Indian Spiced Vegetable

Abe requested that I cook vegetarian a few times this week because he's trying to get healthy.  I had just gotten a new Rachael Ray cooking book (yes, to add to my 50 million other cookbooks...) and thought this would be a good try.  Abe isn't always the hugest fan of Indian food, but he really did like this one.

Don't let the interesting combination of hot vegetables on top of cold salad turn you off to the dish; the combo actually is really good.. now I know what they mean on cooking shows about contrasts in food and this one has hot/cold and tender/crunchy. And since there is no rice or starch, the recipe is super healthy.

And yes, the picture is mine.  Finally.

Enjoy!

Indian Spiced Vegetables
Serves 4

Spice Blend

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (not ground cumin)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pinches cinnamon

3 large waxy white potatoes, peeled and diced
Coarse salt
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 15- ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup frozen green peas
1 small head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
4 radishes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
Juice of 1 lemon

Combine the ingredients for the spice blend and set aside.

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water.  Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil.  Take off the lid and add salt.  Boil the potatoes for 6-7 minutes, then add the cauliflower to the same pot.  Cook for 2-3 minutes longer, then drain.  The potatoes and cauliflower should still be a little undercooked.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the oil, then the butter.  When the butter melts into the oil, add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the drained potatoes and cauliflower and the chickpeas and combine.  Stir the spice blend into the vegetables and cook for a minutes or two to develop flavors.  Stir in the stock and turn the vegetables to evenly distribute.  The dish will turn a bright yellow.  Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes longer.  Add the peas and turn off the heat.  The carry-over heat will warm them through.  Taste to adjust the salt of the dish.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded lettuce with the almonds, radishes, mint and parsley or cilantro.  Dress the salad with the lemon juice, a drizzle of vegetable oil and some salt.  Pile the salad on plates, top with the hot vegetables and serve.

Spiced-Rubbed Roasted Salmon with Lemon Garlic Spinach

I had about 10 minutes to find a way to make one piece of salmon for Abe's dinner and use up a bag of spinach that was going bad.  Voila!  Healthy, easy and very tasty.  I looked like a rock star to the husband and little does he know it was a last minute scramble!


I know the recipe calls for one big piece of salmon, but it could easily be used with fillets.  

I paired it with asparagus risotto from Trader Joe's. 

I got the recipe from Cookinglight.com (along with photo).

Enjoy!

Spice-Rubbed Roasted Salmon with Lemon Garlic Spinach
Serves 4

1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
1/4  teaspoon  paprika
1/8  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1  (2 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet
2  cups  thinly sliced onion
Cooking spray

Spinach:
1  teaspoon  olive oil
2  garlic cloves, minced
2  (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare salmon, combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over fish. Place onion in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place fish on top of onion; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

To prepare spinach, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add half of spinach; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining spinach; cook 4 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle spinach mixture with rind and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in juice; remove from heat.

Place salmon on a plate. Arrange onions and spinach evenly around salmon

1st Blog Giveaway!

In honor of my little pumpkin's 2nd birthday, I'm giving away a $10 Target giftcard when we reach 150 Facebook fans.  All you have to do is become a follower on the blog and then go to my Facebook page and make sure to "like" it.  That's all!   Spread the word to friends and family!

Happy birthday, Adam!

Chicken in Wine Cream Sauce

I'm back! 

You missed me, right?  6 weeks ago, I gave birth to our little girl, Ava.  She has brought a lot of joy to our house... and also, a lot of work!  Having 2 children under 2 years of age (my husband seems proud of the fact and tells people we're in the 2 under 2 club) makes time management a tricky thing, to say the least. So I haven't been food blogging or trying many new recipes. I actually didn't have to do a lot of cooking right after she was born either. I am lucky to belong to a playgroup that will bring meals to a member right after they have a baby.  So, I didn't have to cook for 3 entire weeks!  As much as I love to cook, it was soooo nice to have someone bring me a complete meal so I could just enjoy my family. 

But, now I'm back in the saddle and I found a great new recipe.  And it's healthy, so you can enjoy its creamy goodness and not feel an ounce of guilt.

I got the recipe from Cookinglight.com, including photo.   I served it over brown rice.

Man, it's good to be back!

Enjoy!

Chicken in Wine Cream Sauce
Serves 4


2  teaspoons  dried oregano
2  teaspoons  dried basil
1 1/2  teaspoons  dried rosemary
1  teaspoon  garlic powder
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  pepper
1/4  teaspoon  paprika
4  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
8  chicken thighs, skinned (about 2 1/4 pounds)  

Sauce 
1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
2 1/4  cups  1% low-fat milk
1  cup  dry white wine
2  cups  sliced mushrooms
1/4  cup  tub-style light cream cheese

Combine first 7 ingredients and 2 teaspoons oil in a small bowl; rub over chicken. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.

Place flour in a bowl; gradually add milk and wine, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add to skillet, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a simmer. Return chicken to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Add mushrooms; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; cover and set aside. Add cheese to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a whisk. Place 1/2 cup rice on each of 4 plates.

Calories: 444
Fat: 14.5 grams