I always knew that Paula Deen’s recipes were rich, but I actually didn’t realize that so many of them are fairly simple.  There aren’t a lot of fancy ingredients to find, or complicated steps.  This recipe didn’t even call for any additional spices beyond basic salt and pepper.

Our Paula Deen theme was a lot of fun, and made me remember that butter actually does make things taste better.  Although most of her recipes won’t become part of my regular rotation, they will certainly have a place on special occasions.  I’ll share a few more of the recipes from our dinner with you this week, so stay tuned.

Feta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes
1 c. fat free feta
1/4 t coriander
Dash cayenne pepper
2 t Garlic Gold in oil
Smoked paprika

Scrub sweet potatoes, and bake at 350F for 60 minutes, or until very soft. Meanwhile, mix feta, coriander, cayenne pepper, and Garlic Gold in a bowl, and refrigerate.

When potatoes are ready, remove from oven.  Slice potatoes open lengthwise, and using an oven mitt, squeeze potato flesh into a bowl, reserving the skin in one piece.  Add feta mixture to potato and mix well.  Stuff mixture into potato skins.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, and garnish with smoked paprika before serving.

-Lightly adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

I really wanted to see if I could prevent the yogurt from curdling, so I let the masala cool for about 5-10 minutes before stirring it in.  The yogurt still curdled a bit, probably from the acidic tomatoes.  It didn’t matter one bit though, I really liked this dish and am happy to enjoy it right at home!

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 T canola oil
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and diced
1 T garlic ginger paste
1 T cumin
1 T garam masala
1 t turmeric
2 t chili powder
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. skim milk
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
6 oz. plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Saute onion on medium-low heat until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Add garlic ginger paste and stir for 1 minute.  Add spices and stir for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, water, and milk, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Add chicken pieces, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in yogurt and serve.

-Lightly adapted from Skinnytaste

If you don’t have garlic ginger paste, feel free to substitute freshly minced garlic and ginger.  I found a jar of garlic ginger paste at an ethnic grocery store a while back, and it’s come in handy quite a few times.  I took one other shortcut and bought pre shredded carrots but as someone pointed out, a food processor could do all the dicing and shredding very easily.  After that, you just spend some time at the stove cooking the mixture.  If you’re intimidated by working with the egg roll wrappers, check out Budget Byte’s post with step by step instructions.  She also has some suggestions for turning the egg rolls in the oven to make sure they brown evenly but I threw caution to the wind and mine turned out fine.

I baked about half the egg rolls right away, and froze the other half in small batches to bake later.  Of course, I tried the filling before I made the rolls, so I knew I was going to like them a lot!  The rolls are crispy but not hard to chew, and the filling is quite tasty.  I can’t wait to bake some of the frozen ones to see how they turn out.

Vegetable Egg Rolls

1 T oil
1 T garlic ginger paste
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced
1 (8 oz.) package mushrooms, diced
1 (8 oz.) package shredded carrot
1 small head cabbage, shredded
2 t cornstarch
1/4 c. soy sauce
20 egg roll wrappers

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add garlic ginger paste and scallions.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add carrots and cabbage.  Cook until mixture is fairly soft, about 20-30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into soy sauce.  Pour into frying pan and stir well.  Remove pan from heat and allow filling to cool.

Place about 2-3 T of mixture in each wrapper, and roll.  Seal the edges with water.  Place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown.

-Lightly adapted from Budget Bytes

In the end, I liked this dal but it probably won’t make it into my rotation of Indian dishes.  There are just too many recipes that I like even more, like Chana Masala, Chicken Saagwala, and Red Bean Curry.  Plus, there’s plenty more Indian recipes I’d like to try.  I think Chicken Tikka Masala might be next on the list…..

Dal Nirvana

1 c. lentils
1″ piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Dash salt
Dash curry
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
Fresh cilantro

Place lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Simmer covered for 10-15 minutes, until lentils are tender.  Drain lentils, and return to pan.  Add ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, and curry powder and stir well.  Add tomatoes and 1 cup of water.  Simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Remove cover, and continue to simmer until the mixture is thick.  Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly.  Stir in yogurt and cilantro.  Serve with brown rice or naan.

-Adapted from Budget Bytes

It’s almost embarrassing to admit how little effort it took to make this bread.  The night before, I mixed flour, yeast, salt, and a teaspoon of garlic powder in a bowl and added water as the recipe indicated.  I went to bed, lounged around the next morning, and eventually turned the dough onto a cookie sheet for a second rise.  I brushed the dough with olive oil and herbs, and popped it in the oven.  When the bread was golden brown, I put the flat loaf on a cooling rack and sprinkled freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

That’s it, really!  The focaccia had a lot of flavor and was a nice complement to our meal.  I’ll be sure to make this again soon.

I modified the original recipe just a bit, adding some diced carrot and using a whole egg instead of just the egg white.  I may have added a little too much lemon juice because the mixture was quite wet.  The burgers fell apart a little in the pan, but still tasted great.  And after a good meal, I was ready to tackle the rest of my day.

Lemon Thyme Tuna Burgers

2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 (5 oz.) can tuna
1/3 c. oats
1 egg
1 T lemon juice
1 t thyme

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Form into 2 patties, and place on a pan coated with cooking spray.  Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.  Flip burger carefully, and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.

-Lightly adapated from Green Lite Bites

The recipe looks more complicated than it really is, and polenta is very forgiving.  You really don’t need to fuss.  I liked the creamy texture of the tart, although it could have used just a bit more flavor.  I think some garlic or caramelized onions would help.  And the verdict on the artichokes?  They were my least favorite part.  I admit, I was wishing I had used spinach, or mushrooms, or asparagus.  But that is the beauty of a recipe like this one, you can pick whatever vegetable you like.

Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust

Crust
3 c. water
1 Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cube
1 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 t black pepper

Filling
1 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
1/4 t black pepper
1 (14 oz.) can artichokes, drained well
1/2 c. low fat ricotta cheese

Heat water in a pan on medium heat.  When the water is simmering, dissolve bouillon cube.  Pour cornmeal into the pot slowly, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low, and continue stirring for 5-10 minutes, until polenta is thickened.  Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Stir in egg and black pepper.  Spread polenta mixture into a large pie dish or tart pan coated with cooking spray.  Spread the crust up the sides, and use a spatula or your fingers to make it smooth.

Mix yogurt, eggs, Pamesan cheese, and spices in a bowl and set aside.

Place artichoke pieces on the crust.  Place spoonfuls of ricotta cheese around the articokes.  Pour the yogurt filling into the crust.

Place pie dish or tart pan on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375F for 45-50 minutes.

-Lightly adapted from Stacey Snacks