meatless monday — an indian feast

normally when i go to the grocery store i’m a firm believer of sticking to my list, that way i stay on my budget. well the last time i went to the store that theory might have been put aside as i finally decided to purchase some indian food products i’d been eyeing for the last month. purchased… patak’s curry sauce of sweet peppers and coconut milk. the jar suggested adding it to chicken i voted for a giant jar of chickpeas instead, since it is meatless monday.

curry sauce in a jar, yes please

curry sauce in a jar, yes please

also purchased some mango chutney and frozen naan. dinner would be served shortly. (it may sound cheesy but i felt inspired to cook this meal to the darjeeling limited soundtrack)

why purchase anything but garlic naan

why purchase anything but garlic naan

 

yum yum yummy

yum yum yummy

the verdict. pretty yummy and oh so easy. the only thing i was a tad disappointed with was the mango chutney but i used it throughout the week on sandwiches and with the leftovers mixing it into the curried chickpeas and it kind of grew on me. now i feel like i need to go on an indian food crawl, sampling more grocery store products and buffets in town. it’ll be a lot of curry but i think i can handle it!

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I made your naan, Lynley!

Check it out!

I made it plan with lots of butter. John thought it tasted kind of like donuts and agree, but then what’s bad about that? We had cauliflower curry, ginger carrots and rice with our homemade naan. Quite the feast for a Tuesday night, but that’s what happens when you skip yoga. See Lynley’s early post (I think it’s during the first or second month) if you want the recipe!

3 Sunday Night Dinners (April 10, 2011): naan, souffle, pork chop

Lynley’s Sunday Night Dinner (April 10, 2011): Curried tofu with naan and mango chutney

to kick off the spring weather i decided curry was in order and what is best with curry….naan

i’ve never made naan but i thought i could handle it to help provide good mojo for this new cooking experience i listened to the darjeeling limited sound track the actual making of the dough was quiet easy

the tricky part came when heating the bread in the oven and then immediately grilling it my little 4 burner stove was put to the test oven going, naan grilling, tofu frying, rice steaming and curry sauce simmering but it was worth it

the mango chutney (bought at work) provided a sweet spicy taste with the creamy richness of the curry and you know there always has to be wine!

 to finish the meal a red velvet cupcake yum

Stephanie’s Sunday Night Dinner (April 10, 2011): Linda McCartney’s Romantic Dinner for Two

Cauliflower Souffle, Potato Rosti, Caesar Salad, White Wine (of course), Diet Coke, Water, and Homemade Bread

This was my first time making a souffle, so although I trust Linda, I studied up on my Julia before I whipped up my egg whites by hand! The souffle did not rise as high as I hoped, but I did cut the recipe in half (per Linda’s “romantic dinner” directions).

Dinner’s ready!

I decided to sprinkle fresh parmesan cheese on top of the souffle. The cheese gave it a nice crisp top which went well with the soft creamy inside. The cauliflower was really good! It had green onion mixed in and a pinch of nutmeg.

This was my first time making potato rosti. They were kind of like hash browns, but I had to work up a lot of trust  not to lift the lid on the pan. I kept imagining my potatoes burning away, but no, they turned out much like the souffle- a good combo of soft and crispy. I love how the made little nests…yeah, that one looks a little burned, but really they were daaaark brown.

We sat with the deck door open and enjoyed the nice spring air. We talked about John’s cold, the weather,  if I would watch Masterpiece Theater (yes), and how the McCartney’s must have enjoyed this romantic meal if they put it in their cookbook. Our nightly pre-meal toast was to Linda.

And yes, it was a romantic egg-y/potato-y Sunday Dinner.

Art’s Sundy Night Dinner (April 10, 2011):


The Springfield Farris’s love outside grilling.  Pork, the other white meat, is one of Becky’s favorite, especially with a sweet barbeque sauce that includes the juice and zest from an orange.  The sweetness for the sauce is provided by maple syrup.  I have always found that  Maul’s regular sauce provides an excellent red base for most basting sauces.

This dinner had a special dish, broccoli casserole.  A recipe provided by my Great Aunt Ilda who was married to my special Great Uncle Walker.  There has long been a family suspicion that Great Uncle Walker was done in by Great Aunt Ilda, but nothing was every proven.