Indian food - WOW! This needs to be explored!

Connie and I dined at Saravanaa Bhavan last night.  She had Poori and Masala Dosa, while I enjoyed some Channa Batura & Samosa

The full menu is only available on weekends so we couldn't get any Naan.  I guess we have to go back.   oh darn  :)


The fried bread isn't something I want to add to my vegan diet but the dips, sauces, and Channa have me curious and excited.   Anyone know of Indian foodie sites with good Channa & sauce recipes?


I think the sauces could be used for almost anything.  How about a dip for raw veggies, or as a steamed veggie topping?  What about soup?  My last soup was on the bland side so one of these might make a great last minute flavor filled addition.  

My new quest!   Make Naan and a few Indian sauces.   Kitchen beware, I'm on my way!

Saltine crackers - vegan?

I wanted something crunchy with my last bowl of white bean potato soup.  There were some saltine crackers on the counter and guess what?  They are vegan!

A great compliment to my soup.    I found a few saltine cracker recipes if you are interested.   

Steel Cut Organic Oatmeal anyone?

Steel cut organic oats from Whole Foods

Want a nutritious, filling, quick,  inexpensive, tasty and simple breakfast?  Yes?

Here's one of my favorite secrets.
 
....buy steel cut organic oats by the 30 lb bag from Whole Foods & use a slow cooker to prepare a weeks worth of oatmeal....

I love my morning oatmeal.   Thick, loaded with lots of cinnamon, a tbs of crunchy peanut butter, and fresh fruit.   Banana is my go to fruit but I'll use any fresh fruit that's available. Well maybe no coconut or pineapple.  (hmmmm, now that I said that I'm curious to know how they'd actually taste)


OK.  I promised a lot in the first sentence.  It's time to deliver:

• Nutritious - high fiber, complex carbohydrate, not 'processed'
• Filing - trust me on this one.  I'm struggling to finish my bowl right now
• Quick - I prepare 4 cups of oats with 9 cups of water in my slow cooker (over night on low).   Flake oats from the store don't keep.   STEEL CUT oats do keep in the fridge!  I just pop a bowl in the microwave and am ready to go.
• Inexpensive  - buying in bulk reduces your cost (of course).  having a friend that works there makes it even better  :)   I suggest you buy a 3 or 5 gallon food grade storage bucket for your oats.  They last, and last, and last......
• Tasty -  steel cut oats have a slight crunchy nutty flavor, even after reheating.   oatmeal flakes - forget it.  Once you go steel cut you wont go back - I promise.
• Simple  - once heated I stir in a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter and top with some sliced fruit and cinnamon.  takes less than a minute.

So, a 30lb bag you say?   Maybe AFTER you try it a few times.   In the meantime you can get some good oats from McCann's.   You'll appreciate the dramatic drop in price when you buy in bulk compared to the McCann's can.

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Some live to eat, others eat to live. I live to annoy them.  

What is "Italian seasoning" anyway?

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your favorite spice blend?  You've never been that bored?  Welcome to my world.

I read my Italian seasoning label and guess what?  It's marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage & basil.  The list varies slightly by brand.  Why?  No idea.   There's nothing magically 'Italian' about that processed, flaked, salted, preservative filled  bottle of dried leaves and powder.


Armed with my new found knowledge I set off on a quest to make my own Italian seasoning.   No salt, preservatives, and whatever the heck the additive they use so the seasoning will come out of the little holes.   I kid you not - one of my blend bottles had this mysterious unidentified ingredient.  Could be powdered WD40 for all I know.  Anyway, after a quick trip to my local Penzeys store  I was ready. 

When I cook I just toss in each spice and 'oila  I R cooking Italian.(well, sort of maybe).   OK, so maybe it doesn't make my dishes real Italian but my home made spice blend does make a HUGE difference in the taste compared to the store mix.


 I use home made 'Italian' mixture on everything right now but it's getting boring.     

bored with my seasoning

Anyone have suggestions which spice(s) I should try next?  What do you like? 

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Once again I feel more like I did yesterday than I do now.

Well, if a rat can fix it I can - maybe

Ratatouille anybody?

White bean potato soup

How about a hearty  soup for a chilly Fall day?

Vegan books all talk about beans.   Beans, beans, and more beans.   Ok.  I get it.    We need to eat beans.  But how do we go about it?   Can't it just be simple?   Actually, yes. 

Recipes confuse & frustrate me.  Why am I adding this or that?  Why does the order matter?   What's the difference between roasting and baking?   Maybe this will pass with time, but for now, recipes don't motivate or inspire me.  
 

So, without a recipe (step by step 'do this' set of instructions), here's how the soup happened.

Me:  "I have these nice white beans, but they are hard as rocks"

miniMe: "go google how to prepare white beans"

Me: "ahhhh, you have to soak them overnight. ok"

next morning

Me: beans look good, now what?

miniMe: What else you got to add to the beans?

Me: potatoes, onions, spices, garlic, walnuts, rice, etc etc

miniMe: pick a couple, toss them in pot, add spice and heat.  What could go wrong?

That's basically how it happened and the soup was GREAT!   I  knew to saute my garlic before adding it and I  knew I liked my home made blend of Italian spices.  

Here's what happened (in best Monk voice):

Toss these in your stock pot:

 - Cubed potatoes (i should have peeled them)

- white beans

- spices from Penzeys (oregano, rosemary, basil, marjoram, & some red pepper flakes)

- saute an entire bulb of garlic and toss in pot (a little olive oil medium heat for about a minute )
- add water (of course)

- was going to add chopped onion - but I forgot.  (next time)

I made my stock thick by ladling the hot mixture into a blender.  Blend some, then just pour it back into pot.  Not thick enough?  Fish out more whole beans and potatoes and repeat.

Like it?   YES!   Good...you are done.  
Like it?  No.     oh oh.   It needs 'something' else added.
Now what?

oh no, it needs 'something' else

No need to panic - just add something.   You don't have to KNOW it's the right thing to add before you do it. After all.....we are new to this, right?  Just put some soup in a bowl and experiment with it.  Once you like the results do the same thing to the rest of your soup.

And there you go. 

You now have a white bean potato soup for a chilly Fall day

p.s.    I had these nice Walnuts so I toasted them in my small toaster oven.  In they went and they toasted until one started to darken in a rather menacing manner.  Tossed those and some chives from Penzeys  on top as a garnish and YUM!
 

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.