January. Here we are; already a full week into the new year. Any other goal setters out there? I was lucky enough to have a little get away with some girl friends of mine, and the weekend was full of fun and relaxation: massages, hot tubbing, reading, chocolate, and red wine. Not to mention the excellent company! For me, this was the perfect setting to do some January goal setting for the new year.
As ever, a constant goal of mine is to try to eat better. For me, it’s not really about the weight loss; it’s much more about how my body feels. I eat the way that I do because of the way it makes me feel. I feel more energetic and my clothes fit well when I am on track. If I start to feel sluggish and my clothes get tight, then I heed these reminders to eat more veggies, cut out the sugar, and monitor my consumption rate of the heavier foods like pizza and pasta.
If you are someone who has specific weight loss goals, take heart! Keep at building those positive eating habits. It has taken me years to develop and change my eating habits. I am just now getting to a point where I am feeling even more adventurous in my eating and trying new things and cuisines that I would have not tried (and probably hadn’t even heard of) a few years ago. It’s hard work, building good habits. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy foods. Step one for me is not buying the unhealthy food. If it doesn’t make it into the house, then I am ok!
After all of the special holiday treats and heavier holiday foods, I am switching gears back to my normal eating habits: whole grains, veggies galore, a nice variety of legumes and nuts, and fruit. That’s about it.
This recipe is a delicious, hearty Indian curry that has had my taste buds rejoicing ever since I first tried it several months ago. Saag or palak (spinach) curries have always been a perennial favorite of mine; whether I am making it or ordering it at a restaurant. The taste of the spices intermingling with the spinach is just so good!
At first, the Indian cheese, Paneer, was my favorite way to eat this curry. Now that I don’t eat as much dairy, I decided to try it with chickpeas. It was a definite success. My husband and I both loved it! If you don’t have chickpeas on hand, you could try potatoes, mushrooms, or tofu. All of those also make a great saag curry!
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large onion or two medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 3 green chilies, seeded and chopped (leave seeds in if you want it spicier)
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bunch of mustard greens, washed and stems removed
- 1 lb baby spinach
- 3-4 cups cooked chickpeas (about 2 cans, or you can cook your own)
- juice of half a lemon
Directions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté a few minutes until onion starts to turn translucent.
- Add the green chilies, ginger, garlic, cumin, and coriander, turmeric, and garam masala and sauté a few minutes until aromatic.
- Pour in water and stir. Place the salt, mustard greens, spinach, and tomatoes into pot. Cover for a minute or two until greens or fully wilted. Stir until completely combined.
- Blend the spinach curry mixture either by pouring it into a blender or by using an immersion blender.
- Stir chickpeas into spinach curry. Heat through. Squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon. Taste and make any season adjustments needed.
- Serve with basmati rice and/or naan.
- Enjoy!
The post Chana Saag / Chickpea Spinach Curry {vegan} appeared first on The Artful Appetite.
