Spicy Sweet Potato and Cabbage Curry

This deliciously spicy curry really hits the spot. It's satisfying without making you feel too stuffed to the gills and at only about 200 calories per serving, you can kinda pig out and not feel guilty in the morning. We got this recipe from Vegetarian Times but we've changed it a little so here's our version...

Matt and I like to get all our veggies washed and cut up before we start to cook. Usually one of us will chop and the other will clean and then one of us can start cooking while the last of the veggies get chopped. This makes cooking dinner go really fast in our house.

You will need:
1 T canola oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced ginger
1/2 t salt
1 small onion, chopped
2 t curry powder
1/8 t caynenne
3 cups green cabbage, sliced very thin
1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 c raisins
1 c vegetable broth
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 T chopped roasted cashews

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, curry powder, salt, and cayenne until the onion starts to brown -- about 5 minutes. Stir in cabbage, sweet potato, chickpeas, raisins, ginger and garlic. Saute 2 minutes more.

Stir in the broth and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes (stirring occasionally). When the veggies are soft spoon the curry into bowls and garnish with the cashews and cilantro.

Tamarind-Infused Spinach with Chickpeas

Serves 6

This is what we had for dinner tonight. It's a quick and simple dish that works really well as either a light appetizer for a group meal, or a stand-alone main course. The original recipe (We think it came courtesy of Vegetarian Times) called for safflower oil, but we've had excellent luck with various mid-grade olive oils. We also added garlic, just because it creates a more complex flavor in the base (that, and Matt is addicted to it). Everything else is verbatim in terms of the ingredients and their respective proportions, though feel free to substitute baby spinach with your favorite greens (the version pictured below contains a mixture of baby spinach and kale), and add as much or as little cayenne as your palate is comfortable with.

Ingredients:
-2 TB oil (olive, safflower or vegetable)
-1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
-Garlic, to taste (we use anywhere from 2-4 cloves), minced
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
-pinch of cayenne
-1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
-1/3 cup water
-1 tsp cane sugar
-1 tsp tamarind concentrate
-2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained
-1 (6 oz) package pre-washed baby spinach (about 6 cups)
-1/4 tsp salt
-ground black pepper, to taste

*Note: Tamarind paste is derived from the pulp of the fruit that grows on the tamarind tree and is a common flavoring agent in South and Southeast Asian cooking. It stores well, and can be found in most Asian food markets.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened and golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to skillet and stir to coat onion and garlic with spices. Cook for one minute, then add diced tomatoes (with juice), water, sugar and tamarind concentrate. Stir to mix well. Add chickpeas and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted and evenly combined with mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Nutrition Info

Per Serving: 170 cal (50 from fat), 6g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 5g protein, 26g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 440mg sodium