GMT: Whole Green Lentils with Cilantro and Mint

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Whole Green lentils (whole green mung dal) with cilantro and mint. 

Whole Green Lentils | The Novice Housewife

I was a picky eater growing up. The only lentil dish I would eat was maa ki dal – a lighter version of the popular dal makhani. My mom tried her best to make me eat more varieties but I just wouldn’t. She had a tough time cooking for me – rajma chawal, aloo parantha, ande ki bhurji (indian scrambled eggs), bhindi
(okra), dal makhani, cholle bhature made 90% of my Indian food diet. Anything else generally met with a lot of resistance.

So while I have been experimental with my cooking and baking, I have been pretty restrictive with Indian cooking, focusing mainly on stuff that I have grown up eating. The only lentils I generally cook are urad saboot (whole unskinned black lentils that I use in my dal makhani recipe) and toovar dal (yellow pigeon pea). Toovar dal only made an appearance in my diet post marriage since V, being from UP, is a big fan of it.

Whole Green Lentils | The Novice Housewife

When my mom was here she used the other lentils that were in my pantry and made different dals for us and both of us really enjoyed. And I realized I should start including them in our diet more.

The other day when I was menu planning, I came across this recipe for whole green lentils with cilantro and mint in Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian cooking . Although not the most attractive looking dish, it definitely is tasty and a perfect healthy side for your indian meals. You can also make it a little more watery and have it as a lentil soup. I served it with indian flat breads and my favorite achaari paneer recipe.

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GMT : Vegetable Pulao

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Vegetable Pulao | The Novice Housewife

I have made this vegetable pulao so many times now but somehow have not posted the recipe for it on the blog. Let’s correct that today!

The reason why I turn to this recipe for vegetable pulao is that its so easy to make and even though it can be served as a side, with a little more veggies in the mix it doubles up perfectly as a main. The best part though- this pulao is a one pot meal. So clean up is easy too.

I have barely adapted this recipe from Soma’s blog ecurry.com. Soma suggests not to use veggies like broccoli or cauliflower so that the flavors of the spices are distinct. Since I make this dish for a complete meal I do add some veggies, especially cauliflower. And then serve it raita and pickle. If using the pulao as a side you can leave out the cauliflower.

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Smashed Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Eating in the Middle

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Smashed roasted garlic potatoes | The Novice Housewife

Andie Mitchell is the author  of the New York Times bestseller It Was Me All Along, a memoir where she talks about her 135 pounds weight loss, body image issues and her journey towards self-acceptance.

Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook is her debut cookbook where she shares recipes that have helped her maintain these lifestyle changes.

Smashed roasted garlic potatoes | The Novice Housewife

With a very motivating and honest introduction, Andie Mitchell’s Eating in the Middle is loaded with “recipes that are healthy, wholesome with a focus on big, boisterous flavors“.  She admits that depravation is not the key to a healthy lifestyle and so to keep a fair balance, the book also has its share of recipes that are richer and more decadent, which is what I love about the cookbook. Struggling with weight loss and going on the all or nothing diets is what makes lifestyle changes difficult. Andie dismisses these extreme changes and tells us through her recipes and storytelling to embrace a path that does not deny us the decadent treats and teaches us to enjoy food in a balanced way.

While on one hand you have nourishing dishes like butternut squash salad with kale and pomegranate and arugula with orange segments, spiced walnuts and goat cheese; on the other hand, to keep things realistic, you  have gooey chocolate chip cookie pie and peanut butter mousse pie with marshmallow whipped cream (yum!).

And then there are more balanced meals like the chicken and mushrooms in mustard marsala cream sauce and spicy chipotle chicken enchiladas.

Smashed roasted garlic potatoes | The Novice Housewife

Each recipe has a corresponding picture of the finished product which photographer Aran Goyoaga and prop stylist Jenn Elliot Blake have beautifully captured. A per serving information chart is given along with every recipe, and even though I am not a calorie counting person it is definitely helpful to know.

The book has so many recipes that I would like to try and have already stocked up my refrigerator to make the spicy tofu stir-fry next.

Today  though, I am sharing this quick and easy recipe for smashed roasted garlic potatoes from the book, which makes a perfect side dish. In Andie’s words “they are crisp and crusty with soft, mashy middles.”

Hope you enjoy them.

The book is available on Amazon here.

eating in the middle

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