Tag Archives: vegetable curry

11 YEARS, TIME FOR GOODBYE

Posted in Poultry, Vegetarian-friendly by

I guess it was bound to happen, sooner or later. Eleven years of blogging and all of a sudden I am forced to witness crowds and crowds of readers abandoning me. It hurts, but I feared that this post could cause it. Tofu. Has she gone nuts? Yes, now that you mentioned, cashews are also partners in this crime. If you are leaving me, I am sorry to see you go, and beg you to re-consider. I swear to you, this was one of the best things I’ve made in the past few months, and even “I” cannot quite believe how much we enjoyed it.  Soooo, will you stay? There shall be macarons soon…

JEN’S CURRIED TOFU WITH PEAS AND CASHEWS
(slightly modified from Jennifer Guerrero’s blog) 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

1 pound extra firm tofu
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons honey
¼ cup water
2 cups vegetable stock or water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups peas (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup cashews (lightly toasted)

optional:
poached chicken breasts, sliced thin

Slice the tofu in a checkerboard pattern and then right across its equator as you see in my composite picture after the recipe. Wrap in plenty of paper towels and put a heavy pan on it to drain while you do the rest of the preparation of the recipe.

In a medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the soy sauce, then add the spices, honey and water. Toss with the drained tofu, coating nicely. Spray a baking sheet generously with cooking spray, tip the tofu on in a single layer,  and bake for 30 minutes, flipping them over at halftime.

Whisk together in a saucepan the vegetable broth and the cornstarch. Turn the heat to medium, and when the stock is simmering, add the tofu along with the peas and cashews. If using chicken, add it now.  Stir until it is all lightly thickened, and serve over rice or riced cauliflower.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I hope you stop by Jen’s blog to read her nice write-up about this recipe.  Interestingly, when I read her post about it, I had just bought some extra-firm tofu without any clear ideas of how to put it to use.  Serendipity. Don’t you love when that happens?

Now, I admit that I chickened out and added chicken (very sorry for this phrase, please don’t leave). I was unsure of how we would feel about the texture and taste of tofu, and decided that in case of a complete disaster, at least we could enjoy some animal protein with the peas and cashews. I used chicken breasts that I had previously cooked sous-vide, but you can poach it or saute with a bit of salt and pepper.

This was one amazing meal! It all works together nicely, the tofu gets a nice soaking with the spices and caramelizes a bit with the honey in that marinade. If you are vegetarian, you absolutely must make this. If you are not, you absolutely must make this, and go for the kill: omit the chicken. I guess that means going for the non-kill?  (very sorry for this phrase too, my apologies).

If you are anti-tofu, I hope this post will make you try it, just make sure you get the extra-firm. I know that tofu aficcionados like to use a special press to compact it before cooking, but I felt that the resulting texture was nice enough the way Jen recommended.

Jen, thank you so much for opening my cooking horizons, I love it…

ONE YEAR AGO: Salmon Tacos

TWO YEARS AGO: A Dream that did not come true

THREE YEARS AGO: Kaleidoscopic Macarons

FOUR YEARS AGO: Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2015

SIX YEARS AGO: Sous-vide Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Butter

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

NINE YEARS AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

TEN YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

 

SPINACH AND CHICKPEA CURRY

Posted in Side dishes, Veggies by

This recipe was published in a recent issue of Fine Cooking magazine, and it called my attention because I absolutely love chickpeas. My dear Mom would have a shock if she read my blog. I would not touch chickpeas with a 10-foot pole when I was a child. Actually, I would not touch them until I was about 30 years old.  Then, I fell in love with hummus without realizing what went into it.  Once I became aware of the true nature of hummus,  I decided that by crushing those strange-looking grains, and mixing them with a ton of other stuff, their evil nature was neutralized.  From the tasty dip to trying the actual beans many years more passed.  But now you have me here, enjoying chickpeas in every possible way, roasted, sautéed, braised… Go figure.  This is a very nice way to prepare them, by the way. For a recipe that comes together so quickly (start to finish will be less than 20 minutes), the taste is surprisingly complex.  The amount made was enough for our dinner and two lunches for me and me only.  I did not even offer to share.  It was better on day 2, and outstanding on day 3.   Make this and you will thank me…

SpinachChickpeaCurry

SPINACH AND CHICKPEA CURRY
(slightly modified from Fine Cooking magazine)

3 Tbs. canola oil
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt or to taste
7 oz. (7 packed cups) baby spinach (I used less)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

Heat the oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne, and cook, stirring often, until the shallot is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and about 1 tsp. salt. Add the spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt it as you go. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is completely wilted and the flavors have melded, 4 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with more salt, if needed. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Serve with the yogurt on top, if so desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Served

I should have changed the name of this recipe to “Chickpea & Spinach Curry“, because mine definitely was chickpea-heavy. I used all the spinach I had leftover from a huge bag, but clearly more would have been better. Spinach: the ever-disappearing leaf… We enjoyed this tasty curry with my default chicken thigh recipe that has been on the blog since its beginning.  It is one of Phil’s favorites, that and my Chicken Parmigiana. are on the top of his selected list of frequent requests. You know, partners of food bloggers suffer a strange fate: rarely a dish is made again, no matter how great.  We are always in search of the next best thing.

Back to the curry, though.  I can see it served over couscous for a completely vegetarian meal, satisfying and super delicious. On day 2, I had some chicken to go with it, but on day 3 the simple couscous was my whole lunch, with half an avocado to round-up the meal. Sort of India meets Mexico. The hot curry with the cool avocado was a surprisingly nice match.

ONE YEAR AGO: Sautéed Zucchini with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil

TWO YEARS AGO: Orzo with Heirloom Tomato Relish

THREE YEARS AGO:  Headed to Brazil!

FOUR YEARS AGO: The Rhubarb Brouhaha: Revelation Compote

FIVE YEARS AGO: Love me tender…