Aloo Gobi

An easy, mild dose of Indian flavors that cooks quickly enough to make on a weeknight. I got this from Pinterest somewhere and made a few adjustments.

Ingredients

2 1/2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs cauliflower florets; you'll want them fairly small so they cook evenly
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup red onion finely chopped
1 inch of ginger root, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can small diced tomatoes or equivalent fresh
1 Tbsp tomato paste 
1/2 tsp Salt 
1 tsp chili powder  (will make a mild dish; use more if you want heat)
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1 tsp whole cumin seeds 
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp Garam Masala 
3 Tbsp plain yogurt 
4-5 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in a heavy pot. Add diced potato and saute for 5 minutes on high heat. 
2. Add cauliflower and cumin seeds, and cook until cauliflower is little tender (5-7 minutes) Remove from the pot and set aside.
3. To the same pot, add the remaining Tbsp oil, onion, ginger, and garlic. Saute until onions are lightly browned (3-4 minutes).
4. Add all of the spices and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt, and cook until the oil separates. (5-6 minutes on high heat.)
6. Return the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot, add a half cup of water (or as needed to provide enough liquid for the vegetables to cook), cover tightly and cook until tender. (10-20 minutes depending on how big you chopped things). Check once or twice to make sure the pot hasn't dried out. 
7. Remove lid, add yogurt and chopped cilantro. Stir a few times so the yogurt doesn't curdle; cook until the cilantro wilts, which might take less than a minute. 

Tilapia Tacos

I wanted to make fish; I was tired of salmon; I vaguely remembered making this a long while ago. This is a quick and easy dinner, relying on the mild-flavored, easy-to-find, and budget-friendly tilapia. As written the recipe fed the two adults generously (the kids are not at a point where they'll countenance fish tacos). Source blog is here.

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
olive oil
2 limes
2 6-ounce tilapia fillets (or other mild white fish)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 6-inch flour tortillas
Toppings such as chopped tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, salsa, avocado, whatever.

Instructions

1. Mix the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice of 1 lime in a small bowl. Arrange the fish fillets in a glass baking dish or on a nonreactive platter. Brush fillets on both sides with spice mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over a medium flame. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and sauté the fillets until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and break into bite-sized chunks with a fork.
3. Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high flame and slightly brown the tortillas one at a time, about 30 seconds per side. 
4. Divide fish among tortillas and add your favorite toppings. Cut the second lime in wedges and serve with the tacos.

Chicken Tikka Masala

A new recipe we tried this week, this is easy as advertised and absolutely delicious! Note that you can adjust the amount of cayenne to taste; I used 1 tsp, and it was about as hot as I find comfortable. Great on a cold Boston night.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large white onion diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup heavy cream
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 large chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all spices together in a small bowl. 
2. Add the diced onion and butter to a large pot over medium heat and cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently so as not to burn. Add more butter if needed. 
4. Add half of the spice mixture and stir to combine. 
5. Add tomato sauce, heavy cream, and the remaining spices and stir to combine.
6. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, stirring frequently,10-15 minutes.
7. While the sauce is cooking, slice chicken breasts into two filets each, creating four equally sized pieces, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
8. Add vegetable oil to a large pan and cook the chicken breasts over medium heat until golden brown on both sides and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. 
9. Chop the chicken into chunks and add it to the sauce, then let lightly simmer for a couple of minutes. 
10. Serve over basmati rice with naan.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Hello! I've been neglecting this space lately, but since it's the holidays and I always make this recipe, I thought it would be nice to post here. Unfortunately I don't remember where it came from -- Bon Appetit, probably, it's from a time in my life when I used that a lot.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

1 C sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large egg white
6 C unsalted nuts - walnuts, pecans, natural almonds, cashews

1. Preheat to 325. Grease 2 jelly roll pans,
2. In small bowl, stir first 5 ingredients together. In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg white until foamy. Stir nuts into egg white. Add sugar mixture; toss until nuts are thoroughly coated.
3. Divide nuts between jelly roll pans, spreading evenly. Bake 25-27 minutes or until golden brown and dry, stirring twice. (Check on them, you may need to rotate pans, one of mine gets done quicker than the other). Transfer nuts to wax paper to cool.
4. Store tightly covered at room temperature up to one month.

Roasted Chili-Lime Cod

Another quick entry, this time because I am sick. Life continues, though. This was a great recipe, and cod happened to be on sale, so I didn't even feel guilty for indulging. Since I was turning the oven on anyway, I roasted asparagus alongside this, sliced up a baguette, and called it a day (see also: me being sick).

Everything turned out done at just about the same time. It didn't have time to marinate very long, but it was really good (and spicy), and definitely a keeper.

Ingredients

• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
• ½ Teaspoon Oregano
• ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon Cumin
• ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 1 lb cod fillet
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• Zest and Juice of 2 Limes
• Cooked Brown Rice, for serving, optional
• Cooked Corn, for serving, optional

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine all of the spices and mix well. Using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, brush the cod filets and then rub the filets with the spice mixture. You will use the entire rub – so make sure to coat them very well. Refrigerate the cod filets for at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 450º. Place the cod filets on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes – the fish will flake easily and be opaque throughout when it’s cooked through.
3. Melt the butter, combine with lime juice and olive oil, and drizzle over the fish before serving. 

Sweet Potato Chickpea and Spinach Coconut Curry

All things have their cycles, and I wonder if mine is swinging back around to food. I spent some time this past weekend just reading a cookbook, something I haven't done in ages. I'll hunt through them for a recipe I want, or entertain wistful memories of a more ambitious period in my food-life and then move on to something else, but I haven't been reading them.

It was Patricia Wells' Vegetable Harvest, by the way, a lovely volume and a pleasure to browse through. I found some soup recipes I had quite forgotten about, and look forward to trying them when the weather cools off.

Last night was another Pinterest find, however, Sweet Potato Chickpea and Spinach Coconut Curry, which apparently was sourced in turn from a different blog, which has altogether too many recipes on it for me to find the page for this one. The whole cumin seeds in this added a very different flavor, and we agreed that it was an excellent recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• Salt to taste
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk (or if you're me and think "light" products are ridiculous, use full-fat)
• 5 oz baby spinach
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. The oil is hot enough when a cumin seed sizzles when tossed into the pan. Add the cumin seeds and toast for about a minute, until fragrant and lightly darkened in color (be careful not to burn them). 
2. Stir in the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the garlic softens.
4. Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, tomatoes with their juices, and coconut milk. Stir to combine, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. 
6. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve over rice.

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Another oldie/goodie from Cooking Light, and one that doesn't require much stove time. There's a fair amount of prep work to do with making the sauce, but the falafel themselves are creamy and delightful. I like to serve this with Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes; you can never have too many chickpeas.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, split
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Instructions:

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended (mixture will be wet).
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chickpea mixture per patty into pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
3. Line each pita half with 1/4 cup arugula, add 1 patty to each pita half, and spoon 2 tablespoons Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing into each pita half.