Baked Tandoori Chicken

After months of eating out of necessity rather than for enjoyment, I am slowly but surely regaining my appetite. I woke up this morning and couldn't wait to cook something.

My cookbooks will be so happy. They look so sad and neglected, don't they?

OK, that's not how they usually look. They're usually very well organized on their bookshelves in the basement. Which is still sort of susceptible to flooding now that the National Weather Service announced that the second crest in Fargo, in a few weeks, will likely be higher than the first record-breaking crest. EEP. Our mayor doesn't think that will happen, but for now, we'll leave our basement belongings where they are.

Which is another reason that I've been hesitant to cook. The main floor of our house looks worse than when we moved in, and the kitchen is my oasis of space of cleanliness. I can walk in, face that corner, and pretend for a moment that everything is normal.

Unless I look right. Then I see this again.

The hubby says I have a problem. I told him that no, I'd have a problem if I'd brought ALL my cookbooks upstairs. Duh. These are just my favorites.

And my family heirlooms. Like this one.

My grandma has given me many of her old cookbooks, including this cutie from 1951. I'll probably never cook from it, but I can't get over how adorably homespun it is.

I promise, none of my other cookbooks look like this.

But back to today. I gave the hubby his choice of several dishes for supper, and he chose the tandoori chicken. It's pretty fast, very tasty, and also very healthy. This is a variation of a Rachael Ray recipe, and I like to serve it with couscous (cooked in broth), grilled veggies, and grilled bread.

Baked Tandoori Chicken
Serves 4

1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 c. plain yogurt (I use fat-free)
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in chunks

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Combine spices in a bowl. Add yogurt, ginger, and garlic. (I set aside about 1/2 tsp. spice mixture to rub on the veggies before I grill them.) Add chicken chunks to bowl and stir until chicken is thoroughly coated.

3. Cover a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooking rack. (I use the rack from my roasting pan.) This allows the heat to circulate under the chicken rather than leaving the bottom kind of gooey.

4. Place chicken chunks on rack.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (Use this time wisely. Grill your veggies!)

6. Serve with couscous.

Or rice, if you're the hubby. He no like-like the couscous.

He's also really big on equally spaced food placement.