simple chickpea curry

I’m moderately adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, however, I was always reluctant to try Indian cuisine. It all looked like reddish brown orange mush to me. Okay… it still kind of does. But it’s tasty! Curry powder lends a nice warmth and spice to dishes. The only problem is, a lot of traditional Indian food is loaded with butter and oil. Below is a much lighter version. If you’ve never had curry, give this a try! I use a lot of curry powder for a bold flavor, but you can try 3-4 teaspoons of it if you’re weary.

simple chickpea curry

adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

serves 4

• Ingredients
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped raw cauliflower
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (2-3 teaspoons if you’d like a milder taste)
• 2 15.5oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped raw cauliflower
• 2 1/2 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes and cauliflower on the pan. Spray with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the tomatoes collapse, about 25 minutes.

Cook the rice according to the package’s instructions.

In a medium pot, heat the oil and onion over medium high until soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder, stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook until warmed through, another 8 minutes. Lastly, add the spinach and cilantro, stirring until wilted.

Divide the rice into 4 portions and top with the curry. Eat!

CCCs – cranberry chocolate cookies

It’s been quite the exciting week. Coachella was AWESOME, despite the unusual weather (cloudy/rainy Friday, highs/lows of 70/50). As per usual, I saw so many bands, but also missed so many. And for the record, the Tupac hologram was definitely creepy.

Wednesday was my birthday, which was celebrated with copious amounts of cake and Mexican food at Tortilla Republic. I loved their cucumber lavender margarita!

Now, my birthday wouldn’t be complete without my favorite type of dessert — cookies! This recipe happened kind of by accident. I fell mildly in love with the photo of them in Food & Wine, and upon realizing how simple they were, decided to make them. The recipe called for semisweet or white chocolate morsels… I figured, why not use BOTH? Ta-da…

CCCs – Cranberry Chocolate Cookies

adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

makes 3-4 dozen cookies

• Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Beat the butter and sugars on medium until creamy. Add the egg, then egg yolk and vanilla, beating thoroughly between each, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Beat in the dry ingredients in batches. Stir in the cranberries, white chocolate, and semisweet chocolate.

Scoop the dough by overflowing teaspoons onto the baking sheets. I do even scoops using my favorite 1.5 teaspoon mini-scooper. Bake the cookies for 12 – 15 minutes. They’ll begin to turn golden around the edges. Cool slightly on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

my favorite weekend of the year

My Easter was a blast! We had a pretty big group of people and even bigger selection of delicious food… homemade fried chicken, chocolate cinnamon coffee cake, lemon poppy seed donuts, vegan peanut butter eggs, Lauren’s cinnamon rolls, and the list goes on!! Here’s a shot of Rose & Bentley and Maggie & I!

I haven’t cooked ALL WEEK. It’s been crazy as I gear up to leave for Coachella tonight! It’s my favorite weekend of the year. Music, friends, relaxation, and sun. What more do you need…

See you next week!!

Ryan Gosling and Cookies

Two of my favorite things. Put them both together and I may explode with excitement. Verbally or physically with little pieces of my being flung throughout the universe. As to avoid that today, I give you them separately. First the hunk, then the chunk.

I stumbled across this little gem yesterday. It’s kind of everything I want in a man, and reminds me of my truffle experience.

And next, I give you a fun post-spring manicure idea. Cookie Monster nails!! I found these on Instagram before a flight to Vegas, and I kind of wanted to skip my trip altogether and go home and paint my nails. Do not google “cookie monster nails” — there is so much adorableness.

Have a great Easter or Passover weekend!! Eat yummy things!

2012 Easter Brunch Recipe Ideas

At the last minute, we’ve decided to have Easter Brunch at our place on Sunday. For the rest of the week, Lauren and I will be frantically cleaning and decorating the apartment. I’ll be obsessing over what I’m going to make. Here are some of the contenders so far.

I’m really excited to spend the day with a big group of friends, hopefully dining al fresco!