Pumpkin & Pomegranate

I haven’t always been a fan of Indian food. When I was younger I tried some from a buffet and did not appreciate the spice combination so I shunned it for years. I am an adult now, and I recognize that I may have been overhasty. There is such variety in Indian cuisine I couldn’t possibly dislike EVERY dish. Plus, my taste buds have changes over the years, and I also know that buffets aren’t exactly known for their amazing food. Last year when Matt and I started dating I decided to give Indian food another go.  I asked my friends Aakash and Purva if they could recommend a good Indian restaurant in Seattle. They told me that there isn’t one* and that they would all give me indigestion. Apparently Indian restaurants in America are known for being heavy on the oil, and that isn’t something I am looking for. I decided the only way to do it would be for me to make the food myself.

*side note, there is a restaurant they recommend but it is in Renton and apparently it would be impossible for me to get vegan dishes there as they make almost everything with ghee.

So, last year I did make a few dishes, but I am still not as comfortable with Indian food as I would like to be. This isn’t because it is difficult, but because I don’t know enough about the cuisine itself to know what I will like and how to season things authentically. What I end up doing is seasoning them to my own personal taste, and that tends to be a tad spice heavy (and heat heavy). With that in mind I give to you a dish I was very happy with. I admit that I unfortunately did not add enough water to the pot while cooking the chickpeas, and Matt and I had to pick through each pea and discard the ones with the charring. So my dish ultimately had less chickpeas, but was still delicious. It also made enough for us to both have leftovers for two more meals.

The paratha was another adventure! I haven’t ever had traditional paratha, and since I don’t eat grains I left those for Matt (they looked and smelled delicious). I ended up making a non-traditional buckwheat (kuttu) paratha. It is non-traditional because I used sweet potatoes instead of the traditional white potato. I did this because sweet potatoes have much more nutrients than regular potatoes. They were a fantastic accompaniment to the masala dish, even if they were a mite tricky to deal with. I am going to include a special cooking notes section at the bottom below the recipes, so that might help out some.

This really is a good dish to make if you want to have something to eat for a few days. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking, like I said I am a little heavy handed in the spice department.

Channa and Palak Masala

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Dried Chickpeas
• Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Bags Frozen Spinach, thawed (or 8 C. Fresh)
• 4-5 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 2.5 tsp. Ground Coriander
• 2.5 tsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp. Garam Masala
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 3/4 tsp Cayenne
• 1.5 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 T. Fresh Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Rinse the chickpeas and discard any stones or bad peas. Cover with water and let soak for 12-24 hours*.
2. Drain the chickpeas and then put in a pot and cover with water. Add enough water so that there is 3 inches of water above the top of the chickpeas. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid, and let simmer for 1-1.5 hours. remove from heat and pour any excess liquid.
3. In a heavy bottomed skillet, sautée the chopped onion in some virgin coconut oil until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and simmer for another minute.
4. Add the onions to the chickpeas along with the rest of the ingredients, except for the cilantro. Bring to a simmer and add the extra liquid if the mixture is too dry. Simmer for an hour and then stir in the fresh cilantro.

Buckwheat Paratha

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Buckwheat Flour
• 2-3 Small Sweet Potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt (or to taste)
• Virgin Coconut Oil for frying

Method:

1. With your fingers, mix together the mashed potatoes, buckwheat flour, and salt until it forms a dough. If you need a little moisture add a little bit of water. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Form dough into 4-5 balls and cover again with the damp towel.
3. Sprinkle your counter with a little buckwheat flour and roll out into a disk that is about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Heat up some virgin coconut oil in a cast iron skillet and fry the paratha for about 45 seconds on each side, or until they start to develop brown spots

**Cooking notes**

• Make sure you have enough water in the pot when you cook your chickpeas. Don’t be like me and scorch a layer of them.
• Working with gluten free flours can be tricky. There is no bounce in the dough, and so getting it even is key or it won’t cook properly. Definitely make sure that you have some extra buckwheat flour. I didn’t and so I had to use oil instead so the rolling pin wouldn’t stick. It worked, but it wasn’t preferable.

Just wanted to let you all know that there are many vegan bake sales going on around the country to benefit Haiti. I will be baking vegan morning glory muffins for the Seattle bake sale this Sunday at Neptune Coffee on Greenwood. My muffins won’t be gluten free or grain free (as I have found the grain free baking is nearly impossible without eggs), but they will be free of refined sugar, so they will be the healthiest I can make them!

For a list of the various vegan bake sales going on check out The Post Punk Kitchen Blog

Hope to see you there!

Zahrah is Arabic for “Blooming Flower”, and that is a beautifully descriptive name to give such a wonderful dish. For New Years Eve dinner Matt took me to this great little restaurant in Bellevue. For those not familiar with the area, Bellevue is East of Seattle, on the other side of Lake Washington. We had never been there before, but I was told in advance that it was a very garlic heavy restaurant. The restaurant serves up authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, and since hummus is a staple in my diet you can bet that this sort of place is right up my alley. We ordered the Mezza platter to share, and then an entrée each. They were extremely accommodating when we told them we are vegan. Now, you know I am not vegan, but I do make sure to say this when I am at a restaurant where I will not be ordering anything that isn’t vegan. It is just easier for me to say, than for me to go into why I don’t consume any dairy, or why I only eat eggs from chickens I know. No one warned us about the portion sizes in this place, and one entree could have easily fed both of us. The Mezza tray was for about 4-6 people, but my goodness it was worth it! The stars of the evening were the Baba Kanouj and the Zahrah. The Baba Kanouj was by far the best I have ever eaten. So good that I would happily drive all the way over there just for an order of it.  have tried to make my own Baba Kanouj, but since I only have an electric range and a broiler I cannot get that fabulous smokey flavor which is so important.

The Zahrah was a different story. It was such a surprising dish that night. I have never been overly enthusiastic about cauliflower, but then I had never tried Zahrah. Zahrah is fried cauliflower with tahini sauce, and oh dear god what an experience! I probably wouldn’t have touched it if I had known it was fried, but when it came to the table all golden and gorgeous I had to try some. Words cannot adequately express my adoration. The melding of the mild crucifer and the tang of the tahini was a sensuous experience. I asked our helpful server how they got the cauliflower to be so beautiful and golden and he explained that it was fried. Well, it was a holiday after all. At that moment I vowed to Matt that I would try to do the same with roasted cauliflower at home.

This Past Wednesday I created my own little Mediterranean feast, and with it…Zahrah. I have to admit that the fried is a smidgen better, but not by much! I only wish I could get the cauliflower to be more uniformly golden, other than that it was ver, very good. You could even use the tahini sauce on steamed cauliflower. I did this with steamed broccoli about 2 weeks ago and it was quite good.

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend Mediterranean Kitchen

Zahrah

Ingredients:

• 1 Head Cauliflower, cleaned and broken into florets
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 C. Tahini
• Juice of 1-2 Lemons
• 2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• Water
• Sea Salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Toss the cauliflower florets with a little extra virgin olive oil and roast in the oven until they are golden, about 20-25 minutes.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine the tahini, garlic, sea salt, and lemon juice. Blend to combine. You may also whisk this by hand. Taste a little and add more lemon, garlic, or salt if it needs more. Add a little water and continue to blend, adding more water until you get to the desired consistency. It should be be the consistency of a thick, pourable sauce.
4. Drizzle the tahini sauce over the roasted cauliflower and serve.

Quick little question for all of you!

When readers comment I usually respond to each individual personally through email. Right now I don’t have 500 people commenting so I am able to do this, but I am curious if you prefer for me to comment in the comment section.The reason I comment by email is because I am not sure if people will be checking back into each blog to see the response.  Sometimes though there is information that might be helpful for other readers too though. What do you all think?

I have seen this term thrown around a lot lately and it nags at me. I know there is a magazine called Clean Eating but I am not sure if that is where the term originated or if they just picked it up. The thing that nags at me is that there doesn’t seem to be any sort of standard associated with it. Basically, anyone can put this label on what they eat and believe it is so. Perhaps it shouldn’t bother me, but it does. There are many people out there who are trying their best to eat in a way to maximize their health, but they don’t have time themselves to research what exactly is healthy. These people rely on others for information, and so it bothers me a great deal when people label something as “clean” when it really isn’t. Now, there are definitely debates about what is or is not healthy on a grand scale. There is debate on low or no fat versus a diet that includes fat. Arguments on whether or not eating grains is healthy or vegetarian versus “pescetarian” versus including other meats. Those are all definitely debatable, but there are some things that just aren’t healthy. There is nothing (besides marketing) that says they are, and yes they actually do damage. The main culprit I see is the use of sugar and agave (though I also think there are many oils that fall into this category as well). I just opened a recipe for “protein pancakes” in Clean Living and yep, there it is…agave. Is it a lot? No, but I bet if people saw high fructose corn syrup in the recipe they would throw a hissy fit if someone called it clean. Agave has MORE fructose than HFCS. Sugar is another thing, and I clicked on another recipe in Clean Eating for a cookie recipe, and yep, brown sugar. Now, yes someone could say that brown sugar is “better for you” than white sugar, but that doesn’t mean that brown sugar is actually good for you. To me that is what “clean eating” should mean. It should mean that the food is healthful, and isn’t overly processed (i.e. no “weird” ingredients, and as little nutrient loss as possible). I will even allow for things like wheat, meat, and dairy to be in there because they are whole foods, and there is debate on the health merits. They at least have something to add. Not only do agave and sugar not add anything to a healthy diet, but they do damage. I am not even going to get into the whole “moderation” thing. Yes, sure, if you want a little sugar here and there, for most people that may not be the thing that kills you. What I tend to see isn’t moderation though. I see people adding agave or sugar to some part of every meal. The problem with that is that it all adds up. I know many people who have gone off sugar, and they find that their tolerance for sugar also goes WAY down. I used to eat a pint of Coconut Bliss Ice cream every weekend this past Summer because I thought that agave “wasn’t that bad” and it was only once a week. Perhaps once a week isn’t too horrible still, but the thing I noticed recently was when I was wanting a little “ice cream” I got some Coconut Bliss and tried it and ick…SO SWEET! Too sweet for me now. Taste buds definitely change.

Now, I know that some people are going to feel defensive about this because they consume agave and sugar on a daily basis. Please don’t. I am not judging you as being a horrible human being, nor am I telling you you are unhealthy. What I am saying is that labels DO matter. When you actually label yourself as something you need to understand that others who are not as informed are going to look to you for guidance. I am also not trying to sound all high and mighty. I make sure I don’t label myself as anything other than a “pescetarian” because that is truly the only label that I always fall under. People ask me if I am vegan and I always say no. I do then explain that I make mostly vegan choices when I am away from my own kitchen, and if people want to know more than I do tell them a little. But I am definitely not vegan. I am not even vegetarian even if I do eat vegetarian more than 80% of the time. I can promise you that vegans hate it when people label something as “vegan” when it isn’t. You’d be surprised what isn’t necessarily vegan (wines, beers, fruit juices, sugar, etc.).

And don’t for a second think that I believe my entire diet all the time is squeaky clean. This past weekend I had to try some hemp soft serve that Matt was eating, and it was made with sugar or agave. We also split some fresh rolls from our local co-op and the dipping sauce had sugar in it.  There was a little sunflower oil in the salad we bought as well. The difference is that I won’t tell you that these things are “clean” or “healthy” because they aren’t. I am only human though, and sometimes I just want to eat something pre-prepared. The thing is that I just don’t make a habit of it. The habit should be the whole foods, the least amount of processing as possible (if any), these should fill up the vast majority of your diet.

I thought about getting a subscription to Clean Eating but now I am just not sure. It doesn’t look like I would actually get that much out of it. I am also thinking that a lot of this whole phenomenon is a bit like green washing. Saying your bar is “healthy”just doesn’t make it so. A friend recently told me she picked up a bar that was supposed to be “healthy” and it had THREE different sweeteners in it. Ugh…

I’ve decided to take the plunge. I have to admit it is more than just a little daunting, but I have decided to write a cookbook. This isn’t something that I honestly thought I would ever do. When I changed my entire way of eating I never thought that it would end up in a cookbook. The thought never crossed my mind. In fact along the way I  gave up on cookbooks because not a single one of them fit in with my new way of eating. I have still yet to find a cookbook where I can eat every single dish inside it.

I began pondering the idea after about the 10th time someone asked me if I was writing one. Or rather there had been a combination of people asking, and others telling me to do it. I don’t think that it really hit me until my roommate (who I do not speak with all that often, even though we do occupy the same house) told me I should do it. We don’t talk much, but he does notice when I cook and he has seen me change from a morbidly obese woman into the healthy sized woman I am today. He has also been able to taste a few things on occasion and I have always been surprised when he has loved my food as his diet is nowhere near what mine is. No judgment, but I tend to assume people who eat what “normal” folks eat won’t really have ann appreciation for what I make. Maybe sometimes I am a little too humble in the wrong areas.

So I am doing it. I just started writing the book proposal and of course I am stuck on the title. Kind of odd since one of my favorite painting exercises was to be given a title first, and then create a piece of art to go with it. The problem is that I know how I want this thing to look. I know how I want it to go, but coming up with a concise and intriguing title is proving to be a lot more difficult than trying to figure out how to make say…vegan, soy-free, agave and refined sugar free cheesecake.  Recipes, for the most part, are the easy bit for me. Yes they take time, and I admit that I hate it when I don’t get it right the first time around, but I still can figure something out. This proposal though, trying to sell myself? A real problem for me. I must rise above. This is a project, and honestly it is the first thing in long time that I am certain I can actually do. I know that I can also do this book proposal, but it may take a little while.

I do have to apologize for not being as present in this blog the past week. Life has been happening, and as much as I appreciate you all, my little piece of sanity is kind of important to me. I will be back with a vengeance though, I am just not certain when I will be feeling 100%. I can tell you this though, I did 17 minutes of wii fit yesterday and my thighs are SORE. That thing is no joke! Not that I ever thought it was mind you, but don’t think that just because it is a video “game” that it is going to be an easy workout. Granted, I am not a heavy cardio gal, and sadly my strength training has gone a tad *cough* downhill lately, but I have it on good authority that even those who are more um…workout savvy are sore after their first wii fit experience. Anyway, it was interesting. Not sure if I am a convert yet though. I still prefer my walks outside and my yoga, but it would be nice to have an option for rainy days.

Seeing as this blog is all about the way I eat, and those of you who read are interested in that I figured that you lovelies are my “target audience” for the book. I am basically writing it for you and people like you. I am more than a little interested in feedback. I would LOVE it if you would write me and let me know exactly what you are looking for in a healthy cookbook. My idea is basically to explore the way I personally eat. I want it to be full of foods that I would have no problem eating on a daily basis. They must be healthy, and they must taste good! This isn’t going to be a book of steamed veggies and fat free broth! I want to include my take on various ethnic dishes (as I LOVE eating foods from other cultures), and I do hope that people forgive me for tweaking them a bit so I can eat them. So please, don’t be shy! I want to hear from you! I can’t wait!

And I was SORE. Especially in my hips, which is really good because I have never been sore there before! My teacher was Eza, and she was wonderful! I have had a few yoga classes in my life, but I not had many and I don’t think I have ever felt completely comfortable in a specific studio before.

My class at Maya Whole Health Studio may have changed that. I admit to being a tad mousy and shy at times, especially when entering new situations and this was no exception. Most of the people in this intro series (if not all) had gotten the Groupon deal so if any of you are business owners, this WORKS! I am actually trying to get my friend Jill at Smooth Sugaring Studio to run a Groupon too because she is fantastic and it would be great to get her name out there.

So, I went into the class a bit shy. I tend to do that until I get my feel of a place. The studio itself is very clean and relaxing. The class started after the sun set, and I loved how they kept the lighting soft with dimming and candles flickering. If I had my own personal yoga studio I’d want it to look just like theirs. The class was full, but it didn’t seem overly crowded. It was mostly women, which doesn’t seem to be all that unusual. I have never been to a yoga class that wasn’t at least 2/3 rds female. The music was also a breath of fresh air, as was the distinct lack of spiritual mention. I am well aware that there is a strong element of spirituality in yoga, and I don’t have a huge issue with that. I just find it a bit stressful on my mind when the spiritual is mentioned during a yoga session and I know this is a personal problem I have that I should just let go. I tend to want to argue when any philosophy or (including religious philosophy) is mentioned. I am a born debater, and I do enjoy discussing such things. The problem here is that when I do yoga I am supposed to be out of my head and unfortunately the mere mention of spiritual philosophy sends me crashing back into my mind.

***

And now it is the day after the second Intro to Yoga class and I am not nearly as sore as the first time! That probably has to do with the Aleve I took last night and this morning though. Apparently I have Bursitis, which is an inflammation in my hips that I have been living with for 2 years. I mentioned the pain to my doctor the other day and she pressed on my hips, asking if it was tender. She then told me to take Aleve for 7-10 days and the pain should go away. Now, I am not one who likes to take medication for every little thing, but this pain in my hips has kept me from doing things I’d like to (like walk for more than 3 miles without pain for 2 days). Let’s just hope it works!

And back to yoga…

I am dealing with some life issues right now, so unfortunately my mind was not totally present last night. Eza was still a wonderful teacher, and the class was VERY good for me. I think Matt and I may even go to one of their “All level” classes this weekend. It will do us both a lot of good to get out of the house and move our bodies. I really want to learn how to be zen like a yogini!

I start my Intro to yoga series tonight! A few weeks ago I spotted a deal through Groupon to get 4 yoga classes at Maya Whole Health Studio for $30 (half their usual rate), and so I nabbed it.

I am a HUGE fan of Groupon by the way. So far I have got my hair cut, yoga classes, bath goods, coffee, tea, and even books by using their deal of the day…and for at least 30% less! I am so glad I was turned onto them by my friend Ashley!

The intro to yoga series is a 4 week course that will get me set up with the basics. I am very excited as I want to be able to do the positions properly so I don’t hurt myself. Speaking of which, maybe some of you yoginis can help me. A few weeks ago I was sitting on my knees at a friend’s house (because she could do it) and well, it just didn’t feel right. I got up and ever since then my right knee (which happens to be my GOOD knee) has had “problems”. Basically it is stiff, and for about 2 weeks there was a fair amount of pain. I couldn’t bend it with any weight, much less kneel on it. It has gotten better, but it still feels “off”. Will doing yoga help me with my joints in the long run? Or am I just old? (I know I am only 29, but I have arthritis in my back from an injury, and an injury in my left knee too). I am hoping that yoga will help these things, but I am a bit worried.

I also nabbed a second yoga studio offer but it is a bit of a hike. I am going to do it with a friend who lives near the studio and so that will also be quality time with my friend Heather ;-)

I fell a little behind in my blog reading due to the holidays and things piling up, so I only just realized this morning that my friend Tiffany over at Carbzilla had bestowed the Beautiful Blogger Award on me. To be honest I don’t quite know what I am supposed to do with it, but I do know that I have to share 7 random facts about myself with you all. I also get to give the award to 7 other bloggers. I am not sure if I have to give it to 7 who have never received it, or just to any 7 who I feel deserve it, but I hope I am not committing a faux pas (or 7 of them) with this! Read the rest of this entry »

We had our Christmas dinner. Matt and I were both with our respective families for the holiday, so we didn’t get to have our Christmas until the 30th. I love to celebrate, so personally I am a big fan of actually using the full 12 days of Christmas to stretch out the party. I don’t think of taking my tree down until after the 6th, and I revel in this time with glutinous joy. Read the rest of this entry »