Green Onion Chickpea Curry

This is easily one of our favourite dishes. It is simple to make, cook, and easy to eat.

RECIPE: Green Onion Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp minced ginger
2-4 large jalapeños, minced
3 cans (16 oz each) chickpeas, drained
1 can coconut milk, stirred
8 stalks green onions, cut in 1 cm lengths

Stovetop Method:
> heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant
> sauté the ginger, jalapeños, and onion until soft
> add the tomatoes, salt, chickpeas, and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rest of dinner is ready (add water to thin the curry as needed)
> stir in the green onions just before serving

Oven Method:
> pre-heat the oven to 190ºC or 375ºF
> the oil can be omitted if the cumin and vegetables are not being sautéed
> throw all the ingredients into a deep pan or lidded casserole dish and stir it all together
> put the lid on and bake it

Serve over:
> rice or noodles
> salad greens like spinach, arugula, or endive
> thinly sliced sautéed cabbage

For an interesting twist, add a chopped apple or two to the curry before cooking. Pairs well with tangy chilli sauce.

Frijoles a la Huacha / Dirty Beans

RECIPE: Frijoles a la Huacha / Dirty Beans

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1/2 onion, finely chopped

- 1 jalapeño chile, diced (use gloves)

- 2 cans red kidney beans

- 500 ml chicken broth

- 1 large bunch of mint

Method:

> fry the onion and chile in the oil until soft but not brown

> blend the beans with broth until smooth

> add beans to the fry pan with onion and peppers

> fry until beans reduce to a thick paste (about 10 minutes)

> add chopped mint leaves toward end of cooking time

To see the full menu created for the Guatemalan lunch, go here. 

Vegetarian Christmas Stuffing?!

Yes, it can be done. Just don't put the stuffing in the turkey.

I recently made another of my FAVOURITE Christmas classics: stuffing. This dish is simple to pull together and can easily be made with leftover rice, quinoa, corn (or other grainy) bread, and a few aromatic vegetables.

Winter Soup

Tuesdays and Thursdays I am always running. After I pick the boys up from school, we have a small amount of time at home before we need to jump into the car and run to the city for a class. By the time we get back, it's 7:00 and bedtime is looming. If dinner is not ready when we get home, the boys are up way too late.

Yesterday, my solution was soup. While the boys are at school, I had time to pull it all together and pop it into the crock pot or a ceramic pot in the oven, covered, on low and it was waiting for us when we got home. It was orange, happy, warm, and totally satisfying.