Sunday, March 13, 2011

Spicy Shortcut

Tonight, I made the most delicious, beautiful Indian meal for Hubby and me.
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Chicken Tikka Masala with Jasmine Rice and Garlic Naan.  I know what you must be thinking, I must be some great cook.  While I do ok, but I must admit, I had a little help for this meal.

McCormick Spices makes the absolute best shortcut for making exotic dishes like this.
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They are called Recipe Inspirations. They are packs of premeasured spices for a specific recipe, and they come with a recipe card, so you can easily shop for the rest of your ingredients.
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Between the spice packet, and what I already had at home, all I really needed was some chicken and sour cream. The recipe called for heavy cream, but my tummy can't take that, so I substituted low fat sour cream.
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Now, admittedly , most of the spices in the packet were ones I already own, with the exception of the Garam Masala.  However, I would rarely use that spice, so to buy an entire jar would be a waste.  This packet was under 2 dollars, so it was a much better value for me, and is so much more convenient!

I cooked up some Jasmine rice (Basmati was twice as expensive, so this was a better deal), and we got some Garlic Naan at the store as well. 

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Out of pocket cost for this meal was about $2.00 a serving, much cheaper that an Indian restaurant.  

I highly recommend the McCormick Recipe Inspirations, they come in a variety of recipes.  It is always nice to have a little shortcut now and then.