Slow Cooker Indian Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

From Home and Gardens Good-For-You Slow Cooker Healthy Comfort 2019

I re-designed this recipe since I don't really like cumin, added a cinnamon stick and cardamom, and I left out the heavy cream.  However, I might try a non-dairy cream next time to see how it changes the taste.  The carrots were delicious, so I'd go heavy on those.  Real carrots, not baby carrots.  Serve over the grain of your choice, and/or with naan.  As with many stews, it tastes better the next day.  Makes 4-6 servings.  This is my guess at the spice combination I used.

Ingredients:
4 cups water (I included 1-2 cups vegetable broth in the 4 cups)
4 medium carrots cut into 1" pieces
2 medium onions, cut into 1/2" wedges (I used more - ~9 small onions)
1 cup dried chickpeas
1.5 tsp salt

1 cinnamon stick
14 oz crushed tomatoes (used diced roasted)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh serrano pepper (used 1/8 tsp chipotle chili pepper)
1.5 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup heavy cream - works with soy creamer

Directions:
1) In slow cooker, combine water/broth, carrots, onions, chickpeas, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or just until chickpeas are tender.

2) Drain vegetables, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid (I used this as a broth itself, separately).  Return vegetables to cooker.  In a medium bowl combine tomatoes and the next ingredients through black pepper, remaining 1 tsp salt, and reserved cooking liquid.  Stir into vegetables in cooker.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

3) Before serving, stir in peas, cilantro, and cream.  Serve with rice or other grain, and naan for dipping.

Sesame noodles with cucumbers

From Vegan Everything  by Nadine Horn and Jorg Mayer

The sauce was too minimal for the noodles - Try doubling all the sauce ingredients.  When I put extra sauce on one spoonful of noodles, it seemed perfect.

Or can try adapting/ blending the other recipe noted below.

Ingredients:
1 pound noodles (used whole wheat)

1 Tbsp dark (roasted) sesame oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 medium cucumber
2 scallions
2 tsp black sesame seeds
3 Tbsp Chinese sesame paste or tahini
2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt


Directions:
1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the noodles, stirring gently.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 4 minutes, until barely tender (longer for whole wheat)

2) Drain the noodles and transfer to a bowl of cold water to remove excess starch.  Drain again and put the noodles in a medium bowl.  Dress with 1/2 tsp of the sesame oil and set aside.

3)  Mince the garlic, slice the cucumber into 3 inch strips and thinly slice the scallions.

4) Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly until golden brown (how do you know when black seeds are golden brown??).  Set aside to cool.

5) Combine the garlic, sesame paste, peanut butter, vinegar, the remaining 2.5 tsp sesame oil, and the soy sauce in a small bowl.  Mix well, seasoning with the salt.

6) Pour the dressing over the noodles and mix well.  Top with the scallions, cucumbers and sesame seeds.

Peter's 'Steve's Cold Sesame Noodle Sauce'  - for 1.5 pounds of spaghetti, dry weight.

Ingredients:
1.5 cup chunky PB
2 Tbsp sesame paste without added vinegar
2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2-3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup dry sherry
5 Tbsp medium dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp peanut oil.

6 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tsp cider vinegar
10 drops jasmine essence (from a Thai food store)
Szechuan hot oil to taste

Directions: 

1) Mix the first 9 sauce ingredients well to form a thick sauce or paste, then slowly, with stirring, add 1 1/4 cup water for a medium thin sauce, which will thicken over time.

2) After the water, add the soy, cider vinegar, jasmine essence and hot oil.

Sweet, salty, spicy pecans

From Once Upon A Chef cookbook by Jennifer Segal

These are great.  Jennifer writes that these nuts are addictive - perfect to serve with cocktails, toss over salads, give as a homemade gift, or just snack on.   The whole process takes about 15 minutes.

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I usually use less)
2 cups whole pecans

Directions: 
1) Preheat the oven to 350 and set an oven rack in the middle position.  Line a rimmed 13x18" baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and cayenne.

3) Add the pecans to the sugar mixture, along with 4 teaspoons of water.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved into a sticky glaze and ll the nuts are evenly coated.  If the mixture is still too powdery after stirring for a while, add a few more drops of water - just don't add too much.

4) Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer.  Scrape every last bit of glaze from the bowl and drizzle over the nuts.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pecans are crusty on top and caramelized and golden on the bottom.  Immediately slide the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and allow the pecans to cool completely on the countertop.  Once cool, remove the pecans from the parchment, breaking apart any clusters if necessary, and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.  Do not freeze.