Recipes to Try

My summer vacation is quickly coming to an end. Tomorrow I’m heading back into work to prepare my classroom for the new school year.

Last year I had 18 students but this year I’ll only have 12. A good number for grouping. Another benefit of such a small class is that my classroom will seem much larger. I’m looking forward to reorganizing the furniture in the classroom. Once I’m all set up, I promise to share photos.

I’m a bit behind sharing recent recipes so thought I’d do a one off of recipes I’ve been enjoying lately.

Here goes!

Puffed Amaranth

 

I first heard of amaranth when I was in college. I babysat for the family that began Nu-World Foods, one of the first companies to introduce amaranth to the American market. I was instantly interested in their business and was eager to try their products. Time passed and amaranth went to the wayside for me due to availability abroad.

Well, things have changed and I can now buy puffed amaranth in Germany. I’ve been enjoying it with plain yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast. It is light and fluffy but packs some staying power. If you haven’t tried amaranth, give it a try!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Mmm… blueberry buttermilk pancakes! I made these pancakes while my friend Katie was visiting. The fruit syrup was simply made by heating fresh blueberries and strawberries together until they stewed in their juices. 

Buttermilk Pancakes with Peaches

Pancakes were the main breakfast food while Katie was here. These buttermilk pancakes were great topped with fresh peaches and maple syrup. Delicious!

Roasted Green Bean Potato Salad

This was one delicious dinner! I followed Kath’s recipe for roasted tofu potato salad. The only changes I made were to add roasted chickpeas and leave out the bacon (obviously.)

When making this recipe again, I’ll probably leave out the tofu and stick to chickpeas for my protein. This creamy, warm salad is a must try!

Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry

This is really a bit of a cheat meal… but it was good enough that I ate it twice in the last two weeks. I stir-fried broccoli, a leek, carrots and mushrooms then tossed in a packet of “stir-fry seasoning” before adding the cooked noodles. Oh so comforting and easy!

Caprese Baked Egg Cups

My baked egg cups turned out nothing like Jessica’s in looks, but based on the taste, I’d say they met her mark. This recipe was beyond easy, ready for the oven in about 2 minutes. I used halloumi cheese rather than mozzarella, chopped tomato rather than cherry tomatoes and milk rather than cream; this probably explains why my baked eggs turned out like ugly ducklings, but I tell you, even with these substitutions, the flavor was fantastic!

Aloo Gobi Mashed Indian Cauliflower

I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be used up from last Friday’s CSA box. This recipe was the perfect fit; fast, warm and subtly spicy.

I ate my aloo gobi with fresh, plain yogurt. It might sound strange, but the cool worked with the heat. I’m glad I have leftovers of this mash!

So there you have it! A few of the wonderful recipes I’ve been enjoying the past couple of weeks.

I recommend you give them a try.

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Cookin’ Man

I love Indian food.

With its complex flavors, unending variety and reliance on whole, natural foods, it is without a doubt, my favorite.

Want to know what makes Indian food even better?

Indian food cooked with love.

Last night, Sebastian took control of the kitchen and created a delicious, made-from-scratch Paneer Masala.

My lousy photography doesn’t do this meal justice. It was just wonderful!

Am I lucky or what?

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Crispy Curry Cauliflower

Of all the recipes I’ve found through other bloggers, this is probably the recipe that I reuse most frequently.

Mama Pea’s Cracklin’ Cauliflower is out of this world.

The only change I’ve made is to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the finished product.

Probably meant to be a snack or side dish, this whole-head of cauliflower easily becomes a main dish under these crispy, spicy, flavorful conditions.

Go on, give it a try.

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Slow Cooker Curry

My classroom has the best view in the school. We have a balcony (ok, it’s really an emergency exit) off of our room that overlooks the playground. Right now, the tree outside our door is in full bloom.

It was a little windy today. As the wind blew through, the blossoms of the tree drifted away like springtime snow.

Luckily, it’s getting warmer here. Today was another no-jacket day. Yippy!

After school today, I went to the gym then came home to a delicious dinner, ready and waiting for me.

This afternoon, Sebastian threw the ingredients for this recipe into the food processor then into our new slow cooker. The only changes he made was to use tofu rather than chicken and not add the cornstarch mixture at the end since the curry was already thick and creamy.

I’m thinking about making this for our staff pot-luck next week. It was so tasty and from what I’ve been told, very easy as well. Served with naan and jasmine rice, this is the perfect mid-week meal.

Thanks, Sebastian!

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Lovely Spring Day

I hope your day has been as warm and enjoyable as mine.

I woke up fairly early this morning and got started right away on breakfast. Anne’s Almond Butter Banana Breakfast Bars have been on my Recipe Wish List for far too long.

These breakfast bars are so simple and so good.

  

This recipe really is as easy as mixing together a few wet and dry ingredients that you probably already have at home.

I was all out of maple syrup so the only change I made to the original recipe was to use golden syrup instead.

My apartment smelled fantastic as this was baking away.

Along with fresh brewing coffee, my apartment smelled like breakfast.

Breakfast is served!

The day continued with shopping.

First up, a visit to the fruit and vegetable lady.

Today I bought rhubarb, leeks, chives, potatoes, eggs and a beat. Spring has clearly sprung on her farm!

The rest of the afternoon included more shopping for new work shoes, a kitchen scale and a few more vegetables from the Bonn farmer’s market. At the Bonn market, I picked up fresh green asparagus (white asparagus is the norm here,) fresh spinach and a green pepper.

Walking around the beautiful city of Bonn, Germany on such a lovely, warm Spring day, I couldn’t help but smile and feel so blessed to be exactly where I am.

Sebastian met me to go to a new-to-us ethnic grocery store that my friend Josh is always talking about. Unfortunately, when I arrived at 2:26, I realized that the store closed at 2:00. Oh well.

We carried on as planned and went on a short walk along the Rhine. It seamed like everyone was out today- walking, jogging, skating, biking, rowing, you name it, the bike and foot paths were packed.

A drink was had as we watched the people pass by.

Once home, I put the fresh spinach to good use and made palak paneer for dinner. Sadly, the sun was down before the process was finished so I’ll have to wait until I can photograph the left-overs in daylight before posting the recipe. Palak paneer looks enough like baby poo in the daylight, why make it look worse at night?

After such a great day shopping alone then hanging out with my favorite person and eating great food, the highlight of my day was definitely talking to my grandma and mom on the phone today.

After 2.5 years, I’ve finally changed my phone plan to include calls to the US. My first call was to my grandparents and luckily, mom was there too. Talking to them as I cooked dinner made them feel so near to me. I love living abroad but certainly miss my friends and family back home. What a difference a phone call can make!

Now, with a cat cuddled and sleeping across my arms, I think it’s time to call this day to an end.

Happy Spring, everyone!

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Easy Mushroom-Spinach Curry

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

and Happy Birthday to my cousin, Ahnamarie!

I kicked off the day with a green smoothie in honor of St. Patty.

Almond milk, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, 2 handfuls lamb’s lettuce and about 10 mint leaves.

This was no Shamrock Shake, but it was a heck of a lot healthier and still creamy and minty.

This Saturday is Open Day at my school. The community is invited to visit the school and partake in educational activities, games and projects. Although I love showing my classroom off, getting the place in tip-top shape has been keeping me and my awesome assistant busy.

My midmorning snack tasted like a creamsicle.

Vanilla soy yogurt and a clementine.

Fellow bloggers are simply awesome, I’m so thankful for everyone out there who freely shares their knowledge and recipes. I have learned so much from other bloggers and can not thank you enough!

That being said, here’s another delicious recipe from my recipe wish list. I enjoyed this dish for dinner last night and lunch today.

 The inspiration for this recipe came from Vaishali over at Holy Cow! Vegan. I adapted the spices to fit my pantry and taste, and WOW this was so fast and so delicious!

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green chili pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 3 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed
• 1 pinch fenugreek seeds, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 8 oz. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
• 3/4 cup coconut milk

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, ginger and chili and sauté on medium heat until the onions begin to brown. Add the spices, stirring to evenly coat the onions.
2. Add the mushrooms, stir until they start to soften. Fold in the spinach until well mixed.
   Add 1/4 cup of water and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the salt and coconut milk,season to taste. Stir thoroughly and take off the heat.

Thanks to this awesome recipe, I was fueled through all afternoon. After school, I tutored, went to the gym and bought groceries before coming home.

I hope you are all having a fun and festive St. Patrick’s Day!

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Cookies and Aquatics

I know I say it every weekend, but this weekend really flew past.

Saturday I woke up with a migraine so took some heavy-duty medicine and went back to bed until 11:30. Luckily, once I woke up again, I felt much better.

The (mid)day started with brunch.

Peanut butter and banana stuffed French toast with coffee.

After breakfast, Sebastian and I headed across the Rhine to visit Sea Life in Königswinter.

We had a two for the price of one coupon.

You have to go deep into the ground to begin the experience. The interiors are designed in a very mysterious, dark and dramatic way. Great attention to detail.

Due to the dark lighting, it was hard to take good photos.

At least some of the aquariums were bright enough to photograph without a tripod.

This guy looked like rubber but wasn’t. 

The tanks were beautiful and the fish were peaceful to watch.

Some aquariums have spherical glass which helps you to see the fish even better. Just be ready for the fish to ‘come at you.’ Also, don’t walk into the glass. You’ve been warned.

The most dramatic part of Sea Life is the glass tunnel. We couldn’t tell from below, but we were walking through the shark tank.

With every step, the tank creaked a bit. Sebastian felt safer walking on the metal beams. 

After taking the stairs above ground, we could see the shark tank as well as the sting rays.

Before we knew it, the aquatic portion of our adventure was over and we were fed into the world of over-priced merchandise. 

 Although I thought this mug was adorable, I wasn’t about to spend 7 Euros on it.

While waiting for our ferry, we made a stop-over in the Sea Life cafe.

I had a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee to hold me over. We had a good time but were in and out in about 45 minutes. Sea Life is really geared towards kids and has a lot of hands-on activities and games for kids to play along the way. I’m glad we went but am equally glad that we didn’t pay full-price for entrance.

Once home, I baked a batch of almond cookies from the Veganomicon cookbook.

I made a few of the big cookies then scaled them down to a more manageable size.

The recipe made a ton of cookies so I froze about half of the dough in balls, ready to be tossed in the oven when my cookie stash is out.

These cookies are so delicious!

Although I don’t have a photo yet, these cookies, when crumbled up, make a great topping to Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries. It’s like a quick-fix strawberry shortcake. Just divine!

Saturday night, Sebastian and I went out again, armed with another buy-one-get-one-free coupon for our favorite Indian restaurant in Bonn.
Since having the coupon book, we’ve probably eater at Taste of India about 10 times, but have never claimed the coupon. Since the book expires in a month, we thought it was about time to redeem our free meal.

Usually I can lick the little copper pots clean but this time we took home leftovers. Lucky for us, leftovers served as lunch on Sunday.

Mattar paneer with naan.

Finger-licking good!

Speaking of Sunday, I had a great breakfast of Mediterranean scrambled eggs with a whole wheat English muffin.

2 eggs, green olives, spinach, tomatoes, roasted red pepper and feta cheese.

I spent most of Sunday at the computer reorganizing my beloved Recipe Wish List. I’ll tell you more about it later, but think I’ve finally found a free solution to make my recipe saving easier and more user friendly. 

I went to the gym Sunday night for a great yoga class then came home to do a bit of school work before calling it a night.

Although this wasn’t the most productive weekend, it was a lot of lazy fun. Sometimes more sleep and simple outings are all you need to enjoy the precious weekends.

I hope you all had a good weekend and were able to start the week out right. Happy Monday!

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Palak Paneer

I didn’t mention it before, but last week Sebastian cooked a delicious Indian feast for my birthday. Paneer masala, naan bread and even (admittedly not Indian) chocolate amoretto fruit fondue.

The only place to buy Paneer in Bonn is through one of the Indian grocery stores. The catch is that you have to request it well in advance as it’s made to order. To make my birthday dinner, Sebastian ordered about 600 grams of paneer. That’s 1.3 pounds of Indian cheese.

Needless to say, we had left-overs.

After finding fresh spinach in the grocery store today (a real rarity,) I decided to use the left-over paneer to make palak paneer.

I’ve made palak paneer several times before, but this was certainly the winning combination.

I accredit my success to ghee.

photo source

Ghee is merely clarified butter, a very simple thing to make at home. All you need is a saucepan, butter, heat and a strainer.

To make ghee, simply place butter in a saucepan and cook it over very low heat for about 20 minutes. The butter will begin to separate. Once filtered trough a cheesecloth or strainer, the clarified butter, or ghee is left.

With this ghee, I was able to achieve that “missing Indian taste.”

Palak Paneer

Ingredients are all estimates

Ingredients

• 200 grams butter clarified to make ghee
• 300 grams paneer
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped to make about 1.5 Tbsp.
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. Garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 2 small, dried red chilies
• 1 pinch fenugreek seeds
• 1 cardamom pod, seeds removed
• 1/2 tsp. salt plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1 large bag fresh spinach

Method

1. Cut or crumble the paneer into small pieces and fry in 1/3 of the ghee until the cheese is golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Add another 1/3 of the ghee to a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add the coriander seeds and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Using a mortar and pestle, crush together the fenugreek and cardamom seeds. Add the crushed seeds, garam masala, cumin, curry powder, chilies, coriander tomatoes and chopped onions to the mixture.
4. Continue cooking the sauce over low heat for about 1 hour, adding water as necessary to maintain a saucy consistency.
5. Pour in the half and half and stir well to combine. Add the fresh spinach and cook until the greens are wilted. Season with salt and add the remaining 1/3 ghee, if desired.
6. In a food processor, pulse the sauce. I like my palak paneer to have small chunks of veggies but an overall creamy texture. Return the sauce to the pan and add the prepared paneer. Heat through and serve with fresh coriander and naan bread.

Please pardon the terrible photos. We’ve already “fallen back” here so it’s dark by 6pm again. I hate winter.

I love Indian!

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Easy Vegetable Coconut Curry

Want to know something that bothers me about British English?

I actually hate how they call ANY Indian dish a curry.

How inaccurate is that?

Curry is a spice.

A spice Indians don’t use in their cooking.

There you have it.

When Sebastian and I were in London, we went to an Indian borough to eat one night. As we walked down the street, the restaurant workers were calling to potential customers saying, “Hungry for a curry tonight?”

I wanted to stop in the middle of the street and have a ‘be true to yourself and your food-culture identity’ conversation, but alas, I didn’t.

We went in to a restaurant, ate the most bland ‘Indian’ meal of my life and then realized why these British Indians could call their food a curry.

It wasn’t really Indian at all. It was British-ized and appropriately called by another name, a curry.

Anyways, tonight I made a curry.

An unauthentic, super simple Indian-ish dish.

Surprisingly, it was good enough to share with you!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbsp. curry paste (I used korma)

About 2-3 lbs of whatever veggies you need to use up

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can coconut milk

Fresh cilantro to garnish

Method

1. Prepare your veggies into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and fry the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and continue to fry for another minute.
2. Stir in the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked. Garnish and serve with rice or naan.

I used 1 eggplant, 1 red pepper, 2 handfuls of green beans, 1/2 can of chickpeas and tons of mushrooms in my veggie mixture.

I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

What is your favorite Indian recipe?

Do you call it a curry, too?

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Flea market Frenzy

For 5 long months, I’ve been patiently awaiting this day. It’s official, the flea market season in Germany has begun!

Today the Bonn Bad Godesberg Antik and Trödelmarkt kicked it all off! Before you delete me from your google reader, you must understand that flea markets in Germany are like nothing you could imagine in the US. Our American antiques would be considered gently used in Germany.

Every well organized booth is breathing with history. The hidden treasures tell stories hundreds of years old. There is nothing like it!

Unfortunately, today was rainy, cold, dark, and dreary- not at all how I had imagined this glorious day! Luckily not even rain could stop the vendors from coming out! Although the it did prevent my camera from making very many appearances.

Before the flohmarkt began, Sebastian filled me up with a delicious breakfast.

1 poppy seed roll with cheese and a hard boiled egg, 1/2 sunflower seed roll with almond butter

By the time I made it to the market, it was pouring down. Luckily, I was prepared with my gym bag so waited the storm out while sweating on the treadmill, pumping some iron, relaxing in the sauna, and getting squeaky clean. I even enjoyed a cappuccino in the gym today!

Then, out to the antiques!

I was on a mission to find some new dishes. I’ve noticed my oatmeal pictures are all beginning to look the same. Most of the vendors wanted to keep their dishes in sets, but I was able to convince one family to sell me two lovely soup bowls.

I can already imagine my oatmeal nestled between the little handles.

Once the rain started up again, I decided it was time to go home, but not before picking up my favorite Arabic equivalent to baklava and a flat bread for tomorrow’s lunch.

Rainy weekend = busy bustling kitchen.

I whipped up some avocado chocolate pudding. This jar is heading Kim’s way!

Raw Avocado Chocolate Pudding

• 2 avocados
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
• 1/4 cup coco powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup agave
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until whipped and creamy. Refrigerate.

I also put my food processor to good use making hummus for my lunch tomorrow.

Raw Red Pepper Hummus

• 3/4 red pepper
• 1 cup soaked chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 6 tsp. sesame seeds
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder (I like it hot, use your own judgement)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

For dinner, I continued the Indian theme with Red Lentil Dhal

I loosely followed the recipe from HappyHerbivore only adding 1tsp. lemon juice and substituting some ingredients

½ cup red lentils

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin  ran out so used 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 whole tomato, chopped (with juices)

3 ounces tomato paste  2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 whole garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp ground ginger 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and quartered

a dash of cayenne pepper  red pepper flakes

1 tbsp coriander

2 tsp garam masala

Instructions:(From happyherbivore)

In a medium pot, saute onions and garlic in 1/4 cup water until translucent. Add spices, except garam masala and coriander, and cook for 2 minutes, adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking, burning or drying out. Add lentils, broth, tomato paste, tomatoes and coriander. Cover and turn heat to high. Once boiling, reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until lentils are cooked (they will expand and turn orange). Add garam masala and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Sebastian has a fear of lentils so I had this delicious dinner all to myself! I ate the dhal over quinoa and have enough of both for at least one more meal.

Now that the evening is coming to an end, it’s time to bid farewell. I have a skype date with my parents!

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