Green Smoothies

A vegan coworker recommended Green For Life.  We have been making green smoothies almost every day since February, but I can't say that I see the dramatic improvements we should see - but, then again, we are eating them for breakfast and not before dinner or as a dinner replacement. 

We do like the taste of the green smoothies, and so does Arundhati.  I love the Vitamix, definitely worth the purchase.  Next time, I'd get the model that fits under the counter though.

Pasta Salad for Summer Camp I

We did a trial run yesterday, Arundhati ate just about the entire portion.  Tonight, she wasn't so interested.

• Garbanzos
• olive oil
• lemon
• sun dried tomatoes, diced
• kalamata olives, pitted & diced
• capers
• feta, tiny cubes
• herbs (italian parsley or basil)
• salt & pepper to taste
• pasta of choice (she liked the orzo version but not the orecchiette so much)

Hanoi Salad

Inspired by this month's Bon Appetit noodle salads, I decided to make my own variation:

• sliced radish
• rice noodles
• cilantro
• fried shallots
• fried quorn chx subsitute
• fresh green onions
• fresh mint
• fresh basil
• julienned carrots
• sliced jalapenos
• fried raw spanish peanuts (fried in peanut oil)
• dressing was the vietnamese table sauce from Hot Sour Salty Sweet.

We served this on a bed of lettuce with lime wedges, Thai hot & sweet chili sauce, and another salad as a relish.

Relish:

• Avocado
• heirloom tomatoes
• sliced raw red onion
• salt
• lime
• sliced cucumber

We also had delicious crunchies - Whole Foods Hot&Spice Wasabi mix.  WHY?????? is it so addictive?

Nut-free Banana Muffins - Recipe Attempt 1

I am no Martha, Paula Deen or Rachel Ray.  I'm simply trying to cook fresh, nutritious meals that taste good for my family and use the minimum processed anything.  

Following a recipe from Cook's Illustrated The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, I made banana muffins.  The only modification was no nuts, and I made mini-sized.  I also only used 3/4 c. of sugar instead of 1. 

Debashis doesn't like this cookbook at all.  I resort to it because it has very basic recipes that are pretty fast.

The muffins taste ok, don't look like much, and are crumbly like scones.  In fact, the recipe almost seemed more like scone batter than muffin batter.  I'm planning on trying to freeze these and pull them out to pop in lunches.

Lunches for Summer Camp

What do you send for a fresh lunch that a picky 20-lb toddler will eat?  She's picky for a few reasons,  one of which is she still only has 6 teeth.  She's going to a nut-free campus, which does seem a little extreme.

I researched a little on tree nut allergies vs. peanut allergies.  Luckily, no one in our family has this.

Some thoughts after perusing the internet and thinking of things she likes to eat:

• pasta salad:
• garbanzos, olives, cherry tomatoes & italian parsley or basil, olive oil.  
• Pesto with any kind of nuts is out, but seeds would be ok, like pumpkin seed pesto.
• asian-type with tahini, tofu, shredded carrot, tamari, maybe a little rice wine vinegar or mirin, lime, cilantro, sugar?
• bow ties, sun dried tomatoes, feta, capers, herbs, olive oil, artichoke hearts?
• macaroni, peas, diced red bell pepper, mayonnaise
• cheese, fruit and crackers
• pita pocket with falafel and hummus.  I doubt she will eat the pita.
• yogurt
• some kind of grain salad (wheatberry, quinoa, etc.)
• pinwheel sandwiches (cream cheese & avocado in a rolled up flour tortilla cut into little rounds)
• chopped veggies
• some kind of bean dip (black bean, white bean, etc.)
• guacamole and something to dip in it
• mini muffins (no nuts)
• spanakopita (maybe), but she does like feta
• soft sandwiches
• cream cheese & cucumber
• cream cheese & avocado
• cheese (muenster or cheddar) & avocado
• cream cheese, or regular cheese & apple butter

 

The New BLT

The new Bon Appetit showed up and had a decidedly positive spin, or maybe I didn't read closely.   The article on BLTs enticed us, so tonight we are having some. 

Ours will be made on sourdough with chipotle mayo, avocado, a fried egg, and the rest of the yumminess.  I'm having it with sweet potato tater tots.

OOPS....out of mayo, so improvised by mixing tartar sauce, chipotle adobo sauce, and sour cream.  The adobo sauce was so damn hot I don't know anyone would be able to tell it wasn't mayo as the base.

Vegetarian or Vegan Bi Bim Bab aka Bibimbop, Bibimbap, Bi Bim Bob

What we are eating:  Bibimbap

We love this dish.  It's a combo of flavors, and you can improvise and use whatever you have in your fridge.  Anything goes in here!

Google this and the images are beautiful - you can make it w/o the egg to be vegan, and it's normally a gluten-free dish (but maybe not soy-free).  It is easy to modify, and use any meat substitute you like depending on your cravings or dietary restrictions. 

There are lots of easy recipes out there, I was looking at this one and here is another.  We recently made this one.  It's really easy, for the most part.  Choose your base, protein component, vegetables and condiments.  You could have an infinite mixer coming up with combinations.  The flavor comes from condiments and sauces, so if you have a well stocked pantry and a few basic raw ingredients, you are ready to go.

Meat substitutes:

• Tofu (fried/baked/smoked)
• Seitan
• TVP
• Tempeh

Base:

• Brown Rice
• White Rice
• Quinoa

Sauces/toppings:

• Sriracha
• Sauce of ginger, garlic, mirin, soy sauce
• Udo's Aminos
• Gomasaio
• Toasted sesame seeds

Veggies:

• Pickled beets
• Pickled kim chee
• Quick pickled radish, carrots, onions
• Broccoli rabe sauteed oil w/ garlc
• Spinach sauteed in oil w/ garlic

I would love to be able to go out somewhere right now and order up an organic version, complete with a cage-free egg. 

Who owns what, sourcing of food & consumable products, and what you are really buying

I remembered seeing an eye-opening graphic linking companies to bigger corporations, so I googled it and found exactly what I was looking for here.  Here is a great Blog post on the same topic, with nice explanations and links.

More coolness: this graphic and related article provide a good indication of where the natural foods ecosystem is.

I'm going to checkout buycott and see what I find out as I hit the grocery stores.

Seitan & Veggie Stir Fry (for the whole family)

I wanted to make Bibimbop, but given it was a weeknight and we had to run an errand before getting home, we needed something ASAP.  I had Seitan from making it earlier; the recipe from Veganomicon turned out great!  I put some white basmati rice on the stove, and while that was cooking got Arundhati's dinner ready:

Baby Stir Fry

• diced Seitan
• tips of diced baby broccoli

In the Mini-prep chopped:

• fresh shitake mushrooms
• fresh garlic cloves
• ginger (tiny wee bit of fresh peeled)
• onions
• carrot, peeled
• orange bell bepper

I sauteed this all in olive oil in the wok, and when it was almost done, added Bragg's Liquid Aminos and sugar to taste.  Fried that for a minute or so, then added in some cooked white rice.  We know she approves if we get a "num!"

Luckily, she isn't allergic to wheat or mushrooms.  An alternative would be use tofu and any other veggies your child likes.  Cooking a small batch like this in the wok makes everything just right - the right balance of crispy and soft, done to perfection.  Large quantities, and it seems things get soggy.


We are pretty much having the same thing for dinner, only changing the quantities and adding jalapeno peppers, rice wine vinegar, and maybe some other sauces for spicier flavor (but hers tasted great w/o it).  I'll probably also smother mine with Sriracha.  Debashis did throw in some fried spanish peanuts (cashews would work too), but you can omit this if you have a peanut or nut allergy.

Eating for Eczema, Erosive Lichen Planus, Contact Dermatitis & Skin Diseases in general

We all get something - and a wise woman once told me, "you are guaranteed nothing in life but death, taxes and maintenance".   Debashis, with his Hindu upbringing, truncates this to "you are guaranteed nothing in life but suffering".

Being an optimist (realist?), I believe we all are subjected to whatever life throws at us, and how we each manage that is non-deterministic.  I was diagnosed with auto-immune disorders of the skin ~2003, and that was the kickstart of really studying my environmental and genetic factors.   It led me to move states, change jobs, switch industries, and totally overhaul my lifestyle.  Everything down to the kind of gum I chew, the soap I wash my hands with and the air I breathe.

My diagnoses in western medicine were erosive lichen planus and eczema.  The erosive lichen planus was first, and that was scary.  If you google it for images, it's not fun.  Those of you suffering from it know, life is hell.  It's painful, the pain doesn't go away, the irritation is continuous and it affects your entire life.  You would wish it on no one, and do anything you could to cure it. I think many of us feel that way about our struggles.  I was determined to manage it, and keep it mild, no matter what I needed to do.  The diagnosing oral surgeons took photos of my mouth "This is a classic textbook case study, do you mind if we photograph this?".  Geez!  I remember their exact words "We don't know what causes this, and we don't know what makes it go away, and there is little to treat it".  Well, I've been working on it ever since.  My dentist is amazed at what I have managed to do with it. 

Those of you suffering with auto-immune disorders know that it is difficult to pin down what caused it, what will make it go away.  Is there ever a "cure"?  I work towards managing my condition, and try to do so with as little pharmaceutical intervention as possible. My uncle,  a Toxicologist and retired Dean of Pharmacy, told me, "Don't take any pharmaceuticals unless you absolutely have to".  Everyone has a different situation, and everyone needs to do what is right for them.  There have been times when I have been on heavy-duty antibiotics, steroids and immuno-suppressants, and I had to do it.  My goal is to try to manage things such that my body doesn't get so out-of-whack that I have to resort to such extremes.  Out of this exploration of my environment and living habits came an analysis of what I was ingesting and putting into (an onto) my body.

Things that have helped me:

• Fish oil capsules (yes, I am vegetarian, except for this, and it was hard to take these at first).  I only started this when I was expecting Arundhati and the research clearly indicates that DHA is linked to neurological development, so I couldn't let my personal preferences stunt her optimal development.  I take New Chapter Wholemegas but there are lots of good brands out there.
• Eating fresh and organic, as much as possible
• Eating at home (not restaurant food).  This eliminates flavorings, dyes, preservatives, etc.
• Cutting out coffee (this was really hard).  I have a cup once in a while, just as a treat.
• Being conscious of what I eat, and if I have an attack trying to examine what I ate to see if that triggered it. 
• Using fragrance-free anything.  I recently learned about a non-profit Women's Voices for the Earth that is working towards eliminating harmful chemicals in our environment.  You can check them out here. Apparently contact dermatitis is more common than you realize.
• Mild, organic, plant based cleansers and body care products.  Weleda, Jurlique, Haushka, there are many others.  They are pricey and worth every penny.  If the product is good, they will have samples, and if they stand by their products, they will take them back if they don't work for you.  I also resort to food-grade items like olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, ground almonds, etc.  I figure if its safe to eat, it's probably safe to put on my skin.
• Use bar soap, not liquid soaps.  What is it about liquid soaps that dries out my skin?
• Mint-free toothpaste and mouth washes.  My erosive lichen planus struck in the mouth, and mint toothpastes rip up my mouth.  I use Auromere mint-free, Vicco, there are others. 
• Keeping the dust and allergens around me minimized.  We no longer have animals in the house, and I think that helps.  We have always had wood or tile floors, so even when we did have animals it was easy to clean and disinfect.
• Calming lavendar or salt baths.  These help, but I've run the water too hot and scalded myself.  Oops.  It felt good at the time, really it did.

Things I am pretty sure (99.99%) trigger attacks for me:

• stress (hormonal swings, etc.).  When I get stressed, you can pretty much be guaranteed I'm going to have an attack.
• foods like chili, mint, citrus, nuts
• heat - exertion on hot days (this could be stress related)
• red wines (some, not all)
• vinegars

Have you noticed anything that triggers attacks?  Let me know what works for you.

an arsenal of spices

Some people in the US stock an arsenal of ammunition for their large gun collections.  Since we neither own guns or ammunition, we have plenty of room for an excessive amount of spices.

Shocked at the prices of organic spices ($54/lb for organic premium cardamom pods????) we try to "save" by buying bulk.  We do go through them fairly fast, or so it seems at the prices we pay.  To grind, we use either our granite grinding stone, Sumeet Asian kitchen machine, small coffee ginder, or Vitamix, depending on the application.  


The large granite mortar & pestle I bought at a department store in a totally random find.  They only had two and I should have bought them both.  The quality is excellent and it's a good size.  We wet and dry grind in it.

The Vitamix and Sumeet will both wet grind spices, but you have to put enough in the Vitamix for it to work right - otherwise the tornado inside swirls everything towards the sky inside the tall container.  The Sumeet was specifically designed to handle wet grinding of spices (at least the attachment I am talking about here).  I need a Sumeet shape with a Vitamix blade, base and power.

Tonight we made Palak Paneer from Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine.  It calls for wet grinding the spices along with water or whey, and fresh ginger and chili.  We omitted the chili for Arundhati's sake, and because it was such a small quantity Debashis ground it up in the mortar & pestle.  It was pretty easy to make because we had everything we needed on hand - right from our arsenal.  Debashis served that with coconut rice and it made us wonder why have we been missing out on coconut rice all these years?

A friend today said he put curry powder on his dinner and liked it, and my first thought was......what kind of curry powder?  We generally grind all of our own.  If you have a favorite blend, let me know!

Fresh Grape Leaves, Dolmades & Seductions of Rice

Fresh grape leaves in the yard this time of year made us think of the delicious fried grape leaves stuffed with goat cheese.  That led us to dolmades......and we compared a few recipes from various cookbooks.  Seductions of Rice won out, and the dolmades were so delicious we ate every one of them, including the grape leaves at the bottom of the pan.  We decided in the future we might even just line the pan, throw in the rice mixture, more leaves, and just have that for dinner.

Debashis made a white bean dip, and served that with rice crackers and endive spears:

White Bean Dip
Smashed peeled garlic cloves and rosemary sauteed in olive oil.  Once things were crispy and fragrant, he removed the rosemary and kept it aside. 

In the mini prep he added the olive oil & garlic, drained canned beans (rinse as you prefer), salt to taste, and some kalamata olives (4-5), and coarsely blended.  Into a bowl it went, with the rosemary added back in.  He adjusted for salt and pepper, fresh squeezed lemon & a little lemon zest. 

Roasted Potatoes
Boiled small red potatoes were transformed in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and salt into delicious, crispy roasted bites.

Easy Salad
The last addition was an easy salad of herbed lettuce mix, cucumbers, early heirloom tomatoes and avocado.  This was served on a platter with olive oil and balsamic glaze drizzled on top.  Easy, and tasty.

Friday Night Sophie's Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Cabbage Slaw

Friday night we had one of our favorite fast dinners - tacos.  This was an asian-themed dinner.

I made a red cabbage slaw based on a recipe from myrecipes.com, but modified it with Siracha, used sliced fresh cabbage (not out of a bag), toasted raw (non-salted version) spanish peanuts in peanut oil, and Bragg's Aminos instead of fish sauce.  Cilantro is fresh in the garden, so that went in too.  I threw the carrots, ginger, and garlic in my mini-prep processor, and sliced the cabbage and green onions by hand. 

I did make Seitan from scratch using a recipe from Veganomicon, but saving that for something else.  Had a box of Sophie's shrimp so put that in the oven.  Steamed some sprouted corn tortillas, and there was an easy, delicious dinner.

The next day, for lunch I made some rice paper rollups using tempeh bacon, sunfower sprouts, cucumber matchsticks and the leftover slaw.  They were good!

Today I am making another batch of slaw to take for some Bánh Mì. 

Savory Bengali French Toast

Debashis made this for breakfast last Sunday, and I meant to write about it.  If you like french toast and you like things spicy, you will LOVE this recipe.


White sandwich, challah, french, or we have used wheat sandwich.  Anything that will aborb egg.

Whip up the egg batter:
eggs
cilantro, washed, diced
melted butter
sliced & caramelized red onion, cooled
finely diced chilis (thai, serrano, etc)
salt, pepper
ground whole cumin

Vegan option is using a chickpea flour batter, in India it's a bread pakora.  Recipe some other time.

Heat pan on low heat, use melted butter, ghee or oil.

Place bread slices 30 sec. on each side in batter, then fry.

Serve with ketchup, spiced ketchup, Maggi indian ketchup, breakfast potatoes, thai sweet chili sauce, fresh cilantro-mint chutney, tomato-date chutney, anything.  Addictive!

Every Day Bengali Khitchri (a.k.a. Kitchari)

When we need a fast, nutritious dinner that tastes good when we are all sick or exhausted, we make this in our pressure cooker.  It's basically just an east-indian risotto.  All spices whole unless noted.  Easy on the turmeric until you get the hang of it, most people over do it and it gets bitter, yuck!  Sub coconut oil or canola to make this vegan.  We have a stainless steel pressure cooker (actually 2) and we use them a bunch.  I blew the pressure gasket off one but Debashis fixed it.   We are eating this tonight with sauteed kale in olive oil & garlic.

We have been trying to find a good US or North American source for organic dals, specifically mung dal and yellow pigeon peas.  Our local COOP sells organic mung dal from.... China?  Let me know if you have a good source.

Serve this with: samosas and/or papads, indian pickle, and a quick salad of lime, cucumber, salt, jalapeno or some other fresh chili, cilantro, tomatoes, sliced red onions.


easy bengali khitchri
1/4 c mung dal - yellow, hulled, split mung dal
1/4 c rice (any aromatic kind), tonight I'm using white basmati
 wash carefully & drain

sautee in pressure cooker:
ghee
cumin
nigella
red chili
ground coriander
ginger, fresh, peeled, minced

add tomato to melt

veggies as you prefer, we use:
carrots, peeled & chopped (1 tonight)
potatoes, peeled & quartered (tonight I'm using small red)
peas (shelled or frozen) - small handful tonight
spinach (handful)
cauliflower (in proportion to the carrots)

add the:
rice & dal
turmeric (not too much at all)
salt

Optional: nuts or raisins.  Arundhati loves raisins and Debashis loves cashews, so in they go for us.

add 3-4 parts water (so for this one I'll add 2 c.)

Cover pressure cooker, on medium heat bring to pressure, maintain pressure for 3-5 mins then turn the heat off, and let the pressure drop.  Open & serve in shallow pasta bowls. 

Salads & Magazines

I read in one of my old Food & Wine mags (I think) that Bobby Flay eats a salad for dinner every night.  Wouldn't that be awesome to have a salad prepared by him - every day?????

Behind reading my subscriptions, my procrastination again paid off when Gourmet shut the doors and ceased publication.  I had kept them all - and I still go back and read them.

Bon Apetit is not the same - I cringe when I read it sometimes.  It's targeting the gen-xyz crowd (of which I am supposedly a member), and I have to say many articles come across as written by opinionated, spoiled, self-centered "all about me", similar to many other people I in fact either work with or am related to ("oh quit the drams") in the subject population. 

Here's one recent article: "Why Hotels are better than B&Bs".  Don't you think that's a matter of opinion?  Having stayed at thousands of hotels during my consulting gigs, and many B&B's, I can tell you that I have NEVER seen a "Thank you for checking under the bed, we regularly inspect and clean here to ensure you have not lost any items." sign under a bed in a hotel.  I have seen that at a B&B, and under the bed was sparkling clean.

I also appreciated the gourmet snacks, made from scratch in one B&B by the chef, Hope, whose mother had been the chef before her.   From a food magazine extolling cooking, I'm surprised they are promoting junk food in a minibar.   At least I didn't pay for the subscription; it was gifted along with Fine Cooking, which as a publication appears to be more palatable (at least to this self-centered gen-xyz-er).

Here is a list of easy salads, let me know if you have any other suggestions (but you are on your own with quantities & measurements):

apple goat cheese walnut
honey balsamic vinaigrette
romaine
apples
walnuts
quorn chicken (or real chx if you eat meat)
dried cranberries
goat cheese


cobb
mixed greens
chicken
tomatoes
avocados
bacon (fake or real, depending on your dietary preference)
blue cheese
blue cheese or ranch dressing

asian crunch
red cabbage shreds
romaine
chile oil, hot sweet chile sauce, & lime mixed for dressing
toasted almonds
won tons?
carrot shreds
jicama
chives or green onions
tofu (marinated, baked or sauteed)
edamame
cucumber
cilantro

greek*
romaine
parsley/dill
lemon juice/olive oil
oregano
red onion
tomatoes
feta
capers
cucumbers
chickpeas
greek olives


spinach
spinach
mushrooms - roasted
onions - roasted
chickpeas
bacon (or fake bacon)
croutons
balsamic vinaigrette


taco
pico de gallo
chorizo (fake soyrizo or field roast's)
mixed greens
avocado
vegan sr. cream or lowfat
shredded carrot
dressing
tortilla strips


tempeh
gr. onion
bell pepper
tempeh (steamed)
tamari almonds
tamari
mayo/veganaise
parsley




Roasted Beet Salad
Roasted chopped beets (coat whole beets w/ skins on w/ olive oil & sprinkle sea salt, roast at 375 until done, peel)
Goat cheese
Tomatoes
Olive oil, champagne vinegar & herb dressing
Marcona almonds
Spring mix

Mealy Tomatoes with Skins of Rubber

Somewhere, there is a colony of plant breeders & hybridizers that come up with varieties of tomatoes that look good for weeks if not months, have glossy skins of waxy rubber and inside are mealy mush.  If these were the only tomatoes I had ever eaten (i.e. like mainstream grocery stores and restaurants) I would hate tomatoes too.

Eating Fresh, Michael Pollan, Desk Jobs & Progress

A registered dietician came to talk to use about nutrition over a lunchtime brown bag session.  She brought up Michael Pollan's Food Rules, and asked how many of us had read some of his work.

I mentioned this to another coworker who missed the talk, and we both decided that 100 years ago, gathering food took a disproportionate amount of resources, your caloric intake was controlled, and massive preparation went into the food chain.  In the name of progress we all have desk jobs widening our arses, not keeling over in the fields.

Take for example, the preparation of rice as a staple.  In Debashis's grandfather's day in a village in India, one would grow the rice, thresh the rice, manual dehull it, (if you want to parboil the rice, you boil the patty, dry it out, then dehull it).  Before machinary, a massive effort involving the entire village.

Wheat flour before industrial grinding, another epic.  Once the protective hull was off, it became very perishable so you only had a few weeks at a time.  This is our lay-person's understanding anyway.

Side Note: the RD doesn't like tomatoes.  WTF??????  

Late update: thinking about this more, my grandmother's generation WAS the tv dinner generation, and she was happy to not be slaving on the farm she grew up on.  She lived to be 86, and passed away last year.  She was ready to die, had a great life, 13 kids, and been ready to die for 10 years.  WAIT A MINUTE...........

Hummus Victim: Ingredient quality will get you every time

The tahini had a funny smell, a bitter aftertaste.  It's always had it, since we opened the jar.  It wasn't rancid, Debashis can tell.  This brand has always had this funny taste, jar after jar. 

If you use questionable ingredients, you will get a questionable result (most of the time).

This batch might have to be taken in to the office.  As my politician neighbor says "let the voters decide".  Debashis said "if the voters want it let them have it, but I'm not going to eat it!"

Daily Chai

Every morning we make chai:

• approx. 1 cup skim milk
• approx. 1 cup water
• ~1" peeled & diced fresh ginger
• 2 T. black ceylon or assam tea leaves
• sugar
• cardamom pods (2-3 if you are Debashis, 7-8 if it's me, mine tastes better).

Boil the water, ginger and smashed cardamom pods for a few minutes.  Add the tea and boil for 3 minutes.  Add the milk, and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cover for another few minutes.  Strain into cups, sugar or sweetener to taste.

Note: I've tried un-caffeinated using Rooibos with mixed results.

Pots & Pans

Having tried various kinds through the years, been gifted many, and having many cooking disasters due to our inexperience and also the stoves in the various places we have lived, we have finally settled on a few trusted types.

• All Clad
• We have many of these pans, they hold up well and while they take a little getting used to for the stainless steel bottom (not non-stick), it's worth it.  The one regret I have in this line is I bought a giant wok thinking we would use it all the time, but we don't.  We use the 2 qt, 3 qt, 10" frying, 5"? frying pan, Chef's pans (2 of these), and 4 qt soup pot as our go-to pans.  We have a steamer, but it's too big and unwieldy to use it often.  Thinking of buying the steamer insert for the 3 qt saucepan, just saw it online.

• Le Creuset
• We have skillets, dutch ovens, and love their cast iron porcelain baking dishes.  Things cook differently in the oven when you use a Le Creuset.  
• I have a cheap enabled stock pot 

• Lodge Cast Iron
• We have some of this too, works pretty good.

• Kadai - this is a (hopefully) low carbon steel cooking wok shaped pan from India.  We use this for lots of East Indian cooking.

We have two gas stoves, one GE in our home in the country, and one Wolf (SubZero) in our city place.   There is no comparison (except the jerk real estate appraiser who "comped" our home's kitchen containing the 36" 6-burner wolf and Giant stainless steel Ventahood to a kitchen with a $200 Kenmore). 

We did buy a cast iron flame diffuser on Amazon to use for the GE since it has a problem where the burners run hot and can't be turned down low.  Even the lowest setting will burn your food.  Our prior stove was a GE, we weren't thrilled with it, but that is what came with the house.  Insurance replaced that one when it got zapped by lightning with a new GE, which we like even less than the old one.  Don't really recommend a GE.

When I have hit the lottery and have oodles of cash I will be buying this beautiful range.  While we are very impressed by the Wolf, it looks like a tank in the kitchen.  Function over form, though, and it cooks incredibly.

Why do people hate eggplant?

I can only imagine it is because of the rubbery eggplant that looks like it's been through a war.  Giant, wrinkled, and beat up, that's what most people associate with eggplant.  Chewy like a tire, disgusting. 

Compound this with equally disgusting preparations - like rancid bread crumbs thrown on it, smelly egg batter, etc. GROSS!!!!!!!

From the eggplants point of view, this is an embarrassment to the species.

Kitchen Garden 2013

The weather is bizarre.  It's May 5, we have winds and nights dipping low.  The fruit trees yet again have been through some trauma so it will most likely be a bad local fruit year.  There is a reason people historically built courtyards in these high desert climates - it protected the trees from harsh late cold snaps and high winds.

Luckily, our procrastination will pay off as we have not put most of our plants in the garden yet, so nothing much to freeze.  That reminds me I'm on the hook to start some broccoli, tomato & eggplant seedlings for my parents who are in Ireland.

We have planted wildflowers, giant & dwarf sunflowers, some marigolds,  and other misc. cut flower seeds.  Debashis planted peas, and they seem to be up.  The strawberries are already ready - the mara du bois and alpine strawberries.

To plant:

• Herbs - thai & italian basils, Shiso, thyme, chives, oregano
• eggplants - 16 varieties!
• chilies - lots.  Bhut jalokia - geez, $1 a seed, or something crazy
• cucumbers
• Greens, greens, greens!
• tomatoes - yellow, green, striped, grape, cherry, etc.
• carrots
• okra
• beans
• melons
• etc.

I have ornamental corn, goblin gourds, giant pumpkin I want to plant for a fall display in the front.  I don't know it it will happen, but sounds good.

On Acquiring Ingredients

Where do we shop?  The answer is - everywhere.  Within reason, we will hunt down whatever ingredients we need, and sometimes this takes advance planning (like muling things from India).

Currently we are trying find organic thai sticky rice.  If you know of a good source, let me know.

Regular shopping:

• Local Coop - all 3 close locations (w/in 60 miles of each other)
• Whole Foods (various locations)
• Trader Joes
• Costco
• Online grocers, including Amazon
• Local Farmer's markets (seasonal)

Summer is around the corner so we are trying to grow as much as we can.  Debashis has 16 varieties of eggplant seeds this year so stay tuned on what to do with eggplant.  I think I'll post something separate on the kitchen garden.

Curry Pizza

The giant batch of paneer left us with enough for a second meal.  We have pizza dough on hand too so plan on making Curry Pizza some night this week:

Curry Pizza:

• Pizza Dough
• Curry Sauce
• Paneer
• Sauteed onions

Optional:

• boiled red potatoes (sliced or diced).

NOT FRESH AND NOT HEALTHY:

• If you want to be really sneaky use Tater Tots.  Our neighbors did this pizza on the grill subbing curry cauliflower for the paneer and it was divine.

Risotto with favas, peas & mushroom + Tyler Florence's Cauliflower Gratin

Had a leftover baguette from Friday night's dinner with friends.  It was too dry to make more bruschetta so turned it into bread crumbs in the vitamix and used it to top a cauliflower gratin recipe by Tyler Florence in his book Start Fresh.  We love everything we have made out of this cookbook.

Risotto was:

• olive oil
• butter
• diced onion
• minced garlic
• grated nutmeg
• shelled fresh favas
• shelled fresh peas
• criminis 
• fresh parmesan
• white wine
• vegetarian broth
• arborio rice
• fresh basil
• salt & pepper to taste

I made a quick salad of herbed lettuce mix, grapefruit, avocado, marcona almonds, feta, and a fresh lemon-thyme, honey and champagne vinaigrette.

East Indian Kadhai Paneer, Pulao, Salad, Naan, Bengali Tomato&Date chutney

We were craving some real food, so decided to make a serious dinner and have the neighbors over.

Kadhai Paneer - made the paneer from a gallon of Organic Valley milk and 1 container Stoneyfield Farms whole fat plain yogurt.  Ground spice mixture, diced onions, peppers, cilantro, tomatoes, etc. and canola oil, finished it off with mustard oil on top and roasted it in the oven.

Naan - we had pizza dough made and wondered, could it be used to make naan?  Yes, it worked out!  A little on the chewier side but better than the frozen stuff.  This was the one dish not gluten-free.

Salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno or serrano, red onion, lime juice, salt.

Pulao - Kalijera rice with spices, onions, cashews, slivered bell peppers, so good.


On the side:

• Pickled red onions.  We quick pickled some red onions in sugar and wine vinegar as a condiment on the side.
• Diced cilantro
• jalapeno rounds with lime juice
• Cilantro-mint chutney.  Fresh mint, fresh cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 a jalapeno (or green thai chili, or serrano), salt.  Mix in blender or food processor.  
• Tomato-date chutney.  Debashis's top-secret recipe.

Appetizers were Samosas and the neighbor's brought Koftas.  
 

Rubicon Bakery

Had a craving for a yellow cake with lemon frosting.  I wanted a nice light cake and found the perfect match at my local WF baked by Rubicon Bakery.  The cashier educated me about how the cakes are not only delicious but this business hires unemployable ex-cons and gives people a second chance in life.  The cake tasted better than I had hoped, so if you see these give them a try!

Friday night dinner with friends: they are grilling, so we are planning on bringing a salad, appetizer, and bottle of white wine.  They are making wine spritzers that they had in Venice, which apparently require white wine.  Never having been to Venice, we can't possibly make it out of the country with what we spend domestically on food.  Hoping to hear how great Venice is.  Our other friends joining are heading to Peru soon.  While they enjoy the sights of Machu Pichu, we will be eating foods of the Andes thinking of them.

Greek Salad:
romaine
capers
kalamata olives
lemon wedges
pepperoncini
feta
italian parsley
red onions, sliced thinly
diced celery
sliced cucumber
tomatoes
fresh ground black pepper
olive oil
avocado?
croutons?


Appetizer: Bruschetta

Topping:
diced tomatoes
salt
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
diced garlic
fresh basil

Mix these all in a bowl.

Crostini:
Nice artisanal baguette, sliced. old works ok too so long as you can still slice it
olive oil
raw garlic clove

Turn on the broiler, brush or spoon olive oil onto each slice.  Broil until done to your liking, flip over and once done, remove from broiler.  Take garlic clove and rub on olive oil side of bread just for flavor.

Vegan Collards, Grits and Aparagus

Wednesday night dinner:

Collards looked great at the store, so Debashis washed, stemmed, chopped, blanched then sauteed them in olive oil with salt, sugar, and garlic.

We ate them along with some olive oil roasted asparagus, zuchinni, garlic, onions and Quorn meatballs thrown into a cast iron skillet.

This was served on top of delicious grits with creamed cashews from chef Bryant Terry as featured in March's Sunset.  Debashis modified the recipe by lightly toasting the grits first, and adding a veggie bullion cube to the water to make the broth.  Without thinking, we made another vegan dinner (except the Quorn meatballs).

Pantry & Staples

Pantry Items & Staples to have on hand.  The goal here is not to have industrial quantities, or enough to last through an apocalypse, but just enough variety to be able to throw an impromtpu delicious meal or dish together in a reasonable amount of time without having to run to the store.  Quality over quantity always, organic whenever possible, and never feel inadequate for buying what you like, and within your budget.   Our pantry isn't limited to the items, but they turnover quickly, are versatile across cuisine types and get supplemented with specialty ingredients.

Pantry:

• Hot sauces - Siracha, tabasco, Chipotle tabasco, Cholula, Monsteroid, Marie Sharps, etc. too many to list
• Asian Sauces & Vinegars: Gochu-jang (msg free), Thai Hot sweet & sour, Chinese Black Bean, Hoisan Sauce, Plum Sauce, Plum Vinegar, Rice Wine Vinegar, Mirin, Soy Sauce, Tamari Sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Plum Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Chili Sesame Oil, Peanut Oil, tomato chutney, east india pickle, tamarind date chutney
• Ketchups: Maggi Hot & Sweet, Heinz 
• Mustards - various.  Open live in the fridge.
• Canned chiles - chipotle in adobo
• Canned beans (eden is BPA free): chickpeas, canneloni, kidney, black
• Dried beans and legumes - all kinds.  Split red lentils, chick peas, green french, pigeon peas, black bengal gram, channa dal, black eye peas, kidneys, pintos, black, favas, etc.
• Pastas, various
• garlic, red onions, shallots (fresh not jarred)
• red and fingerling potatoes
• canned, dried or jarred tomatoes and pastes/sauces
• olives, peppers, capers, etc. various
• rices, various
• dried quinoas and grains, various
• chutneys, various
• baking supplies, misc.
• salad dressings
• I cut out the croutons, chips, crackers, etc. bc we are trying to lose weight.
• Marcona almonds.
• Sparkling water
• oils - various. Greek olive oil, italian olive oil, spanish olive oil, asian oils listed above, mustard oil, canola, safflower, almond, canola spray, olive spray, etc.
• vinegars - various.  Champagne, asian listed above, balsamic, red wine, etc.

Equipment:

• Vitamix or blender
• Food Processor
• Graters
• Pressure cooker

Refrigerator/Freezer:

• Nuts: raw almonds, raw cashews, raw pumpkin seeds, raw pecans, raw walnuts, raw spanish peanuts, pine nuts
• Nut & seed butters: almond, peanut, tahini
• Fresh Herbs: cilantro and italian parsley.  Lately thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary.
• Eggs
• unsalted butter, cream cheese
• Plain Greek Yogurt, sour cream, non fat milk, almond milk (make it)
• Pickled/fermented items (beets, onions, kim chi etc)
• Roasted items (beets, veggies, poblanos etc.)
• Yeast
• Open extracts like vanilla and almond
• Cheeses: goat, blue, parmesan, feta, shredded mex blend for the kiddo
• fake chorizo
• Salsas, various
• Chile sauces
• limes/lemons/grapefruit/orange
• Veggies - carrots, celery, cucumbers, peas, mushrooms, other seasonal. 
• Condiments, olives, capers, pepperoncini, salad dressings, chile sauces etc.
• sprouted corn tortillas
• sprouted tofu
• cheap white wine for cooking

Counters:

• Fruit
• Raw Ginger
• Tomatoes - various kinds

Dried Spices live on a devoted hutch:

• Dried powdered/ground red chile along with whole chiles.  Variety of new mexico red, ancho, thai red, guajillo, cayenne, chipotle,
• Cumin
• fenugreek
• nigella
• asfateida
• Coriander
• Oregano
• Poppy seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Veggie bullion cubes
• gomasaio 
• various salts
• various peppers
• cardamom
• cloves
• cinnamon
•  

Cookbooks:

• Hot Sour Salty Sweet
• Lord Krishna's Cuisine & various Yamuna Devi cookbooks
• Bread Baker's Apprentice
• Tassajara Cookbook
• Cooks Illustrated (various)
• Bon Appetit (Various)
• Joy of Cooking (old and new)
• Deborah Madison books
• Various Vegan & vegetarian i.e. Veganomicon
• Moosewood
• Various Williams Sonoma
• Various CIA
• Tyler Florence Start Fresh
• too many to list