Black Bean Cabbage Curry

I've been having some extra strong cravings for cabbage lately.  We've been eating a ton of it at home, and I even ordered veggie cabbage rolls at a restaurant the other day.  It's a strange thing to crave, but I'm going with it!  I'd say there are a lot worse things I could be eating in excess.

I love to roast green cabbage with some olive oil and sea salt (like this), but the other day something a little spicier was calling to me.  I combined some of my favorite Indian flavors with a jalapeno from our garden to create this cabbage curry dish, and it really hit the spot.

Black Bean Cabbage Curry
Makes 2 large servings

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
1-2 gloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 onion, diced
1 cup black beans
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
Dash of garam masala
Dash of salt and pepper
Water as needed
2 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large pan, saute the garlic, onion, and jalapeno in a little olive oil over medium heat until slightly brown.
2.  Add cabbage, spices, and a little splash of water if things are starting to stick.
3. Continue to cook, adding water as needed, until cabbage is soft and slightly translucent.
4.  Add black beans and cook until warm.
5. Serve over rice and top with additional sauces/garnishes of your choice (Sriracha, green onions, etc.)

 

Note:  I never really measure my spices out very precisely, so feel free to add more or less depending on your preferences.  I usually just use the sprinkle-and-taste method.

I also made this dish another time, but, instead of using Indian spices, I added lots of fresh lime juice and cilantro.  We wrapped it all up in some whole wheat tortillas, added hot sauce, and had ourselves a little Mexican feast.  It was so good.

Healthy, cheap, easy-to-find, tasty, and versatile - you gotta love cabbage!

Superfood-Packed Roasted Tofu and Brown Rice

Hi there!  Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!  We are finally getting back into the swing of things over here, just in time to go on another trip.  We leave for Indianapolis on Tuesday so that Jay can attend a conference for work.  (But I'm sure we'll have time to squeeze in some fun things, too!)

I was talking to my mom yesterday over lunch and pedicures (not a bad Friday) about how it is so much harder than it seems to get things done in the summer.  Don't get me wrong, I would NEVER complain about having my summers off.  I've just come to realize that I am a much more productive person when I am in a routine.

I keep thinking I have all the time in the world to work out or make a nice dinner or write a blog post, but, when there is no set schedule, it is amazing how the day can just disappear.  I have no idea what has been happening to my time!

To get back on track, Jay and I have started doing a P90X3 workout program that comes with a calendar, so it tells you which workouts to do on which days.  I've also been trying to do a better job of planning out our meals.  Instead of throwing together another last minute "big bowl" (which has happened a lot over the past few days), last night I actually took the time to press some tofu and create a new recipe.  I decided that we were in serious need of turmeric back in our lives, so I came up with an Indian-ish meal that was full of the healthiest spices and veggies in the world.  It hit the spot!

One Pot Roasted Tofu & Brown Rice
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 2-4

For the tofu:
1 package extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

For the rice/veggie mix:
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 can (13.5 oz. or 2 cups) light coconut milk
1 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup long-grain brown rice
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
1 small bunch kale, chopped

Optional toppings:
Chopped green onions
Chopped peanuts
Cilantro
Sriracha

Preheat oven to 425.  Toss the cubed tofu in the soy sauce/Sriracha/nutritional yeast mixture.  (If you have time, you can let it sit there and marinate for a while.)  Place cubes on a greased cooking sheet and bake for approximately 40 minutes, stirring once. (I line mine with foil for easy clean-up.)

Meanwhile, saute garlic and ginger in a large pan over medium heat in a little olive oil until fragrant.  Add the coconut milk, diced tomatoes, water, peanut butter, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Add in 3/4 cup brown rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  (You can add more water if it gets too thick.)

Add in your broccoli and kale for the last 15 minutes or so of cooking.  Or, substitute in the veggies of your choice.  Most anything would work!

Serve the roasted tofu atop the rice mixture and garnish with your favorite toppings.

Weekend Highlights + Edamame Hummus

It was a pretty low-key weekend around here.  A few fun activities along with plenty of chores and errands. 

  

The 10k I signed up for is only a week away, so I was sure to get in one last long run this weekend.  I was scheduled to run 5.5 miles, but the weather was so amazingly beautiful yesterday that I went ahead and did a full six.  It's the farthest I've run in a while, and it actually felt really good.  

Although I haven't stuck to my 10k training plan perfectly over the last 8 weeks, I've made an effort to get in at least one longer run each week and to continually increase my mileage.  I definitely feel like I will be well-prepared for the run next weekend, even if I'm not the speediest one out there.

Last night, Jay and I attended a BBQ at my friend Zenie's house in honor of some other friends who were visiting from out of town.  Kari and Nick moved away to Chicago last summer, so it was great to catch up with them!

I brought along some hummus that I made using edamame beans instead of garbanzos.  I eat sooo much regular hummus, I thought it'd be nice to mix things up a bit.  It turned out great and was a big hit at the party.  Everyone was intrigued by the fun green color, too...next St. Patrick's day this will definitely be on my menu!

Here is the recipe:

Edamame Hummus
1.5 cups shelled and cooked edamame
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup tahini
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons water (as needed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine edamame, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in food processor. Process until smooth. Drizzle olive oil through feed tube and continue to process.  If the hummus is still really think, add in a couple tablespoons of water until you reach desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

There was an amazing spread of food at the party, including eggplant paninis with pesto mayo and homemade bread, several healthy pasta salads, and a brisket that the guys stayed up ALL NIGHT smoking.  They even had their own homemade Sriracha Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.  It was quite impressive!

 

Today has consisted of cleaning and laundry, plus a lot of time working outside and in the garden.  Jay built us a little mini greenhouse so that we can start growing veggies early, and he also worked on an irrigation system for all the flower beds in the back yard.  More on this to come!

I planted a couple flowers myself, but am trying to hold off on doing too much until I know the warmer weather is here to stay.

I'm getting so excited for spring!

We finished off our night with some Indian chana masala made with extra yams and chopped peanuts on top.  This meal is always a good one!  

I'm off to watch "House of Cards."  We are almost done with season 2...it's so addicting!

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Curry

After days of teasing us, the weather finally came through and dumped some snow over OKC on Thursday morning.  

We got a decent snow last Sunday, but it all melted before school on Monday.  Then, the "big" storm (that the weathermen had hyped up for days and days and days) was supposed to come in Tuesday morning, so we were all shocked and saddened when we woke up to nothing more than a little drizzle and had to go to work. 

 Luckily, we got a third little snow storm on Thursday, and, seeing as the temperatures were in the single digits, it finally stuck around.  We are now enjoying our second snow day in a row, making for a four-day weekend!  I was beginning to think it would never happen!!

Since I obsessively check the weather (I really may have a problem), I was overjoyed to find an app that combines weather with my favorite thing - puppies.  If you love dogs, you must download the Weather Puppy app immediately!  

I've had a chance to do quite a bit of cooking over the last couple days, and I wanted to share a tasty new Indian-inspired meal that I recently created. 

As I've mentioned before, aside from the staples I keep on a list, my go-to grocery shopping method is to wait until I get to the store to see what looks good and what is on sale.  I worry about what I'm going to do with it all later.  After all, when it comes to vegetables, you can always roast them and throw them all together in a "big bowl."  It's hard to go wrong.

I had a lot of sweet potatoes on my hands this week and was craving some kind of curry, so I used what I already had in the pantry/fridge to create this sweet potato and red lentil dish.  It was roughly inspired by an African peanut soup that I love in my Peas and Thank You cookbook.

This dish turned out amazing, and the fact that it is full of some of the world's healthiest spices and veggies is a major bonus.  It came together in about 30 minutes and made more than enough for Jay and me plus lunch the next day.

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Curry

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
Dash of garam masala (optional)
1/2 cup water

15-oz can light coconut milk, shaken
15-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup red lentils

1 large handful fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onion, Sriracha, etc.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. After the pan has heated up for a few minutes, add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes until everything is softened. Add the spices and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add the water, coconut milk, diced tomatoes. lentils, and sweet potato to the pan. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until lentils and sweet potato are tender. Add the spinach and stir until it has all wilted, about 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve over brown rice and garnish as desired.

Have a great weekend!

Quick and Easy Indian

Indian is one of my favorite food types, because the dishes have so much flavor and and can be incredibly healthy.  They are often chock-full of disease fighting spices like ginger, turmeric, and curry.  Since many of the recipes rely on coconut milk (rather than dairy products) to give them their creamy texture, there are also tons of vegan options.

Chana masala is a popular vegetarian Indian dish that centers around chickpeas in a spicy, citrus-y tomato based sauce.  I love making it at home, because it comes together entirely from ingredients that I always keep on-hand in my pantry and fridge.  The recipe I've developed is roughly inspired from others I have seen online, but adjusted to my own tastes and preferences.  It is probably not authentic in the least, but it is super easy and tastes pretty darn amazing!

 

In addition, this dish contains some of the healthiest spices in the world!

Ginger has been proven to be more effective against bacterial staph infections than antibiotics. It can kill cancer cells. Its anti-inflammatory effects are famous. It can resolve brain inflammations and ease or cure a variety of gut problems.
(Source: www.greenmedinfo.com)

Turmeric is a safe yet extremely potent anti-inflammatory.  It provides relief for arthritis and cystic fibrosis.  It helps to prevent cancer and inhibits cell growth and metastases.  It also improves liver function, protects against heart disease, lowers cholesterol, even prevents Alzheimers!  I try to use this mild peppery spice as much as I possibly can!
(Source: www.whfoods.com)

Curry contains turmeric, so it has many similar health benefits.  It has been shown to improve cognitive function and protect against many types of cancers.  It can be used as an inexpensive and effective treatment for autoimmune disorders.  Also, when used in place of tobacco in hookah pipes, curry powder helped to offset the detrimental effects of tobacco smoking by reducing the concentration of inhaled chemicals.  
(Source: www.livestrong.com)

Now for the recipe...

Quick and Easy Indian Chana Masala

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
6 oz. can of tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut milk (or more to taste)
1 can of chickpeas
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

1. Heat oil on medium heat. Fry onions until slightly browned.

2. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add curry, turmeric, tomato paste, and coconut milk. Simmer for a couple more minutes.

4. Add chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add red pepper flakes to taste.

6. Serve over brown rice.

When I made this the other night, I also added in some green peas with the chick peas to amp up the veggie content.

It is such an easy, tasty dish, and I love that it incorporates so many powerful super spices.  This dinner will definitely remain a regular one in our house!