Vegetable Korma

I follow the Meatless Monday campaign on Facebook, and this week they posted a question that got me thinking. "What's your favorite meatless comfort food?" My first thought was homemade macaroni and cheese... and then I couldn't think of another one!

Later, it struck me that a good Indian vegetable curry is right up there for me. The whole experience is pleasurable, from the sizzling onion/ginger/garlic triumvirate at the start, then roasting the spices until they reach the peak of their fragrance, and at last sitting down to a steaming bowl of creamy, spicy sauced vegetables over basmati rice.

I altered this great recipe for Vegetable Korma (originally from allrecipes.com) by adding chickpeas, substituting half-and-half for the cream, and omitting the ground cashews. (Where am I going to get ground cashews? I don't have a spice grinder or food processor, so I can't really grind them myself. ) Also, I'm a big fan of blooming the spices before adding the liquid ingredients; I think it really brings out those flavors.

So here it is, my meatless comfort food for these cold nights we're having. Who says food can't be comforting and good for you at the same time?

Vegetable Korma

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
minced2 potatoes, cut into small cubes
4 carrots, cubed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. curry powder
1 c. frozen green peas
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 red AND green bell pepper, cubed
1 c. half-and-half
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until tender. Add the ginger, garlic, curry powder and salt, and cook about 1 minute. Now add your potatoes, carrots, red pepper flakes and tomato sauce. Cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Stir in your frozen peas, chickpeas, bell peppers, half and half, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Garnish with more cilantro and serve over brown basmati rice. Makes 6-8 servings.

Vegetable Chickpea Curry

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a slow cooker is a working (wo)man’s best friend. However, many slow cooker recipes yield a boring chunk of meat that has been cooked in its own fat for several hours. Or maybe small chunks of cooked meat. In a sauce. There's nothing wrong with comfort food. Yet sometimes you want more than a hunk of meat for dinner, especially if you (like me) observe Meatless Monday or are attempting to lower your overall consumption of meat.

So off I went, scouring the Internet for a good meatless slow cooker recipe. Cooking Light came through for me once again, and I found this amazing recipe. The texture of the vegetables comes out perfectly done, not mushy at all, and the flavors are vibrant. Serve with brown basmati rice and a squeeze of lemon, and you’ve got yourself a tasty meatless dinner, packed with protein, fiber and of course, excellent flavor.

Vegetable Chickpea Curry

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups vegetable mixture and 1 lemon wedge)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato

1 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup (1-inch) cut green beans

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth

3 cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup light coconut milk

6 lemon wedges

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas and next 8 ingredients (through broth). Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.

Indian Potatoes with Peas

Lately I have been craving Indian food. While it's not the cheapest thing to eat out (my favorite lunch buffet is $13.99 - ouch!!!), it can be fairly economical to make at home once you stock up on the basic spices found in the Indian pantry. Because many people in India are vegetarian, there are many tasty meatless dishes to choose from as well. Here is an easy, quick recipe if you're new to Indian food. Serve over basmati rice.

Indian Potatoes with Peas

1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. ginger
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
3 medium tomatoes, chopped

Directions: 1. Lightly brown onion in oil in a medium size skillet until golden.
2. Stir in spices. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Add tomatoes and peas, cover pan and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

Best Prepared Indian Food?

I received a wonderful basket of prepared sauces from a friend recently, and we have been testing them. I already gave high marks to the W-S Sloppy Joe starter. Tonight, we sampled a Coconut Tamarind Curry sauce made by Maya Kaimal. I have also tried the Tikka Masala sauce made by the same brand and I am very impressed with their products.

Indian food is tricky. I have tried multiple kinds of prepared Indian dishes, from frozen to canned to pouches and most were inedible, to be honest. Maya Kaimal has offered the best made-at-home option that I've found. It couldn't be easier to make- just brown the meat/fish, add in vegetables of your choice, simmer in the sauce for a few minutes, and serve it up over basmati rice.

The products are available at igourmet.com, some Williams-Sonoma stores, some Whole Foods Markets, and other grocers depending on the area. More info can be found at http://mayakaimal.com/index.html.

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

I have been waiting for the right recipe to share in my Indian food experimentation. I got this one from the "Fast, Easy Fresh" cookbook Paul got for me last Christmas. It was a "WOW" - so much flavor in these! I served them with brown basmati rice and sauteed carrots.

Note: The recipe asks you to cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks, thread on a skewer, and grill. I didn't want to be bothered, so I cut the chicken into strips and broiled them in the oven.

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper

2 T. (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Combine chicken, lemon juice, and slat in medium bowl; let stand 30 minutes.

Mix yogurt and spices in a small bowl. Add to chicken and stir until chicken is well coated with spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate chicken at least 3 hours or overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Brush chicken with melted butter. Sprinkle with salt. grill until just cooked through, turning frequently, about 7 minutes.

Indian Spice and Everything Nice (and Cheap)

A recent article in "Cooking Light" magazine suggests trying new foods in the coming year. Whether it be growing your own exotic herbs or cooking with an unfamiliar food such as quinoa or fennel, the article submits that this will help us break out of our eating routines, potentially add health benefits to our diets (assuming you haven’t been aching to try fried butter...), and inspire us with a renewed enthusiasm for food.

One thing I’ve long wanted to try is Indian daal, a lentil-based dish served with rice. The aforementioned article actually included a recipe for daal, and I decided that I would make it.

I began my experiment yesterday in the Indian grocery store next to the popular Kaveri Madras restaurant in Sacramento. As I piled all of the necessary ingredients into my little basket, I began to worry about the cost. Spices are notoriously expensive, and I almost always sneak into my mom’s pantry when I need to use some for a recipe, rather than shelling out the $5-10 price per container at the store. (Don't judge a poor girl.) Nothing I saw had a price on it, which I found odd and a bit disconcerting. (The girl behind the counter later told me that their price sticker machine had jammed up.)

As I looked down at my basket and saw the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, turmeric, mustard seeds, nigella seeds, cumin, and moong lentils, I felt a bit of trepidation and guilt at the thought of the cost of my experiment. (After all, saving money is another one of my goals!) Imagine my relief when the grand total came to a mere $13.63! I also had a pleasant conversation with the girl behind the counter, who helped explain how to cook a proper daal and even got on the internet to make sure that I had the right spice that I needed for the nigella seeds.

Who knew that spices would be so much cheaper at Indian stores? I will totally go back for that reason alone. I will write again next week about the results of my attempts at daal-making.