Meatless Monday: Chickpea, Spinach, and Tomato Curry

Did anyone make a New Years Resolution to eat more vegetables, eat less meat, eat healthier  and/or to save money?  One way to do this is to plan at least one meal each week that is vegetarian.  It's better for your health, the Earth, and your wallet!  And, to help you in your journey to a better healthier you, I'll try to feature as many Meatless Monday posts whenever possible.

I found this recipe through my friend and old college roommate Rebecca.  It looked easy enough and had great reviews.  I added spinach for extra color and nutrition.  Feel free to substitute your favorite on-hand veggies to make this meal your own.  It turned out spicier than I was expecting (maybe my curry powder which is authentic from India) and surprisingly delicious!  I didn't miss the meat at all in this recipe :).

Two Years Ago: Football Snackadium, Buffalo Chicken Casserole, and Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
Three Years Ago: Ham and Potato Soup

Chickpea, Spinach, and Tomato Curry

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) 
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder 
• 2 cans (15 oz each) chick peas, drained, rinsed 
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) 
• Hot cooked rice
• Plain yogurt, if desired

Directions

1. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in the oil about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender.
2. Stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat then stir in the spinach and allow the latent heat to make it wilt.  Stir in the cilantro, lemon juice, and salt.
3. Serve over rice; top each serving with yogurt, if desired.

Source: Barely modified from Betty Crocker

• Per Serving: Calories 270
• (Calories from Fat 50),

• Total Fat 6g
• (Saturated Fat 1/2g,
• Trans Fat 0g),
• Cholesterol 0mg;
• Sodium 380mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 42g
• (Dietary Fiber 10g,
• Sugars 5g),
• Protein 12g

Coconut Potato Curry with Basil and Pecans

This was a quick vegetarian curry that was perfect for a cold night.  I considered making it in the crockpot while I went to work during the day but it comes together so quickly that you don't even need it.  My only wish is that I had made rice to go with this dish to sop up all the delicious juices!

Two Years Ago: Grandma B's Brownies - This recipe comes from Chris' grandmother and she made THE BEST brownies.  Yep, we're letting you in on the secret recipe ;).


Coconut Potato Curry with Basil and Pecans

Yields: 4 Servings (1.5 cups each)


Ingredients

• 500 g new potatoes, steamed for 10 minutes
• 1/3 cup pecans (or nut of your choice), chopped
• 1 cup green beans (or peas, or mixed vegetables), fresh or frozen
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Handful of basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pan, heat the oil and cumin.  When they begin to sizzle, add the pecans and gently roast.  Add the steamed potatoes and toss to coat.  Add 1/2 cup water with the tomato paste and incorporate.  Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add all of the spices.  Stir well to coat the potatoes.  Mash any tomatoes that are cooked through.  Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and red bell pepper and green beans (or other veggies).  Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chopped basil to garnish.  Serve as is or over rice (or caulirice)  if desired.

Source: Very slightly modified from Prevention RD

Crockpot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

I was excited to try the Pioneer Woman recipe for Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) because Jes trialed it and said it was awesome and was also interested in the A Year of Slow Cooking's version which has been bookmarked on my Google Reader for who knows how long.  So, I took the ingredients from Pioneer Woman and the method from Slow Cooking's to make this recipe.

Because I only had 2 chicken breasts on hand, I halved the recipe but what you'll find below is the original recipe.  But since my crockpot is HUGEEE (yeah, got it from Costco and everything at that store, including appliances, comes in bulk sizes!) I decided to use the method of nesting a stoneware dish inside of my crockpot to create a smaller vessel and avoid burning/drying out of my food.  Did you know you could do that??  Yeah, nifty little trick.  Take a heat safe dish like Corningware or Pyrex and just stick it right inside of your crockpot.  Cool.

The end result?  A really easy version of Chicken Makhani.  But, flavor wise it was too weak and I much prefer the Chicken Tikka Masala that I previously made and blogged about (in fact, had some for dinner recently that I froze and reheated...still awesome!).  Yes, they're technically different dishes but the modifications I made to the original Tikka Masala recipe made it closer to a Makhani and in restaurants that don't have one of the other they tell you to get the other anyway as a subsitutute.  Texture wise, I should have known that crockpotting would result in a shredded chicken and I'd MUCH rather have real chicken cubes rather than shredded chicken.  If anything, this reminds me of what I'd imagine an Indian version of pulled pork/chicken might look like lol!

Anyway, I'm sharing this with you because my goal is to share all things yummy and not-so-yummy that comes ouf ot my kitchen.  Thankfully, things I consider successes far out number what I'd consider failures.  I wouldn't personally make this one again as I know that I can do better but if you don't mind crockpot chicken texture and are looking for something a bit different, I suppose it's worth giving a shot.

Crockpot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
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Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
• ¼ teaspoons Cumin
• ¼ teaspoons Cardamom
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1 pint Whipping Cream
• 1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
• 2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Directions

1. In a bowl or gallon sized ziplock bag, combine first 9 ingredients (through lime juice).  Let marinade in refrigerator overnight.
2. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion then butter and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked.
3. 15 minutes before serving, add whipping cream.  Serve over basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Source: Ingredients from Pioneer Woman and cooking method from A Year of Slowcooking

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan

I <3 Indian Food...and over the years I've converted Chris, too!  Our favorite Indian Restaurant ever is Ambar India in Clifton.  My cousins Jim and Kat say that it's the best they've had too...it pleases even foodie New Yorkers!  I think that Ambar and Wok Inn Express (my Aunt's restaurant in St. Benard) are the 2 things we miss most about living in Clifton.  While this wasn't quite Ambar, I thought it was quite good!  It took way more effort than I'd like and so I'd rather drive 25 mins to go to Ambar or order from another Indian restaurant in a fix but it was the pride in knowing that I COULD make Indian food that made it worth it to me.

Chris' favorite Indian dish is Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken).  Sometimes, restaurants don't serve that dish and they suggest Chicken Tikka Masala instead.  The two seem to be very similar except that Chicken Makhani is sweeter and at Ambar has nuts and raisins (not sure if this is universal?).  So, I took the liberty to modify this recipe to make it closer to Makhani vs.Tikka Masala...call it a hybrid if you will.  That's the beauty of cooking is sometimes you just find yourself inspired to give a recipe your own touch :).

As a side note, I was so excited that this recipe used ground cardamom.  After having invested in this interesting spice to make Finn Nisu Bread (or Misua as my in-laws know it as), it's just been sitting in my spice cabinet waiting to be used again.  Regarding the Garam Masala...it's apparently a very common sweet/savory spice that's used in Indian food.  Since I didn't want to invest in yet ANOTHER spice not knowing if I'd ever use it again, I decided to Google for substitutes.  I also considered knocking on our neighbor's door to see if I could "borrow a tsp of spice" (they're both Indian on either side...and it's like borrowing a cup of sugar lol!).

Now, it may not be the prettiest  looking food but I assure you it was tasty.  (Yeah, just ignore the bite taken out of my naan...Chris suggested I take a photo for my blog AFTER I started eating!  I'm surprised  more wasn't gone as the aroma during cooking was devine!).  Since our grill is covered for the winter, I made the naan on an open George Foreman and then kept it warm in the oven since I could only make 2 at a time.  Thank goodness I halved the naan recipe...but even then there was so much excess!  At least I don't have to ration it like at Ambar where each piece of  plain naan is like $2.50.  There was plenty to go around and this naan had GARLIC (an upcharge at Ambar)!  Nothing like sopping up the curry sauce with some fresh naan...mmm!

Chicken Tikka Masala
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Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (omitted)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into large cubes

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño chili, minced (used 2 oz canned diced jalepenos; adjust heat to your preferences)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (Googled for a substitute and used 1/4 tsp ground cumin + 1/4 tsp ground coriander + 1/6 tsp ground pepper + 1/6 tsp ground cardamom + 1/6 tsp all spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Combine everything on the marinade list, including the chicken. Marinate in a plastic Ziploc gallon bag in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is better.)
2. If you have a gas grill or grill pan, grill the chicken until slightly undercooked. If you have a charcoal grill, thread the chicken onto skewers first. (Or, use a skillet like I did...)
3. Set the lightly grilled chicken aside on a plate. Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat then add the flour. Add the garlic and jalapeño, and stir for a minute. Stir in the seasonings, sugar, and salt. Add the tomato sauce, and stir for one minute. Add the half-and-half, peanuts, and raisins, and simmer until the sauce thickens.
4. Add the chicken to the sauce (remove it from the skewers if you did this) and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve with basmati rice and naan.

Source: modified from What's for Dinner, as seen on A Taste of Home Cooking

Naan
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Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 7 Min
Ready In: 3 Hrs
Yields: 14 Pieces

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside in a warm place (used warm oven) to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.  Store cooked naan in a warm oven while cooking the rest, if desired.

Source: All Recipes