chickpea curry

I've been meaning to do an update with Ryan's cleanse /healthy eating/ doctor's appointments etc. If you missed that post you can read it HERE. Anyway, the month was definitely a challenge. I felt like I was always in the kitchen, which was to be expected. When you're eating healthier at home, there's more preparation involved.

There are some dishes we really loved that will become regular dishes in this home. I'm planning on going back and making some freezer dinners with those recipes to cut back on time in the kitchen. I'd rather have one hectic crazy busy day in the kitchen cooking with a few easy weeks of meals, than preparing something new every other day. EVENTUALLY.... and I mean..... eventually..... I will have a big list of these freezer meals I'll share with you all. :)

This was a recipe we scarfed down...literally. Maybe it was the change in spices that added major variety to our dinners. We both love Indian food... who doesn't?... so this dish really hit the spot. And it scored a huge bonus with me because it was easy, fast, and not too many ingredients. This will be on my list for freezer dinners.

Chickpea Curry
vegan, gf

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbs oil ( i used coconut oil)
2 cups white mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 -15ozcan chopped tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
2 -15oz cans cooked chickpeas

2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Directions:
In a large pot, heat the oil on medium. Add the garlic, onion, sprinkle a little salt to help onions soften faster. Once onions are translucent, add chopped mushrooms and spices and cook for a few minutes until mushrooms soften and release juices. Then, throw in the tomatoes with it's juice, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Cover and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve over rice! I would have really loved some naan with it as well. NEXT TIME!

Ryan is in the process of having blood work, tests, and an ultrasound done. There wasn't any improvement with his joints after a month, although we're both aware months could pass before we see any changes.....or no changes. We are carrying on with healthier eating but not as extreme. We are not vegan. We like meat, we like dairy. To cut those out permanently is not realistic and, in moderation, we feel just fine having them in our diet. :) But we are aware of how much we were eating and are cutting back on them. Ryan has committed to cutting back on soda, especially diet soda with the aspartame. He told me numerous times how he had more energy without the soda this past month. I was crossing my fingers he would eliminate it entirely, but unfortunately that was a big fat no. But a soda or two a week is a huge improvement from where we were before this change. I'll still have a bunch of recipes to share from that month so I'll keep them coming for anyone who cares to try them. :)

for dessert AND breakfast?! I know. We're crazy.

I've been on cooking/ baking overload lately. My only complaint, the dishes. We finally have a nice dishwasher, but I'm like my mother-in-law. I prefer to do them by hand. I really just need to slap my hand and tell myself to enjoy the luxury of a dishwasher after going so many years without one.

Here's two recipes I baked this past week:

I made an Apple Cinnamon Cobbler. I bought a ridiculous amount of apples. Ridiculous, I tell ya. Like, 4 FULL bags of apples. Gala, Red, and Granny Smith. Why? Because it's fall and apples were ridiculously cheap. 3 pounds for $1? Yes, don't mind me while I impulsively buy lots of apples and then figure out what to do with them all later on.

Apple Cinnamon Cobbler
(Vegan and Gluten free substitutions, sugar free, dairy free)

Ingredients:
8-10 apples (any kind, peeled, cored, & chopped. Peeling the apples was a pain in the neck so the first 3 were beautiful and the rest looked disastrous)
1 tbs cinnamon
1tbs flax meal (optional)
lemon juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup agave
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 honey (or pure maple syrup)
1/3 coconut oil - melted
1.5 cups oats (gluten free)
2 tsp salt (and a little more sprinkled on top after baking)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, mix chopped apples, agave, lemon, cinnamon, and raisins in bowl and spread over 8x11 pan. In small bowl, mix honey until smooth consistency, and then add oats. Pour on top of apples and spread. I slightly mixed it all together instead of keeping oats just on top. Bake 30-40minutes or until apples become tender. Serve warm for dessert and then have next morning for breakfast. I ate it cold this morning and actually preferred it that way. I know. I'm weird. I also doubled the oat mixture to have more of the "crumble" with the apples. My dad came over to babysit on Friday and he had some. He loved it, but he said it needed a little more salt. We sprinkled more on top and he was right, much better. I made an executive decision to make some official alterations to the recipe. Thanks dad! Store in fridge.

Okay, this next recipe, I made last Sunday. And it was supposed to last us the week, but we ended up eating almost the whole dish in one evening. I made it again on Thursdsay, and we have one square left that I set aside for Ryan's lunch tomorrow. These babies go fast in this house.

Chocolate Pumpkin Bars 
(Vegan and Gluten free substitutions, sugar free, dairy free)

Ingredients:
3 cups old fashion oats, gf
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 can 100% pumpkin puree (15oz)
1/2 cup honey
1/8 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs cinnamon (or 1/2 tbs cinnamon, 1/2 tbs nutmeg)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8× 9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make oat flour: Place oatmeal into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. The second time I made this recipe, I made less oat flour and used more full oats (about 1.5 cups of flour, 1.5 cups full oats) to make it more of a granola bar. If you use more oat flour, it turns more into a cake. Place oat flour and remaining oats in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, honey, vanilla extract, oil, and applesauce for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. You can also add all of these ingredients to the food processor as well. Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in 1/5 cup of chocolate chips and dump all that goodness into your pan, and for safe measure, sprinkle on some more chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. 

Best part about these? Another dessert AND breakfast combo. Serve warm out of the oven for dessert or cut them up in bars and wrap individually for breakfast/snack throughout the week. PERECTO! And on a completely unrelated note, aren't these the cutest hind legs you've ever seen? :)