Eggplants are in season and my garden is producinga lot of them. So, to enjoy them in an easy to make dish, I came up with this easy to make curry.
Ingredients
1 black eggplant or 2 Asian eggplants chopped into 1/2 inch cubes.
1/2 large onion chopped in 1/2 to 1inch pieces
1 very ripe tomato or 1 6 oz can of tomato sauce
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red. pepper flakes
1 tsp garam masala
l tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 doves garlic finely chopped
Directions
Heat pan till hot. Add olive oil and cumin seeds and fry till the seeds start to pop. Add onion, garlic and eggplant and fry for about 3 minutes. Now add in spices and fry for 1 more minute. Add tomato and cook about 15 more minutes till eggplantis cooked and tomato is disintegrated. Add additional salt and pepper flakes as desired. Serve and enjoy.
This is a easy, quick and. healthy meal. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge an it will last up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of Red Lentils
32 oz chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 of a large onion finely chopped
large carrot finely chopped
I tsp salt
4 cloves garlic finely choppe
I tbsp olive oil
1 lemon cut into wedges
optionally top with freshly ground pepper and cilantro
Directions
Fry onion, garlic and carrot in the olive oil till translucent, but not browned. Add in the rest of the ingredients except lemon and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are starting to fall apart. Spoon into serving bowls an serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze into the soup.
This is a great meal to make and is ready in as little about 45 minutes and it tastes great. You can taste all the individual elements since it is not cooked for a really long time and this makes it have a really fresh taste.
Ingredients
1 lb 0f lean ground beef or vegan beef substitute.
1/3 can of low salt Red Kidney Beams
1/2 onion diced
1/2 bell pepper green or red diced
1 cup water
2 serrano peppers finely diced. Seeds removed for less heat.
4 cloves garlic finely diced
3 tbsp of Chili Powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp of cumin
1 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
Fry the onions, bell pepper, and garlic in a sauce pan with the olive oil over medium heat till tender (3-4 min). Remove, pour in a bowl and set aside. Brown the meat in the pan with the serrano pepper then add back in the onions, bell pepper, beans, and garlic with about 1 cup of water, all the spices and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
2/3 cup of puffed millet
2/3 cup of brown rice syrup
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of coconut oil
Optionally 1 – 3 tbsp of honey or more if you like it sweeter. I didn’t use any since it is very lightly sweet from the brown rice syrup
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients (except cinnamon) in a bowl and wet ingredients and cinnamon in another bowl (microwavable) and stir. Microwave wet ingredients for 1 minute, then pour over the dry ingredients while stirring until evenly incorporated. Now put the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking pan lined w/parchment paper starting from one side and only fill as much of the pan as you need to to get the bars to the thickness desired. Then use another piece of parchment on the top to pack it firmly and form it into the desired shape (Should be a sheet of the mixture about 1″ thick). Bake for 25 minutes, remove, and press down and pack tightly again. Then let cool. When cool it should be hard. Pick up from pan using parchment and cut into bars on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
This is a flavorful vegetarian curry and can easily made to be vegan. I like to make it spicy with extra pepper powder and extra hot peppers. It goes great along with naan.
Ingredients
1/3 cup of urad daal
1/3 cup of red kidney beans (rajma)
1/3 cup of channa dal
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
4 oz tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic smashed and minced into a paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter (olive oil for vegans)
1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 -2 Serrano pepper minced or finely sliced
2 tbsp minced cilantro (optional)
1/4 cup cream (coconut cream can be used for vegan substitute)
water listed in recipe below.
Directions
Soak red kidney beans, urad daal, and channa dal overnight OR add to pan cover with 4″ of water and bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover, then let set for an hour. Then pour off water and add in water to cover by at least 3″ and bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer just under boiling for about 2 hours till kidney beans are tender. Strain them, put them in a bowl and set aside. In a frying pan or sauce pan heat pan then add canola oil and cumin seeds and fry till they start to pop. Now add in onion and fry for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger and fry for an addition 2 minutes. Add in dry spices (garam masala, cayenne pepper, tumeric) and fry for another minute, then add tomato sauce and fry for another 3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of butter (olive oil can be use for vegan substitute) and add back lentils and beans set aside earlier along with 1 cup of water. Smash up the lentils and beans some, stir and cook adding additional water to make into a paste consistency as shown in picture, about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. If you’d like you can sprinkle a little extra garam masala on top and stir in at the end of the cook time along with the cream. Top with cilantro, serve and enjoy.
This dish is one of my regulars. I try to make a really large batch, but it always lasts only for 2 meals for 4 people and then it is gone. I like it a little spicier, so if you like it less spicy reduce the red pepper flakes in half. It is pretty quick to make since I adapted it from a slow cooker recipe to something that is finished in about 45 mins.
Ingredients
2 lbs of ground beef (or for vegan/vegetarian ground beef substitute)
1 cup of chopped onion
4 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 28oz can of crushed tomatos
1/2 box of elbow macaroni boiled in salted water and set aside
Directions
Start macaroni cooking while preparing sauce and drain and set aside when done. Brown and crumble hamburger in a 2 qt saucepan (skip if using vegan/veg substitute and just fry garlic and onion in about 1 tbsp of olive oil and add hamburger substitute with other ingredients). During last part of browning hamburger add in garlic and onions and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Drain any extra fat if not using lean beef. Add in all other ingredients except macaroni stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Now put some of the cooked macaroni in a serving bowl, top with some sauce stir, then serve and enjoy.
The flavors of the marinade combine to form a great taste. This fajita recipe has a LOT of flavor due to the marinade. Whenever I make this it goes quickly and I rarely have left overs.
Ingredients
2-3 lbs of skirt steak cut into about 8″ long steaks
1 small onion chopped finely + 1 onion sliced.
10 – 15 sprigs of cilantro minced finely
1/4 cup of lime juice
4 cloves of garlic minced finely
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 bell pepper sliced
Directions
Add all the ingredients but the sliced onion and bell pepper into a ziploc bag and marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 10 hours in the refrigerator. Grill the steaks on a very hot grill so you get some char on it. While the steaks are grilling fry the sliced onions and bell peppers in a preheated pan and get a little char on them cooking till tender. When the steaks are done, let them rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice across the grain. Serve with taco size flour tortillas, grilled onion and bell pepper, salsa, cheese, guacamole and sour cream laid out to create the fajitas. Everyone can customize their fajita by adding the toppings they like.
These are great accompaniments to morning coffee or just for a snack. Kids love them and can have them with milk. If you use the healthier coconut oil in place of the butter, you will add a hint of coconut flavor (which I like). If you go totally vegan and decide to use the banana, it will add in a banana flavor which also gives it a nice flavor. If kept dry and sealed, these will last for several months.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt (1/16 teaspoon)
1 large egg (Vegan Substitute: 1/2 to 1 smashed banana, or Vegan Egg replacer equiv. to 1 large egg)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened or coconut oil
1/3 cup raw almonds
3 tablespoons milk or soy milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add 1st 5 ingredients in to food processor. Process till mixed. Add remaining ingredients in and process for about 7 seconds. It will not fully come together as a dough but will be mixed. Pour onto some plastic wrap and roll up. Squeeze together to fom into a 3″ wide roll about 1″ high. Remove plastic wrap and put onto foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then slice crosswise into 1/2 to 3/5″ slices using a serrated knife. Arrange slices layed out flat in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes then you can eat them. If you are going to store them, put them in a sealed container after they are completely cool. They will last several months if they are around that long.
A friend of mine gave me this recipe and it is really good. When you cook it like this, it brings out the sweetness in the cabbage and kale and it is really healthy. It can be cooked as a side dish or a main dish.
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1 med head cabbage
2 TBS garlic powder
4 TBS Olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 TSP Red Pepper
In a deep pot add olive oil and chopped Kale. Sprinkle garlic powder over the top and cook at high heat. Shred entire cabbage (core and all). Stir kale. Drop cabbage on top and add salt. Put lid on top of pot (add very little water if any) Turn to med/low and cook until cabbage starts to breakdown then stir and cook some more.
I have made turkeys for a while, at first they always came out dry. This was because by the time the thigh was done the breast was dry. I learned a few keys to making a juicy delicious turkey without soaking in brine. First don’t stuff the turkey and second remove the backbone and flatten the turkey before cooking. this will allow the turkey to cook more evenly. Cook the turkey on a rack such as a cooling rack over a pan and start checking the temperature early.
Ingredients
Turkey Breast or whole turkey backbone removed and flattened.
1/2 stick of butter
10-15 fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup roughtly chopped parsley
6-7 large cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
Directions
Put sage, garlic and parsley in food processor or food chopper. Chop finely. Add butter and salt and chop till mixed well. Remove backbone and flatten turkey breast if whole. This will allow it to cook evenly. Stuff butter under skin and rub on skin. Roast in oven at 325 degrees till breast or thickest part of turkey reaches temp 163 degrees (Temp will rise above 165 degrees when resting). Remove rest for 30 mins. Cut and serve.
