Chickpea and Sweet Potato Indian Style Curry

Chickpea and Sweet Potato Indian Style Curry 

Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 green chiles, finely chopped
3 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 can chickpea/garbanzo bean (1 1/2 cup cooked bean)
2 cups roasted sweet potato (1 big  or 2 medium sweet potatoes)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp agave
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Steamed rice, for serving

Directions

• Peel and dice sweet potato to small pieces. Roast in the 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes, set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan and toast the mustard seeds,cumin and garam masala until fragrant.
• Add the onions, chiles, ginger and garlic and saute until the onions are soft, about 6 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour the diced tomatoes into the pan and cook until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Raise the heat to high, and add the coconut milk. Cook the coconut milk until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Add the roasted sweet potato and garbanzo bean to the pan, stirring often,  about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and agave. Add the chopped cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve hot over steamed rice.( basmati, jasmine or brown rice)

(Heart) Beet and Walnut Risotto

Oh how I love the bright color of this beet risotto!  After trying beet risotto at my favorite restaurant in Downtown Denver , Watercourse, I determined to make it at home. I have made risotto before with other varieties such as mushroom but never attempted to do beet. Making risotto takes time, you have to gradually add liquid and consistently stir loosely until reaching a creamy and smooth texture yet still keep grain separated. So I made this and it was creamy an yummy. The risotto color is so beautiful and pleasant to the eye. I personally think mine looks a lot better than from the restaurant 🙂 the flavor is not identical but I prefer clean flavor with minimal ingredients and let the rice and the beet shine!  Considering its color, I think this dish would be perfect for special occasion like valentine’s day or christmas, a fancy dish that you will enjoy!

Ingredients

3 medium beets
4 cups vegetable stock
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnut
1/2 cup Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
microgreen (optional, for garnish)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Cut the green part of the beet out and place the beets in the aluminum foil. Drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil to cover the beets and roast in the preheat oven for about 45 minutes.
• When the beets are done and cool down, rub the skin off with paper towel. Chop the beets into small pieces and set aside.
• In a large pot, bring vegetable stock to a boil then reduce heat to low to keep warm.
• In another saucepan, heat Earth Balance over medium-hight heat. Add the onions and sad saute until tender.
• Add the arborio rice and stir constantly to coat each grain in a film of fat for about 2-3 minutes ( rice will be translucent from outside and white in the middle)
• Add dry white wine and cook until the liquid has absorbed.
• Ladle about a cup of the stock  into the saucepan with rice and bring it up to a bubble, stirring constantly. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the last cup of stock.
•  Add in the chopped beet, walnut and the rest of the stock and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until the rice is al dente. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in Daiya Mozzarella Cheese.

The risotto looks best with bright green garnish as you eat with your eye first. I didn’t have anything on the day I made this so I spared some of baby beet leaf to garnish. I think it works just fine. But if you are making this for a party, micro green would be a great choice. The risotto is creamy and can be a lit heavy, the best way to enjoy is to eat with fresh salad of your choice with light dressing. Hope you enjoy!

Guacamole Dip

It has been a week since my last recipe posted. I have been busy with our new rescue chihuahua in getting him to settle in his new home. I finally had good sleep last night after sleepless for 3 nights tried to work out dynamic between cat and dog. Now I am ready to post some recipe!  Last weekend, I made mango salsa and guacamole dip for the family BBQ and it was a big hit. I have already share mango salsa recipe, which guarantee everyone will love. Now it is time for easy, healthy guacamole dip.

Ingredients

3 avocados
1 tomato, seeded and cut into small cube
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper

Directions

• Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel and mash it roughly with fork
• Add chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno
• Season it with cumin, salt and lime juice. Mix it throughly

New Addition to our family

Weekend was busy with family activities and I haven’t had new post for few days. I have a few recipes ready to share but do not have time to do it yet so please be patient with me 🙂 We just adopted another dog yesterday and in transition to get him to be familiar with new home and new siblings; one dog and one cat.  He is special needed chihuahua that I got from the shelter I volunteer at. He is sweet and so far get along with my Husky Mix; Keo. However, he barked and chased  my Cat,Nova, who used to be king of the house. Now Nova won’t come out and play, which make me sad…we need to work on that 😦  So here he is..they named him Taco. I am not sure yet if we want to keep or change his name. Now I just need make everyone get along. Wish me luck and I will be posting new recipe soon!

 

Salsa for 4th of July

I love chips and salsa but I am very particular about it. I don’t like salsa from the jar ( it doesn’t look appetizing to me) and I am concern about all the preservatives that they put in there. Though my version still use canned tomato, I choose one that has only ingredients I can pronounce.  Making Salsa myself, I am able to use other fresh ingredients like lime, cilantro, onion and jalapeno and be able to control the amount of salt I put in. ( no vinegar or other acid in my salsa)

I made this for forth of july celebration. The red color of salsa and the color of corn tortilla chip ( blue and yellow) make a perfect presentation for this special day.  You can also sprinkle vegan cheese ( such as Daiya Cheese) on top of tortilla and pop it in the oven for a few minutes. You will have melt cheesy tortilla to dip in refreshing salsa. Here is how I made my salsa.

Ingredients

1 canned tomatoes in juice
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 clove of garlic
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp fresh lime juice ( about 1 lime)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 chopped jalapeno pepper ( more if you like spicy)

Directions

• Put all the ingredients in food processor or blender, blend it all together for a few minutes
• Give it a taste and adjust salt, lime juice, pepper as you like
• Enjoy it with tortilla chips or pita chips

Pretty easy, huh? it taste good and fresh too. Me and my husband already finish half of the batches right after I finished making it. It is good with beer too! 🙂 perfect for 4th of July celebration and any other BBQ or Party. Hope you like it.