Blog Archives
Quick Recipe: Easy Chicken Tikka
Chicken Tikka kicks ass. It’s the chicken fingers of Indian food. You can find it everywhere, it tastes amazing, and everybody loves it. Originally stemming from Indian Punjabi cuisine, the U.K. miraculously likes to take credit for it somehow, since one account states a Pakistani man created it in a restaurant in Glasgow. Despite that, it’s undoubtedly rooted in Indian heritage using curry spices and being cooked in manners consistent with Eastern food. If you want to get technical, Chicken Tikka is plain old boneless chicken pieces marinated in a spiced yogurt. Chicken Tikka Masala is that same thing, only served in a curry sauce, aka a masala. Though it seems fairly intimidating to cook at first, the effort is sooooo worth it in the end since it tastes amazing and looks super fancy. Serve it with some rice or homemade pilaf!
We Can Do It Better: Taco Bell Quesarito Recipe
Another few months, another new Taco Bell featured item… son of a bitch. Anyone who’s read our past WCDIB posts knows I used to be a raging Taco Bell junkie, but stopped eating it years ago when I switched to a healthier diet. Whereas I’d jump in my car and race to the nearest Taco Bell upon seeing an ad for something new, now I simply bow my head and shed a single tear. Fortunately though, since starting Poor Couples Food Guide, Meg and I have started recreating popular franchise foods as a hobby of sorts. Not only does it make it easier to bear the temptation, but making your own versions at home is rewarding since you can actually improve upon the source material.
That brings me to Taco Bell’s newest item. Want to know how to make your own Quesarito at home?
Spices 101: What is Cumin?
Cumin is an awesome spice. Cumin is by far my favorite spice. The best way I can describe it, is that it smells like an armpit and makes everything taste like a taco.
I know that sounds kinda weird but trust me, cumin is really useful. It complements other flavors really well in spice blends and despite its funky smell, it’s never overbearing when you use it in cooking. I love throwing it into everything from curries to dry rubs to breading. It’s exotic enough to be interesting, but not something you have to pay top-dollar for.
Cumin
Origin: Mediterranean / India
Appearance: Greyish-tan powder OR long, tan seeds with lines
Scent: B.O., Peppery
Taste: Warm, earthy
Foods: Indian cuisine, Latino cuisine
Rareness: Average
Recipe Time! Springtime Baked Chicken and Rice
As you may have noticed, we’re big fans of chicken and rice here at Poor Couple’s Food Guide. For the less enlightened, you may think that it gets boring eating a lot of chicken and rice. But this is not the case! There are so many delicious ways to prepare it, each one tasting different from the last. Today I’m here to share one such recipe that I came up with. After months of heavy winter foods I wanted to come up with something light and springy, now that the weather is finally warming up. And something with green in it to reflect the green finally growing outside.
We Can do it Better: Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread Sandwich
Erik has already admitted to being a recovering Taco Bell addict. The thing that makes this journey the hardest, and most temps relapse are their cheap chicken flatbreads. The one he specifically misses the most is the chipotle chicken flatbread. The chipotle chicken flatbread sandwiches were originally released in the summer of 2011 for a limited time, and have occasionally been re-released for limited runs since then. The sandwiches were made on square flatbreads with marinated grilled chicken, cheddar, pepper jack and mozzarella cheeses, and a chipotle sauce. A simple, but delicious concoction.
This is a picture of the Taco Bell version, if you couldn’t tell.
Luckily for Erik, and you dear reader, it’s absurdly easy to make your own Taco Bell chicken flatbread sandwiches at home.
The Poor Couple's Food Guide 
You must be logged in to post a comment.