Comfort Food 101: Indian Samosas and Saag Paneer

I have three true loves in my life: coffee, roller derby & Indian food. Seriously, anything related to the country of India is delicious and beautiful and amazing. When I was single I made curry for dinner at least 3 days a week. But now that I'm married, my husband is not as fond of Indian food as I am, so I make it less often. I needed a fix, so I picked up samosa wraps and paneer at my local Punjabi store and went to town.

I started with fresh snap peas and new potatoes from my garden. I cut the potatoes really tiny and steamed them with my shelled peas. As that was steaming, I grated *frozen ginger and fresh garlic on the smallest grate. Then I chopped a red Thai chile (traditional Indian samosas use green chiles, but this was what I had on hand). These 3 ingredients were then lightly mashed in a small bowl. This should make about 1 Tbsp.

*I buy fresh ginger as I need it and I throw it in the freezer whole in a sandwich bag. Then when I need some I just grate what I need and chuck it back in the freezer. Also, so many people peel their ginger, but a lot of the nutrients are in the peel, so I leave it on, it doesn't change the texture or the taste, so why not have all the nutrients as well?

When the potatoes and peas were nearly finished steaming, I stir fried cumin, turmeric, cayenne, sesame seeds, garam masala, and the ginger-garlic-chile paste for about a minute, then added the potatoes, peas, chopped fresh basil and savory (yeah yeah, I know, not traditional Indian herbs... but, again, its what I had on hand), lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Mixed those all together in the pan and cooked a few more minutes until it looked like this.

I let this mixture cool slightly, then folded the wraps as instructed on the packaging, stuffed them with the mixture and sealed them up.

I deep fried them in my tiny little home deep fryer, but you can bake them if you prefer. (Deep fried anything always tastes better!)

Indian Samosas:

1 pkg. frozen samosa wraps, thawed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" cubes
1/4 cup fresh green peas
2 Tbsp. EVOO or ghee
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp. ginger-garlic-chile paste
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. fresh savory, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Steam the potatoes and peas until tender.

Heat EVOO and add cumin, turmeric, cayenne, sesame seeds, garam masala, and ginger-garlic-chile paste. Stir fry 1 minute. Add potatoes, peas, basil, savory, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Mix them properly and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Take a samosa wrap and fold it as directed on the packaging, stuff 2-3 Tbsp. of the mixture into it and seal it up.

Deep fry, in batches, for 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with sweet tamarind sauce or mango chutney, if desired. Makes 12 samosas.

Next, I made a vegetarian Indian dish called Saag Paneer. It is a delicious spinach curry made with an Indian cheese called paneer. The recipe I used can be found here. I used fresh spinach from my garden and used sour cream instead of yogurt. I crisped up some store-bought garlic naan bread in the oven and devoured 2 helpings of this with an obscenely high number of samosas. Needless to say I am STUFFED.

Chicken with Potatoes and Lemony Green Beans

First of all I must give props to Fresh20 for this recipe. I was skeptical of their service, which is providing menu plans for a fee and you also get access to their archives. However, I found their dairy-free recipes for my son and gladly paid the money and I am not regretting it. The recipes that come with their menu plans are delicious, flavourful and healthy. The first recipe I tried was the Chili Chicken Verde. It was so good, I was literally eating it with a spoon out of the pot and moaning in pure foodie satisfaction. Tonight was supposed to be Halibut with Potatoes, but halibut is really expensive where I live, so I substituted with thinly sliced chicken breasts. Here is the picture of the deliciousness tonight and the recipe follows.

Chicken with Potatoes and Lemony Green Beans

Chicken with Potatoes and Lemony Green Beans

1 lemon, zested & juiced (reserve 1/2 the juice for chicken)
3 Tbsp. EVOO, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
24 oz. mixed baby potatoes, large ones cut into halves or quarters
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
1 tomato, cut into medium dice
2-3 chicken breasts, halved length-wise
1/2 tsp. paprika

• In a small bowl, whisk to combine lemon zest, 1/2 juice, 2 Tbsp. EVOO, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with cold, salted water; add potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes until almost fork tender, about 8-10 mins, add the green beans for the last 2 mins. Drain the potatoes and green beans well and return them to the pot. Add in the lemon juice, garlic, oil mixture and toss to coat.
• Season the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and paprika on both sides. Heat a large pan over medium high heat; add in 1 Tbsp. EVOO and once hot, add the chicken. Cook about 3 mins on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle. Sprinkle with reserved lemon juice and serve with lemony potatoes and green beans.

Cuban-Style Picadillo Chili

I love food that comes from many different cultures around the world. My tastes vary from Asian cuisine to Ethiopian and all the way down to South America. One of the most interesting food cultures can be found in Cuba, where they always put a unique spin on everything they do! I found the original recipe on Ziplist for Turkey Picadillo Quinoa Chili and adapted it to what I had on hand. It turned out amazing! I would make it again in a heartbeat. I love Cuban cuisine and am no stranger to a good picadillo, this one combines sweet, salty and savory in a well balanced easy to make chili that is hearty and healthy for the whole family. Which means my 9-month old daughter devoured it like it was going out of style. I must admit, though, that she has good taste.

Cuban-Style Picadillo Chili

2 Tbsp. EVOO
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small to medium zucchini, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chili powder
3 cups beef stock
1/2 cup uncooked organic quinoa, rinsed
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green olives, rinsed
1/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, chopped avocado, grated cheddar cheese, etc.

In a large dutch oven, add half the EVOO and cook the ground beef (or any ground meat you have on hand) until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove to a separate dish and set aside. Add the onion, red pepper and zucchini with the remaining EVOO and cook until softened, adding the garlic during the last minute, so it doesn't burn. Add the spices and stir around until it smells AMAZING (about 1 minute). Then add the beef stock and the quinoa. Cover, reduce the heat to low and set simmer 15 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot, along with the tomatoes, olives, and raisins. Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to low, and allow it to simmer a few minutes. Add the tomato paste if you want a thicker chili, or leave it out if you like a looser chili. Serve with the optional toppings and nice fresh, soft bakery buns.

You could also serve this over rice, or use it as a filling for stuffed peppers, in tacos or in pastry like homemade empanadas. Possibilities are endless with a a creative mind. It is also incredibly easy to make into a vegetarian chili by omitting the beef, adding 1 cup of chopped cremini mushrooms and substituting the beef stock for veggie stock. I made the vegetarian version of this for my brother and he loved it!

Butterflied Pork Sausages, Mashed Root Vegetables and Corn on the Cob

I wanted to use up some pork sausages from in my freezer tonight so I created a meal around some fall favourites I find at our Farmer's Market this time of year. Hence the Mashed Root Vegetables (with roasted garlic, of course!) and fresh corn on the cob.

To butterfly sausage you simply hold them upright (so they curve upwards like a smile) and cut down but not all the way through, so you have something that looks like this )(... I fried them in a mixture of olive oil and butter, about 1 Tbsp. of each until they got a really nice crust on both sides, but not quite burnt. YUM!

Then I made the tweaked version of Mashed Root Vegetables with Roasted Garlic (from Everyday Flexitarian) and made it as follows:

Mashed Root Vegetables with Roasted Garlic:

1 large Yukon gold potato
1 medium rutabaga
3 small beets
2 carrots
1 head garlic, roasted (see next recipe)
1/2 cup butter, cubed

Peel and cut potato, rutabaga, beets and carrots into 1" cubes. Bring a pot of salted water to boil, add root vegetables; cover and reduce heat. Boil gently for 30 minutes. Drain and return to the pot with roasted garlic and butter. Mash or put through a food mill for a finer texture. Makes 8 servings. 

*NOTE: After making this and it turning out pink (looks interesting to say the least), I would buy golden beets next time for a lighter, less colourful look. A.k.a: The pink freaked out my son and he wouldn't eat it even though it was DELICIOUS.

How to Make Roasted Garlic: Preheat oven to 400*F. Remove the loose papery skin from the outside of a whole head of garlic by rubbing the head between your palms. Slice off and then discard the top 1/4" of the tips of all the cloves. Place the garlic head cut side up in a square of tinfoil, drizzle with EVOO. Wrap it up and bake it on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Let it cool and squeeze the cloves from their skins. The roasted cloves will be soft enough to mash and use in spreads, dips, sauces and other recipes.

Then the final touch to my meal was fresh corn on the cob. We LOVE Taber corn and always pick some up from the trucks when they're around town. I shuck them, remove the hairs, wrap them in tinfoil and bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes. Serve with butter and salt for the yummiest side dish around.

Even though my son was skeptical of the pink vegetable mash, he ate the corn and sausages no problem. Try it out, let me know what your kids think of the pink mash ;)

The Case For Buying Organic

Most of us are aware of the ongoing debate of organic vs. non-organic. I hear from other moms all the time: 'we can't afford to eat organic' or 'that's just a load of hooey'. I, for one, believe that to make sure my children can be the healthiest they can possibly grow up to be, I must start somewhere. I started by taking baby steps: every time I went grocery shopping I would try a new organic product. This went on for about a year, and now we drink organic milk (tastes WAY better), eat organic fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, pasta, tomato sauce, tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream, juice, and the list goes on. The more people buy organic, the more the market swings in that direction and the prices come down.

I look back about 5-6 years ago, when my son was a toddler, as a single mom I couldn't even fathom buying organic. It was so expensive! "6 DOLLARS FOR AN APPLE!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!"  But now it's approximately 1 dollar for an organic apple (or cheaper if you buy in bulk from online distributors, such as SPUD.ca). It's simple economics, supply and demand if you will.

I borrowed an interesting cookbook from the library a few weeks ago, titled Everyday Flexitarian. This is a wonderful cookbook. It can be broken down for Vegetarian and Meat-lovers alike in a single recipe. In the forward, the author, Nettie Cronish, explains why it is important to eat organic. (She gets her information from the Organic Consumers Association):

• Organic foods contain higher levels of beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, and essential minerals.
• Organic foods are free of food additives (such as colour dyes), flavour enhancers (like MSG), artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup), contaminants (like mercury), and preservatives (like sodium nitrate).
• Organic animals are drug free: they are not given antibiotics, growth hormones, arsenic or genetically modified vaccines; they are not fed slaughterhouse waste, blood or even manure (chicken manure is reportedly used sometimes as a supplement to a cow's diet), thus eliminating the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, aka mad cow disease.
• More than 400 chemical pesticides are used in conventional farming, and residues remain on or within the cell walls of produce even after washing. Children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure.
• Organic food is not genetically modified.

Now, if money were not a factor would you choose organic or non-organic foods? Now that we know what is lurking at the supermarket, can we really ignore the facts that things like dyes, aspartame, HFCS and nitrates are going into our children's mouths? ONLY WE CAN INITIATE CHANGE. Nothing will change unless we do it first.

Do it like I did, in baby steps. Here is my 3-step guide to getting your family eating healthier, more beneficial foods:

1. OBSERVE:  Next time you need to go buy groceries, just observe. See what kinds of organics are available at your local supermarket and what the price difference is. Some supermarkets such as Loblaws (Superstore, Extra Foods, No Frills, etc.) are actively trying to keep the price of organics within a reasonable range of the non-organics. They do this to encourage people to buy organic even if it's not in their budget. For example, today at my local Superstore regular bananas are $0.77/lb and organic bananas are $0.97/lb. Only a few cents difference! Even if you're buying a crap load of bananas, it's only a $1 difference for 5 lbs of organic bananas.
2. ACT:  Once you know what is available, buy it. Start with just fruits, or just vegetables. It can be daunting when you realize just how much organics are out there. If you start small it will be easier. Organic apples are the best fruit to start with, and any other thin-skinned fruits as they soak up pesticides like a sponge. Even washing only gets rid of the stuff they spray on right after they're picked. The chemicals they spray on fruit while its growing is ingrained into the cell walls forever. Yum...
3. MAINTAIN:  Once you're on a roll, all you have to do is maintain. If you run out of ketchup, go buy some organic ketchup. Heinz even makes organic ketchup now.

See? Once you get going, it's as simple as 1, 2, 3. My family eats about 60-70% organic now. We will eventually be moving into the organic, grass-fed meats department. But this is our final step in the organic process. Look for this logo on certified organic Canadian products: 

Another great step to take is to plant a garden. I have a 10' x 10' plot in our local community garden (that's 100 square feet of gardening space!) and I purchase organic seeds online. This helps cut down our grocery bill in the summertime. The other day, I pulled at least 5-6 lbs of green and yellow beans, 2 lbs. potatoes, 8 large beets, a handful of fresh peas and a nice handful of cilantro (ALL  FOR FREE!). We had a feast to say the least. I encourage you to start your own organic garden, either in your own backyard or find a community garden in your town or city. The internet is full of information for brand-new gardeners. Even if you don't have a green thumb, you can grow a garden, trust me: the sun and the rain do most of the work.

Follow my blog here and I will continue to post tips for buying organic and also delicious recipes for you to try in your own kitchen.

Oatmeal & Cornflake Cookies

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well.Use a cookie scoop and roll in crushed cornflakes. Flatten with fork. Bake 350F for 12 mins. Only do 12 to a pan, they spread. These are so good! Everyone in our family loves them!

Meatball Stew

So I was trying to figure out what to take to my SIL's the other night for family dinner and this is what I made. It turned out awesome and delicious. 

Meatball Stew:

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 2" pieces

5 new potatoes, quartered with skins on

1 cup vegetable (or beef) stock

2 cans tomato sauce

2 tsp. thyme

Salt and pepper to taste 

18-20 handmade or store bought meatballs, thawed

Sauté onions, carrots, celery in Dutch oven over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, except meatballs and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 mins or until potatoes are fork tender. Add meatballs; heat through. Serve hot with garlic toast or crusty rolls for mopping up the sauce. Makes approx. 6 servings.

Would also be good with some fresh cremini mushrooms, quartered instead of green beans.