February 27, 2012

My Pinterest Kitchen


Have you seen my Pinterest kitchen? It's 50% healthy foods and 50% ooey-gooey cheesy or chocolatey fattening goodness. I probably won't ever make the "bad" 50%, but it's nice to look at them and have a little mental dessert every once in a while.

But, the other healthy recipes are great for inspiration when I've hit a meal planning wall. Take this samosa casserole. It's not something I ever would have considered, but after seeing it on a friend's board, I convinced myself to try it. We love Indian food, so I had all the spices on-hand already. The one thing I was lacking was a kosher pre-made roll out pie crust. However, Whole Foods to the rescue! I am going to keep a steady supply of this pie crust in my freezer. Love it!

Overall, we enjoyed this recipe, especially with the cucumber riata. I think, though, that I will make a few changes for the next time, such as increasing ALL the spices (also noted in recipe). The potatoes are really starchy, and they absorb spices really easily, so it takes a lot to make the flavors pop. It's very tasty, filling, and made for some great leftovers, too.

Indian Samosa Casserole
adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:
Crust (or use premade!)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
Filling
1 Tbs. black or yellow mustard seeds (2 TBS)
1 tsp. curry powder (2-3 tsp)
1 tsp. ground ginger (2-3 tsp)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (2 tsp)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional (1/2 tsp)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (decrease to 4. Don't need all 5)
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar (skip, unneccessary)
2 Tbs. soymilk (or regular)

Instructions:
To make Crust:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together flours and salt in bowl. Stir in oil until clumps form. Add 6 to 10 Tbs. cold water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until dough holds together. Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside.

To make Filling:
Stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes, if using, in bowl; set aside.

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash, leaving small chunks.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until carrot is tender. Move onion mixture to side of pan, and add mustard seed mixture in center. Toast 30 seconds. Stir in peas and broth. Fold onion mixture into potato mixture; stir in agave nectar. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread Filling in 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.

Roll out Crust dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface. Cover Filling with dough, pressing down to make sure no air pockets remain. Trim away excess dough, and crimp edges with fingers. Cut X in center to vent steam; brush with soymilk just before baking. Place pie on baking sheet, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking sheet, and bake 75 to 90 minutes, or until Filling bubbles and Crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cucumber Riata Ingredients:
1 8-oz. carton plain low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt works nicely!)
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, peeled cucumber
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint (or dried)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Instructions:
Combine everything together in a bowl, adjust seasonings to taste.

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