Simply Amazing Tikka Masala

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I absolutely love Tikka Masala. It is such an amazing dish, however it is often loaded with cream...most recipes call for a cup or more! That is crazy. When I break that down into a serving it is 1/4 cup per person... 208 calories and a whopping 22 grams of fat. No thank you. Some of you might be thinking, well can't you just substitute milk in place of the cream? Yes, you can but your dish will likely be runny as cream tends to thicken dishes. I spent the better part of my morning racking my brain as to what would be a good whipping cream substitute in this dish. I researched online and most people suggested yogurt, sour cream, all things I had already thought of, but just wouldn't be a perfect fit. Both would be a bit too tangy. Then I saw someone suggest fat free evaporated milk. That could work I thought, however I was still running in to issues with a thickening agent. That is when it dawned on me. Parsnips! They are sweet, fragrant and make excellent purees. The real fat buster in my Tikka Masala is to use what I have decided to call faux cream! It is 2/3 cup of diced, boiled parsnips pureed in the blender with 6 ounces of fat free evaporated milk. It is such a fabulous substitute. Now, can you use it in ganache? Probably not, but for cooking it is a great substitute for whipping cream and actually sneaks in a veggie in the process.

Faux Cream

3/4 cup diced parsnips
6 ounces fat free evaporated milk.

Boil parsnips until fork tender. Add to blender or food processor with 6 ounces of fat free evaporated milk and blend until smooth.

Tikka Masala

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cubed (sub tofu or tempeh for my vegetarian friends)

Marinade

1 cup fat free plain yogurt

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 garlic clove minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper (this makes the dish spicy-- if you don't like spicy or your kids are going to eat this try just a dash or leaving it out all together)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

Sauce

1 tbsp butter

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 8 ounce can tomato puree

Faux cream (recipe above)

1 tbsp fat free evaporated milk

1/4 chopped cilantro


Marinade your chicken for 2-4 hours. The longer the better.

For your sauce saute garlic and butter for 1 minute. Add coriander, garam masala, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir with garlic and butter for one minute. Next add tomato puree and simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, stir in the faux cream and tbsp of evaporated milk.

Cooked chicken in skillet discarding the remainder of the marinade (whatever is not stuck to the chicken). Chicken will need to cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken to tikka masala sauce and simmer on low  for 5 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro.

Yields 4 servings. Approx 330 calories and 5 grams of fat

You can serve over basmati rice (add 160 calories per serving)

For lower carb and calories try serving with two sides of veggies