Recipe challenge, Ethiopian curry ...

I have an amazing friend who allowed me to have her CSA (community supported agriculture) box while she was on vacation.  The CSA is a great way to change up eating since all you receive is what the farm is growing, in season.

Last week I got a head of cabbage, and I had no idea what to do with it.  The only thing I could initially think of was cole slaw, but I'm deathly adverse to mayo :(  After asking around I got the amazing suggestion from a co-worker to try ethiopian curry.  According to her it was really easy.  At first I was skeptical, thinking curries are for seasoned chefs that actually know what they are doing.  But, after looking at the recipe it looked easy enough, so I gave it a shot.

Here's the recipe that I got from a blog:

1/4 c olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 shredded head of cabbage, small
5 cubed potatoes

Method:
Heat olive oil on medium head, then add onions and cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add all the spices and the cabbage, cook for 5 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook covered for approximately 30 minutes on medium-low heat, or until the potatoes are soft.

Ethiopian curry

The original recipe called for carrots and you add the carrots when you add the onions in the oil.  I didn't have carrots so I left them out, and the recipe turned out amazing.  I got some naan from the market to compliment this dish.  The great thing is that this dish is hearty, delicious, and vegetarian.  An added bonus is the vibrant color of the turmeric in our white dish ware.  

Holiday snacks that are healthy and not....

This is my healthy go to snack...

Homemade chewy granola bars! These granola bars are inspired by the whole foods recipe for chewy granola balls.  

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup toasted coconut (toasted for about 5 minutes at 350F)

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup nuts (I used part peanut and part almonds, which is what I had on hand)

1/2 cup honey

Warm almond butter and honey in sauce pan and once the ingredients are warm and mixed then add the additional goodies. 

Spread the mixture out on foil/parchment paper and allow to cool.  Then, cut into bars and enjoy!

Now onto the yummy not so healthy holiday snack.  Peppermint bark!!! Peppermint bark is very easy to make.  

2 packages dark melting chocolate

2 packages vanilla melting chocolate/candy coating

1 package candy canes (crushed)

Melt dark chocolate in saucepan on low heat then spread out in a 1/4 layer sheet on aluminum foil/parchment paper and let it cool. 

Then, do the same thing with the vanilla candy coating and pour on top of the dark chocolate. 

While the top layer of melting chocolate is still warm add the crushed up candy canes. You can also add some of the very finely crushed candy canes to the vanilla melting choc  before pouring over the dark chocolate.  We found that using a blender to crush the candy canes works very well!!

mmmm gumbo.

This past weekend Jonah and I spent our time in Lexington and discovered the co-op organic/local food shop and the farmers market! While at the farmer's market I came across some amazing looking okra which inspired me to try to make gumbo.

I was able to get the rest of the ingredients at the farmer's market/co-op store/whole foods.

Chicken and Chorizo Gumbo

Veggies Chopped:
1 cup celery
1 cup green onions
1 cup green pepper
1 cup tomatoes
2 cups okra

Meat cubed:
brown chicken and chorizo (1/2 pound chicken and 2 chorizo links) in a skillet with a little olive oil and add 3 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper.

To slow cooker or large soup pot:
Add all veggies and meats
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
Hot sauce to taste

(I used a slow cooker and let it cook all day.)

To serve: Prepare brown rice and add to a bowl then add gumbo over rice....yum, enjoy!