Oh She Glows Cookbook // Chana Masala + #giveaway

I'm thrilled for today's post, everyone! First of all, HAPPY FRIDAY! And now: I have been excited for The Oh She Glows Cookbook even before there was a cookbook to be excited about.

When I started blogging way back when, Oh She Glows was one of the very first healthy living blogs I followed. Angela taught me the way of the green smoothie, and her vegan recipes inspired my own kitchen creations from nut butter parsnip fries to baked oat squares to green monster oats.

Beyond her delicious vegan recipes, I've really enjoyed watching Angela's food photography evolve over the years. She's always been a great photographer, but I can't believe how gorgeous and well composed the pictures in her NEW book are. The word incredible comes to mind, which we all know rhymes with edible.

So, yeah. Talk about feasting your eyes!


Photo Credit: Angela Liddon. I know we get readers from all over, so it's good to know that The Oh She Glows Cookbook has 2 different covers for Canada and US. The first photo is the American and the second being the Canadian cover. 

The content in both books is the same.


// QUICK + EASY CHANA MASALA
Serves 4, PREP: 15-20 Minutes, COOK: 20 Minutes
gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, sugar-free, grain free option

I chose to share this recipe because it's a simple weeknight dish you guys can make in a hurry. As Angela notes in the book, dishes like Chana Masala can seem intimidating with long ingredient lists. But once you get all the spices on hand, they last forever, and the rest is really quite easy.

In fact, even on our extremely limited grocery budget, I had most everything I needed. I simply swapped a green pepper for the chile pepper, a white onion for the yellow, and some ginger powder for fresh.

No one would know it only takes 35-40 minutes from prep to finish. We've made variations on this sort of dish (our Curried Chickpea Mash with 5-Minute Naan, for example) in the past, but I really like the proportions and flavor this particular recipe packs.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) coconut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) cumin seeds
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 green serrano chile pepper, seeded, if preferred, and minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon (4 mL) fine-grain sea salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 (28-ounce/793-g) can whole peeled or diced tomatoes, with their juices*
• 1 (28-ounce/793-g) can chickpeas, or 3 cups (750 mL) cooked chickpeas
• 1 cup (250 mL) dry/uncooked basmati rice, for serving**
• fresh lemon juice, for serving
• fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving

NOTES:

* I actually diced my own tomatoes because I had some that were getting soft. I then added some leftover tomato sauce for moisture. It worked wonderfully -- so fresh is always an option, too.

** Instead of rice, we opted to make naan. I used our Greek Yogurt Naan recipe, but I used all whole wheat flour instead of a mix.


Method . . .

1. In a large wok or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles upon hitting the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and add the cumin seeds. Stir and toast the seeds for a minute or two until golden and fragrant, watching carefully to avoid burning.
2. Raise the heat to medium and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano. Cook for a few minutes or so, then stir in the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, salt, and cayenne (if using, but you SHOULD use it!), and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices and break them apart with a wooden spoon (skip if using diced tomatoes or my fresh option). You can leave some chunks of tomatoes for texture.
4. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to develop.
5. Serve over cooked basmati rice (or 5-Minute Naan), if desired, and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some chopped cilantro just before serving.

Recipe reprinted by arrangement with AVERY, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © GLO BAKERY CORPORATION, 2014


// GIVEAWAY

If you'd like to win a copy The Oh She Glows Cookbook, please leave a comment below with the words "GLOW ME!" -- and tell me which of the following recipes makes you salivate most just thinking about it:

• Apple Pie Oatmeal
• Perfected Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Summer Harvest Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Vegetable Curry
• Pan-Seared Garlic Tofu
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

Make sure to leave some way to contact you in your comment.

The giveaway ends on Tuesday, March 11th at 11PM EST. The winner will be contacted via email.

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Thanks again to Angela for including me in her cookbook review group.

I hope you guys enjoyed getting a glimpse into this long-awaited treasure for vegan cooking!