CHICKPEA CURRY (CROCKPOT STYLE)

We had this for lunch yesterday. It's a favourite here, in some version or other, simple like this one or perhaps with a different bean (red kidney beans are nice, although I prefer chickpeas) and/or with the addition of some chopped vegetables. It should serve 4.

CHICKPEA CURRY (CROCKPOT STYLE)

1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
2 or 3 red thai chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1-1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
14 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala, or to taste
salt to taste
cayenne to taste - if needed

Steam-saute onions, ginger, and garlic for 5 minutes in a little water in a skillet. Place onion mixture and all other ingredients except for garam masala, salt and cayenne in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-9 hours - or on high for a comparatively less time (3-4 hours, depending on the age of your crockpot).

Before serving, add salt to taste along with the garam masala. If you require more ‘heat’, this is a good time to stir in a little cayenne. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with brown basmati rice, vegetable dishes, and other accompaniments.

ROTINI WITH BROCCOLI & TOMATOES

This recipe is adapted from one by Jennifer Raymond in Neal Barnard’s _Eat Right, Live Longer_ (1995), p. 318. The original served twice the number of people, had less roasted red pepper, proportionately, and contained tahini and olive oil. (I am experimenting with cutting all oils out of all recipes right now.) The cooking instructions are changed to allow for no oil and for my hang-up about keeping fresh tomatoes actually tasting fresh :)

ROTINI WITH BROCCOLI & TOMATOES

Serves 3 or 4.

6 ounces rotini pasta (I used the tricolour kind, because I wanted to make it pretty)
2-3 large garlic cloves, very finely minced
1/4 tsp crushed red chilies (or more to taste)
Abt. 3/4 pound broccoli (half a bunch), cut into florets
Abt. 2 large tomatoes, diced (my single tomato weighed in at ca.12 ounces)
1 cup cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (if you use canned, save the liquid)
1/3 cup roasted red peppers (mine from a jar purchased for the recipe)
1-1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp (or to taste) freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Prepare your vegetables.

Put the water on for the pasta and then cook it according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet set over medium-high heat, add the broccoli, garlic and chile flakes with abt 1/3 cup of water, mix very well to coat the broccoli with the flavours, reduce heat a bit and cover. Steam for around 3 minutes or until the broccoli is _just_ tender, no more.

While the pasta is cooking and the broccoli is steaming, puree the garbanzos, red peppers and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, adding a little water (or reserved bean liquid from the can) if needed to make it possible to blend properly. It will be a delightful pinkish colour! Set aside.

When the broccoli is done, remove it from pan and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the pan with a couple of Tbsp water, cover and cook around 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli to the tomatoes and stir very well, carefully reheating the broccoli but not letting it overcook. Broccoli should be still a little resistant rather than soft.

Stir the garbanzo mixture into the cooked pasta. Spread the coated pasta on a serving dish and sprinkle with pepper. Add the broccoli-tomato mixture to the top.

Serve NOW! :) Truly delicious!

SWEET POTATO & CHICKPEA CURRY, APPLE SALAD

This recipe is adapted from one in Neal Barnard’s Turn Off The Fat Genes (2001), p. 285. Recipes are by Jennifer Raymond.

We halved the recipe, and found that we needed to do quite a bit of fiddling with the spices to get the flavour balance right for us. We also substituted tomato sauce for crushed tomatoes, giving a stronger tomato flavour :)

SWEET POTATO AND CHICKPEA CURRY

1 Tbsp ‘lite’ soy sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup diced sweet potato
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
7 ounces (or about half can) tomato sauce (original asked for crushed tomatoes)
1 cup cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Brown basmati rice for serving, cooked.

Heat 1/3 cup water and soy sauce and add the oniion and sweet potato. Cook on high for around 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and bell pepper and cover for three minutes or so.

Add the tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes if you prefer), chickpeas and about 1/3 cup water and stir. Add the spices and stir to mix well. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a little more water to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the vegetables are tender (around 10 or 12 minutes), your curry is ready to serve with the cooked rice and a salad of your choice. Serves 4.

APPLE SALAD

My APPLE SALAD (above) was a simple one:
1 sliced apple, some thinly sliced raw onion rings, a little thinly sliced cucumber and a spoonful of craisins
dressed in a seasoned rice vinegar and balsamic vinegar (equal amounts)
- but you could make it as elaborate as you please :)