Hey munchies!
Welcome if you’re new, I’m Alyssia!
I get a LOT of requests for Indian recipes.
So, some of you know I am half Indian/Pakistani.
My grandma was from India,
and her life revolved around cooking.
She loved bringing people together with food.
When we would visit her, we would eat her Indian food because that’s what she made,
so today I’m sharing a meal prep inspired by Indian flavors. Now, that does NOT mean
that I am claiming to be an Indian chef or have any training in Indian cooking…
…or any cooking, really.
I mean, let’s be real.
This is simply a fun way to switch up meal prep flavors.
AND it’s completely vegetarian.
For breakfast, we’re putting a twist on our oats
with these “Mithai” or “sweet” overnight oats.
I add oats,
raisins,
pistachios,
almonds,
cinnamon,
cardamom,
and nutmeg to jars for prepping.
Seal and shake ‘em up!
The night before you want to enjoy, add milk, vanilla extract,
and honey or sweetener of choice.
Mix and let them sit in the fridge overnight to soak up the goodness
of all those delicious spices.
In the morning, I like to add some fresh mango,
but you could add anything, or nothing!
They’re delicious as is!
Indian sweets or desserts are often called “mithai,”
and that’s exactly what this tastes like—dessert for breakfast!
For lunch I’m sharing a sweet potato, coconut curry, and lentil soup.
First, I toss sweet potato cubes with coconut oil, salt, pepper and paprika
so I can roast them in the oven.
At the same time, I cook my lentils on the stove according to package directions.
It will vary slightly based on the type of lentil you decide to use.
For the actual soup, I add ghee, or clarified butter,
which is commonly used in Indian cooking,
along with onion, celery and carrot to a saucepan over medium heat,
until the onions start to sweat.
Then, I can add garlic, fresh ginger,
curry powder, cayenne—which is of course optional—and salt.
Cook another minutes, and then add in that roast sweet potato, and coconut milk.
I bring that whole mixture to a boil, turn down to a simmer,
and let the flavors develop.
Now, this can be enjoyed as is, but I love a CREAMY soup, so I blend that baby up.
Let me know in the comments: do you like a creamy or a chunky soup!?
Then, I can stir in those lentils, and I like to top it off with cilantro,
and even a bit of yogurt or “Raita,”
which is a yogurt condiment often used in Indian cuisine.
My grandma used to serve that with our salad at dinner.
To make it, I combine yogurt with grated cucumber, cilantro,
chopped green onion (you could use regular white onion if you prefer),
coriander, cumin, and salt and pep.
For meal prep purposes this week,
I’m making this both for the soup I just showed, AND to dip veggies in.
So, growing up, my grandma’s “salad” was never with a bed of greens.
It was just sliced tomato, cucumber and carrots with the raita to dip!
Think of it as a deconstructed salad, and it pairs perfectly with dinner:
my slow cooker chana masala, or savory chickpea dish!
But, first, if you’re enjoying these recipes and want more, give this video a thumbs up!
I haven’t done many Indian recipes before, so if you are liking them let me know!
And don’t forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you can get notified every week!
For the Chana Masala, I add coconut oil, ghee or fat of choice to a pan
with diced onions, garlic, and fresh ginger
and cook over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes, until browned and reduced.
Then I stir in chana masala, which is a spice mix that you CAN make on your own,
I did share the recipe in my newsletter today which,
if you haven’t already subscribed to, you should at mindovermunch.com.
It’s FREE and I send out special recipes there in my weekly newsletter.
I promise I don’t bug you!
Anyway, you can make this yourself, but to be honest,
it’s not made of super accessible ingredients, so I prefer to buy it,
which I will link in the description box below.
If you can’t find it,
you can just use a garam masala seasoning which can be found at most grocery stores.
I also add paprika, cumin, turmeric, and salt and pep.
I stir that up and cook for another 2 minutes or so before adding the entire mix
back into the slow cooker, along with some chickpeas, thai chilis,
tomato paste, and vegetable broth.
Slow cooker dishes are my favorite for meal prepping because they are so easy!
You could honestly skip the whole first part of sautéing and just throw
everything into the slow cooker, if you’re in a pinch, BUT,
cooking up those onions first is going to add a TON of delicious flavor.
Let it go for 4-6 hours on low heat and you’ve got a delicious, savory chickpea dinner.
I like to serve on brown basmati rice, WITH my deconstructed salad, raita yogurt dip,
AND an Indian dinner wouldn’t be complete without Naan.
Now, I have a 4-ingredient, homemade, GLUTEN FREE and LOWER CARB
naan recipe on my Facebook page today,
check that out and make sure you’ve subscribed to my website,
because all of my website subscribers get this to their inbox!
PLUS we have giveaways EVERY month for those who are subscribed to the newsletter!
For a snack, I’m sharing an Indian classic, rebooted—banana OR plantain chips!
Now, generally, these are made by deep frying them in oil,
but we’re going to lighten them up by pan frying instead.
I cut plantains into thin rounds, and then add them to a bowl with turmeric powder,
chili powder, and salt.
I heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil (as opposed to a few cups of it!)
in a pan and add the plantain slices.
Cook for about 5 minutes on each side
until golden, and transfer to a paper towel.
These are great for a quick snack and will store for a few days in an airtight container.
You CAN make baked banana chips, which I’ve shared in the past,
but baking doesn’t give that same CRISPness as the frying does.
What can you do?
I hope you guys enjoyed these recipes!
Remember to thumbs up if you want MORE Indian,
or even other cuisines, healthified!
In terms of meal prep,
if you are someone who doesn’t want to eat the same thing every day,
I do have a versatile meal prep video that could offer you some inspiration,
and I have a meal prep eBook to teach efficient and effective meal prepping
for whatever kind of cuisine you prefer to include in your diet!
That is available at mindovermunch.com/ebooks, and you can use the code
“MASALA” for 10% off ANY eBook or package of your choice, this week only!
I’ll see you next week for a brand new episode,
and remember, it’s all a matter of Mind Over Munch!