Curry for Dinner and Lunch!

So, I made some more Indian curry tonight and I'll share the recipe but thought I would also share this tip. I like to divide the leftovers up into containers straight out of the pot, it helps with keeping track of the portion sizes and definitely creates ready to go lunches or other meals for the next few days. Who says lunch needs to be PB&J on wheat with celery sticks and an apple? I'll be showing up tomorrow with chickpea curry over basmati rice and well, a little yogurt because if you haven't figured it out yet...I like plain non-fat yogurt over my curry. It adds a bit of tartness and calms down the spice when I get a little over zealous with that cayenne!

For this dish, I literally walked in to the apartment at 6:15pm and had cooked and eaten by 7:00pm...Yeah, I was hungry and yes, it can be that easy!!!

Chickpea and Pea Curry

3 onions, chopped coarsely

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp olive or vegetable oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed

1 cup frozen peas

Very similar process to my earlier vegetable curry recipe, so please feel free to refer back for variation on ingredients. Puree the onions and garlic in a blender. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion garlic paste and cook down until thick (the water will evaporate). Add all the spices, stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and cilantro. Stir for 2-3minutes. Add the chickpeas and peas and simmer for 10 minutes. Voila...quick and easy curry. Serve over basmati rice, quick recipe below.

Basmati Rice

1 tsp olive or vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup basmati rice

1.75 cup water

Heat the oil in a pot, add the cumin seeds and salt, they will start to sputter. Add the rice and water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water is gone. Note, you can also just cook the rice according to the package directions or in a rice cooker! Whatever makes your cooking easier, because that's what people tend to stick to! Healthier eating is hard enough without the added work.

The meal is a great rice and beans type meal and has a lot of great flavours! Nutritional value is very similar to Kichdi with about 17 g of protein and more carbs because of the rice (approximately 70 g). You could easily serve without the rice and substitue with quinoa or a whole grain pita or chapati. Yum!

Kitchi, Comfort Food the Indian Way (Rice and Lentils)

My mother would definitely say that I would not touch this stuff as a child but lately, I can't get enough. I even talked to my father the other day and said, "Don't laugh, but guess what I'm eating"...I'm sure he laughed once the words poured out of my fingers into that little GChat box! Haha! But seriously, Kichdi, Kichadee, Khichdi, Kitchouri...whatever you want to call it boils down to two main ingredients - dry lentils and rice and I'm telling you it's convenience and comfort in a bowl! In India, more bland versions are used to help fight the common cold and often, it is the first solid food introduced to babies. How's that for a little food trivia?

So what exactly are we talking about here...well 30 minutes start to finish...no soaking, just a little rinsing and chopping and a ton of nutritional value! I like to keep my Kichdi basic but you could certainly experiment with adding vegetables, varying the ratio of lentils and rice and using different spices.

Kichdi

1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 small tomato, finely diced

1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add all of the spices and saute for one minute, then add the tomatoes and saute until cooked down a bit (approx 2 minutes). Add the rice and lentils, stir, then add the water. Stir and cover pot mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, then set to a low heat setting on the stove. Cook until water is gone (about 15 minutes). When cooked mix in cilantro. Serve with a little plain yogurt on the side for some added calcium and comfort.

I don't think it gets much easier! You can add a mixture of vegetables before you add the rice and lentils such as peas, carrots, corn, green beans, potatoes, etc. I recommend cooking them a bit before adding the rice and lentils and adding just a little more water. Make sure the veggies, rice and lentils have about a half inch of water on top when you start the boiling process. In any case, its purest form as pictured here, this meal has about 17 g of protein (that's with the yogurt!). Not so low with the carbs (65 g) but still worth the post and indulgence!