Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
2 (15 ounces each) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions
1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add meat and break apart with wood spoon.  Add chickpeas.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas begin to brown and pop, 5 to 10 minutes. 

2. Add cumin, red pepper flakes,  and garlic.  Cook and continue stirring for 1 minute.  Add chicken broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from skillet.  Season with salt and pepper then decrease heat to medium-low.  Continue cooking until mixture is no longer soupy.  Remove from heat and drizzle with olive oil. 

3. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving with lime wedges. 

Photo

Comments
This recipe is from Simple Ginger. It was another I was recommended during my “use lots of ground beef” phase.  The chickpeas were definitely not crispy so I’m not sure I get the name of this recipe, but it was certainly tasty regardless of the texture.  I served this over rice.  

Ingredients
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
4 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

For the kofta:
1 cup extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon ajowan or caraway seeds
6 cloves garlic, peeled and stemmed
1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons cilantro
Olive oil, for frying

Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté until soft.  Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, garam masala, turmeric, and salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and form sauce, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

2. Place tofu, chickpeas, cornmeal, seeds, garlic, jalapeno, salt, and cilantro in food processor bowl.  Process until smooth and mixture pulls away from sides of processor bowl.  Form into small golf ball-sized balls. 

3. Add oil to skillet, about 1/4-inch deep.  Heat over medium heat.  Fry balls, working in batches, until golden brown on all sides.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towel-lined plate. 

4. Serve sauce on top of rice with Kofta balls on top. 



Comments
This recipe is from Food-Fitness-FreshAir.  It’s one of the tastier things I’ve made recently and it’s vegan as well!  I doubled the Kofta ingredients and this made a great meal for the three of us.  I probably could have quadrupled everything so that we could have enjoyed more leftovers, but I didn't think of that until it was too late.  I’m looking forward to making this again in the future.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground
2 teaspoons cumin seed, ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15 ounces each) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno.  Sauté until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. 

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, toasted cumin, paprika, and garam masala.  Cook for additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly, and then add tomatoes, water, and chickpeas.  Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in salt and lemon juice. 



Comments
This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, one of the few blogs I actually read on a regular basis.  I was looking for something to do with the Chana Dal I bought a few months ago and this seemed like a good way to use some.  I was happy with the results, but I felt it could have used something more.  Maybe some cream or coconut milk or something similar.  I heated up leftovers with a pat of butter and that added that last bit of oomph I was looking for.

Ingredients
1 cup whole black lentils, picked over for stones
1/4 cup ginger, minced to paste
2 tablespoons garlic, minced to paste
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Punjabi Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
1. Place lentils in a pressure cooker. Fill cooker halfway with water and rinse the lentils by rubbing them between your fingertips. Drain water and repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now add 3 cups water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Seal the cooker and allow the pressure to build up. When the cooker reaches full pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove the cooker from the heat and allow the pressure to subside naturally (about 15 minutes) before opening the lid.

2. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, heavy cream, salt, garam masala, and cayenne in a blender jar. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed.

3. Once the lentils are ready, stir in the butter and the creamy paste. Sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve.



Comments
This recipe is from 660 Curries which is a recent addition to my cookbook collection.  I have had this dal in restaurants before and it’s one of my favorites, I was super thrilled to see a recipe for it in my new curry cookbook so I could give it a whirl.  Sadly it uses a pressure cooker… do people still own these?  I actually do but I think I haven’t used it since the week I bought it, some years ago.  I’m sure this can be replicated without a pressure cooker; the beans will just take more time to cook. 

This recipe was pretty easy to bring together.  I used my mini processor to make paste of the garlic and ginger and from there it was easy, if not quick.  I did find it to be a tidge on the salty side, so I’d recommend reducing the salt content a bit from what it calls for.  Perhaps 1 teaspoon or even just a 1/2 teaspoon.  I also found myself out of yogurt and cream due to poor planning so I used coconut milk instead.  This worked quite well!  This dal was certainly as good as the dals I’ve had in restaurants. 

Shown here with Naan.

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, diced
12 ounces bacon, diced
1 pound white beans, dried NOT canned (Navy or great northern.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups water
Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions
1. Place onion and bacon in slow cooker.  Check beans for stones then rinse and place on top of bacon. 

2. Mix brown sugar, molasses, mustard, black pepper, and water in large bowl.  Pour sauce over beans.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until beans are tender. 

3. Stir beans well then add salt to taste, starting with 1 teaspoon.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then serve. 



Comments
This recipe is from Budget Bytes.  I really liked baked beans as a kid and I’ve been interested in making them for a while.  These were nice and bacony but there was a weird taste that I couldn’t pinpoint, an almost burnt sort of taste.  These were good, but I’m not sure if I’d make them again due to that weird taste. 

Shown here with smoked ribs.  It’s hard to post recipes for smoked foods since they’re pretty simple.  In this case we slathered the ribs with mustard, spread a rub over them, and smoked them at 220*F until they reached about 165*F, around 4 to 5 hours.  They were great.