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Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice

DFGFV

Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice

{Cooking with Friends} Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice, by Yummy Beet // FoodNouveau.com

Welcome to my “Cooking with Friends” series! This spring, as I work on two cookbook projects at once–crazy, I know!–I’ve invited some of my favorite blogger friends to share recipes with you. I hope you’ll have just as much fun cooking and baking with them as I do.

Today, we’re welcoming Allison Day from Yummy Beet. Allison has published the cookbook Whole Bowls: Complete Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals to Power Your Day a year ago, so I think it’s fair to say she’s an expert on all mouthwatering things served in bowls! Today, she shares a quick and satisfying recipe you’ll want to keep close for those nights when you crave for something comforting: Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice. Enjoy!


We’re all crunched for time, and sometimes, getting to the grocery store doesn’t take priority. Keeping a well-stocked pantry is my healthy home cook’s “trick” for making quick meals that satisfy, simply. Storing canned chickpeas, brown rice, canned tomatoes and a range of spices in my kitchen means a meal is less than an hour away.

I turn to soups, stews and other one (or two) pot affairs on the nights I didn’t plan dinner, or just feel like cozying up with something warm, quickly. I’ve been making this chana masala recipe nearly every week for quite some time now. It’s a crowd-pleaser, too, working beautifully for last minute entertaining, imbuing your home with the fragrance of sizzling onion, garam masala and curry powder. The pre-mixed spices may be inauthentic, but they’re a real lifesaver for me!

Leftovers make an ideal lunch, whether enjoyed at your office desk or home kitchen table. I’ve even been known to enjoy the chana masala cold, stuffed into butter lettuce leaves, eschewing the rice to keep things light at noon. Since I’m currently writing my third cookbook, Modern Lunch, due in early 2019, meal ideas for the midday feast are constantly on my mind.

{Cooking with Friends} Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice, by Yummy Beet // FoodNouveau.com

If you have any chana masala or curry accoutrements such as raita, spicy pickled vegetables, mango chutney or a bit of fresh cilantro in your refrigerator, a dollop or sprinkle of any or all of those would go far.

You can head to my blog, Yummy Beet, to get the recipe for Pantry Chana Masala with Brown Rice, along with an abundance of wholesome home cooking recipes, tips and ideas. Here’s a day’s worth of my favourites from the blog to round out your dinner:

Breakfast: Sesame Coconut Oil Granola Cantaloup Bowl

Sesame Coconut Oil Granola Cantaloup Bowl, by Yummy Beet // FoodNouveau.com

Lunch: Miso Orange Sesame Noodle Salad with Thai Basil, Tofu and Asparagus

Miso Orange Sesame Noodle Salad with Thai Basil, Tofu and Asparagus, by Yummy Beet // FoodNouveau.com

Dessert: Magic Food Processor Carrot Cake

Magic Food Processor Carrot Cake, by Yummy Beet // FoodNouveau.com


Allison Day is the cookbook author Modern Lunch (Appetite by Random House, 2019), Whole Bowls and Purely Pumpkin, and creator of the Taste Canada Award-winning food blog Yummy Beet. She has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, SHAPE, Dr. Oz The Good Life and various other media outlets. Allison lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

Make sure to follow Allison through her blog or on social media:

All photos in this article: © Allison Day.

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