What's Cooking Tonight? Tasty, Healthy Indian Cuisine

If your a regular at your local Indian restaurant, you know how amazing the flavor, color, texture and aromas which are found in foods from India. If you are curious and want to experience new foods with flavor, I highly suggest giving Indian food a try. Because Indian food is full of flavor, it's a delicious way to eat and be healthy. Since the Indian diet is rich in beans, vegetables, whole grains and spices it makes eating these food so much more enjoyable because the foods are full of flavor! Be very cautious as some Indian foods use heavy cream base and that can quickly turn into not healthy.

Here is my favorite recipe that I crave weekly and is my standby last-minute dish . It's easy to pull together and is ready in under 30 minutes and I must not forget so healthy for you!! You can even be creative and try a variety of vegetables in the dish.

Quick Chickpea Curry
2-16oz cans chickpeas, rinsed (I suggest no salt added to reduce sodium intake)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped (can is fine without juice, but also choose no salt added to reduce sodium intake)
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Morton's salt substitute
3 c water
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1-2 cups peas and carrots-cooked (optional)

1. Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high heat and add cumin seeds, cooking until seeds turn golden. Add onion and fry 2-3 minutes. Add ginger and tomatoes and cover and cook for 2 minutes. Mash the tomatoes with spoon until well blended.

2. Add turmeric, coriander and cayenne, stirring for a few seconds. Add chickpeas, salt, salt substitute and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add garam masala,lemon juice, and cooked peas and carrots then transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro. Makes 8 servings*

4. Optional stir in basmati rice for a more satisfying dish. 1/2 c cooked = 100 more calories per serving

Nutrition Information per Serving* (3/4 cup)
156 calories, 5g fat, 0g saturated fat, 22g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 207g sodium