Recipe Monday: Chana Masala

Happy Monday!

I have to get something off my chest before I begin today’s recipe. I had a 9-mile run scheduled for Sunday and I had a running partner. He bailed the morning of the run. No big deal, right? Well, there’s been some runner attacks in my area lately and I’ve been totally freaked out about them ever since I caught wind of them. I didn’t run my 9 miles on Sunday. I mustered just over 3 and I was completely paranoid the entire time.

My question to my awesome readers is this: how do I get over this completely unfounded hump of paranoia? It’s getting to the point where I really don’t like running alone anymore. I suppose that’s okay because it’s almost winter and I’m not a winter runner anyway. But still. My worrying is affecting my runs, and I really don’t like that.

All right. Glad I got that out there.

I have one more thing to share. You know that Plank Challenge that y’all are supposed to be doing with me? I’m really seeing results. I don’t know about you but it’s amazing! My mom pouch is almost entirely gone. Who knew?! Yay planks! And if you want to jump in on the fun, here’s the calendar.

Today’s recipe is phenomenal. Another one from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This cookbook has awesome recipes but don’t try to make any while you have little kids running around the house tearing things up. They are pretty labor intensive recipes, and I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t warn you ahead of time.

I recently tried a new recipe for another book and it didn’t include prep or cook time approximates, and I ended up really messing up the recipe. I’m now going to include approximations for you so you can judge how long start to finish each recipe will take.

Having said all that, this recipe for Chana Masala is delicious. Try it, you must!

Chana Masala

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger (peel first)
1 serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1-28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juices
2-14 oz cans chickpeas
1 C basmati rice

Directions

In a large wok or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cumin seeds. Stir and toast the seeds for a minute or two until golden and fragrant.

Raise the heat to medium and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano. Cook for a few minutes, then stir in the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, salt and cayenne (if using), and cook for two minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and juices, and break apart with a wooden spoon.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or longer to let the flavors develop.Serve over cooked basmati rice and garnish with a squeeze of lemon and chopped cilantro just before serving.

Notes: Prep everything ahead of time. It will make things go much more smoothly while you’re cooking. I usually skip the cayenne, and the garnishes. It’s pretty spicy without the cayenne, and I don’t want to set it into overdrive for my family.

Enjoy!