one pot recipes Archives | Thorn and Thimble

Recipe

Chicken or Veggie Tikka Masala

As we approach the first official day of Fall, I’m beginning to roll up my sleeves to dive into some of my favorite fall dishes. Hearty stews and roasted vegetables rule the season. This Chicken or Veggie Tikka Masala is an excellent stand-alone staple for your recipe book. When I first began making this dish I used this recipe from Bon Appétit. Over the years I’ve modified the recipe to what I’ll share today.

My Veggie Tikka Masala tends to be on the spicier side. As such, feel free to decrease the red chili flakes as needed to suit your tastes. As a general rule, Chicken Tikka Masala should have some kick to it though. If you don’t care about the carbs and choose not to do a cauliflower rice a Basmati rice would be a great traditional option to serve with this dish. You could even put a European twist on it by serving it over mashed potatoes. However, you choose to enjoy this dish, make sure to make enough to share!

Enjoy this Veggie Tikka Masala!

Chicken or Veggie Tikka Masala

Print Recipe

Serves: 6-8 Cooking Time: 1-1.5 hours

Ingredients

3 tbsp. minced garlic, finely grated
3 tsp. finely grated ginger
2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1½ cups regular yogurt
3 tbsp. salt
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces and/or two heads of cauliflower (one head you'll use for a low-carb rice which will serve about two people. I recommend making new cauliflower rice as opposed to reheating it).
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, sliced
1 28-oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. curry powder
40 oz. diced canned tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup greek yogurt
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Mix all of your spices together, omitting the curry powder and leaving 2 tbsp. salt to the side for later. Add your ginger and garlic and mix well.

Dump half of your spice mixture into a medium bowl, add the 2 1/2 cups of regular yogurt and mix well.

Add your chicken and/ or cauliflower to the marinade, coating both sides. Chill in the fridge for 5 hours. Chill the other half of the spice mixture as well.

Heat your butter over medium-high heat, adding the onion slices, carrots, and tomato paste. Stir regularly for 5 minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes, the spice mixture from the fridge, your curry powder, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Boil and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the garbanzo beans along with the heavy cream, greek yogurt, 2 tbsp. salt, and cilantro. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Broil your chicken or cauliflower for 10 minutes. Check regularly or leave the oven light on to make sure you aren't burning the cauliflower.

Once done broiling your chicken, cube it and add it to the pot to finish cooking, about 10 more minutes. If you've substituted cauliflower here you can add the florets directly into the pot.

Garnish with cilantro and serve over cauliflower rice.

Notes

*This recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting small Cauliflower florets for the chicken.

Quick and Easy Vegan Split Pea Soup

These days, meal prep is king. While everyone tries the latest and greatest life hacks for efficiency, few can argue that prepping your week’s meals in advance can save a lot of time and headache. Whether you’re living the single life with three jobs or a stay at home mom, everyone can benefit from prepping some grab-and-go meals to use throughout their week. I’ve done a quite a few one pot recipes in the past to save time on meal prep, but I’d never done a vegan split pea soup until now.

My mom used to cook split pea soup from scratch. I have vivid memories of the aroma of ham and peas wafting through the house to greet me after school. For this recipe, I decided to do a kind of smokey vegan take on mom’s traditional split pea soup. I’ve been craving spicy food like crazy so I implemented some paprika and hot sauce to add some heat to the recipe. I love this vegan split pea soup because it’s really nutritious and high in fiber so it’s filling as a stand-alone entree and can be taken as leftovers for lunch super easily.

Actually, I have this amazing tiny crock pot that I take to work. It holds probably 16 oz. or so and I love it. I just plug it right in when I get to work and by lunch time the contents are hot! I haven’t tried cooking in it but it’s amazing for heating leftovers.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Vegan Split Pea Soup!

Vegan Split Pea Soup

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

8 celery stalks, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
1 large onion chopped (yellow or white)
6 cloves of garlic minced (or 2 tbsp, jarred minced)
2 lbs. of split peas (this is usually two bags, don't forget to rinse!)
2 tbsp. paprika (or more to taste)
3 tbsp. of a hot sauce like Tapatio (or more to taste)
7 pints of water (or 14 cups)
8 vegan bouillon cubes
*You can substitute a vegetable stock for the water and bouillon cubes if desired
Garnish: Paprika, sesame seeds, caramelized onions

Instructions

In a large pot sauté your carrots, celery, garlic, and onions until the onions are soft and translucent

Add your water and bouillon or vegetable stock, split peas, and any additional starches you intend to use. Bring to a full boil

Add your paprika and hot sauce if desired. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally

Garnish with paprika and sesame seeds or caramelized onions if desired and serve!

Notes

If you have extra starches laying around you can add potatoes (cubed or diced) and rice or other grains like barley at the same time you add the split peas. This will add more bulk and calories but can extend the use of the recipe if you have a large family or are trying to budget extra for meals.