April 2022 Newsletter
FEATURED RECIPE: Creamy Orzo with Chickpeas, Broccoli & Roasted Red Peppers
During our conversations at various farmers markets, many of you have asked I share my recipes for using our products in my everyday meals. I am committing to do this through a regular newsletter featuring a new recipe every quarter. What better season than spring to bring out our first issue. Spring brings new beginnings and gives our mind, body, and soul more energy. Great time to go hiking, walking, and enjoying the outdoors. I and my husband, Vishak, live in Illinois, and we love to hike and are always looking for new areas to explore around Chicago. Last year we had a great time exploring Swallow Cliff, an 800-acre nature preserve located near Palos Park. This year we plan to explore the Des Plaines River Nature Preserve Trail and will share photos of our experiences.
Enjoy the spring season. Eat Healthy. Be Healthy
Thank you, as always, for staying in touch with us!
Nalini
For Our Customers
Speaking of sharing, if you enjoyed cooking this featured recipe, please do share with your friends, and loved ones. Should they wish to purchase our products give them the code “SPRING10FF” to enjoy a 10% discount on their 1st online order (excluding shipping and taxes). The promocode is good till June 21st, 2022. Do remind your friends/loved ones to put your email in “Did a friend refer you?” under “Additional Information”. That will let us reward you with an exclusive one time use discount code for 10% off your total online order (excluding shipping and taxes). Your exclusive one-time code will be valid for six months from the date of issue and you will receive it from info@nalskitchen.com.
Btw, you can also use “SPRING10FF” too to stock up till June 21st, 2022.
Healthy Musings
Here's fun fact about Tamarind, used in both our dressing and spread. Tamarind pulp can be used as a natural scrub and helps in cleansing the skin of dead cells and impurities to achieve a flawless complexion. I personally prefer eating it to enjoy 😊the many health benefits. Not only is it a great source of plant-based carbohydrates but it also strengthens your heart, protects your liver and is great for your digestion.
Featured Recipe
This is an easy to make dish that is wonderful for any season and a true crowd pleasure. One of my favorite dishes to take for a neighborhood gathering. I love to serve it with a side of fresh seasonal greens dressed with our Honey Ginger Dressing.
The Ginger Spread really make this dish come together giving it body, great flavor, and a wonderful aroma. Over the years, I have worked on the ingredients in the spread to make it both healthy and versatile to use from making sandwiches, snacking, and cooking.
A simple recipe made with orzo pasta, chickpeas, and vegetables. Very friendly recipe, easy to adapt to the season by simply changing the vegetables used and to scale up or down just half or double the ingredients. Asparagus, string beans, corn, and squash are few of my favorite vegetables to use as substitutes. Also, would suggest roasting the vegetables separately before adding to the orzo pasta.
My choice of chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, is as much for its many health benefits as the wonderful texture and taste it adds to the dish. Some of the health benefits of chickpeas are its high content of plant-based proteins and high fiber that promote cardiovascular health and help control blood sugar. You can read up more on the benefits of chickpeas in this article from Cleveland clinic.
If you are not a fan of chickpeas no worries, just substitute it with any other beans or a meat-based protein source. If you use meat would suggest cutting into bite size, seasoning with salt & pepper, and marinating with our Ginger spread. Sauté the meat in the pan and put aside and add it along with coconut milk and Ginger Spread.
Don’t forget to drop us a line, on our Facebook or email: info@nalskitchen.com, as to how you made and enjoyed this dish.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Cooking oil
2 to 3 Garlic cloves minced
2 Shallots finely diced
2 to 3 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 lb Orzo
2 (15.5 oz) canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed in colander (or about 3-3 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed)
4 cups of stock (little more if needed)
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 to 3 tbsp of Nal’s Kitchen Ginger Spread
8 cups of broccoli florets (Can add additional 2 cups, if desired)
1 cup of jarred roasted red peppers, diced to small pieces (or 2 roasted red peppers)
Salt to taste
Directions
Preparing the broccoli florets
Pre heat oven to 400 O F.
Cut the broccoli florets into halves. Wash, rinse, and don’t pat dry. Drizzle about 1 tbs of oil.
Sprinkle salt & pepper (½ tsp coarse salt & ¼ tsp pepper or to taste) and mix well.
Spread broccoli florets on a baking pan, do not overcrowd. Place the pan in the oven and roast for approximately 20 minutes until they start to brown and crisp on edges.
Remove and put in a bowl aside
Making the Creamy Orzo pasta
Add 1 tbs to oil to a sauté pan and cook on medium heat. When the oil is hot add shallots and stir. Cook till shallot turn translucent.
Add minced garlic, stir to mix, and cook for a minute.
Add 1½ tsp of black pepper (1 tsp of red pepper flakes- optional) and stir.
Add orzo pasta and stir to mix it well with seasoning, garlic, and shallots.
Add the drained chickpeas and stir to mix well.
Add stock to the pan and stir to mix well
Add salt to taste (tip: add salt a bit less than your desired taste)
Periodically stir to ensure the orzo is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
When the orzo is al dente (not totally soft) add the coconut milk and Ginger Spread. Stir and let the spread dissolve. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt & pepper) as needed.
Cook till the orzo is soft and to desired thickness.
Add broccoli florets and roasted red peppers and mix well.
Ready to be served