Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric

  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
  •  Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup mint leaves, for serving
  •  Yogurt, for serving (optional)
  •  Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)
  1. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
  2. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
  3. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
  5. Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
  6. Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you’d like.

Cauliflower Korma with Blackened Raisins (Gobhi Korma) from Meera Sodha

  • 2 large cauliflowers (about 3 1/2 pounds in total)
  • Neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola
  • Salt
  • 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic (see note above)
  • 2 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled (see note above)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or finely ground seeds from 8 pods)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile (we used cayenne)
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 – 1 1/4 cups milk
  • A handful of raisins
  • A handful of sliced almonds
  • Heat the oven to 350°F and (optionally) line two large baking pans with foil.
  • Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and put into a large bowl. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil over the florets (or mix enough to coat them properly), then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix with your hands until they’re completely coated, and place in a single layer in the baking pans. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender and nicely browned in places. Check every 10 minutes—if the florets start to burn, cover them loosely with foil.
  • In the meantime, put 3 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan over medium heat and, when hot, add the onions. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until soft and browning, then crush or grate in the garlic and grate in the ginger. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the ground cardamom, black pepper, garam masala, ground red chile, ground almonds, honey and 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt (or to taste). Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add the yogurt.
  • Turn the heat down to low and cook for around 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to turn a rich gold. When the cauliflower is tender, tip it ino the sauce and stir to coat. Thin the sauce to the consistency of pouring yogurt with milk, and heat through. Check for seasoning, as you may need to add a little more salt.
  • Finally, put a small frying pan over medium heat and, when hot, add the raisins and sliced almonds. Stir-fry until the raisins start to blacken and puff up and the almonds turn golden brown, then take off the heat.

Butter chicken from recipetineats.com

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
  • 1 cup Tomato Sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cream (full fat or light) OR for a lighter version use ¾ cup light cream + ¼ cup milk (low fat) (I used this)
    Marinade
    • ½ cup plain yoghurt, full fat
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp tumeric powder
    • 2 tsp garam masala
    • ½ tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper powder
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1.5 lb / 750 g seitan, cut into bite size pieces
    Curry
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee (Note 3)
  • 1 cup tomato passata or puree (also known as Tomato Sauce in America) (Note 4)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cream (full fat or light) OR for a lighter version use ¾ cup light cream + ¼ cup milk (low fat) (I used this)
To serve
  • Rice
  • Coriander/cilantro (optional)
  1. Optional step: for an extra smooth sauce, combine the Marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. Combine the Marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large fry pan. Add the chicken coated in the Marinade and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over (it doesn’t really brown because of the Marinade).
  4. Add the tomato passata, sugar and salt. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt. Stir through the cream, then remove from heat.
  6. Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with basmati rice.

5-Minute Strawberry Sorbet

SORBET

  • 1 (16 oz.) bag frozen whole strawberries
  • 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
  • 3-4 tablespoons honey or sugar
  • bananas or other frozen fruit, optional

 

1.  Place whole strawberries in food processor and pulse until (mostly) smooth. 30-45 seconds.

2.  Note: mixture will be gritty at first, just keep pulsing.

3.  Spoon in vanilla yogurt and pulse until smooth and incorporated.

4.  Add in 3 tablespoons honey. Taste and add more honey or sugar as needed.

Serve immediately, or transfer to an air-tight container and store in the freezer.
Note: if keeping in the freezer, let sorbet sit for 10 minutes to soften a little before serving.  Yield: approx. 3 cups

Recipe adapted from Just A Taste

 

Crushed Peas with Smoky Sesame Dressing from smittenkitchen.com

4682926514_96dfb7889e

1 1/2 pounds fresh peas in pods or about 1 1/2 cups already shelled or frozen and defrosted
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika, smoked if you have it
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 scallions, thinly sliced
Toasted pitas, cut into wedges, for serving

Cook peas: Have ready a colander and an ice bath, and bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanche peas for 30 seconds (if you like them with a real residual snap) to 1 minute (for a slightly more yielding pea) and drain them, then immediately shocking them in the ice water. Drain the peas again and pat them dry on a large towel.

Crush peas: Using a potato or egg-masher (and hopefully not an annoying one like mine, with holes the exact size of peas!), muddler or meat pounder (be gentle!), lightly crush the peas. Aim for mixed textures, some left whole, most in halves and a few a little more broken up. Put them in a large bowl.

Make dressing: Whisk together tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, water, cumin, paprika and salt. You might be tempted, as I was, to swap the water with olive oil but don’t do it — it makes a horrible curdled mess you will be sad to have to toss.

Assemble: Mix peas with about 3 tablespoons of the dressing, to start, then add more to taste. Sprinkle with scallions. Heap pea mixture on toasted pita wedges.

 

Fresh, Fruity Summer Porridge from “The Family Cooks”

073260_Porrdige_01051

 

Summer porridge? It may sound like an oxymoron, but this hearty mix of raw oats, yogurt, and fresh fruit is cool and tangy. Spoon it into pretty glasses or mason jars, pop them into the fridge, and let chill overnight so the oats soften and all the flavors get to know each other. The next morning, enjoy breakfast in the sun, or just tuck a jar to go into your pocket–or into little hands–if time is tight.
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not “instant”)

3 cups plain yogurt (whole or low-fat) or kefir

3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

2 large apples (not peeled), grated

1 cup mixed fresh fruit, such as sliced kiwi or strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries (save a little extra for garnish)
1. Combine the oats, yogurt, honey, apples, and mixed fruit in a bowl, making sure that the apple is completely folded into the yogurt .

2. Divide the porridge evenly among six 8-ounce glasses or mason jars, cover tightly with wrap or lids, and refrigerate overnight. Have a good night’s sleep.

3. The next morning, as the sun rises, garnish the porridge with more fresh fruit and call the troops to breakfast.

 

makes 6 servings

 

prep time: 15 minutes; chill out time:overnight