One-Pan Eggplant & Chickpea Curry

The next time you need something delicious to make with a beautiful eggplant, or you're too tired to make something really involved for dinner, or you just don't want to do a lot of dishes, try this guy out. This is an insanely easy curry that you just pop into the oven so the veggies and chickpeas get all roasty in a garlicky curry paste. So wonderful with a dollop of cool plain yogurt and some toasty naan for wiping your plate clean.

 One-Pan Eggplant and Chickpea Curry

From Food & Wine

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• One 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
• Freshly ground pepper
• One 5-ounce bag baby spinach
• Warm naan and plain yogurt, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 F. On a work surface, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. In a large roasting pan, mix the paste with the curry powder and vegetable oil. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas and ginger, season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and onion are tender. Stir in the spinach and roast until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve with warm naan and yogurt.

Pasta e Fagioli with Spinach

Man, I can't believe I haven't posted in over a week. Things have been so busy over here -- we're starting on the wedding planning process, and I'm also trying to throw together plans for a vacation in early August. (If you have any tips on wedding venues in DC or can't-miss vacation spots in Washington State, I am all ears!)

This dinner is perfect for a busy weeknight. If you're quick at chopping tomatoes, you can make this whole thing in about 20 minutes. It's healthy and gives you everything you need in one bowl: carby pasta, protein-packed beans, and nutrient-rich spinach. And the sauce is so fresh and delicious, with tomatoes (you can get good ones now! summer is here!) and white wine. Bonus: it only uses a little bit of wine, leaving the rest of the bottle for you to drink with your meal.

Pasta e Fagioli with Spinach
Paraphrased from Appetite for Reduction

• 8 ounces small whole-wheat pasta (such as elbows, orecchiette, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 14-ounce can of navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A bag of baby spinach

Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions; drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, wine, oregano, thyme, and salt. Bring to a boil; once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the tomato sauce, pasta, and spinach, stirring well to combine, until the spinach is wilted. Serve.

Butternut Saag

This yummy Indian-inspired meal is a great Sunday dinner. This was my yesterday: Cold, rainy afternoon. Football on TV (Bucs/Redskins, of course). A butternut squash roasting in the oven. Oh, also, a dog chewing out his stitches and needing to go back to the vet, but that's another story.

Anyway, saag is Indian-food-speak for a spinach dish. A couple months ago I made a tofu saag; this one subs out the tofu for butternut, which makes the whole thing slightly sweeter. (The original recipe I was using called for sugar pumpkin, but my grocery store didn't have any; the butternut worked great, but you could also use acorn or kabocha squash.) It's a great variation that's well worth trying.

Butternut Saag
Adapted from Veganomicon's Pumpkin Saag

• Medium to large size butternut squash (or a sugar pumpkin if you can find one)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Large onion, diced finely
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne (or more to taste)
• 1 cup water
• A 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled
• Two bunches of fresh spinach, washed well and coarsely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Cooked rice (basmati would be best, though I used long-grain white since it was what I had)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice off the top of the squash to remove the stem, then cut the entire squash lengthwise into halves (be careful!). Remove the seeds and scrape out the stringy squash innards with a spoon. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Let the squash cool completely, then peel away the skin and chop the flesh into 1-inch chunks.

Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions in the oil for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more, or until everything is golden brown. Add the pumpkin and cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and salt, and grate the ginger directly into the pot (using a microplane grater if possible). Add the water and cook for about 5 minutes, mixing often. Use a masher or the back of a spoon to mash the squash up a bit -- I mashed mine pretty smooth, but you could leave large chunks if you prefer.

Add the spinach in batches, mixing well after each addition. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring often. Add the lime juice; taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Tip: Roast the squash a day or two in advance so that you can throw this together in a hurry. Just wrap the baked squash in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Soba Noodles with Spinach

I know I've done a good job with dinner when we've finished eating and Joe looks down at his plate sadly and says, "I'm sad that this is gone." This Japanese-inspired soba noodle dish was one of those dinners.

I've actually never made soba noodles at home before, but it was easy and yummy as can be. Soba noodles, like quinoa, are great for vegetarians because buckwheat (the main ingredient) contains all eight essential amino acids. Yay complete proteins! The recipe does include a bunch of Asian ingredients that you might not have in your pantry, but I definitely recommend stocking up on them anyway -- then you'll have them on hand to whip up delicious boyfriend-approved meals at the drop of a hat.

 Soba Noodles with Spinach

• 8 ounces uncooked soba noodles
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
• 8 cups leaf spinach (one big bag)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

 Cook noodles according to package directions (do not overcook, or noodles will be gummy). Drain and place in a large bowl. While noodles are still warm, add vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and scallions; toss well to coat. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. When oil is hot, add garlic; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach to pan; cover and cook until spinach wilts, about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss spinach with noodle mixture and serve.

Variations: Vegans could substitute brown rice syrup for the honey. This noodle dish would be great with a side of Asian-marinated grilled tofu (here's a sample marinade recipe from Epicurious).

Tofu Saag

This recipe needs little by way of introduction. It's a variant on an Indian standby, saag paneer, but replacing the paneer with easier-to-come-by tofu. This version also happens to be vegan and very healthy. Don't worry, it's still delish. Not quite as good as the fattening take-out version, but pretty darn great for a home-cooked meal.

Tofu Saag

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1/4 cup water (or 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil)
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped small
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 pound frozen spinach (leaf, not chopped), thawed and pressed (to get some of the water out)
• 1 cup seeded, chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup soy, rice, or coconut milk
• Crushed red pepper to taste
• Cooked brown rice

Preheat the oven or a toaster oven to 350 F and oil a baking sheet. Cube the tofu, press some of the water out, toss with soy sauce or tamari, and place on the baking sheet. Let it sit for 5 minutes before placing it in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the water (or sesame oil) in a large nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to low, add the spinach, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tofu, tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients, and cook for 5 minutes. Serve with brown rice.