Cardamon Curry in a Hurry
The other day, I found the most divine recipe that was absolutely perfect for a dinner party I was having. It was a gorgeous cardamom curried eggplant stew that even got the attention of my husband. I studied the recipe, then looked at all 1,432 steps involved in making it.
Kudos to those people who can labor for hours to produce a meal. I am not one of them. I prefer to prepare my food fast, tasty and healthy. So needless to say, this 2 hour labor intense stew was just not going to happen. (Sorry hubs.)
I took out my secret weapon, the electric pressure cooker (If you don't have one, seriously consider saving your life with one) and created a very FastBeets Approved version. It took all of ten minutes to prep and another 10 minutes to cook. Leaving me with ample time to do the much harder work, like set a gorgeous table.
The best part is that if you didn't know any better you would have seriously thought I was in the kitchen forever.
Ingredients:
- 1 -2 teaspoons cardamom powder
- 2 teaspoons curry powder of choice
- 1 onion
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos (can substitute salt to taste)
- 1-2 eggplants chopped into squares
- 1/5 a butternut squash chopped into squares
- Any other veggie of choice (optional)
- 2 15oz cans of organic, bpa-free chickpeas
- 1 can of organic, bpa-free, coconut milk
- 1 can of organic, bpa-free of diced tomatoes
Method
- Set a pressure cooker to the sear/sautè setting. Add coconut oil and spices, toast for 10 second. Then drop in diced onions and liquid aminos. Sautè until onions are done.
- Add chopped eggplant and mix with seasonings for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and close pressure cooker.
- Cook on pressure cooker setting for 10 minutes.
- Open, taste, add any additional salt or seasoning if necessary.
- Serve with quinoa, brown rice, or as is.
Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @fastbeets so I can see! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.
Xx, SS
Sin City Grapefruit
Winter and early spring is grapefruit season. We don't get many in-season fruits in the winter, so let's embrace the grapefruit and all the goodness that comes with it.
I adapted this recipe from the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. Its super easy and takes so little time. If your palate isn't well versed in this bittersweet delight this quick recipe will make you a pro in no time!
Ingredients:
- 1-2 Grapefruits
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
- Handful of Chopped Roasted Almonds
Method:
- Use a knife to cut off the skin of the grapefruit, including the white bits. Chop the grapefruit into bite size pieces.
- Mix desired amounts of honey and lemon juice.
- Toss grapefruit pieces in the dressing and top with chopped almonds.
- Serve.
Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @fastbeets so I can see your #fastbeetsapproved healthy creation! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.
Xx, SS
Happy Hearts: Chocolate Chip Cookies
This might be the simplest cookie recipe you've ever experienced. It also happens to taste incredibly sinful and yet is actually really good for you and your heart. Its chock full of soluble fiber which not only helps to keep you regular, but it binds to toxins and kicks them out of your body. You'll find this recipe super sticky, be happy about that. That's the fiber in action.
The sticky fiber also eliminates the need for eggs and the hazelnuts eliminate the need for butter. Which makes this a ZERO cholesterol cookie! Moreover, the soluble fiber will actually lower your cholesterol! So make, eat, repeat!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup roasted organic hazelnuts
- 2 cups organic oatbran
- 4 dates
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or cashew milk
- Chocolate chips of choice. (I used Lily's stevia sweetened, vegan dark choc. chips)
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a high-speed blender, blend the hazelnuts until you get a creamy hazelnut butter. Depending on your blender, you'll may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides down and then re-blend until you get the proper consistency. (Alternatively, you could just buy hazelnut butter, but where's the fun in that?)
- Dump all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Taste the batter. Make sure it is to your liking. If you prefer life on the sweeter side, add another date.
- Transfer to a bowl and throw some chocolate chips on it. Feel free to use as much as you'd like. (Note - when using a high-speed blender, the batter may warm up a bit which is fine, but you may want to bring it back to room temp. before adding chocolate chips, unless you like the chocolate a bit runny through the batter like I do)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone liner. Grab a tablespoon and create cookie shapes onto tray. Your dough will be incredibly sticky, but this is totally normal. Wait 30 seconds after you place the dough on the tray and then use your fingers to even out the dough into smooth cookie shapes.
- Pop cookies in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @fastbeets so I can see your #fastbeetsapproved healthy creation! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.
Xx, SS