Cauliflower Curry

Tender cauliflower cooked in warm Indian spices.

This is probably not an authentic Indian curry, but I used the spices and cooking techniques I've seen/used in other Indian dishes.  I love the delicious spicy combination of ginger, garlic, chili, cumin, and turmeric found in Indian cuisine.  All the spices take a dish from bland to exciting and leave me feeling full and satisfied without meat or too many calories.  Not only does the spice combination taste amazing it's said to have many health benefits too.

Warm Indian spices make yummy #vegan Cauliflower #Curry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-5

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh chili if you have it)
1/2 tsp turmeric
chili powder (to taste)
1 Tbsp coriander powder
Salt (to taste)
3-4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 small carrots, chopped (optional)
1 tomato, pureed
1/4 cup water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)

1 tsp garam masala

Prepare all of the ingredients and have them at hand before cooking.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot.  Add the cumin seeds until they sputter then add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Stir and cook until fragrant.

Add the dry spices (turmeric, chili powder, and coriander)  and cook for a few seconds then add the vegetables (you can use all cauliflower if you prefer I added peas and carrots for more color) with a good sprinkle of salt.  

Stir and mix well then add the water mixed with the tamarind concentrate (I use the tamarind to add more flavor and because I have it).  Continue stirring until the water cooks off and cauliflower is tender.

Remove from heat and mix in the garam masala.  

Serve warm over rice garnished with cilantro (with naan and chutney on the side if desired).

I served this curry with a cilantro coconut chutney (I happened to have all the ingredients on hand).  It was delicious.  I'll post the recipe next week so stay tuned.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Enjoy.

For more Indian recipes check out:

Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage & Peas)

Sambar           -

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Best of the Month September 2015

A recap of my most popular posts from last month (September 2015).

Last month's #bestrecipes #BestoftheMonth Sept2015  [Tweet this]

First let's look back at September's best from previous years.

Best of September 2013:

Bacon Wrapped French Toast

Sweet french toast sticks wrapped in crunchy, salty bacon.  A great handheld breakfast.  Now has 1925 views. 35 +1s, and 8 'yum's.  This is one of my most popular posts and I use it in many round-ups (like 8 Game Day Recipes, Bacon Day Round Up, and 30 Recipes for Super Bowl).

#BaconWrapped FrenchToast: #BestoftheMonth Sept2013  [Tweet this]

Best of September 2014:

Cucumber Bites

Crisp, fresh, cucumber slices on baguette spread with cheese.  Now has 586 views, 34 +1, and 46 'yum's.

#Cucumber Bites:  #BestoftheMonth Sept2014  [Tweet this]

Now back to this year's best of September:

Spicy 3 Beans and Rice

A spicy, one-pot, one-dish, vegetarian meal of beans and rice made with 3 different types of beans.  565 views and 86 +1s.  This recipe was popular on Tumblr and re-blogged about 7 times with many likes.  It was also 'Yum'ed 19 times.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: Spicy 3 #BeansandRice  [Tweet this]

8 Game Day Recipes

A round-up of my favorite gameday recipes.  From drinks to breakfasts snacks and meals there is something for everyone.  505 views and 62 +1s.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: 8 #GameDayRecipes  [Tweet this]

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

A spicy cheese sauce made with beer.  Great as a dip, on nachos, tacos, or veggies.  485 views, 38 +1s, and 9 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #BeerCheese NachoSauce  [Tweet this]

How to Roast Garlic

A simple tutorial on how to roast garlic.  A repost of my original from February of 2013.  416 views, 83 +1s, and 1 'yum'.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #Howto RoastGarlic  [Tweet this]

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon-dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.  341 views, 51 +1s, and 4 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: CucumberandTomatoDill #Salad  [Tweet this]

My best of the month September from previous years:

Best of the Month September 2014

Best of the Month September 2013

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Lentil soup

A bold and spicy soup with hot Portuguese sausage and healthy lentils.

Lentils are powerful little legumes.  They are packed with protein and fiber while being relatively low in calories.  They are very versatile too.  Lentils make great curries, soups, stew, and salads.  Another great thing about lentils is that they are quick to cook compared to other legumes like beans and don't require soaking (although I've read that soaking them overnight helps make their nutrients more digestible...I usually don't plan ahead enough to do that, though).

Lentils are powerful little legumes [Tweet this]

Lentil Soup

Servings:  2-4

Cooking time:  45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot. diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 spicy sausage (I used hot Portuguese sausage), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lentils (I think I used green lentils)
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups water
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, over medium heat, cook the vegetables in oil until tender.  Add the sausage and continue cooking until it curls then add the garlic and lentils.

Stir and continue cooking until garlic is fragrant then add the tomatoes, water, and bullion.

Add the spices and bring to a boil.

Lower the temperature and simmer, over low heat, for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Add more water or chicken broth if needed.  Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Enjoy.

For more soup recipes check out:

Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

Green Pea Soup            -

Black Bean Soup            -

For more lentil recipes check out:

Sambar

Lentil Caprese Salad

Arhar Dal

Linked to:  Treasure Box, 2 Cup, Lou Lou, Whimsy, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wake Up, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends

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Habanero Hot Sauce

A ridiculously spicy and simple hot sauce made from habanero peppers.

I love habaneros.  Yeah, they are crazy spicy and I can't take a whole lot of heat from them but I love their color, shape, and even their flavor (if you can experience it with out too much pain).  My husband loves all things spicy so he was more than happy to let me experiment with a habanero hot sauce.  Most recipes I found suggested taking out the core and seeds but that's part of the heat.  My husband assured me that he wasn't scared so I left them in.  My final sauce has a great orange color and is very, very spicy.  It's a great way to add a little (or lot) of heat and habanero flavor to many foods like eggs, salsas, roasted nuts, etc.

Habanero Hot Sauce

***WARNING VERY SPICY***

Ingredients:

16 large habanero peppers
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Stem all the habaneros then blanch for a minute or two in boiling water.

Place blanched habaneros in a blender with the maple syrup.  Add enough vinegar to at least cover the peppers and puree until smooth.

Pour into bottles and refrigerate.  Makes about 1 cup of hot sauce.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Sat Night Fever, Share Sun, See ya in Gumbo, Merry Mon, Two Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Wonderful Wed, TYSH, Eat Create

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Chicken Green Curry

A spicy Thai green curry with chicken, veggies, and rice.

Green curry is one of my husband's favorite foods. It is the spiciest of the 3 Thai curries (red, yellow, and green) which is a big reason why he favors it. Green curry paste is mostly mashed Thai green chilies giving it a powerful heat.  This dish is not for those who can't tolerate spicy chilies. If you are able to get past the chili burn this curry has many delicious, complex, flavors common in Thai cuisine. It is sour, sweet, and savory with lime, shrimp paste, cilantro, and coconut milk. I've made green curry paste from scratch, which is pretty simple and an easy way to control the heat level (see my Tofu Thai Green Curry), but for a quicker dinner sometimes I use store bought paste. Another perk of Chinatown (but you may find it in the Asian section of many grocery stores...it's pretty popular)

Chicken Green Curry

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp oil

2 chicken breasts, cubed
2-4 cups vegetables (I like to keep a green theme: sugar snap peas, zucchini, green bell pepper,  broccoli...you get the idea)
2 Tbsp green curry paste (use less for less heat)

1 can coconut milk
Jalapeno, sliced
Thai basil
Lime wedges
Rice

In a large saute pan, cook the chicken pieces (medium heat) in some oil until cooked.  Remove and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and then add the curry paste.  Stir it around the pan for a minute or two to slightly cook the curry paste then add the veggies.

Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer until vegetables are tender to your liking then stir in the chicken.  Taste for seasoning and add more lime juice or fish sauce to adjust the saltiness or lack there of and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.  Serve with rice, jalapeno, lime, and basil.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Whimsy Wednesday, Eat Create Party,  Freedom Fridays,. Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper Saturday, Shine a Spotlight Saturday, Saturday Night Fever, Random Recipe Roundup, Much Ado About Monday

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Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

A spicy fried rice made from leftovers.  Main ingredients are cabbage, onion, bok choy, and carrot, plus eggs for protein.

Fried rice is a great way to clean out the fridge.  Anytime I have a bunch of leftovers I always think about fried rice.  Fried rice not only is a great way to use leftover rice, but you can add just about anything to it.  If you have left over meats, by all means add them but I only had vegetables so I made this vegetarian.  My inspiration for this dish was kimchi fried rice, which is popular around here and is very tasty and quite spicy.  I didn't have kimchi (a mix of spicy fermented vegetables--mainly cabbage), but I had plenty of cabbage, bok choy and a carrot, so I used these and added sriracha to make it spicy.  It's not the same as kimchi fried rice, but it was a very good and filling dinner (I also made vegetable spring rolls as a side--will post later).

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp ginger
2 Tbsp garlic
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded (just sliced into relatively thin slices)
1 carrot, julienned
about 1 pound baby bok choy, shredded (sliced as above) (4-5 cups)
2 cups cold rice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
dash of chili oil
2 tsp sriracha

First scramble the eggs and set aside.

Mix together soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and sriracha and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan (or wok) over medium heat then add oil.  Next add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.  Add the onion and stir fry until just tender.

Then add the cabbage and carrots and stir fry for couple of minutes and add the bok choy (the bok choy will mound out of the pan just stuff it in because it will shrink a lot as it cooks).  Add a little water and cover pan to steam.  Let steam for about 5 minutes or until bok choy wilts.

Uncover pan and add the rice (you may want to add more oil to help prevent sticking, but mine always ends up sticking a little, just stir as rapidly as you can, don't make it too oily).  Then pour on the soy sauce mixture.

Stir fry until sauce mixes well with ingredients and rice is cooked to your liking (I usually only cook the rice for a few minutes to get it heated through).

Lastly stir in the scrambled eggs and remove from heat.

Serve immediately, I had vegetable spring rolls on the side.  Makes at least 2 servings.

Enjoy.

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