Best of the Month November 2013

A review of my most popular blog posts from November.

November was another great month.  I keep receiving more followers on all of my social media and it's fun to share my recipes with others.  I also love seeing other's recipes to inspire me to make new and/or different things.

My biggest brag this month is that I got 2 pictures on TasteSpotting.  Can you guess which 2?  I'm so proud of this I hope it means that my photos are getting better.  Unlike many great pictures on photo sites, I do not have much time for styling.  Styled photos with props look great but most of my recipes are things I make for dinner and I try to get a good photo before I eat it.  This makes good photography difficult but I try to take multiple snaps and I think my editing is getting better.  Hopefully we will see more of Joybee, What's for Dinner on the big name photo sites :)

Black Bean Soup

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A creamy, flavorful, and meatless soup made with black beans and spices.  Filling enough for an entree.  This was my most popular post of November and it was accepted to TasteSpotting.  This recipe received 359 views and 72 +1s.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

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A flavorful vegetarian curry made with cauliflower, chickpeas, and spices.  This was the second picture to be accepted to TasteSpotting (it's no coincidence that my top two were both accepted).  This recipe received 234 views and 64 +1s.

Cheese Steak Stromboli

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Shredded beef, peppers and onion rolled in a pizza dough with cheese and baked until crisp.  This Post received 244 views and 64 +1s.

  

Chicken Parmesan

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Breaded chicken in a tomato sauce smothered in Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.  This recipe received 234 views and 64 +1s.

Easy Cheesy Popcorn

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A quick and simple snack idea using a packet of macaroni and cheese mix.  This post received 172 views and 23 +1s.

Thank you everyone who stops by my blog I appreciate all my viewers and have a happy new year.

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Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

A flavorful vegetarian curry made with cauliflower, chickpeas, and spices.

This is a curry I improvised based on a few other Indian recipes and what I had in my refrigerator/freezer.  I had plenty of leftover cauliflower from another dinner and I didn't feel like going to the store so I used what I had on hand to make a very good, and nutritious, complete meal.

Delicious and #nutitious Cauliflower & Chickpea #Curry  [Tweet this]

I wanted to have some protein in this curry so I added chickpeas.  When I have free time I like to cook an entire bag of beans and then freeze them in 1-2 cup portions.  This is cheaper than buying canned beans and you don't have to worry about too much salt.  Usually, I don't add any salt to the beans.  So I always have beans ready to add to any meal.

Chickpeas add #protein to #vegan Cauliflower&ChickpeaCurry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1/8 tsp ghost pepper masala, or red chili powder to taste
12 dried curry leaves, crushed
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
1/2 C water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)
2 C chickpeas, thawed
1 C coconut milk
cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the oil (any high heat oil is fine), over medium high heat, until shimmery.  Add the cumin seeds and stir until they sputter.  Then, add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant (all of this should take less than a minute).

Add the onion, stirring frequently, until softened then add the tomatoes.  Stir and let the tomatoes cook down just a little (just a minute or two).  Season with some salt.

Add the spices and stir and mix them with the onions and tomatoes and cook for a few more seconds until the spices become fragrant.  Add the cauliflower and water and tamarind paste, if you are using (plain water will work fine the tamarind adds more flavor and a slight sourness or you can use vegetable broth).

Cover and allow to steam for up to 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender (I like mine to be more crisp so I didn't let it steam that long).  Add the chickpeas and coconut milk and stir until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required (add more salt or chili as needed).

Makes about 4 servings.  Serve over rice garnished with cilantro.  I had Aloo Paratha (a potato filled flat bread) on the side but any flatbread would be great.

Enjoy.

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