One-Dish Dinners

I’m all about the one-dish dinners! The less pots I have to clean, the better 🙂 Good Housekeeping had a great section in their January issue on multiple ways to make dinner in one pot. I tried two of them, and they were absolutely delicious! The recipes are posted below. (Please note on the Lentil Stew – I got stuck at work and the crockpot cooked for three hours longer than I had planned, making the stew a little overcooked. My friend Amy suggested hooking the crockpot up to a light timer, so it shuts off right when you want it to. Great idea! That’s what I’ll be doing next time.)

Indian Cauliflower Curry Stew

• 1 tbs. EVOO
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 tbs. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (I used powdered ginger instead)
• 1 tbs. curry powder
• Salt
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs.), cut into small florets (4 1/2 cups)
• 2 cans (15-19 oz. each) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt, plus additional for serving

In 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add carrots and onion, and cook 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, prepare rice as label directs; keep warm.

Stir ginger, curry, and 3/4 tsp. salt into carrot mixture; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth; cover and heat to boiling on high. Stir in cauliflower and garbanzo beans; cover and cook on medium 15-20 minutes longer, gently stirring every 5 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

To serve, stir chopped cilantro and 1/4 cup yogurt into cauliflower stew. Spoon rice into serving bowls; top with stew. Serve cauliflower stew with additional yogurt to dollop on top if you like. Makes about 8 servings.

Lentil Stew With Butternut Squash

• 2 large stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 large onion (12 oz.), chopped
• 1 large butternut squash (2 1/2 lbs.), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (note – this will take a while!)
• 1 bag (1 lb.) brown lentils (I couldn’t find them at the store, so I used green lentils and you’d never know the difference)
• 4 cups water
• 1 can (14-14.5 oz.) vegetable broth (1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• 1 oz. Parmesan or Romano cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

In 4 1/2-t0-6-quart slow cooker bowl, combine celery, onion, squash, lentils, water, broth, rosemary, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Cover slow cooker with lid, and cook as manufacturer directs on low setting 8 hours.

To serve, spoon lentil stew into serving bowls; top with Parmesan shavings, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Makes 8 servings.

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My Life is a Seinfeld Episode

I realized tonight that it’s the second time in a week that I’ve made a soup that was featured on one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes ever, The Soup Nazi. Last week I tried Rachael Ray’s version of Jambalaya (“Jambalika,” p. 158, 30-Minute Meals) – who can forget Newman sniffing his soup and running down the street yelling “Jambalaya!” Tonight I tried Mulligatawny, a spiced Indian soup that was Kramer’s favorite on this episode. I served up a side of Indian flatbread (called “Naan”) to cut down on the spice.

This was a Weight Watchers recipe (from the same cookbook I mentioned in my post on Baked French Toast) and there was nothing but healthy, fresh ingredients in the dish – it was fantastic! My only complaint was that it didn’t make a lot of food, so supplementing the soup with some salad and bread will fill you up. Jared and I had a nice glass of Malbec with dinner – the richness of the red wine cut down on the spiciness of the soup. (Note – I’m not crazy about really spicy foods, but the Mulligatawny had just enough to make you feel it, but not enough that it takes away from the overall dish.)

• 4 tsp. reduced-calorie margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 carrot, chopped (I used a handful of baby carrots instead)
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground mace or nutmeg
• 1 whole clove
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken breast (I used one can of cooked chicken breast from Costco)
• 1/4 tsp. salt

In a medium nonstick saucepan, melt the margarine. Saute the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and apple until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, curry, mace/nutmeg, and clove; cook, stirring one minute; gradually stir in the broth. Add the tomato and lemon juice; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Add the chicken and salt; heat to serving temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts (per serving): 187 calories, 7g fat, 15g protein. 4 Weight Watchers points.

I served this Weight Watchers recipe for Naan with the soup. It was great, but I recommend two things that I learned:  1) Make the dough the night before and refridgerate until you are ready to bake, and 2) Make sure you watch the bread as it bakes. I left it in for the recommended 10-12 minutes, but it browned a little too much for my liking. In the future, I plan to take it out after about 9-10 minutes (after the bread has started to “puff up”) to keep it softer.

• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda

In a small bowl, beat the milk and egg. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. With the machine running, pour the milk through the feed tube until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth, almost 30 times.

Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towl and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place three hours.

Place a large baking sheet on the center oven rack; preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour; turn out the dough. Divide the dough into eight pieces; flatten each into a 3/8″ thick teardrop shape. Transfer the teardrops to the baking sheet. Bake until firm; 10-12 minutes. If you like, run briefly under a broiler to brown the tops lightly. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutritional Facts (per serving): 122 calories, 1g fat, 4g protein. 2 Weight Watchers points.

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