I’ve been asked to submit a few of my own recipes for a new book being published later this year, but as many of you know, I don’t write a lot of my recipes down. I cook like my friend Rodney types: hunt-and-peck style. A little of this, a little of that, a little of “Oh that looks about right.”
Last night I was craving a lentils and curry dish I’d made months ago, but couldn’t for the life of me remember how I’d made it. I decided to recreate it the best I could, and this time, write it down. It didn’t turn out exactly the same way as last time, which turned out to be a good thing because I liked this batch better.
Curried Lentils & Veggies
Serves 4
I like to play around with different kinds of curry, adjusting the heat to the mood of the food and the palate of the consumer. I don’t like super spicy food, but I like a nice kick.
When I originally made this, I used ¾ t hot curry + ¾ t Maharajah curry. Click here to view the curries I buy at My Spice Sage.
¾ C onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 C carrots, chopped
1 C zucchini or yellow summer squash, chopped
1½ t curry
¼ t turmeric
¾ t ginger
¼ t cumin
15 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1 C French (green) lentils
3 T + 2 C vegetable broth
1-2 C fresh spinach
Brown rice (optional)
Spray a large saucepan with non-stick cooking spray and cook onion and garlic on medium heat for one minute. Add carrot, zucchini, spices and 3 T vegetable broth. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, lentils and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until lentils are soft. Add spinach and stir until spinach has wilted. Serve alone or on top of brown rice.
And speaking of curry, I think I’ll submit this next one, too. Some of you might have seen this one in an earlier blog from last year. It was one of the first recipes I’d ever actually written down.
Sun-Dried Tomato and Curry Hummus
This is loosely based on a Weight Watchers recipe (Roasted Red Pepper Hummus). I wasn’t crazy about the original, so I “made it my own,” (somewhere, Paula Abdul is clapping for me).
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained (reserve the drained liquid)
4-5 sun-dried tomato halves (not the kind in oil)
3-4 (or more) garlic cloves, peeled
2 T tahini
3 T lemon juice
1/3 C Greek yogurt
¼ t pepper
¼ to ½ t salt
1 t curry powder (I use a combo of hot and mild)
½ t cumin
½ t coriander
Put all ingredients in a food processor and process for a minute. Add a little of the reserved liquid (or if you forgot to save it, like I’ve done before, use vegetable or chicken broth or water) and process for another few minutes. Check for consistency and add more liquid if you want. Process for about 3-5 minutes, or until desired consistency.
This is really good right away or after a few hours in the fridge. It’s got a nice bite, especially if you add some kick. Serve with baked pita chips (cut pita in wedges, place on a cookie sheet, spray with a little Pam, bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes). This is also a great veggie dip.
Makes approximately 2 cups.
I could use a Vulcan mind meld right about now. I need to come up with three more original/greatly modified recipes in the next week and they're lodged in my head. How many times have you told yourself, "Oh, I'll remember"? Then when it comes to remembering, you can't. Oh well, I love to cook so it's not like it will be torture to spend a few hours in the kitchen. I'm just not sure which recipes to choose. Any ideas?
View the original article here
