Curried Chickpeas, Kale, Potatoes & Lentils

Posted on October 5, 2010 by admin

Not only am I on a curry kick but I am loving chickpeas (garbanzo beans) lately. Luckily my kids like them too. Hummus is one of their favorite snack foods and they won’t object to falafel or chickpeas in any dish I make. I don’t think I started eating them until I got to university and tried falafel for the first time from the cart in the Octagon. (Dunedin’s town ‘square’ is actually octagonal.)

The other night I made a different version of my Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes from the other week. This time I added a bunch of kale from our shared harvest (CSA), lentils and fennel seeds, which added a nice flavor dimension. It was perfect for warming little ones up on these chillier autumn nights. My eldest son declared it “delicious” and that he “loved it” and not surprisingly my middle son said he didn’t like it because it was too spicy but he ate more than half of it before he gave up on it. My youngest son missed out on it because he fell asleep before dinner after a busy day of play dates and running around.

It’s fairly easy to make especially since I used canned chickpeas and precooked belgua lentils from Trader Joe’s.

Curried Chickpeas, Potatoes, Kale and Lentils

Olive oil
1-2 shallots, diced (or med onion)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne (adjust if needed)
2 cans chickpeas
5 sm/med potatoes cut into bite sized pieces (with skins on)
1 cup chicken stock (vegetable stock if vegetarian)
bunch kale, remove large stems and cut into strips
lentils (I used the beluga lentils- 1 cup)
3 large tomatoes, peeled and crushed
1 Tbsp fresh thai basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
2 Tbsp lime juice (had no lemon)

Sauté shallot and garlic. Add spices and stir for a minute or two. Stir in chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, kale and stock, salt and pepper to taste. (I think I should have added it later, but it was fine).

Cook for 20 minutes then add the lentils, basil and parsley.

Cook for another 10-20 minutes. This can be made in crock pot but I suggest sautéing onion/shallot and garlic and then heating the spices over the stove first then adding it all to slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3.

I loved the additional flavor that the fennel seeds added and the kale really went well with the other ingredients. Of course you can tailor this to suit your tastes and what’s in your pantry/refrigerator. I find that eating less meat is not only healthful and good for the environment but less expensive. Not that I ever break the food down into it’s nutritional parts; still it was interesting to find out that not only is there plenty of protein (even vegetarian version) and fiber in this dish, it also is fairly high in folate and other vitamins and minerals. Meaning it is really good for you and your kids, as well as tasting fabulous.

My eldest son and I had the leftovers for lunch the following 2 days.

When you do have time

Posted on September 30, 2010 by admin

The weather has turned, the leaves are changing color and falling. Sundays are often our days that my husband or I make a more elaborate or time consuming meal in the cooler months as the summers are picnics at the town green or back yard barbecues. Though we often go to church in the morning and cub scouts on some Sunday afternoons, there isn’t the same daily rush. There’s no school, no work (well, unfortunately not lately for my husband), no homework, usually no client meetings, just violin practice. This is one of my favorite fall/winter dinners: a whole roasted chicken with root vegetables. It takes quite some time to prep— peeling, cutting, chopping, but really the final result is heaven at home. The boys love it but might not eat each and every vegetable. They seem to like more and more the more often we have it.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

One whole chicken
10-12 baby potatoes either whole or cut in half (depending on size), leave skin on
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
5 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
5 small purple topped turnips, peeled and cut in half (I couldn’t get any, but usually use them)
2-3 sweet potatoes, quartered, leave skin on
handful of whole garlic cloves, peeled
half large onion sliced
handful of pearl onions or shallots
1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (strip from stems first)
Olive oil
salt and pepper
2-3 celery stalks with leaves

Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse and pat dry chicken. In large bowl coat chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and half the chopped thyme. Stuff cavity with celery and onion ends, trim to fit. Place onion slices in the center of a roasting pan in a single layer. Place chicken on top. In bowl take several groups of vegetables and coat with olive oil, remaining thyme, salt and pepper. Place around chicken.

Roast for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350F. Roast for at least and hour. (If the vegetables are crowding the chicken you can roast some on a separate cookie sheet on the rack beneath the chicken. It’s also nice to separate the vegetables from chicken pan about 20 minutes before done, so they get slightly crispy. So they roast evenly, I like to turn vegetables every 20 minutes or so, but that’s optional— once is good. ) It’s done when temperature of thigh is 165F. If it just under it should be ok as it will cook a little more when you take it out to rest. When chicken is ready, place on cutting board for 10 minutes to rest before carving. I don’t make a gravy or sauce since I find it’s so tasty on it’s own it’s unnecessary. Stuffing the cavity will help breast retain juiciness.

This is a win-win dish for the whole family. Comforting home cooked meal on a chilly evening. Savor the time you have with the kids. One good thing— though it takes some time to prepare and more time to cook, it’s easy to clean up and you have some time while it’s in the oven to play.

Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad

Posted on July 8, 2010 by admin

Tonight we came home fairly late from a day at the lake. It’s been swelteringly hot lately and the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner, especially this late. But the boys had been eating so much pizza lately at birthday parties and 4th of July events, that I just couldn’t not cook. Plus I had picked up my favorite fish, Red Snapper, today and I wanted to eat it right away; the fresher the better. We’d gotten our CSA bin on the way home from the beach and inside was another purple kohlrabi, some gorgeous rainbow chard and new potatoes that I knew I would cook up with the Snapper. I put the potatoes on to boil in their jackets, cut up and steamed the chard and tried to figure out the best way to handle the kohlrabi.

My German father had loved kohlrabi and we had it occasionally when I was a child. I think he even grew it. But, I don’t recall liking it very much. My family usually added it to a family favorite stew-like cabbage and beef soup called Eintopf. I ran into a German au pair the other day and I asked her if she ever made kohlrabi. She did. She said she usually “cooked” it and served it with Hollandaise. Hollandaise sauce is not going to happen in my kitchen in the summer unless it’s going over an egg, ham and English muffin for brunch. And that would normally be served to me, not me cooking it. Anyway, “How do you normally “cook” it, do you boil it, bake it, roast it…?” She said, “Boil it.” So I did. I put them (two bulbs) on to boil with the skin on but cut it in half to speed up the cooking time; it was late, remember?

On to the next step. Mango Salsa. The mango wasn’t the best, ripest one ever, but the best the store had to offer. I defrosted some I had in freezer for smoothies and added it to it, so it ended up just fine.

Finally got to the Snapper. I ran my finger tips along the filet and noticed it had a few bones it so I pulled them out using a bone puller (kind of like tweezers). Then I scored the skin with a sharp knife. That way, when you flip over the fish onto its skin side, it won’t curl so much. In a hot pan with minimal canola oil I put the flesh side down first. When it was nice and golden brown, I flipped it over and put the pan into the preheated oven (350F). (It only takes a few more minutes in there until it’s done.)

I could then finish off the potatoes, chard and kohlrabi. I used the already-melted-from-the-stifling-heat butter and put them with all of them and a little sea salt and pepper. Less is more or if you find something that works stick with it, I guess. I took the outer layer of skin off the kohlrabi and cut them into smaller pieces before adding the butter and heating them.

And we were sitting down to eat just over 35 minutes after I started. The kids loved it! Well, my two eldest loved the kohlrabi and the youngest at first refused to try it and when he did he said, “Yuck.” I can’t win them all. My middle son said the kohlrabi tasted like cauliflower, one of his favorite veggies. All did love the Snapper (although theirs was sans salsa), chard and potatoes. I’m glad I made it, because I loved it too and my boys tried a new vegetable with fairly good results.

Grilled Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Salad

Posted on June 7, 2010 by admin

My husband marinated 2 pork chops with 1 shallot, 1 garlic clove, bunch of fresh sage, (all chopped) salt and pepper and a half cup of maple syrup (100% not pancake syrup) for at least 24 hours in a plastic bag in the fridge. They were grilled and served with grilled zucchini and eggplant (just brush with olive oil, salt and pepper), peas (day before CSA pick up we tend to get low on fresh veggies if we haven’t been to another store/farm), mixed green salad and roasted red potatoes. Pork chops can take some time to cook, so use that time to make the salad and other sides. We put the potatoes in just after putting the chops on the grill. Forgot to add earlier- put chops on indirect heat so they don’t burn (sugars in maple syrup will get too black over direct flames).

The potatoes are washed and cut then put in a mixing bowl with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, celery salt and pepper. Toss and then put on baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes at 400. I like the higher temps to get a nice crisp outside. The kids love the flavors, but be careful as some paprika can be spicy. Potatoes are another vegetable that I buy organic.

As I’ve mentioned I serve several salads per week. Often they’re simple: mixed greens with romaine and maybe some chopped fresh herbs. I find that some kids prefer the less-bitter taste of romaine to some mesclun mixes, so I often blend romaine in to counter arugula, frisse and radicchio. Other times I add fresh bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red cabbage, and/or avocados. I believe we need a good supply of fresh raw vegetables (and different colored ones) in order to get the most nutrients. They always go to school with carrots, cucumber and/or celery. I also love a simple vinaigrette. Just some oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper can make a wonderful dressing (and when I’m pressed for time, I use Brianna’s). You add a nice flavor, the oil helps get the nutrients to the blood and you don’t add many calories.

You might notice from the photos we serve juice at times for dinner. I buy only 100% juice (except lemonade) and we serve it if they had milk for lunch. Otherwise it’s milk or water.

My Kids Really Eat This

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Tag Archives: potatoes

Curried Chickpeas, Kale, Potatoes & Lentils

When you do have time

Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad

Grilled Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Salad