Moong Dal with Spinach

I know this doesn't look like much, but trust me, it is delicious. There is rice on the bottom, creamy lentils, spinach and a unique spice combination that makes the flavor unique and very satisfying. This has been a perfect winter lunch this week.

Last year a friend and I took an Indian spices cooking class through Minneapolis Community Education. The instructor was fantastic- teaching us about different spices, having us complete at least part of a dish, having us eat a complete meal and then discussing how each dish is made and the spices in each one. It was very hands on and I left with a wealth of knowledge.

After this class, I felt confident enough to go to an Indian grocery store and fine the appropriate ingredients to made wonderful dal's and curries. This particular dish uses "panch puran" a  combination of spices that are not meant to be used raw or ground. Their are meant to be heated in oil and allowed to pop and bloom. It is a pretty neat technique and that adds incredible flavor.

I also learned about these "bay leaves" which are larger than my hand. These are really "cassia leaf" which is the leaf of a cinnamon tree. Definitely not to be substituted for the typical American bay leaf!
I only made a couple of changes to this recipe from class. It is easy to make and just requires a couple of Indian spices. It is nutritious and perfect for these cold January days.

Moong Dal with Spinach*
Makes 4-6 cups
Adapted from Chef Gayle

1/2 tsp oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 medium piece of cassia leaf
1 cup moong dal
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed-something light, not olive oil) or ghee
2 tsp panch puran
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
2 cups fresh spinach
fresh lime, cut into wedges
cooked brown rice or naan to serve with the dal

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the 1/2 tsp oil and when headed, add cassia leaf and moong dal. Sautee lightly for about 3 minutes
2. Add water, tumeric and salt to the dal. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until dal is soft (~35 minutes). Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
3. Once the dal is cooked, stir in the coconut milk and allow to simmer for several minutes.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. When heated, add 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, add the panch purah and temper until the mustard seeds pop- be very careful not to allow this to go to far and burn or the flavor will be bitter. This step only should take 60 seconds or so. Remove from heat and add cayenne.
5. Add the panch purah mixture to the dal and stir to combine.
6. Remove the cassia leaf and add the spinach. Cook for several minutes until the spinach is wilted.
7. Serve over cooked brown rice or naan and a wedge of lime.

*This dish can be made in advance and probably tastes better since the flavors are able to develop

Coconut Kale Rice Bowl

If I were to design a perfect day for myself it would be relatively simple. Sure there are so many places and countries I would love to be able to spend a day in, but my perfect day of relaxing would involve laying outside on a hot sunny day by a pool or other body of water, reading and just lounging. I love the sun and warmth- I feel like my body is a sponge just soaking it up. I think growing up in Montana which has hot and cold extremes and where the cold usually lasts a lot longer than the warmth, I appreciate warm, sunny days. During the summer months I would rather be outside doing almost anything than being in doors. The past few days have been a treat for March in Minnesota. It has been in the 60s-70s, warm and sunny. I have been using the trails outside our house, taking Jake for longer walks, and sitting out on our patio. Last night Aaron was gone, and so I ate my dinner out on the patio. It was this coconut kale bowl with cashews, alongside it I had some apricot goat cheese smeared on whole wheat flax pita crackers. It was so healthy yet filling and eating it outdoors just felt like I was treating my body right. I love bowl meals as you might have guessed, Thai curry , black bean burrito bowl, green risotto, steak salad bowl  peanut noodle bowl, veggie stir-fry bowl, chicken sausage with peppers and penne bowl and many others I have not posted. There is something comforting about sitting down to a meal served in a large bistro bowl. Last night I made this bowl based on recipes from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, book Super Natural Every Day and Joy the Baker. I used a mixture of red and brown rice cooked in chicken broth for mine since I haven’t been able to find any faro yet. I also didn’t have large shredded coconut, but the small shavings worked fine to me. I also added some toasted cashews which paired nicely with the nuttiness of the sesame oil. This dish is basically a warm, crispy, crunchy salad and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did! Enjoy!

Coconut Kale Rice Bowl

(serves 1)

1 cup cooked rice or faro (I cooked in chicken broth for more flavor)

~2 cups lightly packed kale

¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 oz chopped cashews

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp chili sauce (optional)

½ tsp garlic powder (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, olive oil and chili sauce and garlic powder if using. Add the kale and coconut and mix until covered with the oils.
2. Lay coconut, kale mixture on a sheet of parchment paper on a large roasting pan.
3. Place pan in oven and bake for about 10 minutes, redistribute and then cook for another 3-8 minutes or until kale is crispy but not burnt
4. While kale is cooking, place cashews in a dry pan on the stove. Heat to medium and toast until nuts are starting to brown and you begin to smell the nuts toasting. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Place rice in the bottom of a large bowl, top with coconut and kale mixture and cashews. Add more chili sauce or more dressing if desired. 

  

Black Bean Burrito Bowl

I love a good burrito from places like Chipotle and Qudoba. The tortilla is soft and the black beans, rice, vegetables, and salsa all come together for a punch of southwest flavor. Yum! However, the average burrito from Qudoba has 118g of carbohydrate and from Chipotle it has 90g of carbohydrate. Because I work with people who have diabetes all day long, I am pretty tuned in to the carb content of foods. The average woman needs about 45-60g of carbohydrate per meal and the average male 60-75g. So, even though Chipotle burritos are considered a pretty healthy food, carbohydrate wise they are over what the average person needs. Continuous over consumption of carbohydrates leads to increased insulin needs and if you aren't active, overweight and have a family history of diabetes, you could eventually also have diabetes. So, even though I love a good burrito, I go for the burrito bowls or tacos simply because of the lower carbohydrate content. By not having the burrito shell, you save about 45g of carbohydrate. I made some homemade burrito bowls tonight with sauteed veggies. You could add chicken or beef if you want and anything else that sounds delicious. Enjoy!

Step 1: Rice. I made a mixture of red and brown rice.

Step 2. Add beans. You could use canned or dry. I made mine this way

Step 3. Sauteed or grilled vegetables (chicken, beef or pork work here too). I cooked some zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper and onion in some grapeseed oil with mustard seeds, coriander seeds, salt and pepper

Step 4. Add your favorite salsa

Step 5. Add guacamole, slices of avocado and tomato or make a chunky avocado-tomato salsa- dice avocado and tomato along with a handful of cilantro. Combine in a bowl and squeeze juice of 1/2 a lime over the mixture.

Step 6 Top with a dollop of sour cream and eat!

Weeknight Thai style Curry

I am not going to say that this is in any way a traditional Thai curry recipe. I am actually positive that it is not an authentic recipe, but it sure was tasty! I used a basic red curry recipe and a panang curry recipe that I had and then changed it to fit what was available in the refrigerator. I am just learning about Thai food and this is my attempt at recreating some of the delicious flavors we experienced when we were in Thailand. As I have mentioned before, I really did not know anything about curry before going on this trip. I just thought it was a spice. I also had this idea that curries needed to cook for hours and hours. Not the case. Pre-made curry paste makes the whole dish take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Of course if you made the curry paste from scratch the traditional way it probably will take all day. Even in the cooking class we took, we ground up the paste in a food processor.  For a weeknight dinner that is quick and easy plus rich, savory and spicy, pre-made curry paste is the way to go. I added a lot of vegetables to this curry and probably only about 2-3 oz of chicken. The dishes we had in Asia weren't full of vegetables at all, so you can adjust this for you and your refrigerator. In my professional opinion though, I recommend you add as many vegetables as you can! This could easily be a Meatless Monday (or any day) meal as well. For some good articles on eating less meat read this and this. Enjoy!

Weeknight Curry

1 can light coconut milk

1 tbsp red curry paste (or more if you like more heat)

2 tbsp chopped peanuts and more for garnishing

Variety of vegetables, diced (I used 2 small thai eggplants, 1/2 purple eggplant, ½ large zucchini, 2 carrots, 3 baby bok choy-peppers would also be good with this)

3 oz chicken, pork or beef (optional)

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ fresh lime

2 cups hot rice (I used brown rice)

1. Add half can of coconut milk to pan along with curry paste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Add peanuts and stir to combine. 

2. Add vegetables (except for leafy vegetables like bok choy) and meat (if using) and cook for several minutes until vegetables are soft and meat is cooked through. Add more coconut milk for more sauce if desired. Add fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce and stir to combine. Add leafy vegetables if using and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Squeeze juice from ½ lime over the curry and garnish with additional peanuts if desired.

3. Place rice and curry in separate bowls. Spoon some rice on a plate and then spoon some of the curry onto of the rice. (This sounds a little silly, but we find that if you spoon the curry over the rice all at once the flavor is overwhelming because there is so much sauce. Just eat a little at a time and spoon the curry over your rice to taste.)