Chicken cutlets with coconut rice and roasted vegetables

This was such a good meal last night!! I got my hands on a new cookbook that I took the chicken and rice recipe from and so far it's awesome! The vegetable recipe came from the South Beach diet book. Tell me if you try it!



Parmesan-spiced chicken cutlets Serves 4

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp. ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp. Garam Masala
1 3/4 cups bread crumbs ( I used Shore Lunch breading mix)
6 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil for frying

Mix the cilantro, garlic, oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp peppercorns, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Transfer to a gallon size resealable plastic bag, add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.

Whisk the eggs with the Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp peppercorns in shallow dish. In a separate dish stir together bread crumbs and cheese. Place the flour in another dish. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, the coat with bread crumb/cheese mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets until both sides are browned-3-4 minutes each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.




Coconut Rice Serves 8

1/4 cup canola oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
12 curry leaves (optional--I left them out)
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat the oil with the onions, curry leaves if using, mustard seeds and cumin seeds in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the cumin is browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, cook for 2 minutes, and then mix in the coconut and cook, while stirring, until the coconut is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the water, coconut milk, and kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook the rice for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables Serves 4

1 medium zucchini or green squash, cut into bite-size pieces
1 meduim summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
1 red onion
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 450 F. Place the vegetables and onion in a large roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to mix and coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.


Addendum:I realized I should have named the new cookbook, it's American Masala by Suvir Saran. It's an awesome cookbook!