Palak Paneer
Ingredients:
1 pound paneer cheese*, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
2T butter
1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2T curry powder
Directions:
Over medium-high heat, brown the onions in the butter. Add the cubed cheese, sautéing for about 3-5 minutes. Mix while browning to avoid burning.
In a blender or food processor, puree the spinach with the milk. Add this to the onion and cheese mixture.
Add the cumin, chili powder, and curry powder.
Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm, preferably over jasmine rice or with a side of garlic naan bread!
* Paneer cheese can usually be found at Whole Foods, Wegman's, Harris Teeter, and of course at specialty Indian, Afghan, or Persian markets.
Channa Masala
Ingredients:
1 can chick peas
1 small can tomato paste
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
2T chooped green chiles
2T chili powder
1T garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
Directions:
In a sauce pan, brown your onions and chiles in the vegetable oil. Drain the chick peas and transfer to the sauce pan. Add tomato paste and spices. Slowly add water, mixing well. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Serve warm over jasmine rice, and garnish with coriander leaves or cilantro.
Spicy Sesame Noodles
Ingredients:
1/2 pound whole-wheat linguine, cooked
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T chili oil
1T chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
Sesame seeds and/or parsley for garnish
Directions:
After cooking your pasta, mix tahini slowly with oil. Add vinegar and whisk until smooth. Add spices, and toss with pasta, carrots, and green onions. Garnish with parsley and/or sesame seeds. Can be served warm or cold.
Baba Ganouj
Ingredients:
Two medium eggplants, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 cup olive oil, saving a little for browning garlic
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Directions:
Bake your eggplant, in an oiled pan, cut side down in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes (If you can, i highly recommend doubling this recipe and taking the trouble to SMOKE the eggplant on your grill!). Let the cooked eggplant sit for 30 minutes, then press out excess liquid using a colander and paper towels.
While eggplant cools, lightly brown your garlic in a bit of your olive oil.
Place eggplant in food processor with oil, tahini, lemon juice, and browned garlic. Process until almost smooth. You can add salt to taste, but black pepper doesn't work well. Try paprika if you want a little more flavor!
Cover and chill. Serve with pita or naan bread wedges!
Yoghurt Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pint unflavored yogurt (DO NOT get vanilla by accident LOL!)
1 large cucumber, deseeded and shredded
2 T fresh lemon juice
1T garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients, and chill.
This is great as a salad dressing, or to dip warm naan bread into!
You may notice I have left falafel and humus off the list… This is primarily because you can find many fine pre-made types of humus in just about any grocery store in the country now, and there are also lots of fine, organic selections available for both humus and falafel mixes.
You might also notice that I haven't included any meat dishes… But then, I find that apart from occasionally hard-to-find spices, meat dishes are really pretty easy. If you wanted to, you could look up a nice Moroccan lamb Tagine. Or perhaps a nice beef Sfiha, although I would skip the tomatoes and add some pine nuts! Some Koofteh Berenji would be nice too, but you get the idea…
The thing is, eating meat is not an everyday sort of occurrence in many Middle Eastern cultures. And it need not be! Go find some meat if you feel you still need it after this feast!
A special shout out to my friend Cyndi, I know you will like these. Enjoy!
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