Chana Masala, Smoothies and Garden Dreaming

The rutabaga is getting ready to bloom.

















I put a tsp of cumin in my smoothie this morning.















Basic smoothie, mustard greens, banana, apple, cucumber, flax seeds and cumin.
Delicious. I hear cumin is supposed to be good for you and I will use any excuse to eat more of it. I love it.

Dinner last night was Chana Masala over brown rice and black quinoa.














That is chopped jalapeno pickle on top which it didn't need, it was quite spicy.

Let's see. I wrote that recipe down somewhere...

Vegetable Chana Masala


1 tablespoon Earth Balance.
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsnip
1/2 cup chopped celery

Grind together 1 tsp each fenugreek and fennel and use
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek and fennel
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 roma tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup water

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, with the liquid
1 teaspoon paprika
Juice of 1/4 lemon

Toss the EB or oil in a skillet set over medium heat. When melted, add the onion, parsnip, celery and garlic and cook until soft and beginning to brown.

Add the fenugreek and fennel, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric.
Stir until combined and cook until the spices are very fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes and 1/2 cup water until well combined

Add in the chickpeas. Stir until combined, and then bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Add the paprika and lemon juice. Cover and cook at a simmer until it gets thick.


We spent some time designing the garden last night, plotting out what would go where and why.
Tall plants like beans, tomatoes and cukes will go in the back, mid-sized bushy types like peppers and tomatoes and eggplants will got in the middle.
Short stuff like greens, zukes, pumpkin, WATERMELON! and herbs will go in the front.
Very exciting stuff! It doesn't stop freezing until mid June around here. I'm dreaming of spring. We had a pretty decent garden last year and it was just thrown together without much planning. This one is going to be even better.