Indian food

So this post is mostly for my own benefit since I don't have solid recipes for any of these things... but I needed to make a list of what I can make, and writing a blog is so much easier than making a file that will get lost somewhere on my computer.

Here in India I have a simple 3-burner gas stove and very simple cookware: just a knife and cutting board, a few stirring spoons/bamboo spatula, and 1 small pan and 2 pots. Someday I am going to make a mess/burn my self horribly with the small pan, because it is so unstable and the handle gets hot. I would like to invest in more cookware (a kettle, rice cooker, wok, etc.) but I'm only here for 5 more months and I'm travelling for about 1 month, and I'm on a strict budget.

I've also learned that it's much cheaper to cook with domestic ingredients vs. imported ones (mustard oil vs. olive oil and so on), so I'm cooking some Indian food. My breakfast is usually yogurt and muesli or toast and peanut butter with plain tea, lunch is usually at the office or leftovers, but here's what I can make for dinner:

Daal-- red lentils, turmeric, green chili, and tomato, with "tadka" made from fried onion, ginger/garlic paste, dried red chili, and nigella and/or mustard seeds. I bought some coconut milk so I can make coconut daal sometime!

Egg curry-- hard boiled eggs, curry made from fried onion, "masala" spices, ginger/garlic paste, and tomato. Add potatoes and cook with water and the curry mix, then add hard boiled eggs at end.

Chickpea curry-- chickpeas cooked with coriander and cumin powder, ginger/garlic paste, and onions/tomatoes as desired.

I also want to start making some vegetable side-dishes, such as okra and zucchini things. I usually eat rice as my carb, but I'd like to start eating brown rice or roti more. I can't make roti, but I can buy it from a local restaurant.

Finally, I'll probably make a few "western" dishes every once and a while. I have a block of feta cheese waiting to be used...

Roasted sweet potato, bean, and kale salad

This is like the best, most satisfying vegan meal I have ever made! I was so excited that I almost ate all of the roasted kale...

So this is an original recipe, but based on a few others (notably, I got the idea for spicy roasted sweet potatoes from this Smitten Kitchen recipe for butternut squash). I've been trying to eat more healthy (i.e. not so much frozen pizza) so I came up with this idea, and it evolved as I was cooking.

I started by cutting 2 sweet potatoes into large chunks. I tossed them with:

--2 cloves garlic, chopped (use more next time! was good but needs moar delicious garlic!)
--a few tablespoons olive oil
--1-2 tsp smoked sweet paprika powder
--1-2 tsp cumin
--1-2 tsp spicy red pepper powder
--a few chopped sprigs of thyme (not really necessary)
--dash of red pepper flakes
--dash of salt

...and baked the whole thing at 450 for about 30 minutes (until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked). I added a can of washed/drained cannellini beans (or any other bean will do) for the last 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes were roasting, I caramelized half of a sliced red onion (could've used a whole one), and washed, dried, and baked some kale chips (for about 6 minutes at 450). I used 1 bunch of kale, although I did eat quite a bit of it while waiting for the sweet potatoes.

Then once everything was done I just mixed it all together. The flavors and textures all worked together really well: the sweet potatoes slightly sweet, spicy, and mouth-meltingly soft; the kale savory and crunchy; and the beans light and hearty at once. I think vegan food makes me feel better, from the core. I will definitely make this again! This dish will taste best warm.

Mediterranean antipasta

Last week for lunches I cooked up a batch of quinoa and roasted some tomatoes (with olive oil and rosemary). I then enjoyed these ingredients with hummus, pita, feta cheese, and olives, depending on what was on-hand.

I tossed the quinoa with a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt for good measure.

Peach, mint, and tomato salad

This was a happy salad to share with friends at the end of summer. Recipe by Martha Stewart Living. I used heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, and I roasted the peaches a bit because they weren't quite ripe and I was in a rush.

Carrot and noodle salad

I've been making a lot of noodle salads lately because they're so satisfying and easy to pack for lunch (the photo is from eating it outside!). First I cut and baked some tofu cubes. Meanwhile, I lightly steamed a head of broccoli, grated 3 carrots and thinly sliced half a red onion and half a cucumber, and cooked up some rice noodles.

After everything was ready, I mixed it all together with some red wine vinegar, a bit of rice vinegar (to not overpower it), and peanut sauce. I added cilantro at the end.

Veggie pizza with black beans and roasted zucchini

Pizzas are good for throwing together all of the random vegetables in your fridge and pantry. I made this pizza a while ago and forgot to post it! It was extremely delicious.

Ingredients:

-1 roasted zucchini

-1/2 small can tomato sauce

-several slices mozzarella cheese

-handful of canned black beans

-about 1/4 red onion, sliced

Sorry, not too many specifics here.

Greek pasta salad

When I get in a cooking slump, it usually means I need to turn to my several recipe stocks: this blog, my cookbooks, recipes that I bookmark, and recipes that I pin on Pinterest. While I don't post everything on Pinterest, it's a great way to visualize things I've made and would like to make, all in one place.

I found this recipe via Pinterest, and it turned out great. Ignore that the picture on the original website is so pretty, and mine looks like standard potluck fare. Well, actually, this would be good for a potluck!

I followed the recipe pretty exactly, only using whole wheat pasta instead. I would recommend halving the amounts of oil and vinegar, then adding more to taste. Some white beans would've been a good addition, for extra protein.

This meal had only minor prep-work (chopping, mostly) and cooking (only the pasta), and lasted in my fridge for about 3-4 days.