Indian Spice: Chickpea Coconut Curry

by Green Gourmet L

I have the extreme pleasure of assisting at a cooking school in DC. It’s so fun for me because I get to attend an $80 cooking class for free. Not only do I get to pick up on new techniques, the chef cooks the recipes for the assistants at the end and we get to ask questions (food related or otherwise)!

One of my favorite chef’s that I assist for is a quick-witted, gay, Indian man who always cooks barefoot. His cooking style is very relaxed (clearly) and his recipes are to die for. Unfortunately, the written recipes are usually not the easiest to follow, so I’ve had to adapt based on what worked for me. The other night, he made a chicken dish for our class, but he said that you could easily make it vegetarian by substituting chickpeas. I’ve already made this at home twice and HAVE to share it!

Ingredients

• 2 cups chickpeas that have been soaked, rinsed, and drained
• 2 cups light coconut milk
• 2 TB ginger/garlic paste (see below)
• 1 tomato chopped
• 4 TB oil
• 2 tp curry powder
• 2 tp paprika
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 20 whole black peppercorns
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 TB cilantro

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute whole spices (cinnamon and black peppercorns) for 3-5 minutes.

Add onions and saute until onions are light brown about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Make ginger/garlic paste by placing 2 large cloves of garlic (without skin) and 1 1/2 inch of ginger (with skin) into food processor. Grind until a paste forms.

Add ginger/garlic paste to pot and cook for about 1 minute.

Add curry powder and paprika, mix well, and cook for about 1 minute.

Add chickpeas, coconut milk, and tomatoes. Adjust for seasonings and add salt/pepper.

Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes until chickpeas are completely cooked through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve over rice. Enjoy your authentic Indian cuisine and don’t forget you read about it on Green Gourmets!

OMG- My Husband Ate Tempeh

by Green Gourmet L

Mr. Green Gourmet is a picky eater.  He will deny it, but he loves things like pizza, fries, burgers and other typical man food.  Luckily, I write a food blog, and he’s forced encouraged to eat things that are  a bit healthier!

The other day at Whole Foods, I found some soy tempeh for $2.79…way less expensive than chicken. Tempeh has been around in Asian cooking for hundreds of years, although it is relatively new to American cuisine. It’s made from cooked soybeans (or flax or other grains) and then formed into a patty, like a veggie burger. It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly, and certain kinds are gluten free. It’s texture is different from tofu and it has a slightly nutty flavor. It still takes on the flavor of what it’s cooked around though, so make sure you marinate or cook with a sauce to help it blend in.  Also- low fat, high protein. Yep.

Photo from lifestyle.8flo.com

Always a good standby if you’re trying to do more veggie dishes in your life. I know that Mr. GG loves Thai food, so I decided to make a green curry dish with veggies and then sneak some tempeh in there. And the result: his initial response was “pretty good”, then when I explained the tempeh, he said “edible”. I think I will take the pretty good and not tell him what’s in it next time.

Green Curry with Tempeh

• 2TB green curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk (light)
• 2 TB fish sauce
• 1/3 cup veggie stock
• salt to taste
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ½ onion, chopped
• ½ green pepper, sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced and seeded
• 1 head broccoli, separated
• 1 package tempeh, cut into 3/4 in cubes
• chopped cilantro

Cook first four ingredients for sauce on medium for 7-8 minutes until thickened. Add veggies and cook for 10 minutes. Add tempeh and cook for an additional 5 minutes until flavor of the sauce has been absorbed. Serve over rice and top with cilantro. Trying tempeh for the first time like my husband? Don’t forget you read about it on Green Gourmets!

Fall Flavors

by Green Gourmet L

This was the first morning that it really felt like fall in DC! We woke up early and started the morning with a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Whenever this comes out, I realize that cooler weather is on the way. It makes me think of apple picking, pumpkin carving, sweater and scarves, and boots on the outside of jeans. After spending $5 on a medium size Pumpkin Spice Latte at (guess where?) I realized that there has to be a better way to make this at home. So after some trial and error, I think I came up with a good substitute. This serves 2 (because, hey, it’s not fair for only one person to enjoy this)!

A note on coconut milk:

Since I’ve realized that I’m lactose sensitive, I decided to try coconut milk instead of soy milk (or real milk) on my last trip to the grocery store.  It is high in saturated fat (a 1 cup serving size has 5g), but don’t forget that this is the good kinda fat. It is mostly made up of short- and medium-chain fatty acids that are used as energy and not stored as body fat like long-chain fatty acids found in dairy milk. Coconut is also rich in lauric acid, which helps strengthen the immune system. And it’s full of vitamins and minerals (calcium being a biggie). Just make sure you are buying 100% pure coconut milk. (PS. This brand also makes delicious ice creams!)

A note on pumpkin:

We all know, by now, that we should all eat more pumpkin (not just in pumpkin pie). But why? Some of the healing properties of pumpkin are:

• Protection against heart disease
• Digestive aid
• Regulates blood sugar
• Used for insomnia
• Helpful for treating burns
• Anti-aging
• Used for respiratory conditions liks asthma

Alright, aren’t you ready to enjoy your latte knowing all the health benefits?

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

2 TB canned pumpkin

2 TB brown sugar or agave nectar

1 TB vanilla extract

1/2 tp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup strong coffee

Directions:

Heat coconut milk, pumpkin, and sugar over medium heat until just under boiling. Whisk well to incorporate the pumpkin. Off the heat, add vanilla and spices. At this point, you can choose to place in a blender to get frothy. Add strong coffee and pour into mugs. Enjoy the first days of fall and don’t forget you read it on Green Gourmets!