Vegetable Curry

I have had a number of people say to me that following a gluten free diet is too expensive. A few of these people said that they either don't bother or "cheat" often. Yes, gluten free products can be expensive. Especially those that try to mimic foods that contain gluten - breads, pastas, cookies. I find that these people have not been fully educated about a gluten free diet or have not expanded their thinking about foods. Many cultures use little in the way of wheat based foods. Asian and Indian cuisine are too examples. Traditional Mexican is corn based. Rice, corn, corn meal and potatoes are very inexpensive.

In our house we love Thai and Indain foods. We like spicey. Unfortunately when eaten at restaurants the sodium level is very high. Since the man has be careful for his blood pressure, I like to cook at home to reduce the sodium. Indian food also tends to be high is fat - using a lot of clarified butter (ghee). The ghee also increases the saturated fat in Indian food. Thai food tends to use peanut oil - high in monounsaturated fat.- but not an overabundance. Thai curries use coconut oil - a tropic oil high in saturated fats - the jury is still out on the benefits of coconut oil vs the high saturated fat content- so I still recommend moderation for the tropical oils.
I often make my own curry sauce (curry means sauce in the Indian language), but have found a good substitue at the local grocery store. Good Housekeeping - Good Food - Coconut and Chile Curry Sauce. It comes in a jar and is found in the Indian/Asian section. For a 2 Tbsp serving the sodium is 135 mg and the fat is 2.5 grams, 1.5 grams being saturated fat. This brand is gluten free. A typical jarred curry sauce might give you 8 grams of fat and 310 grams sodium in 2 tbsp.

Having an abundance of vegetable from the CFA vegetable curry sounded like an easy meal for a warm summer night. I had some cubed, firm tofu in the fridge, so I drained it, wrapped it in heavy paper towel and weighted it with a full gallon jug - this fits nicely into my collander. I let this drain for 1/2 hour and then put it in the fridge wrapped in a new paper towel.
I diced up some red onion, garlic, green pepper, yellow squash, yellow beans and carrots. My daughter helped with some of the veggie prep. A pot of rice goes on before the cooking begins - unfortunately my people do not like brown rice (brown rice has a lower glycemic index than white rice and is higher in fiber - we can get our fiber elsewhere) I like to use jasmine rice.
The tofu goes into a large skillet that has been prepped with canola oil. The tofu gets browned then the harder veggies go in - the onion, peppers and carrots as well as the garlic. We like it a bit spicey, so i popped in a 1/2 of a banana pepper. When the carrots start to soften and the onion is starting to brown the squash and beans go in. It all sautes for about 5 minutes, then the whole jar of sauce goes in and is cooked through. A lid goes on and the heat goes to low while the rice finishes up.
Any veggie goes well in this - broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, peas.

A note about the banana pepper. I was not sure if the pepper was hot or not. Banana pepper?? Bananas aren't hot, how about naming it diablo pepper or Burning mouth pepper. I cut into this thing not knowing, tasted it to check - ouch- then proceded to finish chopping it. My lips were tingly at this point. Then I brushed my fingers over my face to clear a piece of hair, the skin on my face started to burn. Wear gloves to cut these things!!

Easy, inexpensive, delicious and nutritious.

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

Last night was vegetarian night. The girls were happy. Lots of veggies in a spicy curry. Easy cooking for me. The man, of course, remarked about the lack of meat. My answer is that he will thank me when he does not have the heart attack. His grandpa diet of a massive one at a young age and his dad has had a quadruple (or was it a quint) bypass. Right now our friend Dan is in the hospital with chest pain - he has survived one heart attack. Dan has nothing to do with my dinner last night, but I've been thinking about him on and off all day.

A vegetarian meal once or twice a week is a good plan. As long as the cheese and eggs are kept to a minimum. This is also an inexpensive meal that is easy to make in the crock pot.

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup sliced carrots (can use whole baby carrots - a actual small ones)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger (the jarred ginger works well)

2 cloves minced garlic (again you can use the jarred)

1 tbsp curry powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or chopped serano chile- I don't like to mess with hot peppers when I am wearing contact lens) can add more for extra spice

2 14 ounce canned garbanzo beans (chick peas) rinse well under cold water

1 cup diced red peppers

1 1/2 cups cubed potato

1 cup fresh green beans in 2-3 inch pieces

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

14 ounces vegetable broth

1 cup light coconut milk

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and saute for about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, ginger, garlic and chile pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Place onion mixture into crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cover crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours.

Serve over bastmati or brown rice.

Superbowl Sunday is over

Starting this blog has been a challenge. I won't go into details, but I'm finally ready. One of my biggest challenges has been to narrow my focus. I think that this begining recipe does this. I have a teenage who is trying to be a vegetarian. She started by stating that she was going to be vegan, but changed her mind when I pointed out that cheese twists contained dairy. Now she is actually including fish in her diet - this is good. Daily challege number two is a husband who needs a gluten free diet - no diagnosis of celiacs, but definite problems with gluten - GI upset (won't go into details) and respiratory congestion are the main symptoms. Preparing meals that are health, that every one can eat can be fun, frustrating as well as a learning experience. I am hoping that others can benifit from my food journey.

This is a salsa recipe that I have adapted from a recipe that I found on "Allrecipes" With all corn tortillas this can be a meal.

Spicey Bean Salsa:
1 (15 ounce ) can Black Beans - rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can Black eyed peas- rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce - minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 ounces balsamic or red wine vinegar
3 ounces olive oil
1 tsp each- basil, oregano and parsley
black pepper to taste.

Simply mix all ingredients in a large serving bowl - allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving.

I served this a two parties with great success. At both parties were guests who needed a gluten free option as well as guests interested in a vegetarian option. This dish makes them both happy.