My Legume Love Affair #88 - October 2015

I'm pleased once again to be hosting My Legume Love Affair, a long running event celebrating all of the goodness of legumes. We are at edition #88 and I hope fellow bloggers will submit a recipe this month. This event was started by my dear and loving friend Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and eventually passed along to me to administer. A special thank you to those who have hosted and contributed their creativity and talent over the years.

Legumes are an important source of protein, especially for those following vegetarian or vegan diets. In my kitchen, it is rare a day goes by without legumes playing an important role.

To share in the legume love affair, all you need to do is:

Prepare a legume-centric dish. Link back to this announcement, my blog and also Susan's blog, as she is the original founder of the event. Share your creation using the linky tool at the end of this post by the end of the month. Use of the lovely logo, designed by Susan, is optional, but appreciated.

I own and operate a vegetarian blog, so only vegetarian recipes will be accepted. That includes recipes free of meat, fowl and seafood. Please only one submission per month, per blogger. Recipes from your archives will be accepted if reposted and updated.

For your dish to be included in the roundup, it must contain more than just a few tablespoons of legumes. The slight exception to this are legumes such as fenugreek or tamarind that typically are used in smaller quantities. Fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and the sometimes edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products such as tofu or besan, along with fenugreek, carob, and peanuts are all acceptable. The possibilities are endless. Please just ensure that your shining ingredient is in fact a member of the legume family. All types of cuisines and courses are welcome, meaning appetizers, sides, mains and desserts are all acceptable so long as the mighty legume is the key ingredient.

Thanks in advance for your participation and inspiration. I am looking for guest hosts for 2016. Send me an email at legume.lisa AT gmail DOT com or leave a comment on this post if you would like to host.

A longtime favorite soup of mine that I often make when I don't want to fuss and want something warming and easy to digest, this attractive and gently spiced ural dal and tomato soup is always worth another share. And another taste too. Creamy mild urad dal combines so well with tangy tomatoes, hot peppers, ginger and cumin. I took advantage of a surplus of cherry tomatoes from our garden for an extra boost of flavor and goodness as well as a red bell pepper too for some extra flair. Sometimes simplicity is exactly what the body needs. This easy-to-make recipe just might become a staple in your kitchen too.

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Sometimes the easiest dishes are the most satisfying, especially when you are pressed for time but don't wish to sacrifice flavor or nutrients. Take these deliciously nutty baked millet and brown rice patties with creamy tahini and salty tamari sauce. With hardly any ingredients at all, they need little adornment to satisfy the palate and appetite. I've always maintained that millet is an under-appreciated grain, and there is no reason for that. It's always a staple in my pantry, along with the more popular grains such as rice, quinoa and oats.

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One of my favorite ingredients, I scarcely like to go a week without eating mushrooms and will often incorporate them into rice or dishes that don't ordinarily call for them. But sometimes I like to make a dish in which the mushrooms shine as the starring ingredient. That and my usual preference for Indian food means plenty of mushroom curries being served at my table.

This time I marinated whole tender button mushrooms in a thick and zesty Indian yogurt and spice "tikka" or marinade. As if these wouldn't be good enough by themselves, I simmered them gently in an incredible smooth Indian-spiced tomato and cashew gravy. Using the mushrooms whole and only gently simmering them in the gravy keeps them plump and meaty for enjoying them as a whole wonderful mushroom bite with each forkful. Served with some simple saffron rice, this mushroom curry made an extraordinarily colorful and delicious meal.

Don't let the rather long list of ingredients intimidate you. It's not a complicated dish to make.

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