Spicy Veggie Lentil Curry

Being a food blogger does have some perks, one of them is trying out new products I might not otherwise get my hands on.  After noticing that we had bought some habañeros and other spicy peppers at the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market, Plato’s Olive Oil contacted us to see if we would be interested in trying out one of their infused olive oils.

Of course Sam, the spice lover of this household, wanted to give this a try.  He’s even been thinking about making some of his own!  So we waited patiently for our olive oil to arrive.

Plato’s Olive Oil is a family owed company based in California.  The owner was looking for an olive oil infused with spicy flavors, and wasn’t able to find any- so he began experimenting!  The original, and the product which was sent us, is their habañero-infused olive oil, which comes from the Napa region in California.

To give it a try, I decided to make some lentil curry- and thought that the extra spice from Plato’s olive oil would be a perfect kick.  And I was not disappointed, the olive oil gave this dish the extra spice it needed!

But there is no way around it, and many food bloggers and photographers can agree, brown food is so difficult to photograph!  But sometimes- in this case a spicy veggie curry- it’s so delicious, I wish it’d look a bit nicer to show off it’s tastiness.

Veggie Lentil Curry
Adapted from: SweetSugarBean

2 tbsp Plato’s Habanero-Infused olive oil (or regular olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 small carrots, chopped
1 inch ginger, shredded
2 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
3 tbsp spicy curry paste
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz light coconut milk
2 cups uncooked lentils
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 head of cauliflower
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat up the olive oil in a large pot.  Once heated, add the onions and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, or until they become translucent.  Then add in the garlic, carrots, ginger and jalapeños.  Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Next add in the curry paste, cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander.  Allow to cook for about a minute, then add in the tomatoes, coconut milk and lentils.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Then lower to a simmer, and cook until the beans are done (about 40 minutes).

Once the lentils are cooked, add in the chickpeas, cauliflower and peas.  Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Finally, stir in the cilantro and serve.

Disclosure: I received a bottle of Plato’s Habanero-Infused Olive Oil to try, but did not receive additional compensation for this post, or was under any obligation to blog about it.

Indian Chicken Curry Wrap

My apologies (once again) for not posting as often.  It’s just that busy time of the year- and with the beautiful weather outside, it’s hard to make yourself stay in the kitchen!  Last year at this time we were preparing for our amazing European Adventure (Kraków, Vienna and Munich), this year we’re getting ready for our wedding!

At times like these I try to find recipes which are really simple and don’t take too much time to prepare.  With the extra time we can sneak in a run, some extra time with friends, or watch our favorite football games!

For this recipe I used leftover chicken, making it a whole new dish with curry flavors.  This is perfect for a lunch or dinner, feel free to add some sides!

Indian Chicken Curry Wrap
Adapted From: Cooking Light (June 2011)

1 1/4 lb coooked chicken, shredded or cubed
5 nectarines, chopped
1 mango, peeled & chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped green onions
1 inch ginger, peeled & grated
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
juice of 1 lime
lettuce or arugula
tortillas or wraps

In a large bowl, combine: chicken, nectarines, mango, red onion, green onions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, mint and jalapeño.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, salt, pepper, curry powder, chili powder, and lime juice.  Add the dressing to the chicken mixture.  Then stir everything together.

Add a handful of lettuce or arugula onto a tortilla, then add in the chicken curry mixture.  Roll the tortilla, and enjoy!

Food Matters Project #7: Curry with Vegetables

I thought this post was very fitting for our household today. The chosen dish for the The Food Matters Project was a curry, and today, Sam is leaving for a work trip to India.  What a coincidence!  This weeks recipe was chosen by Joanne of Eats Well With Others.  Joanne had chosen the Curried Tomato Soup with Hard-Boiled Eggs from Mark Bittman’s book, The Food Matters Cookbook.  Check out the comments section of this post to see how everyone else’s dishes turned out.

I actually wasn’t a fan of Indian food until Sam made me dinner when we first started dating.  At that time he wasn’t eating meat, so the dish was full of veggies, chickpeas and a spicy sauce.  I fell in love (not only with the dish)!  Since then, Indian has definitely been one of our rotating flavors.  The best part is that Indian dishes are very versatile, without meat it tastes even better.  My favorite veggies to add are cauliflower and carrots, definitely try those if you haven’t already.  Add some fresh naan and basmati rice, and you’ve got yourself a great dinner.  Or even better leftovers.

This dish was light, airy and had a silky sauce with the vegetables and the coconut milk.  It’s something all of us can put together after work, or a couple of days in advance for a mid-week dinner.  Mark Bittman even suggests freezing this, for future dinners.

Curry with Vegetables
Adapted from: The Food Matters Cookbook (pg 107)
I realize that Mark Bittman’s recipe called for hard boiled or poached eggs, and other bloggers had also tried a fried egg on top.  This weekends festivities included a giant omelet, and therefore eggs were not calling my name this evening.  But if you do try this version, please let me know how it tastes!  I served this over some basmati rice, but it can also be enjoyed with some naan.

1 large onion, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, shredded
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
3 medium potatoes, peeled & chopped
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into pieces (about 3 cups)
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil.  When it’s hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño.  Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft for about 5 minutes.  Then stir in the curry, chili powder, cinnamon and garam masala.  Once the colors of the spices are stirred in, add the potatoes, carrots and cauliflower into the skillet.  Cook them for about 2-3 minutes, then add the coconut milk and water.

Mix all of these ingredients and allow them to cook for about 25 minutes on low heat.  Once the carrots and potatoes are soft, sprinkle in the salt and pepper.

When plating this dish, sprinkle cilantro on top.

Indian Chicken Soup

I’m a soup lover!  If soups varied every so often, I could eat it every day, for every meal.  Growing up, my Mom had always made a lot of soups- and I never get sick of them.

Why the love for soups?  There are so many reasons, such as:

1) they are easy to make
2) fast to make
3) lots of different flavors
4) can be vegetarian, or meat-based
5) there are a million ways to make them, and you don’t have to repeat the recipe!

So there is simplicity, deliciousness and variety.  If those are not the best qualities a dish can have, what is?  For the most part, I like to take ideas for soups, and make them my own.

This week we actually bought a chicken, celery, onions, carrots and leeks to make our own stock.  So the soup featured below used the stock as well as the chicken we had used in the preparation.  Very convenient, and if you’re looking for budget meals- this would definitely be one!

I’ve decided that we’ll have to do a step-by-step on how we make stock.  If you have never done this before, it’ll be a must as soon as possible!  You’ll never go back to the store bought broth or stock.

Indian Chicken Soup
Adapted from: The Whole Kitchen

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 celery bunch (about 10 stalks), chopped
1 bunch of swiss chard, leaves & stalks separated; stalks and leaves chopped
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 cup wild rice
6 chicken stock (or veggie)
1 cup water
6 small red potatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup coconut flakes
2 cups shredded chicken (cooked)
*naan bread

While heating up a soup pot, drizzle olive oil.  Once it’s warm, add the onion, carrots, celery and swiss chard stalks.  Saute for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.  Then add the salt, garam masala, curry, chili powder and cumin.  Stir the spices and the vegetables for about 1 minute, so everything is well incorporated.

Then, add the rice, chicken stock and water.  Cover the soup and bring to a boil.  Once it’s boiling, uncover and cook on low for about 20 minutes.  Add in the potatoes.  Simmer for another 15 minutes and continue to stir the soup.

Finally, add the coconut flakes, chicken and chopped chard leaves.  Stir the ingredients and cook them for 5 more minutes.

* This meal would be good with some naan bread.

Samosa Casserole

So I know I’ve been a little absent from the blog world, but there is a reason for it.  We’re on vacation!  Yes, remember this post?  Since our travels began, we’ve been enjoying some great food, and yes, we’ll be sure to write about it here the moment we get back!

Until then, here’s a recipe I had made for my Book Club about a week prior to our trip.  Our last book was filled with short stories about Indian families living in the US- so naturally, I had to make some Indian dishes!  Searching around, I had stumbled upon this one, and thought it’d be a hit (and it was!).

The great thing about this dish was that I prepared it the night before.  I had made all of the filling, and then stored it overnight, covered in the fridge.  Then next day, I had made the crust and baked it.

Samosa Casserole
Adapted from: Vegetarian Times (Jan 2010)
6-8 servings

1 cup of flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
10 tbsp cold water
1 1/2 lb Russet potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 cup peas, frozen
1 cup of water
1 vegetable bouillon
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Knead together flour, salt and vegetable oil.  Once it starts clumping, add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Continue kneading until you can form a ball.  Cover with a towel and set aside.

Cook potatoes in boiling water until they are tender, then drain them.  Next, add them to a bowl and mash them- try leaving some chunks for texture.

In a saucepan, heat olive oil.  Then add the onions, carrots and garlic; sauté for about 5 minutes.  While the heat is still on, slide the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan.  In the empty space add mustard seeds.  Toast them for about 30 seconds, then mix them into the vegetable mixture.  Stir in peas, water and a vegetable bouillon.  Finally, add the curry powder, ground ginger, ground cumin, garam masala and red pepper flakes.  Stir well, mixing in all of the spices.

Once it is all incorporated, add the vegetable mixture into the bowl with mashed potatoes.  Also, add honey, salt and pepper.  Make sure it’s well incorporated.  Spread the filling into about a 9-inch pan (any shape).

Preheat the over to 350ºF.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface.  If the pan is 9-inch, then the dough should be around 11-inches.  Cover the filling with the dough, pressing down to eliminate all of the air pockets.  Trim off the excess dough.  In the center, cut in an X, to let the steam out.

Bake the casserole for about 60-70 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  Let it stand a couple of minutes before serving.