This super healthy Fruity Almond Couscous Salad Salad is the perfect summer side dish.
It has hints of sweetness but is by no means overpowering because the yogurt and almonds help to balance all those sweet fruits out just right.
Also couscous can be served on its own as a main dish if desired as well. Sometimes I will shred the leftover meat from a rotisserie chicken over top which goes really well with this type of salad.
Today I’m using instant couscous, which has been pre-steamed and dried. It saves a whole lot of time and is just as healthy for you as the ladder.
Did you know that Couscous is a staple food throughout the North Africa? And has only gained popularity throughout Europe and the West over the past century.
Yup it’s true and prior to becoming a global food group couscous took days to prepare by hand by large groups of woman.
Properly cooked couscous should be light and fluffy and should not be gritty.
In order to achieve this fluffiness one must boil some water or stock and then pour just the right amount over the couscous.
This allows it to fluff up perfectly then you can finish that fluffing with a fork.
Today I made mine fruity, by adding canned oranges, apples and dried cranberries. Feel free to chop up a “fresh orange” instead of the canned variety if you wish.
I just love this simple couscous salad and i’m sure you will too.
If you want to make it a little lighter feel free to omit the mayo and just add plain yogurt, which will make it a even less sweeter taste.
This salad can be enjoyed pretty much any time of year, however I am sure this particular salad will be perfect for those long summer nights out on the back patio! I can picture it now 🙂 Can’t you?
Looking for a Awesome drink recipe to serve with this salad? Try my “Raspberry sweet tea” that is made with agave nectar or honey.
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This Creamy Lemon Cucumber and Tomato Salad is my favorite way to make a Cucumber salad, it’s super Fresh and Creamy!
Make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge to allow the flavors to develop more.
What kind of Cucumber Salad have you tried?
The German variety that leans more towards a Vinegary taste?
Or the American Varieties that leans more toward a creamy taste?
Personally, I prefer something in between and this salad is exactly that.
Summer is right around the corner, can you feel it in your part of the country yet?
This salad is perfect for those hot summer nights and even goes great when chilled to be taken along with any type of outdoor picnic.
This salad will taste much better if you can get your hands on some garden tomatoes, the sweeter the tomatoes the better this salad will taste.
We sent Bubba out to our local farmers market and he came back with these large sweet and succulent tomatoes and crispy cucumbers that worked so good in the salad.
We then experimented with all few ingredients to come up with this Creamy Lemon Cucumber and Tomato Salad.
If wanting your to feed a larger crowd we recommend doubling this recipe with our easy to use recipe adjuster.
Doesn’t this look so fresh and just say SUMMER has arrived or what!
Note: The colder the salad the better it taste, so try to chill it in the fridge for one hour prior to serving.
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Craving curry tonight? Well skip the take out and impress your family tonight with this easy to make and authentic tasting curry.
This is my take on a healthier version of Chicken Tikka Masala.
What makes it healthier that we are omitting the cream and replacing it with 2% milk and then adding plain yogurt as well.
What makes it easier is that we are not blending the onions after cooking them rather just allowing them to simmer in the pressure cooker.
Also if you can get your hands on “green cardamom pods” which you can find in your ethnic spice isle, do add a few of those. This really adds a unique taste and is soooo good in here.
Packed with so much flavor this recipe will definitely remind you of some of the best Chicken Tikka Masala dishes that you have tried at your favorite restaurant.
In addition I like to add some mini potatoes to this recipe, however those are not typically used in Tikka Masala.
I think they go so well with this dish, so I will leave that ingredient option up to you. You can also serve this with rice OR naan bread.
If you end up giving it a try, do let me know in the comments below. I would love to know what you think 🙂
Notes: For a spicier curry add 1 tbsp of red chili powder. Also feel free to omit the mini potatoes if you would rather serve this with rice or naan bread.
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This Indian Chicken Curry also known as (Murgh Kari) is super quick and easy to prepare and has a great authentic taste. You can make it in your pressure cooker or on your stovetop in under 30 minutes making it a great weeknight meal or a great dish for meal prep throughout the week!
Whether you’re feeding a large crowd, or cooking for yourself, this Indian Chicken Curry is a flavorful dish and is sure to earn rave reviews.
Serve it over white rice, brown rice or even riced cauliflower for a flavorful low carb curry.
What You’ll Need
To make this curry the easy way, your going to want to purchase a pre-made spice mix. Such as MDH Chicken Masala as seen below. You can purchase it through my AMAZON link if you’d like too.
Marinating the Chicken
Is a tip to help the recipe taste more authentic as it enables all the flavors to merge into it. This can be done the night prior, by simply dicing the chicken and placing it into a plastic bag along with a bit of oil and the spice mixture.
I tend to choose a more spicy curry goat or lamb dish, however, when it comes to Curry Chicken, this recipe is definitely high up on my favorite list. I learned this dish from “Chef Vikram Vij” when he was on the food network some time ago and I’ve been making it ever since!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You can make this dish more spicy, by simply adding more cayenne pepper if desired.
I like to make this recipe at home often because it’s super simple and healthy and doesn’t contain any MSG or preservatives.
You can make it in large batches which makes it a great budget friendly dinner option.
Add in your favorite vegetables to boost the nutrition.
You can easily make it on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.
It can easily be made vegetarian by adding in tofu or chickpeas instead of chicken.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Cooking Oil or Ghee – This is what you’ll use to saute the chicken, onion, garlic and ginger. It will help brown them and bring out the flavors.
Boneless Chicken Breasts – Chicken is the main protein source of this dish, but feel free to use any protein you enjoy.
Onion & Garlic – These two aromatic vegetables add a great layer of flavor to chicken curry.
Raw & Canned Tomato – You’ll need a mix of raw tomatoes, canned tomatoes and tomato paste for this recipe. Tomatoes add a great color and acidity to curry dishes.
Ginger – Ginger helps give a spicy flavor that pairs well with any curry recipe.
Full Fat Yogurt & Cream – These two ingredients help give the curry a nice creamy tomato sauce.
Homemade Indian Curry Spice Blend
You can use a premade spice blend or a curry spice blend made from scratch!
1 1/2 tbsp Garam masala
2 tbsp Curry powder
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves
You can also buy a pre – made Spice Mix as seen below.
How To Make Easy Indian Chicken Curry
In a large pot or into a slow cooker pot add the cooking oil/ghee and turn on the heat. Next add in a large diced onion and sauté for 2 minutes before adding in the diced chicken. Sauté another 7 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the onion is tender.
Next toss in the curry and remaining spices and sauté another 2 minutes before adding in the minced garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute till fragrant.
Add in the tomatoes and along with the tomato paste.
Next add in the yogurt, cream and stir everything to combine.
Serve hot on top of your favorite rice.
Pressure Cooker Indian Chicken Curry
If you’d like to make this recipe in your instant pot or pressure cooker, follow these steps:
Add cooking oil/ghee into the pot and turn it to SAUTE mode.
Next add diced onion and sauté for 2-5 minutes or until veggies begin to soften.
Add in diced chicken breast and sauté for another 2-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Toss in the curry and spices along with garlic and ginger.
Add in the tomatoes and tomato paste, cream and yogurt.
Close the lid and seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
Release naturally or quickly, stir then serve hot over rice.
Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Curry
You can also make this recipe in your crockpot or slow cooker by following the instructions below:
Sauté all ingredients except tomatoes, cream and yogurt in a skillet over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften and chicken is no longer pink.
Add everything to a slow cooker including the tomatoes, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, cream and yogurt and stir until fully combined.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked through.
Stir everything together and serve hot on top of your favorite rice.
FAQ
CAN I USE COCONUT MILK IN CURRY CHICKEN?
Yes, you can subsite the yogurt for a thick coconut milk if desired. Check out my popular Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe if you are looking for a creamy and dairy free curry.
HOW DOES CHICKEN CURRY TASTE?
It’s pretty similar in taste to traditional Butter Chicken with a little more spice. It is creamy and has a great balance of flavors from the acidity of the tomatoes and the deep flavors of onion, garlic and ginger.
CAN I USE FRESH TOMATOES?
Yes! But you’ll also want to be sure to use tomato paste as it helps thicken the sauce.
WHAT IS A GOOD LOW FAT OPTION FOR CHICKEN CURRY?
Instead of using cream or yogurt, you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream to help bring down the fat content in this recipe.
I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this, I want to see! Follow Canadian Cooking Adventures Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @canadiancookingadventures and #canadiancookingadventures.
We sent Hunter out to look for Barberries to make this traditionally Persian jeweled rice dish, as Bubba was on a work assignment elsewhere for the month. Hunter came back much later than expected and with major jet lag, as his research lead him to Iran where this mature fruit grows in shrubs. Although we liked it in this dish we found a great substitute = Cranberries! So we tried them in this recipes and everyone agreed that using the cranberries in replace of the barberries would work just fine. Indie in our Quality assurance also agrees it tastes very similar to the tangy Barberries says it’s a great substitute. Just make sure the cranberries you’re using are the unsweetened variety otherwise it will be too sweet. This is my favorite version of Persian jeweled rice, I hope you enjoy as much as we do.
If your wanted to try Barberries, you can order them directly from amazon.
To make the Persian Jeweled Rice: “Two Step Process“
Step 1:
Heat 4 tbsp of butter in your pan with the Saffron threads cook for one min, remove and set aside. This will be used in your final step.
Add the onions to the same pan, and cook till soft, then add in all your spices and cook for 2 minutes till fragrant set aside.
Step 2:
Rinse your rice in cold water and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in a few pinches of salt and your rice. Boil your rice for 5 minutes, cooking halfway through and drain the water out in your strainer.
Separate your rice into 2 bowls, one cup of rice per bowl.
Now, toast your pistachios in the pan for 2 minutes. And add them to rice bowl 2, along with your dried, apricots, raisins, and cranberries too and set aside.
Rice bowl 1: Mix your cup of rice with the Yogurt.
Rice bowl 2: Mix your cooked pistachios and all your dried fruit to bowl, along with your cooked onion and spices.
Cooking the Jeweled RICE all together:
Add 2 tbsp of butter to your pan over medium heat and then the “yogurt + rice” mixture.
Then place the bowl 2 of the rice mixture/fruit/spices over top of the other rice, creating two layers.
Use a rubber spatula to carefully push the rice away from the sides of the pot, scraping it up into a mound (leaving 1/2 a inch from the sides of the pan).
In the center of the mound, pierce 3 vent holes about an inch apart, with a knife to allow it to vent while cooking.
Pour the set aside saffron + butter mixture from step 1, over all the rice. And place a dry clean dishcloth over the pan and cover with a pot cover. Cook on medium low for 30 minutes till rice is tender.
To Finish the Dish:
Turn heat off and allow it to sit there uncovered on the element for the remaining 10 minutes.
Pour your rice onto a large serving plate and squeeze 2 tbsp of orange juice all over the rice.
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and enjoy!
Thank you Hunter for all the hard work you did trying to find those Barberries but we will go with Cranberries for this recipe from now on.
Note: Make sure not to skip the Yogurt as it helps the rice to cook properly. Saffron threads can be found in most Mediterranean or Middle Eastern markets. Typically Persian jewelled rice is served at weddings in Iran, along side
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This Dill Pickle Potato Salad is made with garlicky dill pickles and it’s juices, egg, russet potatoes, mayonnaise, plain yogurt, dijon mustard and fresh dill.
Let me tell you, this recipe is a sure WINNER!
This salad can be thrown together in no time at all.
I brought this to a potluck recently and obviously did not make enough to feed the 10 people there.
It was gone in no time at all, so if you’re wanting to prepare this for a group of 10 or more double it up, it’s easy to do so anyway.
Wanting to serve a larger crowd? Simply double up the ingredients!
To make this vegetarian omit the mayo and eggs and use a vegetarian mayo.
Personally I like using Hellman’s mayo, it’s my favorite!
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GOOD MORNING ? I want to share with you my favorite breakfast smoothie. All you will need to make this healthy breakfast drink is some, frozen blueberries, a fresh banana, flax and a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder. The banana gives it that sweet smooth texture so don’t skip it. This recipe makes enough for 2 medium sized smoothies. Start drinking this for breakfast every morning and watch your energy sky rocket and health improve.
What you will need: A good quality blender, I like to use my (Oster Pro Blender)
To make the Blueberry and Banana smoothie:
Place your Frozen” Blueberries in the blender, flax, banana, protein powder.
Blend until smooth!
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Note: You can add other fruits if you desire.
I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe id love to hear about it! You can post a review, picture below or via Instagram and let me know how it turned out. And by doing so you will be automatically entered into our seasonal CONTEST to win one of our great prizes. Winner will be notified via email within a week after the contest closes. Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!
