Firecracker Curry Noodles

This is a great meal in the summer or in the winter or any season. When do you light off your firecrackers?

Ingredients:
12-oz dry noodles (e.g. bow-tie firecrackers)
16-oz frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2-3 tbsp red curry paste
1-2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package instruction, adding stir-fry vegetables 2-4 minutes before the noodles are done to cook briefly. 
2. Drain and rinse under cool water then return to pot. 
3. While the noodles and veggies cook, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients starting with 2 tbsp curry paste and 1 tbsp soy sauce. 
4. Pour over cooked noodles and vegetables, stirring to combine. 
5. Heat over low until thoroughly warm. 
6. Taste, adding more curry paste, soy sauce, and/or Sriracha as desired.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 428 calories, 8.2g fat, 75.1g carbs, 10.8g fiber, 6.8g sugars, 13.5g protein 

Chickpea and Asparagus Curry

A nice curry with noddles when asparagus is in season. This recipe came about when I didn't have the ingredients for one of the recipes I had.  

Ingredients:
8-oz dry elbows

olive oil

1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Tbsp ginger paste
1 bunch asparagus, with stems snapped off
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1-2 tsp mild curry powder
1 can lite coconut milk
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground coriander

Directions:

1. Cook noodles per package directions.
2. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and asparagus and sauté until the onions are translucent and asparagus is cooked to your liking.
5. Stir in curry powder to coat.
6. Add broth, coconut milk, and chickpeas.
7. Heat over low until warm.
8. Stir in garam masala and coriander, plus salt and pepper if desired.
9. Cover and rest 5 minutes.
10. Taste, adding more garam masala or coriander as desired.
11. Divide noodles equally among 4 bowls.
12. Ladle warm curry evenly over noodles and serve.

Notes:

• Serves 4

Cauliflower Samosa Tacos

... not to be confused with the previous Cauliflower Samosa Burrito, which was made slightly differently.

Ingredients
1 tomato, diced 
½” fresh ginger root, peeled 
1 garlic clove 
½ small red onion, diced 
½ tsp ground cumin 
¼ tsp paprika 
½ tsp mild curry powder 
3 cups (11-oz) cauliflower florets 
1 cooked potato, diced 
½ cup green peas
6 corn tortillas 
3 tbsp raw cashews

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, puree tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. Set aside. 
2. Line a skillet with ¼-cup water. 
3. Sauté onions until translucent. 
4. Stir in blended tomato mixture, ground cumin, paprika, and curry powder. 
5. Add cauliflower and sauté until cauliflower is cooked but not mushy, about 10 minutes. 
6. Add potatoes and peas and cook until very warm. 
7. Taste and adjust seasonings. 
8. Scoop cauliflower mixture onto tortillas and top with cashews.

Notes:

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 383 calories, 8.7g fat, 68.6g carbs, 13.5g fiber, 9.3g sugars, 13.5g protein
• Total time: 20 min
• Active time: 10 min

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

This one looked and sounded so good that a friend of mine asked me for the recipe. It was a little thicker than I'd prefer. My friend agreed, it needed to be more soup-y. It probably just needs more vegetable broth added towards the end, but I didn't test it yet so I didn't put a suggested amount in the recipe, other than a (+).

Ingredients:

3+ cups vegetable broth 

oil

1 onion, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

2 tsp curry powder 

ground cinnamon or coriander 

turmeric 

15-oz canned pumpkin 

¼ cup applesauce 

1 cup dry lentils 

3 cups cooked brown rice 

Directions: 

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Add curry powder, a dash of cinnamon or coriander (whichever one you choose) and turmeric (added for color).
3.  Stir and cook briefly, then mix in pumpkin and applesauce. 
4. Add 2 cups of broth and lentils. Stir. 
5. Cover, bring to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 15-45 minutes, until lentils are tender. 
6. Add broth as desired to thin out curry. 
7. Taste, adjusting seasonings as desired. 
8. Serve over cooked brown rice. 

Notes:

• Serves 4

Thai Pumpkin Bisque

While not a shellfish base as traditional bisques are, this creamy pumpkin based soup definitely qualifies. I absolutely loved this dish. You can have it with bread or crackers. It's a lovely fall dish as the weather cools down.

Ingredients:
15-oz canned pumpkin  
10-oz lite coconut milk 
1 tbsp red curry paste 
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
½ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan.
2. Heat over medium for about 10-15 minutes, until flavors are well-combined and the soup is warm.

Notes:

• Serves 1 (although it served me two servings.)

Samosa Pizza

I really enjoy the "samosa" things that Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor does. This one is supposed to be pizza-like, but I never do the potato quite right to make it like a spread, so it ended up as a wrap. 

Ingredients:
¼ small onion, diced 
dash of ground cumin 
¼ tsp garam masala 
¼ tsp mild curry powder 
dash of turmeric 
1 carrot, diced 
½ cup frozen green peas 
1 cooked potato, mashed

Directions:

1. Sauté onion until translucent. 
2. Add spices, stirring to coat. 
3. Add carrots and cook until carrots are just forktender. 
4. Stir in peas and cook until warm. 
5. Spread warmed potatoes on tortilla. 
6. Top with vegetable mixture and serve, or roll up and eat as a burrito.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 338 calories, 1.6g fat, 71.2g carbs, 12.8g fiber, 9.6g sugars, 12.3g protein

Cauliflower Samosa Burrito

This is another dinner from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, altered a bit (because raisins ruin everything). I really, really enjoyed this particular meal. This is one serving. Just one. This photo is my leftovers at lunch at work.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion, diced 
2 tsp mild curry powder 
1 tsp ground cumin 
½ tsp turmeric 
3 cups (11-oz) riced cauliflower 
4 carrots, diced 
2 cups frozen green peas (thawed) 
4 cooked potatoes mashed (or diced)
4 flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Sauté onion in oil until translucent. 
2. Add spices, stirring to coat. 
3. Add  ¼-cup HOT water. 
4. Cover and turn off heat. Set aside. 
5. Add carrots to onion mixture plus more water if necessary and cook until carrots are just fork-tender. 
6. Stir in peas and riced cauliflower. 
7. Cook until cauliflower rice is soft and crumbly, stirring every minute and adding tiny amounts of water if necessary (You want to “dry fry” as much as possible).
8. Set aside and spread warmed mashed potatoes on tortillas (eat rest as a side). 
9. Top with vegetable mixture and roll-up.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Per serving: 388 calories, 1.9g fat, 82.9g carbs, 15.2g fiber, 16.8g sugars, 14.2g protein
• You can add on cashews if you like.

Curried Turkey Burger Sliders with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

We got this recipe when we subscribed to Clean Eating Magazine. 

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1/3 cup coarsely grated apple, left unpeeled
1/4 cup minced or coarsely grated red onion
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp curry paste or powder
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp lemon juice, divided
1 tsp ground coriander, divided
1 lb lean ground turkey (or lean ground chicken)
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup peeled and grated cucumber, drained
Olive oil cooking spray
8 oz whole-wheat naan bread, cut into 24 2-inch squares or rounds

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine egg white, apple, onion, flaxseed, curry, ginger, salt, pepper, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp coriander. Mix in turkey and shape into 12 1/2-inch-thick mini burger patties.
2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, salt, pepper and remaining 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp coriander. Set aside.
3. Heat a nonstick grill pan or large nonstick skillet on medium-high and mist with cooking spray. Cook patties, turning once, until meat is no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes. 
4. Top patties with cucumber yogurt, dividing evenly, and sandwich between 2 squares naan bread.

Notes:

• We actually cook them in olive oil rather than the cooking spray, which I'm sure brings the flavor down by a whole bunch.
• You can also grill them, which we've done as well. However, if you grill them be careful that they do not stick to the grill or slide through the grates.
• As a meal, serves 4.

Brown Rice and Curried Tofu Salad

Thinking about dinner on my bus ride home one night and reading Runner's World, I came across this recipe. I had almost all the ingredients and it seemed like a quick and easy meal. I was not disappointed in the tastiness nor the easiness. I modified a bit. You can eat this warm or cold, but I tried it both ways and preferred it warm.

Ingredients:
14-oz block extra firm tofu (I used firm because I had it on-hand and it was fine)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp curry, divided
1 tsp salt, divided
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup edamame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
dash black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut a 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. 
2. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon each curry and salt, and 1/3 cup shredded coconut. 
3. Bake at 350°F for 15-30 minutes, until desired warmth and consistency is reached. 
4. Whisk 1/2 teaspoon each salt and curry into 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. 
5. Add 2 cups cooked brown rice, 1 cup edamame, 1/4 cup each sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes, and a bit of black pepper. 
6. Stir in the cooked tofu.

Notes:

• Serves 3
• Serve warm or cold.
• Gluten-free and vegan.
• Serve as main dish or side salad.

Curried Red Lentil Soup

Having a large amount of lentils and wanting something hot for the wintery day, I went searching for a lentil soup. We've been making lentil soups a lot since having a great one at Bananas Grill in Seattle. We've generally been disappointed. But this one, this one hit the spot! I found it at Vegetarian Times. I added potatoes and changed a couple spices since I was missing what they called for. Here's my adaptation.

Ingredients
2 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 qt. low-sodium vegetable broth
1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
4 celery stalks, finely chopped (1 ½ cups)
2 large carrots, finely chopped (1 ½ cups)
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed 
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
couple pinches of dried parsley 
couple pinches of dried basil
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Bring lentils, vegetable broth, and 4 cups water to a simmer in large pot. Skim away foam that rises to top. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. 
3. Add parsley, basil, curry powder, and cumin, and cook 20 minutes more, or until lentils are soft. Season with salt and pepper and stir in lemon juice.

Other Details:

• Serves 6
• Original Recipe