Chickpea Curry

This curry turned out so yummy and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Chickpea Curry

2 Tbsp Olive oil
a pinch of whole cardamom seeds
a pinch of ground ginger
a pinch of ground mustard
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of garam masala
a large pinch of cumin
a pinch of coriander
2 whole dry red chilies
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 whole yellow onion diced
4 roma tomatoes diced
2 cups of chickpeas
Water to keep pan from burning
Salt to taste

I heated the oil in my pan and added all of my spices to it. I let the spices start to pop a bit, before I added the onion and garlic. Cook the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add water as needed to keep pan from burning. Add the roma tomatoes and let them cook down. You will once again need to periodically add water to help with the cooking down of the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes have broken down, add the chickpeas and let simmer for about 10 minutes. You may need to add some water again, but not so much that you end up diluting the curry. Taste your curry and add salt as needed. I put in a small handful. Also if your curry isn't as flavorful as you would like, you can add a bit more cumin till the flavor seems right to you. Take out the Chili pods and enjoy over whatever grain you choose. Just one small note, if you do not want this dish spicy at all, omit the chili pods or for a milder curry, you can take the chili pods out earlier in the cooking process, rather than at the end. I am sorry for the estimated amounts on the spices, but this is how I cook curry. It is never exact and I always have to taste it along the way to get it the way I want it. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments or by e-mail.

Peace, Yasmin

The greatest pizza dough ever!

We had some awesome pizza last night. I made a new for us pizza dough and it was such a great sturdy dough. The right amount of crispness on the outside, but still soft on the inside. So here it is:
The Greatest Pizza Dough Ever!
4 Cups of Bread Flour (if you use all purpose flour, it will be much chewier)
1 tsp of sugar
1 packet of dry active yeast (I believe it is 2 1/4 tsp worth if you have a big bag)
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Cups of water at 110 degrees
2 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus 2 tsp for oiling bowl to rise dough

Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, & salt in a standing mixer bowl. While the mixer is running with a paddle attached, add the water and the 2 Tbsp of oil. Beat until it is well mixed. Scrape out onto a floured counter to start kneading. If the dough is too wet, just sprinkle some flour on top while kneading, a little bit at a time. If the dough is too dry, knead water into it, 1 Tbsp at a time. You will knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and then put in oil coated bowl. Make sure to roll dough in bowl so it has oil all around it. Place a wet kitchen linen over bowl and place in a warm spot. Let rise for 1 hour (until doubled in size). Take dough out of bowl and split in two. Roll out to whatever size you want...I just roll mine out to the size of my Lodge cast-iron pizza pan. Put whatever toppings you want and bake in oven at 400 degrees. I found that it was better to get the sauce and raw vegetables on the dough and par bake it for about 10 minutes or so, before putting the cheese on top. I think it took about 20 minutes to bake the pizza in the oven...just keep an eye on it.

The first picture is of the dough just put into the oiled bowl. The second is of the dough an hour later, doubled in size. When I have to rest dough to rise, I usually put it near the oven that I turned on to pre-heat. With any pizza pan, you should really pre-heat the pan, so that it cooks the dough well on the bottom and you get a crispy crust, rather than a soft/soggy mess. I also put cornmeal on the pan, so that the pizza can come off easily when it is done. I made a normal cheese pizza with a marinara base and also a white pizza with a very light olive oil base. They were both delicious. I hope you enjoy this dough as much as I did.
Bon Appetit, Yasmin

Oriental Cabbage Soup

Here's the things about recipes for me, I am not good about knowing the exact measurements that I put in my recipes. It is all about look, smell, and taste for me, unless it is baking...which needs to be a lot more exact. If you have questions or concerns, you can comment or e-mail me.

Oriental Cabbage Soup

Toasted Sesame Oil - enough to saute veggies
Soy Sauce or Tamari - about 2 Tbsp or to taste
Garlic - 3 cloves minced
Ginger - 1 Tbsp minced
Yellow Onion - half an onion diced
Water or veggie stock - around 4 cups (I used organic mushroom broth, as I did not have any homemade at the time)
Shiitake or Crimini Mushrooms - a handful sliced
Napa Cabbage - about half of a cabbage shredded
Green Onions - 2 each chopped

Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil. When veggies are softened, add soy sauce/tamari and broth. Mix well. Add cabbage and let simmer about 5 minutes until cabbage is softenened, but not completely limp. A little bit of crunch in the cabbage is good. Add chopped green onion after you turn off heat. Taste and if needed add more soy/tamari.

My son had two cups for dinner and asked for me to save some for his lunch tomorrow. Very easy to make and super quick.

Get cooking,
Yasmin