Healthy Golden Vegetable Curry

There's an album in my iTunes called Under the Shiva Moon. I don't expect anyone to know the album, by name or otherwise -- it's over ten years old at this point and besides, it was first published by a little local group that called themselves "Yogi Renegades". Their official band name was Shiva's Garden. 

The first time I heard those yogi renegades I was probably ten (how old I actually was is now lost in time). It was a Monday evening. I know that, because we went to the same place every Monday throughout my tween years: a mountain yoga center. Monday night was community night, and we were regulars, at least at that point. There would be music, and candles, and a family-style meal. After Shiva's Garden played live one night, my dad bought their album and for at least a week we listened to it in the car on repeat. I fell for their music then: the meditative rhythms, the slightly exotic sounds of the instruments, the folky feel. It didn't take long before I could sing along with every word. 

It was on one of those nights at the ashram that I was gifted a small statue of Ganesha. The ritual, the gift, the giving of the gift... it was all a little over my head. I still don't think I totally know why this gift ended up with me, but I remember the generosity of the girl who gave it to me, and I remember thinking I would never let it go. On the drive home my dad explained that Ganesha was the Remover of Obstacles. I made a spot for him on my bookshelf and on the roughest of days, the days with the most obstacles, I would stare at his golden face and try to come to peace with everything. That was hard, because I was a teenager, and there were hardly ever answers to my questions. 

Golden and still, he now stands amongst my plants. Surrounding him are a few tributes: a bundle of unopened incense, an Indian friendship bracelet, a blue topaz stone, and a small copper capsule of water from the Ganges River.

On the roughest of days and the calmest of days alike, I still play Under the Shiva Moon. I still sing along. When I'm home alone I turn the volume up so I can barely hear my soft voice over the chords. Some days I even wonder if my old, golden friend on the shelf remembers the lyrics too. I find sanctuary in making a curry while it plays--warm and spicy like they used to make on community night- and humming as it simmers on the stove. 

Golden Vegetable Curry

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Cream balances out the curry powder in this recipe, making it both cool and hot all at once. In this particular recipe I use dairy instead of coconut cream, as it has a milder flavor, however coconut cream (the canned type) can be used in place of heavy cream to make this recipe vegan or dairy-free.

Serves: 2-3   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 summer squash, diced
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 cup green beens, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream (optional: use canned coconut cream for vegan or DF)
• Optional: If you’re looking to make this meal a little more hearty, add 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced

Directions:

1. Place a medium soup on the stove over medium heat. Add the coconut oil to the pot and heat until it glistens. Then, add the diced onion and cook until translucent.
2. Next, add the garlic and ginger. Stir, and cook for several minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the remaining vegetables and stir. Pour broth, curry powder, turmeric, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to the pot. (Add the cooked chicken at this point if you plan on using it). Stir again, and then place lid on pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, until sweet potatoes and tender and the other vegetables are cooked through.
4. Reduce heat and remove lid from pot. Slowly pour cream into soup, stirring as you do. Once cream is added, taste the soup. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve hot.

Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

Update! This recipe is one of my faves. I shot new photos in December of 2018, and updated the recipe a little bit. Watch the video below!

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My first introduction to this spicy drink was in middle school, when my mom brought home a carton of Oregon Chai concentrate. Little did I know that single discovery would take me on quite the Chai-adventure!

I quickly learned to love plenty of other types of chai — and began to prefer spicier flavors over sweeter ones (if you’ve tried Oregon Chai, you know it’s pretty dang syrupy!). Bhakti Chai was a small start up in my home town at the time, and I fell in love with the pungent ginger in each sip. A mug of Bhakti Chai became a very special treat when I went to college — something I’d buy myself when I went to the school library during finals week.

I visited India with my dad when I was about 15. There, chai was served out of little carts on every street corner. It was called “Masala Chai,” because the word “chai” in Hindi simply means “tea.” Each cart served up their own recipe, a proprietary blend of spices and served with raw sugar. I scribbled down one recipe from a woman in Udiapur, and have been using that as my baseline ever since. But that’s the thing with Masala Chai: everyone’s version is slightly different. Some people want it sweet and cinnamon-y. Others want the ginger to be bright and bold and in your face. Me? I’m a cardamom lover, though I don’t object to the ginger, either. I also prefer honey over sugar. Lately I’ve been digging this Lazy Bee Ranch Whipped Honey, made locally in Colorado.

Once you’ve made Masala Chai three or four times, you’ll start to realize which camp you sit in, and you can adapt your own recipe to match exactly that.

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Making chai at home is far superior in terms of flavor than buying tea bags. It’s also far cheaper than buying pre-made concentrates. If I’m going to make a big batch of chai at home, I’ll use fresh ginger root and simmer it with spices in a soup pot. It usually doesn’t last more than a day — we drink it non-stop until it’s gone.

This recipe, however, calls for ginger tea (not crystallized ginger, but dried ginger) instead of fresh ginger. Why? Well, sometimes a girl wants her chai and she doesn’t want to bowl a whole soup pot just to get a mug of it! 🙃Using dried ginger means you can keep this tea in your cupboard with the rest of your teas, and brew a mug at a time on demand whenever you please. It’s the best for when I need a pick me up on a work day.

I also almost always make a hot mug of chai in my thermos when we go climbing or hiking in the spring, fall, or winter. It keeps me warm when it starts to get chilly, and I enjoy the caffeine lift in the afternoon.

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Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

Published June 10, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 15   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

12 cardamom pods

4-5 whole cloves

8 black peppercorns

3 whole allspice berries

Pinch whole anise seeds

1 cinnamon stick (about 2-3 inches long)

3 tablespoons black Assam tea (English breakfast works too, if it’s all you can find!)

2 tablespoons dried ginger tea

For serving: water for brewing tea, and honey and milk to taste

Directions:

1. Place cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, allspice berries, anise seeds and cinnamon stick in a small skillet. Toast over low heat, stirring, until spices are fragrant.
2. Scrape spices into a mortar and pestle, and roughly grind the spices.
3. Combine Assam tea, ginger, and ground spices in a bowl or jar. Stir to combine.
4. Tea can be stored at room temperature in an air tight jar for quick some time — it may start to loose some of it’s flavor after a few months.
5. To brew: Heat 8 ounces of hot water. Place tea in a fine mesh tea stainer in a mug, and pour water into mug. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea and strainer from mug. Sweeten with honey and milk to taste.
6. You may find that the bottom of your mug had spices in it — that’s where all the flavor comes from! I avoid drinking that very last sip, just like I might avoid taking the very last sip of sludgy French press coffee. Personal preference!

Seared & Curried Eggplant (Paleo & Vegan)

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I wasn't going to post this recipe today. I was going to post a recipe for a gorgeous chia pudding with berries and bananas. Very red, white and blue, you know. Thing is, I just couldn't get myself excited about it. It was great, it was fine, but it felt so ho-hum sitting next to this recipe. Now this recipe--this has flavor. This gets me excited. 

Eggplant? Exciting? Yea, you heard me. If you had asked me a few years ago if eggplant was exciting, I would have laughed. The first thing that would have come to mind is that slimy Eggplant Parmesan with soggy breading that we all know and hate (some Eggplant Parmesan is delicious, but the bad versions are quite bad). 

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I don't know when I first tried Baingan Bharta (Eggplany Curry), but it's the dish that redefined eggplant for me. 

I've had this dish in all sort of ways: some people puree the eggplant after cooking it, some people leave it chunkier. Some people serve it with more of a sauce, and some keep it simple.  I have enjoyed them all but none as much as when they're like this: the eggplant is seared, almost crispy on the outside and not at all soggy. The spices are blended with only a bit of tomato, so as not to overwhelm the dish, and it's loaded with heat. 

Recently I was listening to a radio show on NPR about Picky Eaters, and how kid's learn their eating habits. You know when you arrive at your destination and you just want to going around the block a few more times to finish listening to your show? It was one of those. I've always attributed my willingness to eat just about anything to my dad: when I was a kid, he had my try new things every week (this also probably played a role in turning me into such a foodie!). This show, however, explained why kids have different tastes than their parents: their tastebuds are still young and sensitive. I guess my tastebuds finally "matured" enough to like eggplant. ;) 

The moral of the entire interview? Try everything ten times. At least ten times. Try cooking it different ways, and try serving it with different things. One of them, you're sure to like! 

Seared & Curried Eggplant

Published May 7, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch nob ginger, minced

2 eggplants, diced into bite-sized pieces

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon whole black mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Optional, for serving: spicy chili peppers, if you like your curry really hot

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Sauté.
2. When the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes to the pan, giving everything a stir.
3. Add the diced eggplant to the skillet, stirring into the onion mixture. Sprinkle salt over top, and stir in (this helps draw out the natural juices). Increase the heat a small amount, to medium-high. Stir occasionally, giving the eggplant time to sear on each side.
4. When the eggplant is softened through an browning in some places, add the spices and minced cilantro.
5. The eggplant is done when it’s completely softened through and browned on some of the sides. Remove from heat and serve hot over rice or as a side dish with One-Pan Beef Korma or Slow Cooker Kashmiri Curry Leg of Lamb.