocnut Curry Noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans light or regular coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cups sweet Thai chili sauce
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 (13.5 ounce) package rice noodles (about ¼-inch wide)
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
2 red peppers, cored and sliced thinly
1 cup broccoli slaw or thinly sliced matchstick carrots
1 teaspoon salt to taste

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a pan and add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer, stirring constantly, for about one minute.
Add the chicken and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.

Add the red pepper, carrots and rice noodles and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom, for about 5-8 minutes. The noodles will thicken and plump up as they absorb the liquid. The mixture will be slightly soupy when the noodles are finished cooking.
Take the pot off the heat and let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture will continue to thicken.