Veggie…Stuff September 22, 2009

Did you know the police can ticket you for being one inch out of a metered parking space? I had to go downtown today for an interview and this meant that I also had to park along the street.

Now, since I don’t really DO parallel parking (I’m barely coordinated enough to do regular parking!), I drove around looking for a spot where I wouldn’t have to parallel park (i.e. the last/first spot in a row). I found one and, apparently, made the grave mistake of going up a WHOLE inch over the lines that mark a space. A WHOLE INCH.

Yes, that’s really worth a $15.00 fine.

How sad is it that we pay taxes so police officers can spend all day driving around giving us tickets for being a little out of a parking space. They have people whose SOLE job it is to do that.
I feel so bad for them.

Anyway, in other news, I did actually decide to get off of my butt this past weekend and cook something. I don’t really know what to call it but, after that hummus fiasco last week, something with no name that tastes good is probably a lot better than something with a name that I had to throw away.

I went out and bought all these vegetables (basically every vegetable Kroger had) and was standing at the checkout thinking, Am I crazy? I haven’t even cooked anything in weeks–what am I going to do with all of these! I came home, cut everything up into chunks, picked out my favorite spices (lemon, garlic and, ummm, some other stuff I randomly threw in), and put it all in a pan. Just for good measure, I threw in some chickpeas as well. Gotta have protein, right?

I don’t really know what I was hoping to make. I do know it wasn’t a stew. Stews bother me a little because if you eat them with a spoon, you have trouble getting the veggie chunks and, if you eat them with a fork, the juice with all the yumminess ends up in the dish. It wasn’t a stir-fry either because, when I think “stir-fry,” I think of something that has crisp veggies and I really wasn’t in the mood for that.

Basically, after half an hour, I ended up with something that can only be termed “glop”. But, seeing as how “glop” isn’t really something I can imagine anyone wanting to eat, I’m going to have to think of a different name. Mush? Thick Stewy Veggies? Veggie Palooza?

I don’t really know what a “palooza” is or if it’s even a word but, hey, why not?

Veggie Stuff (w/falafel)

Veggie Palooza

• garlic (fresh, minced, frozen, whatever)
• lemon juice
• frozen 3 pepper and onion blend
• sliced mushrooms
• eggplant
• chickpeas, canned
• chopped tomatoes (or diced in a can)
• cumin, cinnamon and salt

→Lightly saute the garlic and onion/pepper blend (I used Pam for this). Chop the eggplant into chunks and add it to the pan. Stir until eggplant is starting to get mushy. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas (make sure to drain them first). Add lemon juice and other spices to taste. Feel good that you’re eating so many veggies.

Zen #6: Quality, Not Quantity (and a delicious summer salad) September 6, 2009

I’ve been craving carbs. Insanely. I think it’s the long weekend–4 straight days of nothing to do but ponder how no one even cares to call me. I actually attempted to have a real conversation with a telemarketer yesterday. So, do you think your job is pathetic? Oh, no, not at all, I find the colorful array of responses quite amusing. That’s cruel.

Okay, fine, it was actually a conversation that occurred within my head because even the telemarketers are too good for me now.

It’s been a mounting problem ever since my birthday. First, I began to count calories again, then there’s the cravings, then there’s the bingeing to sooth the cravings (which all actually happened as a result of the subconscious craving to feel wanted and the fact that I looked really fat in my press badge photo).

Finally, after screaming bloody murder at my cat for scratching me, I decided to take a big black (non-permanent) marker and write “QUALITY OF KCAL, NOT QUANTITY” on my bathroom mirror. It hasn’t really worked too well, but at least I feel like I’ve addressed the problem and identified a flawless solution. Although most psychologists would consider the lack of ability to implement the solution as a debilitating flaw in it.
To them, I have simply to say, “I’m working on it!!!!!”

For example, I made quinoa yesterday. I didn’t actually do anything with the quinoa, just took a big pot and boiled it. This, however, was the first step. Honestly, how hard is it to take a pot and boil something? Of course, today, looking at the giant pot in my fridge, I thought, You cooked it (a lot of it) and it’s probably a good idea to do something with it before it goes bad.

I considered stuffed roasted red peppers or cookies or just mixing it with some splenda and cinnamon, but realized I was still to lazy for the former and the latter would be aggravating the “bingeing on carb” situation I seem to be in. Salad seemed an optimum choice, especially after recently discovering a quickly rotting mango in my fruit drawer. Mango, quinoa, what else? Beans….

"Clinging to summer" salad

Mango, Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

• 1 ripe mango
• Red bell pepper
• Cucumber and/or a touch of shredded lettuce
• Fresh mint and/or coriander
• Quinoa
• Black beans
• Dressing (lime juice and ground cumin with a touch of jalapeno or something milder like yogurt mixed with a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)

→Chop the first 4 ingredients. Add in the quinoa and beans. Mix it up. Prepare desired dressing. Dump the dressing on top and enjoy!

Zen #1: Of the art of hummus August 5, 2009

Today’s actually a bit of a mixed day: I didn’t accomplish the goal I set out for originally but I realize now that I was too ambitious. Eating what, how and when I want in the amount I need should be the end goal, a hope more than a goal. I did, however, accomplish the goal I had planned to set for my Mediterranean month, which was mastering the Zen of hummus.

Being the sort of person who would eat all my mom’s chickpeas before she could use them for cooking channa masala, I consider myself a hummus connoisseur. It’s like all my favorite ingredients added into one blended concoction: chickpeas, lemon and garlic, all of which I use in excess when I cook (see notes on some previous recipes). I could live with nothing more than a spoon and bottomless bowls of hummus and peanut butter.

It’s a strange thing, really, as I never really intended to do this. It just–happened. I had slaved over a chinese-style stir fry (which I’ll post tomorrow) and all of a sudden I had a thought: I want hummus. That’s it. It had to be done. Right then. I NEEDED hummus. I knew that, if I didn’t have hummus NOW, I would binge on something else and still feel miserable. It was like a little voice inside yelled “Give me some freaking hummus, God damn it!!!!”

Unfortunately for me, hummus, as I have learned the hard way comes in good and bad varieties and the good variety is NEVER produced by measurement. Instead, it is produced by this inner zen that is beyond the guess and check of normal recipes. One must enter a different state of mind when making this concoction, everyone’s “hummus zone” (as I have termed it) is different, which is why every chef’s hummus taste so different. I always tell people that hummus is, like poetry, a representation of the soul and bad hummus indicates either a lack of knowledge (most commonly) or an inability to accept the fact that you cannot measure good hummus. (Unless you have a machine that measures the ingredients for you while you can go on making without losing your Zen….such a machine may exist in a few large-scale factory operations).

Anyone who tells you that hummus can be made a certain way or that their hummus is “the best recipe their friends have ever tasted” does not know the art of hummus. I find it sad and pitiful that such a delicacy has been demeaned enough to become part of the American “*insert culture name* like-substance”. It has been a long standing dream of mine to journey to Egypt or Greece or (dare I say it having come from Hindu parents?) Arabic countries so that I may taste the hummus of the true artists.

So here is Zen #1: Hummus, like everything good in life, needs to be realized: it is the individual personified in an edible substance. Show me a man who makes the perfect hummus and I will show you a man who has the perfect soul. Unfortunately, such a thing does not exist but, like human nature itself, it is the imperfections that make the soul perfect, is it not? Herein lies the Zen: love your imperfections, even though they make you scarred.

Darn, I’ll have to think of a new goal for the Mediterranean month now!

Hummus

My Zen-ed Up Hummus

• 1 can of chickpeas (I used low sodium)
• Naturally More peanut butter
• flax seeds
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• salt

→Blend an enjoy!

As for the rest of today, it was pretty ordinary. I woke up really late feeling shitty because of a carb/fat binge last night (nuts, bread, cereal) but, looking back, the whole day didn’t amount to more than roughly 1500-1700 calories. Even though I live what I would say is an EXTREMELY sedentary lifestyle, maybe I need to accept that this is what I need to eat to lose weight. According to my scale’s analysis, I burn about 2600 a day. Subtract about 200 for my lifestyle, factor in 5-10% for error and and it’s around 1500 for weight loss mode. I took a picture of some of my meals, but here’s a basic rundown of what I ate: 1/2 banana, kim’s light bagel w/fat free cream cheese, low carb yogurt, 1 oz cocoa roasted almonds, most of a kangaroo pita pocket, 2 slices light bread and a “banana split” in a bowl with Spirutein “ice cream”.

"Breakfast"

I know it's a little blurry, but it was the only picture where you could see the strawberries peeking through

Rajma Chawal (plus a rework on an old recipe) July 16, 2009

Inspired by my good friend over at Shizuoka Gourmet, I thought I’d try something my stir-fry sauce. I realized, though, after thinking about it, that it’s more Chinese than Japanese. Damn it! Well, I’m moving closer.

Anyway, maybe next time. Today’s story involves the fact that I have no food left. My fridge is empty, save a bag of shredded carrots, a mushy tomato and a single yogurt cup. Not really a great meal combo. So, I went to the freezer: mostly frozen veggie meats and a bag of chopped onions. So, I went to the pantry….and that’s when I saw them (and no I don’t mean the fruit flies that seem to have accumulated all over my apartment and genetically mutated so that they can now avoid the fly paper AND the vinegar trap). Cans! Beeeeeeeeeeeeans. I love beans.

UNFORTUNATELY, the only beans left were kidney beans, which, in my mind, are the “if you must” beans (the pintos are the “never” beans, but I seem to have ended up with a can of those too). So, the little itty bitty neuron men in my head began typing and searching files and just generally making a ruckus trying to find the answer to this question: “WHAT DO WE DO WITH KIDNEY BEANS!!!!!?” Baked beans? Nah. Hey, look, tomato puree! We can make Indian stuff!

And that is how I ended up with Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry). The Chawal (rice) in the title is a bit extraneous, but this dish is ALWAYS served with rice, and just doesn’t do well with a flatbread like naan or roti (or even puri (the deep fried ones), which I suppose is a good thing). As a warning, this really tastes nothing like the rajma you’ve probably tried before as I played it by ear a little when making it and didn’t have any help from my mom this time.

Delicious in its own way! Man, those little guys up there really outdid themselves this time!

Hmmmmm....Rajma and--acorn squash? Why not!

Rajma (and Chawal, if you wish)

• 1/2t. olive oil
• Chopped onions (I cheated and used the frozen bagged stuff…about 1/3 of a small  bag. I believe it would be the equivalent of 3/4 chopped medium white onion
• 1.5t-2t minced garlic (comes in a jar or you can cheat and use powder at the end). Remember though, I like it garlicky!
• 1.5t ginger paste (fresh grated ginger is fine, but I don’t know how much the conversion is)
• 1t-2t (depending on how much flavor you want) of the following spices: turmeric,  garam masala (curry powder), dry cumin, and dry coriander. I used 2t of the garam masala, 1.5t of the cumin/coriander and a little less than 1t of the turmeric.
• 1 14-16oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed. (I got the organic ones because the other ones actually have sugar in them! Can you believe that?)
• Tomato puree (1/2-3/4 of the smaller can (same size as the 14-16oz kidneys))

→This is easy. Just heat the oil in the pan and saute the onions with the ginger and garlic until onion is browning and soft.
Add all the spices plus about 1/2t-1t of salt if you feel it’s necessary. Don’t forget to keep it moving so it doesn’t burn!
Quickly turn the heat down to medium, adding the tomato puree. Keep stirring.
Once that starts to bubble just a little, turn the heat down to med-low and simmer that for a little bit. Stir all the spices and onions and tomato-y goodness into one.
After about 1 minute or 2 minutes or even three if you’re not that tired, dump the drained kidney beans in. Stir to combine.
Cover and simmer until the curry becomes the consistency you like (the longer you simmer, the thicker the final product will be.

I’m obsessed with lemon so I threw some of that in at the end too. This really isn’t necessary (or advisable in this dish) but, hey! I’m the one who’s going to eat it!

Another thing you can add (a favorite of kids in Punjab) is a squirt of ketchup (I used sugar-free). This can go in at any time, but I would recommend doing it when you begin to eat so, if you don’t like it, the entire batch doesn’t go to waste.

Indian-style Peas and Carrots (and Lima Beans?) July 9, 2009

This post is WAY overdue. Sorry I’ve been gone so long, but I do have a really good excuse. Finals and, um, going “home”. Generally, when I go visit my family, I don’t really cook much or do much of anything except sit around and waste a lot of time (not that watching George Lopez with my 10-year-old brother is a waste of time). SO, long story short, “wasting time” ≠ posting recipes on this blog.

I made this a week or two back when I was going through my homesick “I want Indian stuff” phase. I knew the basic recipe for Gajar Matar (Peas and Carrots) is essentially 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots + lots of dry methi (fenugreek) leaves + turmeric + salt = yummy. Now, the question is, why lima beans?

Well, that’s really just a story of culinary improvisation (and the dangers of not tasting often). I made the recipe and felt there wasn’t enough….flavor, so I began adding more spice: more methi, more tumeric and a little more salt. I tasted quite often at first but became less vigilant as I SLOWLY felt it becoming more to my tastes. At some point in this process, I went overboard on the bitter spice so I had to find another “vegetable” (or substance) to add to the mix. I opened the fridge-nothing. I opened the freezer-nothing. I thought, opened the freezer again and considered the possibility of lima beans. What the hell? How much worse could this get? was the phrase that popped into my mind. So, I opened the bag, grabbed a handful or two and dumped it in the pot.

My god! It worked! Needless to say, I felt the need to add a squirt of lemon juice to the concoction, but, then again, I feel the need to add at least a squirt of lemon juice to everything.

No lima beans in this one! (And, yes, that is a Wall-E placemat in the background)

Gajar Matar + Limas

• 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots (about 5-6 servings)
• about a teaspoon or two turmeric
• enough dry methi to make it look like the picture (I put about 1/2 c. (I think))
• a sprinkle of salt
• lemon juice (if you want)
• about 3/8 of a small frozen bag of lima beans (maybe?)
• 1/2t. oil

→Heat the oil over medium heat in a pan. Add the frozen peas and carrots (and lima beans, if you decide to throw them in too). Add the other ingredients, adjusting to taste. Cover and cook, stirring (and checking) frequently. Basically, you can eat it once the vegetables are defrosted and cooked through.

The end. Simple, right?

Channa Masala (a.k.a. “The Better Garbanzo”) June 25, 2009

I guess this really isn’t a like-substance, but, for some odd reason, I was really craving Indian food the other day. I guess it’s partly because now I’m SUPPOSED to get 2tsp of oil a day (which is like telling a normal person they have to consume a gallon a day) and because I needed something new to do with the beans/peas I have become so suddenly obsessed with.

Well, like-substance or not, this was good. I wish I had some coriander to sprinkle on top or that I was allowed to stuff these into a big, deep-fried puri, but, alas, I went with parsley and a flax wrap. More importantly, I didn’t slave over the cooktop for hours to produce 3 meals worth of deliciousness, which is normally what I end up doing when I try something new. So, enjoy.

channa with parsley and a flax wrap

Channa Masala

• 1t minced garlic
• 1/2t ginger paste
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1t-2t (depending on how much flavor you want) of the following spices: garam masala (curry powder), dry cumin, and dry coriander
• 1 14-16oz can garbanzos
• 2-3 medium squirts of lemon juice (I used four but, then again, I suck on lemons whenever I get fresh ones)

→Heat some oil on medium heat (I used 1t but usually you can do it with about 1/2) and saute the garlic and ginger till fragrant. Add the onion and saute till lightly browned.
Add the tomatoes in with the spices and a little bit of water (it should be the consistency of pasta sauce). Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for about 2-3 minutes (or until it reaches the consistency of pasta sauce). Now you have a tardka (sp?), which is the base of most Indian “curries”.
Dump the DRAINED AND RINSED can of garbanzos into the mix. Stir a few times and cover. Simmer for 5-10 minutes COVERED.
When “chili” like, add the lemon juice, salt to taste and reduce heat to low. Leave it like that for a few minutes or a little longer but make sure it’s not simmering anymore.

There you have it. Tastes better after sitting for a day or two in the fridge.