Libertiste

Sometimes wonderful things happen when you clean out the pantry.

Most people look for four features in their food: easy, healthy, tasty and cheap. You usually only find two or three at a time — cheese quesadillas are easy, cheap and tasty, but not too healthy; ordering sushi is easy, healthy and tasty, but not cheap — and so on. Tonight, though, I managed to score a four-fecta with a pantry- and freezer-clearing experiment I’ll call Cheapskate Curry. The best thing about this is that you don’t even need all four of the main ingredients, just some combination of them. And you could add new ones, too.

As with so many things, the spices are the key. Good ones can take you anywhere. We received a wonderful set of Penzeys spices as a wedding gift, and I’ve used them to dress up many a homely soup or bean dish into something amazing.

Cheapskate Curry

Makes about 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can plain diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 package of frozen spinach (or more, or less… this is just what I happened to have)
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup diced onions (I keep some in the freezer — so handy!)
2 tsp. Garam Masala (and Penzeys is a-maz-ing)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
1-2 tbs. peanut oil

Heat peanut oil in a nonstick saucepan or deep skillet. Mix all spices and salt in a little prep bowl — this just makes things easier. When the oil is hot, add onion, as well as all the spices, and stir fry for a minute or two. Then add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes and spinach. Once everything is combined, heated through and has started releasing liquid, add the lentils. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Serve with basmati rice, or couscous, or quinoa, or whatever you like. For dessert, have ice cream, because you’ve earned it.