Cilantro Cubes

Do you have the same problem as me?  You need 1/2 cup or so of fresh cilantro for a recipe, but it only comes in huge bunches at the store?  Even if I incorporate 1 or 2 more recipes with cilantro into the week's menu, I still can't seem to use it all before it goes bad.  And even though it's cheap, I just hate to throw that wonderful-smelling stuff away! 

I came across this recipe for cilantro cubes on www.thyhandhathprovided.com, and with some tweaking, it's really useful for using up cilantro AND saving yourself time/money in the long run. 

2 cups cilantro, loosely packed
3 cloves garlic
3-4 tbsp. lime juice*
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

*I buy limes (and lemons, too) by the bag because they are cheaper; I freeze what I don't need right away into ice cubes and store them in a freezer container.  One ice cube is roughly a tablespoon.

Process this in the food processor.  On her website, she recommends scooping the mixture into mini-muffin trays, but this didn't work so well for me.  Despite the heaps of oil in the recipe, the cubes didn't want to pop out.  Next time, I think I will use a tablespoon scoop and scoop them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Then you freeze them, and when they are solid, put them in a freezer container.  I like ball freezer containers with screwtop lids.  (Alternately, you could put it all in a ziploc freezer bag, seal it, spread it in a thin layer and freeze it flat (at least initially), then break off a piece that suits your needs.)

Here's the beautiful part...next time you make quacamole, a mexican-inspired dish, pico de gallo, etc., just throw one or more defrosted cubes in your recipe instead of buying/chopping fresh cilanto/garlic/lime (unless it just HAS to be fresh).  We just had guac last night, and it was great with the cilantro cube (I did use one extra clove of fresh garlic, though). 

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles

I got a Belgian waffle maker for Christmas, with the idea that we could save money on frozen waffles while increasing our variety of flavors as well.  By doubling a batch of waffles, I can easily warm frozen waffles up in the toaster oven for a quick breakfast.  Ada loves waffles--actually, anything that can be dipped in syrup. 

To freeze waffles, place cooled waffles on a sheet pan or cooling rack in the freezer until for a couple hours or until they are thoroughly frozen, so they don't stick together in the freezer bag you will store them in. 

These waffles smell awesome!  And the fact that they are wheat 1) gives them more fiber and 2) gives them more structure (they're not floppy, soggy waffles).  This recipe is for 7-8 waffles, assuming you want to freeze some (might as well make it worth your while to get the waffle iron out and clean it afterwards). 

I adapted this from www.cookieandkate.com. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or 1.5 c AP flour + 1.5 regular whole wheat flour)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs (you could probably sub 2 flax eggs: 2 tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp warm water)
• 3 cups room temperature light coconut milk
• 1/3 cup melted virgin coconut oil
• 1/3 cup canola oil (you could do 1/3 more coconut oil but it's an expensive oil and you still get a great coconut flavor by using half of each)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardomom

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron.  Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then together.  Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray or brush on a little canola oil.  One waffle was about 3/4 c batter for our iron.  Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Cabbage

Our favorite Indian restaurant, The Curry Pot, occasionally features this dish on their noonday buffet.  I love both cabbage AND coconut, and was truly surprised to find that they go so well together!  I found several recipes when I searched online, some of which had a very lengthy ingredient list, but this is a truly easy and satisfying one.  It's a bit intimidating to venture into the world of Indian cooking - I have always been a little stymied by it (my food tends to turn out all heat and no spice).  But this one is a winner!  I serve it with some type of dal (I especially like palak dal and naan (which I can get pre-packaged at my local grocery).

Ingredients

• 3 cups green cabbage (finely chopped or shredded using food processor) 
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt – to taste
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder 
• 1 Curry leaf (I substituted with 1/4 tsp curry powder or to taste)
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut   
• Green Chilles – sliced, to taste (I left these out since my daughter is not a fan of spicy)

In a pan heat the oil over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they start popping add cumin seeds, curry leaves or powder, and turmeric powder. Add the shredded cabbage into the pan with a generous pinch of salt.  Reduce heat, cover and cook till cabbage is nice and soft, but not mushy.  Add green chilies, shredded coconut, and check for seasoning.  Cover and cook over low heat till the cabbage absorbs all the flavor from coconut.

Palak Dal

Palak Dal is basically Indian beans and greens.  I like this recipe because it gives just a bit more depth and texture to the beans and I love the flavor of ginger.  I substituted the asafetida with garam masala, which I had on hand already.  I serve this with coconut curry cabbage and naan.

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

6 cups water, plus more if necessary
1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium green chile peppers, minced (I may have left these out)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chile powder
a pinch of asafetida, optional
more salt to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, 3/4 of the green chiles, and all of the tomatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy. After an hour and a half, stir in the salt.

In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. I also enjoyed a touch of lemon juice added at this point. Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chiles.