“If You Like Chana Masala…
June 27th, 2010 § 2 Comments
…and getting caught in the rain…” I sing that song every single time I make this Indian dish. Weird Al watch your back. Aahh, well, I have two sick and cranky boys in the house, so this is going to be quick. I made this Chana Masala dish last week (and a million times before that), but forgot to take a picture of it. (My blogging cred is going downhill so fast it’s scary! ) This recipe is from the October 2000 issue of Martha Stewart Living. It’s easy, pleasantly spicy, and all you need is some brown rice (and maybe a small green salad) to make it a meal.
CHANA MASALA
Serves 4
Garam masala, a blend of dry-roasted spices, can be found in the international section of most large supermarkets.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 small onions, finely diced (1 1/2 cups) [Here Gordon Ramsay demos how to properly chop an onion]
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add cumin seeds, and cook until they begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Add onions, and cook until they begin to brown. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, jalapeno, garam masala, and salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, and serve.
Keeping with the Indian theme, try your hand at Jamie Oliver’s Mango Lassi:
Ingredients
- 9 fluid ounces (255 milliliters) plain yogurt
- 4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) milk
- 4 1/2 fluid ounces (130 milliliters) canned mango pulp or 7 ounces (200 grams) from 3 fresh mango, stoned and sliced
- 4 teaspoons sugar, to taste, or feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds
Directions
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours
I hope you’re having a good weekend and a great start to the summer!
And You Think I Care Because….
April 23rd, 2010 § Leave a Comment
I just wanted to take a moment to clarify the purpose of my daily food postings. I realized this morning that you may be asking yourself “Why in the hell does Amy think I care about what she and Peter eat each day?”
Well, the answer to that is: I don’t necessarily want you to care about what we’re eating, but I’m also not sharing just to share. Anyone who knows me knows that this sharing business is going against my nature since I’m a pretty private and introverted person. What I’m trying to do is show how easy eating good, real, whole foods can be. I’m not a cook by nature. I’m not one of those people who retreat to the kitchen when they need to relax. I usually become enormously frustrated while cooking and end up drinking two glasses of wine instead of eating the dinner I made because I have no desire to eat it after trying to COOK it for an hour. Ugh. However, I am trying to enjoy cooking more by doing it more often. Practice makes perfect. And what I hope is coming across to you is that you don’t need to be a gourmet cook (or a millionaire) to eat well. You can take 10 minutes (and ~$5) to add sautéed greens to your eggs, or throw together a tomato sandwich with hummus and avocado. It’s all easy stuff that is made of good, real, whole (preferably organic) food.
Oh, and another important thing that I hope you’re noticing is that Peter eats nearly the same exact food as I do. I rarely, if ever, heat up ”kids’ food” for him, such as dinosaur-shaped chicken part thingys. He is a kid, yes, but first and foremost he is a person and, therefore, I feed him person food.
And the pictures? Well, that’s just a blogging requirement. It’s like rule number 2 of the “how to write a good blog post handbook.” (Rule number one is to keep the paragraphs small (ooops. I’m still working on that one)). What I need to do is break out my good camera and take some artfully arranged, well-lit pictures. I will attempt to do that. I actually read quite a few blogs where the person chronicles every single thing he or she eats during the day–un-artful pictures and all. And you know what? I like it. I find myself returning to their sites every couple of days to catch up and learn about new food and food combinations.
So that’s my answer. If you have suggestions for blog posts or questions you’d like to have answered, please feel free to contact me. I’d love for this to become a little healthy and happy community.
Oh, and here’s a totally unrelated picture. I’m just putting it here to make this a “good” blog post 
Peter and "Mads," Easter 2010
P.S. The final episode of Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” is on ABC tonight at 9:00 pm EST
So, Are You In?
April 5th, 2010 § 2 Comments
A new post (a few days late) is up at Momma Wisdom re: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and the part I’ve decided to play in it. http://mothersandcompany.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/so-are-you-in/
Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution”
March 26th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Read my post over at Momma Wisdom: http://mothersandcompany.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/
