Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala

Image courtesy bonappetit.com: photograph by Alex Lau; food styling by Judy Mancini.

Seventeen year ago, I put my body through hell. I was emotionally dysregulated—making food choices from a place of fear, anxiety and past trauma. I was eating my emotions, consuming pint after pint of Häagen-Dazs Deep Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream—my edible courage—which resulted in a 65-pound weight gain I didn’t know how to manage.

I was pregnant with my now 16-year old daughter Chiara—and I was in a constant state of PANIC.

I’m one of millions of women who suffer from recurrent miscarriages. First, an atopic pregnancy at age 22, then at 26, a miscarriage at five months. I was heartbroken and on a hormonal downward spiral. In between, at 24, I gave birth to my handsome, sole-surviving son, Isaiah. Statistically, 1 in 10 women have a miscarriage over a lifetime—23 million pregnancies or 44 per minute worldwide annually—and only 5% of women miscarriage in the second trimester. Nine years after the surgical removal of my baby, I was pregnant—and petrified.

When Chiara was born, she was the most beautiful human being I ever met.

After I gave birth, I weighed in at an unbelievably high number and breastfeeding barely made a dent. It wasn’t the number that frustrated me as much as the fact that I couldn’t fit into my favorite pair of jeans. Growing up, I watched my mom put herself through the strictest of fad diets, limiting her food intake and counting every calorie. I vowed never to diet. Instead, I decided to let my body bounce back naturally. Months later, I was still uncomfortably swollen and needed to make a change. I turned to food to nourish my body and developed an anti-inflammatory, 7-day eating program from the knowledge I gained cooking gluten-free and dairy-free to heal Isaiah’s gut.

To reduce inflammation, I cut out 7 foods and alcohol:

1. Gluten

2. Dairy

3. Sugar (plus all sugar substitutes and unrefined sugars, like maple syrup and honey)

4. Soy

5. Peanut

6. Eggs

7. Corn

I developed easy, flavor-packed recipes that not only satisfied my eating plan, but my cravings. I even had a decadent dinner party—and no one even noticed every dish was “compliant.” At the end of the 7 days, I lost 7 pounds and even more, I had energy to engage fully with my family and the world around me.

Here are my 7 realizations after 7 days:

1. I thanked my body for the gift of Chiara.

2. I learned what consistent, healthy habits look like, and more importantly, feel like.

3. I was motivated to make food lifestyle changes because I wanted to feel better from the inside out—and keep it that way.

4. I built a realistic foundation of forgiveness, self-compassion and flexibility (because life happens).

5. I focused on developing behaviors and rituals that made me feel more in charge of my food choices and health.

6. I ate for pleasure, not perfection. I pushed past the boundaries of what people think good-for-you food tastes (and looks) like.

7. I understood that if I trust my relationship with food, it’ll always be there for me when I’m ready.

Why am I talking about this now? Through the years, when I find myself sluggish or putting on unnecessary weight, I ask myself if the food choices I’m making are consistent with how I want to feel today, next week and even next month. Thanks to my experience all those years ago, I’ve learned to listen to my body and I know what to do to feel better in just 7 days.

Now, for your first feel-good recipe—Chicken Tikka Masala. Trust me, you’ll want to make a big batch of the spice blend to keep in your pantry and double the masala sauce recipe so you can freeze half for an even faster meal next week. It’s that good!

Until we eat again,

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PALEO CHICKEN MASALA

To make this generously-spiced recipe a fast and easy weeknight one-pot meal, I par-cook the chicken by pan-searing until just golden, then I stir it right into the creamy spiced tomato masala sauce instead of marinating the chicken overnight in yogurt, then grilling or roasting the next day.

PALEo ≈ gluten-free ≈ dairy-free ≈ sugar-free 

SERVES 4 to 6
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS
1½ tablespoons ground turmeric
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
1½ tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
2½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1½-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed, or 1 tablespoon finely grated
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger (about a 1-inch piece)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
2 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato puree
One 16-ounce container unsweetened non-Greek or dairy-free yogurt, such as cocojune
1 cup Homemade Cashew Milk (recipe below) or dairy-free milk, such as Malk unsweetened almond milk
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
½ cup chopped cilantro, or to taste
Steamed rice, for serving, preferably black pearl or brown basmati
Lemon wedges, for serving, optional

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine turmeric, cumin, paprika, coriander and garam masala.

2. In a medium bowl or resealable large ziploc bag, toss together the chicken pieces, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture; coat evenly.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.

4. Using the same pot (and adding more oil if necessary), stir together the onion and remaining spices; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato puree; bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.

6. Stir in the yogurt and milk; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 8 minutes.

7. Stir in the partially cooked chicken and cilantro; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes; season with salt, black pepper and the crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Serve with the cooked rice and lemon wedges, if using.

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 HOMEMADE CASHEW MILK

The milk keeps, refrigerated, in a resealable container for up to 1 week. If you want to mimic the natural sugars in cow’s milk, add up to 2 tablespoons date syrup, agave syrup or your preferred refined sugar-free sweetener.

dairy-free ≈ sugar-free 

Makes About 4 cups
Prep Time 5 minutes 

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight, rinsed and drained
3 cups water
Pinch salt, preferably flake sea salt or Himalayan pink salt (optional)

Add the cashews, water and salt, if using, to a high-speed blender and process on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour through a sieve.

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RECIPE NOTES

• Use the versatile masala sauce with your favorite vegetables, shrimp or lamb in place of the chicken.

• Refrigerate chicken tikka masala leftovers, if any, for up to 5 days. To serve, reheat, covered, on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally.

• No immersion blender? Use a regular blender or food processor instead.