Sunbeam Soapbox

Do you remember at one point I was going to take pictures of my cooking and share, to make sure that I was actually cooking and everything? That worked out pretty well, didn’t it? After sinking so low last month that I actually miss food—the act of savouring each step in a meal—I decided to recommit myself to beans, legumes, rice, and vegetables this week. With a fantastic farmers market in the area and a fair growing season for summer vegetables, now is the time to try new things! Especially with the help of books like How to Cook Everything and the Veganomicon. I can do it!

Even with those two, though, I found myself looking at some friends’ cookbooks… and then borrowing some of theirs. It turns out that this week is Try All The Indian Recipes week.

Sunday was kitchri (rice and red lentils, and yes I love red lentils), Monday was mushroom bhaji. Tuesday, once I tried to get asafetida and cumin seeds, was a chickpea, tomato, and spinach concoction. I am in desperate need of leafy greens.

Here’s the bhaji results.

I realized near the end that I did not have any tomato paste, even though I thought I had, so I substituted a fresh tomato or two. Not quite the same thing in getting a thick sauce around the mushrooms, but it worked out all right and is delicious, which is the important part.

And here is the chickpea/tomato/spinach concoction, which took close to two hours with all the chopping involved, but is MUCH more than the four servings specified in the recipe:

I’m not sure if it’s amazing enough to take as long as it does, but at least it got me many good nutrients and will last through the rest of the week. I bet I would make it again. I definitely would make the mushroom bhaji and kitchri again, so I could see myself stealing this cookbook and not giving it back… ;)

I even made lime cooler from the drinks section yesterday. Great way to use my overflowing mint plant. I wish I’d discovered it sooner; it’s been a hot hot hot summer!