meatless monday

Meatless Monday: Thai Style Green Curry Stir Fry with Freekeh

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

I have a confession. I’ve been slacking off. Slacking off with meal planning. Slacking off with food prep. And eating some of the same meals over and over again (hint: one rhymes with Bibotle Churrito Coal). Work has been busy. Life has been busy. And I’ve been somewhat uninspired. Which is likely why it’s been a while since I shared a Meatless Monday post, and even longer since I shared a freekeh recipe (the last one was cajun shrimp freekeh) … That’s why when I cleaned out my pantry last weekend and saw the bag of freekeh AND cans of curry paste, I got excited. Inspired. I had one meal for the week planned out! Yes, I got excited over one meal … it’s the little things.

So here you go. Something easy. Quick. With leftovers! And something to hopefully inspire you for a delicious vegetarian meal!

thai style freekeh green curry stirfry icrashedtheweb

Thai Style Green Curry Stir Fry with Freekeh

Serves 2ish (Made two dinner portions plus a lunchtime portion for me for leftovers)

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup cooked freekeh (I used Freekeh Foods brand)
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 clove garlic, finely diced
  • 1 sweet potato, chopped into thin pieces
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup green beens, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 Tablespoon green curry paste (I used Maesri Green Curry Paste)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Prepare the freekeh according to package directions. I love the Freekeh Foods original because it’s cracked freekeh and easy to prepare and takes only 25 minutes to cook. If you get the whole freekeh (not cracked) it takes a loooot longer to cook. My mom did that once. Don’t make that mistake.
  2. Heat canola oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for about a minute. Turn up heat to medium high and toss in sweet potatoes and carrot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until starts to get soft. Add in rest of veggies – onion, pepper, green beans.
  3. While the veggies are cooking, prepare your sauce. In a separate sauce pan, heat up coconut milk with green curry paste. Whisk together or stir with a spoon until green curry is evenly distributed and mixture is thin and light green. If you’re a fan of more spice, you can probably add in some more green curry paste, to taste. A little goes a long way! (And alternatively, if you prefer less heat to your curry you can always add in less paste or more coconut milk)
  4. After veggies are nearly done, about 4-5 more minutes, add in the curry sauce and toss in the freekeh. Stir everything together so that it’s heated through and the sauce is throughout. Avoid overcooking your veggies – I like mine slightly crisp and not mushy – and serve immediately.

green curry over freekeh - icrashedtheweb

Some questions for you:

  1. Have you ever had freekeh before? How did you prepare it or have it cooked?
  2. What’s the best meatfree dish you’ve eaten recently?

For more Meatless Monday posts, check out some of my past recipes or visit the linkups below!

Meatless Monday!

Ladies Craft Beer Society Takes on Pickling (Weekend Update: How to Make Pickles)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

This Saturday was our monthly Ladies Craft Beer Society. For those of you who need to catch up, each month I meet with a few lady friends for a few craft beer drinks, and a new craft. (B calls this my witchcraft society … ’nuff said) This month’s craft was pickling! I don’t know if it counts like a craft or not, but it was definitely something I was pumped for.

For you Portlandia fans, here’s what I was thinking about all week:

We had it at the lovely home of Cuoghi – she has a great kitchen and knows how to entertain. I wish I had taken a photo of all the glorious food she prepared – brown butter nectarine bars, two different quiches, homemade hummus, homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert. So. Good. Oh, and some delicious frozen strawberry lemonades  made with the lemon vodka we’d made at a previous LCBS.

frozen vodka strawberry lemonades

ice cream sandwiches

all the igredientsWanna make some delicious pickles? Here’s what you do. First we all made the pickling spice, which was a combination of 1/2 cinnamon stick (crushed), 2 whole cloves (crushed),   2 dried bay leaves,  2 T mustard seeds, 2 T whole coriander seeds, 2 T black peppercorns, 2 t whole allspice,  2 t dill seeds, 2 t caraway seeds and 2 t chili flakes. Combine everything in a jar – easy peasy!

1

Then we made the pickles. She had prepared recipes for both dill and bread & butter, but the dill were more my kind. Here’s what we did:

2

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Here’s what you need:

  • 6-7  kirby or pickling cucumbers
  • 1 c white vinegar
  • 3/4 c water
  • 2 T kosher salt
  • 1 T pickling spices (above)
  • 3-4 fresh dill springs or 2 tsp dried
  • optional: 2-3 chopped garlic cloves, chile flakes, sliced jalapeño, you can add another teaspoon of dill seeds if you like them really dilly

Here’s what you do:

  1. Cut up cucumbers and put in clean jar.
  2. Add optional items. I made one with garlic and sliced jalapeño and one regular.
  3. In a medium sauce pot, put everything else stir, bring to boil so that salt is dissolved, pour over cucumbers, seal jar.
  4. Let sit out for about an hour, then refrigerate.  They’ll be ready in about 24 hours! Enjoy 🙂
pickling

ladies pickling!

The finished product - spice, pickles and pickled jalapeños

The finished product – spice, pickles and pickled jalapeños

And that’s it for my weekend update! Coming up next .. a race recap from the half marathon I ran on Sunday. Guess what – another PR!

Meatless Monday!

Some questions for you:

  • What’s something delicious you made or ate this weekend?
  • Have you ever made pickles?
  • What’s something fun you like that’s pickled?

Meatless Monday: Lomein Zoodles

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

If you read my blog, you know I’m a lover of my zoodler (aka spiralizer). I love making zoodles and sharing the love with friends.

In my effort to try every single zoodle recipe there is – and share zoodles with friends – I had my friend Cuoghi over for Meatless Monday and we made a version of this recipe. It was her first time trying zoodles and I think she’s hooked!

Here’s our minor tweaks.

Lomein Zoodles

Vegetarian Lomein Zoodles

Serves 4

Here’s what you need:

For the noodles

  • 3-4 zucchini (I used 3 regular zucchini and one large yellow squash)
  • 2 Tbs canola oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, diced
  • 1 head of broccoli, chop the florets up
  • 1 cup snap peas
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch long strips
  • 1 cup edamame, cooked
  • 1 head bok choy, white and greens chopped
  • 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

For the sauce

  • 1 1/2 Tbs sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbs soy sauce
  • 3 Tbs hoisin sauce
  • 1-2 Tbs corn starch
  • 1-2 tsp sriracha (to taste)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Prepare the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients, whisk together until cornstarch is evenly dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Semi-blanch broccoli and carrots – boil for about 2-3 minutes until just softened, then remove and add to a colander to remove excess water.
  3. In a very large skillet or wok over medium heat add in canola oil.
  4. Add red bell pepper and white stems of bok choy into skillet once oil is heated up. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until just softened.
  5. Add in garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, snap peas, carrots and broccoli.Cook all the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until they all start to soften.
  6. Add in squash noodles, green leafy part of bok choy, edamame and the sauce prepared in step 1. Cook until squash noodles are covered with sauce and softened to your liking, about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Garnish finished dish with sesame seeds. Add additional hot sauce or sriracha as needed.  Enjoy!
3 bowls, plated

3 bowls, plated, with chopsticks

Lomein Zoodles - ictw

leftover zoodles for lunch the next day

leftover zoodles for lunch the next day!

Some questions for you:

  • What’s your favorite Chinese food dish? I love all dumplings. B likes lomein so this dish was definitely a winner with him!
  • What’s your favorite spiralizer recipe?
  • Chopsticks or fork? Chopsticks all the way! 

It’s been a while, but I’m joining the Meatless Monday linkup with Tina Muir and Confessions of a Mother Runner and The Fit Foodie Mama.

photo MM new 2_zpsndxbaium.jpg

 

 

 

Meatless Monday: Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

I can’t stop making zucchini noodles. Seriously, I love my zoodler (okay I guess the correct term is spiralizer). It’s so easy to use and makes cooking vegetables SO MUCH FUN and getting B to eat veggies SO EASY. Spoiler – if you read my blog often you know that B is not my child; however, in the past few years he’s gotten much better about eating vegetables. One of the ways? Creative usage of veggies. And this recipe definitely counts. I mean, who doesn’t love oodles of peanut buttery sauce with their noodles (see what I did there?)… now, just substitute with zucchini and it’s even better!

Want a Thai-inspired, delicious meatless meal? Here you go. Oh, and while we were eating this, B said, “What’s in this sauce? I would definitely eat this again.”

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Makes 2-3 servings.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 3 medium zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
  • 1 large carrot, spiralized
  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
  • 1/4 lime, for garnish (optional)

For the sauce:

  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 5 Tablespoons of peanut butter
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1-2 Tablespoons water, to thin out the sauce somewhat

Here’s what you do:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, honey and red pepper flakes. Add water if needed to thin out the sauce – should be a thin paste. The zucchini will thin out the sauce even more later. Set aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add oil and diced shallot and saute for 4-5 minutes or until translucent and fragrant.
  3. Turn down heat and add in zucchini and carrot noodles. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until zucchini is heated through and at the texture of your liking  – B likes his zoodles somewhat softened and not as al dente so I cook mine for about 4-5 minutes.
  4. Remove noodles and add to the large bowl with the sauce.  Toss until noodles are well-coated.
  5. Serve and garnish with peanuts. Enjoy!

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Interested in a not-so-meatless version? I added shrimp to B’s dish and cooked them with the shallots first before adding in the zucchini. See?

B's version!

B’s version!

For more posts on my love for zoodles and some recipes, here you go: https://icrashedtheweb.com/tag/zoodles/

Some questions for you:

  • Do you have a spiralizer yet? What do you make with it?
  • What’s the best vegetarian meal you’ve eaten lately?

Join this Meatless Monday linkup!

http://tinamuir.com/honey-lime-3-bean-dip/

Meatless Monday Linkup!

WIAW #13 : A fully meatless Monday!

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

It’s time for my lucky #13 What I Ate Wednesday post. I’m really so hooked on WIAWs now – I can’t stop reading everyone’s blog posts, viewing the photos (most of which are waaay better than mine) AND getting new ideas on what to eat. Are you interested in joining the fun or checking it out? 

This is my Monday eats – and it was a Meatless Monday! One of these days I’ll do an actual Wednesday or a weekend, but alas, weekends sometimes the blog is so far from my mind (as is documenting my glorious eats) but as soon as Monday rolls around it is back to business.

So here we go. Welcome to my Monday!

Breakfast, along with coffee (I needed it!) was egg whites with hot pepper, made by B of course. With spinach and frozen veggies.

20150504_084834

I had gone for a 6 mile run with Nicole in the morning and I was parched. So in addition to my usual lemon water and Crystal Light, I had a Nooma. Delicious! (Disclosure – Nooma sent me some to review as I train for the Cleveland Half Marathon. I would be drinking it even if they hadn’t sent it-  I’m hooked!)

I match!

I match!

All of a sudden it was lunchtime. My froworker, Wendy and I, made a quick stop to Hingetown during lunch – she picked up lunch and I (had brought my lunch) picked up some homemade Ginger Kombucha from the Cleveland Tea Revival. Yes, I have a new favorite kombucha!

20150504_122940

I drank it all afternoon, including with my lunch. A delicious and colorful salad that I had made. Arugula, lentils and roasted cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato and eggplant. And some hearts of palm. I looove hearts of palm!

20150504_131029

Snacks during the day included some carrots. Surprise, surprise.

20150504_153422

And some raw cauliflower dipped in Frank’s Red Hot. Don’t question it – just try it.

20150504_153419

And a late afternoon sweet tooth snack of some homemade granola. I forgot to take a picture of the bag, but here’s what it looked like when I cooked it:

Snapchat--6401938512255245667

For dinner, I made some zoodles with a spicy peanut sauce. I pretty much mixed up 4 or 5 recipes and it came out GREAT! I’ll be sharing it for an upcoming Meatless Monday blog post.

Screen Shot 2015-05-04 at 7.32.06 PM

Dessert included a butterscotch cookie I had made AND some chocolate covered fruit that B had made me. That’s right – B made me some chocolate covered fruit! Our 4th anniversary was last week and the traditional fourth anniversary gift is fruit (and flowers!) and he stayed up one night while I was sleeping making me chocolate covered strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. #lucky

ate half before photographing ...

ate half before photographing …

Also ate half the blueberries before photographing ..

Also ate half the blueberries before photographing ..

Perfect end to a delicious day!

Some questions for you:

  • What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever had covered in chocolate? I tried chocolate covered dried pineapple once and liked it – along with chocolate covered fritos! 
  • Carnivores – do you ever have meatless days?

 

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Bean Chili

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

I don’t know about you, but where I am is JUST starting to feel like spring! This past weekend was gorgeous, it’s supposed to be 60 today … but the past few weeks have been pretty chilly for April! We still have had a few chilly days, a few cold nights, and even some frosty mornings. That being said, I am trying to embrace it. So yes, we’re still eating soups, chilis and other wintry foods. Truth be told? I love chili and hot soup all year round so at least food-wise, I can’t complain.

Looking for a meat free chili that you can set and forget about? Here you go! I made this chili in the crockpot one night when I knew we’d only have 30 min to prepare and eat dinner … and since I like to sit and enjoy a meal, I knew I wanted to spend the 30 minutes eating (and not cooking/cleaning). This was the perfect solution, and even B enjoyed his meatless bowl! Just in time for Meatless Monday, here’s a slow cooker vegetarian chili you can enjoy.

slow cooker butternut squash %0Abean chili (3)

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Bean Chili

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced
  • 1 cup cauliflower, diced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (or even better, homemade!)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 Tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 1-2 Tablespoons ground cumin (to taste)
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper or more (or to taste)
  • hot sauce (I like cholula) to taste
  • Optional toppings: Greek yogurt, cheese, avocado, cilantro, more hot sauce

Here’s what you do

  1. Place all the diced and chopped veggies in the crockpot (squash, onion, garlic, peppers, cauliflower).
  2. Cover veggies with canned tomatoes, sauce, beans and spices (chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper).
  3. Set crock pot on low for 7-8 hours. Add in hot sauce before serving and when plated (or bowled)? add your additional toppings! I love topping mine with cheese and avocado (vegetarian) or just avocado (vegan).

slow cooker butternut squash bean chili in the crockpot

Some questions for you:

  • How do you like your chili? Meaty? Beany? Tons of veggies?
  •  Do you have any good vegetarian crockpot recipes?

Joining this Meatless Monday linkup again!

Meatless Monday: Zoodles with Spinach Basil Pesto

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

I love my spiralizer. Have I told you that lately? Okay, I did just last week … But seriously, I’ve even written an ode to my spiralizer.

I love my zoodler.

It makes cooking so much fun.

I feel like a kid.

There you have it – my haiku to my spiralizer. There’s just something about it that makes cooking so much fun and reminds me of when I was a kid playing with play dough and making mystery meals … you know what I mean? Now that that’s off my chest (#awkward), here’s a quick and easy recipe that I made last week for St. Patrick’s Day- a super green, yet healthy, vegan dish for B and me. Sorry, I’m Italian and we had already had corned beef on Sunday  – so for the holiday it was super green noodles.

zoodles and pesto

Zoodles with Spinach Basil Pesto

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 medium-to-large zucchini
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • a large bunch of basil – about 3/4 cup
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1/4 cup toasted chopped or slivered almonds (toasting them brings out a nutty flavor)
  • 3-5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (depending on how thin you like your pesto – I like mine a little thicker so I use less olive oil)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Using your zoodler (okay, or spiralizer) cut your zucchini into fun noodle-like pieces. When done, I put my zoodles in a pile on the cutting board and like to cut them in 1/3s or 1/2s so the pieces aren’t so large. Set aside.
  2.  Add garlic, basil and spinach to blender or food processor. I use my food processor and it works just fine. Mix well.
  3. Add in toasted almonds, continue to blend until a thick paste forms.
  4. Add in olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time and continue to blend until paste becomes somewhat creamy. Add in any extra salt, garlic, basil or olive oil to taste, as necessary. Mine makes about 1/3 cup pesto, which is perfect for this recipe. You could probably use a little less pesto but I like my zoodles coated!
  5. In a pan over medium heat, toss zoodles with pesto and heat for about 3-5 minutes or until just tossed and warm. Enjoy! Makes two healthy dinner portions.

Top with any of your favorite toppings – I like mine with parmesan cheese (not vegan), diced tomato, more fresh basil and even sometimes sautéed onions.

I’ll definitely be sharing more zoodle recipes soon – I’ve already made shrimp zoodle scampi, zoodles with homemade tomato sauce … and even used my spiralizer on sweet potatoes to make curly sweet potato fries!

Some questions for you:

  • What’s the next Meatless Monday recipe you have planned? I’m joining with this MM linkup and of course checking out MeatlessMonday.com for ideas!
  • Zoodler fans – what zoodle recipe should I make next? This is my second one shared in a week.
  • How do you make your pesto? I typically use basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese and pignoli nuts, so this is a different version for me! 

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Zucchini Hash

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted a recent Meatless Monday blog post. I’ve been eating plenty of meatfree meals (I give up meat for Lent every year) but I guess I haven’t been blogging about them! For example, here are some photos of the meals I’ve been enjoying: (these were originally from my Instagram account – feel free to follow me there @koskim for more gratuitous food shots)

Curried lentils with sweet potato and cauliflower

Curried lentils with sweet potato and cauliflower

breakfast for dinner! egg white omelets with potatoes, peppers, onions and avocado

breakfast for dinner! egg white omelets with potatoes, peppers, onions and avocado

veggie burger with a side of - veggies!

veggie burger with a side of – veggies!

cabbage and papaya salad with peanuts

cabbage and papaya salad with peanuts

spaghetti squash with homemade spicy tomato sauce and tofu

spaghetti squash with homemade spicy tomato sauce and tofu

Anyway, finally, I’m sharing a recipe with you so that you can eat meatless on Monday (or any day!). I LOVE making this recipe and have made it or a variation of it probably too many times in the past month to count – but it’s so simple and so delicious and healthy that you should try it too! Leftovers are great as well – I typically have four 2-cup size servings with this recipe and then have enough leftover for 2 lunches.

sweet potato zucchini hash-icrashedtheweb

Sweet Potato Zucchini Hash

Serves 4

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 TB olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 zucchini, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, diced
  • 2 tsp. cumin, divided
  • 2 tsp. ground paprika, divided
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder, divided
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided (or more if you like it spicy! Note – if you have fresh hot pepper – like chili peppers or jalapeño, feel free to substitute with this)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, hot sauce, tofu, sunny side up egg (not vegan)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 and finely dice all your veggies. If you’re like me, this may take a little while.
  2. Place diced sweet potato on a prepared baking sheet (I spray mine with Pam or olive oil spray). Sprinkle generously with 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Cook in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Check often so not to burn and toss potatoes halfway through.
  3. While potato is cooking, heat half of olive oil in a large pan. Sautee onion for a few minutes or until translucent. Add in remaining chopped up veggies – peppers and zucchini. Add in remaining cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook for about 7-10 minutes  or until veggies are browned and softened.
  4. When potatoes are done, add to pan with rest of veggies. Toss to incorporate. Finish until cooked but not mushy!
  5. Enjoy! I like mine topped with cilantro and tofu. Other fun toppings include avocado, hot sauce and/or a sunny side up egg. I’ve also served it over spinach for an extra nutritional boost. The one pictured (above and below) has tofu crumbles in it.
So many veggies!

So many veggies!

sweet potato zucchini hash-icrashedtheweb

Linking to my first MM linkup!

Question for you:

What meatless meal should I add to my repertoire?

WIAW: Leftover Chinese Food

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Once again – here’s a look at my Monday eats from this week. Enjoy this edition of WIAW!

Monday’s breakfast may look familiar. That’s right – once again, I had egg whites with hot peppers and frozen veggies. And B made it.

Sadly, we had no more leftover spaghetti squash to enjoy – I thought I did but after tasting it I noticed it was bad (ice) so it was just veggies and egg whites. Oh, I also had some coffee again!

For those of you that have read my other WIAW posts, this may look familiar ...

For those of you that have read my other WIAW posts, this may look familiar …

Lunch was leftover Chinese food! B and I had FEASTED at Wonton Gourmet in Asiatown on Saturday night, getting lomein, szechuan fish, Chinese broccoli and more. Thankfully we had leftovers of my favorite – the fish and broccoli.

Not quite sure what kind of "fish" this is?

Not quite sure what kind of “fish” this is?

Snacks during the day included:

A sweet potato with honey and cinnamon and a handful of salted almonds. Sweet and salty ftw!

Probably about a handful of almonds - 12ish? - with my sweet potato. Some are hiding.

Probably about a handful of almonds – 12ish? – with my sweet potato. Some are hiding.

Carrots and cinnamon gum. Not together …

carrots and gum.

carrots and gum.

Homemade caramels – I made them over the weekend at my Ladies Craft Beer event and they are SO DELICIOUS.

Don't worry, I didn't eat ALL of these. Just about 2 or 3 :)

Don’t worry, I didn’t eat ALL of these. Just about 2 or 3 🙂

Some Arctic Zero!

I didn't quite eat the whole pint ..

I didn’t quite eat the whole pint ..

For a Meatless Monday dinner I made some sweet potato zucchini hash with tofu. Yup, more sweet potato. YUM- I topped with cilantro.

I'll be sharing the recipe for this soon - it is so GOOD and i make it all the time!

I’ll be sharing the recipe for this soon – it is so GOOD and i make it all the time!

And for dessert? A small peanut butter cheesecake cookie bar. I’ll be posting the recipe for these asap because they are SO SO amazing.

I swear I only had one small one of these bars. Not the whole plate :)

I swear I only had one small one of these bars. Not the whole plate 🙂

And here’s my fitbit activity for the day- I got in a 4 mile run and short elliptical workout in the morning and that’s about it for activity.

Screenshot_2015-03-03-15-40-01

Some questions for you:

  • Do you WIAW? Share the link – I’d love to see!
  • What’s your favorite dessert you’re jamming on right now?
  • Do you eat the same breakfast each day too?

 

Meatless Monday: Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

As much as I’d love to be, I’m not reallllly a meal planner. I’d love to have each day of the week’s dinners mapped out by Sunday, but it just doesn’t happen that way. And when I do try, something happens to get in the way- an unplanned happy hour turned into dinner, an invite to a basketball/baseball game, working late, etc. So as much as I love my slow cooker, it doesn’t get used NEARLY enough because it involves planning ahead.

So if you are able to plan ahead and are looking for a delicious Meatless Monday dish and enjoy curry, I highly suggest you make this. B liked it so much, he took leftovers for lunch the next day! (confession – he may have had some chicken alongside his …)

Note – I normally am opposed to crockpot meals that require ANY on-the-stove prep. I mean, what’s the point of using the slow cooker if you have to cook something first? That being said, I don’t alway enjoy onions made in the crockpot, which is why I cooked them ahead of time. I find onions in the crockpot sometimes get rubbery or taste funny – if you disagree, I’m sure you could make this without the extra step of sauteeing them first.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry - icrashedtheweb

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1-2 Tablespoons curry powder (add more if you prefer more heat-I did about 1.5 TBS)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 serrano chiles, chopped
  • 3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 Russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 2 red peppers, diced
  • 1 cup green beans, chopped into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1-14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1-14-ounce can vegetable broth
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk

Here’s what you do:

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until it starts to become translucent. Add about half of the curry powder and ginger. Cook another minute or so.
  2. Add cooked onion to a slow cooker, along with chopped carrots, chiles, chickpeas, chopped potatoes, red peppers, green beans, diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Add remaining curry powder and stir.
  3. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until vegetables are softened and ready to eat.
  4. Just before serving, add in spinach and coconut milk. Stir and cook for about five minutes or until spinach wilts.

I served mine over some quinoa for a perfectly filling meatless meal.

When made as above, we had enough for about 2 pretty large vegetarian main courses and then we had enough leftover for 3 nice sized lunches.

Modification: I made a version without the coconut milk and it was just as good! Not quite as creamy (and I think B prefered it with the coconut) but still delicious and a little spicier.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry - icrashedtheweb

Some questions for you:

  • What’s your favorite crockpot meal or go-to slow cooker dish?
  • Are you a meal planner/prepper? Any tips?
  • Do you like curry? What about coconut?