Indian Spiced Chicken Legs Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Saag

I know this sounds like it was really hard but really there was nothing to it at all.

6 chicken legs
2 teaspoons each cumin, garamasala, turmeric, coriander powder.
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

6 medium potatoes skins on scrubbed
3 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds spinach or green of your choice. (You can half and half the greens if you want to.)
1/2 green bell pepper minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cream cheese
Add water as needed


For the chicken. Rub with spices and olive oil then place in a 13x9 inch baking pan. Add the stock, cover and place in a 400 degree oven. Cut the potatoes into cubes coat with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Place on a baking sheet and put in the same oven.
Now it's time for the Saag. Melt the butter in a large skillet. add the cumin seed, turmeric, pepper and garlic. Cook until fragrant add the greens little by little until wilted by half. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add water as needed so the greens don't dry out. Add the cream cheese at the end. Let this melt into the sauce and sever hot! This is delicious Indian inspired dish for a fast family meal! For more on this recipe or any others please email me at alesia.leach@gmail.com

Tuna Burgers and Foule Maddamus

This is a fun way to get the kids to eat more fish and vegetables. This is a delicious substitute for hamburgers and tuna salad! This is also a good way to use the left over vegetables in the crisper drawer. If you notice I use a lot of he same veggies in most of my recipes. I like to buy on sale and make them stretch as far as I can.

4 5 ounce cans of tuna drained
2 stalks of celery finely diced
1/4 yellow onion minced
1/4 cup white mushrooms minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 green bell pepper minced
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup rolled oats (any thing but instant)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons each cumin and ranch powder.
1 teaspoon dried dill (optional)

Foule Maddamus recipe from previous recipes

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (except the foule Maddamus) form the mixture into patties. If you are having trouble getting the parties to stay together you can add another egg or maybe a tablespoon of mayonnaise. I grilled ours on our counter top grill but you can also cook these in a pan on the stove. To do this add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a heavy bottom pan. Place the parties in the pan. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes on one side then flip. (if they start to fall apart then they are not ready to flip yet.) cover and let cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side over medium high heat. Serve on whole wheat buns with cheese if you want. To them just like you would your favorite burger. I roomies you can't go wrong with this exciting new dish!

Creamy Shrimp and Veggie Tacos

I love this quick cooking recipe for a weeknight go to meal!

1 pound of your favorite shrimp (I used jumbo tiger shrimp cut into bite size pieces)
1 yellow, orange and green bell peppers cut into strips
1 medium yellow onion cut into strips
1/2 cup white mushrooms cut into strips
1 medium zucchini cut into strips
1 tomato peeled, seeded and diced
1 cup chopped baby spinach
1 container of Philadelphia santa fe e cooking cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin and chili powder
Juice from half a lemon

Make sure the shrimp are peeled and deveined rinse these and set aside. Cut all the vegetables into match stick size strips and place them in a large, heavy bottom pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let cook down until vegetables start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and spices. Let this cook for another 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add the spinach, the lemon juice and the cooking cream. Let this cook for another 3-5 minutes and serve with multi-grain tortillas

Memorial Day Backyard BBQ

BBQ ribs, potato salad and smoked sausage with creamy dill dip and a cream cheese strawberry short cake.



2 racks of beef back ribs
1 tablespoon each cumin, chili powder, turmeric, dry ranch powder
1 teaspoon each salt, black pepper and paprika.
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all of the spices together. Cut each rack of ribs in half and rub each side liberally. Stack two halves on top of each other and wrap with foil. Place them on a cooling rack over a 13x9 baking dish in a 220 degree oven for 3-4 hours. Until they reach an internal temperature of 140-150 degrees.

BBQ sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt, cumin and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Potato Salad
6 russet potatoes cubed
1 small bag sugar snap peas
1/4 yellow and orange bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half long ways

Dressing
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard or brown mustard
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon basil and black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Creamy Dill Dip
This recipe is with my Greek Style Chicken Pita recipe

Leave the skins on the potatoes if you want, place the cubed potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. While the potatoes are boiling mix the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl and add the pepper slices. When the potatoes are almost fork tender add the the sugar snap peas and let the potatoes finish cooking, about 5 minutes. Drain these and add them to the bowl with the peppers and the dressing add the tomato halves and toss together to coat in the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Smoked sausage
2 packages turkey smoked sausage cut into quarters then cut those prices in half. Grill until warmed through. Brush with barbecue sauce if desired.

Strawberry short cake

1 angle food cake (I like the sugar fee cake but get what you like)

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese brought to room temperature. 1 pint of strawberries sliced into thin pieces
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rose water (this can be found at any Asian market, and this is optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon if desired.

Mix the cream cheese, rose water and sugar together with your hand mixer until well blended. Stir in the 1 cup of the strawberry pieces with a rubber spatula and set aside. Cut the cake into three layers. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture on each layer and stack the next on top. Spread the remainder of the mixture on the outside of the layered cake. Place the rest of the strawberries on the outside of the cake and sprinkle with the cinnamon and chill. Serve cold

Now that everything is ready take the ribs out of the oven and light the grill. Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce and grill until a nice crust forms on the outside of each half rack. Flip to caramelize both sides. Grill the smoked sausage and enjoy a wonderful holiday cook out with friends and family!!!