Saag Paneer – Spinach with Cheese

This is a great spinach recipe packed full of flavor. I get tired of traditional ways of cooking with olive oil and garlic and needed to mix it up. If you are vegan and do not want to do cheese you can substitute the cheese with tofu.

Recipe
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil or oil of choice
12 ounces paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes, or 12 ounces tofu cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy!)
1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer or tofu and gently toss. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.

2. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with oil add the paneer and cook until browned on one side. Flip the paneer over and cook until other side if brown. Once finished, move onto a plate.

3. Add additional oil to the pan if needed. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Saute the mixture until golden brown; about 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this step – this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

4. Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven’t already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, scent of the spices cook out, about 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the spinach and stir well, making sure spiced onion mixture is well incorporated into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes.

5. Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt slowly to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer turn the heat back on until warmed through.

Enjoy!

Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower and Potatoes

Want to add more spice to your cauliflower and potatoes as a tasty side dish? Try this delicious recipe packed with flavor!

Recipe
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 serrano pepper
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly
1-2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
fresh ginger, peeled and grated or 1-2 teaspoon ginger paste
fresh garlic, chopped, about 4-5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
3. Stir together and cook until onions become golden and translucent.
4. Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
5. Add chopped chili and stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
6. Add ginger and garlic and mix thoroughly.
7. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn’t stick to the saucepan).
8. Make sure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
9. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
10. Add two teaspoons of garam masala and stir.
11. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
12. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

This recipe tastes best if left alone for a few hours to let the spices mesh together.

Enjoy!

Chole Masala – Chickpeas in tomato sauce

If you love chick peas like I do and are not sure how to use them here is a tasty recipe full of flavor! You will probably need an international grocery store to buy the garam masala.

Recipe
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, small dice
2 teaspoons ginger paste
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed and finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes and their juices
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Chopped cilantro to taste for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup water

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chiles and season with kosher salt. Cook until the onions have softened.

2. Meanwhile, set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Strain the tomatoes and reserve the juices. Coarsely chop the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

3. When the onions have softened, add the garam masala, coriander, measured salt, and turmeric to the frying pan and stir to coat the onion mixture. Cook, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, their reserved juices, the chickpeas, and the water. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

ENJOY!

Shrimp or Salmon Tikka

Want to add some spice to your shrimp or salmon? Try this easy indian-inspired recipe for a dish packed full of flavor.

I used a pound of salmon filet and 1 pound of shrimp when I made this dish… mostly for leftovers and to share for a Sunday dinner. You will have to buy the garam masala at an international or indian grocery store. I am unsure if Whole Foods sells it. Also, I forgot to take a picture of the salmon.. sigh. I made this marinade twice for each type of fish.

Recipe
Salmon Fillets or Shrimp
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup Greek Yoghurt
2 teaspoons Ginger paste-2 tsp
4-5 minced garlic cloves (feel free to use garlic paste, to taste)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
About 1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Add all ingredients except salmon or shrimp to a bowl and mix until combined. Spread yogurt mixtures on salmon and marinate 4-5 hours. When I marinated the shrimp I only did it for about 1 hour.

Cook salmon in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until desired done-ness. Cook shrimp on stove top or grill about 3 minutes per side or until pink on both sides.

Enjoy!

Pan Seared Blackened Tilapia

Decided to put together my own spice mix when I could not figure out how the make this tilapia more interesting than butter and lemon.. it definitely has a kick so use the amount of cayenne pepper at caution; unless you don’t mind a kick in your food

Ingredients
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use 1/2 if need be, this definitely makes it hot!)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt
About 1 tablespoon all natural butter

Recipe
Combine all spices in a bowl and mix until combined

Season tilapia on both sides with the spice rub

Add about 1 tablespoon all natural butter to a pan on medium heat

Add tilapia and sear about 3-4 minutes per side

And enjoy!

I served this with a side of roasted brussel sprouts but feel free to use whatever vegetable you like!