My New Favourite Cookbook!

A few weeks ago I worked a day shift (this never happens) and had time to go to the library... ALONE.  This also never happens so I was pretty excited to spend at least 1/2 hour in the cookbook section.  I'd seen the Canadian Living-Vegetarian Collection book around but hadn't had a chance to actually look through it so it was the first book I picked up.  I love it.  REALLY REALLY love it.  So far we've had our version of the tofu salad sandwich, the chili fries and tonight (our version) of the Curried Lentil and Cashew burgers.  It was the first page I stuck a post it to because it had 3 of my favourite things (LENTILS! CURRY! and BURGERS?!) and I was not disappointed.  Even knowing that I was going for a run less than an hour after dinner I still ate 2, that good.  We served the burgers with a wild rice/brown rice pilaf and some steamed asparagus.

Curried Lentil and Cashew Burgers

3 cups cooked lentils

2 cups roasted (unsalted) cashews

1 chopped onion

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups sliced white mushrooms

3 tbsp curry paste

salt and pepper

2 tsp cumin

handful of fresh cilantro

1 cup bread crumbs

*In a food processor, pulse cashews until crumbled

*Add lentils and mix well

*In a frying pan, saute together onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft.

*Add curry paste, cumin, and salt and pepper.

*Add onion mixture to food  processor and pulse together.

*Transfer to a large bowl and add cilantro and bread crumbs, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

*Form into patties and cook on a grill or a well oiled frying pan for at least 8 minutes per side.

Thai Curried Noodles with Tofu

I saw this in an old issue of Vegetarian Times last week and figured my son would LOVE it.  He loves spicy and he loves tofu so it seemed the perfect fit.  I was right, the only complaint that he had was that it "needed a little more spice!"  It was super quick and easy to make so it was perfect for after our long day spent at the Grand Beach <3

Thai Curried Noodles with Tofu and Broccoli

1/2 box of fettuccine noodles, cooked according to package instructions

2 diced shallots

2 cloves minced garlic

1 inch grated ginger

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp curry paste

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1-15 oz can coconut milk

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1 package of tofu, drained and dry fried

4 cups chopped lightly steamed broccoli

*Saute shallots, garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes.

*Add cilantro, curry paste, curry powder, cumin and turmeric and stir for a minute.

*Add coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

*Cut tofu into 1/2" cubes and add to mixture.  Cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

*Add broccoli and noodles and stir to mix.

April's Slow Cooker Curry!

My friend April assured me that this was THE BEST curry ever, so I figured I should try it out!  She was right, it was pretty darned good.  It would have been even better if my swiss chard hadn't gone bad in the fridge and if any of the three grocery stores I sent my husband to had it in stock.  I was a little miffed about that (can you tell?)...  I liked this recipe because it only has to cook for 4 hours and so its good if you haven't had a chance to put things together in the morning and have to do it at lunch!  We had this curry with some brown rice, steamed broccoli, and (of course) samosas from India Palace.

April's Butternut and Chickpea Curry

 2 cups cubed butternut squash

2 cups cubed potato

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

3 tbsp curry paste

1 can coconut milk

1 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups finely shredded swiss chard  :(

1 cup frozen peas

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

*In a slow cooker, combine squash, potato, and chickpeas

*In a skillet, saute onion, garlic and ginger for about 7 minutes

*Add curry paste and stir in until fragrant

*Add to slow cooker, along with coconut milk, stock, peanut butter and salt

*Cook on low for 4 hours

*Add swiss chard and peas, turn slow cooker on high, cook for 15 minutes

*Serve with chopped cilantro

Slow Cooker Tuesday!

Tuesdays are a busy day in our house.  With 4 kids going in 4 different directions and only one vehicle to take them in, there isn't usually time in the afternoon to prepare a healthy meal.  Today I decided to make one of my favourite recipes, Chickpea Curry!  Served with some brown rice and samosas (from India Palace) that I had my husband pick up on his way home from work.

Chickpea Curry

Olive oil

1 chopped large onion

4 minced cloves of garlic

1.5 inch grated ginger

3 carrots

3 tsp cumin

3 tsp curry powder

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp turmeric
dash of cinnamon
salt and pepper

1 chopped green pepper

3/4 cup green beans (cut into 1 inch sections)

28 ounce can of diced tomato in juices 

1/4 cup vegetable stock

2 cans of chickpeas (rinsed)

3 cups spinach

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp garam masala

*Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots in olive oil, put into slow cooker

*Pour can of tomatoes into large bowl and use immersion blender to make it slightly less chunky (more than crushed, less than diced seems to be popular with my kids)

*Add tomatoes and all ingredients except, spinach, milk, and garam masala to the crock pot

*Cook on low for 7-8 hours

*Add spinach, coconut milk, and garam masala - cook for another 20 minutes