cilantro chicken.

I love cilantro. However, I can't buy it too often as it doesn't keep very well for too long in the refrigerator. Before long, they get brown and soggy and I hate having to throw an entire unused bunch away. Anyway, Mr. Sachinky went to the Farmer's Market earlier this afternoon and returned with cilantro and other produce. I was determined to use most of it this weekend  before it could go bad on me. Something preferably with chicken. So after some research, I came up with this recipe, inspired from a Guy Fieri dish and it was, frankly, lip-smacking.

Pierce chicken pieces with a fork. 

Marinate chicken in a marinade of orange juice, soy sauce, honey, canola oil, salt, pepper, garlic, the juice of two limes, the zest of one lime, one fourth cup of cilantro and a hint of red chilli powder. The aroma is positively delicious and you will be tempted to lick the marinade off your fingers.

Let it sit for an hour.

Mr. Sachinky then heated up the grill and after three-four minutes in a pre-heated George Foreman, dinner was ready! Crunchy cilantro, ftw!

channa masala.

I wanted something spicy for a dreary afternoon lunch. So I looked around the pantry and found a can of garbanzo beans. I immediately thought of "channa masala." This stuff was so delicious and so quick to make that I just had to share it with you, lovely reader.

--Heat oil in a pan. Fry garlic, ginger, and onions till the onions turned translucent.

--Stir in the garbanzo beans and add chopped tomatoes and red chillies.

--Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, coriander powder and red chilly powder.

--I couldn't find the garam masala so I just threw in a spoon of chicken masala powder instead.

--Garnish with fresh cilantro. For an extra kick, squeeze lemon juice over the cooked beans. Serve with hot buttered paranthas.

tortellini in a basil pesto creamy sauce.

The delicious three-cheese tortellini in a creamy pesto sauce that we sampled at the Buffet at Bellagio left a lingering taste in both our mouths. So for dinner last night, we tried to recreate it with a few ingredients that we picked up on the way back from the grocery store. 

Follow the simple steps for a quick journey to a gourmet meal. Melt butter in a pan. Fry garlic, diced red onion, mushrooms and cubed bacon till cooked. I used several dollops of prepared basil pesto but you can always make your own. Mix in heavy cream till the sauce takes on green, creamy texture. Stir in cooked, drained tortellini. I know it looks weird but tastes out of this world. Even I, a non-lover-of-pasta, loved it. It wasn't quite the same as the one we had at the Bellagio which had a lot more sauce but it was still pretty damn good, nonetheless.