Spicy Turkey Tikka

This meal may sound strange, and that's because it is! I've never heard of any Indian food that uses sausage, in this case, TURKEY sausage. Since we LOVE tikka masala sauce, and happened to have most of the ingredients, we decided to pair it with some of that sausage we had in the freezer. The outcome = genius. We absolutely loved the heat in this dish, and the flavor combination of the Indian spices with the turkey sausage was to die for. To keep things guilt-free, we skipped the heavy ingredients and went with a couple of "coconut" based replacements! 

This would be a perfect post-workout meal on a chilly evening! Kind of reminds me of an ethnic chili (minus beans)!

Hot Italian Turkey Sausage Tikka Masala 

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package of hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

2 green peppers, cubed (about 1 inch)

2-4 jalapenos (leave seeds in for extra heat), diced

1 onion, cubed

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 large can of tomato sauce (28 oz.) - we love Dei Fratelli Products!

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)

1-2 cups of coconut milk

1.5 tspn garam masala

1 tspn cumin

Salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 tspn crushed red pepper

1/2 tspn cayenne or chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder for the heat)

2 tbsn coconut oil

Steps:
1. Heat 2 table spoons of coconut oil over medium heat.

2. Pan fry the turkey sausage, casings removed, until browned all over. Remove from heat and slice thinly into disks. Return to pan and continue frying until browned (or until you reach your desired crispiness). Remove, drain, and set aside.

3. In the same pan, saute the onion, mushrooms, peppers, and jalapenos until onions become translucent. *Feel free to add minced garlic!

4. Add all of the dry spices and stir until fragrant (Be generous with the salt/pepper, maybe start with 1/2 tsp of each).

5. Pour in tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Stir occasionally until bubbling. (

6. Turn the heat to medium low, and slowly stir in the coconut milk until you reach your desired color. 

7. Taste the sauce with a bite of sausage to determine if you'd like to add any spices (remember, the sausage will add heat). 

Serve with bread, preferably naan; garlic naan :) 
Optional: Serve over rice.

Yum!

The Famous: Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is probably my favorite thing to make. What started as an experimental dish, now is a staple in our home! The "go-to" meal for dinner parties!

It's a bit of a process, but worth every second of work. And don't get me wrong, I've managed to come home at 5:30 and have the meal ready by 8pm!

I've made this recipe a number of times by now. I have followed several different recipes, and still don't have a SET recipe I will use each and every time. However, for the sake of this blog and sharing with friends, I found one recipe that I think is a great start!

Link: http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-tikka-masala-25587

 Tips:

• Serve with GARLIC naan
• Over rice is good, but in my opinion QUINOA is the way to go!
• USE garam masala, it's amazing.
• Don't be scared to play around with the spices, if it doesn't taste right, add some curry powder, just not too much. When in doubt, I add garam masala!!!
• I also double the sauce, everytime - love dipping the naan in it! This will change the amount of spices you need- be mindful of this...it's a tasting game!
• If you don't have a grill, broiling the skewered chicken works just as well. Don't skip the skewering part.
• I always add an extra pepper or two...jalapeno, poblano, and/or serrano!
• Double or triple the garlic; it won't hurt!

MARINATION

and the sauce....