Curried Green Beans with Corn and Tomato

I may not have blogged here for over a year, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking.

I have some Scarlet Runner beans in my garden that have grown really big - you know, tough and stringy. They wouldn't be nice steamed (which is what I usually do) so I had to find some other way to use them up.


















First I used my potato peeler along the length of each side to peel away the stringy parts. Usually you can pull the strings, but my beans weren't cooperating. Then I cut them up into 1/2" pieces.






















They are cooking on the stove now and here is my little recipe, created with what I had on hand. You can modify however you wish.



















Curried Green Beans with Tomato and Corn

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups cut green beans
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 Tbsp dried kale - OPTIONAL
1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) - OPTIONAL

Saute the onion and garlic cloves in a little water until soft. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer on low heat until the green beans are soft or to your liking.

This will be a hearty sauce that you can serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. Add a little water if it becomes too thick.

I always keep dried kale on hand because I love to toss some in soups and stews and fresh kale isn't always available to me. The TVP just adds a bit of texture.

I just had a little taste to see how it's coming along. Not bad at all. :)

Curried Red Lentil Soup

This is a really simple and cheap soup to make. It's based on a McDougall recipe which I have modified slightly.

2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 1/2 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups red lentils
2 medium potatoes, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Saute the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of the water in a large pot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, potatoes and carrots and the remaining water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Stir in the vinegar and garnish with parsley or cilantro before serving.