Food Lush

Chana Masala and Indian Spiced Vegetables

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

Jess M.

I have been a faithful Food Lush reader from the start, having been a Style Lush reader for a long time. So, when it comes to choosing a favorite post, it's just so hard! I love how reading Food Lush has always seemed like sitting around with friends and talking about what we're all making for dinner or what great kitchen gadget someone found. So, I have to list the two Food Lush Gift Guides, 2011 and 2012, as my favorite posts. Even today when I looked back at them I was newly interested in things on the lists. They have given me plenty of ideas for my own Christmas list and ideas for others. I also really enjoyed this post about owl-themed kitchen things. I bought the mugs right after reading that post!

As for my favorite of my own posts, it has to be the one where I talked about my cookbook collection. I am so attached to certain cookbooks and I try and give a lot of thought to which ones I buy, so it was fun to show my cookbook-nerd side and share these with my friends.

And I know that this is Food Lush, but I cannot let it go without mentioning just how many things I bought for myself after they were mentioned on Style Lush: this coat, a bunch of these shirts, and BB Cream to name a few.

***

When we try to eat healthy it always involves a lot of beans. And when we discovered Indian food from a local restaurant we were instantly in love. Beans! Vegetables! Spiciness! Many vegetarian dishes! Unforuntaly the Indian restaurant in our town isn't convenient to us at all. We almost never happen to be near it to just pop in and bring home carryout. And when we discovered that our son would eat Chana Masala, I knew I had to find a way for us to have this dish more often. I didn't have to look very far because Smitten Kitchen has a great and easy recipe.

Chana Masala and Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes from Smitten Kitchen

Both dishes use overlapping spices, so when you measure them out for one, measure out for the other. They both also start with sauteeing some onion, so I just start them at the same time. Both reheat very well and when we put away the leftovers we often just combine it all into one big delicious bowl.

(Photos: me)

I Heart Horseradish

by Tara

Do you guys like horseradish? I always forget how much I do until I cook with it again. It's awesome. I'm going to try to use it more often. The other night I made steak, potatoes, and kale, and the potatoes I made were especially delicious.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

(Such a colorful dinner!)

Ingredients:

-1 medium onion, chopped
-1 tsp sugar
-1 tsp oil
-1 lb potatoes*, cubed
-1/2 cup milk
-2 tbsp fresh parsley
-1 tsp horseradish (approximately; to taste!)
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sautee onions in oil with sugar until onions are tender and browned
2. Meanwhile, add potatoes to large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender.
3. Drain potatoes, add milk, and mash. Add onions, parsley, horseradish, and salt and pepper. 

Makes side dish for 4.

It's amazing how such a little bit of horseradish can add so much flavor!

*I used red potatoes in this instance, but I think any kind would work, even sweet. 

What's your favorite way to eat horseradish?

A Different Spin on Carrot and Raisin Salad

by Jen L.

 

Have you ever had carrot and raisin salad? My mom goes nuts for it when she sees it on a menu. Chick-Fil-A has it as a side, but it's got mayonnaise on it, so I won't go near it.  I've been bringing salads and such for lunch lately, and the other night I made a warm salad that involved brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes and black beans. I thought it would be nice to have something cold to go with it. I dug through the crisper and discovered a huge bag of matchstick carrots I'd forgotten about.  Not wanting them to go bad, I decided to try a new spin on carrot and raisin salad, one I might actually like.  I went to my old standby dressing, Kraft Anything Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette. I mixed about 2 cups of the matchstick carrots with 3 big snack boxes of raisins then tossed the salad in a light coating of the dressing.  (I taste-tested first to make sure raisins in balsamic viniagrette wouldn't be nasty.)  It was pretty good. I let it sit overnight, then tried it again before I committed to packing it in my lunchbox.  It was REALLY good.  The cold salad was a perfect accompaniment to my warm main dish.  I ate it as a side twice, then put the rest atop a bed of spinach with some other veggies for a delicious lunchtime salad.

If you'd like a good break from the normal side dishes that won't leave you feeling greasy and guilty, give my alternative carrot and raisin salad a try.

(Bad iphone photo by me.)

 

Sweet Potato "Chips"

by Maura

Since I'm on the Whole 30 torture train to better health, I'm having trouble finding alternatives to my usual side dishes. There are only so many days in a row that one can eat roasted broccoli. (I'm very close to that limit.) Since sweet potatoes are the only approved starch, I've been eating them in every form. Mashed, baked, diced-up and sauteed -- you name it, I've tried it. I was going to try sweet potato fries, but I've never been successful making them. I came across this recipe for sweet potato chips. It took two tries -- I hopelessly burned the first batch -- but they were delicious! I can see us making this recipe again, even after Hell30 Whole 30 is over!

I'm not the only Food Lush lady who loves them! Check out Krisitie's post from 2010.

Any super delicious sweet potato recipes you want to share with me?

Spice Up Your Oven Fries

By Julie

I was grocery shopping the other day, absentmindedly looking for something new and fun to jazz up dinner when I happened upon this:

In the spirit of full disclosure, my oven fries have never been anything special, no matter what I've tried. I have yet to find that perfect crispy-fluffy texture, and the flavor is usually blah. So I picked up a packet and figured with an investment of 89 cents, it wasn't too risky to give this a spin.

I've got to hand it to Concord Foods - this seasoning makes one tasty potato. Bacon is the significant flavor, and even though I got barely a hint of chive, I was OK with that because it highlighted the other flavors perfectly. I couldn't stop eating them.

My eight year old son cleaned his plate, but my four year old daughter wouldn't touch them. In fairness, since she didn't taste anything, her opinion doesn't really count. And my husband ate every wedge that was left. So I'm calling this a win for my family.

Concord also makes dip, soup, and salsa seasoning blends, and I think I will be checking them out in the near future. Such a nice little kick for not a lot of money.

(Photo from Concord Foods)

Homemade dinner rolls

by Elsha

This Thanksgiving was the first one that Brian and I weren’t with family, which meant we were in charge of all the cooking. You would think that would encourage me to stick with what I already know, but nope! I decided I wanted homemade rolls with Thanksgiving dinner. This was a big thing since, as I’ve mentioned here before, I’ve never had good results baking anything with yeast. I was determined that this time I’d get it to work. Obviously I turned to the internet (I believe my search involved the word “easy”) and found this recipe for Favorite Dinner Rolls from Salad in a Jar.

You guys! They turned out great! 

(My first bread baking sucess!) 

They were exactly what I wanted. Wonderfully soft and delicious. Plus they were great for making turkey sandwiches. Here’s what I think made these a success where my other attempts failed: 1) I used a bread maker to make the dough and 2) I watched her video on how to form the rolls, so I knew how they were supposed to look. I’ll definitely be trying the cinnamon roll variation on these. Maybe for Christmas morning? We’ll see.

Did you have any successful new Thanksgiving dishes?

A New View of Brussels Sprouts

By Julie

Last week, my husband and I took a very long-awaited (years and years of waiting and saving) vacation in Maui. And while I have lots to say about the food in this island paradise, I’m going to tell you about a revelation I had while there. And that revelation came in the form of Brussels sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are one of the quintessential targets of child food hatred. Back in my day, it was simply understood that no self-respecting kid would touch them with a 10 foot fork, and I was no exception. I still remember my utter shock when my mom made them for dinner one day, and just as my brother, sister, and I were ramping up to give her an earful, my dad simply stated that he didn’t like them either and wouldn’t be eating them. Well, since Dad wasn’t eating the little demon vegetables, then we certainly weren’t either. It was a get out of dinner-jail free card!

But one evening, we were at a restaurant where I really wanted to order this incredibly delicious sounding macadamia nut crusted fish dish, except that it came with Brussels sprouts. I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to take the plunge. I’d taste the sprouts like the good sport I am, but if I didn’t like them, they’d get pushed over to the side and dismissed from my diner.

Well, color me surprised. These were not the mushy sprouts of my (admittedly spotty and revisionist) memory. They had been quartered and roasted (or perhaps grilled), with just a hint of char on the sides. They were tender and slightly sweet and just… wonderful. I saved them until the end of my meal so I could savor them.

I can’t wait to try to recreate this at home. Perhaps this version , by Amanda, will be close? I don’t exactly expect my kids to dive wholeheartedly into them, and that’s fine. More for me. Do you like brussels sprouts? What is your favorite preparation for them?

{Photo Credit: thedailygreen.com}

Sautéed Spinach

by Jess M

Like most of us, I try and get as many healthy things into our regular meal rotation as possible. And few things are as (smugly) satisfying as buying giant bags of spinach each week.

When I’m not succumbing to entire weekly menus of comforting, carb-ful and cheesy meals, I try and work spinach in as often as I can. Usually I serve sauteed spinach along with a piece of fish and maybe some rice or grain on the side.

Here is my basic sauteed spinach recipe:

• Rinse the spinach, I use my salad spinner; even though the bags say that the spinach is “triple washed” it can still be a bit sandy
• Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, you can also add some garlic and onion or shallots
• Add the damp spinach leaves over med-high heat and saute them until they start to wilt. I use large tongs to turn the leaves over since the pan is overflowing with spinach.
• After a few minutes, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover the pan with a lid to steam
• Remove the lid after a few minutes and continue to cook, stirring, until the liquid has cooked off.
• Add salt and pepper and serve.

This is my favorite go-to spinach recipe:

From Cook’s Illustrated’s Perfect Vegetables:

 

Sauteed Tender Greens with Mustard and Pecans

For best results use grainy mustard. If it is unavailable, regular Dijon mustard can be substituted.

 

 

¼ c chopped pecans

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced

2 pounds damp tender greens. such as spinach, beet greens or Swiss chard; stemmed, washed in several changes of cold water, shaken to remove excess water, and coarsely chopped

Salt and ground black pepper

1. Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

2. Mix the mustard, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil and shallot in a Dutch oven or other deep pot over medium-high heat until the shallot sizzles and turns golden, about 2 minutes. Add the wet greens and mustard mixture, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens completely wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with the toasted pecans and serve immediately.

And this one goes well when you want to serve spinach alongside a Mexican dish: Espinacas Guisadas (Mexican Sauteed Spinach) - I use this as a guide, and substitute canned, diced tomatoes.

Other Food Lush writers have written about spinach here.

(Photos from: me, Amazon)

Easy, Delicious, Impressive Meal Accompaniment: Grilled Pineapple

by Caitlin

A great thing about being forced into an allergy diet is that you're also forced into creativty. When you've got very limited options you've just gotta figure out different ways of putting things together, and it's a great excuse to attempt some things I've always wanted to try. So! Maybe this grilled pineapple isn't impressive to YOU, but I was certainly impressed with myself upon first pulling this off successfully! 

It's perfect alongside your favorite meat dish, atop a salad, or mixed in with your favorite grain. It would also be a delicious, fun dessert with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. And it's super healthy: the only ingredient is pineapple. You can add oil, salt, and pepper if you want, but I think it's totally unecessary.

I quarter the pineapple using the technique my husband (the chef and former Hawaii resident!) taught me, which you can see in this video from about minute 1:15 to about 2:05.

 

I like them in big quarters because they're easier to monitor on the grill, won't slip through the slats, and there's just something satisfying about cutting into a big ole pineapple steak.

Set your grill to medium hot, and throw the pineaple right on. If you have the patience, do it low and slow for 20-30 minutes. You want to make sure that the sugar gets nice and caramelized, and that it's cooked all the way through. You'll likely end up flipping it a few times to check the progress: it's good to move them around to make sure they're cooked evenly, all the way through. Sometimes hot spots can trip you up, so just keep an eye on them. 

When they're done, they'll look like this: Deeeelicious!

Served here with carne asada, cilantro lime quinoa, grilled asparagus, and cabbage. (Photo by me.)

Have you ever grilled pineapple?

Kitchen Trick: An Easy Way To Store Rice, Quinoa, and Other Grains with Instructions

by Caitlin

You cut open the bag of rice and as you scramble with your other hand to grab the measuring cup you stupidly left just out of reach, you try to keep the bag level but it starts wobbling and some spills out. You finally get the cup and try to pour the rice into it without it sprinkling all over the counter and floor. Which is silly, really, as you know you'll inevitably be sweeping up rice later, after it's stabbed the bottom of your feet on the way to the stove. When it's all over you're left with an open, partially used bag that you stuff into a ziploc, or tie a rubber band around, only to repeat the whole process next time. 

Sound familiar?

Allow me to help. 

I would also like to state for the record that I did not even get this idea from Pinterest, the appeal of which I'm still uncertain about. I'm pretty sure I got it from my Mom. You can be certain I didn't get it from Pinterest because it doesn't involve any chalkboard paint or burlap, although it does involve a mason jar, though that's not strictly necessary.

It's right up there with my saute pan draining tip, which is another trick I didn't come up with on my own. And as with that previous tip, it's not rocket science, and I feel certain others must know about it, yet I feel I'd be doing a disservice not to share it with you.

So:

Photo by me. I hope you appreciate the time I took to Pinterest-up this picture, what with the clutter of a mixing bowl, Lowe's coupon, mesh bag of limes, and the hand lotion lurking in the distance. 

Tear, cut, or otherwise remove the instructions from your bag of rice/quinoa/whatever. Pour contents of the bag into a handy container (I always have extra mason jars lying around my house leftover from canning, but you can use whatever you've got. Tupperware works.), and throw in the instructions. Voila. Display on your counter for that extra Pinterest-y touch. 

Next time you go to cook your grains, you can dip your measuring cup right in the container, while performing nary a circus act. Victory!

How do you store your grains? Are you obsessed with Pinterest? If so, please help me understand why.