Thai Food, Anyone?

I have really grown a taste for Thai and Indian cuisine. This is another Green Smoothie Girl recipe from her 12 Steps to Whole Foods book. It is not just a recipe book, but it contains a lot of recipes to help you implement the things she teaches. Some of the recipes are winners, others not so much. This was a winner--not just a "we could eat it again."

Be warned that it has a kick (one my two year old could handle though. Take care if your kids are wary of spicy foods). It must be the red curry paste. But you can do yellow or green curry paste as well. To find good deals on curry paste and other Asian products go to your local Asian market. The prices are WAY better there and the stuff is probably more authentic. Gluten intolerance? Asian markets have lots of rice and yam noodles for cheap. Really, give them a try. It's one of my new favorite places to shop. :)

I made this with brown basmati rice and would highly recommend the same for you, unless you are really wanting it with noodles.

Whole-Grain Pasta with Thai Coconut Sauce

My teenaged son calls this dish “Asia Meets Europe.” You can serve it with 4 C of cooked brown rice instead of pasta, if you prefer to keep it truly Asian.

16 oz. whole-wheat or spelt pasta, cooked according to package directions
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 onions, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. red curry paste (or green or yellow, if you prefer)
1 can lychee fruit, drained (pronounced “LEE-chee”) --I left this out--
1 can baby corn, drained
¼ tsp. sea salt

Heat the coconut oil in a wok or skillet and sauté vegetables until tender-crisp. Blend the coconut milk,cornstarch, fish sauce, curry paste, and salt in a blender. Add to the vegetables, along with the lycees and baby corn. Heat and stir until sauce thickens. Toss vegetables/sauce with pasta and serve.

Of course, I always recommend serving dinner with a big green salad.

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe comes from Robyn Openshaw's (The Green Smoothie Girl) 12 Steps to Whole Foods book (I highly recommend it), and we quite enjoyed it. Be warned, it makes A LOT. I had to use my mom's canning pan to make it and froze a gallon bag full for later, plus having it for several meals and leftovers.

Of course, you could downsize the recipe. I like having freezer meals and leftovers sometimes. And we are still only three in our family (until May or June), so if you have a big family it might be just right for you.

I can’t overestimate this recipe’s role in helping my mom raise eight children on my father’s military income.Vegetarian chili is inexpensive, nutritious, filling, and a complete protein with brown rice added. As kids, we loved seeing it on the table on winter evenings with chips, shredded cheese, and a big green salad.

4 C pinto beans, soaked overnight and rinsed well
12 C water
2 C brown rice, rinsed well
2 diced yellow onions 4 cans tomato sauce
2 qt. diced tomatoes, with juice
2 Tbsp. chili powder 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1½ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
2-3 bay leaves
optional: 2 green bell peppers, diced
optional: 2 Anaheim or jalapeño peppers, diced

In a very large stock pot, bring the water and beans to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours (or longer, if the beans are very old), until they are almost tender. Add all the remaining ingredients, simmer for 1 hour, and serve. The taste improves overnight after refrigeration. Save leftovers to use for a baked potato bar—or, if you have a small family, you’ll have enough to freeze for another night’s meal.

I made it with the green (and I did red as well) peppers added, and left out the spice for our little boy. Without jalapeño peppers it is not spicy at all but has good flavor.

It's great as just a bowl of chili, but we also got creative and morphed it into other meals.

Here it is as a topping for some boiled red potatoes with tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc. (I was going to do a baked potato bar, but I had these boiled already. Same dif.):

I also used it as a "taco" replacement for a taco salad of sorts. Much like the potato bar but with a huge green salad and some homemade ranch dressing on top. Another note: the ranch dressing is great with some jalapeño pepper blended into it, if you like a kick.

Aloo Gobi

Indian food done right is a wonderful thing. It is a fantastic option when you are trying to downsize your meat intake because there are lots of vegetarian options and lots of flavor that leaves you feeling like you really had something. I got (and modified) this recipe from my local co-op's newspaper. We really enjoyed it and will be eating it regularly now. It is not too spicy (but you could up the spice ratio if you like by adding more cayenne pepper, or do without it if you want none at all. I just did a bit and we thought it was just right).
One thing I will say is that, for us, this was definitely not enough as an entire meal or even main dish. I will make more next time and/or think of it more as a side dish. But we're big eaters, and I like to have leftovers for lunches. See how it goes for your family.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large cauliflower, cut
1 1/4 lb potatoes washed and cut in half-inch cubes (no need to peel. the peels are good to eat)
1 tsp cumin, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 finely chopped onion
2 fine-chopped garlic cloves
1/2-1 inch fresh ginger(depending on your taste), diced
2 tsp chopped jalapeno
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix 3 tbsp. of your oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, all of your cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl (or directly in the roasting pan to save a dish), spread in baking pan and roast for 20 minutes or until your potatoes are tender.
2. As the vegetables roast, grab a heavy skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Add in onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Stir frequently until soft (8-10 minutes; the onions should start to turn clear and golden). Add remaining spices (1/2 tsp salt, cayenne, turmeric, coriander, and cumin) and cook for an additional two minutes.
3. Add in water and roasted veggies. Cover and cook on lower heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Consume!

As a side note, a great side dish for many things is what we do with carrots. I don't peel them anymore because we buy organic and don't mind them, but you can if the peels bother you.
Chop up carrots however you like, boil them until they are just firm, then drain and add butter, salt, and dill to taste. Yum!