Mustard Greens and Lentils

I’ve heard a lot of people complain that being a vegetarian is an uphill task. I completely understand.

I know what they mean: they have to be on the job 24/7. Especially if they are cooking for a family and are in charge of the kids diets, they have to be particularly watchful about incorporating different kinds of vegetables in many different dishes, so that the kids are tempted to eat their veggies.

You know by now that I am a big fan of vegetables. I love all kinds of veggies. My idea of a wonderful weekend is a visit to a well stocked produce store. And I invariably buy all my vegetables fresh. The only frozen veggies I buy are green peas.

I love the multitude of greens we get here in the US and so I usually pick up a couple of new ones each week – it allows for variety. Greens are not only good for you, they are also good for your wallet. A bunch of greens usually cost around $2 and it makes a dish that feeds a family of 4! This week I came home laden with mustard greens because they looked so fresh.

Mustard greens are stuffed with nutrients. They have 9 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Best of all, they are a unique source of 3 notable antioxidants: Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. They are known as nature’s free radicals scavenger. Mustard greens are wonderful for children and adults who have asthma. The vitamin C in the greens help them breathe easier. The greens are also particularly helpful for women’s health. They are laden with calcium, B6 and phyto nutients. Read more about Mustard Green’s nutritional value here.

I made a mustard green and lentil combo dish that tasted deliciously smooth and buttery, even though it had no butter. It was also extremely quick and easy to make and is not at all spicy, so the kids will enjoy it too. Serve with brown rice and some salad and you have a healthy and complete meal cooked in just 30 minutes. Yeah! Rachel Ray, I can cook a meal in 30 minutes too.

As usual, this recipe uses just one teaspoon oil for the entire dish, so you have an entire meal for a family of 4 made with just 1 teaspoon oil.

Here is what you need:
1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup yellow lentils (tuvar dal)
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder

To garnish:
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida powder
1 habanero or jalopeno (chopped fine)
1 tsp olive oil

Here is how you make this:
Wash and boil the lentils in 2 cups of water until soft. Add more water if necessary. When the lentils are cooked, add the chopped mustard greens, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the greens are also cooked. Remove from the stove.

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait until they crackle and add the cumin seeds. Brown for 10 seconds and add the chopped habanero. Fry crisp. Add the asafoetiday powder. Remove from stove and pour the garnish over the lentil and mustard green dish.

Serve hot with brown rice and salad. (If you make brown rice side-by-side in another stove, your entire meal is ready in 30 minutes!)

Colorful Pepper Salad

I know this may sound incongruous, but vegetarian Indians are not big fans of salads. In fact, not many Indian I know are salad eaters.

Oh, don’t get me wrong; vegetarian Indians do eat vegetables. Only not in salad form. Vegetables are a must at every meal – only they are cooked, steamed, curried or stir fried and never eaten raw. It may be because the vegetables that traditionally were available in India in the 80s, 90s and earlier were organically grown and we were not so sure if they were free of pests. Or maybe, we thought the veggies tasted better when cooked. Whatever the reason, from my childhood, I always ate cooked, steamed, curried, or stir fried vegetables and have stayed far away from salads.

When I moved to the US, I made a valiant effort to eat at the salad bar, but the only way I could swallow those large torn lettuce leaves was to smother them with dressing – beats the purpose! So, when I finally came across this multi-colored pepper salad at a friend’s potluck party, I was pleasantly surprised. I just loved it! I have modified it slightly from the  recipe given by my friend.

But feel free to experiment by throwing in your favorite vegetables whilst using the colored peppers as a base. This salad needs absolutely no dressing and is zero fat!

This is a meal that will satiate all your senses. The wonderful hues of color – red, orange and gold of the peppers, the gorgeous green of the green apple and celery, the earthy brown of the walnuts and the deep maroons of the cranberries and beans will excite your aesthetic curiosity. The crunch and texture of the peppers, celery and walnuts will satisfy your need to munch. The fresh aroma of chopped vegetables will entice even a picky youngster to give this salad a try. And the beans will get your digestive juices flowing.

This is also a very healthy and filling meal by itself – it needs no accompaniment. Make it the previous evening, refrigerate and pick it up for lunch at work the next day. Super quick and easy!

Here’s what you need:
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
2 stalks fresh green celery
3 small granny smith green apples
1 can red beans or garbanzo beans
handful chopped raw walnuts
handful cranberries or raisins
1 slit red chili for garnish (optional)

Here is how you make this:
Wash and chop all the vegetables. I generally chop really fine in order to bring out the flavors. Toss together and garnish with the slit red chili. Serve immediately or cold.

Cilantro Green Chutney

Growing up in India meant growing up eating Indian food. And eating Indian food meant nearly every dish was garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

I have lived in many cities and towns in India. The most ubiquitous factor in an Indian family’s life is their “sabziwallah” and “keerai-kari”.

“Sabziwallah” simply means “vegetable man”. He would arrive early every morning, pushing his cart laden with all kinds of local and seasonal vegetables. There would be potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green beans, a few different kinds of pumpkins and gourds, brinjal (eggplant), carrots, ladies finger (okra!) amongst whatever else he could source that morning. None of the vegetables were refrigerated, so he needed to offload his wares that same day in order to minimize any losses. Invariably, he had a route and many different housewives with whom he had a symbiotic relationship. They needed him and he needed them. The women of the household looked forward to his visit everyday. It was a time to meet and chat with neighbors, take a break from the rush of sending the husband and kids off to work and school and from packing tiffin boxes (lunch boxes) for everyone. It was a time to take in the glorious sunshine and pore over the produce. Each housewife would buy her vegetables for the day and in the end, the sabziwallah would throw in his special free of charge – a small handful of green chilis and a few sprigs of cilantro.

And that cilantro would get washed, chopped and grace nearly every dish as a garnish.

But if the housewife ever wanted to make a cilantro chutney, she’d need to go to another source to buy a bunch of cilantro – the “keerai-kari” or the “green woman”. This was invariably an old woman who would come laden with a huge basket on her head, filled with all kinds of greens. She would have different types of spinach, all kinds of greens and bunches of cilantro. She would stand outside the door and yell, “Amma (madam), I’ve brought greens”. And the housewife would have another break from her household chores. She would go out and help the old woman bring down the basket from her head, haggle over the price of the greens, pay her, help her load her heavy basket back on her head and be on her merry way.

So, for as long as I can remember, cilantro was a staple in my diet – either as a garnish or as a chutney. It is only now that I checked the nutritional value of cilantro. According to the health diaries site, it has phenomenal health benefits – most notable amongst them is the ability to work as a natural chelation agent by leaching out heavy metals like mercury from inside the body. In addition, it is reportedly good for reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering blood sugar. It is also a good source of magnesium, iron, dietary fiber, phytonutrients and flavonoids.

And, oh, did I mention – it tastes simply fantastic.

What more reason do you need to try out this fabulous Cilantro Green chutney? Here’s one more – it is ZERO fat. No fat! Nada!

Here’s the section where I give credit: the Cilantro Green Chutney is my dear mother-in-law, Usha’s recipe. And this is my father-in-law’s most favorite accompaniment for every dish.

I have used this chutney in the Fusion Egg Sandwich recipe and had promised to give you the recipe.
Here it is. Buy a bunch of fresh green cilantro, make this chutney and store in the fridge for upto a week. Super quick and easy to make!

Here is what you need:
3 small bunches fresh cilantro leaves (wash thoroughly under running water)
1″ piece fresh ginger (wash)
2 garlic pods (peeled and washed)
4 green chilis (reduce per taste)
1 tsp salt
Dash of lemon juice

Here is how you make this:
Place everything except lemon juice in a blender. Add enough water to allow the blender to work smoothly. Blend. Add lemon juice. Serve. Enjoy!