Catching Up...

So, anyway, I went to China a few times this year. 6, in fact. A total of 16 weeks. I'm back now and still catching up on all sorts of things including remembering how to cook for myself and how to eat something other than rice. It's a long story. 

Meanwhile, I'm on a mission. While I was gone, riding out a Category 5 Typhoon from the 20th floor of my 4 star hotel (see, I *told* you it was a long story!), my husband was weathering a 4-day power outage and trying to save the summer's worth of meals I had cooked and stored in our second freezer. Luckily he was successful. He also ate well whilst I was gone and I'm now on a mission to restock our freezer for the winter. Since there is no snow yet, ski season has not come into full swing, I'm back in the kitchen wreaking havoc. 

AND, I have new inspiration!! Mary gave me this for my birthday: 

It's a collection of recipes from 7 different areas of the world, all vegetarian and all can be done in the crock pot. And, well, if you're going to get out the cutting board and the good knife, you might as well chop everything you can get your hands on. Right now, the Lebanese Eggplant Stew is simmering in the crock pot. Recipe below.

And my own bastardization version of the Potatoes and Peas in Red Curry Sauce is on the stove. As you can see in the picture below, there are no peas, and the curry is Yellow. Ok, so I improvised. Recipe below. 

Lebanese Eggplant Stew

1 eggplant, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 cup Aunt Tobi's homemade tomato sauce, or water

• Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, mix well, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. 

Potato and Chick Pea Yellow Curry

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches of ginger root, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans chickpeas, not drained
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can coconut milk
1 large sweet potato, baked, then mashed
2 heaping tablespoons Yellow Curry Paste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

• In large pot, heat olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger root and peppers. Saute till onions become translucent. Add small amount of salt. 
• Add potatoes, carrots and celery. Mix well and turn heat to low. 
• Add chickpeas. Stir.
• In separate bowl, combine coconut milk, mashed sweet potato, cumin and yellow curry paste. Stir till well-mixed and smooth. 
• Add curry mixture to vegetables. Stir well to mix.
• Add chopped cilantro.  
• Cover and cook on low till potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally. 

Curried Lobster

Adapted from Ann Vanderhoof’s book “An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude”.  My version treats cilantro as a vegetable instead of an herb. I use an entire bunch!

 

Ingredients & Directions

Meat from two lobsters, picked from the shell and chopped

Juice from one lime

Curry powder to taste

Garlic powder to taste

Sea salt

Black pepper

1 tablespoon ketchup to start, plus more to taste

•  Toss all of the above and let sit in fridge for favors to mix

1/2 medium onion diced

1 green pepper diced

1 red pepper diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large bunch of cilantro, minced

• Toss onion, garlic, pepper and cilantro in skillet with olive oil and sauté until cilantro wilts.
• Add lobster mixture and cook over medium heat till thoroughly heated.
• Serve with rice.

Butternut Squash Quiche

This flavorful quiche makes a light entrée and a great Thanksgiving side dish. We like lots of curry, so we use these amounts as a starting point. Your tastes may vary.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chopped spinach leaves or kale

4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese, room temperature

16 oz butternut squash, roasted and mashed

2 large sweet potatos, baked and mashed

1 1/4 cups fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp curry powder

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" pie pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
• Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove.
• Add onion and garlic and, stirring occasionally, cook until softened and slightly browned, about 6 minutes.
• Add spinach and cook until wilted and excess moisture has evaporated, about 2 more minutes.
• Transfer onion-spinach mixture to the large bowl.
• Add cheese wedges, breaking them into pieces as you add them.
• Mix thoroughly, until cheese has melted and is evenly distributed.
• Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
• Evenly transfer mixture to the pie pan.
• Bake in the oven until firm and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour.
• Allow to slightly cool. Cut into 6 slices and enjoy!