Chicken Tacos

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Do you like Mexican cuisine? How about a delicious meal that can be put together in less than an hour? Now, I am sure I have your full attention. Who after all can say no to less time in the kitchen, and yet tasty food on the table! Thriving fast food joints everywhere are a sure proof to this fact.

I am no different! Once I found out that tacos put together at home can hold it’s own to tacos from my favorite joint, there was no stopping me. With fresh ingredients, and chicken that is cooked at home this recipe is healthier. More over, children love this stuff and indulge and for once you don’t have to curtail them from having an extra bite or two.

And now, with cricket being my latest distraction, I am thinking it won’t be a bad idea to have some tacos while enjoying the game too. Please agree with me!










Ingredients:

Taco shells- 12

Chicken breast- 1 lbs, cut into bite size pieces
Pepper- 1 tsp
Salt
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 2 tsp
Jalapenos finely chopped- 1/2/to your taste
Chicken stock- 1 cup

Bell pepper julienne- 1/4 cup
Lettuce finely chopped- 1/4 cup
Guacamole- from 2 avocados(find the recipe here)
Mexican cheese- 1/2 cup (A Mixture of Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheese)
Sour cream- 1/4cup (optional)
Salsa/chopped tomatoes- 1/4 cup

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken with pepper, oil,salt,lemon juice and garlic powder and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.
2.Boil the stock and add the marinated chicken into it.
3.After 3-4 minutes add the jalapeno slices and continue cooking till chicken is almost done.
4.Increase the heat and cook till all the water is absorbed.
5.Switch off when there is still a little water left, just enough to moisten the chicken.
6.Prepare the shells according to package instructions.
7.Fill them with cooked chicken,sour cream,salsa and veggies sprinkle the cheese over.
8.Place them on a baking sheet/microwave safe plate and warm in an oven at 400 degree F/on high in a microwave for 30-45 seconds, till the cheese is melted.
9.Serve with guacamole and some Mexican cumin rice or as it is.





Linking this to Anyone can cook

Notes:

1.The fillings are completely versatile, as many of you know.
2.This is how my family likes it.You could make it vegetarian by using tofu and vegetable stock.And maybe add some bean chili for filling


Contributor: Namitha

Tortilla Soup

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I have always loved soup and still do. It surprises me that I have not posted more recipes for soup on the blog.

I suppose, the love started with the simple gruel and green grams that was a customary dinner at home while growing up. Thereafter, the Chinese food outlets that spawn our cities made sweet corn chicken soup and manchow soup household names. But I never tried as many variations of soup as I have since I came to the U.S.



Coming to the U.S. opened a whole new world of soup to me. Hamburger soup at my friend Janet’s palce, Kale and bean soup at Marilyn’s,are just a few to mention. Today’s recipe is from dear a friend Barbara. Her cooking is superlative, and dinners at her place and socializing are some of my fondest memories from the last couple of years. She cooks everything to perfection. The spices and flavors are always the right amount to keep you wanting more.

With bay leaf, cumin and coriander leaf to flavor this soup it is very close to Indian cooking. I hope you will enjoy this soup as much as I do.



Ingredients:

Chicken Breast - 3 - 4 large
Garlic Cloves - 4
white shoepeg corn - 1 10oz. can I sometimes put two cans]
Diced tomatoes - 1 10oz. can mild green chiles
Cumin - 1-2 tsp.
Bay leaf - 1
Black pepper - ½ t
white shoepeg corn - 1 10oz. can
diced tomatoes with mild green chiles - 1 10oz. can of

To sauté:
Olive oil - 2 Tablespoon
Onion - 1 large
Garlic Cloves - 4
Cilantro chopped - 6-8 branches

Method:

1. Boil Chicken breasts for 30 minutes in sufficient water to have about 2 qts of broth left (I boiled it in 9 cups of water) with 3-4 large cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
2. When chicken is done, remove from broth, cool slightly and cut and shred into small pieces. Return to broth.

3. In small skillet with 2 T. olive oil sauté:
4-6 large cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 large onion, chopped
6-8 branches of cilantro chopped

4. Add to chicken and broth.

Add:
1 10oz. can of white shoepeg corn [I sometimes put two cans]
1 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with mild green chiles [I prefer to blend the tomatoes completely before adding.]
[You may also add 1 can V-8 juice if you prefer more tomato flavor.]
1-2 tsp. Cumin
1 bay leaf
½ t. black pepper [or more to taste.] Also check for salt to taste.

Simmer mixture for about 30 minutes more.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve in large bowls with
--Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
--Chopped Avocado [To keep avocado from turning brown, place one of the avocado stones in the serving bowl with chopped avocado until time to serve.]
--Lime slices to squeeze on top
--Frito tortilla chips OR cut 3-4 corn tortillas into thin shreds and fry them in oil until crisp. Drain well.

Contributor: Sunitha

First Blog Anniversary,200th Post and Tres Leches Cake

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On this same day last year, something special took shape. It kept me tingling- happy, nail-biting anxious, hair-pulling irritated, and joyously content through the days. Today, Sunitha and I celebrate our blog’s First Birthday! Hip! Hip! Hooray!

As a bonus, today we also complete our 200th post on our site! Wham! Bam! With fire crackers and banners we celebrate! And for you who gave us good company with your kind compliments of our photographs and recipes, we thankfully share nothing less than Tres Leches Cake.



Have you tasted this before? If you have, then you know what I am talking about. Melt-in-your-mouth texture, commingle with frothy cream, sweet condensed milk, effervescent flavor of vanilla. Every bite is a marvel. Each time you bite into it, savor the taste and experience the jolly ride it takes you on. This cake is right for this week.

I made this cake on Monday celebrating my wedding anniversary. I definitely had my husband swooning, ahem! With the cake. But the reasons for celebration were not over; following closely was my mom's birthday, then my daughter's and today the BLOG birthday. Fantastic, I proclaim!

Now a little about the recipe; it is adapted from The Pioneer woman, Ree. I have always admired her blog, writing style and recipes. If you don’t know about her please click here. This is the first recipe I'm trying out from her blog. And it proved to be everything as promised. Rich with the perfect sweetness.

A day indeed for celebrations here at Collaborative Curry. I hope it will rub off on you too.



Ingredients:

For the cake:

All purpose Flour - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 5 separated
Sugar - A Little less than 1 cup
Pure Vanilla extract - 1 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1/3 cup

For pouring over the cake:

Evaporated milk - 1 can
Condensed Milk - 1 can
Heavy cream - 1/4 cup

For frosting:

Heavy cream - 1 3/4 cup
Confectioner's sugar - 3 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract - a few drops



Method:

1.Whisk together the flour,salt and baking powder in a bowl.
2.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.Grease a 9 inch springfoam pan and set aside.
3.Separate the eggs and take the yolks in a bowl.Beat it with 3/4 cup of sugar until it turns smooth and pale yellow in color.
4.Mix in the vanilla extract and milk too.
5.Combine this with the flour mixture by folding in.
6.Clean the whisk well and wipe it dry before you start with egg whites.
7.Beat the egg whites till soft peaks appear.Now add the remaining 1/4 cups of sugar and beat until you get stiff peaks.Do not overdo this.
8.Gently fold in the whites into the above mixture.
9.Pour it into the prepared pan and bake it for about 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
10.Cool it on a wire rack.Transfer it into a serving dish, upside down, that has lips to hold the milk you will be pouring over it.
11.Make small holes on the cake by piercing it with a skewer or tooth pick.
12.Combine the 3 milks,evaporated, condensed and heavy cream in a bowl.
13.Spoon this over the cake as evenly as possible.You could save a part of it, say about half a cup and use it while you serve the cake slices.(which I forgot to do this time)
14.All these will be absorbed by this magically spongy cake in about 1 hour.
15.Prepare the frosting by beating the heavy cream till stiff peaks form.Add the sugar and vanilla too. Spread it evenly on the cake.
16.Keep it chilled and serve with a little leftover milk mixture and lots of love :-)
17.This could be stored in the refrigerator for several days.




Notes:

1.You could use the smaller cans of evaporated milk or condensed milk, according to your preference of sweet level.
2.Ree suggests to make this in a 9 by 13 inch pan, so that you get a thinner cake and the milk gets absorbed easily.I have tried it too. But then you need a serving dish with lip as big as that :-)
3.I got a one pint heavy cream and used 1/4 cup for the milk mixture and the remaining for the frosting.

Contributor: Namitha

Guacamole

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 Phew! I am back.  My computer was down with the flu.  I should have taken better care when I went out in a hurry searching Google for Manisha Koirala's marriage photographs.  I know! It cannot get any worse, stupid or silly.  No disrespect to actors, since you can see I must like her to be gawking at her pictures, but now on I will think a million times before I go to gawk at pictures online. 

     I hope you will enjoy this refreshing dip as much as I.  Dip into it with some vegetable flavored Ritz crackers or spread it on your fajitas and  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Avocado                      - 1
Shallots                        - 1 small
Garlic                           - 1 small pod
Thai chili                       - 1, seeded and chopped fine
Olive oil                       - 1 tspn
Black pepper               -  a little to taste
Salt                              - to taste     

 Method:

Cut the avocados and put in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mash
Serve with crackers or with rolls.

Contributor: Sunitha