Joining the anti-oxidant rich food (ARF) tuesday challenge

Finally, I have not only cooked something satisfying gautham's sensitive, discerning palette, I have also managed to do something I enjoy reading about in a few blogs ARF and (DRAMATIC PAUSE) I even managed to take pictures!

I haven’t quite managed to get around to uploading it on my PC though.

I started the day thinking I will cook a quick Cauliflower curry, make some organic whole wheat chapattis and get back to my pending pile of things to-do. Instead, I ended shopping at the book fair in my son's school and yakking with other mom's about kids’ health, vacations, school search etc... When I came home it was nearly 10:45 and sathish leaves at 11:15! Thankfully, he offered to come home for lunch around 2:00 giving me ample time to play in the kitchen. I foraged the fridge. I had a day old red cabbage from the roadside (! Not the wilted food world kind!) Vendor I frequent in Besantnagar, a week old wilting Snake Gourd and a bottle of Karen's Szechwan sauce I had acquired just the previous day and a bowl of dried chickpeas soaking for the past 12 hours!

Roasted Chickpeas with Green Mango and Yellow Lentils

1. 1/2 Cup chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked until soft (I used the black ones, called Kala Chana so I should get extra points in the ARF dept ;)
2. 1/4 cup yellow lentils soaked for 1 hour
3. 1 green mango cubed
4. 1 red onion chopped coarsely
5. 1 tbspoon olive oil
6. salt to taste
7. red pepper to taste
8. Crushed Peanuts (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 deg F
• Combine items 1 to 7 in a baking pan, toss well
• bake for 20 - 40 minutes depending on desired crispness. I kept mine on the soft side.
• Take out of the oven, cool.
• Check for salt/pepper balance, garnish, serve.

The green mango lends some of its refreshing tartness to the chickpeas and gets sweet with the onions. The not-pre-cooked lentils acquire a nice crisp but cooked taste. All in all a very refreshing repast with whole wheat chapattis.

Szechwan Vegetables with coconut milk

1. 1 large onion diced
2. 3 pods of garlic, smashed and finely chopped.
3. 2 small snake gourds lightly scraped, deseeded and diced
4. 1 large carrot diced
5. 1 banana pepper deseeded and chopped.
6. 1 small sweet potato diced
7. 1/4 head of a medium red cabbage shredded (about 1/2 pound)
8. 1/4 cup yellow lentils (chana daal) soaked for 1 hour
9. 2 tbspoon Szechwan sauce
10. 3/4 cup thick coconut milk
11. 2 tsp olive oil
12. 1 tsp brown sugar
13. salt to taste.
14. 1 tbspoon roasted, crushed peanuts and sesame seeds to garnish

• Heat olive oil, add garlic
• When the garlic is fragrant add the onions.
• When the onions are roasted to a reddish colour add the rest of the vegetables and lentils ands saute for a few minutes
• Add the Szechwan sauce and continue to saute for 2 more minutes
• Add 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil
• Add coconut milk, salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked
• Garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.

Tastes good with rice/roti.

Gautham loved both and looked balefully at the boiled vegetables I had prepared for him instead of the somewhat spicy szechwan curry.