Sweet Love and Ginger

Side Dish

Easy Curried Lentils

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Easy Curried Lentils

Indian cuisine and I are not really friends. Aside from a few select recipes (that really resemble the worst of Americanized regional food) I cannot for the life of me make an Indian style dish that actually tastes good.

When Royal contacted me about their Basmati Rice I knew I had to give it another shot. I’m really excited to announce that I was finally about to concoct a pretty delicious Indian style dish. I think keeping it fairly simple was the key here, just basic ingredients and a focus on flavor.

I’m really proud to say that this dish will probably make it into our routine fairly regularly. Since it’s delicious, easy and totally different from my usual meals.

Easy Curried Lentils

Easy Curried Lentils
Prep time:
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Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup lentils, rinsed and cleaned
  • ½ a large onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons curry paste
  • ½ tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 cup broth or water
  • ¼ cup coconut milk or cream
  • cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Cook the lentils according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large sauce pan melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes translucent.
  3. Add the curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, honey, garlic, ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes while stirring. The paste should be well blended and begin to brown. Stir in the broth until well blended.
  5. Stir in the lentils and milk or cream and simmer for another 15 minutes, allowing the flavor to deepen.
  6. Garnish and serve.

 

Royal® Basmati Rice

This post was sponsored by Royal® Basmati Rice.

Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree

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Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree

Winter is cold and dark that’s just a fact. Everyone knows that depression rates go up in the winter. I never understood this, because to me winter is a time to start new craft projects, to slow roast meats, simmer soups and braise. These processes add so much more flavor to the food while simultaneously heating the house and making it smell nice. Since you are going to all the work of making a slowly cooked meal, you might as well make it big and invite your neighbors over right? These are the dishes that feed crowds anyway. How can anyone be depressed in this atmosphere?

Winter is the wonderful season where we are able to slow down, and do things like this instead of complaining about the darkness and freaking out about the snow why not celebrate it?

This recipe has become a favorite, and while sometimes the spices mixed in may change, it is a classic that everyone should learn to make.

The meat is succulent and juicy, the sauce a robust, and deep flavor that goes well over everything, but to keep it healthy I made a cauliflower puree. It’s something you can feel good about serving your family and guests alike.

Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree

I’m still experimenting with my favorite vegan cauliflower puree, but for now this one from detoxinista seems to be my go to.

Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree
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Serves: Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs boneless pork
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325.
  2. In a large dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned, remove the meat from the pan.
  3. In the same pan add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring often for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the paste begins to darken.
  4. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer to reduce to half. While the wine cooks stir the vegetables and scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  5. Add tomatoes, broth , bay leaves and parsley. Add water if necessary to cover ¾ of the pork with the liquid, do not cover the pork completely. Cover the pan and place it in the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The pork should be tender enough to pull with a fork when done.
  6. Adjust seasonings and serve.

 

Clean British Baked Beans

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Clean British Baked Beans

As of Sunday Chuck and I have taken on a new health challenge. We are trying out the slow carb diet for 28 days. That means getting creative with beans and lentils for nearly every single meal.

One of the first things I thought about when I was researching this diet was breakfast, beans with breakfast just seemed weird at first but then I remembered Ireland. Specifically the fact that standard Irish breakfast typically include English style baked beans, along with sausage, bacon, blood pudding, tomatoes, or mushrooms, eggs,  and toast. While that’s a little more than I need to be eating each day I decided to recreate a healthier version of it for this challenge.

**Photo**

For this breakfast I made my own homemade beans (recipe follows), turkey sausage, sautéed spinach, and eggs. It was really great, and the recipe make enough beans for both Chuck and I to last nearly the whole week!

For lazy week day mornings I’ve taken to just cooking up spinach, beans, and eggs all in one big scramble, it comes together in just a few minutes which is what I need in the morning.

Clean British Baked Beans

Clean British Baked Beans
Author: JC
Prep time:
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 lb dried navy beans
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon sage
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Leave to soak overnight.
  2. After soaking drain and rinse the beans and place in the crock pot.
  3. Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, pepper, bay leaf, and sage. Stir until well combined.
  4. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or until beans are soft.
  5. Remove onion, cloves, bay leaf and adjust seasonings.
  6. Serve.

 

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Balsamic

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This is a recipe for a roasted beet salad that is full of flavor and tons of greens!

Roasted Beet Salad

I’m not going to lie beets are kind of a new thing around our house. Aside from the token serving of Harvard beets at the holidays at Momma Chuck’s house I had never really been exposed to them. That Harvard beet recipe is delicious by the way; I’m just told it’s a lot of work.

 

Honestly I think I was afraid of them. That sounds ridiculous but let me explain. Beets are messy, and  they stain everything. They have a very strong flavor and what the hell do you cook with them? However since I started this whole Part Time Vegetarian thing that I waxed on about earlier this week I have gotten so much more adventurous with my foods.

I don’t know where but somewhere I read that our ancestors ate something like 150 ingredients in a week and the modern western diet includes 20 items. Based on this idea I can’t believe that we are getting all the vitamins and nutrients that we need from these 20 items alone. There are so many more fruits and vegetables available for me locally than I often eat so I’m kind of on a quest to try them all and add them to my regular diet. If I eat more varied stuff I eat regularly the more good stuff I can get in my body from nature and therefore hopefully gain a higher functioning, healthier body. Right? Isn’t that the goal? I think it is.

Roasted Beet Salad

So anyway that’s why I decided to try beets and as it turns out they are actually pretty good. Chuck even approves. So far I have roasted them up with a bunch of other vegetables and with this salad. What I really like about this salad is that it’s unique and can be served as a great starter for just about any fall dinner. The ton of antioxidants and health food power in it is just a bonus.

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Balsamic
Prep time:
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Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 6 small beets, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup baby arugula
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup baby Swiss chard
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • 4 ounces feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Toss the beets with oil, salt, pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. Should be tender when poked with a fork. Sprits with lemon juice and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. For the Dressing: In a small bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, Dijon, honey, and olive oil until well combined.
  4. In a large serving bowl toss the lettuces together. Top with beets and crumbled feta.
  5. Serve with dressing on the side.

 

Cheesy Grilled Hasselback Potatoes

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Liven up your typical backed potato with this recipe for Cheesy Grilled Hasselback Potatoes.

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I’m really glad to see that my weekly meal plans are such a hit here on the blog. I love creating them and sharing with you guys the style of food that we actually eat every single day. I’ve noticed while trying to put these together that there is a serious lack of side dishes here on the blog so I’ve made it a point to get a few more of our favorite side dishes posted for you.

Hasselback potatoes are one of our favorite side dishes because they are fun! It’s a little different that a normal backed potato, which let’s be honest can get so boring! I’ve never really been a fan of plain baked potatoes. Hasselback potatoes can get crisp edges and soft insides which is something that baked potatoes lack, but they are still just as versatile.

In this recipe I kept it simple with cheddar cheese, but feel free to add any other toppings that you like on a typical baked potato. I know you can get creative here with things like sour cream, chives, bacon, pickles, or salsa. Really the sky is the limit with these babies.

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Note 1: I also want to note that while this recipe uses the grill you can also make them easily in the oven. Simply cook them at 400 degrees in the oven for about 55 minute to one hour.

Note 2: Peeling the potatoes is optional. I like them better peeled, but Chuck likes the crisp skin it doesn’t change the instructions either way.

Cheesy Grilled Hasselback Potatoes
Cook time:
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Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 4 medium russet potatoes, washed
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 6 ounces cheddar cheese
  • ½ tablespoon chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
  1. Cut each potato into thin slices without cutting all the way through.
  2. Place the potatoes on a plate and microwave for 3 minutes, rotate and microwave again for 3 minutes. Place each potato on a piece of foil large enough to enclose the potato.
  3. Melt the butter and combine it with the garlic, salt and pepper. Use a brush to coat each potato evenly.
  4. Fold the sides of the foil up to create a pouch and place each potato on a preheated grill. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until the potato is tender.
  5. Carefully remove from the grill and open the foil packets. Sprinkle the top with cheese and place back on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  6. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

What are your favorite side dish recipes? I would really love to try some new ones!!