Indian Tofu Curry

I tried an Indian-spiced tofu dish today, and loved the results.  Here's the recipe:

1 pound extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes 

1/3 cup fat free yogurt

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1-3 dried red chillies

1/2 cup salsa

1-2 tsp oil

1.  Heat the oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds.

2. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala and red chillies. Immediately add salsa and heat through. 

3. Add tofu and salt. Cook on low heat until tofu is heated through. 

4. This dish can be served immediately, but will taste better the next day (the flavors will penetrate into the tofu better.) 

Chicken and sweet potato patties

I had a bunch of spare ingredients on hand (namely, a can of chicken and some sweet potatoes), and I decided to combine them.  I wasn't thrilled about the results (not a personal fan of combining something sweet with a protein), but the family wolfed this down!  


Ingredients

1 12.5 oz can chicken breast in water, drained

1 cup sweet potato purée

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tsp olive oil
1 egg

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs



1) Combine chicken, sweet potato puree, egg, salt, pepper, pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
2) Scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture, and flatten to form a patty.  
3) In a separate shallow dish, combine the olive oil and panko crumbs.  Immediately sprinkle both sides of each patty with the panko crumbs and place on a greased baking sheet.
4) Bake in 350F oven for 20-25 minutes until the panko is golden brown. 
5) Serve warm. 

Spinach flatbread

Continuing on my theme of vegetable flatbreads, I tried out a spinach flatbread today. It was easy, delicious, and best of all--the kids would eat it! 

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 cup all purpose whole wheat flour

1/4 - 1/3 cup water 

1. Thaw the frozen spinach by microwaving for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add salt and masala to the spinach right away. Allow to cool.

3. Add flour and combine well. 

4. Add enough water to make a dough that is elastic but doesn't stick to the side of the bowl. 

5. Break off small pieces of dough (approx. 1 inch in diameter). Form a ball out of each piece, flatten, and roll out on a lightly floured surface to make individual flatbreads. 

6. Roast each flatbread on a lightly oiled griddle, turning over as necessary to get both sides lightly browned. 

7. Stack the flatbreads in a clean kitchen or cheese cloth (or wax paper) immediately after cooking. This will prevent them from drying out.

7.  Enjoy warm!

Quicker warm tomato quinoa

This past week, I tried a modified version of the Tomato Quinoa recipe that I tried earlier.  Short on time, I decided to substitute salsa for the tomatoes and onions (no chopping = much less prep time!), and liked the results.  I also tried just throwing all the ingredients in the rice cooker and stirring, and....it worked! Here is the substitution:  

1.25 cups quinoa 
1/2 cup liquid salsa 
1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp Chilli or Curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil 

2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 or 2 tbsp salt (If you want this to be a stand-alone dish, use more salt.  If you intend this as a replacement for rice to accompany a flavorful side dish, use less salt.)

1.  Combine all the ingredients in the rice cooker.  Stir and turn on the rice cooker.  

2.  Enjoy! Really--that's all there is to it! 

Warm Tomato Quinoa

A fellow gym mom gave me the idea of pairing tomato and quinoa to make a warm alternative to rice.  I tried the following in my slow cooker and loved it!  As always, the curry spices are optional.  I think this quinoa would taste great even without the added heat from the chilli powder.

1 cup quinoa
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp Chilli or Curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 or 2 tbsp salt (If you want this to be a stand-alone dish, use more salt.  If you intend this as a replacement for rice to accompany a flavorful side dish, use less salt.)

1 tsp black pepper (optional)
2 tbsp oil 
2 cups hot water

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for 1 hour and then on high for 1 hour until all quinoa granules are translucent and cooked through. Serve warm. Makes a great accompaniment to the chicken curry recipe I published earlier.

Pumpkin Flatbread

I found a way to sneak more veggies onto my kids' plates, in a way that was adult-friendly as well.  I've found that these flat breads are versatile enough to be used for any cuisine (think Indian Pumpkin Roti/Chapathi, Mexican Pumpkin tortillas, Middle Eastern Pumpkin Lavash, etc.), and portable enough for any lunch pail.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Flat Bread

1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tsp black pepper*
1 Tsp sesame seeds**
2.5 Cups whole wheat all-purpose flour

1.  Mix together the pumpkin puree, salt, pepper and seeds in a large bowl.
2.  Incorporate 2 cups of the flour, adding the remaining .5 cup if necessary to make a soft dough.
3.  Pinch off pieces of the dough and form a ball from each piece.  Roll out each ball with a rolling pin to make the individual flat breads, using extra flour as necessary.
4.  On medium heat, cook each flat bread on a lightly oiled skillet (cast iron works best), on medium heat.  Turn over partway through cooking, and ensure light browning on both sides. 
5.  Serve warm.


* In place of black pepper, try a seasoning or spice mix.  Be wary of extra salt in any seasoning that you try, and adjust the salt content accordingly.

** In place of the sesame seeds, try flax seeds or cumin seeds. 

Easy crust-free mini quiche

These crust-free mini quiches are a healthy (and gluten free!) portable breakfast item. I'm all about the make-ahead breakfast these days, and I've found that these mini quiches refrigerate (or even freeze) well. A few minutes in the toaster oven, and they are good to go. I usually pair them with my banana oat mini scones to get a complete breakfast on the go. This recipe is versatile enough to be used with any cooked vegetable. 

Ingredients

3 cups cooked broccolli 

1 tbsp masala (or really any seasoning you prefer)

1 tsp dried chives

1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese

3 cups of egg whites (or eggs or egg substitute)

Salt to taste

1) preheat oven to 350F

2) lightly grease a 12 compartment muffin tray

3) mix together broccolli, chives, masala and salt

4) divide broccolli mixture equally into all the muffin cups

5) add a little shredded cheese to each compartment 

6) pour the egg white into each of the compartments

7) bake at 350 for 20-25 mins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a quiche comes out clean.

8) serve immediately or let cool on a wire rack completely before storing.