Kala Chana

I made this black chickpea curry, also known as Kala Chana. I was trying to make an effort to recreate a dish I loved at Guru in Somerville.
I cooked the chickpeas in the IP ahead of time, but maybe didn’t cook them long enough because they were still a little firm.
Otherwise it was pretty good. I’m not sure if I will try this again, but I probably should with more properly cooked chickpeas.

Minimalist Baker work-potluck take-over

Around May, some people at work organize having pot-luck lunches to raise money for the Relay for Life. Groups usually pick a theme for their food. Last year our group did soup/salad and I made a wicked good chili. This year, we opted for Italian food. I have a couple co-workers who have issues with gluten and dairy, so I wanted to make something they could eat too. Well, I probably went a little overboard, but I had a lot of fun making everything. I thought it all tasted pretty good too.

I made

• vegan "meatballs," which also required me to make the 
• vegan "Parmesan cheese"
• No-Bake Carrot Cake Bites
• vegan, gluten-free brownies

I thought everything turned out great. Making everything did take some time. I made everything over two nights and each night I made quite a mess in the kitchen with all the bowls and the food processor.

For the "meat"balls, I used GF-soy sauce instead of the Worcestershire sauce, I didn't use fennel because I didn't have it. I used dried herbs where fresh were called because that's all I had. I also just  skipped the pan-fry step and baked them in the oven. They held together quite well and tasted good too. 

I didn't include raisins in the carrot cake bites and just coated them in finely-shredded coconut.

For the brownies, I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and skipped the chocolate chips because I didn't have any dairy-free chocolate chips. I baked the brownies a bit longer than the recipe called for - probably about 20-25 minutes total, and they still looked wet when I took them out. They definitely set up after cooling, like the recipe said.

I had several people at work ask for my recipes, and that always makes me feel like I made something somewhat tasty.

White Bean and Avocado Salad with Garlic Oil

I was looking for bean recipes to use up more of the lovely Rancho Gordo beans. I made this White Bean and Avocado Salad with Garlic Oil with some Alubia Blancos cooked in the IP. I was warned that they wouldn't take very much time, and that was quite true. The cooking liquid for the beans came out quite thick due to some of the beans breaking down.
Overall, I thought it turned out ok, the flavors were bright, but probably due to user error, it was a bit mushy and everything stuck together. I felt like there was a bit too much oil, too.

I won't be making this again.

Vegan Caesar Dressing

I really was craving a kale Caesar salad during my modified Whole 30. Since most store-bought Caesar dressings have anchovies, much less aren't Whole 30 compliant, I decided to make my own. I found this recipe for vegan Ceasar salad dressing from Minimalist Baker.
It calls for hummus as the base, so not completely W30 compliant, but since I was eating beans, it was ok for me. I just omit the maple syrup/sweetener and I still thought it tasted pretty good!

Enfrijoladas

I'm catching up with new food and recipes I've tried over the past few months. This was another recommendation that came from my Facebook dinner group. I jumped on the Rancho Gordo Bean Club membership and needed something to use up the beans before the next shipment. Someone posted this recipe for Enfrijoladas, which are basically bean and cheese enchiladas. I think I used some pinto beans, or maybe Rio Zape beans. Either way, these are delicious and they came together very quickly with my stick blender!
I definitely toned down the chipotle peppers so my daughter would at least try them, but I would definitely make these again.

Date Tahini,and Cardamom Smoothie

On a recommendation from my Facebook dinner group, I tried out this smoothie recipe from Serious Eats. I was looking for more variety in my morning smoothie game during the whole 30, so it is compliant with that.
I had all the ingredients except the almond milk, so it came together fairly easily. However, I wasn't as enthralled with the outcome as some of my fellow group members. I'm not sure now because it has taken me way too long to write up these reviews, but I think it was the texture and the flavor of the tahini that I didn't quite like.
I'm sure it works for other people quite well, but I'm going to label it a flop in my mind. I won't be making this again.

Green Lentil Curry

I found this recipe for Green Lentil Curry that I decided to make for a quick weeknight meal. I modified it a bit and also made it in the IP for all the hands-off cooking. I even made a cake during the cook time! My ingredients and method are below:

Ingredients

·      3 tablespoons olive oil

·      ½ cup onion, finely diced

·      1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

·      3 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste

·      2 teaspoons ground coriander

·      1 ¼ teaspoon cumin

·      1 tomato, diced

·      1 cup dried green lentils

·      1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

·      1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

·      1 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

·      1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

·      Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It

Step 1    

With IP on Sauté mode, add oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir and saute until soft. Add coriander and cumin. 5-15 seconds, just until sizzling and fragrant. Add the tomato, about 2 minutes.

Step 2    

To the pot, add the lentils, carrots, turmeric, optional cayenne pepper, 2.5 cups of water, and season with salt. Close lid and ensure seal. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes and allow natural release.  Serve with rice, warm naan, plain yogurt and cilantro.