red lentil curry dip with pita chips

I've been living on take out pizza lately. I haven't made a dent into my holiday baking yet, but I'm sure there's still time (right?). Luckily, I did manage to eek out some pretty fantastic whole wheat biscuits on the weekend. And tonight I resisted the ease of picking up the phone for delivery and took time out of my crazy work schedule to make peace with my neglected kitchen. I looked in cupboards and rooted through the back of the fridge and I managed to cook a wonderful Maritime-style fish chowder (I'll post the recipe later). It was good to take a break because it meant time to myself doing what I enjoy doing: chopping, stirring, smelling, tasting. My good, calm, reassured old self came flooding back with every turn of the spoon and it was like I had never left.

The same "kitchen as restorative" feeling came last Friday. I was attending the party of this lovely lady later in the evening, but I was freaking about about whether I could make the time to bring something, let alone even show up (although what excuse could I make since she lives just one floor below in the same building). So instead of panicking over the emails in my inbox, I headed to the kitchen where I chopped, blended and sauteed myself back into a better frame of mind. After the dip had been made and the spoon had been licked (because that is a cook's prerogative), I realized that everything under control. Taking the time out to cook helped to sort out my thoughts and gave me the time away from the computer to put things into perspective. And during a holiday when everything seems kind of crazy, it's nice to escape into cooking.

Now go on and grab that red lentil curry dip and pita chips over at Poppytalk. It's delicious and healthy and possibly just the thing to soothe your harried soul.

chana masala

Life seems busier than usual. I feel like I'm swallowed by work and while I'm not complaining one bit, it makes day to day tasks a bit more difficult. I usually do most of the grocery shopping, but as I was swamped in HTML code and design dilemmas, I had asked my husband to pick up a few things. Like a can of tomatoes. It seemed easy enough, a no-brainer.

A few days later, I decided to try out a recipe that I had bookmarked ages ago. A delicious-sounding chana masala from Orangette. I had everything so I got right to work. The onions in this recipe do take some time to caramelize, but other than that, this recipe is a snap. Easy to make at the end of a week filled with hard work.

After I had sauteed the spices, I opened the can of tomatoes and suddenly realized that my husband had purchased crushed tomatoes rather than whole tomatoes. Crushed is just another word for pureed into oblivion. I never buy crushed tomatoes and truthfully, I was crushed. It had been a long week and now I was worried about a kink in my plans. But I dumped them in and continued. The result? Delicious. Intensely flavoured with tomato and beautifully spiced with the garam masala and cardamom, it was a great meal. Cornelius topped off his plate with yogurt while I went with a squeeze of lemon. What? Me worry?

chana masala
(adapted from Orangette)
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 dried red chilis (or 1/2 t red chili flakes)
1 t cumin seeds
½ t ground ginger
2 T garam masala paste (I use Patak's brand)
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 t kosher salt
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
lemon wedges, optional

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil and add in the onions. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions take on a deep caramel colour. The more colour the better here, so wait it out. Turn down the heat and add in the spices, stirring until fragrant. Add in a quarter cup of water and scrape down the bottom of the pan. Next, dump in the tomatoes and salt, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Stir things a bit and when the mixture has reduced a bit, add in the chickpeas and bring it all down to a simmer. Cook for another 15 minutes to heat through the chickpeas and serve over rice with a squeeze of lemon (or plop on some yogurt, if that's your style). Remember, there are a few cardamom pods floating around in there, so pull them out or remember to tell your guests to watch out for them.

warm up with winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry

It's definitely winter-ish outside.The air is crisp and cold and it rains more often than not. Yesterday I wore my winter coat for the first time and while I was glad for the warmth it also was a bit of a bummer. Oh how I would have loved to tuck into a bowl of this warming, spicy curry when I got home from my bike ride. It would have been just the thing to warm up my bones. Too bad for me that I had made this a week or so ago, and all I've got are delicious memories of curries past.

This lentil curry uses up some of that winter squash that is so plentiful right now. I used kabocha, but any squash from butternut to buttercup would work well here. The squash definitely adds a touch of sweetness to an otherwise spicy dish. I even threw in a block of diced tofu and it was a wonderful addition adding in a nice texture and extra protein to the dish. This meal will definitely be making the dinner rounds again. It's nothing fancy, but it's easy to make, very nutritious and a perfect warmer to these colder evenings. Serve over brown rice, top with yogurt or mango chutney and enjoy.

winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry
1 T canola oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 inch knob of ginger
2 stalks celery, diced
1 t salt
1 heaping T of garam masala curry paste (or use regular curry/garam masala powder)
1 T ground cumin
1/2 small kabocha squash (or any other winter squash), diced
1 c red lentils
5 c veggie broth or water
1 block of tofu, diced

In a large heavy pot, heat up oil over med-high heat, add in onions, garlic, ginger and celery and saute until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle in salt, cumin and curry paste and stir until spices coat vegetables. Stir in the squash and lentils. Add in water or broth, lower heat and cover pot. Simmer for 15 minutes and then stir in tofu. Let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft, about another 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

curry in a hurry: curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard

I made this dish last week when I was doing a lot of running around. I was out of the house most nights and did not spend a lot of time cooking, opting for days of adventure and fun instead of looking through cupboards for dinner. It was fine with me at the time, but now I'm paying for it in the worst way. I'm sick. My voice is gone and despite all the sunshine Vancouver has had in the last week, I couldn't go out and enjoy any of it!

So despite that this meal is hearty, nutritious and good for you, it still didn't save me from the flu — but don't let that be a deterrent in any way. I certainly don't hold a grudge and I'll be making this meal again as it was a simple dinner to prepare and it filled the kitchen with a wonderful aroma. When my husband walked in the door, he wanted to know what we'd be eating since it smelled so great. Lucky for us, this meal not only smelled amazing but it tasted better.


The wonderful thing about stews is that they are easy to mess with. Don't have chard? Try spinach or kale instead. I think some diced butternut squash or yams would lend a touch of sweetness to this dish that would really take this dish up a notch. Quick, easy and packing a wallop of flavour, it makes a great meal alongside a bowl of brown rice.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.

stir fry it up

Oh Blogger you can be such a bitch sometimes. Today is the first day in ages that I've been able to post and Blogger's buggy nature is making me want to tackle Wordpress. Early in the week it was hot and sunny and we had the fans turned on high. I decided that I would start a "Leisure Club" for me & my friends with tennis being the first thing on the agenda. So I drew a flyer, sent it out and now the Strathcona Leisure Club is more than just a blip in my brain. Of course, I can't even play tennis, but that won't stop the fun times ahead. Tennis + friends + beer = good summer fun!

It's back to cold and rainy weather again, but the hot weather didn't stop me from thinking about curry. I made this the same day I made the tennis poster and a little hot weather certainly won't be a stop to my cravings for curry. The key of course to this curry is pineapple. Really, don't try making it without it....I mean, it will still be good n' all, but it won't reach the level of greatness that is pineapple perfection. The vegetables, however, can be substituted to whatever you've got on hand and chicken or tofu can most certainly be added. Just don't skip the pineapple!

pineapple - coconut vegetable curry
1/2 large head of cauliflower, torn into florets
1 head of broccoli, torn into florets
1 red onion, chopped into large peices
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
1 carrot, sliced on the diagonal
1 T oil
1 t soy sauce
1/2 t crushed red chilis
1 small can of coconut milk (5.6 fl. oz.)
3 T curry paste (I used Patak's Korma curry paste)
1 c fresh pineapple chunks

1. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the vegetables and quickly stirfy on high. Add the soy sauce and chilis and continue stirring. Turn down heat.

2. In a small sauce pan, heat up the curry paste (if your paste has no oil, add a small amount into the pan) and add the coconut milk. Stir to blend.

3. Add the coconut/curry mixture to the vegetables, stirring to make sure all the vegetables are coated. Add the pineapple and continue cooking until the pineapple has cooked through, about 3 minutes.

4. Serve over rice or noodles.

my lazy sunday

The weekends are typically times to relax, get stuff done and enjoy life a little more. This weekend was no exception. Every year around this time, there is a huge 30 block garage sale that I go to every year and this time I managed to find some pretty sweet scores. I bought a pretty 1950's teal n' green floral tablecloth for $3, a great pack for 3 day hikes in the woods for $5 and a complete speedball screenprinting kit for $3! But somehow in the kafuffle of thrifting and biking around for groceries, I managed to break the screen on my camera, so this will be a no-picture post.

On Saturday night, I met up with the EMB (Electric Moon Banana) crew at a nearby park at 11pm sharp for a full moon bike ride around the city and although I cut home early in the ride, I still didn't make it to bed until 3am. Sunday was rough and tiring, so I needed something bright and simple to make the day move along a little faster. A brown rice curry salad and some grilled chicken fit the bill. This would make a great picnic meal.

This is a great way to prepare chicken and you can use the meat to add to salads, natchos, burritos, etc. and this chicken is even tasty cold.

lemon & garlic grilled chicken
4 chicken bone-in parts (I used thighs)
1 lemon, juiced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T ground cumin
2 T chili powder
salt & pepper

1. Wash chicken peices in cold water and remove skin and visible fat. Place chicken in ziplock bag with lemon juice and spices. Refrigerate for 2 - 4 hours.

2. Spray cast iron grill pan with a light coating of oil and heat on high. Add chicken, presenation side down. Turn when chicken is slightly blackened, about 15 minutes or so. Repeat on the other side for another 15 minutes.

3. Cover the pan with foil and place in a 400 degree oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

+++

This salad tastes great the day it's made....but it's almost better the next day as the flavours get real tight! If you've got some chopped almonds, I think they'd be a lovely addition to this flavourful salad.

brown rice curry salad
2 c brown rice, uncooked
4 T curry paste (I use Patak's "korma" paste)
1 T ground cumin
1 t sesame oil
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/3 c major grey or mango chutney
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 c raisins
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 bunch of parsley, chopped fine

1. Cook rice according to package directions. When all the water is absorbed, pour rice into a large bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil with the curry paste until well mixed and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the cumin and sesame oil and mix well. Turn off heat and add the chutney, stirring until everything is combined. Add mixture to rice, mixing well. If you want more curry taste, cook up some more oil and curry and add it to the mix.

3. Add in all the finely chopped vegetables and the raisins and blend everything well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.

4. Stir in chopped apple and parsley and stir the salad once again to combine. Serve.