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OK, so it isn’t the best photo ever taken, but the dish is delicious. I had ripped this page out of an issue of Cooking Light over a year ago. I found it again last weekend and added the ingredients to my grocery list. Tonight we finally made the recipe. It is a simple recipe to make - the only trick is having the ingredients cut, lined up and ready to go. Once you start, you need to keep stirring constantly until the water is added to the skillet. I used ground cumin, coriander and cardamom instead of the seeds or pods. We also made some rice and served the curry over rice. You could also pick up some naan to accompany this dish, but alas, no naan for us tonight.

• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped plum tomato (about 1 large)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, coriander, cardamom, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add onion - stir constantly for a few minutes (about 3). Add ginger and garlic; stir constantly (about 2 minutes). Stir in garam masala, stir constantly for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup water, tomato, salt and chickpeas; bring to a simmer. Cook off excess moisture; stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; discard cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size is 1 cup)

Calories 262; Fat 8.2g; Protein 10.2g; Carb 38.9g; Fiber 8.6g; Cholesterol 8mg; Iron 3.8mg; Sodium 579mg; Calcium 173mg

Don’t you love it? Only 1 step! Did you also notice that the spice “curry” is not in this recipe? This had my husband a little puzzled. Enjoy.

I thought I would share an easy meal that I make on a night when I come home starving from work and want to eat quickly. The recipe works best if you have some thawed chicken in the refrigerator, but I have also made it with frozen chicken. If you have frozen chicken, take it out of the freezer as soon as you get home. Get out three pots. The first, usually a wok, start to get ready with a few cloves of minced garlic (4-6 depending on your taste), olive oil, white wine and some lemon juice. The second pot, usually a saucepan, fill with water and a bouillion cube (vegetable, but you can use whatever you have) and start it on the back of your stove to boil. The third, usually a saute pan, start to get ready with the same ingredients as the wok. Saute the garlic and then add the chicken and check periodically to make sure that the pan has enough moisture. Then, take an inventory of the vegetables in your refrigerator and throw in whatever you have. This particular time, I have used zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and a few red bell peppers. I also used spices including fresh basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Saute the vegetables to desired doneness. You can add whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator. I like to add some fresh basil to give it an extra kick.

In order to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan, use some extra white wine. This will also aid you from keeping the chicken from sticking to the pan. It adds some extra flavor that is perfect for this Italian meal.

I used the same technique for the chicken as the vegetables. I used garlic, olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, fresh basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. I keep the juices lightly simmering to make sure the chicken will be tender. I add some extra fresh basil at the end for garnish.

Keep an eye on the water in the saucepan. Once it boils, add the couscous, cover and let sit for approximately five minutes. Couscous is not too picky, so it will sit until the rest of your meal is done.

Voila. A well-balanced meal of chicken, vegetables and couscous. Below is a more comprehensive list of ingredients (of course you can modify with other ingredients).

• 8-10 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 6 tablespoons oregano
• 1 bouillion cube
• white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• 2 breasts of chicken
• 2 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 cup couscous (I like to mix 1/2 cup of regular couscous and 1/2 whole wheat couscous)

The only drawback to this flexible meal is the amount of dishes produced by this recipe. Unfortunately, you cannot get around three pans to clean at the end of the night. However, this recipe makes great leftovers, so I also usually double the recipe and have some either for lunches or the next night. Enjoy.

San Francisco has been experiencing some gorgeous weather. The fog is starting to roll in at night, but it has been burning off in the morning and leaving sunny days. I have even had to pull out my sunscreen! With the summer sun, I like to make quick easy recipes that do not require using the oven or standing over a hot stove for a long period of time. This recipe is one passed on to me from my sister, who, like myself, is a subscriber to Cooking Light.

Penne, Crispy Tofu, and Green Bean Salad

Salad:

• 1 (15 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 ounces)
• 2 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 8 ounces)
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried dill

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

1) To prepare salad, pat tofu cubes dry with a paper towel. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; saute 5 minutes, browing on all sides. Remove from pan; chill 30 minutes.

2) Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes; add beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water, and drain. Combine tofu, pasta mixture, tomatoes, and dill in a large bowl.

3) To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remining ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour dressing over salad; toss well to coat. cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size=1 1/2 cups)

Calories 187 (26% from fat); Fat 5.4g; Protein 8.9g; Carb 27.1g; Fiber 2.4g; Chol 0mg; Iron 4.5mg; Sodium 101mg; Calc 78mg

You may check out the finished product below:

As with every recipe, I do my own alterations. For example, I stopped chopping the little cherry tomatoes in half. It just takes too much time and the tomatoes are already bite size. Dill is not one of my favorite herbs. Instead, I use fresh basil. I also do not prepare the dressing in a jar. I just make it in a bowl, stir with a whisk and add to the pasta mixture. Finally, please note that browning the tofu is the only tricky element of this recipe. This is only tricky if you, like me, do not own nonstick pans. This means that I am forced to use a bit more olive oil in order to brown the pieces without burning tofu onto my pan. I like to use a generic olive oil for these kinds of tasks. I found that the Kirkland brand from Costco is really great. It is still a green olive oil (do not use any olive oil that is yellow!), but does not cost an arm and a leg to use. For recipes with olive oil as a higher profile ingredient, I really enjoy Stonehouse Olive Oil. We received Stonehouse olive oil as a gift and now we are hooked. The store at the Ferry Building in San Francisco informed me that they have a program where you can bring back your empty bottle and they will refill it for you and give you a discount on your purchase since you are recycling your bottle. These kind of marketing ploys will get me every time.

The convenience factors of this recipe include cooking the beans with the pasta (this means one less pot to clean–yay!) and also that it is a cold recipe that is great for lunches, potlucks, or leftovers after a long day at work. You can prepare the tofu ahead and then throw the rest together the next day. Also, you may also substitute chicken for tofu, or add cheese. I like to add fresh parmesan or feta. The great thing about this recipe is that it is to simple that you can really customize it for your own tastes—or the ingredients left in your refrigerator without making an extra trip to the grocery store.