Lemongrass Chickpea Thai Green Curry with Toasted Coconut Brown Rice

This vegetarian Thai green curry is made with chickpeas, ginger, garlic, turmeric, green curry paste, and lemongrass. The ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food served over brown rice!
INGREDIENTS
  • For the brown rice:
    • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
    • 1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
  • For the Thai green curry:
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil or coconut oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3/4 cup diced green onion
    • 2 stalks lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
    • 1 heaping cup diced carrots (about 3 large carrots)
    • 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
    • 3 tablespoons finely diced fresh basil
    • 2 tablespoons green curry paste (yellow curry paste works too! I just then decreased the amount of turmeric by half)
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground turmeric)
    • 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk (or full fat)
    • 1/2 cup vegetarian broth (or water)
    • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    • 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
    • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • 1 cup frozen peas
  • To garnish: Cilantro, green onion & hot sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. To make the brown rice: Add one cup of brown rice to a pan along with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. Toast rice over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Next and 2 1/2 cups of water to a pot; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, green onion, lemongrass, carrots, fresh ginger, and diced fresh basil. Stir fry for about 5 minute until the onions begin to slightly brown. Next add in green curry paste and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds to release flavors.
  3. Add in coconut milk, vegetarian broth, chickpeas, soy sauce, lime juice, salt and red bell pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Right before serving, stir in frozen peas. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  4. Serve over brown rice in a bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro, green onion and a dash of hot sauce if you like things spicy. Serves 4.
NOTES

*You can leave out the lemongrass and still get fabulous flavor! I know it can be difficult to find. I usually get mine from Whole Foods.

If you’d like more protein in this dish, add another can of chickpeas, or if you aren’t vegetarian/vegan, you can add 1/2 pound of chopped cooked chicken breast. Additionally, you might be wondering, how many nectarines can I eat a day? You can also read this article if you’re interested.

Nespor’s Homemade Ice Cream!

THE BEST!!

Ingredients

  • 3 T Corn Starch
  • 6 C Whole Milk
  • 2 2/3 C Sugar
  • 4 Lg Eggs (or 5 small ones)
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 13oz. can Evaporated Milk
  • 1 pint Whipping Cream
  • 3 1/2 T Vanilla (try 2)

Steps

  1. Mix cornstarch and 1/2 C milk. Add 1 1/2 C more milk. Cook over stove until thick and smooth, stirring constantly.
  2. Blend sugar, eggs, salt and evap milk in blender. Add cornstarch mix.
  3. Add rest of milk, whipping cream and vanilla.
  4. After cranking is complete and add-ins are added, don’t forget to cover, wrap in ice and let sit for a few hours!

**NOTE: Doing a 3/4 batch fits better into the mixer! 

Grandma’s Zucchini Bread

YUMMM!

Ingredients

  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 cup Cooking Oil
  • 2 cup Sugar (1.5 is probably fine)
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • 3 cup Flour (I use whole wheat!)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 cup Grated Raw Zucchini (squeeze out most moisture)

Steps

  1. Beat Eggs until foamy. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well.
  2. Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder
  3. Add zucchini to egg mixture and blend well.
  4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix well.
  5. (Optional) Fold 1/2 cup chopped walnuts into batter
  6. Pour into well-greased loaf pan(s). Makes 2 9x5x3
  7. Bake at 325 for 75 minutes. Can freeze after cools.
  8. *325 for 60 mins for mini loaves

 

Tamale Pie!

Might be one of my new favorites :)

Ingredients

  • CORNBREAD
    • 1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix standard 8.5 oz box
    • 1/3 cup milk
    • 1 egg
    • 1 small can diced green chiles 4.5 ounce can
    • (OR I did one batch of homemade corn bread with the recipe o the back of cornmeal box – sub whole wheat flour. If you do this pull aside about 3 muffins worth of the batter before adding in the green chilies. Use for porridge! :))
  • MEAT
    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • TAMALE PIE
    • 1 ¼ cup enchilada sauce
    • 2 cups of shredded cheese I used sharp white cheddar
  • OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
    • Salsa
    • Guacomole
    • Sour Cream
    • Shredded Cheese (I like it with just this topping!)
    • Cilantro
    • Lime wedges

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. As a precaution, make sure that the oven you’re about to use has been carefully examined on https://pattestingcompany.co.uk/near-me/west-yorkshire/.
  2. Whisk together Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, milk, and egg. Gently fold in chilies and corn. Pour into greased baking pan (9×9, 9×13, large cast iron skillet). Bake until set (a toothpick should come out clean), about 20-25 minutes.
  3. While cornbread is baking, combine beef with spices and sauté in a skillet over medium heat until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  4. Once cornbread is done baking, reduce oven to 350 degree F. Poke holes in cornbread with a fork and pour enchilada sauce over it. Top with ground beef and shredded cheese, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and back until cheese begins to brown, about 5-10 minutes.
  5. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving with desired toppings. Cheese on it is REALLY good!

Dal!

Do this, but slightly less ginger :)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups red lentils (we just used green last time), cleaned and washed
  • 9 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons ghee or oil (I prefer grapeseed)
  • inch of asafoetida or hing (optional) (we didn’t do this)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 medium white or red onion, finely diced (1 cup)
  • 1 pinch of coarse white sea salt
  • 1/4 cup grated ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (1 heaping tablespoon)
  • 2-3 Thai chiles, stems removed and finely chopped
  • 2 – 3 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2-3 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons red chile powder
  • 2 – 3 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • 1 heaping tablespoon chopped cilantro

STEPS

  1. Add lentils and water to a roomy and heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. I cooked mine uncovered and kept an eye on it to make sure it does not overflow. At first, you’ll see a white harmless film form over the lentils. Just scrape it off and discard, and continue to boil until the lentils are soft. Once finished, turn the heat off and put a lid on the pan. Let the lentils sit while you finish the tarka.
  2. Make the tarka, basically a tempering in Indian cooking. This is where our lentils get all their flavor. Take a saute pan, and heat your ghee or oil over medium-high heat. Add asafoetida, cumin and turmeric. Cook about 40 seconds until the seeds start to sizzle and turn a slightly reddish color.
  3. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Mix every few minutes and cook 2 – 3 minutes until the onion browns slightly. The salt draws out moisture and helps the onion brown.
  4. Add ginger, garlic, and chiles. Cook for another few minutes.
  5. Add garam masala, coriander, and red chile. Mix well and cook another 20 second or so. Always be cautious adding powdered spices, as they can easily burn at this stage.
  6. Take this mixture and carefully add to the cooked lentils. Stir well.
  7. Add salt and cilantro. Mix well and serve over rice, with roti or naan, or as a soup. At this point you can also pull out the immersion blender or whisk and blend it down a little. We prefer to eat it slightly chunky.