Mmmmm...curry!
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
1 small zuchini, peeled & diced
1 medium diced tomato
2 large onions, diced
2 dried red chiles
1/4 lb fresh ginger, peeled & diced small
3 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (fresh ground, if you have it)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
If this turns out to be spicier than you'd like, try adding 1 cup of plain yogurt and simmering for another 5 minutes. Don't forget to temper it first, so that the yogurt doesn't curdle.
Serve over rice.
Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Meatless Monday - Pasta Primavera
Pasta Primavera is one of the most versatile dishes on the planet. You can make it with any sort of pasta, you can use whatever vegetables you have available, it can be made with or without a sauce, and it can be served hot or cold. The vegetables can be raw, sauteed, roasted, dried, or any combination.
1 lb pasta
5 cups (raw) assorted veggies
1/2 C olive oil
fresh basil, rosemary, thyme & parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 C parmesan and/or romano cheese
The pasta primavera that I'm having this week will be served hot, and made with (mostly) roasted vegetables. I'll be using Tinkyada (gluten free) vegetable & brown rice spirals because they're so colorful, and this is a great, colorful summer dish.
Start by choosing your veggies. Some suggestions: zucchini & summer squash, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, jicama, mushrooms, bell peppers of all colors, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans (cut small), olives, carrots, onions & garlic. You'll want around 5 cups of veggies total.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Start pasta cooking (follow directions on package or your own inclination).
Chop the veggies you want to cook into bite sized pieces, or strips. For me this will be zucchini & squash, broccoli, carrots, onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Place in a baking dish with a sprinkling of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine/coat. Put in the oven. Let roast for about 20 minutes, while the pasta cooks. Check & stir occasionally if necessary.
Meanwhile, chop the other veggies you want to put in (I find that more delicate veggies like jicama, bell peppers & mushrooms do better if put in fresh). Chiffonade (cut into thin strips) the fresh herbs you're using.
When the roasting veggies come out of the oven, add them to the herbs and fresh veggies. Now would also be the time to add in things like olives and sun dried tomatoes, if you're using them. Mix the whole thing into the pasta, adding the remaining olive oil, salt & pepper.
Finally, add the parmesan/romano cheese, and serve! Goes nicely with a light wine or iced tea. Garlic bread if you're feeling especially elaborate. Delicious, nutritious, colorful & quick!
1 lb pasta
5 cups (raw) assorted veggies
1/2 C olive oil
fresh basil, rosemary, thyme & parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 C parmesan and/or romano cheese
The pasta primavera that I'm having this week will be served hot, and made with (mostly) roasted vegetables. I'll be using Tinkyada (gluten free) vegetable & brown rice spirals because they're so colorful, and this is a great, colorful summer dish.
Start by choosing your veggies. Some suggestions: zucchini & summer squash, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, jicama, mushrooms, bell peppers of all colors, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans (cut small), olives, carrots, onions & garlic. You'll want around 5 cups of veggies total.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Start pasta cooking (follow directions on package or your own inclination).
Chop the veggies you want to cook into bite sized pieces, or strips. For me this will be zucchini & squash, broccoli, carrots, onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Place in a baking dish with a sprinkling of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine/coat. Put in the oven. Let roast for about 20 minutes, while the pasta cooks. Check & stir occasionally if necessary.
Meanwhile, chop the other veggies you want to put in (I find that more delicate veggies like jicama, bell peppers & mushrooms do better if put in fresh). Chiffonade (cut into thin strips) the fresh herbs you're using.
When the roasting veggies come out of the oven, add them to the herbs and fresh veggies. Now would also be the time to add in things like olives and sun dried tomatoes, if you're using them. Mix the whole thing into the pasta, adding the remaining olive oil, salt & pepper.
Finally, add the parmesan/romano cheese, and serve! Goes nicely with a light wine or iced tea. Garlic bread if you're feeling especially elaborate. Delicious, nutritious, colorful & quick!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Meatless Monday - Tacos!
Heat waves suck. You still have to eat, but who wants to cook? Well, tonight we'll be falling back on my hot-weather standby: tacos.
Precooked shells heat in 3 minutes in the toaster oven(at 350 degrees). Going veggie means that the only other thing that needs to be heated is the refried beans: 3 minutes in the microwave.
I plan for 4 tacos per person.
Dinner for two:
8 taco shells
1 can refried beans
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced red bell peppers (these are sweet, not hot)
salsa to taste
Most of the recipe is assembly. I find that heating the refried beans in a wide, shallow dish (covered, or it will spatter) makes it easy to use a butter knife for application to the taco shell.
-Fill the taco shell about 1/4 of the way with beans.
-Add vegetation and salsa to your own preferences.
-Enjoy!
Precooked shells heat in 3 minutes in the toaster oven(at 350 degrees). Going veggie means that the only other thing that needs to be heated is the refried beans: 3 minutes in the microwave.
I plan for 4 tacos per person.
Dinner for two:
8 taco shells
1 can refried beans
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced red bell peppers (these are sweet, not hot)
salsa to taste
Most of the recipe is assembly. I find that heating the refried beans in a wide, shallow dish (covered, or it will spatter) makes it easy to use a butter knife for application to the taco shell.
-Fill the taco shell about 1/4 of the way with beans.
-Add vegetation and salsa to your own preferences.
-Enjoy!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Meatless Monday - Red Lentil and Rice Pilaf
I thought I'd go with something easy and quick for my first Meatless Monday. Here's the recipe I'll be using as a guideline:
Ingredients:
* olive oil
* 6-8 garlic cloves -chopped small
* 1 medium onion -diced
* 1/2 cup brown rice (I use brown basmati)
* 1/2 cup red lentils ('cause they cook faster than the green/brown ones)
* 1-1/2 cups veggie broth (actually, today I'll be using chicken stock - not from a can, but from a chicken I cooked a week ago and needs to be used up - which counts as meatless for my purposes, since I'm mostly about the saving money thing)
* Assorted diced veggies - in this case, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, bell pepper and whatever else I pull out of the fridge
* garam masala
* curry powder
* salt and pepper
Start by sweating the veggies you want more done (carrots, onions, garlic, cauliflower)with a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
When they're about halfway cooked, add the rice, and allow it to toast for about 10 minutes (don't scorch it though). The grains should start to look whitened.
Stir in seasoning, lentils other veggies (green beans only for me - I like my bell pepper crispy) and broth, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes (closer to 20 if you're using white rice). Don't stir during this time.
When the broth has all been absorbed and the rice is cooked, add veggies you want less cooked (bell peppers for me), fluff and serve!
Ingredients:
* olive oil
* 6-8 garlic cloves -chopped small
* 1 medium onion -diced
* 1/2 cup brown rice (I use brown basmati)
* 1/2 cup red lentils ('cause they cook faster than the green/brown ones)
* 1-1/2 cups veggie broth (actually, today I'll be using chicken stock - not from a can, but from a chicken I cooked a week ago and needs to be used up - which counts as meatless for my purposes, since I'm mostly about the saving money thing)
* Assorted diced veggies - in this case, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, bell pepper and whatever else I pull out of the fridge
* garam masala
* curry powder
* salt and pepper
Start by sweating the veggies you want more done (carrots, onions, garlic, cauliflower)with a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
When they're about halfway cooked, add the rice, and allow it to toast for about 10 minutes (don't scorch it though). The grains should start to look whitened.
Stir in seasoning, lentils other veggies (green beans only for me - I like my bell pepper crispy) and broth, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes (closer to 20 if you're using white rice). Don't stir during this time.
When the broth has all been absorbed and the rice is cooked, add veggies you want less cooked (bell peppers for me), fluff and serve!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Going Vegetarian or Semi-Vegetarian as an Economic Strategy
A lot of people have strong feelings about vegetarianism - almost everyone has an opinion on the ethics, health and lifestyle aspects of eating or not eating meat.
My only opinion is that vegetables are cheaper than meat. It's a simple bit of math - when we buy meat we're paying for the veggies the animal in question eats, its housing, medical care, transportation to market, inspection process, etc., and so eating vegetarian all or some of the time is an important option in saving money. Add in the fact that the majority of Americans don't get enough veggies in their diet on a regular basis, and it really begins to make sense to change focus from meat to veggies in your menu planning.
It's not hard to incorporate vegetarianism into your lifestyle - try it out for just one day a week! You may realize that you don't miss meat as much as you might think.
Breakfast is easy, since many folks don't have meat for breakfast anyway. Your standard bagel w/cream cheese, cereal with milk, pancakes or waffles are all vegetarian to start with.
Lunches can be equally simple: PB&J is a classic old standby, and many soups and salads are or can be vegetarian.
The sticking point most folks have is with dinner...but it doesn't have to be a sticking point. Try some Indian dishes like saag paneer or channa masala, or Mexican dishes like cheese enchiladas or bean & cheese burritos! Want something a little less exotic? Try some quiche or meatless chili! You can find a whole world of vegetarian cookbooks on Amazon, here: Vegetarian & Vegan Cookbooks
Not ready to cut meat out of your diet, but still looking to save money on it? Here are a few ideas:
Spread It Out: A little bit of meat can go a long way. Try dishes like casseroles
, where meats are usually used mostly as flavoring, or Pilafs & Paellas
, in which rice is the star ingredient, pasta dishes, or stir fry. Bacon & ham, with their strong, salty flavors, can be used as flavoring in hundreds of dishes, from twice-baked potatoes to a pot of beans, to salads or casseroles. People make fun of casseroles sometimes, but their simplicity and money-savings are no laughing matter. They're also incredibly satisfying and comforting.
Set a Price Point:
I've mentioned this idea here before, but it bears repeating. Study your local grocery flyers and determine what you can reasonably spend per pound to get a variety of meats. In my area, it's $2/lb. For that I can get (on sale) italian sausage, all cuts of chicken - from leg quarters to boneless, skinless breasts, london broil (aka top round), pork loin (in a 10-12 lb package, on sale), ham, stew meat, spare ribs, lean ground beef, ground turkey, and turkey breast. It's really important to shop the sales and create your menus around them! If your grocery store has a meat section called "manager's specials", check out their offerings as well - it's often premium meat that is nearing its sell-by date and is reduced for quick sale. This can be integrated right into that week's menu, or re-wrapped and frozen for later use.
Try it out for a day or a week, and you might be surprised not only at how much you'll save on groceries, but also by how much you enjoy the change of pace!
My only opinion is that vegetables are cheaper than meat. It's a simple bit of math - when we buy meat we're paying for the veggies the animal in question eats, its housing, medical care, transportation to market, inspection process, etc., and so eating vegetarian all or some of the time is an important option in saving money. Add in the fact that the majority of Americans don't get enough veggies in their diet on a regular basis, and it really begins to make sense to change focus from meat to veggies in your menu planning.
It's not hard to incorporate vegetarianism into your lifestyle - try it out for just one day a week! You may realize that you don't miss meat as much as you might think.
Breakfast is easy, since many folks don't have meat for breakfast anyway. Your standard bagel w/cream cheese, cereal with milk, pancakes or waffles are all vegetarian to start with.
Lunches can be equally simple: PB&J is a classic old standby, and many soups and salads are or can be vegetarian.
The sticking point most folks have is with dinner...but it doesn't have to be a sticking point. Try some Indian dishes like saag paneer or channa masala, or Mexican dishes like cheese enchiladas or bean & cheese burritos! Want something a little less exotic? Try some quiche or meatless chili! You can find a whole world of vegetarian cookbooks on Amazon, here: Vegetarian & Vegan Cookbooks
Not ready to cut meat out of your diet, but still looking to save money on it? Here are a few ideas:
Spread It Out: A little bit of meat can go a long way. Try dishes like casseroles
, where meats are usually used mostly as flavoring, or Pilafs & Paellas, in which rice is the star ingredient, pasta dishes
, or stir fry. Bacon & ham, with their strong, salty flavors, can be used as flavoring in hundreds of dishes, from twice-baked potatoes to a pot of beans, to salads or casseroles. People make fun of casseroles sometimes, but their simplicity and money-savings are no laughing matter. They're also incredibly satisfying and comforting.Set a Price Point:
I've mentioned this idea here before, but it bears repeating. Study your local grocery flyers and determine what you can reasonably spend per pound to get a variety of meats. In my area, it's $2/lb. For that I can get (on sale) italian sausage, all cuts of chicken - from leg quarters to boneless, skinless breasts, london broil (aka top round), pork loin (in a 10-12 lb package, on sale), ham, stew meat, spare ribs, lean ground beef, ground turkey, and turkey breast. It's really important to shop the sales and create your menus around them! If your grocery store has a meat section called "manager's specials", check out their offerings as well - it's often premium meat that is nearing its sell-by date and is reduced for quick sale. This can be integrated right into that week's menu, or re-wrapped and frozen for later use.
Try it out for a day or a week, and you might be surprised not only at how much you'll save on groceries, but also by how much you enjoy the change of pace!
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