Spicy Chana Masala over Brown Rice with a Sweet Mango Chutney

After a long busy,rainy day in South Florida, I wanted something, quick and satisfying. Normally I look in my fridge to see what can I whip up, or I will sit with my tea browsing through numerous cookbooks to see if something inspires me. And this dish from "The Oh She Glows Cookbook" required 15 minutes and I had all he ingredients in the pantry.

1. 1tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
2. 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3. 1 yellow onion ,diced
4. 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
5. 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
6. 1 green serrano chile,minced I used red Kashmiri
7. 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
8. 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
9. 1/2 tsp turmeric
10. 3/4 tsp fine grain-sea salt
11. 1/4 tsp cayenne 
12. 1 (28 oz. can diced organic tomatoes with their juices)
13. 1 (28 oz. can chickpeas, or 3 cups cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed)
14. Fresh lemon juice fore serving and fresh chopped cilantro
15. 
    

In a large saucepan heat oil, add cumin seeds, stir and toast for 1 minute.Raise the heat to medium and stir in onion, garlic, ginger and serrano. Cook for a few minutes , then stir in gram masala, coriander, turmeric, salt and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices , break them apart with a wooden spoon, leave some for texture.

Raise the Heat to medium-high add the chickpeas,bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or longer allowing for the flavors to develop.

Serve over brown or basmati rice, squeeze a generous amount of the lemon and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Easy , Fast, and Delicious!

Mango Chutney

A few years ago we had a bad windstorm knocking all my mangoes off my tree, about 150, a day before I was going to Europe, of course!!! I was NOT going to let this delicious fruit going to waste, so I made chutneys, jams, and pickled mangoes. It was well worth it, now I have delicious chutney readily available in my pantry. You can purchase it from any market nowadays.

1. 3 medium apples, peeled , cored and chopped

2. 2large mangoes peeled and chopped

3. 1/2 sweet red pepper chopped

4. 1 cup raw sugar or less

5. 1 cup of finely chopped onion

6. 1/2 cup of golden raisins

7. 1/2 cup of white vinegar

8. 1/4 chopped finely chopped ginger

9. 1 tbsp lemon juice

10. 2 tsp of curry powder

11. 1/2 tsp each: ground nutmeg, cinnamon and salt

Combine apples, mangoes, red pepper, sugar, onions, raisins, vinegar, and  ginger root in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil , reduce heat and boil for 20 minutes until fruit is tender and mixture is thickened. Add lemon juice, curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into canning jars.