Chickpea (garbanzo beans) Curry

I think this might be one of the easiest dishes you can make in a matter of minutes. It's relatively healthy also! The perfect weeknight Indian dish when you're craving some curry!! Pair it with rice or rotis (Indian tortillas) and you're set! Give this a try, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the ease and taste of this dish!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 - 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans/chickpeas - drained
1 serrano pepper - cut in half lengthwise
1/2 of a white onion - diced (or whatever onion you have on hand will work too!)
2 cloves of garlic - minced
8 oz of tomato sauce
1/2 - 1 cup of water (add depending on the  consistency you are looking for)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt - to taste
pepper - to taste
handful of cilantro (you can adjust depending on how much you like cilantro..i loooooove cilantro, the more the better!)

Directions:

Start by slicing your pepper, mincing your garlic, and dicing your onion.

Once you've gotten that done, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and toss in the chopped veggies from the first step. Cook until softened - about 3-5 minutes.

Drain the canned chick peas. Here are the chick peas I used.

Add these guys to the pot. Also, add the tomato sauce and water. Then, add in the salt, pepper, cumin powder, and coriander powder. Stir until everything is evenly mixed. Bring this mixture up to a simmer over medium heat. 

Simmer the pot for about 20 minutes to thicken up the sauce a bit. Make sure to stir the mixture every few minutes to prevent it from sticking. While this simmers, chop the cilantro up and add to the mixture once you get closer to being done. 

Stir it all together to make sure the cilantro is mixed evenly and presto! You are done!! Simple, easy, TASTY!!!! Transfer to a bowl and grub away!

YUM!

Shrimp with Mango and Basil

MANGOES!!! BASIL!! SHRIMP!! All good things right? HELL YES!  My thoughts exactly!! I figured I'd make a little dish out of these simple ingredients. Light! Easy! Super tasty! And that is exactly what materialized when I put this together!! Take my word, this is simple recipe and you will be thrilled when this comes together like a fancy meal on a random weeknight. Also, easy enough to entertain with!

Ingredients:
1 lb of shrimp
1 large ripe mango, chopped into little cubes
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil
5-6 green scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:

Make sure to peel and devein the shrimp. Gather all of the shrimp into a bowl.

Toss this shrimp with the salt, cumin powder, red chili powder, and black pepper if you wish. Set aside to marinade while you prep everything else. 

While the shrimp marinates, chop up your beautiful mango!

Next, slice up those scallions.

Last but definitely not least, grab your basil and you can either chop it up or cut it into ribbons.

Once you've got everything prepped, heat up the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Place the shrimp in a single layer and cook the undersides until they turn pink, about a minute or so. Flip them over and cook for one more minute. 

Now, stir in the mango, scallions, and the basil. Make sure to mix everything evenly and cook for about 2-3 more minutes until the shrimp is fully cooked through. 

Transfer to a dish and you're ready to enjoy this wonderful marriage of flavors!

You can eat this with brown rice or rice pilaf...but it's good just by itself as well!

Creamy Tomatillo Salsa

Find this amazing recipe at my new blog!

Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin Salad

So, normally I put Raspberry Chipotle over cream cheese and eat it with crackers...AHHHH-mazing. But, then the other day I realized I needed to somehow cook with it. And presto! I had pork loin on hand and decided a light salad for dinner would be just perfect! This is simple and just the ticket for an effortless dinner!

Ingredients:
2/3 lb Pork loin cutlets
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tbsp of crushed red pepper (adjust to the amount of heat you can handle!)
Spring salad mix
1/3 of english Cucumber
1/2 cup Corn
1 firm roma tomato
1 Avocado
1/4 cup of sliced onion
2 tbsp. Raspberry Chipotle sauce (can be any brand)

Directions:


Marinate the pork loin cutlets with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and the crushed red pepper. I just stuck it in the fridge while I cut all the veggies.

Next, slice up your cucumber.

Chop up your tomato.

Slice up that red onion! Don't cry..if you start to, chew some gum or run that chunk of onion under cold water before you start to slice.

Chop up a fresh avocado! MMMM!!! Look at beautiful avocado...

I then heated up some frozen corn in a bowl to add to my salad.

Now, that you've gotten all these ingredients together, pan fry the pork loin until they have been seared on the surface. Take it off the pan and slice it into pieces. 

Once you've sliced it, now pan fry it again to make sure it's all cooked. Make sure to watch it closely so you don't over cook it!

Once done, take it off and soak it in the raspberry chipotle sauce!! Now, like I said before, purchase whatever brand you're comfortable with! This is the one I use. 

Here is the cooked pork loin soaked in this lovely sauce!

Now let this hang out for a little while. Assemble the whole salad while you wait for this to get completely marinated in this sauce. Start with the spring salad mix in a bowl and then add all your veggies in. It's a deep bowl so don't be tricked into thinking there isn't that much...quite a few handfuls in this bowl. 

Voila! Salad is ready!!! You don't need to add anything extra! The raspberry chipotle sauce from the pork is enough dressing!

You will be surprised as to how tasteful and light this salad is!! Bon appetit!