Eating with Ellie

A whole new year as begun. 2022. Fingers crossed it is a good year for everyone.

And it is time to start eating healthy again. I have been neglectful since Thanksgiving. Too long to neglect my health. I am going back to KETO which has been my friend off and on for the last year to so. It is easy to stick to and the food is often delicious. Especially since it is all made at home with fresh ingredients and NO sugar. No processed food. No starch, etc.

So, this week I decided to start the year off right with Ellie’s Autumn Vegetable Curry. Delicious!!

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1 1/2-inch length fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into 1½-inch-wide florets (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 pound medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
• 2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
• Grated zest of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 15-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 cups cooked brown rice, for serving, optional

Directions

Place the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in a food processor and
process to combine. Add the oil and process until a smooth puree is formed. Transfer the
curry puree to a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to darken,
about 5 minutes more.

Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower, sweet
potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and return to a boil. Reduce
the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25
minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the lime zest and juice, chickpeas, and spinach
and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with up to ¾ teaspoon salt.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Cook time is about 30 minutes.

You can see that I left out some ingredients. Some of them simply because they aren’t keto friendly. I did leave in the sweet potato but decreased the amount. A little of it was needed for the taste of the stew. I also increased the amount of broth to use it more as a soup rather than a stew. It was just spicy enough to warm you up on a winters day.

The recipe is HERE if you want to see it in the original form and in Ellie’s comfort food fix (page 208).

Check with

Kayte, Peggy, and Gaye or their first Eating with Ellie post for 2022.

If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

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{EwE} Chicken Curry with Green Beans

I don’t think Kayte’s idea was Shakespeare when she chose As You Like It as our theme this week. But it was the first thing I thought of.  If it was, I would have fixed something very British for today’s Eating with Ellie.  But, no!  I went with something I really like – as I like it – CURRY!!

Specifically Ellie’s Chicken Curry with Green Beans.

I only made used two thighs rather than 8 but I made the regular amount of sauce.  I always make extra sauce.  Especially when the sauce is CURRY!!!

Ellie listed boneless, skinless thighs for the meat cooked in an onion, garlic, ginger, coconut sauce with lots of mild curry powder.

This was absolutely delicious AND….AND it is Whole30 compliant.  I could eat this every day.

Win/Win!!

The recipe is on page 187 of Ellie’s You Have it Made. 

Want more? -> As You Like It

 

{CC#14}Indian-Style Okra with Potatoes

One last recipe from my cookbook choice for Cookbook Countdown for February – Eat to Beat High Blood Pressure.

If you have read my past posts you know how much I love Asian and Indian cuisine.  I guess they are my favorites over all.  Sure, I like Italian and American and Mexican but the flavors of the “Orient” just draw me in.

You also know I am on the Whole 30 Program so finding recipes that are compliant are not easy.  But many are easy to adapt.  Like this Veggie dish.

Lots of wonderful spices mixed and sauteed with some fresh okra and potatoes. Tumeric, coriander, cumin, cilantro.  All blended together to soak into the potatoes and come out with lots of flavor.  {I have to say the flavors weren’t as strong as I would have liked but it was still good.}  And it was fairly easy.  16 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking.    

To make this compliant I left out the raisins and used coconut oil rather than canola or sunflower.  Everything else was good to go.

I found the recipe HERE!

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 14 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{IHCC} Potluck with Madjur Jaffrey

The spices of India are some of the most fragrant in the world.

Added to one of Madjur Jaffrey’s dishes and you have perfection.  As in…

shrimp in a dark sauce aka Rasedar jhinga

I served it with some saffron rice and it was…eh…good…but not as good as so many of her wonderful dishes.  I think it may be my fault.  I don’t think I let the garlic/onion/ginger paste brown long enough.  Or I may not have let it cook long enough period.  But I’ve got leftovers and I bet they will be tasty after the flavors have had a chance to blend more.

The recipe is from Madjur’s Indian Cooking page 119.  I also found it HERE!!

This is potluck week in I Heart Cooking Clubs so there will be lots of varied and wonderful dishes to visit.

 

{IHCC} Potluck with Madjur Jaffrey

I was really REALLY wanting something spicy. And Indian.  Something from Madjur Jaffrey. (Fortuitous since it was Potluck week at IHCC!} Especially after having lunch with a friend the other day who just happens to be from India.  It was a wonderful meal: chapati, Aloo  Palak {Curried Potato and Spinach}, Aloo Mattar {Curried Potato and Peas}, Masaledar Cholay {Chickpas in spicy tomato gravy}, Cashew Rice, and Gulab Jamun for dessert.  They sent me home with some Cashew Rice which was perfect with the  chicken with tomatoes and garam masala for this month’s Potluck.

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

 

1 cinnamon stick

 

6 cardamom pods

 

2 bay leaves

 

1/4 teaspoon peppercorns

 

2 medium onions, finely chopped

 

6-7 cloves garlic, finely chopped

 

1 inch cube of fresh ginger, finely chopped

 

28 oz canned diced tomatoes, or about 6 medium tomatoes, chopped

 

About 3 pounds (1.3 kg) chicken pieces, skinned

 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

 

1/8 – 1/2 cayenne pepper, or to taste

 

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Warm a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat for about a minute; add the oil and warm for another minute.  Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom pods, bay leaves and pepper corns.  Stir once.

Add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot.  Stir occasionally until a deep golden brown (about 5 minutes).

Add the tomatoes and chicken pieces, salt and cayenne pepper.  Give the pot a good stir and bring the liquid to the boil.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is done through and tender.  (Stir the pot a few times during the cooking period, if you can.)

5.  Remove the cover and turn the heat up to medium.  Stir in the garam masala and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is somewhat thickened.  Taste the sauce and add salt if needed.

Lucky me! I had some fresh tomatoes from the garden to use.  This was tasty.  I would have liked it to be a little thicker but it was good.  I think next time I will add a little extra Garam Masala.

This is from Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking (page 99).

Check out what else is on July’s Potluck Table at  I Heart Cooking Club.

 

{IHCC} March Chef – Madjur Jaffrey

I love the fragrance of tumeric, cumin, coriander, and ginger wafting through the kitchen.  It means there is something exotic on the menu.  And this week it is a wonderfully spicy dish from Madjur Jaffrey our March Chef for I Heart Cooking Clubs.

shrimp with zucchinis

3/4 lb shrimp, thawed and peeled

2 medium zucchini, Julienned

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

3 small canned tomatoes, finely chopped plus 1/2 cup of the tomato liquid

1 cup finely chopped fresh coriander

1 fresh hot green chile, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon very finely grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 Put the zucchini strips in a bowl and sprinkle them with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix and set aside for 30 to 40 minutes. Then drain and pat dry.

Put the shrimp on paper towels and dry.

Heat the oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the garlic and fry until medium brown.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the shrimp and cook until just mixed.  Add the shrimp, cover,  and cook until the shrimp are opaque. About 3 – 4 minutes.

Uncover and let the liquid cook, if there is any, until you have a nice thick sauce.

You can serve over rice.

This was delicious.  Full of flavor even though I left out the hot chili.  As usual, I cut the recipe in half except for the spices.  You can never have enough spice!

The recipe is from Madjur’s Indian Cooking page 118.

There’s more of Madjur on the IHCC page.

 

{IHCC} Potluck week with Madjur

Cool weather means soup.  Unfortunately we haven’t had much cool weather this winter. We have had a non-winter winter.  UGH!!  But I do love soup and when I saw this lovely one from Madjur Jaffrey I knew I had to make it.  It was delicious, NOT photogenic, but delicious.

Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

This is one of those dishes inspired by Anglo-Indian communities 300 years ago.  A soup with all the Indian spices and ingredients but served at the beginning of the meal rather than as a meal.  The name, mulligatawny, means pepper water. 

The base is pureed red lentils and contains potatoes and chicken along with several wonderful spices.

I cup red split lentils 5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1 medium  potato
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2″ cibe ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
1 1/4 cups water
1 large boneless chicken breast or thigh (2)
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne
About 1 TBS lemon juice

Combine lentils, chicken stock and tumeric in stock pot or large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
While soup is simmering, peel potatoes (I leave skins on) and cut into 1/2 in dice. After 30 minutes of cooking, add potatoes and continue simmering another 30 minutes with lid slightly ajar.
Put garlic and ginger in electric blender or food processor with 9 TBS water and blend into a smooth paste.
Remove all fat from chicken and cut into 1/2 in dice. Put chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of the salt and some pepper over it and toss t omix.
After the soup has cooked for 60 minutes total, puree. Add remaining 2 tsp salt and mix.
Pour oil into empty skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the garlic/ginger spice paste, the cumin, coriander and cayenne. Fry, stirring continuously until psice mixture is slightly browned and separates from the oil. Put in the chicken pieces. Stir and fry another 2-3 minutes, until the chicken pieces become opaque. Add 16 oz of water and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add to the puree’d soup and add lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Simmer soup very gently for another 2 minutes.  IF too thick thin with stock.

I served mine with some Basmati rice on the side and it added enough to make it a very filling meal all by itself.

Delicious.  It was plenty for me for 3 meals for lunch.  Definitely a repeat – often!

The recipe is from Jaffrey’s  Indian Cooking page 39.

What else is on the PotLuck table this week?  Check it out at I Heart Cooking Club.

 

{Let’s Lunch} Traveling Food Memories

I am an Air Force Brat! And proud of it! From the time I was 3 ’til I was 18 we never lived in one place longer than 6 – 10 months at a time. We did stay in one house for two years and it felt very odd. Wonderful, but odd!

During all that time we lived most of my childhood somewhere in Germany or England. And during that time we traveled everywhere we could: Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Scotland. And everywhere we went we tried new foods. Many of them completely new to us. The bread and Sausages of German. Bangers and Mash. Treacle Tart. I even remember trying tongue (once ONLY!!) and my Dad had Steak Tartar. We’ve had eels, seaweed, squid in it’s own juice (BLACK!), lamb, goat. Nothing escaped us! I was just a child for most of it but I do recall numerous delicious, and not so delicious, dishes. It wasn’t until I was grown, married, retired (and learning to actually cook) that I thought back to those days and wanted to replicate some of those meals. Usually Indian. Because I remember visiting Veraswami’s in London several times. I know they have changed since the 1950s but many of their menu items are still the same. Like

ROGAN JOSH

2 1 inch cubes fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups) water
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lb lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
10 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
10 peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons bright red paprika mixed with 1/4-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons water into the container of an electric blender. Blend well until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat cubes in several batches and set to one side. Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on color This just takes a few
seconds.
Add in the onions then stir and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onions turn a medium-brown color. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-cayenne mix, and salt. Stir and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and juices. Stir for 30 seconds.
Add 1 tablespoon of the yogurt. Stir and fry for about 30 seconds or until the yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt a tablespoon at a time as before. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add 275 ml (1’/4 cups) water if you are cooking lamb and 425 ml (2 cups) water if you are cooking beef. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour for lamb and 2 hours for beef, or until the meat is
tender. (It could be baked, covered, in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for the
same length of time or until tender.) Every 10 minutes or so, give the meat a good stir. When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and boil away some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish brown sauce.
Spoon off the fat.
Sprinkle garam masala and black pepper over the meat before you serve and mix them in.

I served this over Basmati rice.

I am sure it isn’t as good as Veraswamy’s but as far as memories go, it brought back quite a few. I had a chance to go back in 2000 but you know what they say about best laid plans. One day. Until then I will dream of the little bowls of delicate licorice tidbits, the fragile crystal glasses (one of which I broke), the colorful regalia worn by the doorman and the wait staff.

I am pretty sure this recipe is from Madjur Jaffrey, but I’m not sure.

Let’s Lunch is a Twitter Based group. Please check out other Let’s Lunchers’ dishes from their travels below. And if you’d like to join Let’s Lunch, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch

Betty-Ann‘s Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler Cocktail at Asian in America

Linda‘s Hawaiian Island Panzanella (Bread Salad) with Sea Asparagus at Spicebox Travels

Lisa‘s Moroccan B’Stillas at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Cheryl’s Sardinian Seadas at Cheryl Lu Lien Tan

Annabelle’s Creamy Jalapeno Dip at Glass of Fancy

 

{EwE} grilled tandoori chicken breasts

If I had to choose my favorite cuisine it would have to be Indian. Mostly because of the spices. But also because most of the dishes are fairly quick. If I had my druthers, I would probably eat curry or some other equally spicy dish just about every nite. But I don’t because if I cook Indian it is just for me. And that’s okay. I was excited when Glennis chose this dish for this week’s Eating with Ellie.

The flattened chicken breast is marinated for about 10 minutes in a mix of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, fresh ginger, and spices. Then popped on a grill (or in my case a grill pan.) Ellie doesn’;t call these recipes Weeknight Wonders for nothing. About 30 minutes and you have a spicy, warm, comforting meal. Ellie suggested serving it with flatbread and a salad, but this called more for a nice spicy yellow rice.

The recipe is on page 137 of Ellie’s Weeknight Wonders. And if you want to see what the other Ellie Eaters thought about this chicken just check over at Eating with Ellie where we all get together and visit.

 

{SRC} Simply… Delicious

I used to think that I would never find ANYTHING on a Vegetarian Blog because I don’t eat a lot of veggies. I have my fave few – brocolli, cauliflower, eggplant, corn, asparagus, lentils – but there are many I don’t eat – well, yet anyway. Asparagus and lentils are new to me, eggplant almost as new. So when the word vegetarian comes up I tend to shy away.

No more! Not since I joined the Secret Recipe club and have been ‘assigned’ several over the past couple of years!! YAY Veggies!!

And April brought me another foray into delicious veggies – I still mainly stick to my faves but I am learning new ways to cook them all the time. And cooking with Nayna at Simply Foods was such fun! Nayna lives in the United Kingdom where she creates all kinds of lovely dishes – including 44 curries. Yes, FORTY-FOUR!! I was in heaven.

I started with her Aubergine and Pidgeon Peas Curry which I adapted only slightly. I could not find Pidgeon Peas so I used frozen green peas instead. Now I want to make it with yellow lentils!!

6 baby aubergines {I had one large so I used that.}
120 grams frozen or fresh pidgeon green peas
1 teaspoon tumeric
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder {I doubled all the spices except for the salt}
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 medium tomatoes1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoon garlic paste, diced
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander for garnish.

Chop the tomatoes and puree them in blender .
Peel the eggplant and cut into large dice.
Add the oil to a large skillet and when hot, add in the mustard seeds and garlic. Sautee until garlic is tender.
Add the eggplant pieces and peas and saute until tender.
Thoroughly mix in the salt, chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder and turmeric and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Mix 1/2 cup of water {I used the liquid from the drained canned tomatoes} with the tomato paste and add to the eggplant mixture.
Cover and cook the curry till peas and eggplants are tender and cooked and most of the water is absorbed. (approx 15 minutes)
Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fresh coriander. (Original Recipe)

Or what about Nanya’s Sweet Potato Halwa

1 large sweet potato
3 tablespoons Splenda {only because we are cutting back on our sugar.}
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon ghee butter
Pinch saffron
Pinch nutmeg
Chopped Almonds

Cook the sweet potato in a microwaveable dish with until completely cooked – about 5 minutes.
Let cool slightly, peel, and process the sweet potato until smooth.
Heat the milk and add a few strands of saffron and set aside until the saffron flavor has infused the milk.
Melt the butter in a pan and add the mashed sweet potato and milk. Stir.
Add the Splenda and nutmeg and cook about 3 minutes. Keep stirring the halwa at all times.
Spoon into small bowls. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and a few strands of Saffron. Original Recipe

This is listed as a sweet treat, but it makes a nice mid-afternoon snack that is high in protein and low in calories.

Not all of Nayna’s recipes are Indian. On my list to try: Greek Baklava ROLLS (easy roll recipe), Watermelon pops this summer when we harvest ours, Greek Phyllo Triangles Mexican Quesadilla..oh, wait I had that for lunch! And the only thing I changed was to add a little spicy chicken to the mix.

– just to name a few of the 31 recipes I have pinned. So much good food, so little time!!!

If you want to get to know Nayna just read the poem she wrote:

Cinnamon clove and star anise
Fragrant aromas to tantalise and please
Cooking, baking, mixing with a whizz
Desserts, cakes, and ice creams that you can freeze please.
Sweet and sour with a hint of bite
Maybe a salad for that something lite light?
Flour, eggs, and buttermilk
Chocolate soufflés that fall down and sink turn out like silk.
A savoury touch with some special spice
Something that gives a kick and goes with rice
Eastern, Western or a European dish
Culinary delights to earn you a kiss fulfil your every wish.
Day and night I think dream of food
I know for my waistline this is no good
So instead I write my creations in a blog

….and then go visit her blog!! You won’t be sorry!!

And to visit the other MEMBER’s Treats and Goodies :