Chana Saag

Chana saag may be one of my favorite discoveries.  Despite the beautiful photo (thanks Brigham!), I know it probably doesn't look like much, but the flavors are wonderfully spicy.  The recipe came from the Forks Over Knives cookbook.  The Forks Over Knives documentary really helped us visualize how a whole foods, plant based diet could help us and what that diet looked like.  If you're curious, I would recommend watching the documentary.  It's available via Netflix and through your local library! 

The chana saag was very simple.  One large onion chopped and sauteed (no oil necessary!) for about 6-8 minutes or until it browns.  Then I added in the spices, two cloves of minced garlic, a seeded, diced jalapeno pepper and about a teaspoon of minced ginger and let that saute for about 3-4 minutes.  The recipe calls for a variety of spices, but I'm a bit lazy about poking through all the spice containers, so I just used a couple teaspoons of turmeric and curry powder. I'm a fan of the Pure Indian Foods blend.  I also used a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  Once that sauteed for a few minutes, I added in a large, chopped tomato and cooked for another 5 minutes.  Finally, I added in a drained, rinsed can of chickpeas, 1 cup of almond milk, and a large bag of chopped spinach.  The recipe calls for 12 cups of chopped spinach.  I've made this recipe a couple times and used 10 cups the first time and about 8 cups this time.  Either way, it was tasty.  Once the spinach, almond milk and chickpeas were added, I lowered the heat, covered the pan with a lid, and simmered it for about 15 minutes.  The spinach wilted in that time and I added a couple teaspoons of salt and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.  I love that this is one of those recipes that can simmer for however long you need.  I think the flavors just continue to combine and become more delicious.  We served our chana saag with naan, but I think it would be tasty with rice too.  Perfect for a rainy day, especially with a glass of red wine.  Did I mention it's a nutritional powerhouse?  17 grams of protein, 24 grams of fiber and only 281 calories per cup.  Amazing!