Southern Indian Squash Curry

 Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

 1 TB. flaked almonds

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tsp. GRANULATED GARLIC POWDER

1/2-1 tsp. GINGER POWDER

1/2 tsp. CRUSHED RED PEPPERS

1 tsp. GROUND CORIANDER

1 tsp. GROUND CUMIN

1 tsp. BROWN MUSTARD SEEDS

1/2 tsp. GROUND TURMERIC

1.5 Cup coconut milk (a standard 14.5 oz. can)

1-11/2 Cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 TB. fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Peel the squash. Discard the seeds and cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes and set aside. Cook the onions until lightly browned, stirring regularly, 12-15 minutes. Add the GARLIC, GINGER, chili, CORIANDER, CUMIN, MUSTARD SEEDS and TURMERIC. Reduce heat to low and cook until fragrant, 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the squash. Stir and cover, simmer for 20 minutes until just tender. Add the spinach and cilantro, and stir until the spinach is just wilted.

Tomato lentil sauce

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 large carrots, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

3/4 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme

1 cup (175 mL) dried green lentils and/or red lentils

28 oz/796 mL tomatoes, canned or fresh (6 or 7 Roma tomatoes)

1 cup (240 mL) dry red wine

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley (optional)

4 cups (1 L) penne or fusilli

Instructions:

In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and thyme, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until softened.

Stir in lentils, tomatoes, wine and 2 cups (480 mL) water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 35 minutes or until thickened and lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves. Stir in parsley.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for about 8 minutes or until tender but firm. Drain and return to pot or place in serving bowl. Spoon sauce over top.

Falafel

 From Epicurious with modifications - 

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/my-favorite-falafel-231755/amp

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (2.75 cups soaked, patted dry)
• 1 cup diced onion (half a large onion)
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp flour
• Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
• Tomatoes, for serving
• cucumbers, for serving
• Pickled cabbage, for serving
• Hummus, for serving

Directions

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain thoroughly/pat dry.

Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 3 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours or just while you make hummus.

Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.

Heat 3 inches of oil to 375ºF in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. 

Fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 

Stuff half a pita with falafel balls and whatever else you enjoy: hummus, chopped tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, pickled turnips, pickled red cabbage, fresh red cabbage, spring mix, tahina drizzle (thinned with water), cucumber, etc.

Coconut chickpea curry

 from https://pinchofyum.com/coconut-curry-salmon#tasty-recipes-57379 with alterations

Chickpeas:

• 15 oz can chickpeas
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 4 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Coconut Curry:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 3 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 cup lemongrass paste 
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 red curry paste
• 13.5 oz (1 can) full fat coconut milk
• 13.5 oz water
• 500g potato, diced
• 200g carrot, diced
• 250g green cabbage, sliced
• 200g sweet potato, grated
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 3 Tbsp vegan fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp hemp seeds (opt)
• lots of lime juice and zest

Chickpeas: Toss chickpeas with seasonings, then pan fry on medium heat, stirring occasionally, while making the curry. 

Coconut Curry Sauce: Heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass; sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add brown sugar and curry paste; sauté for 3 minutes. 

Add the can of coconut milk, the red lentils, and a canful of water. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. then add the vegetables and cook until potatoes and carrots are soft and the red lentils are falling apart.

Season with fish sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice to taste.

Afternoon Tea / Té de la tarde inglés

No recipe this week. I’ve been packing and cleaning because tomorrow I leave for London! As my last cooking adventure at home, I put together an afternoon tea* for my family (except my sister, because I planned badly and she’d already left for college). It was even going to have champagne, but the one ancient bottle we had was flat. Instead, we had moscato d’Asti, which I think I prefer, anyway; it basically tastes like soda!

*Afternoon tea is the fancy tea that people often (mistakenly) call “high tea.” It is actually LOW tea, so-called because it was traditionally served at low coffee tables with the people seated on couches. High tea is actually a heavy, filling, working-class meal, quite different from the fancy low tea. Read more here.

***

Ninguna receta esta semana. He estado haciendo la maleta y limpiando porque ¡mañana voy a Londres! Mi última aventura de cocina en casa fue un té de la tarde inglés que hice para mis padres (y yo, claro). Además de té (o café en el caso de mi padre), teníamos sándwiches, pasteles, y bollos ingleses, y moscato d’Asti.

Et voilà! (I’ll post the recipes in the coming weeks. / Escribiré las recetas en las semanas que vienen)

 

Cucumber sandwiches, salmon and tomato sandwiches.

***

Sandwiches de pepino, sándwiches de salmón y tomate.

 

 Caprese cups. We continue to deal with mountains of tomatoes and basil, and I had leftover wonton wrappers from some potstickers I made. Solution? Throw them all together! 

***

 Bocados caprese. Seguimos cosechando montones de tomates y albahaca, y tenía pieles de wonton extras. ¿La solución? ¡Combinarlos! 

 Scones with blackberry or strawberry jam and unsweetened whipped cream (since it’s hard to get your hands on the traditional clotted cream stateside).

***

 Bollos con confitura de zarzamoras o mermelada de fresa y nata montada sin azúcar (porque la nata cuajada tradicional es difícil encontrar en los EE.UU.)

Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream frosting and mini lemon cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting. This is another version of the cake recipe I posted a few weeks ago. 

***

 Pastel de chocolate con glaseado de frambuesa y pequeñas magdalenas de limón con glaseado de frambuesa. Esto es otra versión de la receta para pastel sobre que escribí hace unas semanas. 

Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins / Panecillos de avena y puré de manzanas

I love cupcakes and muffins, but if there aren’t people in the immediate vicinity when I make them, I’ll eat all dozen myself. To reduce guilt (because, let’s face it, I’m not reducing my cake consumption) I try to make pastries and cakes a bit healthier, which is a tricky balancing act between taste, texture, and nutrition. These muffins use some oatmeal, which is an improvement on all white flour, and I used stevia to sweeten them instead of the sugary (and expensive) maple syrup. If you don’t have either stevia or maple syrup, you can make simple syrup from 1 part sugar to one part 1 water. I suggest using brown sugar for a richer taste than white sugar would give.

***

Me encantan los panecillos y las magdalenas, pero si no hay nadie conmigo, me comería toda la docena yo sola. Para calmar el remordimiento después de uno de estos atracones (porque, francamente, no voy a reducir el consumo de pasteles), intento hacerlos más saludables. Es una misión difícil encontrar el equilibrio entre el sabor, la textura, y la nutrición. Estos panecillos se hacen con avena, la cual es más saludable que la harina blanca. Adicionalmente, usé stevia en lugar del jarabe de arce azucarado (y caro). Si no tienes ni jarabe de arce ni stevia, puedes hacer jarabe simple con una parte de azúcar y una parte de agua. Sugiero que uses azúcar morena para obtener una profundidad de sabor que el azúcar blanca no ofrece.

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Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

Adapted from CanCan

Dry ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (150g) flour (try whole wheat, if you’d like)

2/3 cup (60g) quick oats

2 tsp (8g) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2g) baking soda

1/2 tsp (3g) salt

2 tsp (6g) cinnamon

1 tsp (3g) nutmeg

1/2 (2) tsp ground ginger

Wet ingredients:
1/3 cup (80 mL) oil (coconut oil is good)

1/4 cup (60 mL) maple or simple syrup

1 cup (240 mL) unsweetened applesauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a small bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir only until incorporated. Bake in a greased muffin tin for 14 minutes.

The batter is almost fluffy, maybe because of the coconut oil. / La masa es casi esponjosa, quizá por el aceite de coco.

***

Panecillos de avena y puré de manzana

Receta adaptada de CanCan

Ingredientes secos:

1 1/3 tazas (150g) de harina (puedes usar harina de trigo integral)

2/3 taza (60g) de avena rápida

2 cucharaditas (8g) de levadura en polvo

1/2 cucharadita (2g) de bicarbonato de sosa

1/2 cucharadita (3g) de sal

2 cucharaditas (6g) de canela

1 cucharadita (3g) de nuez moscada molida

1/2 cucharadita (2g) jengibre molido

Ingredientes líquidos:

1/3 taza (80 mL) de aceite (me gusta usar aceite de coco)

1/4 taza (60 mL) de jarabe simple o de arce

1 taza (240 mL) de puré de manzana sin azúcar

Instrucciones:

Calienta el horno a 375°F (190°C).

Combina los ingredientes secos en un tazón grande o en un procesador de alimentos. Mezcla los ingredientes líquidos y añádelos a los ingredientes secos, mezclándolos hasta que todo esté incorporado. Hornea los panecillos en un molde de magdalenas engrasado durante 14 minutos.

Spiced Carrot-Lentil Soup / Sopa de zanahoria y lentejas con especias

This is one of my favorite recipes: healthy, delicious, and EASY. Serve it with rosemary olive oil rolls and sautéed kale, or toss in some steamed broccoli and macaroni for a filling meal. I’ve even added a bit of olive oil and used it as a salad dressing before.

***

Esta receta es una de mis favoritas: saludable, rica, y FÁCIL. Sírvela con pan de aceite deoliva y romero, o añade brócoli y macarrones para crear una comida sustanciosa. Incluso le he añadido un poco de aceite de oliva para convertirla en un aliño.

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Spiced Carrot-Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp (3g) ground cumin

pinch chili flakes

½ tsp (1g) ground coriander

½ tsp (1g) ground nutmeg

21 oz (600g) carrots, washed and coarsely chopped (no need to peel)

6 oz (170g) split red or yellow lentils

4 ½ cup (1 L) vegetable stock

½ cup (120 mL) coconut milk

Directions:

Heat a large pot and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chili flakes for 1 min or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas.

Add the carrot, lentils, stock, and coconut milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 min until the lentils have swollen and softened. Whizz the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth.

***

Sopa de zanahoria y lentejas con especias

Ingredientes:

1 cucharadita (3g) de comino molido

Un pellizco de pimiento rojo en escamas

1/2 cucharadita (1g) de semillas de cilantro molidas

½ cucharadita (1g) de nuez moscada molida

21 onzas (600g) de zanahorias, limpias y crudas picadas

6 onzas (170g) de lentejas (las rojas y las amarillas hace que el color de la sopa sea bonito)

4 ½ tazas (1 L) de caldo vegetal

½ taza (120 mL) de leche de coco (de grasa entera)

Instrucciones:

Calienta un cacerola grande y cocina las especias durante un minuto (este proceso hace que las especias emitan su sabor/aroma).

Añade la zanahoria, lentejas, caldo, y leche de coco y cocina todo a fuego lento durante aprox. 20 minutos, o hasta que las lentejas sean tiernas (puedes añadir más agua si es necesario). Combinar todo bien con una batidora de inmersión o en un procesador de alimentos.