My first time eating Indian food was in college at a family owned restaurant with friends. I think the dish was aloo gobi, a light curried cauliflower dish that I immediately fell in love with. Served alongside some freshly baked naan that’d burn your fingertips if you weren’t careful, ah, it was so to die for. My first exposure to Indian food had me hooked for life. Unfortunately, after moving back to the Bay Area, it took at least a year or so until I discovered an Indian restaurant that both Mark and I actually enjoyed. Even then, Mark and I don’t dine out very often unless it’s for a specific occasion, and so we attempted to cook our own dish instead.

We’ve tried many chana masala powders in the past, and sometimes they come pre-made and ready to go. For this dish, Mark and I visited a local Indian supermarket and picked out a chana masala powder packet which required us to mix it with some water. Overall the dish is very nutrient dense, aromatic, and tastes of tomato, coriander, and onion. (Note: I believe that chana masalas primarily consist of garbanzo beans, but I like to play with recipes and toss in more veggies whenever possible.)

Save Print Vegetable Chana Masala Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 25 mins A traditional chana masala with more vegetables Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups chopped cauliflower (small pieces, slightly larger than the garbanzo bean)

1 carrot (sliced in ¼ inch circles)

1 single serving packet of chana masala powder (follow directions for mixing it) Instructions In a small bowl, mix the chana masala powder with water (follow the directions for mixing it). In pan, heat olive oil and add cauliflower and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are slightly soft. Add diced tomatoes, the chana masala powder mix, and stir it in. Add the garbanzo beans and peas. Simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and serve with naan or over some brown rice! 3.5.3226

Mark got me a new macro lens for my camera and it has been so much fun photographing foods with it. It allows me to capture every minute detail of foods and get very ‘up close and personal’ with them. Photo creds for this post all go to him! (No literally, he took all of these photos, ha). Happy Tuesday and stay happy, healthy, and dry y’all!

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