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!

Curried Carrot Salad

Curried Carrot Salad (slightly adapted from Kraft Foods, Servings: 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 lb. shredded carrots

·         ½ cup raisins

·         1/3 cup sliced green onions (green and white parts)

·         ½ cup Light Mayonnaise

·         1 ½ tsp. curry powder

·         1 Tbsp. white vinegar

·         1 Tbsp. honey

·         ¼ tsp. salt

Directions

1.      Toss carrots with raisins and onions in large bowl; set aside.

2.      Mix all remaining ingredients with wire whisk until well blended. Add to carrot mixture; toss to coat. Cover.

3.      Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.

My neighborhood is having a Progressive Dinner and I am on the food committee.  We had a tasting of various Asian dishes (our theme) and I was assigned Indian.  I made a few curries, so I picked this out as a potential veggie side dish, even though I am really not a fan of raisins.  I think it is a bit high in calories, even when using Light or Reduced Fat mayo, so you have to be careful with portion size.  For the taste, well, I’m not a fan.  There is no sweetness from the honey – it just kind of tastes like yellow mayo.  Paired with the raisins, it just wasn’t a dish for me.  I will say that the bites I had with green onion were tastier.  They, and the carrots, added a nice crunch factor.  Needless to say, I will not be making this again (I vetoed it from the Dinner).