Spicy Vegan Potato Curry

Spicy Vegan Potato Curry (slightly adapted from All Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         1 yellow onion, diced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

·         4 tsp. curry powder

·         4 tsp. garam masala

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tsp. salt

·         1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

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

·         1 (15 oz.) can peas, drained

·         1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk

Directions

1.       Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.

2.       Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and salt; cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes. Pour in the coconut milk, and bring to a simmer.

3.       Simmer 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

I think that this is one of the best Indian dishes that I have ever had – and it came from my kitchen!  It was “Oh My Gosh” delicious!  Flavor explosion in my mouth.  All of the spices smelled so good and my mouth watered as I cooked the meal (and upon reheating the leftovers).  The consistency was smooth with just a bit of crunchier texture from the chickpeas.  It was not spicy (even for my husband) and the curry flavor was front and center.  I definitely recommend trying this – I cannot wait to make it again and would not change a thing!

Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant - Wilmington, DE

After a few stops on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, my husband and I decided to order Takeout from Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant (located in Independence Mall, Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE) and instead of going out to a restaurant.  We used Takeout Taxi – which is a great service when you are feeling too lazy to go out and get the food yourself.  Yes, it can be a little pricey, but we ended up with five meals out of our one order, so I don’t think that’s too bad.

I ordered the Bombay Potato side dish to serve as an appetizer and then ordered two curries, Mixed Vegetable and Bagare Baingan.  I specified Hot for both of them (there were four options, Mild, Medium, Hot or Very Hot).  Both of the curries tasted good, but they were not quite as hot as I expected – next time I will know to order Very Hot.  The Bombay Potato dish had potatoes cooked in a light gravy with peas and tomatoes.  There was also some herb on them, possibly cilantro.  The taste was a little sweet and the potatoes were nicely cooked.  I did not care for them, but my husband loved them.  Both curries had a lot of excess oil, so I would recommend being careful on the amount that you eat.  The naan was soft and pliable, but held its own next to the curry.  The Bagare Baingan curry was baby eggplants cooked in traditional gravy consisting of sesame seed, ground nut, cumin, tamarind and coconut.  This was definitely the more oily of the two curries that I ate, but it was still tasty.  The eggplant was a bit mushy.  The Mixed Vegetable Curry consisted of carrots, green beans, and a few other veggies cooked with herbs and spices in a thick sauce.  This was the spicier of the two curries – and I liked it!  It was slightly greasy, but not overly so.  The vegetables had a nice crunch to them.  For a self-made buffet, this wasn’t bad.  Just don’t put curry on a paper plate!

Feta Potato Salad

Feta Potato Salad (slightly adapted from KraftFoods, Servings: 12, Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         3 lb.  small red potatoes, quartered

·         1 cup  Zesty Italian Dressing

·         12 oz. Mediterranean Feta Cheese, crumbled

·         1 medium  red pepper, chopped

·         1 medium  cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

·         ½ cup  sliced green onions (green and white parts)

Directions

1.)    Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 min. or just until tender; drain. Place in large bowl.

2.)    Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Cover.

3.)    Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Stir before serving.

I made this for a family picnic and everybody loved it!  I wanted to try a no-mayo potato salad option for both the health and taste benefits (I’m not a huge fan of mayo.)  This fit the bill!  The potatoes soaked up some of the Italian dressing, which made for a nice bite.  They were soft and added a nice contrast to the crispy veggies.  I may use regular feta in the future as I don’t know how much taste the Mediterranean actually added.  Either way, this will be a go-to picnic item for me – easy and tasty!