Vegetable and Garbanzo Curry

Vegetable and Garbanzo Curry (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 4-6, Total Time: 5.5 hours)

Ingredients

·         3 cups cauliflower florets

·         1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         ½ of 16 oz. bag frozen cut green beans

·         1 cup sliced carrot

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         2 cups vegetable broth

·         2 tsp. curry powder

·         2 cups light coconut milk

·         ¼ cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Directions

1.       In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine cauliflower, garbanzo beans, green beans, carrot, and onion. Stir in broth and curry powder.

2.       Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3.       Stir in coconut milk and basil.

The picture on the Better Homes & Garden website is very misleading.  My vegetables were in no way bright and vibrant.  After about 2 hours in the slow cooker, they were quite dull.  It definitely took away some of the excitement that I had for this meal.  The flavor was also kind of missing as well.  I added a bit of garam masala, red cayenne pepper, and ginger to try to get more flavor out of the dish. My husband enjoyed it, but I just couldn’t get behind it.  I finally just added some Sriracha to amp up the flavor.  With all that said, I would not make this dish again.  There are a lot of other curry dishes that I have made, successfully, and I’d much rather have those.  It’s a shame because this was super easy to make. 

As a note, I served the curry over brown basmati rice, which soaked up the broth/coconut milk mixture.  That was a nice plus – I like it when I have a runny curry and can use rice as a sponge!  This dish would not work with naan.

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil

Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower and Basil (from Real Simple, Total Time: 45 minutes, Servings: 5-6)

Ingredients

·         1 ½ cups rice

·         kosher salt

·         2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

·         1 tsp. dried ginger

·         1/3 cup olive oil

·         2 tsp. Thai red curry paste

·         3 small or baby eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into wedges

·         ½ head cauliflower (about 1 pound), broken into florets

·         1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·         2 cups bean sprouts

·         ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 450º F.

2.       In a large saucepan, make rice according to bag or box.

3.       Meanwhile, whisk together the garlic, ginger, oil, curry paste, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ cup water. Toss with the eggplants and cauliflower.

4.       Transfer to a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the chickpeas during the last 5 minutes.

5.       Remove the vegetables from oven and toss with the bean sprouts and basil. Place 1 cup of rice on each of 4 plates and top with some of the vegetables.

I have two main issues with this recipe.  First, it is not spicy the way it is – not even my husband thought it was.  Second, the eggplant gets really mushy and it is kind of a gross texture.  That said, adding a bit of Sriracha definitely helped spice up the dish.  The overall taste is OK – I cannot really pinpoint a specific taste, but the different spices work well with the curry paste so that there is no overwhelming flavor.  I like the addition of the bean sprouts – adding a vegetable that I am not used to eating is always nice.  The chickpeas and cauliflower remain crisp and crunchy, which is a nice change from the mushy eggplant and soft rice.  I do not think that I will be making this recipe again.

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 8, Total Time: 8-10 hours)

Ingredients

·         Nonstick cooking spray

·         2 packages Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chikn Strips, cut into 1-inch pieces

·         ½ cup onion, chopped (1 medium)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         5 tsp. curry powder

·         2 tsp. ground ginger

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ¼ tsp. ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper

·         2 15 oz, cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         2 14 ½ oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 cup water or vegetable broth

·         1 bay leaf

·         2 Tbsp. lime juice

·         1 9 oz. package fresh spinach

·         Hot rice (for serving)

Directions

1.       Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add Chikn, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, water, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

2.       Stir lime juice into mixture. Stir in spinach and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach starts to wilt. If desired, serve in bowls with hot cooked rice.

This was a simple dish that was low on preparation but high on flavor.  Not sure if it’s exactly one of the flavor profiles that I fall in love with, but it was still good and I would probably make it again.  The only changes that I made to the above recipe was using water in lieu of vegetable broth (we didn’t have any), cayenne pepper, and three small bay leaves instead of one bay leaf.  I also removed the leaves before serving (because that’s what I’ve read in other recipes).

The soup has just the faintest hint of heat (from the cayenne pepper.  I actually added some Sriracha to mine the first night because I wanted to amp up the heat.  It has a little sweetness to it as well, you can definitely make out the bay leaves and ginger in each bite.  The garbanzo beans cooked nicely, but I recommend using petite diced tomatoes – it might make the soup look a little neater (as opposed to having big chunks of tomato everywhere!).  I also recommend tearing the spinach leaves into small pieces because each bite I took, there was a string of wilted spinach hanging off the fork – not very appetizing, in my opinion.  If I make it again, I’ll probably add a bit more curry powder to increase the Indian flavor, and the cayenne pepper to make it something I like a little more.

All in all, not bad for a quick dish that I can let sit and stew all day!

Chickpea & Feta Dip

Chickpea & Feta Dip (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 24 servings of 2 Tbsp. each)

Ingredients

·         2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

·         2/3 cup  crumbled Feta Cheese, divided

·         1/3 cup drained roasted red pepper strips, divided

·         1 clove  garlic

·         3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

·         Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1.      Place chickpeas, ½ cup cheese, ¼ cup peppers and next 4 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

2.       Spoon into serving bowl. Top with remaining cheese and peppers.

I made this as an appetizer for a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood.  I served with various crudités (celery, carrots, pepper strips, etc.) for a healthy option during our Dinner; I also used fat-free feta to help cut back on some fat and calories.  I find the consistency to be more of a spread than a dip, and it was a little dry and clumpy, not creamy like hummus.  It tasted overwhelmingly like chickpeas, I would have liked a little more of a feta or red pepper taste.  I do not plan to make this dish again, but feel free to try your hand at it!

Vegetarian Bean Curry

Vegetarian Bean Curry (from All Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1.5 hours)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 large white onion, chopped

·         ½ cup dry lentils

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         3 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 pinch cayenne pepper

·         1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup raisins

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.)    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender.

2.)    Mix in the lentils and garlic, and season with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.

3.)    Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

My neighborhood is having a Progressive Dinner and I made this dish for a tasting that we decided to have (pre-Dinner).  This was one of three bean curries that I made for the tasting, but it was not picked as a winner for the round two tasting.  The main reason, I believe, it that the consistency of this dish is more like that of a chili than a curry.  It is very thick and with all the beans, well, you can imagine.  I did add a double dose of kidney beans (the original recipe calls for 8 oz., but I could not find a can that size), but I still don’t think that it would have made a difference.

I know that I’ve said before that I do not like raisins, but I couldn’t even taste them in this dish!  Health benefits without the taste?  Awesome!  The only other change I made was that I used red lentils and I washed them beforehand to make sure that any dirt was in the sink and not in the dish.  The taste was good - kind of sweet (even with 3 Tbsp. of curry), so maybe not what some people expect when they hear curry.  I like it and I think that I will make it again for myself.  Good mix of protein and carbs and tasty – winner in my book!

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry with Turnips (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ½ onion, diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp. ground cumin

·         2 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), undrained

·         1 small red bell pepper, diced

·         1 small turnip, peeled and diced

·         1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained

·         1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

·         ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         1 pinch salt

·         1 pinch cracked black pepper

Directions

1.)    Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, and curry powder; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.)    Add the garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, turnip, corn, and tomato sauce. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

My first experience cooking with curry and turnips was a major success!  The original recipe calls for simmering for 1.5-2 hours.  I don’t know if that is necessary, my curry was cooked through in about 1 hour.  At that time, I added some more curry powder and cumin as well as ¼ to ½ cup of water and cooked on low for an additional hour.  After it was done, I also added a splash of Sriracha – which, I believe, was the perfect addition!

My husband and I loved this dish!  It was a little spicy, but the curry flavor definitely comes through.  The cumin/curry relationship is fantastic.  The corn, turnip, pepper, and beans all have a nice crunch to them, which goes well if you serve it with rice.  I also served heated mini pita bread bites, and the dish works quite well with those as well.  I cannot wait to make this dish again and again, it is a definite keeper in my book and so easy to make.  If you are a beginner with curry, don’t be scared, this is a great starter dish and so easy to adjust to your taste.  Enjoy!