October Recipe

Taking time out to prepare and enjoy a meal should be a fundamental part of our day. But time pressures and the growth in ‘convenience’ foods mean we spend less time cooking from scratch and enjoying the fruits of our labours! This is very easy and uses leafy greens that are in abundance at this time of year! and extremely nutritious
 
Spinach with black-eyed peas

This simple, everyday main course from Anjum Anand's is packed with fresh vegetables and protein. It's only lightly spiced, so as not to overpower the spinach, and goes well with rice, breads and a little yoghurt. Black-eyed beans taste great and the good news is they are full of potassium. They are also low in fat and calories. 64grams of cooked black-eyed beans contained 7 grams of protein and 1.2mg of iron.
Ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• mustard seeds
• fenugreek seeds
• dried red chillies
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated into a paste
• 14 fresh curry leaves
• 250 g whole leaf spinach, shredded, or baby spinach, washed well
• Salt, to taste
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 rounded tsp ground cumin
• 400 g can of black-eyed beans, drained well and rinsed
• tamarind paste, or to taste
• Good handful of roasted and salted peanuts

 
Method

• Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the mustard and fenugreek seeds and whole dried chillies. Once the mustard seeds have spluttered, add the garlic and curry leaves and cook them gently until the garlic is just starting to turn golden.
• Add the spinach, seasoning and a splash of water. Mix well and cover. Cook for five to seven minutes, until well wilted, stirring occasionally. Add the ground coriander and cumin, half the black-eyed peas and a splash of water. Cover and cook for five or six minutes. Take out one-third of the mix and blend to a fine puree. Return to the pan with the remaining beans.
• Stir in the tamarind paste and peanuts. Boil off any excess water: you should be left with a slightly thick, creamy mass. Taste and adjust the seasoning and tartness, adding more tamarind if you would like more tang, and serve

Enjoy!