Chicken Tikka Masala

1-2 lbs trimmed chicken breasts
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp curry
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Dump everything except the garam masala and the cilantro into the crock pot.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. As the liquid releases from the chicken, open the crock pot and make sure the breasts are submerged in the liquid while it cooks. If it seems too dry as it's cooking, add another can of coconut milk or some chicken stock.

When the chicken is cooked through, take it out and shred with two forks. Put chicken back in the crock pot and stir it in the gravy. Add the garam masala and salt to taste. Lower the crock pot to warm until you're ready to eat.

Serve with naan and a green salad or oven roasted veggies.

Leftovers freeze well.

Chole Palak (Chickpeas w/ Spinach)

2 cans of garbanzo beans

6 cups finely chopped spinach 

1 can (15 oz) tomatoes (or fresh, if they're in season)

1" piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small can of green chiles (or 2 fresh)

Olive oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes or dash of cayenne to taste

1 tsp salt, adjust to taste

1 tsp garam masala

1. Blend together the tomatoes, green chiles, and ginger into a puree.

2. Coat bottom of pot with oil and put over medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, and pepper flakes/cayenne. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, letting some moisture evaporate and reducing the volume of the tomatoes. 

3. Add spinach & salt, cook until spinach is wilted and heated through. (Note: I actually buy bags of fresh spinach from Costco and then stick them directly in my freezer. Once frozen, I crush the bag to "chop" up the spinach. Then I just put in a few cups of spinach from the freezer into the pot, until it looks about the ratio that I want.)

4. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pot. Add some water if necessary to get the gravy to the consistency to your liking. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

5. Add the garam masala and adjust the salt. (It's important to stir the garam masala in after you're done cooking, because otherwise the extended cooking breaks down the flavor of the garam masala and you can't taste it.)

Can be served with roti, naan, or any other bread. It also is good over plain rice.

(Note: I usually 1.5 times the recipe. Because I like leftovers.)