Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa

This was full of flavor and it was made in 15 minutes, what more can you ask for?
I found the original recipe on Susan V’s blog as I was skimming through food gawker (love that site). To see what else Susan  is cooking up click here!

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons good curry powder (or adjust to taste)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground red pepper (or to taste)
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• salt to taste

Heat a medium-sized, non-stick sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and red pepper, and stir briefly. Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt to taste.
Serve in wraps, pita bread, or lettuce leaves or with naan or other flatbread
I know you are thinking I see mushrooms in the photo but not in the recipe?! You are right. I threw some mushrooms in there because we like mushrooms here and put them in a lot of our dishes just because we like em!

Indian Mango Dal

I love Indian food! So I suppose it is a good thing I live in Seattle because I have soo many options! I was looking for lentil recipes a while back and found this one from Eating Well and decided to give it a try. Well I have made it several times now because it is really good!



This is a jar opener but it also does the trick to take the papery skin off of garlic


Slightly dampen a paper towel and wipe down mushrooms. You can do a quick rinse and then wipe them down but never soak mushrooms. They will absorb water and become rubbery and lose their flavor otherwise.


I still prefer to peel my mango and then dice it but the slice then scoop  method looks better on camera. So I changed things up a bit just for this post.


Now it’s ready to eat! Also you can see that there are mushroom in my picture but not in the actual recipe. I had some mushrooms that needed used up so I tossed them in and they tasted great and also gave a little more texture to the dish.

• 1 cup yellow lentils (I used brown but yellow would probably be “prettier”)
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place lentils in a colander and rinse until the water runs clear. Combine lentils, 4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and starting to brown, about 30 seconds. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
3. Stir the garlic mixture and mangoes into the lentils. Return to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in cilantro

One last thing. I always cook up a huge pot of lentils and freeze what I don’t use. So I probably cook up 4 cups and then scoop out 2 cups once they are cooked to use with this dish.

Red Rice and Beans

After a few bites Tyler said this tasted like something his mom would make and that he really liked it! Hearing that means this dish is an instant keeper! It was really good, the different flavors worked so well together! Be sure to have all the veggies chopped up and ready to go and this meal can be made  in no time! Pretty sure it was done in 20 minutes or less! Next time I might even try Quinoa instead of rice to change things up a bit.

• SAUCEPAN
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 cups cooked basmati brown rice
• 12 INCH SKILLET
• 3 garl1ic cloves crushed
• 1 tsp chili powder (I put more in! we like spicy food)
• 3 cups red kidney beans (2 cans rinsed and drained)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 large carrots, finely chopped
• 28 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped

I used my food processor to dice up the garlic and parsley, I also used it to chop the onion and carrot. This sped things up because all I had left to chop was the bell pepper and asparagus.

1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium heat. Add asparagus, red pepper, onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 5 minutes or until just tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cooked rice until well mixed. 
2. After carrots are copped steam them until soft. Add them to the rice mixture. 
3. In 12-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil on medium until hot. Add garlic and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, salsa, tomatoes, turmeric and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Mix the rice and sauce together, and sprinkle some parsley on top when serving. Place leftover parsley on the table for others to add more while eating.

Swiss Chard Italiano

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I made this a while back and it was full of wonderful flavor (and vitamins/minerals).  I served it with whole wheat bread,  brown rice, and black beans for a complete meal.

I could have used a bigger pan (I think a wok would have been perfect)  because the kale was too fluffy until it cooked down. I actually had to cook the kale in a pot and then transferred it to the tomato/onion mix.

Ingredients and Directions

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 7 cups chopped Swiss Chard, Kale, or spinach
• 16 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp basil

• Heat oil in a LARGE nonstick skillet over medium heat, add garlic and onion. Cook for 3 min.
• Add remaining ingredients. May want to transfer to a big pot because my large skillet wasn't large enough. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cashew Cheese Sauce

Tonight this went on EVERYTHING!!! I will admit I miss dairy sometimes. More specifically I miss cheese. This is the perfect remedy.





My thoughts are in green! Also the cheese freezes well. If you add gelatin and chill it you can slice it like cheese to put on sandwiches :-)


Ingredients:

• 1 cup  water
• 2 tablespoons  lemon juice
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers 
• 1/2 cup  raw cashews 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (I used a real onion )
• 1/4 cup  nutritional yeast 
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

Directions

• Toss ingredients except boiling water, coconut oil in the blender for 6 min. 
• Add hot water and coconut oil, then blend for about 30 seconds.
• Pour liquid into sauce-pan and whisk on medium heat until it has thickened.

EGG Substitutes

I just wanted to list all the different substitutes that can be used in place of eggs. I used 1/2 of a mashed banana recently in some muffins and they turned out great! However I probably wouldn’t use the banana if I were making something like, black bean burgers (I’ll have to post those soon they are soo good!) I use bread crumbs and tomato paste. So if you do do an egg replacement be aware if you are making something sweet or salty. You want to use something that will act as a binder and thickener.

• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1/4 c applesauce or pureed fruit
• 1 1/2 tsp of Ener-G Foods Egg Replacer + 2 Tbs lukewarm water
•  Tbs psyllium husk powder + 2 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbs water 
• 1 Tbs ground chia seeds + 3 Tbs water
• 1/4 c mashed potatoes/sweet potato
• 2 Tbs potato starch or tapioca starch
• 2-3 Tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 c cooked oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• agar agar 

Quinoa "Taco" Salad

My friend and I take turns making dinner each week. She usually makes something really tasty on Tuesday  and I always beg her for the recipe! I usually get creative (which can be interesting sometimes) on Thursday. Well I was clicking through food gawkers (you've never been? Oh its so fantastic you'll want to make it your homepage!) food gawker and I stumbled upon this recipe: "here" by Katie Goodman.

Anyone new to quinoa? here is some great info on it. Quick health notes: fiber (aids digestion), protein (building block of the entire body!), magnesium (bone, heart, and muscle health), phosphorus (bone health), and manganese (antioxidant, bone, reproductive health).

Lets just say this Thursday's dinner was a huge success!!!!

I used Katie's photo as well, my camera is not the best so if I don't have natural light (like the pics on my previous posts) the food tends to look very yellow. I'm more of a chef than a photographer so I need to keep practicing in that area.

This dish packs a lot of flavor and is very nutritious!! I did make a few changes to the origonal recipe:

1. I cooked my quinoa in canned diced tomatoes instead of water. (I was lucky and had tomotoes that my parents had grown in their garden and bottled).
2. I also mixed basil in with the Spinach-Cilantro mix.
3. I cooked my own black beans and mixed 1/2 cup of salsa with them.
4. I threw a few dashes of turmeric in my dish as well. It has some excellent health benefits.

Here is the Origonal by Katie Goodman:
•1 cup quinoa
•1 red onion, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•half a red bell pepper, chopped
•half a green bell pepper, chopped
•half a yellow bell pepper, chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon oregano
•1-2 teaspoons chili powder, depending heat preferences
•dash cayenne pepper
•1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained
•3/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
•2 limes
•salt and pepper, to taste
•6-8 ounces baby spinach
•1 bunch cilantro
•1/3 cup feta cheese
•1 avocado, diced
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. (I cooked mine in diced tomatoes instead of water)
Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans(I mixed some salsa with mine), tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach (I also included some basil). Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad.
Top each salad with your choice of cheese (feta was divine and I'll be sticking to it!) and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.