Indian Chickpeas and Greens

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We have been experiencing the first real spring-like weather here in Eastern Washington, and I am very much enjoying the sunshine and lighter-jacket-weather.  Kevin and I had quite a few adventures this weekend, including attempting to move our new couch into our apartment.  This attempt ultimately failed, not because the couch was too big, but because our door is at such and angle to the stair railing.  Oh darn!

After Kevin and I talked about some of our complaints and needs, we decided we needed to look for a new place.  I have been desperately wanting a new couch for months and months, pretty much since we got married.  Since then we have been using Kevins college futon, which is anything but comfortable.  So, a few weeks ago, Kevin caved-into my request under the condition that we get one at a discounted store.  OK!  Fine by me, as long as I get a couch I can knit and relax on!  We found the perfect one and a matching recliner from Big Lots, but had to wait a few weeks to pick it up.  Well, as the story goes, it was not a success and we ended up having to store the couch at my parents place for now.

Luckily our lease was up at the end of this month (it would have gone month to month after that), so on Sunday we went around town all afternoon looking at places, and finally decided on some apartments that were a bit older than ours, in about the same location, is almost the same in rent, and has way more things we need/want.  (1) A door and angle big enough to fit our new couch and recliner, (2) an in-unit washer and dryer, (3) an on site fitness facility, (4) plenty of parking, (5) everything else our old place has.  Im pretty happy with our new place, and we are both very excited to move (AND HAVE MY DAMN COUCH)!

Well that is what is new with my life, other than this amazing Indian dish... that I have made three times already.  Seriously!  It is that good!  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can fire roasted chiles (mild)
• 1 tsp minced or paste ginger
• 3-5 cups dark greens, washed and well chopped (kale, spinach, green collards, etc.)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp corriander
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• salt to taste
• whole wheat naan or brown rice for serving

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend together the canned diced tomatoes, canned chiles, and ginger paste, until smooth.
2. In a skillet on High, bring 1/2 cup of water to a very very rapid boil.  Toss in the cumin seeds, and while continually stirring, let the water boil off.
3. Once the water has nearly boiled off, pour in the pureed tomato mixture and the rest of the spices.  Cook on Medium High at a simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the dark greens, stir them in, and cover for 5-8 minutes, until the greens have wilted down.  
5. Add the chickpeas and simmer on low for 8 minutes, adding more water if need be to maintain a gravy consistency.
6. Serve hot over brown rice or with whole wheat naan bread for dipping.

Amys Notes:

• I have made this dish with a few different types of greens and found that I like baby kale or spinach the best.  Regular kale and collards take a bit longer to steam, and gives the dish a bit more of a greens-bitter taste.  So, if thats what you like, keep that in mind.
• If you happen to have garam marsala in your spice repetoir, I would suggest using 1 tsp of that and leaving out the tumeric, cayenne, and cloves.
• If you would like to make your own homemade whole wheat naan, this is the recipe that I use, but minus 1 Tbsp of oil.
• If you are not a fan of spicy foods, eliminate the cayenne pepper, or replace it with chili powder.  Also, make sure to get a can of MILD roasted chiles.

This was my very first try at making Indian food and all I can say is... IM HOOKED!  I have been doing some research about Indian food and found that a large portion of the population in India are vegetarian.  Im thinking I can hopefully nutritarian-ize a few tradtitional recipes that are already vegetarian. 

Do you have any favorite vegetarian or nutritarian Indian recipes?

Read More..

Indian Spiced Sauteed Vegetables

I hope everyones week is going well.  Im excited to bring you a new recipe today.  As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, I have already made this dish twice this week.  Once when my parents visited last weekend, and again on Monday to enjoy with my lunches for the week.

This recipe is VERY versatile!  It will work with just about any veggies you have on hand.  It would even taste great with some cooked potatoes added in.  I have been having it with some cooked basamati brown rice and homemade Indian saag with mung beans, which I made based on Wendys recipe at Healthy Girls Kitchen called Vegan Indian Saag (Spinach) Tofu.  Another way I enjoyed it this week was with brown rice, some chickpeas, and topped with some siracha sauce.  Like I said, very versatile!

The point of this recipe for me this week was to have some cooked (mostly green) veggies ready to eat, rather than digging out my pots and pans every evening.  I actually tasted this cold out of the fridge, and it was super yummy!

Indian-Spiced Sauteed Vegetables

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:
    Vegetables: (about 6 cups total)
        1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
        1 large yellow onion, chopped
        1 medium zucchini, chopped
        1 cup mushrooms, sliced
    Spices:
        2 cloves garlic, minced
        1 tsp ginger paste (or 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger)
        1 tsp cumin
        1 tsp coriander
        1/2 tsp turmeric
        1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more to taste
        1/4 tsp cinnamon
        Fresh herbs
 

Instructions:
1.)  In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic and ginger paste with a little water, as needed.  Once fragrant and lightly browned, add in all of the vegetables.
2.)  Water saute the vegetables for 5-8 minutes, until soft and tender.
3.)  Sprinkle on the remaining spices and stir to incorporate.
4.)  Serve hot by itself, on a baked potato, with brown rice, over steamed spinach, with chickpeas, etc.  Or be crazy and eat it cold out of the fridge!

Amys Notes:

I forgot to mention, fresh herbs mix wonderfully into this dish.  I happened to have fresh basil on hand (thank you moms garden!), so I roughly chopped up about 1/4 cup and added it to the veggies at the end of cooking.  Other fresh herbs that might go well besides basil are cilantro and mint... separately, of course! ;)

I absolutely love the color that the turmeric colors the veggies.  The spices hold up wonderfully on their own, and I have found that the veggies go well as a side as well as on top of some grains and beans.

This is a great side dish to make if you are having a homemade Indian dish for dinner.  Most main Indian dishes take some time and effort to make, so the fact that this vegetable saute can be chopped and cooked within 15 minutes is important!

Health and Happiness,

Amy

Read More..

Indian Mixed Dal

I first tried Indian cuisine a few years ago while my brother and sister-in-law were in town for Christmas.  They insisted that my nutritarian parents and I give it a try since many recipes are vegetarian and often rely heavily on beans and legumes.  Wow!  Fantastic!  We couldnt get enough.  Soon most dinners out with my parents were to our new favorite Indian restaurant.

Now, I know Indian restaurants arent necessarily Nutritarian friendly since they are generally higher in salt and often use ghee (clarified butter), but thats why Im bringing you a recipe today that can be made at home with no salt, oil, or ghee!  For other Indian recipes Ive done before including whole wheat naan bread, click here.

Indian Mixed Dal
Time: 5 minute prep, 8 minutes in a pressure cook or 30 minutes on the stovetop
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
    Saute:  
        1/2 large onion, chopped
        2 cups sliced mushrooms
        1/2 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped
        1 Tbsp minced garlic
        1 tsp minced ginger
        1 tsp cumin seeds

    Dal:      
        1/3 cup red lentils
        1/3 cup yellow split peas
        1/3 cup green split peas
        3 cups water

    Spices:
        1 Tbsp gram marsala
        2 tsp ground coriander
        1 tsp smoked paprika
        1/2 tsp ground cumin
        1/2 tsp cinnamon
        1/2 tsp turmeric
        1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes            /

Instructions:
1.)  Saute the first 6 ingredients over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking.
2.)  Add in the dal, water, and spices, and stir well to combine.
3.)  If using a pressure cooker, set the cooker to 8 minutes at high pressure.  When 8 minutes is up, release the remaining pressure and stir thoroughly to mash up the dal.
      If cooking on the stovetop, bring the pot to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally and adding additional water if it becomes too dry.
4.)    Serve hot over a whole grain or with steamed veggies.

Amys Notes:

Since doing the ETL 6-Week Challenge, Im trying to limit myself on whole grains, so instead of serving my dal with brown rice, I decided to cut up zucchini really small (like rice) and steam it.

Health and Happiness,

Amy

Read More..

Spicy Indian Dal

****Check out the new "Pin it" feature on each of my pictures!  If you hover over the picture, the "Pin It" logo will appear, allowing you to pin any image from this post.  I will continue to do this with all of my future posts.  Thanks to my readers for the suggestion!****

Over the last few months since I have been on a blogging hiatus, I have fallen in love with Indian food.  Locally, we have one of the best Indian restaurants, and we enjoy going there once or twice a month, usually with my parents.  Although they have quite a few vegetarian options, I know that there is a ton of oil/ghee in all of the recipes.  Since I was craving Indian food this Sunday, I decided to make a big batch of Indian spiced lentils. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups dried mixed lentils (I used 1/3 cup of each pictured)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can lite coconut milk

2 medium sized tomatoes (or an extra can of diced tomatoes)

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed (yellow or orange bell peppers work too)

1/2 yellow onion

1 dried red chile, stem and seeds removed

Spices:

• 1-1/2 Tbsp ground corriander
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less as desired)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric 

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring the mixed lentils and around 8 cups of water to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and allow the lentils to cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until "al dente".  Pour into a strainer and allow to drain while you prepare the sauce.
2. In a high speed blender, combine the canned and fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, coconut milk, onion, and chile.  Blend until the creamy and the dried chile has been broken into very small flecks.
3. Return the empty pot to the stovetop and pour in the tomato sauce mixture you just blended.  Heat over medium heat until simmering and add the spices and cooked lentils back into the pot.  
4. Simmer until the lentils are thoroughly cooked and the sauce has reduced to become creamy.  Adjust spices to your liking.  (I generally add extra cayenne pepper for some extra heat at the end.)
5. Serve hot over your preferred grain.  I served mine with mixed quinoa and steamed kale.

Amys Notes:

I was so excited yesterday (and today) that Kevin was willing to try this dish and actually asked for a bowl or two for himself.  I guess I will have to keep this recipe in my regulars.  ;)

I absolutely LOVE lentils!  They are great to add to soups, salads, you name it.  It is a big plus for me that they cook up relatively quickly without needing any soaking.  I am lucky enough to have a few grocery stores to choose from where I can get all of the varieties below in the bulk section at a relatively decent price. 

What is your favorite way to enjoy lentils?

Read More..