Chana Masala

The spice list on this recipe is long, I'll admit that, but it is so easy to make that just about anyone could do it. Mango powder is somewhat of an odd ingredient, but don't let it scare you off, if you don't have it just use lemon juice.

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas, drained
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon oil
1 large (2 smaller) clove(s) garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)
1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
2-3 teaspoons mango powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
cilantro leaves

Directions:

Place chickpeas in a small pot and cover with water. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside. While they are boiling, cook onion in oil over medium-low heat until it is soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and cook for one more minute. Add cumin, coriander, cayenne, tumeric, mango powder, paprika and garam masala and cook one more minute until everything is fragrant and browning just a bit. Add salt, water, and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Add your drained chickpeas and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes, checking to make sure it isn't drying out (if it is just add more water). When chickpeas are tender remove from heat and add lemon juice, stir to combine. Top with cilantro leaves and serve with rice and naan.

Potato leek soup

I brought this soup in to work to share with my coworkers once a year or two ago and people are still talking about how good it was. It is so simple but it is really comforting. You can serve this completely smooth or you can serve it a little chunky like I do, both ways are delicious. This is great on its own or you can top it with cheese, green onions, hot sauce, tomato, and/or bacon if you're not vegetarian.

Ingredients:

1 leek, white and very light green parts only, sliced in half moons
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium (or 1 extra large) potato, peeled and cubed
3-4 cups veggie stock
1 ounce cream cheese
pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, combine leek, butter, and olive oil and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the leek is very tender but before it browns. Add cubed potato and add just enough stock to cover the potatoes by about a 1/4 inch (mine took a little more than 3 cups). Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want your soup chunky, remove about a 1/3 of the potatoes from the pot after 7-8 minutes (or until they are fork tender but not mushy). Continue boiling the rest of the potatoes for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are very soft and mushy. Using an immersion blender, blend the mushy potatoes until they are smooth. Stir to get everything off the bottom and then add the cream cheese, stirring well to incorporate. Add the reserved potatoes back in and stir. If it is thicker than you'd like, add a bit more stock until you have your desired consistency. Season with pepper and let cook for about 1 more minute just to heat everything through. Serve alone or with cheese, hot sauce, green onion, etc.

Pineapple quesadillas

These quesadillas are a little different since they have pineapple in them, but they are both spicy and sweet. If you want more spice just increase the amount of chili powder (and add a dash of cayenne). I served these with bbq sauce on the side and shredded lettuce for a little more crunch.

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon chopped red onion

Directions:

In a small bowl, heat cream cheese until soft, add mozzarella and chili powder and mix well. Spread half the cheese mixture on one tortilla. Top with green pepper, pineapple, and red onion. Add the remaining cheese mixture on top and cover with remaining tortilla. Place the quesadilla on aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray, place under the broiler. Broil for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip and broil for another 2-3 minutes, or until the other side is equally brown and crispy. Check your quesadillas regularly when under the broiler since all broilers are different. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes. Cut in wedges with a pizza cutter. Serve with bbq sauce.

Strawberry cream cheese crepes

All the prep work should be done the night before, so plan ahead for these!! Despite needing to think ahead, these are so easy. Crepes have a reputation for being challenging, but really they are quite simple. So simple that it is sort of silly that they cost $10-$15 at a restaurant.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream cheese
10 strawberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
1 small pat of butter
1 dash salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a food processor, combine cream cheese, strawberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and lemon juice. Pulse to combine then process for a few seconds straight so that it is nice and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate overnight. In a blender, combine the rest of the ingredients (water through vanilla) and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a sealable container and place in fridge overnight. When you're ready to cook them, place a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and spray it with non-stick spray. Place 1/4 cup of batter on hot pan and swirl the pan to coat it thinly and evenly. Cook for about 1 minute, or when the bottom begins to bubble and turn very light brown. Carefully flip crepe using an offset spatula and your fingers and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and continue with the rest of the batter. To serve, place a dollop of the strawberry cream cheese in the center of each crepe and fold in triangle shape. Top with sliced strawberries or whipped cream or powdered sugar.

Corn cakes

These corn cakes are just as good for dinner as they are for breakfast. For dinner, serve as is or with black beans. For breakfast, serve with eggs. These are really delicious and they also freeze well just in case you can't eat all of them. I served mine with easy blended salsa.


Ingredients:

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup corn
1 green onion, chopped
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno (adjust to your taste)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except butter and vegetable oil in a bowl until just combined. Let rest for 5 or so minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet over low-ish heat and melt butter and vegetable oil together in pan. Take approximately 1/3 cup of batter and pour into hot pan (I cooked about 3 at a time). Cook until edges look cooked and are starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil and butter if necessary. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or black beans.

Cilantro mint dipping sauce

 

This sauce is really delicious. It is bright and fresh and slightly spicy. This sauce is sort of like the one you get as an appetizer at Indian restaurants. I served this with naan but it would be great with pita bread or pita chips or along side a spicy curry dish. Feel free to adjust the spice according to your preference.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used half a lemon)
2 tablespoons water
salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine everything in a food processor and pulse a few times, then turn on until everything is smooth and well combined. Season with salt as necessary and add more water if you would like to change the consistency. Serve with naan.

Parmesan herb salad dressing

I recently bought a huge thing of buttermilk because it was the only size container available, which has forced me to get creative with how to use it all up. I decided to try making a creamy dressing at home and it was really delicious, much better than bottled dressing. I also used all low-fat ingredients here but use what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buttermilk
2 rounded tablespoons mayo
1-2 rounded tablespoon(s) sour cream
1 clove garlic, made into a paste*
1 green onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup pamesan cheese
5-6 cracks black pepper
salt, to taste

Directions:

Mix buttermilk, mayo, and sour cream together until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well, making sure to mix up the garlic paste well. Season with salt. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to come together.

*Make a garlic paste by mincing the garlic clove as finely as possible. Then sprinkle liberally with salt. Take the flat side of your knife and scrape the garlic and salt together several times until it forms a thick, smooth paste.

Baked egg rolls

I recently purchased a box of frozen vegetable egg rolls from the grocery store and was excited to pop them in the oven for dinner. When I took my first bite I saw something inside that I am still convinced was some sort of mystery meat, despite what the company says. Anyway, I won't be purchasing those any more due to the fear of mystery meat so I decided to try making my own. They were actually not as labor-intensive as I had imagined and I thought they were pretty tasty! They are also really flexible so you can use whatever veggies you like and you could even throw in some cooked rice noodles if you wanted.

Ingredients:

egg roll wrappers (mine made 8)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 an onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut in small match sticks
1/4  large green pepper, diced
5-7 button mushrooms, chopped
3 stalks bok choy, chopped
1/3 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon corn starch
cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium-low heat and saute onion, carrot, and green pepper for 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms, bok choy and bamboo shoots. Continue to cook until vegetables are fully cooked and have softened slightly, approximately 3-4 more minutes. Add minced garlic, green onions, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add soy sauce, sriracha, vinegar, sesame oil, and corn starch and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. About 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. On a clean, dry surface place one egg roll wrapper with a pointy edge close to you (so it looks like a diamond not a square. Place a spoonful of the veggies in the middle of the wrapper and fold the close pointed edge about 2/3 of the way up to the pointed edge at the top. fold the two sides in, covering the vegetables with another layer of wrapper. Wet the edges of the final pointed edge of the wrapper with water (the one at the top of the diamond) and roll up. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and place the egg roll seam side down on the pan. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling. Spray the tops of the rolls with cooking spray and bake for 6 minutes, then flip them over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until brown and crispy.