Yum yums

I've made some pretty drastic changes to my diet lately. Like, virtually eliminating sugar from my diet drastic. One happy result is the discovery of a few new yummy dishes. My favourite lately is a simple little curry dish we've been making with either chicken or beef [lamb would be good too!]. Here's the recipe:

1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cubes frozen spinach (or a few handfuls of fresh if you've got it)
1 19 oz can diced tomatoes
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 - 1 tsp fennel seeds
1 19 oz can chick peas, drained

• Puree the onion and garlic and saute in olive oil over medium heat for a few moments.
• Add in the pepper and spinach and cook until spinach is well incorporated into the mix.
• Add the diced tomatoes and heat until bubbly before reducing the heat to simmer for one or two minutes [If you stop right now and add a few herbs like oregano and basil, you'd have a pretty yummy pasta sauce!]
• Remove the tomato sauce from the stove and puree the whole lot. Set it aside for now.
• In a large frying pan, brown the meat and add the spices.
• Add the tomato sauce and chick peas to the meat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes.

The dish is great with brown rice and topped with a dollop of plain yogurt. The amount of spices indicated is just a guideline...feel free to adjust to your own tastes. Though, word to the wise, less is more when it comes to fennel seeds. I speak from experience.