Friday, December 31, 2010

Channa Korma Curry


Happy New Year's Potluck

Getting ready for a New Year's Day potluck, I was given the task of making a gluten-free and vegetarian meal. I've made my Channa Masala so many times recently, I didn't want to do it again. The problem was, chickpeas had to be the protein.

I then dug through my existing recipes and decided to make a variation of my Chicken Korma. I'd double the sauce and swap out the chicken for the legumes.

Channa Korma Curry
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3 tbsp garlic
  • 3 tbsp ginger
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cup yoghurt
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cans chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  1. Heat oil and fry the onions for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes.
  3. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, tomato sauce and yogurt and stir.
  4. Add the chickpeas and bring to a boil.
  5. Simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Reduce to low, add lemon juice and raisins and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
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    Wednesday, December 29, 2010

    Moroccan Beet Salad


    Beets on short notice

    On a Friday with very little planning, I found myself scrambling to put together a pickle/salad. I recalled seeing a Moroccan beet salad somewhere so I figured I should give it a spin.

    After letting the salad sit for about 30 minutes, I started eating the beets not realizing that: a) the guest hasn't arrived yet and would probably like some too, and; b) I hadn't taken a picture yet. I immediately ran for the camera and did a close-up of what remained in the bowl.

    They were very cumin heavy (by design, I assume) but the definitely had a Moroccan taste to them.

    Moroccan Beet Salad
    • 1 can beets, drained
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp cumin
    • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
    • pepper 
    • salt
    1. Combine all ingredients in a jar or plastic container.
    2. Shake and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
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    Tuesday, December 28, 2010

    I know it's late, but...

    Happy Holidays from the Haggis and the Herring!



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    Wednesday, December 22, 2010

    Pea Soup


    Sent home from work sick one morning in late September I spent the afternoon sleeping and reading food blogs. Everyone is talking about soup: chicken soup for Rosh Hashanah, borscht, squash, sweet potato, onion, you name it. Just make it warm! I'm looking forward to a good soup season.

    One soup that caught my attention sometime last week was a pea soup. It uses frozen peas instead of dried (i.e., split). It also looked really quick and easy to make, and I wasn't in the mood to stand around the kitchen chopping, and hovering over the cooker.

    After waking for my nap, I decided it was time to try that soup.

    I took a big risk here because Meredith does not like peas (but does like split pea soup). After dinner, she said that she still tasted the fresh peas a bit, but she finished it with a smile. I thought it tasted great.

    Pea Soup
    • 2 cups vegetable stock (I used Aurora basil-garlic bullion)
    • 3 cups frozen peas
    • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 4 cauliflower florets, steamed
    • 1 slice toast, cut into small pieces
    1. Combine the peas and stock in a pot and heat until peas are tender and let cool slightly.
    2. Transfer peas and stock to a blender and puree. 
    3. Add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (taste the stock before adding salt!) and puree again for a few seconds.
    4. Reheat mixture before serving and garnishing with cauliflower and toast pieces.

    makes four small bowls

    based on Sweet and Savory's Pea Soup

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    Wednesday, December 15, 2010

    Toasted Chickpeas Snack

    a selection of gluten-free goodies
    including the chickpeas (centre).
    Gluten-free guests

    No-Frills isn't the best place to find gluten-free treats for friends. That's quite unfortunate, because I prefer shopping there and not going to more than one grocery store.

    It was time for me to improvise. I quickly realized that it would've been much easier to make a gluten-free meal (a salad, main and dessert) than an assortment of gluten-free snacks (some of which I did find at No-Frills).

    When going through my "must try" file, I found a recipe for toasted chickpeas with pistachios. I wasn't fond of the recipe itself, but I did like the idea, so I went to work devising my own version (minus the pistachios).

    Tasted pretty good, I'm happy to say.

    Toasted Chickpeas Snack
    • 1 large can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 tsp thyme zatar
    1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
    2. Toss all ingredients in a bowl and then spread out on a nonstick baking sheet. 
    3. Bake until chickpeas are golden and crisp.

      Note: stir occasionally for even toasting.
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    Also shared with MLLA #30 at Priya's blog.

    Wednesday, December 8, 2010

    Salsa Verde


    Meredith and I missed eating the top tier of our wedding cake on our first anniversary because we were busy in Alberta getting ready for my brother's wedding. Fortunately, my mother-in-law over-did the preserving and the cake was perfectly kept.


    She also brought two excellent salsas she made from fresh tomatillos she picked at a local farm. In fact, I think she brought the entire farm with her! Along with the salsa was a large bag of pears and apples she had picked with Jacob, and a few other things I'm pretty sure she just shoved into the fridge hoping I wouldn't notice.

    With Rosh Hashanah just two days away, I have no idea how we're going to eat all of this. However, I did recently see a great recipe for poached eggs in salsa. I guess I have some work to do!

    Salsa Verde
    • 1 quart tomatillos
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 purple onion, peeled and sliced crosswise in thirds
    • 3 serrano peppers
    • 1 tsp oil
    • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
    • 1/2 fresh juice of a lime
    1. Preheat oven to broil.
    2. Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse. 
    3. Place tomatillos, garlic, onion and serrano peppers on a baking sheet and broil until the tomatillos are soft, leaking juice, and have just begun to blacken. 
    4. Place roasted vegetables and olive oil into a food processor and puree. 
    5. Remove mixture to a bowl, add lime and cilantro, and stir. 
    Note: salsa freezes well and last for three days in the fridge.

    Variation using with red jalapeno peppers instead of serrano peppers
    1. After broiling, set aside jalapeno peppers. Cut them in half, discard the seeds and do not add the peppers to the food processor (yet).
    2. Puree the remaining vegetables. 
    3. Add the jalapenos to the salsa and pulse until the jalapenos are small red flecks.
    4. Remove mixture to a bowl, add lime and cilantro, and stir.
    Original recipe from Hutchinson Farms

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    Sunday, December 5, 2010

    The top of the cake

    Meredith and I missed eating the top tier of our wedding cake on our first anniversary because we were busy in Alberta getting ready for my brother's wedding. Read more: Salsa Verde

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    MyMeatlessMondays

    Wednesday, December 1, 2010

    Pizza-dough Bread-sticks with Fresh Basil

    • 1 bag fresh pizza dough (or make your own from scratch)
    • 2 tbsp butter, melted
    • 1/2 cup grated marble cheddar cheese
    • 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, ground
    • 1 cup fresh pizza sauce, warmed
    1. Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
    2. Roll dough into a 12" x 9" rectangle and transfer to a baking sheet.
    3. Brush butter onto dough.
    4. In a bowl, combine cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper flakes. Sprinkle over dough.
    5. using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, slice the dough crosswise into 1-inch strips. Cut in half lengthwise to make twice as many shorter bread-sticks.
    6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until bread is golden-brown.
    7. Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

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