Let's spice up the rice.

I like to have things on hand, ready to eat because going through a drive thru is not an option.
This is an easy one to take out of the fridge, open a can of pintos, black beans, or garbanzos and there's lunch.

I saute some onion and celery in olive oil then throw in the uncooked rice in there for a quick stir.

I put it all in the rice cooker with the amount of water recommended by the cooker. When it's done, stir in fresh ground black pepper, freshly dried cilantro, parsley and freshly squeezed lime juice.

I just got a food dehydrator and have started drying my own organic herbs. The dried cilantro retains the fresh taste but I don't have to worry about it getting all yucky in the fridge.

Photos to come.

A diet of yams is inconsistent.

Oh yams. Yams. Yams. Yamity yam yam yams.

Oh yams. Yams. Yams. Yamity yam yam yams.
Originally uploaded by Theorris.

've always enjoyed eating yams at Thanksgiving. They are God's tuber for our enjoyment. Who would think a root could provide so much joy.

I was watching Braves and the Padres and got a sudden craving for channa masala. Technically channa masala is the name of the spice melange that one puts into a standard curry stock with garbanzo beans. I, however, just use it as shorthand for garbanzo bean curry of any sort. I've made it so much that I've got it down pat. Since it is too damned hot to cook on the stove, it is slow-cooking in the crock pot. I'll leave it over night and eat it tomorrow.

4 cups uncooked garbanzo beans (chick peas) soaked overnight
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 large can tomatos
1-2 tbls oil
2 tbls corriander
hot peppers to taste (jalapenos/cayene/whatever)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
4 whole cloves
2 cups water
salt to taste


Puree the onion, garlic, and ginger in food processor. Heat oil in heavy frying pan. Fray onion mixture until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add spice, stirring to mix in. Add tomatos and mix, deglazing the frying pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tomato liquid is substatially reduced. Put soaked chick peas in crock pot, pour curry on and 1 cup water and mix well. Add salt (1 tsp is generally a good bet). Cook on low for at least 12 hours. Serve over rice with yogurt or a raita.

While getting suitably worked up over a Watergate special on PBS I stewed up a great Indian concoction courtesy of Neelam Batra (The Indian Vegetarian). I would give the recipe, but, sorry, I'm not going to violate copyright.

But, in reverse engineering it, it has this

1/2 pound black garbanzo beans
lots of water to cook them in
a good amount of salt
standard amount of raw ginger for Indian recipes
whatever kind of peppers you might like to make it hot or not hot
a tich of black salt (kala namak--sorry no web page to help out that is easy)
a correct amount of channa masala (either homemade or store bought)
green onions
tomatos
ghee (or whatever your flavorful oil you like)
cilanto

Sorry, but that is as close as I'm going to get. The picture looks a bit squirrely, but trust me, its tasty.

Where's the bread recipe?
I'm sorry I'm not so fancy. But I do like grilled cheese with fresh basil!
I'll try and think of a recipe, though.

Crispy, Spicy Tofu and Peanut Slaw

Well in the rush of hunger, I didn't get any photos taken of our dinner but there are photos on the recipe page.

I've made this once before and the family raved and requested it be made again, soon. I serve it as a main dish because of the tofu and peanuts. I also add a garnish of fresh cilantro and lime wedges. We think it improves with some time spend in the fridge, it needs to get colder and the cabbage releases some more juices to mix with the peanuts to make a peanut sauce.

Next time I will add some Chinese noodles.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

Yesterday I made Mascarpone Cheesecake, with a slight variation. The stores around me didn't have any Mascarpone, Italian sour cream. I used more cream cheese. But the cheesecake turned out light and fluffy anyway. It was probably cooking it in the bain-marie.

I made a simple syrup of one part water to two parts sugar with some lemon zest and juice and cooked until it coated the spoon. I then added blueberries and sliced plums.

The cheesecake is light, not too sweet with a taste of lemon. The blueberries and plums give it texture and zing.

Here's a slice of my cheesecake.

Inspired by Saturday afternoon cooking shows, I now introduce to you my cooking blog. Check in every so often and see what's cooking. There will be photos, recipes, links to more recipes, stories about cooking, family tales, and who knows what.

This is going to be fun.