Friday

Kidney bean curry (recipe in the comments from January 8, 2008)
Basmati rice
Cucumber salad

Hot tea
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So, we went to the store and got an additional onion so that we could eat our curry. The result was spicier and moister than usual to great effect. Interestingly, we're not sure why either of these changes occurred :) Regardless, it was excellent and perhaps even more so for having waited a day. My mom comes tomorrow - so expect good food!


Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy, but long unattended cooking time
Chopping: Onion, chili, garlic, ginger, cucumber
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: The saves very well. If we have extra, we often freeze it to put on fresh rice.

Reaction
J: "Bean curry is the best!"
M: "Still good!"

Thursday

Eggplant cauliflower curry (recipe in the comments)
Basmati rice
South Indian spiced purple cabbage (recipe in the comments from April 11, 2008)

Hot tea
Strawberry sorbet
Lemon cookies
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We had one of my favorite students from last fall over for dinner tonight and made an Indian feast. This is one of my favorite curries and is very easy to do. I made both the curry and the cabbage while T was napping with no problem and both re-heated beautifully. We don't make traditional Indian desserts, but sorbet seems to serve well. I think this was enjoyed by all :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate for the whole meal
Chopping: Garlic, ginger, onion, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage
Time: 50 minutes
Make ahead: Both dishes are excellent left over.

Reaction
J: "If push came to shove, I would say this is our best curry."
M: "Indian fare for company!"

Friday

Saag tofu (recipe in the comments from January 2, 2008)
Basmati rice
Okra supreme (recipe in the comments)

Hot tea

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Here's another one that we made last January! Now that said we made this again last April, but still it may argue that we are on some sort of cycle - just a long one. This is one of our favorite tofu recipes and is a great way to pack in those leafy greens. You use a full pound of baby spinach in this and once it's done you can't believe how little volume it takes up! We're happy to have something relatively easy to make and warming as we have been having the same record low temperatures as the rest of the country and are craving warm and spiced fare.

You get the okra recipe since the main dish is a repeat. This is a super easy Indian side and is guaranteed to be enjoyed by people who swear they don't like okra - so long as they like Indian flavors. It's very intensely spiced, but not very spicy. The yogurt tones it down and makes for a creamy texture. Enjoy!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Tofu, onion, garlic, ginger
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: This is great the next day.

Reaction
J: "This is one of our most beautiful tofu meals. Yummy too!"
M: "Tasty tofu!"

Tuesday

Kidney bean curry (recipe in the comments)
Jasmine rice
Salad with honey lime dressing

Hot tea
Glazed chocolate Christmas cake (it's gone!)
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Once again we're back to an Indian dinner. This is a favorite, as our love of curries and beans gets to shine. The preparation here is very simple, but the curry does take a full 30 minutes to cook and you have to add things at several points during that time. It makes it a slightly more attention intensive meal then many we do. That said, the result is worth it and the ease of preparation makes it certainly worth the extra time. Typically, we have this over rice with a cooling cucumber salad. Sadly, our cucumbers were in less than stellar shape when I opened the crisper today, so we had to punt. The salad was fine, but not my first choice for a pairing.


Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy to prepare, a bit intensive attention to cooking
Chopping: Onion, chili, garlic, ginger
Time: 50 minutes
Make ahead: Yep. You can make the whole thing ahead or make the spiced onions right up until you add the beans. Make the rice last minute (or in a rice cooker).


Reaction
J: "Why doesn't everyone love beans? Or Indian food, for that matter???"
M: "Mmmmm, zesty beans."

Wednesday

Saag tofu (recipe in the comments)
Basmati rice
Okra supreme

Peppermint ice cream
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The quest for good tofu recipes is well documented on the blog,as is our love of Indian food. Here the two come together in a blessed union. The creamy spinach of Saag dishes is a favorite of our entire family when we eat at an Indian restaurant. Here tofu replaces the heavier paneer cheese commonly used. The result has the air of the traditional dish, but is much lighter and fresher tasting - a good at-home version. Okra is a common side for our Indian meals in the winter when cucumbers are less available. Frozen okra is a wonderful invention. That said, we doubled this recipe and it had too much volume to brown well, making it mushy tonight. Next time we double it'll be in two pans! Regular readers will note that we're going a little lighter than we have been lately. L is still visiting, but with the return to work today we're taking off our holiday eating shoes - a welcome change that remains a bit depressing. It's a good thing we have such wonderful recipes to welcome us back!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, ginger, garlic
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: This saves very well.

Reaction
J: "The perfect start to a new year!"
M: "Nothing better than good vegetarian after the holidays."
L: "Tofu is better than people think."

Monday

Lamb rogan josh (recipe in the comments)
Rice
Savory Indian cauliflower and peas

Jasmine tea
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As you may have noticed, M and I love Indian food and we cook a lot of it. That said, we make very little Indian that's not vegetarian. Well, we've been hanging onto a lamb rogan josh recipe for a while now and decided to give it a go. I should preface this by saying that we LOVE lamb rogan josh at our favorite Indian restaurants, so we were pretty excited. Well, following the actual recipe was a disaster - the meat didn't get tender enough and despite adding lots of extra liquid there was no sauce left after it was done simmering. Added to that, it cooks for two hours, which you have to plan for after you've been organized enough to make the spice rub and get it on the lamb the night before you cook. I don't have that kind of time.

We salvaged the dish by adding tomatoes (oddly missing from the original recipe, which had our spide-y sense going off, but we followed the directions anyway) and simmering for an additional hour. Luckily, I was home today and so the original two hours of cooking were done before M got home to assess the situation, leaving us more than an hour before dinner. Otherwise, pizza here we come.

In the end, this was a good dinner (especially the cauliflower and peas, also a new and MUCH more successful recipe), but not worth the effort. That said, we think we can salvage it by converting to a crock pot recipe. The crock pot is one of my favorite appliances and maybe it can breathe new life into this lamb. Our first stab at the crock pot version is what I've posted, so remember that we haven't tested it yet. It's just our first guess. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy to make, ridiculously long to cook
Chopping: Lamb, garlic, cauliflower
Time: 20 minutes to prep + 10 minutes to start cooking (the next day) + 3 hours to simmer
Make ahead: I certainly hope so.

Reaction
J: "I have faith in my crock pot."
M: "Tomatoes can fix anything."