Chana Masala Recipe with Quinoa

A Chana masala recipe with a quinoa twist! It's already a great tasting chickpea curry, and adding quinoa into the mix will turn this Indian favorite into a complete protein. This dish is easy to prepare and a perfect vegetarian entree.



Ingredients:
15oz can CHICKPEAS
15oz can DICED TOMATOES
1 lg ONION (chopped)
½ cup QUINOA
1 HOT PEPPER (finely chopped)
4-5 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
½ cup CILANTRO (chopped)
1 tsp CUMIN SEEDS
1 tsp CUMIN
1 tsp CORIANDER
½ tsp CHILI POWDER
½ tsp TURMERIC
1 tsp GARAM MASALA
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1/8 tsp ASAFOETIDA (optional--really OPTIONAL!!!--don't NOT make this dish because you don't have this ingredient.)
SALT and PEPPER, to taste
1½ cups WATER

In a skillet, heat your oil on med. high heat. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida--the asoafoetida (also called "hing") is OPTIONAL. Stir until seeds brown and crack--this will happen really fast, so don't walk away from the skillet. Add garlic and continue stirring. Add chopped onions and hot pepper. Saute ingredients for 3-5 minutes.
Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Stir thoroughly into onion mix.
Add quinoa and diced tomatoes.
Stir and allow skillet to come to a simmer.
Add chickpeas (rinsed and drained), salt to taste, and 1½ cups water. Bring skillet to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes (without stirring).
After the 15 minutes, stir in the garam masala. Using a fork, smash half the chickpeas in the skillet--this will add a nice texture to the dish.
Stir in the chopped cilantro.
And that's it. Chana Masala with a quinoa twist.
Hope you like it.

And for another tasty Indian inspired dish, try this Eggplant Curry Recipe.

Chole Palak Recipe

Chole Palak is an Indian-style spinach and chickpea dish that’s super flavorful and a breeze to make.  With a few ingredients in the cabinet, this tasty dish is always just a few minutes away.  Thanks for watching and I hope you give it a try.  For more recipe ideas, check out the Chef Buck Playlist:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

ingredients:

SPINACH  (13 oz can or frozen, or 3 cups chopped fresh)

CHICKPEAS  (15 oz can, rinsed and drained)

TOMATOES  (diced, 14 oz can—or 2 fresh tomatoes)

HOT PEPPER  (1 or 2, minced)

GINGER  (1 Tbsp, minced)

OLIVE OIL  (2-3 Tbsp)

CUMIN SEEDS  (1 tsp)

ASAFOETIDA  (¼ tsp)

CORIANDER  (1 Tbsp)

CHILI POWDER  (1 tsp)

TURMERIC  (½ tsp)

GARAM MASALA  (1 tsp)

SALT (to taste)

directions:

Heat olive oil on medium high heat and add cumin seeds and asafoetida.  The seeds should sizzle when they hit the pan and will brown and crack quickly.  Add the tomatoes, ginger, and peppers.  Mix well and then add the coriander, chili, and turmeric powder.  Mix and allow the tomatoes to cook down 3-4 minutes.  Add the spinach and salt and stir well.  Add ¼ - ½ cup water—I like less water, but add as desired throughout the recipe.  Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and mix in chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).  Add another ¼ cup of water, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.  At this point the chickpeas will be soft enough to smash easily with a fork, which you don’t have to do, but I prefer the consistency of the dish if I mush about half of them.  Add the garam masala and stir another minute or two, also adding more water if desired.  And then that’s that.  Finito.  When I prepare an Indian meal, I almost always serve this dish; it’s easy, healthy, and delicious, so why not?

Give it a try, let me know what you think, and bon appétit!