Curried Lentils & Sweet Potatoes, Week's Menu Plan

This recipe was pretty impressive.  Not just because Bryant deemed it "blogworthy" but really because it took ingredients like lentils and swiss chard and turned it into a good dish.  Not only a good dish but a healthy dish, too.  Lentils are incredibly good for you (particularly high in folate and fiber), sweet potatoes provide Vitamin A and swiss chard are high in Vitamin A and K.  You can check World's Healthiest Foods for more: http://whfoods.org/.

This lentils & sweet potato dish needs time (about 45 minutes of cooking time) to soften the lentils so I wouldn't recommend it for a weeknight meal. (I actually had it on for a weeknight last week but then wimped out.)  However, it is nice that not only is it a one-dish meal but it doesn't have to be served immediately - it can just simmer until you're ready to serve.  We had it with some good homemade bread on the side and thoroughly enjoyed this meal!

Curried Lentils & Sweet Potatoes
 Taken from: Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6-8

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
• 4 to 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth, as needed
• 2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional, I omitted)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish

-In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
-Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.)
-Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.
-Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Week's Menu Plan:
Sunday:  Lentils & Sweet Potatoes 

Monday:  pasta primavera

Tuesday: Asian Salmon

Wednesday: beef bulgogi w/ leftover moo shu veggies

Thursday: balsamic roasted chicken 

Friday: out!

Saturday: ground turkey and spinach ravioli

Chicken Tikka Masala

Several years ago, when I was just beginning to get interested in cooking, my sister Jane gave me a year's subscription to Cook's Illustrated as a gift. Well, that was definitely the gift that keeps on giving because I am still using those 2007 issues for delicious recipes! It already gave us one of our all-time favorites, blueberry scones; now, it's added a new one to the list of our best meals: chicken tikka masala. I LOVE that these people at Cook's Illustrated already do the work for you, experimenting with the best ingredients, cooking methods, etc. The only things I tweaked were (surprise!) a few things to make it a bit healthier.

I also served it with brown rice with black mustard seeds, peas, carrots and celery. I got this idea from the show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. They mentioned that sauteing whole black mustard seeds on a high heat actually brings out a nutty flavor, totally unlike the typical mustard taste. After I saw the show, I scoured the internet for a recipe. Nothing perfect came up but I found one that served as a base recipe and then I made several changes to it. Altogether, the combination of chicken tikka masala and rice with mustard seeds and vegetables makes quite a meal.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Taken from: Cook's Illustrated, Sep & Oct 2007 issue

Chicken Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 1 c. low-fat (1% milkfat) plain yogurt (fat free never cooks well)
  
• 2 Tb. canola oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed with garlic press
• 1 Tb. fresh ginger, grated

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 Tb. canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (approx. 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed with garlic press
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 1 jalapeno chile, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (caution: the hottest part of the chile is the ribs and seeds so be very careful when handling because it gets on your fingers)
• 1 Tb. tomato paste
• 1 Tb. garam masala (or substitute 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper)
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen brand recommended) OR approx. 4 large tomatoes, crushed in food processor
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2/3 c. fat-free half-and-half
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

-Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne and 1 tsp. salt in small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken, pressing gently so spices adhere.
-Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-60 minutes.
-In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, 2 Tb. oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 Tb. ginger.
-Then, heat 3 Tb. oil in Dutch oven (or saucepan) over medium heat. Once heated, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden (8-10 minutes).
-Add 2 minced garlic cloves, ginger, chile, tomato paste and garam masala. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant (about 3 min).
-Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (See next steps to cook chicken while sauce simmers.)
-Stir in half-and-half and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat or turn to low to keep warm.

-CHICKEN: While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 5 inches from heat) and heat broiler. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray wire rack with cooking spray and then set wire rack in baking sheet
-Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture and make sure chicken has thick layer of it. (Throw away any extra yogurt.)
-Broil chicken for 10 minutes and then flip. Cook until thickest part is 160 degrees (chicken will be lightly charred in places). Time will depend on thickness of the chicken but will range from 15-25 total minutes.
-Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce. Stir in cilantro (or serve cilantro on side).


Brown Rice with Mustard Seeds, Carrots and Peas
Loosely adapted from: Group Recipes

• 1 cup brown rice
  
• water
  
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds
• ½ large onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup frozen petite peas
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped (if desired)
  
• salt and pepper
  

-In a rice cooker or on the stove, cook brown rice according to directions (this should take at least 30 minutes).
-Heat the oil on high heat and fry the mustard seeds, covered, until they splutter for about 30 seconds.
-Add the onions and carrots to the mustard seeds and fry on medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions have turned a light golden brown, stirring occasionally.
-Add the peas and continue to cook, about 5 minutes.
-Add the cooked rice to dish and stir to incorporate. Keep on medium heat until heated throughout.
-Serve. You can also bring the temperature to low to keep warm until ready to serve.