Desi Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are tasty and very good for you -- and if you buy them dried and cook them at home, they are also WAY cheaper than the canned kind. (Do it the easy way and cook them in a slow cooker; then you can freeze them and use 'em whenever the urge takes you.) Anyway, having recently visited my friendly neighborhood Indian grocery store, I had a whole lotta cooked desi chickpeas (the dark brown kind) and a family to feed, so I came up with this:

DESI CHICKPEA SALAD
1½ cups cooked desi chickpeas
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
about 1 cup red onion, minced
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime or lemon
chat masala powder to taste
salt to taste

In a bowl, mix together chickpeas, jalapeño, onion and tomatoes. Add lime juice and chat masala and toss well. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 4 generous servings or 6 side-dish servings.

NOTE TO SPICY 'FRAIDY CATS: Don't be scared of the jalapeño! If you take the seeds and pith out, all that's left is flavor without excessive heat. Just be careful not to wipe your eyes after mincing it up. Learn from my fail.

Contributor: Soozcat

Saag

Mom loves nummy Indian food. This is one of her favorites. If the thought of washing spinach fills you with dread, get some prepared spinach for salad -- easy peasy!

SAAG
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, scraped and minced
2 tablespoons coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 lb. chopped spinach
1 cup water
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup yogurt
¼ cup cream (optional)

Saute onions until lightly browned. Add garlic, ginger and spices and cook 3 minutes. Add spinach, salt and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add yogurt and cream, then heat through, taste to adjust seasoning if needed and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

Contributor: Karin Buck