Curry!

I made curry today! It turned out well, but I think it needs more flavor. I used Super Natural Everyday and made the Weekday Curry. It is very coconutty and I added lots and lots of veggies to it. Zuchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, onions... :D nom!!

Unprocessed Food Month

My friend Allison and I were inspired by Andrew on Eating Rules who sponsored an unprocessed food challenge. I found out about this challenge on October 1st, and instead of jumping right in, we spent the month preparing. It was a good plan.
I have figured out that I actually like Raw Carrots among other things.
I have made hummus from scratch using this lovely recipe. I made the tahini with this recipe. If you buy your sesame seeds in the bulk section it's quite inexpensive! The flavor profile of my hummus is somewhat different than the hummus on the blog, however, my favorite hummus involves roasted garlic or roasted red peppers, so I just need more flavor!
I have also made a very simple lentil soup. I of course added garlic.
I attempted to make the Roasted Chickpeas from Super Natural Everyday (by the lovely Heidi Swanson). Please check out her books and her blog! They ended up being quite dry when I reheated them in the microwave, I wonder if adding a little water would be helpful, or maybe I could use them in a soup. I'd hate to waste them as they taste quite good! We'll see!!
Oh yeah! I also make a brocoli pesto from her website. This turned out pretty well for me. I'm not sure I really like as a pesto, I have been spreading it on my toast in the morning and topping it with a fried egg, or putting it in my lentil soup, to change the flavor a little. Hummus also works as a great spread for toast besides the regular veggie applications.

Lately

I haven't posted in a very long time!

Lately I've been making bread. I made Anadama bread and last week, I made Greek Celebration Bread. They were both really delicioius!

I really need to get pictures posted... but I'm just not that organized.. : (

Amy

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made by something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar NO
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (*cough* maybe just one *cough*)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (from the dictionary: a fine usually white clay that is used in ceramics and refractories, as a filler or extender, and in medicine especially as an adsorbent in the treatment of diarrhea. Negatory)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (Fruit that smells like stinky socks? Where can I sign?)
66. Frogs’ legs (Yup. When I want to taste chicken, I eat chicken.)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake*
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Chicken curry

My friends Ami and Ashely had a project to do for food and culture. We decided to make Chicken Curry.



Ingredients
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves
4-6 green cardamom pods
1 piece cinnamon stick, 5 cm/2 in long
3 whole star anise (we didn't use this, it was too expensive)
6-8 curry leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger 5 cm/2 in long, crushed (we used powder)
4 cloves garlic, crushed (we used diced garlic from a jar)
4 tbsp mild curry paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp five-spice powder
3 lb chicken, skinned and jointed (we used boneless chicken breasts, 2 1/2 lb)
14 oz. canned tomatoes, chopped (we used diced canned tomatoes)
4 oz. creamed coconut
1/2 a tsp sugar
salt, to taste
2 cups fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (we didn't use nearly this much, we discovered we didn't like coriander)

1. Heat oil in pan and fry the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, star anise and curry leaves until the cloves swell and the curry leaves are slightly burnt.

2. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and fry until the onion turns brown. Add the five-spice powder and fry until the oil separates.

3. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. When all the pieces are evenly sealed, cover and cook until the meat is nearly done.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes and the creamed coconut. Simmer gently until the coconut dissolves. Mix well and add the sugar and salt. Foldin the chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), then reheat and serve hot.

I think it turned out very well. I'm looking forward to making it again. It is a bit expensive to set up all the spices. But once you have them all you need to buy is chicken.

Healing

Wow! I haven't posted in a while.

I haven't much been in the mood to post anything or cook anything for that matter, it feels like such a bother when your other hand is hurt. But soon I will attempt new food, new bread! I can't wait.

I made A German Pancake this week. I put Vanilla Yogurt and cucumbers on it, it was amazing! It looked very pretty too! So I'll have to get those pictures up.











I also made a Tuna melt yesterday. I made a simple tuna salad and put Curry, Cumin, and Ground red pepper in it, and then covered it with Mild Cheddar. Delicious! Oh and then I put cucumbers on top. Did I mention I like cucumbers?

Arg!

I got my stitches out on Thursday (I thought it was Wednesday all day!) It went pretty well, although I felt faint.

Tomorrow I am planning on making Pizza Dough from The Bread Baker's Apprentice we'll see if I have the energy. It's already 3:00 am.. *sigh*

I am also planning on making Five minute Tomato Sauce from 101cookbooks.com I'm excited to make real pizza. This type you are supposed to throw, I'm not sure if that will work with my finger bandaged up, but I won't find out until tomorrow anyway, as it's a two day recipe.

Praying for sleep,
Amy