Bean Curry - recipe

I know very very little about Indian food. I eat very little Indian food because I don't know very much about it and I don't have very many recipes for it. I also don't eat a lot of beans. I like beans but my husband does not. It's bummer. Until now.

Over Christmas my sister introduced me to the loveliness that is red bean curry. The recipe calls for red kidney beans but I think it would be just fine with any type of bean. I never though I'd enjoy a big old bowl full of bean so much but this is seriously tasty stuff, especially if you need a change for your everyday chili soup recipe. So, if you are looking for something healthy to warm your belly and step out of your everyday eating box like me, give this one a try.

Bean Curry
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from an Arora spice blend.

Serves 6

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger (this is A LOT of ginger. I used it all, but adjust to your taste)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
30 ounces canned beans, (the original recipe calls for red kidney beans. I used one can red kidney and one can regular kidney beans)
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
sour cream for garnish

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream if desired.

My sister served this over quinoa. You could also serve it over rice or with naan or other bread.

Also, this recipe freezes well. I freeze it since I'm the only one in the house who loves it. I did make chicken meatballs with the same Indian spices which the kids LOVED.

Cranberry Fluff

So you still need an idea for a side to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, right?? Okay, maybe not, but you should still try this. It's been a staple at my mom's Thanksgiving table for as long as I can recall and was at my Grandma's before that. Nine years ago when I started celebrating Thanksgiving with my husband's family instead of my own, it became my contribution. In my opinion, it's the perfect combination of sweet and tart and it must be good because my kids were sneaking it by the handful out of the fridge last night. Enjoy it for Thanksgiving, or anytime of year.

Cranberry Fluff
2 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 container of cool whip

Start with your cranberries. Put them in the freezer overnight.

Throw your cranberries in the food processor and grind them up. I think a blender would also work and I know that an old fashioned meat grinder will work. (Don't ask about the meat grinder)

Add one cup of sugar, stir and let stand for at least two hours.

This is what it will look like. The cranberries mix with the sugar and get sweet and juicy.

Next you will mix in one cup of crushed pineapple & one cup of mini marshmallows. The original recipe says to let this sit over night but I just stir them in and add the cool whip and get this. Actually much more than this but before I could take a photo I sampled it, the kids sampled it, the next door neighbor sampled it, we all sampled it some more.

I feel like a bit of a cheater for making this early but I wanted to share it here. And, I don't have to make it for my husband's family since we aren't making the trek to northern Wisconsin this year. Hopefully, I'll be eating my mom's version of this recipe!

Also, if you wish, you can serve this frozen or add nuts.

Cranberry Fluff
2 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 container of cool whip

Grate cranberries (I use a mini food processor) and mix with sugar. Let stand 2 hours. Add pineapple & marshmallows and refrigerate overnight. Add cool whip before serving. You may need to drain off some of the "juice" before mixing in the cool whip to keep it from being too soupy.

Bad Day Better Cookies

Somedays you just need cookies. Chocolate ones. Yesterday was one of those days. My patience level as a mommy was down to zero and I got in a big fight with my sewing machine. (It's still not working right). So yeah, in order to repair my relationship with Sweet Pea we made cookies. Our favorite cookies. The only ones mommy seems to make with out burning. The stay soft for over a week in the cookie jar cookies. Make a bad day better cookies. Dip them in your milk cookies.

And really, these cookies were like magic. The rest of our night was quite lovely.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.