Indian Lentils and Spinach

I found this on allrecipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 white onion, halved and sliced into 1/2 -inch rings 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup lentils 1/2 cup water 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon salt (decrease salt if you use salty broth) 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (quite spicy - maybe decrease a bit) 1 bay leaf 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (I used fresh and stirred it into the hot lentils 1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in the hot oil until beginning to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic to onion; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
2.	Mix chicken broth, lentils, 1/2 cup water, crushed garlic, coriander, salt, cumin, chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf into onion mixture; bring to a boil. Cover pan, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are soft, about 35 minutes.
3.	Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add 1/4 cup water; heat in microwave for 5 minutes. Stir spinach and continue cooking in microwave until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Let spinach cool, about 5 minutes; drain water and squeeze excess water from spinach.
4.	Mix spinach into lentils; cover pan and simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.

White bean spread

 This is my new favorite snack.
(from Canadian Living's Family Cookbook)

2 Tbs olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
1 can (19 oz) white kidney beans
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs tahini
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Mix all ingredients together until smooth in food processor or blender

Stir in and garnish with 3 Tbs chopped fresh coriander.


Now - here's how I made it last night:

• left out the cumin
• fresh lemon juice - so much better than bottled
• didn't have fresh coriander

Yum! I love it with these crackers

 

La Panzanella - you can get them at Costco

Spicy beanburgers

Someone try this recipe from the Boden blog - and let us know how it tastes.


Serves 2
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 small, hot red chilli, finely chopped
100g (4oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 x 400g (14oz) tin cannellini beans
50g (2oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chopped
Fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
Burger buns
Salad
Herby low-fat yoghurt
Dressing

Step one
Heat the oil in a small pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 5 minutes until softened. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach and place in a large bowl. (To get the maximum amount of water out of the spinach, place it in a tea towel and twist into a tight ball.)

Step two
Mash the beans well and mix them with the spinach, breadcrumbs, cumin and coriander. Add the onion mixture and mix well. Season to taste and with slightly wet hands, shape into 4 round burgers and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

Step three
Grill, or spray with oil and shallow fry, for a few minutes on each side until crisp and golden. Serve in burger buns, served with salad and low-fat yoghurt mixed with fresh chopped herbs, if liked.