Vegan, Gluten Free Indian Dal

Another recipe from the Indian cooking class...maybe not the most beautiful dish but it's warm and yummy and packed with flavor (seriously, it's good!). Not as time consuming as the curry, so it could probably be made on a weeknight or in large batches to freeze/eat during the week.

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 onion, diced
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
3 cups veggie broth
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.) 
3 carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 lemon
Sea salt

1. Toss cauliflower and carrots in olive oil and sea salt, then roast on a baking sheet at 425 until slightly brown on top and tender (about 25 minutes). Measure out all of your other ingredients while you wait.

2. In a large saute pan, add ghee and onion, cook until translucent (about 4 minutes).

3. Add garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook about 1 minute.

4. Add broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

5. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Fold in roasted carrots and cauliflower.

Chai Tea Spice Cake

From the Indian cooking class, this was even better at home and turned out great with GF flour! Almost like a coffee cake with really interesting spices and sweetness...even the haters are going to love it. In class we made it in cupcakes (makes 12) but the bundt pan worked really well and it sliced really easily.

Cake Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh if you've got it!)
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Glaze Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 and spray cups or pan. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and spices).

2. In mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Add eggs one at a time.

3. Combine buttermilk and vinegar. Add dry mixture a third at a time until just combined, alternating with half of the buttermilk/vinegar (ending with dry).

4. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. Combine all glaze ingredients in small bowl and whisk. Cool slightly before inverting and topping with glaze.

Kale Frittata

Regular frittata recipe, this time with sliced potatoes, Gruyere, and lots of sauteed kale. Greens never tasted so good!

Shrimp Curry

Using a gift card I got for Christmas, my neighbor Kristen and I went to an Indian cooking class at Charleston Cooks, where we learned to make all sorts of fun dishes (see a sampling above). The true test, of course, is whether you can recreate it at home or not. First attempt was the shrimp curry!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons tumeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 inches ginger, peeled and grated
8 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 lbs. peeled, deveined shrimp
Canola or olive oil
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
One large potato diced (or several smaller potatoes)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream

1. Combine garam masala, tumeric, paprika, jalepeno, ginger, and half of garlic so it makes a paste. Divide in half.

2. Take one half of the mixture and add half of yogurt, shrimp, and two pinches of sea salt. Let marinate 10 minutes. Heat grill over medium high heat and add oil. Cook shrimp on one side until nearly cooked, just a few minutes. Return to marinade bowl.

3. Add ghee to large saute pan. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, coriander, and cumin and cook 1 minute. Add remaining garlic paste mixture and cook 1 minute.

4. Add tomatoes and water. Simmer 5 minutes.

5. Add heavy cream and remaining yogurt. Season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and serve.

Beer Me

My friend Laura had a free tasting coupon for Holy City Brewing, so we headed over with her siblings and significant others to check it out! Turns out there was a festival going on, so we instead of a tour we enjoyed some live music with many, many samplings of their brews.

Oh My Gorgonzola Pasta

My brilliant husband picked up a wedge of Gorgonzola cheese from Trader Joe's and the first thing that popped in to my head was pasta. Yummy, gooey, creamy pasta. This was to die for.

Ingredients
Gluten free pasta (corn and quinoa seem to be the sturdiest)
Roasted red peppers (jarred, chopped)
Fresh spinach (several handfuls, stems removed)
Sundried tomatoes (handful, chopped)
Roasted garlic (8 or so chopped cloves)
Cream sauce (3 cups heavy cream + 1 container shredded Parmesan + salt + 1/2 stick butter + gorgonzola)
Gorgonzola crumbled on top, then mixed in
Salt and pepper to taste

Black Bean

Was feeling quite virtuous after a workout at the local high school track with my husband, so while running errands I stopped at Black Bean for a salad. I got the 'Spring Street' which was pretty good and consisted of cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, tofu, hummus, greens, and Green Goddess dressing. Felt good after eating it.