In early December, I got contacted by a publishing company who asked if I would review their new healthy cookbook.

Um….. ABSOLUTELY!

I’ve come to LOVE healthy cookbooks and am always looking for new recipes.  As a bonus, it also gives me great recipes to share with all of you!

The name of this fabulous cookbook is The Looneyspoons Collection and is written by Janet and Greta Podleski.  When I received it in the mail, I was excited for several reasons.

• It was HUGE with more than 325 full-color recipes!
• It was packed with so many different types of cuisine… everything from Italian to Indian to American.  From soups, to appetizers, to meaty lasagna.
• The recipe titles are AMUSING!  How can you not want to make a dish called “Corn in the USA” or “Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Colored Polka Dot Rotini?”
• Each page contains a helpful, healthy cooking tip.  I absolutely loved this extra insight on ingredients, cooking techniques, etc.  Just brilliant!

The first recipe to land on a plate in my house was one for Butter Chicken.  While I’d never tried Butter Chicken, I knew that I wanted to make this dish as it was a tomato-ey Indian chicken dish.  This dish would be my first ever at-home Indian dish, and I was eager to get cooking!

To those of you who have never had Butter Chicken”, it resembles Chicken Tikka Masala in my opinion.

This version, of course, was healthified… I can imagine if you ordered it in an Indian restaurant it might be loaded with butter, but not here on NTTC!

The Better Butter Chicken

From The Looneyspoons Collection

Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cup chopped onions

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. grated ginger root

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. ground coriander

3/4 tsp. ground tumeric

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 can n0-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat cut up

(or the equivalent boneless skinless chicken breast)

1/3 cup light sour cream

1 Tbsp. minced gresh cilantro

hot cooked basmati rice (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Prepare chicken by sauteeing it in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Note:  I really prefer chicken tikka (or white meat, as they say in English), so I opted for the chicken breasts instead of the rotisserie chicken.  

2.  Melt butter in a deep, 10-inch skillet over medium heat.

3.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.

4.  Mix gingerroot, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and chili powder in a small bowl.  Add to onions and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

5.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to the skillet.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.  Add chicken and sour cream.  Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes.

7.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

8.   Serve over hot basmati rice, if desired.

Per 1/5 Recipe Serving (not including rice):

CAL 297; FAT 11g; CARB 18g; FIB 4g; CHOL 102mg; SOD 395 mg

I’ve earmarked quite a few recipes to try after LOVING this first dish from the Podleskis, including Smackaroni and Cheese, Rome on the Range, and I Got Stew, Babe… to name a few.  As you can tell, they choose FUN names for every day dishes which keeps you smiling as you flip through the pages.

And, because it’s MY BIRTHDAY today… 

I’ve decided to run a GIVEAWAY for you to receive your VERY OWN 390-PAGE copy of The Looneyspoons Collection!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note:  Hay House Publishing provided me with a copy of  ”The Looneyspoons Collection” to review and to giveaway; however, all the opinions expressed above are my own.

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