tofu and califlower curry

tofu and cauliflower curry
inspired by Cooking Light

After holding onto a head of cauliflower for about a week, I finally decided to use it up by a recipe I found in the Cooking Light recipe.  I followed the recipe besides excluding a can of diced tomatoes, roasting the onions with the cauliflower instead of sauteing and serving the curry with brown rice instead of basmati rice.  Overall I enjoyed the dish and will definitely make it again!
 

pav bhaji, indian street food

One of the first times I truly enjoyed this dish was while we visited my grandparents in India.  We went to dinner at Havmor, what seems to be more of a fastfood restaurant but delicious nonetheless. I remember ordering this dish but not knowing that it would be doused with butter and 4 white bread buns drenched in more butter.  In any case, I devoured this meal then but now I definitely lightened up the recipe by decreasing the amount of butter used as well as swapping out the white buns for whole wheat buns.  I hope you'll try this recipe out!  

pav bhaji, indian street food
learned from my mom

1 cauliflower, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 potato, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 bag of frozen green peas

Put all vegetables in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes and place aside for next step.

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Rai (black mustard seeds)
Hing (asoefetida)
Everest pavbhaji masalo
Hardar (tumeric)
lemon
salt
1/3 bag of frozen corn

In 2 tbsp of butter, add 1/2 tsp of rai and once it begins to sputter add the hing, garlic, onions, jalapeno and ginger.  Then add 2 tbsp of Everest pavbhaji masalo, salt and hardar.  On medium high heat, once evenly mixed add the diced tomatoes and cooked vegetables.  Mash the mixture and add extra masalo if necessary. Add the frozen corn and the juice of 1 lemon.  Enjoy!

wordless wednesday: dirty martinis

kale and roasted beet salad

I'm not sure how you all feel about kale, but I'm really into kale whether it be raw, cooked and in green smoothies!  With the warm Houston weather, I've been craving cool salads with lots of flavor and texture.  Try this recipe and I promise you'll love it as much as I do :)

kale and roasted beet salad
adapted from Yes, I want Cake

1 head kale, trimmed and washed
1 beet, sliced thinly
1 oz gorgonzola cheese
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/8 cup smoked almonds, roughly chopped
handful of dried cranberries
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar



Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay beet slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway in between.

Mix extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, massage it into the kale. Let it set for a few minutes to help break down the kale. Then add the rest of the ingredients (including the roasted beets) and toss to combine.

black bean mexican pizza

black bean mexican pizza

1 whole wheat pizza crust
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 tomato, diced
10-12 green olives, sliced
3/4 cup mexican cheese
3 tbsp jalapenos, finely diced
1/4 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prebake pizza crust for 5-7 minutes.

In a food processor, blend black beans with a few tbsp of water.  Mix in the cumin, paprika, red chili powder and salsa. 

Once the crust is prebaked.  Evenly spread the black bean mixture, then add the remaining toppings and cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy with a side of ranch dressing!

Serves 2-3 people