Spicy Red Lentil Dal

 

This aromatic recipe is absolute comfort food that makes for a fabulous quick weekday meal... or any time you fancy. It's delicious, satisfying and fulfilling. The green chilli is optional; it heightens and adds a spicer kick although the cilantro is a palette cleansing must. 

Spicy Red Lentil Dal

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serves 4

1/2 cup red split lentils

5 - 6 tablespoons light olive oil

1 small bunch scallions (green onions), chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder

1 can diced tomatoes 

1 1/4 cups water or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 fresh green chilli pepper, seeded and finely chopped, optional

chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Rinse the lentils throughly and set aside until needed.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the scallions to the pan and fry over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Reduce the heat and add the ginger, garlic, chilli powder, cumin, turmeric and diced tomatoes. Briefly stir-fry the scallions with the spices and tomatoes. Add the lentils and stir to blend.

Add the water or broth, which ever you are using, to the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 - 25 minutes.

When the lentils are tender, add the salt and stir gently to mix well.

Transfer the lentil dal to a serving dish. Stir in the green chilli and serve immediately, garnish with fresh cilantro.

More lovely weather our way after a bit of rain. Stay safe, everyone! - JD 

Korean Keema

I have been wanting to make this Nigella Lawson recipe, from her Kitchen cookbook,  for awhile. It's simple and fast enough for a weekday meal. I did make some substitutions due to what I had on hand; lean ground beef for the ground turkey, jasmine rice for the basmati/sushi rice and freshly grated carrot on the side. Still, this was a successful tasty weekday meal.  Although I have shared the recipe below by all means, visit Nigella Lawson's website for this delicious recipe and more.  

 Nigella Lawson's Korean Keema

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Serves 2 

3/4 cup basmati rice or sushi rice

8 ounces ground turkey

6 thin or 3 fat scallions, chopped

1 cup frozen petits pois (petits peas)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ground nut oil

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine 

1 - 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons Gochjang 

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

METHOD

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions, or in a rice cooker according to manufacturer's instructions. And put a kettle on to boil for the peas later.
2. Whisk together the sauce ingredients, and stir in the ground turkey. Leave to steep for about 5 minutes, or while you are getting on with your next tasks, such as chopping the scallions and blanching the peas.
3. Heat a wok or heavy-based frying pan on the hob. While this is heating up, pour boiling water from the kettle over the frozen peas in a sieve or colander, letting the hot water drain away, thereby defrosting the peas. When the wok is hot, add the oil, then the defrosted peas and chopped scallions. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the turkey and its sauce, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until cooked.
5. Add the 2 tablespoons rice wine with 4 tablespoons water to swill out the residue of the sauce from the meat-steeping bowl (so that nothing is wasted) and scrape and pour this into the pan, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until it's all piping hot.
6. Serve over rice, and with a good scattering of chopped cilantro.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! - JD 

Roasted Cauliflower with Kale and Brown Mushrooms

This is one of the most simplest dishes and my favourite. Super delicious and healthy. Love those oven roasted veggies.    

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Kale and Brown Mushrooms

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1 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into florets

bunch of Kale, chopped

8 brown mushrooms, thickly sliced

4 scallions (green onions), chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

mixed herbs or seasoning mix (I used a blend of dried crushed chili peppers, sea salt, and dehydrated lime) 

about 4 tablespoons of cold water in a glass  

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl, add cold water and soak for 20 minutes. 

In the meantime wash and chop the kale, set aside. Wash and slice the mushrooms, set aside and chop the scallions and set aside. 

Drain the cauliflower and pat dry. Place in a large, 9 x 13 inch oven proof baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil. Generously sprinkle with mixed herbs. Toss to coat. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes; turning every 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Sprinkling each time with about 2 tablespoons of cold water.

When the first 10 minutes are up, being careful remove the hot dish from the oven and add the chopped kale and sliced mushrooms. Lightly toss to incorporate. Do not worry if the dish is heaping, it will bake down. Sprinkle with cold water and place back into the oven to  roast for another 10 minutes. 

Again, once those 10 minutes are up carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and add the scallions, toss to incorporate. Sprinkle with cold water and place back into the oven and roast for the remaining 10 minutes. 

Serve immediately as a main dish or as a side dish.  

Hope everyone had a good weekend! - JD 

Leftovers #18 ~ Bean Dip

What to do with leftover black beans in the refrigerator... make bean dip. It is rare that I have leftover beans because they are usually used in salads, stir-fry and most casseroles.  

To make this easy bean dip you will need just a few ingredients and a blender. 

Place what ever leftover beans you have in a blender. Then add a little bit of low sodium  vegetable or chicken stock, just enough to moisten, about 2 tablespoons, adjust accordingly to the amount of beans. Add a favourite seasoning, like Cajun or Roasted Red Pepper. Blend everything until smooth. If need be you may have to add a bit more chicken stock. You want the bean mixture to be firm and smooth with a bit of fluidity but not watery.

Once smooth... pour it into an oven proof baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350ºF oven until hot and bubbly, roughly 20 to 30 minutes. A good indicator that the dip is done is when the top has lost it's gloss and is matte and starts to pull away from the sides. Chances are the dip is ready and hot! I like to dress it up a bit. I add grated cheese on top and pop it back into the oven until the cheese melts. I carefully remove it from the oven adding sliced green onions. Olives and fresh chopped tomatoes are great to!     

You don't have to wait until you have leftover beans to make this dip. It can be made at any time with most canned beans.