Sri Lankan Style Chickpeas

I've been trying to include more chickpeas in my diet, and found this great recipe. I didn't have lemon juice or cilantro, which would have made the dish even better. I liked this dish so much that I immediately made another batch for lunch tomorrow, but left out the green chili (my mouth was on fire!) and added a pinch of chili powder.

Sri Lankan Style Chickpeas

Kale and Chickpea Stir Fry

1 bunch kale
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cans chickpeas
2 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. butter
salt

Chop kale into 2 inch strips. Sautee in olive oil w/ garlic, add a pinch of salt. When kale becomes slightly crunchy, remove.
Caramelize onion by cooking w/ butter over medium heat until translucent. Add chickpeas to pan and stir occasionally until chickpeas are warm. Mix in kale and season w/ salt.

If you have freshly grated parmesan on hand, it makes a great garnish. Salad can be served warm or cold.

This stir fry is a delicious way to serve kale!

Roast Beet Salad

4 large beets, peeled and cut into sixths or eights
2 Tb. goat cheese, crumbled
4-6 fresh mint leaves, chopped
dash sea salt
dash olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place beets in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 35-40 mins, stirring every 10 mins so they don't burn. Allow beets to cool completely. Mix in goat cheese and fresh mint. Serve chilled. (Serves 2 as a side salad)

Easy Potato Salad

1 lb. baby red potatoes
3 Tb. mayo
1 Tb. mustard
1 Tb. minced red onion
1 Tb. chopped chives
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in water for 15-20mins. Potatoes are done when fork can be easily inserted into potato. Strain and rinse potatoes with cool water. When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, cut into halves or fourths depending on size of potato. Place in a bowl and add the onion, chives, and eggs. Mix. Add mustard, mayo, and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir until potatoes are well coated. Chill before serving.

Ginger Chutney

2" piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 dried red chili, seeded
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
1 Tb. tamarind paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
handful cilantro
1/4c. shredded coconut

Sautee red chili, ginger, and tamarind in oil. When ginger is cooked (light brown), remove from pan. Sautee tomato and coriander leaves together for a few minutes. Add ginger mixture and tomato mixture together in a food processor, add coconut. Add salt and blend until smooth, adding water as needed.

Enjoy with dosa or iddly.

Spinach Lentil Salad

2 c. green or brown lentils, soaked for a few hours
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tb. capers
3 c. raw spinach
1 Tb. chopped scallion or red onion
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
cilantro garnish (optional)
asiago or parmesan cheese to crumble on top

Cook lentils in water (about 1" above lentils in pot), add a few dashes salt and the garlic. Cook lentils approx 25 mins until tender. Drain. While lentils are cooking, wash spinach and cook in microwave with a dash of salt until wilted (about 2 mins). After lentils have finished cooking, combine them with the tomatoes, capers, spinach, scallion in a large mixing bowl. Add a few glugs of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. When serving, grate or crumble cheese over the top. I used asiago, but parmesan would be delicious too.

I try to incorporate lots of lentils and beans into my diet since I don't eat meat. This salad was quick to prepare (as long as you soak the lentils ahead of time) and tasty. It serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower Curry

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil (a few glugs)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. hot chili powder
1/4 tsp. curry powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour a few glugs of olive oil (a few tablespoons) over the cauliflower and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle cumin seeds, sea salt, chili powder, and curry powder over cauliflower and toss again to coat cauliflower with spices. Roast at 400 degrees for approximately 40 mins, stirring once to prevent burning. The vegetables will start to stick to the bottom of the pan at some point (unless you use a whole bottle of olive oil!). Although it might not look very pretty, it will taste amazing!

I bought a jar of bell pepper and herb sea salt, and I've been using it on all of my roasted veggies in place of coarse sea salt. If you can find it, herb sea salt adds a lot of flavor. You can also add potato (cubed) and onion (cut into strips). I love any roasted vegetables, but cauliflower is definitely my favorite. I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. I am looking forward to roasting spring vegetables and posting a recipe, but it's still to cold in Wisconsin. The asparagus hasn't even made an appearance yet! Maybe next month...

Amma's Mango Pickle

1 unripe (green) mango, peeled and diced
2 tsp. oil ( olive oil or sesame oil)
1/4 tsp. black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder (the spicy variety, not American chili powder)
pinch turmeric
pinch asafoetida (optional-I skip this step)

Heat sesame oil on medium-high heat in frying pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and fry until seeds start to pop and splutter. Reduce heat to med-low. Add in salt, chili powder, turmeric, and asafoetida. Stir in mango and sautee for 5 mins. If mango starts to brown or stick to pan, you can add a few tablespoons of water and stir more frequently.

From my mother-in-law's kitchen in India, this is a fresh version of the traditional Indian canned pickle, a spicy condiment. Fresh pickle is best eaten as a side dish with "curd rice" (rice, plain yogurt, and salt mixed) and you can vary the chili powder according to your spice tolerance. I don't like the "mouth on fire" feeling, so I went easy on the chili powder. While the mango should be "green", not ripe yet, I think it would also taste good with a ripe mango. My husband is South Indian and said "yuck" to that idea. Maybe I'll be making ripe mango pickle for ONE next week!

Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained
2 Tb fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4c. Tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 Tb. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth (a little lumpy is fine), adding salt to taste.
You may need to add 1/4c. water if the hummus is very thick during blending.
Garnish with olive oil and paprika. Serve with pita chips or use in hummus sandwich pictured below.

Hummus makes a great snack or a healthy part of a light meal. I usually serve it on a platter with cucumber, tomato, falafel, and pita bread.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1 large tomato, chopped

1/3 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

2 T. parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

sprinkle oregano and basil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

Serves 3-4
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, and balsamic vinegar, add dash salt and pepper.  Coat bottom of roasting pan (I used glass 9x13 pan) with olive oil, place mushrooms in pan gill side up.  Spoon tomato mixture into mushrooms.  Bake for 20-25 mins or until mixture turns golden brown on top of mushrooms. 

These portobellos are very rich in flavor.  I served them as a main dish with fried eggplant on the side, and I could barely finish one mushroom.  Portobellos are a good source of B vitamins for vegetarians!

Rating: 4 stars

The filling flavors were perfect; however, I found that when the mushroom tops were golden brown, the mushrooms were still a bit undercooked.  I would suggest baking the mushrooms a little longer (25-30 mins) with foil covering the pan.

Potato Curry

4 medium potatoes (cook them in microwave first, approx 8 mins)

3-4 Tb. olive oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp chili powder (to taste)

dash cayenne pepper

dash salt

Cube potatoes (I leave skin on) after they have been cooked in
microwave.
Heat olive oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds, cook until they splutter
(crackle and pop) then add potato and stir.
Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and stir well. Extra oil may
be needed to prevent burning and add to flavor.
Cook over medium-high heat until potatoes begin to brown and crisp on
the outside. I cook them as long as possible without burning it!

This yummy side dish pairs well with sambar, rasam, and dal rice.

Rating: 5 stars

South Indian Curries

South Indian Curries can be made with a variety of vegetables. My
favorites include:

Capsicum (Pepper)
Cauliflower
Cabbage (I prefer red cabbage)
Okra
Green Beans

You need:
3-4 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder (if using mexican or indian chili powder, just a
pinch or it will be too spicy!)
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste (1/2 tsp?)
pinch cumin seeds (optional
mustard seeds (1/2 tsp)

Chop vegetables into small pieces. If necessary (cauliflower, okra,
green beans) cook vegetable for a few minutes in microwave.
Heat 1Tb olive oil (or sesame oil) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp
mustard seeds and pinch of cumin seeds. When the seeds start to
crackle and pop in the pan, add the chopped vegetable and stir.
Add the salt, chili powder, and cayenne pepper and mix well. Continue
cooking over med-high heat, you may need to add another few
tablespoons of olive oil so it doesn't burn. Curry is ready when
vegetables begin to brown or get a little crispy.

Serve warm as a side dish with rasam, sambar, or dal.