How do you choose the meals you plan to make? Do
you tend to fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to dinner plans or do
you meticulously plan each meal? I’m a planner, but only in the last few years
since I got married and started this blog. I remember my first grocery trip
post-college, pre-marriage when I was living by myself. I entered the store
with no list and no plan in mind which resulted in a rather odd assortment of
ingredients. It’s no wonder I spent those months of solo living eating
pb&j, microwaveable nachos, and cereal! Nowadays, trips to the grocery
store are much different. I meal plan at home and then make my list
accordingly, sticking to it most of the time (save for a few impulse
purchases…usually treats for Ryan or chocolate chips for baking experiments!).
A few weeks ago, we were out of food and I had a
small window of opportunity to grocery shop. Somehow, making a list hadn’t
happened that week and I was forced to throw a menu plan and list together in a
matter of minutes. I grabbed the nearest magazine, Family Circle in this case,
and starting writing down ingredients for the first recipe I saw: Garam Masala
Spiced Lentils and Potatoes.
My sporadic pick turned out to be a good one! This meal exceeded mine
and Ryan’s expectations…he liked it enough to eat it for lunch and
dinner one day. The recipe makes enough to feed an army—I froze about a third
of it to pull out on a busy evening and we enjoyed the rest over a few meals.
This lentil dish was healthy, but not boring, thanks to the spice profile. I
think I need to start meal planning at the last second more often!
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars
Garam Masala Lentils and Potatoes
from Family Circle October 2011
Ingredients:
-l lb brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
-1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
-2 onions, peeled and chopped
-1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
-2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tsp garam masala seasoning
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-2 red or yellow peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
-3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combined 4 cups water, lentils, potatoes, onions, diced tomatoes, salt, garam masala, cumin, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Add chopped peppers and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Sprinkle with almonds over the top.
This content was originally posted on Honest Cooking in my featured column "Cooking the Magazines".
