Korma sauce is a lovely Indian curry, but very very mild. If your family likes the idea of curry, but some recipes are just too strongly flavored, try this one! I like to use the sauce to smother vegetables and rice, but you can use it on mild-flavored fish or chicken as well. Usually when I make korma sauce, it’s a vegetarian night for us The recipe below makes enough to thoroughly smother rice and veggies for four.

Korma Sauce

3 T ghee or canola oil
1-1/2 t cumin seeds
1 t fennel seeds
1/2 t cardamom seeds
Cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t fresh ginger, minced
Onion, chopped
1/4 c water

3/4 c cream (or evaporated milk, or a combination)
1/2 c coconut milk

1 – 2 t garam masalah (prepared, or my favorite mix)
Salt

Optional garnishes:
Toasted almonds
Cilantro

Stir fry the seeds and spices until fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and stir fry for until soft but not brown. Add the water and heat to boiling. Lower the heat and add the cream and coconut milk. Heat thoroughly. Just before serving, stir in the garam masalah and the salt. Serve over rice with cooked vegetables, garnishing with almonds and cilantro if desired.

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Korma sauce

Most of the time, we think of dahl as being made out of lentils or split peas, but other legumes can stand in too. We particularly like this mildly spicy dahl made from black eyed peas. I used the canned form to save time, but if you’ve got the time to soak and cook up the dried beans, the meal will be even more inexpensive.

Black eyed peas dahl

Ghee or mild vegetable oil
4 whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 small onion, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, minced
6 to 8 oz plain yogurt
2 cans (15 oz) of black eyed peas
1/2 t ground tumeric
1/4 t ground red pepper
1/2 t garam masalah (prepared or my favorite mix)
2 t coriander
Salt to taste

In a large heavy skillet with a cover, saute the cinnamon and cloves for a few minutes. Add the onions and ginger and saute until golden. Drop the heat and add the yogurt and beans. Add the spices. Heat through and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Serve over rice if desired, as a side or main dish.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Black eyed peas dahl

There are so many variations that you can make on the basic latke, or potato cake. They can be baked instead of fried, but we really love the crispness that you can only get with pan frying. You don’t have to use tons of oil…just a smidge of olive oil will do the trick.

Potatoes can be joined by many other vegetables, and I suggest that you experiment to see what you like best, but try the basics first! Carrots, parsnips, green onions, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, leeks, and many other veggies make good latke companions. Additionally, many folks add some matzo meal, or flour and leavening ingredients to make them more pancakey. We like them that way too, but our favorite is still the stripped down potato and vegetable version.

Basic Potato Latkes

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, shredded
Large yellow onion, shredded
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Optional for serving: applesauce, sour cream

Mix potatoes through salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Dip out by 1/3 cup measures and fry in olive oil until golden brown, turning once. Turn them carefully, as they fall apart easily. Serve immediately as they are finished; they lose their crispness quickly.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Basic latkes

Ok, it’s a stretch to claim that this is Indian food, because I made it up as a way to use up some leftover sweet potatoes. But I used my own spice mix instead of “curry powder,” so I feel somewhat justified in claiming Indian inspiration

Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth if you’d like, and you’ve got a great vegetarian meal! Serve with some good crusty bread, and it’s a filling meal too. This is easily a thirty minute meal as long as you are using pre-cooked sweet potatoes. Whenever I make them, I throw in some extras to make soup.

Lightly Curried Sweet Potato Soup

2 T canola oil
2 t curry powder or spice mix
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 – 4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and mashed
4 – 5 c chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and milk, in whatever proportion you want
1 T lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Cook oil and curry powder in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add celery and onion; toss to coat in oil and spices. Stirring frequently, cook for about 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk (if using), lemon juice, salt and pepper.

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Sweet potato soup…lightly curried

Vegetables and rice can get boring pretty quickly. Add a new sauce and liven things up. If you chop the lime up finely, everyone will have a good time trying to guess the “secret ingredient” …always a favorite game at our table!

Boil up some basmati rice, and start your sauce. A few minutes before the rice is ready, bring the sauce back up to simmer and add your veggies. We used broccoli, and it was delicious.

Ceylonese Sauce

2 T vegetable oil
Medium onion, chopped
Large clove of garlic, chopped
1 t mustard seeds
2 t curry paste or favorite curry spice mix
15 oz can of coconut milk
1/2 lime, chopped fine
Chili powder for those who like it hot

Saute the onions and garlic in oil in a large skillet. Crush the mustard seeds with mortar and pestle, and add with the curry paste to the pan. Heat well. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the lime. Reduce to simmer and allow to thicken. Add vegetables to soften shortly before serving over rice. Add chili powder if desired.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Vegetables and rice with Ceylonese sauce

The least pleasant task in preparing this soup is coring the parsnips. I find it’s not too bad if you slice them lengthwise in quarters and then slice out the triangular shaped piece…don’t worry about getting every single woody fiber. The balsamic syrup seems like a bother to make too, but the flavor it imparts is out of this world. The soup is great without the syrup, but with it, you’ve gained a taste of heaven!

This amazing recipe is courtesy of Eating Well magazine.

Stirring in the syrup

Roasted Parsnip Soup

Makes 6 servings, generous 1 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

2 pounds parsnips, peeled and woody core removed
2 pears, peeled and cut into eighths
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 1/4 cups low-fat milk

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
2. Toss parsnips, pears, onion, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a roasting pan. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until very soft and starting to brown, about 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, boil vinegar in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 14 minutes. (Watch the syrup carefully during the last few minutes of reducing to prevent burning.) Remove from the heat.
4. Puree half of the parsnip mixture with broth in a blender until very smooth; transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the other half with milk until very smooth. Add to the saucepan and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reheat the soup over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Gently reheat the balsamic syrup if it has become thicker than syrup while standing. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the balsamic syrup.

Image: Eating Well and Cyndi Lavin

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Roasted Parsnip Soup from Eating Well

Delicious delicious vindaloo sauce! The spicy tomato sauce described below can be used with chicken, pork, and lamb as well as with vegetables. We particularly love it with just vegetables, though, and as one of our vegetarian meals for the week, we don’t even miss the meat!If you do decide to add meat to the dish, you can add a cinnamon stick

If you’ve done once a week food preparation, this meal will go together really quickly, but it needs to simmer for a long time in a crock pot to be its best. It’s a great make-ahead meal. Put everything together in the morning, and walk into a house filled to the brim with good smells in the evening!

Raw veggies mixed with sauce

Vegetable Vindaloo

2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 T fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 t brown sugar
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t tumeric
1/2 t cayenne
1 T white vinegar
6 oz can tomato paste
1-1/2 c water

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Head of cauliflower, any variety, chopped
15 oz can of kidney beans, drained
Salt and pepper
1/2 c fresh or frozen peas, thawed

Place the garlic through the water into a bowl and beat together to make the sauce. Place the onion through the kidney beans into the crock pot, pour the sauce over, and stir to coat. Simmer on low for at least 4 hours (more is fine). Add salt and pepper if desired, and stir peas into the mixture just before serving. Serve over basmati rice.

Images: Cyndi Lavin

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Vegetable vindaloo

This isn’t fast food. This is for when you want to impress! It is, however, easy food

For once, I followed the directions pretty much exactly: my only substitution was to use real cheese instead of low fat. I also mixed cheddar and parmesan. But besides that, I did follow the directions. Oh, and I used quite a bit more fresh tarragon than called for.

I really like tarragon!

Savory Carrot & Tarragon Tart
Courtesy of Eating Well magazine

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh tarragon leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive or canola oil
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Filling
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive or canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To prepare crust: Coat a 9- to 10-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Place all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, tarragon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter one piece at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, until incorporated. Add 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup yogurt and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan (it will be crumbly), spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom and all the way up the sides to form a crust.
3. Bake the crust until set but not browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
4. To prepare filling: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar) and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Spread mustard over the crust. Sprinkle with Cheddar, then evenly spread the carrot mixture in the tart shell.
6. Whisk 1/2 cup yogurt, milk, eggs, tarragon, the remaining 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar), 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour in the filling.
7. Bake the tart until the filling is firm and the edges are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or chilled.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Savory Carrot & Tarragon Tart from Eating Well

Spinach and paneer cheese (you can substitute tofu if you’d prefer) are the basis of this tasty Indian dish. Is it a vegetarian main dish? A side dish? Yes! Either one.

You can spice it up as much as you please, but the creamness of the yogurt sauce lends itself to milder spices. Double, or even triple, the spices listed below if you dare!

Saag Paneer

1 T ghee or vegetable oil
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t. tumeric
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t garam masala (if not available, my favorite mix)
1 lb. fresh baby spinach
2 T water
1/2 c yogurt
1 t salt
1/2 t sugar
8 oz paneer cheese or tofu, cubed

Heat the ghee or oil in either a saucepan or wok medium hot, and add the coriander through garam masalah, cooking for a minute. Add the spinach and the water, and cook until slightly wilted. Add the yogurt, salt, and sugar and mix well. Add the cheese (or tofu), and heat until softened (or warmed).

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Saag paneer

I love Eating Well magazine! Not only are there amazingly tasty recipes, introducing me to food combinations I never thought of before, but they have also done all the excess fat trimming for me! Now I’ll admit, that sometimes I use the full fat products anyway, so it’s not their fault at all if I end up with an expanding waistline!

Anyway, we tried this Curried Carrot Soup recently, and if you’re a fan of Indian food, you’re going to flip over it. I used my own spice mix instead of “curry powder,” so mine turned out a bit darker.  Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth if you’d like, and you’ve got a great vegetarian treat!

Courtesy of Eating Well magazine.

Curried Carrot Soup

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
8 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (my note – or vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook oil and curry powder in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery and onion; toss to coat in oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; let stand 10 minutes. Lay a paper towel over the surface of the soup to blot away the oil that has risen to the top. Discard the paper towel.
2. Working in batches of no more than 2 cups at a time, transfer the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Return the pureed soup to the pan, place over medium heat and heat through. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 133 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 4 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 389 mg sodium; 383 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (280% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Images: Eating Well

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Curried Carrot Soup