Vegetarianism

     Last week was a very vegetarian week for me. What happened, I think, is that I went so crazy buying fresh vegetables, and then I realized I would have to leave for Boston on Thursday, and then I realized I would have to cook all these vegetables (and tofu) between Monday and Wednesday. And now I have had a ton of veggie posts in a row. Just making sure you understand I haven't turned over to the dark side or anything.

Look! Its a Bhindi Caterpillar! The eye is natural.

     So, what are the lovely bits of greenery I made for you today? Okra. Saying okra feels weird to me. Okra is bhindi in Hindi, and Bhindi is how I know and love it. It is also something I grew up and couldn't imagine not eating anymore than I could imagine not eating eggs or potatoes or something. But, in the American north Okra seems to have this reputation as a slimy, Southern-food type of thing. I have never understood this fear of slimy bhindi. Not until I cooked it.

     First, as with any cooking project I have never attempted before, I called my mom. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I bought bhindi. Now what do I do?"
Mom: "How do you want to make it? Stuffed or...?"
Me: "No, just normally."
Mom: "That's easy, just add jeera (cumin)..."
Me: "I don't have any jeera."
Mom: "Then it won't taste like it normally tastes."
Me: "Oh." *feels whining fit coming on about how nothing goes right*
Mom: "It's okay, you can use dhaniya (coriander) and garam masala and then add amchur (something related to mango?) at the end and it will taste right."
Me: "I DON'T HAVE AMCHUR!"
Mom: "Fine. Add chana masala."
Me: "Will it taste good?"
Mom: "Yes."
Me: "OK."

This is then followed by the necessary three or four phone calls when I forget what I was supposed to add or when or how long it could possibly take to cook bhindi. Cooking is a time consuming process.

Cashew Chicken Curry + Rice + Bhindi= A Good Meal

     Actually, cooking bhindi (or okra) is a time consuming process. Once you chop it up, you have to cook it down until all the white stuff in the center oozes out and gets cooked up. That's the stuff that makes it slimy. I had many moments of uncertainty stirring that bhindi, wondering what the white stuff was and when it would be gone. The white stuff, just so you know, is the little gooey strands that stretch across the bhindi pieces in the pan. When you haven't seen any of that stuff for a few minutes, you know it is gone.

     Following this method, my bhindi turned out beautifully. I meant to save it and freeze it so I would have it to eat when I came back from Boston. It was gone in a meal and a half. A half because when I first made it, I put it into a bowl and then just kept "sampling" until I realized that I had gobbled up most of it without ever making any rice or even heating up a tortilla. Then, I stopped myself and saved the rest to eat properly. I don't know how to describe bhindi, or okra, if you have never had it before. This is fried up so it is spicy and flavorful but it still has that delicious taste that's all its own. I will think of how to describe it eventually, meanwhile you should make some.

Bhindi Masala
Serves 2

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Coriander

1 tsp Chana Masala 

1 packet Bhindi (Okra), About 30 pieces or 1 lb 
A dash of Salt
1/2 mid-sized Yellow Onion, Chopped Finely

To Prepare Bhindi:

Cut off the heads (the big round part). Also cut off the tails (pointy parts) if they are firm (if they are soft, you can eat them and don't need to cut them off). Slice them about 1/2 in thick.

For Bhindi Masala:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan at medium heat. Add the garam masala, coriander, and chana masala, stirring them and frying them up for a minute. Then, add the chopped bhindi. Stir them into the spices and allow them to cook for about 10 min. Stir them occasionally. First, they will start oozing the sticky substance, and then the sticky substance will go away. Once it has been gone for a few minutes, add the chopped onions and stir them in. Cook for another few minutes, until the onions are thoroughly cooked. The bhindi will be a lot darker green than it was when it started out. Taste the bhindi to make sure it is not "slimy" tasting. Serve and eat with rice, curry, tortilla, or whatever you would like. 

Resourcefulness

     This week I discovered something. I discovered that in growing up, I have grown resourceful. Things don't faze me as much anymore. And no, I am not just saying this. And yes, I know what happened isn't actually that fazing or that big a deal, but it made me happy so I'm going to go with it. And now you will have to hear about it.

Loaf pan= Trash can bowl (just clarifying)

     So, what happened? Well, people came over for dinner. I love having people over for dinner. I love sharing food with people who are not just me and my freezer (and since he is just holding food for me for later, he doesn't even count - sorry Mr. Freezer). I was expecting PVL and DL (who is visiting from New Zealand for a few weeks, I cannot believe I have not mentioned him! He's the greatest. Anyway...) but I also got BJG. Now, everyone knows that BJG is my friend. He is just also...cough cough...a Vegetarian.

Look! Its BJG! Big Jogging Giant....will work on it

     Well, I was planning to feed everybody the cashew chicken curry I had made with Katch (this was Sunday, I'm so backed up with recipes! It's ok, i'll catch up soon). But, what would I feed BJG? Poor thing, he brought a thing of noodles to eat in case I did not have food for him. As though I would let anyone heat up noodles to eat in my house. Tsk tsk.

TOFU!

     Luckily, my fridge is now well stocked - courtesy Reading Terminal and H-Mart trips with KK over the weekend. So, I had: tofu, zucchini, and carrots. All the fixings for a veggie dish. Chop up tofu, zucchini, and carrots. Heat up oil. Hmmm...at this point there are two options: try to figure out how to season this from scratch, or use sauce courtesy H-Mart. So, I cheated. And now I'm blogging about it. Is that OK? Well, I am blogging about cooking in my college life. And sometimes, that involves cheating and the use of pre-made products. I'm okay with that once in a while.

People over for dinner = Rushed picture taking

     So, I used the sweet and spicy pork marinade I had bought from H-Mart. It has apples and pears in it! It is vegetarian, I checked. It's also amazingly delicious. If you are at any Asian grocery store, you should look for these kinds of Korean BBQ Marinades, especially the kinds for kalbi. They make everything so flavorful. So, I cooked up the veggies and tofu with a couple of tablespoons of marinade, and voila! I had food for the vegetarian. I am un-faze-able.

P.S. I am also on the bus to Boston because I'm going home for the weekend! I love buses with wi-fi.

Vegetable Tofu Stir-Fry 

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil 
2 mid-sized Carrots, Sliced (not too thin) 
1/2 Large Zucchini, Chopped into Quarter Circles  
A dash of Salt
1/2 tbsp Water
1/2 block Soft Tofu, Cut into 1 in cubes 
2 tbsp Korean Kalbi Marinade (or other sweet-spicy marinade sauce)  

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or saucepan (all I have). Add the carrots and zucchini and salt. Stir them around, and then add the water. Allow them to cook until the zucchini looks Slightly more translucent. Then, add the soft tofu and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Lastly, add the marinade. Stir everything together, and allow it to cook until the zucchini is translucent looking and the carrots are softer (cook for less time if you like crunchy carrots, and longer if you like squishy carrots).

Serve on top of rice!

Healthiness

     

     I love having groceries. I love being able to open my fridge and pull out food. The simple pleasures of life are always the best, right? What I love most of all, though, is being able to cook my own meals again. (As though I was being Forced to not cook the past two weeks - I know it is my own fault I didn't grocery shop before...don't look at me like that.) Point being, I felt so unhealthy the past two weeks eating out all the time - I have had more Chipotle in these few days than I have had in my entire life combined before now. So, now that I have food, what am I making to make myself feel better?

     Pizza, apparently. Pizza doesn't even sound like a healthy food, but my pizza was as healthy as pizza can get (probably). Potatoes, kale, a little bit of cheese - I didn't even put a sauce! What else can you ask for? It is sitting in my bag staring at me, and I really want to have some even though these two pieces have to last me till 4:30 (when I finish class). Excuse me while I eat.

     Yum. Anyway, I still had a Trader Joe's Pizza Dough sitting in my freezer so I defrosted it along with the kale I boiled and froze a long time ago. Must make way for all the new groceries that are going into my freezer. I bought the potatoes yesterday, and I couldn't wait to use them - so of course they had to go on the pizza as well. Also, I like kale, and it's healthy and all, but I can't imagine eating a Just Kale pizza. That just sounds awful to me...

     Making pizza is so relaxing and easy. Especially when the most time consuming part of the process is waiting for the potatoes simmering away in a pot of water to become tender. It sure takes a lot of hands on work. (Sarcasm, just in case its not clear. Sarcasm and writing on the internet don't seem to always go together.) So, what does my pizza taste like? Crust thats crisp on the outside but has a little give on the inside, hurrah for Trader Joe's, soft potatoes, salty garlicky lemony Kale, and the nice crunch of cheese. What else can one ask for?

Kale and Potato Pizza


1 16 oz ball of Trader Joe's Pizza Dough
OR Enough Pizza Dough for a 12'' diameter thin-crust pizza 
3 mid-sized Red Potatoes 
1 tsp Salt 
1 tsp Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil 
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1/3 cup Pre-boiled Kale (or you could use fresh kale) drained of water
1 Lime (or Lemon)
1/3 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you have) 

If your pizza dough is in the fridge, make sure to take it out 20 minutes before you plan to use it.

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the three potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water, adding a dash of salt. At medium heat, cover the saucepan and let the potatoes simmer for 10-15 minutes until you can easily stick a fork through them (it will take different times depending on the size of your potatoes). Meanwhile, cut the ribs off your kale if you have not already, and shred it into about 2'' by 2'' pieces.

Once your potatoes are done, pull them out of the hot water. While they are cooling, heat the olive oil up in a frying pan at medium heat. Add the garlic, and once it is lightly browned, add the kale. Stir everything together, cooking till the kale is limp, and then squeeze and mix in the lime (or lemon) juice. Turn off the heat, making sure the kale is thoroughly coated with lemon juice and olive oil. Then, slice the potatoes into about 1/4 '' slices. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on both sides of the potatoes, mixing them to make sure each piece is seasoned. Put the potatoes in the saucepan with the kale and toss everything a few times.

Take a large baking sheet and smear it with olive oil. Roll out the pizza dough or press it down until it fills most of that baking sheet. Top it with the kale, potatoes, and then the cheese. Bake it at 425 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Take the baking sheet out and allow the pizza to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer it to a cutting board. Cut and eat!

Carrots

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     Do you like carrots? I know a couple of people who don't, and I think that must mean they have never tasted a carrot properly. Carrots are like summer: bright and fresh in both look and taste. I love carrots. Carrot Cake is one of the best kinds of cake (and if you have never had the Carrot Cake Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, you should fix that right now) and my favorite Indian dessert is Gujrala (or Gajar ka Halwa..and I don't know how to explain it in English, but it is delicious- except when made at stupid Indian restaurants).

Carrots with their clothes still on

     So, what did I do with carrots today? Well, today started out as a leisurely kind of day. I taught creative writing to children in the morning, studied a little, grocery shopped, started working on an elaborate food that was going to take a long time (you can wait in suspense till tomorrow) and then... I had a realization. I don't own my own camera, did you know? This blog survives through the kindness of my friends: I use my roommate's and PN's cameras, and I always have to use PN's in order to upload pictures onto the computer. But I didn't have it today! She did! And she probably had plans all night! What would I do?

     I did the only thing that made sense. In the hour between when I called her (she was at dinner) and when she would be home for five minutes before leaving again, I prepared a new dish for today. It was a dish I had been wanting to make for a long time, and, luckily, I knew it would be quick. A carrot salad. I had been holding off on making it because all the carrot salads I saw online were Asian and needed vinegar, which I did not want to buy. Then, I talked to my mom about it. She suggested: Carrot, Honey, Lime, and Raisins. I don't really like raisins so I substituted, cashews are kind of like raisins, right?

     And, that is how I ended up making carrot salad before racing to PN's place, downloading the pictures onto this blog, and then racing back to clean up the mess of honey and carrots all over my floor. But, with the first bite, I knew I had been right to crave this. The sweetness of the honey offsets the sourness of the lime, just leaving that bright lime flavor, and the crunch of the carrot offsets the softer cashews. Still, above all is the flavor of the carrots. That bright sunshiney taste in my mouth makes it feel like it's sunny outside. Even if it's not. 

Shiny Shiny from the Honey

Honey-Carrot Salad 

Makes 3 servings 

4 Mid-Sized Carrots 

1/2 tbsp Honey (I would drizzle some on, taste, then drizzle more on- make it as sweet as You want) 

1/2 Lime 

1 handful Cashews 

Wash the carrots and peel them. Then, cut them into thin match-sticks. (I would say julienne, but obviously I did not even try to julienne, so just make them thin.) Place the carrots into a medium bowl and squeeze the lime juice onto them. Add the honey and the cashews, and mix it thoroughly to combine. Enjoy!

And We are Back to Earth

     It should not be allowed to be 65 degrees and summer one day and then snow the next night. The mood swings of the East Coast are wreaking havoc on my planning for each day. It continues to be on the cold side today, though without precipitation of any sort, and I suppose I must be happy with that. It is a day to be warm and inside, sit back, and enjoy my cookings. Make that, do my studying and work for the week ahead. Ah well. At least I can eat while studying. 

Lunch Time

     I knew Sunday would be like this: unmotivating and full of sorrow at the work I have to do. This is why I cheated. I cooked this dish on Friday night while making riblets! I am so full of forethought sometimes. It is a simple dish too, and a healthy dish. It made me feel better about adding all those honey to said riblets. It is cauliflower.  

     Cauliflower? Yes, cauliflower. It is really a very underrated vegetable. It is so easy to cook, so full of nutrients, and so....not bad for you - by which I mean, its hard to make it have a lot of calories. After a few days of picking at banana bread and cookies and the bag of Lindt chocolates sent to you by your mother, sometimes you need to start thinking about veggies again. 

     I was on the phone with my mom figuring out what to do with the riblets, when I decided I may as well give in and seek help on the giant cauliflower in my fridge as well. "Put it in the microwave," was the first thing told to me. "Cook it whole, don't cut it," was the second. Don't cut the cauliflower? But don't you have to pull it apart into all of its little stalks to cook it properly? Apparently not. 

     So, this recipe came from my mom's mouth to my ears to your eyes, as so often happens. It's simple, requires very little prep and few ingredients, and it is good. The cauliflower is soft and cooked through, but not mushy. It has a subtle spicy, tomato flavor, that would go great with other curries and rice. Its always good to have a dry vegetable around to offset meaty curries. Now, having made an entire cauliflower, I am also going to freeze a large portion of it (after the photography session is over), so I can have balanced servings of vegetables in my future. Huzzah. 

Cauliflower Mussalam 

Serves 2-4 depending on the size of your Cauliflower 

1 Cauliflower 

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil 

1 Medium Sized Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped

1 clove Garlic, Minced  

1/4 tsp Ginger Powder 

1/4 tsp Turmeric 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala 

1 tsp Ground Coriander

3 tbsp Tomato Paste 

1/4 cup Milk 

Cauliflower Prep: 

Cut the thick bottom stem of the cauliflower, but don't cut in so deep that the stalks become separated. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and rinse it under cold water. Place it in a microwavable bowl with a teaspoon of water in the bottom, and microwave it for 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. You want the cauliflower to give a little, but not be squishy. 

Cooking the Cauliflower: 

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the vegetable oil at medium heat. Then, add the onion, garlic, and ginger powder. Stir and fry up until the onions are translucent. Next, mix in the turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander. Fry for another minute, until all the spices are combined. Next, add the tomato paste. Stir constantly and fry for two minutes, until it has turned a darker color. Once the tomato paste is nicely fried, stir in the milk. Once that is all combined, place the cauliflower head down into the wok, so the stems are facing you. Baste it with the liquid base so that it is covered nicely. Then, lower the heat, and put a lid on the pan. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, uncovering and basting the cauliflower once in a while. When the cauliflower is soft all over, it is done. Take it out of the pan and put it on a plate to cool slightly. Then, use a knife to cut the stem away, so all the florets fall off (it might be easier to cut the whole thing in half first and then do this twice, once for each side). Now, you have your cauliflower ready to serve! 

Note:

- Make sure you have a tight fitting lid because you want the steam to cook the cauliflowers that are not directly touching the bottom of the pan. 

- If your curry base becomes far far too thick to baste the cauliflower with, but your cauliflower is still not cooked, just pick up the cauliflower, stir a little milk into the base, and then stick your cauliflower back in. My base was pretty thick, but I just basted the cauliflower and allowed it all to soak into the cauliflower, so it worked out fine.

Veggies

Modernist Mise En Place, proving the simplicity of this recipe

     Everyone is vegetarian. I mean, not everyone. But so many people seem to be vegetarian nowadays, I cannot keep posting my chicken curries in good conscience. I do really want to make my pork chops, but my morale is being dragged down. What about all those veggies reading this blog?

     Well, veggies, I will concede to you. I do make vegetarian food too. Sometimes, when you are not around, I even eat full vegetarian meals without any meat in them. I just hide it from you because I like talking about my carnivorous self. So, today, I will come out in the open. I will make a full veggie dish proudly...kind of. I do still want my pork chops inside.

Oh the brightness of green foods...

     So, what should I make? I was polling my friends. That was when I found out that even MWJ, who I have known since she was in first grade, lately turned vegetarian too. (That was the exact point of morale falling down-ness.) I told her I would dedicate this post to her, in honor of her finding a greater variety of veggie foods to eat. Well, when I'm thinking variety, I'm thinking 1) Indian food (the best way to bring variety into a Western diet) and 2) Not broccoli (just because). I also want to use my baby spinach, and the last of the tomatoes, and...lentils or beans. I need some protein in there.

    Well, I made this veggie curry, called Ronghi, earlier this year, and it was really easy and turned out really well. So, I thought I would try it out again. It consists of black eye peas, water, some spices, and vegetables. What vegetables? Well, as you know, I need to use up that spinach...so a lot of baby spinach! And, I always have a packet of some mixed frozen vegetables or the other in my freezer. If you buy these frozen veggies without sauce, mine has carrots, peas, cauliflowers, and green beans, you can always add them to any curry and instantly have a balanced diet. They also never go bad, which is always good for the harried college cook who often forgets she has some veggie in her vegetable drawer and then it gets disgusting and she gets sad (me). Here is my creation:

     Doesn't it look wholesome and comfy and good? It is. The almost creaminess of the beans, the satisfying crunch of the carrots and green beans, the slurpy green-ness of the spinach, and the thick slightly spicy curry drowning everything make a complete meal. This is delicious comfort food heated up nicely and dumped over some rice, especially on these very cold winter days. You definitely would not need any other vegetables or meats in order to have a great lunch or dinner. This is why I love beans and lentils! I should probably stop "taste tasting" it with my large wooden spoon now...

     This curry might also be the easiest recipe to date. All you do is chop the garlic and the onions, fry with spices, chop the tomato, and fry, and then add the water, the beans, and the rest of the veggies! Its amazing. Also, you should know that you do not need spinach or frozen veggies or the same amount of either of those things that I used, you could even make it with just the beans and that would be totally fine. I just like having veggie content in my curries, so I don't have to accompany them with anything else in the 5-minute eating time I generally have. You could also use any similar amount of fresh carrots or other fresh vegetables instead of the frozen ones. By this time you should know, I don't ever think you should rush to the grocery store and buy a billion ingredients, just use the ones you have and maybe buy the one key one you need for the recipe (i.e. mushrooms in the last, black-eyed peas in this one).

Before the simmer - don't worry about it looking watery :)

Ronghi (Black Eye Peas Curry)

Makes 8 servings 

1 can Black Eye Peas 
1 tbsp Veg Oil 
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder 
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced 
1/2 Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped 
1 tsp Garam Masala 
1 tsp Ground Coriander 
1/4 tsp Turmeric 
1 Tomato, Diced 
1/2 tsp Salt 
1 1/2 cup Water 
1/2 cup Mixed Frozen Vegetables 
1 1/2 cup Baby Spinach 

First, use a colander (or just the can...) and drain the water from the can of Black Eye Peas and rinse them. Set them aside to dry. Next, heat the oil in a large sauce pan. At medium heat, add the ginger, minced garlic, and onion, and fry until the onions are translucent. Then, add the garam masala, coriander, and turmeric and fry for another minute. Add the diced tomato and fry while stirring everything. Make sure the tomato is fried up for two minutes before adding the salt, water, black eye peas, and frozen vegetables/carrots/other firm vegetables. Mix thoroughly to combine, and lower the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the curry is as thick as you want. Add the spinach about 5 minutes after the other veggies and stir it in.

Note: You can always raise the heat to boil off the water (even after adding the spinach) if it is still too watery and you are in a hurry to get to thick curry like I have shown above (that is what I always end up doing...)