When There Is Nothing To Eat

On Tuesday we had absolutely nothing to eat. Or so it seemed. 

I didn't want to go to the grocery store and breakfast-for-dinner is not RJ's favorite so I was stuck. Staring despondently into the pantry I wondered if plain old grilled cheese would suffice for my flavor-loving husband. And then I spotted a can of GARBANZO BEANS.

That may not seem like much but I remembered seeing an Indian dish in my Tastes of Home magazine that was centered around garbanzo beans - the under appreciated bean hiding in its can collecting dust. Sure enough I had nearly all the ingredients (thanks to Pantry Staples) to make Minted Rice with Garbanzo Curry. 

Honestly it could have used a bit more flavor (up the curry) but I think my fatal mistake was serving the curry on top of the rice rather than side-by-side. The two dishes each had their own unique flavor that would have been better appreciated eaten alone. 

Here's the recipe; complete with substitutions: 

Minted Rice

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

1/8 tsp. cumin seeds (I used cumin powder)

2 tsp. canola oil

2 c. water

1 c. uncooked long grain rice

1/2 c. minced fresh mint (from our garden)

Garbanzo Curry

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. curry powder

1 garlic clove, minced (I just used the jarred stuff for ease sometimes)

1/4 tsp. minced fresh ginger root (again, I used the jarred stuff)

1 can garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce (I didn't have any so I blended up a cups worth of canned tomatoes) 

2 tbsp. lemon juice (There were no ripe lemons on the tree so I used a green one!)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. fresh minced cilantro (I had none so I had to skipped it. Would have been nice but doesn't break the recipe) 

Rice

Saute cinnamon  stick, cloves, cumin and oil over medium heat in a saucepan; about 1-2 minutes. Add rice and stir until lightly browned. Add water and mint. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Curry

Saute onion and cinnamon in oil until onion is tender. Add curry, garlic, and ginger. Cook 1 minute. Add garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, lemon juice and salt. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard cinnamon and add cilantro. 

Serve it up! 

There are a few different topics I would discussed based on this experience. But, I think I'll concentrate on The Need To Have a Spicy Rack (heehee) which I'll touch on next post.

In the meantime stock up on Curry Power and Cumin - two of my favorite panty staples!