Menu for the week of 12/28

Sun
leftovers

Mon
black beans (Columbia Restaurant recipe)
rice
salad

Tues
Bhangra Burrito with chickpea-potato curry and spinach- rebar
recipe follows- I really love this! It reminds me a bit of a samosa but baked not fried.

Wed
still planning a New Year's Eve feast

Thur
black-eyed peas
Hopping John
mustard greens
cornbread


Bhangra Burrito
with chickpea-potato curry and spinach
rebar
yield: 6 burritos

"Unconventional burrito fillings are inevitable in the world of cultural food fusion. In this recipe, the corss-cultural mix makes perfect sense- the filling is pure Indian and the Mexican tortilla that wraps up the curry is a close cousin to the chapathi. The outcome is delicious and makes an ideal lunch or dinner entree. Serve with mint-mango chutney and steamed basmati rice."

4 garlic cloves
1 oz (30 g) ginger, peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, with seeds
1 red pepper, seeded
6 Roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) toasted and ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 ml) toasted and ground coriander
1 teaspoon (5 ml) sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon (1.2 ml) tumeric
1/2 teasoon (5 ml) cracked pepper
1 x 19 fl oz (540 ml) can chickpeas
2 lbs (900 g) red potatoes, 1/2" dice
1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed, stemmed and sliced into 1/2" thick ribbons

Roughly chop garlic, ginger, jalapeno, red pepper and tomatoes. Place in a food processor and pulse to form a coarse puree. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and suate onion with 1/2 teasoon salt until translucent. Stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and pepper and continue to saute to cook the spices. Add the vegetable puree and simmer gently 5-10 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook a further 10 minutes to heat through. Set aside.

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 350F. Toss diced potatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until lightly golden and soft, about 15-20 minutes. Toss the chick pea mixture with roasted potatoes and chopped cilantro. Season to taste.

To roll, lay a tortilla and spread 1 cup spinach ribbons topped with 1 cup chick pea curry across the middle of the tortilla. Roll it up into a cylinder and place seam-side down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Repeat with remaining filling, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes to heat through. Serve hot with chutney and rice.

Sock doll and sock monkey

I really like how the sock monkey turned out- hopefully my niece will as well. The sock doll was inspired by a doll brought in by one of my first graders. The sock monkey was made with these directions- http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1104

I found the cute pink striped socks as well as the other socks at Target.

Paella

Someone asked how I could be having paella for my Christmas dinner. For me, paella is all about the saffron and rice and well, the saffron :) I use olive oil for the fat, a bit of extra garlic, sometimes a dash of liquid smoke, and veggie broth. Yum! My recipe is from the Columbia Restaurant Cookbook and is easily adapted now that I'm vegan. I made changes to it even before going all veg. I don't miss the seafood anymore and still love love love the saffron rice.

I would rec this wine for this dish. I had it last week and it is very delicious.

from finewine.com
MARTIN CODAX ALBARINO 2007 RIAS BAIXAS, SPAIN
"Albarino, from the wine region of Rias Baixas is considered to be Spain's most respected white wine. Martin Codax Albarino is a crisp and refreshing wine with citrus fruit, pear and peach flavors. Its medium-body, bright fruit character and subtle floral aromas, can be enjoyed with everything from salads to a wide variety of seafood and poultry dishes." -Importer's Notes

Old Dogs

The most exciting news this year- Indy is in a book! Nancy from Indy's vet called to let me know that someone was writing a book about older dogs and would I like Indy to be in it. Absolutely! The photographer (Michael S. Williamson) came over last Jun and took loads of pictures of Indy on his bed and in the front window. Then the writer (Gene Weingarten) called and we talked for about 20 minutes. Some paperwork came and then the wait.......Amazon noted the pub date to be October 7 of the following year! Well it finally came and Indy made the book! I had no idea if he would be in the book for sure, which photo would be used or what the story would say. I ran to B&N on Oct 7, found Indy in the book with a great pic and a lovely story. My boy! I would like to add that the book was published on Oct 7 which is my birthday and Indy is on page 107. Love those kind of co-inky dinkys!

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Dogs-Are-Best/dp/1416534997/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229947107&sr=8-1

Menu for this week

Sunday
leftovers- Thai and Indian

Mon
Sesame noodles with Napa Cabbage- I've posted this before but will post below
steamed broccoli

Tues
paella

Wed- Fri
in laws

Sat
pizza

Sesame Noodles with Napa Cabbage
Adapted from Veg Times by Joe
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/sesame-noodles-with-napa-cabbage.html
he's got a great pic

(my adaptation is to triple the sauce- DH loves it- he's just a saucy guy!)

10 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or udon noodles
9 tablespoons natural peanut butter (I love the crunchy kind)
6 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to the directions on the package.

In a small saucepan, whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper. Warm sauce over medium-low heat while the noodles cook.

Place cabbage in a colander in the sink - when the noodles are ready, drain them over the cabbage so the hot water can wilt the cabbage. Place the noodles and cabbage in a large bowl, add warmed peanut sauce and toss well to coat. Sprinkle each plate with a portion of the chopped cilantro before serving.

Serve extra peanut sauce for steamed broccoli that goes so well with this dinner.

Makes about 4 servings.

Mu Shu in Moments

I've decided to keep on blogging- my original intent was to have my recipes available when I was away from my home or computer. I've found lots of new recipes in the past year and will start to post them. I'll also keep on posting the week's menus. Have you ever felt- there's nothing to cook this week??? I've been feeling that a lot lately! So here's back at it!

My newest fave recipe- great for a weeknight.. I leave the chicken and eggs out but DH has found that he likes Morning Stars Chik'en Strips (I'll get the right name the next time I go to the grocery store.) Mung bean sprouts are also a good addition. This is quick and easy and sooooo much better than the Chinese restaurant's version.

Mu Shu in Moments
Gourmet Feb 06
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mu-Shu-in-Moments-233797
for the original recipe
my version below

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 (16-oz) bag coleslaw mix
handful mung bean sprouts
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
several scallions, coarsely chopped, served in a bowl at the table
8 (6-inch) flour tortillasI prefer whole wheat
1 package Morning Star Chick'n Strips, cooked separately for DH

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and heat until hot, then cook ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add coleslaw mix, mung sprouts, and 2 tablespoons water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until coleslaw is wilted, about 5 minutes.
Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining 2 tablespoons water, and hoisin sauce in a small bowl. Add to coleslaw mixture stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately put tortillas between 2 dampened paper towels on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power until tortillas are hot, about 1 minute.
To assemble, spread hoisin on each tortilla and top with mu shu mixture, chicken strips, additional bean sprouts, or scallions, then roll up.

Serves 4

Menu for the week of 1/27

Sun
tacos

Mon
black beans and rice- the black beans were made on Sunday using a recipe from the Columbia Restaurant Cookbook
salad

Tues
leftover Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce- we'll see how this dish freezes

Wed
Wilted Red Cabbage Salad with Tangerines and Almonds-from the Wine Lovers Cookbook- this is only if I get my report cards written- most likely I'll make this next week and we'll just have take out tonight

Thurs
leftover Peas and Rice from CL