Donut Army

This was a pretty easy dish . . . up until the point where you manipulate fire in your home kitchen. For me, the smoking part turned out to be more of an interesting experiment than a good addition to the dish. Were I to do it again:      a) I would smoke the eggplant out of doors, and,       b) I may just make the dish, sans smoking. Either way, it is very delicious! One way is just easier. And safer for your home, especially in this drought. Smoked Eggplant Curry Veggie Belly dot com 3 tomatoes 6 whole cashews 1 T ghee (or butter, or vegetable oil) 1/2 lb eggplant 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1/2 tsp garlic paste 1/4 tsp garam masala 1/4 tsp chili powder 1 tsp lemon juice For smoking the eggplant: 1 lump charcoal, about the size of a lemon (not treated with accelerant!) 1 tsp vegetable oil Boil a medium pot of water, and drop the tomatoes in whole. When the tomato skins start to blister, drain them and let the...

Make this dish, and you will have your family running out from whatever computer or book they are hiding behind. Your neighbors, following the wafting odors of this dish as it cooks, may even pop over round dinnertime! There are some difficult ingredients to find. I've made a few suggestions for alternate ingredients. But if you can, find the original ingredients. Kaffir lime leaves are worth the search. In the south, I grow my own because the dried version is so hard to find. Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce over Coconut-Scallion Rice Vegetarian Planet 10 dried kaffir lime leaves (if you can't find it, use 1 1/2 tsp grated lime rind) 1 1/4 c coconut milk 2 3/4 c water 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 c jasmine rice 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (2/3 c for the sauce, and the rest for garnish) 2 cloves garlic, cut in half 1/4 c dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts 1 T fish sauce (if you can't find it, use a dash of salt) 1/4 c canola oil 2 T chile paste 1 16-oz package firm...

Another dish that is full of flavor, but ultimately not that hard to assemble. Holds well, and smells up the whole house in a good way! Chicken Curry with Yogurt A World of Curries 1 tomato, chopped 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cardamom 4 whole cloves, crushed 4 whole peppercorns, crushed 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed 4 small hot green chiles (serranos, seeded, stemmed and chopped) 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cayenne 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and grated 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 c yogurt 1 3-lb chicken, cut up 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes 1/4 c vegetable oil 2 onions, sliced fine 1/2 c water cilantro for garnish Combine tomato, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds, chiles, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, garlic, and yogurt to make a marinade. Toss the chicken pieces in the marinade to coat and allow to marinate, covered, for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Place potatoes in a pan and cover with...

Picture the best possible way this dish could taste, and then double your expectations. Delicious! And very easy to prepare! Eggplant and Green Beans Indian Vegetarian Cooking at Your House 1 1/2 c fresh green beans - washed, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces 2 c eggplant - washed, trimmed, and cubed 1/4 c vegetable oil 1 tsp mixture of cumin, mustard, and sesame seeds 1 tsp (additional) cumin seeds 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 1/2 c tomato, chopped 1 c onion, chopped 2 tsp cumin (ground) 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 c water 3/4 tsp sugar Heat oil in a saucepan. Add seeds and cook until they begin to pop. When seeds pop, add garlic, tomato and onion and stir for 1 minute. Add spices and stir.    Then, add remaining ingredients, including green beans and eggplant.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until vegetable are tender.

This is nice, simple, and reheats well. Plus, it has the added bonus of making the house smell yummy for days! Very Vegetable Curry Vegetarian Times , January 2005 2 tsp canola oil 2 T curry powder 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T ginger, minced 1 tsp turmeric 1 yello onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained 2 15.5 oz cans chickpeas, drained or rinsed (or, made from dried! recommended) 1 c stock 3 c baby spinach Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add curry powder, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Cook 1 minute, stirring constnatly. Add onion, bell pepper and sweet potato. Cover and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Reduce heat to low. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender, 30 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook over low heat 3-5 minutes to wilt spinach and blend flavors.

This dish is fast to prepare, lovely to present, and great as leftovers. I found it low on salt (go figure, since it came from Cooking Light magazine ). But rather than drown it in salt, I added salted cashews to the finished dish as a nice way to add flavor and protein. Chickpea and Spinach Curry Cooking Light 1 c onion, chopped 1 1/2 T ginger, ground *** 1 tsp olive oil 1 1/2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp red curry powder 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained *** 1 14.5 oz can tomato, diced, undrained 4 c spinach 1/2 c water 1/4 tsp salt *** Note, this is the original recipe. But, I would make the following easy changes. Use fresh, chopped ginger, instead of powdered and ground. You can taste the difference. And -- do I need to provide this lecture again? Use dried chickpeas that you have soaked and cooked yourself. Believe me, you can taste the difference, and the additional effort is minimal. Combine onion and ginger in a food processor; pulse until minced....

I had a guest in recently who requested that we make curry one evening. I checked out what we had in the house and threw this together -- it's a variation Chicken Curry Gourmet Magazine , February 2007 1 1/2 lb chicken (skinless, boneless) 1 tsp salt 2 T vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped 2 tsp curry powder (Madras) 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 c coconut milk 1 14 1/2 oz can tomato (sliced, diced, chopped, anything) 1/4 c currants 10 oz okra** 1/2 c cashew nuts ** We couldn't find any okra, so, we threw in carrots and mushrooms. Curry is very forgiving. So, use whatever is on hand, so long as you think the flavors will go well together. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 5 minutes total. Transfer chicken to plate. (If using hard vegetables, saute them in the pan now to soften them up a bit first -- about 5-7 minutes.) Stir garlic, curry and cayenne into fat in sk...

Have you ever made something to eat and said to yourself, "Dang! Did that just come out of MY kitchen!?" That's what I've been saying ever since I made this dish earlier in the week. Great the first day, great as leftovers. And not that complicated too make (does take some slightly less than ordinary spices for some kitchens). This dish has a wonderful smoky flavor that comes from the beans. I chose to use yellow split peas for the color contrast against the spinach. Delish! Spinach Dal Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant 1 1/2 c red or brown lentils, or, yellow or green split peas 4 c water 2 dried chiles, whole 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp salt 2 T ghee or vegetable oil 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 c chopped onions 4 c chopped, fresh spinach 1 tsp peeled and grated ginger root 1 T fresh lemon juice 1/2 - 1 tsp garam masala salt to taste Wash the lentils (or peas) in several changes of cold water. In a medium pot, cover them with the water and add the...

  One of those great dishes that is good the day you make it, but tastes better as leftovers. This comes from book one of a small collection of cookbooks written by Jay Solomon. I find most of his books, including this one - Lean Bean Cuisine - to be consistently good. If you have all the spices at home, then this dish is really easy to prepare. The most time-consuming part will be the chopping. But, put on some music, or grab the phone and talk to someone as you prepare everything. Of course -- if you don't know by now, my advice to all aspiring cooks is to prep all ingredients before you actually start cooking. Madras Chick Peas with Cauliflower Lean Bean Cuisine 2 T vegetable oil 1 small onion, diced 1 large tomato, cored and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 T ginger, minced 1 jalapeno chili (or serrano), seeded and minced 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp coriander 2 c chickpeas, cooked 2 c cauliflower florets ...

This entry is part two of the Okra Smackdown Donut Army has confronted as its author tries to use up the okra from a recent farm box ! Luckily, this dish is delicious, with the okra adding a pleasant crunch to an otherwise soft and tender dish. This chicken curry recipe comes from the February 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine . It's actually quite simple to prepare, and very flavorful on its first night, and as a leftover. Chicken Curry adopted from Gourmet magazine , February 2007 1 1/2 lb chicken (boneless, skinless), cut into chunks 1 tsp salt 2 T vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped 2 tsp Madras curry powder 1 c coconut milk 1 14 1/2 oz can tomatoes, with juice 1/4 c golden raisins 10 oz okra, trimmed and cut into chunks 1/2 c cashew nuts, chopped Begin by preparing boneless, skinless chicken breasts by patting them dry, and sprinkling them with salt. I have veered away from cooking entire chicken breasts per person, and instead always chop my chicken u...