Rizzle Kicks ~ Mama Do The Hump
Dan Balan ~ Chica Bomb
Mary.J.Blige ~ Family Affair
Sophie Ellis-Bextor ~ Bittersweet
Riva ft Danni Minogue ~ Who Do You Love Now?
Rogue Traders ~ Voodoo Child
Ciara ~ Love, Sex, Magic
Kylie Minogue ~ 2 Hearts
David Guetta ~ Sexy Chick
Kelly Clarkson ~ What Doesn't Kill You
Usher ~ OMG
Eve ft Gwen ~ Let Me Blow Ya Mind
Katy B ~ Lights On
Baha Men ~ Move It Like This
As you can see from my play list my energy levels where lacking today so the Dance Around Like A Fool play list happened. lol. It always works...before I know it I'm chopping in tune and stirring with wiggles. Although I am a dyed in the vegan wool rock chick I can appreciate the dance music genre..sometimes ;-) Today it worked and that is good enough for me.
Over the holidays I made an old favourite cabbage dish as a filling for my breakfast omelette and it reminded me of all the great recipes I had yet to try from the cookbook I used. The book being Mridula Baljekar's The Low-Fat Indian Vegetarian Cookbook. I made a decision to try out a new recipe from her book one day a week until..well...I've run out..lol. Seriously all the recipes I've tried so far have been fantastic.
In all honesty I chose the Lentils with Courgette recipe because I really wanted to try the Orange Rice recipe and Mridula recommends pairing the two. I also found a bag of Moong Dhal lentils in my stocks cupboard so it seemed meant to be. lol. I was really curious about them once I found them...they are tiny little yellow and oval in shape lentils. I must have bought the bag when shopping in the cities Indian and Continental Store..aka...heaven store.
I liked this pairing because it looks like a typical curry and rice but when you take your first bite you get a zing of orange from the rice...heat from the chilli in the lentils...and holding it all together is the wholesome lentils and succulent courgettes. That all being said...I would make an effort to remove the cloves next time as they can become overwhelming which is a shame. And I really enjoyed my Orange Slaw I served on the side...it gave the meal a freshness. For days when you want some a little different...then give this meal a try...
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| From the left..R&R Orange Slaw..Orange Rice..Lentils with Courgettes |
Lentils with Courgettes Serves 4
(Recipe from The Low-Fat Indian Vegetarian Cookbook)
225g/8oz/1 cup yellow split lentils/moong dahl
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 green cardamon pods
1 tsp Royal cumin
4 whole cloves
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1" cube fresh ginger, grated
1-2 fresh red chilli peppers, seeded if wished
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste
225g/8oz/2 cups courgettes, cut bite size pieces
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
Wash the lentils thoroughly and leave to drain in a colander. Heat the oil over a medium heat. Peel back each cardamon pod very slightly and add to the oil along with the Royal cumin and cloves. Let them sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers. Stir fry until the onions are caramel brown 7-8 minutes. Add the lentils, turmeric, cumin and stir fry for 2 minutes then pour in the 570ml/1 pint/2.5 cups of hot water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir once or twice.
Add the salt, courgettes and garam masala. Stir and recover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the coriander leaves and tomatoes. Serve...
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| Mridula's Lentils with Courgettes |
Orange Rice Serves 4
(Recipe from The Low-Fat Vegetarian Cookbook)
275g/10oz/ 1.5 cups brown basmati rice
1 large orange
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 2" piece of cinnamon stick, halved
4 green cardamon pods, bruised
1 tsp salt or to taste
450ml/16fl oz/2 cups of hot water
1 tbsp seedless raisins (I omitted this ingredients)
25g/10z/ 1/4 cup flaked almonds
Wash the rice until the water runs clear and then soak it in water for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Grate the orange rind finely and squeeze out the juice. You will need about 60ml/2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup of juice.
In a heavy based saucepan heat the oil gently over a low heat and add the cinnamon and cardamon. Let them sizzle until the cardamon pods have puffed up.
Add the rice and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes then add the hot water, raisins, orange juice and zest. Bring to the boil and allow to boil steadily for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan tightly and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep the pan undisturbed for 5-6 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill or broil or roast the almonds until browned. Fluff up the rice with a fork and transfer it to a serving dish. Gently mix in half the toasted almonds and scatter the remainder on top. Serve immediately.
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| Mridula's Orange Rice |
Rocket & Roses Orange Slaw
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
4 Brussels sprouts, finely sliced
1/2 small carrot, peeled and stripped
1 small lump of red cabbage, finely stripped
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
Place all prepared veggies into a bowl and pour over the orange juice. Leave to sit in the juice for an hour. Then serve.
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| Rocket & Roses Orange Slaw |
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week has started well...
~Red~
NB: The Lentil & Courgette and Orange Rice recipes are not mine and therefore I take no credit for them whatsoever. They are the creation and hard work of Mridula Baljekar and hers alone.
And I thank her for a truly excellent cook book. ~R~
