3 in 1 Real Foods Recipes

Butternut Chickpea Tikka Masala

This is really three recipes in one.  Don't be afraid of the ingredients listed or the steps in the process.  Each recipe could be paired with lots of things, and two of the three could be enjoyed totally on their own.  All of them are inspired by fond memories of the wedding we celebrated for our son last year, our No More Grocery Shopping Experiment, and The 52 New Foods Challenge.

First, the wedding!  

A year ago, I'm sitting at the table with Brennan, our oldest child, and Marissa, his fiance.  Their wedding is less than two months away and it is time to get serious about the menu for the festivities. 

"We were thinking curry," she says.  Bren and Marissa are both vegetarian and Indian food is one of their favorite cuisines.

"Yeah, remember when we made a huge pot of Tikka Masala curry for the homeless kids?" Bren asks.  "We could just do something like that.  Right?"  

"Yeah," I laugh.  "Feeding the homeless and feeding a bunch of  wedding guests are pretty much the same thing."  But, I don't laugh too hard, because, with this thrifty pair and their' taste for delicious, inexpensive food, we really don't need to switch our culinary gears to get wedding-worthy results out of  homeless shelter fare.  I'm glad about that, and I know they are, too.

"The thing is, we only made one recipe for the homeless shelter.  What are you hoping to do for your wedding dinner?"

"Well, we have several kinds of curry we love.  I guess it would come down to what is cheapest and easiest to make," my daughter-in-law-to-be says.  She's a keeper.  No trace of BrideZilla here.

"Okay, what would you say are your very favorites?  Let's list them out and go from there."   We make a list of curries and other Indian cuisine.  Tikka Masala is at the top.  After weeks of experimenting we have a bride-and-groom approved recipe.  It was amazing, and many people left saying it was the best wedding food they had ever eaten.  This recipe is just part of what we did, it comes in three parts and it is worth replicating!

        

Garlic Ginger Jumble

20 cloves garlic, peeled

6 inches ginger root, peeled and chopped

3 tbsp coconut oil

Salt and pepper

      

1.  Peel all that garlic.  As an easy tip, break all the cloves away from the bulb and throw into a large bowl that has a tight lid.  Cover the bowl with the lid and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. The skins will slip right off.  It may take a minute or two of additional shaking,  but it's good exercise and way quicker than standing there peeling each clove.

      

2. Peel the ginger root and cut it into one inch pieces.  

3. Add the garlic and the ginger,  along with the oil, into a blender or food processor and grind to a paste or poultice.  

4. Saute up and use in curries, lentils and rice dishes.  Refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Second, The 52 New Foods Challenge

Hannah trying her hand at butternut squash and the 52 New Foods Challenge     

I love this book.  I hope you buy it, read it, practice its precepts and slowly convert your family to a renewed habit of conscious eating. You have 52 weeks to do it in, for crying out loud.  Jennifer Tyler Lee inspires me to look at old favorites in new ways (ever try Brussel Sprout Chips, for instance?) in fact, the garlic ginger jumble above came as a result of asking how other cultures use these familiar additions to their food.  A Pakistani friend you'll meet at the end of this post says that is a regular recipe in his kitchen. Now, it is a staple in mine as well. 

After reading the book, I should say I made a discovery, and it is this:  there are ways to prepare an old standby so it seems new.  Take butternut squash, for instance. Not usually my favorite of the squashes.  And, my kids don't like it either.  My husband, on the other hand, will eat it any way he can, but he usually falls back on soup or mashed butternut.  YUCK!  No offense butternut soup lovers of the world.  It might as well be pumpkin pie soup If you ask me.  Always too sweet and creamy to believe it should be a main player at the dinner table.  

However, the 52 New Foods Challenge inspired me to try something new with butternut. I wanted it to be so savory it could stand on its own or be a meat substitute in tacos, curries or pastas.  I wanted it to be something easy enough for an 11-year-old to make. I was honestly doubtful every step of the way until they came searing hot out of the sauté pan into the serving dish.  One taste and I knew we had hit on something we were going to look forward to in many meals to come.  Thanks, Jennifer.  Here is the recipe:

     

Curry Peppered Butternut Squash

2 cups butternut squash cooked and cubed

1 tsp chili pepper

1/2 tsp yellow curry 

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1. Cut Squash lengthwise, deseed, lay face down on a cooking sheet.  Cook for 30 minutes at 350*.  When it's finished peel squash, and cut it into one inch cubes.Toss cubed squash in a bag with spices, shake to coat well

2. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil in a medium sauté pan.

3. Sear squash in the pan with oil until all sides are browned

4. Set aside and try not to eat it all before you get the rest of your meal done.  Serve on top of rice, in curry, or on its own.

      

Finally, No More Grocery Shopping.  

We were 25 days in to our 40 day grocery store fast when we have Hedar, a friend of KC's, came over for dinner.  Hedar is a Pakistani exchange student.  Pakistanis love curry.  Hedar, homesick for food from his homeland, especially loves Tikka Masala.  When I realized he was coming on the day of my photo shoot of all these great recipes, I sort of panicked.  What if I didn't have a key ingredient? What if I couldn't get the curry just right with whatever I had on hand?  What if he hated the whole meal?  I confronted the first question with my Trusted Advisors - could I go to the store just to get a few items for this special meal for the photos, and for the Pakistani boy.  "No!" Was pretty much the resounding answer.  "You can barter for your missing ingredients."  I traded a whole meal in exchange for some yellow curry powder, ginger and coconut. The caramels I bought at the gas station for the dessert I made later were declared a cheat by every kid, my husband and my trusted advisers.  I thought the loophole was clear.

When our guest arrived, he could smell all the garlic, ginger and curry in the air.  "What did you make for dinner?" was his first enthusiastic question when he came in the door.

"Well, I made a bunch of stuff.  Syrian rice, Babaganouj, Hummus, and Tikka Masala."

"You made Tikka? I love Tikka!" He said, wonder and homesickness in his voice.  I was immediately intimidated by the prospect of having screwed it up.

"No! Actually, it is just a random curry sauce.  See this one over here?" I ask, lifting the lid of a different pan, trying to divert his attention from what may be a very disappointing version of his beloved dish.  "This is Syrian rice.  Have you ever had this?"

"Yes.  We have this.  But, why do you say this is not Tikka?" he asks, wondering if I know my own mind.

"Well, because, it probably isn't the tikka masala you know.  Maybe it's too American.  I have never fed this curry to a person who would really KNOW.  Here," I say taking the lid off of the curry pot, "see what you think."

Before I even hand him the spoon, he takes a big whiff of the steam coming off the curry.  He smiles broadly.  "THIS IS TIKKA!" he exclaims.  "I know it is!  I can smell this in the air.  I smell the masala spices."

He is so excited.  I hand him the spoon.  He tastes.  "TIKKA!" is all he says.

So, with bartering and bargaining, and no trips to the grocery store, I was able to pull of a very authentic dish.  Yay!

        

Butternut Chickpea Tikka Masala

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp garlic ginger jumble (recipe above)

1 hot chili, minced

2 cups veggie broth

3 potatoes diced

1 lb baby carrots whole

1 tbsp yellow curry

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp red pepper

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1  28oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 1/2 c cream

2 cups prepared butternut squash (recipe above) 

        

1.  Sauté onions and garlic ginger jumble and pepper in a large pan over medium-high heat. 

2. In a separate pan, potatoes and carrots in two cups of veggie broth.  When veggies are steamed but still firm, add them, along with the broth to the onions and garlic.  

3. Add spices and stir well.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add all additional ingredients.  

4. Simmer to a gentle bubble for 15 minutes.  Serve piping hot over rice.

The 52 New Foods Challenge - A Challenge Within a Challenge

So, as of today, DAY 25, we are more than halfway through our No More Grocery Shopping challenge.  We've also taken the SNAP challenge to keep our food expenditures under $4.50 per person per day (as an average).  Honestly, staying out of the grocery store is by far the more difficult challenge when compared to coming in under budget.  But, since I am committed to both, and we are doing reasonably well, I thought it would be fun to get another plate spinning in this whole food challenge circus side show.

Enter the 52 New Foods Challenge!  Jennifer Tyler Lee, creator of this engaging game and  300+ page recourse guide and recipe book, is a writer, a foodie, and a mom committed to helping build strong, healthy families through fresh food experiments.  As you know, my blog is all about experiments, especially with food.  So, Jennifer's mission immediately resonated with  me.  The 52 New Foods Challenge is built around 7 Principles, all of which are easier said than done.  However, as a mom of four, myself, I know that's the case with most things that are worth pursuing and family related.  It takes commitment, creativity and connection to see a challenge through, and I know Jennifer Tyler Lee understands this, too.  She never claims a quick fix though this process.  Rather, she suggests a systematic, planned approach to introducing new foods and recipes to your family.  That said, let me share with you two of my favorite principles from her book, and how we've incorporated them in our family over the years of raising children.

The 52 New Foods Challenge           

Let Kids Lead

If you've followed this blog at all, you have seen the kids leading out. If you are new to this blog, you should know that they have they taken each meal for the last month from the planning stages to the table , including making all the purchases before we started this crazy 40 day fast from grocery shopping.  Through our experiments over the years, our kids have learned to do more with less, eat fresh on a dime, make a meal out of whatever is in the fridge even when you are exhausted at the end of a long day, and push the limits of their own creativity in the kitchen and in life.  

"Can we have breakfast for dinner a bunch of times during my turn?" our youngest child, Hannah, asks. 

"You can't do it a bunch of times because dad doesn't think breakfast for dinner is really a legitimate option, remember," responds her 16-year-old-sister, KC.  

"What's not legitimate about waffles?" Hannah asks.  The question actually inspires KC to go on a quest for hardy, not-your-regular-run-of-the-flour-mill waffle recipes.  She found some and made them.  They were legit.

They have also learned to tolerate frustration and failure to the point of trying again until they are happy with the results they get from a given recipe or experiment.  

"Mom, you made the curry without me?  it's my week and i suck at making curry.  i really wanted to make it." Caleb, 13 complains.

"Well, you were napping and i tried to wake you, but you just didn't get up.  So, I made it by myself.  I'm sorry.  And, how can you say you're not good at curry when poor, pregnant Aunt Katie tells me every time we talk about food how she craves that cilantro lime curry you made at her house this summer.  She dreams about it.  She loves it so much that even in restaurants she compares other curries to yours and they don't meet the standard."

"Well, she is pregnant," he replies, with a smirk.  "Anyway, that was Thai.  It wasn't as tricky as Indian curries, there are so many spices to keep track of, and I really wanted to learn the ones we did for Brennan's wedding."  Our other son got married last December.  We served Coconut Korma and Chickpea Tikka Masala, along with a lot of other highly seasoned menu items. 

"Fine, I'm making it again later this week to post on the blog.  If you are all caught up on school I'll keep you home for an hour so I can walk you through it."  He has straight A's for the first time in his life.  He mastered the Coconut Korma.

                                              

Cooking Together

While letting kids lead has gone a long way to teach our children new skills around meal prep, cooking, and budgeting, I have to say that the habit of  "Cooking Together" actually saved our family.  2 1/2 years ago, our oldest child, Brennan, became ill with what turned out to be chronic, recurrent mono.  Previously an avid eater and fan of all things foodie, he lost his appetite, lost 20% of his body mass, and lost his connection to most of the important things in his life - relationships, music, intellectual pursuits, food.  He was sick.  For a long time.  It was life-altering.  Still, throughout this trying time, we kept our habit of cooking together, entertaining a small crowd on Sundays, and planning food for special occasions .  I have to give him an immense amount of credit for his example to our family, because even though he rarely felt like it, he always participated in the kitchen as an effort, actually, as an act of hope, to one day reconnect with food and people and life as he knew it.  

During this time Brennan chose to become a vegetarian.  This gave our whole family an opportunity to learn new recipes and reimagine old favorites.  It also inspired us all to examine what we were eating more closely.   Since then, every kid in our house has chosen a vegetarian diet.  Caleb,  has also chosen to quit refined sugar. (I tell him, "that is a great choice," as i shudder at the thought of taking that on personally.) Here, I have to say, feeding a bunch of vegetarians is the easiest family challenge I have ever confronted.  My husband jokes about this because even though he still eats meat occasionally, he has always had more vegetation on his plate than anyone else, and hangs on to his "youthful figure" by consuming a colorful palette of fruits and vegetables.    Me, I pretty much only eat meat on my date night, always incorporate as much color as i can encourage into our various kid managed menus, and will always be trailing my husband as far as overall fitness goes.  

Wrap Up

So, here's what I've learned about family challenges: the bad news is, some of them you don't get to opt in and out of, and, sometimes they take a lot longer than you ever thought they would.  The good news is, when you have foundational practices in place, like letting kids lead, and things as everyday as planning and preparing meals as a family, or looking forward to Sunday dinner entertaining, you can pull through just about anything together.

And, now, for the Caleb's Coconut Korma, prominently featuring 52 New Foods Challenge Ingredients: Garlic and Cauliflower (so, the ingredients aren't new, but the final outcome is unique). 

Thanks, Dawni, for your beautiful photography.

         

Coconut Korma

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups cauliflower florets 

1 cup veggie broth

1 1/2  tbsp curry powder

1 1/2 tbsp garam masala

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chickpeas

1 15oz can chopped tomatoes

1 15oz (regular size) can coconut milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 c toasted cashews

1/2 c golden raisins

2 tsp chopped chilis of choice

cilantro and rice to serve

1.  Sauté onions and garlic in a large pan over medium-high heat.  

2. In a separate pan, steam cauliflower in one cup of veggie broth.  When cauliflower is steamed but still firm, add it, along with the broth to the onions and garlic.  

3. Add spices and stir well.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add all additional ingredients.  

4. Simmer to a gentle bubble for 15 minutes.  Serve piping hot over rice.

      

Coconut Lime Curry for a Pregnant Mama's Worry

                       

My sweet little sister is 9 months pregnant with her 3rd child.  She has been craving this curry since Caleb made it for her this summer as part of a Cousins Iron Chef competition we had at her house.  We were talking about it this morning, laughing about how she dreams of this recipe.  

"Oh, Katie, you went past your due date.   You need this curry!  You deserve this curry." I said.  "I will see if I can't find the recipe, or at least a list of ingredients for you." 

"Today?  Will you find it today?" she presses.  She is overdue, worried this baby is never going to come.  Or, that he may come while she is trick-or-treating with her toddler.  Actually, she's worried he's going to come at the perfect time.  It just is past time, already.

"I'll do my best." I assure her.

I have to admit, this commitment is a little shifty.  No one in our family - my mom, my sisters, my husband and kids - is good about keeping a record of what we throw into a pot of sauce.  And, it is unconscionable to give an over-due pregnant woman false hope about anything.  However, I seemed to remember that since it was a competition the kids had at least made a shopping list in a notebook somewhere.

School gets out, kids come home, notebooks are gathered.  Caleb has no record of the event.  Hannah, on the other hand, had written more than a list of ingredients.  She had the whole recipe and remembered the alterations they had made for their competition.  

So, as a good omen, an act of desperation on behalf of my beautiful sister, I send her this curry recipe - spicy, tangy, creamy, savory - in hopes that it does her some good in preparation for having that baby ANY TIME NOW!

                   

Thai Coconut Curry Soup - For 6

2 tbsp canola oil - $0.05

2 tbs ginger, grated - $0.10

2 garlic cloves, minced $0.10

1/4 cup cilantro - $0.25

2 cups spinach - $1

2 cans coconut milk - $3

3 cups veggie broth - $1

1 cup cream - $1

2 tbs lime juice -$0.10

2 tbsp yellow curry powder - $0.10

1/2 lb baby carrots - $0.50

2 red or green chili peppers, diced tiny - $0.10

1 avocado, diced - $1

1/2 small red onion, diced - $0.10

3 cups rice - $0.25

Family Dinner Total - $8.65

Per Person Total - $1.44

1. Cook the rice.

2. Sauté ginger and garlic in oil

3. In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, spinach and one chili pepper with one can of the coconut milk.  Blend it up and add it to the pan with the garlic and ginger.

4. Add remaining coconut milk, cream, broth, lime juice, curry powder and carrots.  Bring soup to a boil over medium heat.  Cook until carrots are tender.

5. Server hot over rice.  Top with peppers, avocado, and onion.

                       

P.S.  This recipe, featuring Garlic and Avocado, among lots of other fresh ingredients, is a preview to my promo of the book The 52 New Foods Challenge, by Jennifer Tyler Lee.  You won't believe the great food she has inspired me to share.  Tune in tomorrow for another awesome curry recipe you won't want to miss.

Caleb with his soup and the 52 New Foods Challenge