Tag Archives: tomato

Indian Yellow Lentils (Dal) with Greens

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This is the Indian version of comfort food and a more nutritious and inexpensive dish is difficult to find. Serve with yogurt raita and rice for a complete meal.  You’ll find yellow mung dal at any Indian grocery and some high end specialty markets.  It’s important to pick over the dal before cooking to make sure there are no bits of grit or debris. This variety of dal is particularly mild and digestible.

The lentils are first cooked with water to create a soupy broth.  They are seasoned with a separately sautéed topping of spices before serving, called tarka.  In this case the tarka topping includes onions, tomatoes and leafy greens as well as spices.

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Middle Eastern Style Chickpeas with Greens

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Middle-Eastern Chickpeas with Spinach

This recipe found its inspiration, once upon a time, in the Moosewood Cookbook series, essential references for anyone who strives to reduce meat consumption, but demands a dish full of mouthwatering flavor.  You can adapt and substitute freely—try just about any green you have on hand, or a different bean like white cannellinis or dark red kidneys.  Or toss in a cubed carrot or other winter roots as you sauté the onions and peppers.  In summer months eggplant or zucchini would be a perfect addition.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, seeded and cubed
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • pinch of saffron (optional)
  • 1 ½ cups chopped tomato (fresh or canned)
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Salt
  • 1 bunch coarsely chopped greens, such as spinach, kale or chard
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add onion and cook soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add bell pepper, garlic and spices. Sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.  Add tomato and cook until tomato breaks up and becomes soft and most of its liquid has cooked off.
  3. Add chickpeas, about ¼ cup of water and one half teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.  Cook for 10 minutes, adding some water if mixture starts to stick to pan.
  4. If using spinach, turn off the heat and stir in the leaves, until just wilted.  If using more substantial greens such as kale or chard, cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat.  Add lemon juice and more salt to taste.
  5. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
  6. Serve with Middle Eastern flat bread, couscous or rice, for instance Persian Green Rice.

Pan-fried Okra with Onions and Tomato

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If your only experience with okra is Southern-style gumbo, try this pan-fried Indian version. Okra can turn out soggy and even slimy, but pan-frying at a high temperature creates a crisp exterior. Onions and tomatoes add caramelized flavor to the mix.  Avoid over-stirring—this promotes a slimy texture—carefully “fold” the vegetables as you might beaten egg whites.  Be sure to wash and dry the okra before you slice it into rounds—this avoids the stringy goo that oozes out of the pods when wet.  You’ll find amchoor at any Indian grocery store.  Omit it or substitute lemon juice, if you like.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds okra (choose small ones, they are the most tender)
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 small onion, sliced into half rounds
  • 15 cherry tomatoes or one medium tomato cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Method:

  1. Rinse and dry okra. Remove stems and tips (if brown or bruised) and slice into 1/2 inch rounds.
  2. Heat oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook okra, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the coriander, cumin, mango powder (if using), turmeric, cayenne, half teaspoon salt and a splash of water.  Stir gently reduce the heat to medium-low, continue to cook until okra is crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside, another few minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  3. Add a bit more oil to skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they’ve turned a deep brown in places.  Stir in tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and the skin blisters.  They’ll be glazed with the spices remaining in the skillet. Stir to turn the tomatoes over. Gently push on fruit to release some juice.
  4. Add okra back the pan and fold into onion/tomato mixture.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed.  Heat through then transfer back the serving bowl.  Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired, and naan or other flat bread.

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Caprese Salad

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This salad is a classic Italian dish—simple, yet bursting with fresh flavor.  The pairing of tomatoes with olive oil is not only delicious, but healthy as well.  Olive oil aides in the absorption of lycopene—one of the beneficial nutrients found in this luscious red fruit. Use the best quality ingredients here—fresh mozzarella (not the processed kind), summer tomatoes, aged vinegar and extra virgin oil.  You’ll notice the difference.  Serve on top of a crusty baguette, as a salad or even roughly chopped, on top of pasta.

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French Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Fresh Dill

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This is a wonderfully loose recipe that can be adapted for the ingredients on hand. Add canned drained beans like kidney or cannellini for a twist or use scallions in place of the onion.  If you’re looking to turn this into an easy main dish, add some drained canned tuna and quartered hard-boiled egg on top.  You can vary the herbs—add some parsley or chives if you like.  I love the dill, and it’s what really makes it special.

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