My go-to spicy lentil dish

I love this dish – I can honestly say that I make it every other week, especially during the cold winter months (although, we’ve been having a super mild winter this year — definitely not complaining). When we need to eat something delicious and hearty, but don’t feel like hovering over a stove for too long, my Le Creuset pot comes out, and humble lentils are made into a large, satisfying meal in no time.

I love working with lentils because unlike some other legumes, they cook quickly (no need for pre-soaking). Lentils are also super nutritious: they lower cholesterol, are a fabulous source of vitamin B, are a great source of fiber and may be good for the heart (horray).

This dish is best served with brown rice, and I almost always chop up some broccoli and throw it in there for a few minutes, right before we serve to give it some texture and a nutritional crunch. Alternatively, throw in some cauliflower or spinach in there to change things up a little bit.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 4 cups water
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt, to taste

Method:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
• Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, mustard seeds and chille and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir to ensure nothing burns. Add the tomato and cook for another minute or so.
• Add the lentils and water. Throw in the garam masala and turmeric. Salt to taste
• Bring the lentils to a boil and then lower the heat and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. Keep checking back, you may need to add a bit more water.
• Add red pepper flakes to taste. Adjust seasoning as you see necessary.
• Add in veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach) a few minutes before serving
• Serve with brown rice

An easy chicken tikka masala recipe – its not as complicated as you may think

I am a huge fan of Indian food, but greasy, heavy, put you in a food coma take out or restaurant food? Not so much. Here’s a chicken tikka masala recipe for you to try. It has all of the great flavor that you would expect with a decreased probability of post meal grogginess Its relatively easy to put together, and is a fun indulgence which is sure to impress.

Give it a try, and be sure to let me know how it goes.

Ingredients:

• 3  organic chicken breasts, cut up into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup yogurt or coconut milk (optional but so yummy)
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• A pinch of sugar

Spices:

• 1 large tablespoon garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (less or more depending on your taste)
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp coriander

Method:
On a medium flame, heat the oil in a deep saucepan and when hot, add the cardamom pods and the cinnamon stick. Remove after it sizzles for about one minute (set them aside, you’ll use them again). This gives the oil a wonderful flavor and will really give the dish a fabulous aroma. Add the diced onions to the oil, stirring continuously so that they do not get burnt. When they become a translucent color, add the garlic. Keep stirring.

When the onion and garlic are browned (not burnt) add the spices. Stir them in and then add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Lower the heat and let cook for about 4 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and make a sauce.

Add the ginger and then add the chicken. Add the cinnamon and cardamom pods once again. Cook for about 10 minutes until the chicken is done. Add the yogurt (or coconut milk) and sugar (here’s where I sometimes add cream — just a little bit, not too much). Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the spices to your liking.

Garnish with coriander or mint when serving. Serve with basmati rice.

Enjoy!!

Serves 4

Why you should eat raw honey (and shouldn’t all honey be raw?!)

My husband and I recently came across this charming little store here in Cambridge which sold nothing but honey and honey products. It was adorable. We were delighted to be treated to a honey tasting (yay!) and went home with a big tub of deeelicious Atchafalaya honey. It was a good day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about honey lately (I know, the mind of a health coach is… different…ahem) as I recently read that according to ayurvedic teaching, honey is a super nutritious food but is considered toxic when heated. This alarmed me as I’m sad to say that any honey that isn’t raw is heated (thanks to the industrialization of our food supply).

It’s strange — isn’t honey by its very nature a “raw” food… Seriously, what do these people do to honey to make it “un-raw”. The answer is: a lot… commercial honey has been:

• Pasteurized — cooked at super high temperatures and then rapidly cooled. This destroys much of honey’s enzymes and nutritional value (and as I mentioned, the heating makes honey toxic according to ayurveda)
• Filtered — to make it look prettier and easier to package and sell. Sadly, it is often marketing that determines how dark or light your honey is, rather than its natural state
• Mixed — notice how the commercial brand of honey you buy always tastes the same?  That jar may hold honey from different continents (my generic Whole Foods one, which may I add is “organic”, says that the honey comes from Brazil and India!) You don’t get to taste the beautiful differences and subtle notes that we experienced in our honey tasting.

It’s a shame that our food supply has become so commercialized. I suggest that you treat yourself to some delicious (and if possible, local) raw honey the next time you come across some and enjoy the difference.