Vegetable and Cashew Curry

Mr. Sexy Veggie and I have started taking Spin Classes on Sunday afternoons. This is great…it is a lot of fun, a great workout, and we get to spend the time together! However, I am usually pretty tired after the class, and making dinner seems like a huge deal. So I have picked recipes for Sunday evenings that can be made earlier in the day, and then just reheated when we are ready to eat. For the first week of spinning class, I made VEGETABLE AND CASHEW CURRY.

I love the ease and flavors of curry. This one was very simple. Chopped onion, ginger, and garlic were sautéed for 5 minutes, and once they were tender curry powder and cumin were mixed in. Diced tomatoes, water, and potatoes are added, and the mixture is simmered for 20 minutes. Zucchini and cashews are stirred in, and the mixture cooks for 10 more minutes. Lemon juice is mixed in right before you plate the dish. The curry is served over hot basmati rice, with a dollop of yogurt on top to add creaminess and contrast to the sauce.


This was very good, and simple. The flavor is not too intense, and the yogurt adds a slight twang to the dish. We enjoyed it so much that I did not have enough leftovers for my lunch at work the next day!!!

Classic Cornbread

There are several types of cornbread……..sweet, savory, fluffy, heavy. I enjoy almost every kind! Last night I made CLASSIC CORN BREAD to accompany baked potatoes topped with broccoli and cheese and green beans.

This cakelike quick bread is made by combining cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melted butter, milk, and one egg are whisked together, and then mixed into the dry ingredients. Once moistened, the batter is poured into a pan and baked until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

This bread turned out very well. It had a good consistency, dense but not very dry. It was too sweet for my taste, I will cut back on the sugar the next time I make this recipe.

Classic Stir-fry Tofu and Vegetables Hoisin over Brown Rice

Mmmmmm….stir-fry. Tender-crisp veggies, flavorful sauce, brown rice. What a great meal. Last night for dinner I made CLASSIC STIR-FRIED TOFU AND VEGETABLES HOISIN over BROWN RICE.

You start this dinner by simmer brown rice in water for about 45 minutes. While this cooks, you cut tofu into small pieces, de-stem broccoli florets, and dice a red bell pepper. The tofu is cooked in a small amount of oil until golden brown. The broccoli and red pepper are added to the pan, and cooked until tender. Minced garlic and ginger are stirred in, and cooked for a few seconds. A sauce made from soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil is poured over the vegetables, and then the tofu is returned to the pan. After cooking for a minute longer, the stir-fry is ready to be enjoyed over the brown rice.

YUM! This is flavorful, nutritious, and filling. The flavors were very nice-not too strong or heavy. It was easy to prepare, and the clean-up was easy as well. I will make this again!!

Semolina Pizza Dough

The night after ringing in 2010, Mr. Sexy Veggie and I were hitting the town with some friends. Before our night out, I decided to make us a couple of pizzas to enjoy. I used the SEMOLINA PIZZA DOUGH recipe from the cookbook for these pizzas.

This dough is made by proofing yeast in warm water until bubbly. At this point, water oil and salt are mixed in. Flour and semolina (a roughly milled flour made from the yellow endosperm of durum wheat) and added, and the mixture is stirred into a dough. The dough is covered and placed into a warm place to rise until doubled. Then the dough is rolled out, baked, and then topped with pizza toppings!

This dough was one of the easiest I have ever dealt with. It was elastic and smooth, not sticky at all. The crust taste was great, thin with a nutty flavor and good crunch. I will make this lots more often!!

Perfect Pancakes

What to cook for the first meal of 2010? What a decision! I chose PERFECT PANCAKES from the cookbook to kick off the year right. They are called perfect, how could they be wrong?

This quick bread easily comes together by mixing flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, egg, milk, and melted butter are stirred in. The batter is poured into a lightly oiled hot pan, and cooked until golden brown. They are topped with warm syrup before enjoying.

These are very good pancakes. I would agree that they are close to perfect! Light, flavorful, and easy to make. I will be making these again!!!

TEMPEH RAGOUT WITH CORN AND TOMATOES

Before starting this recipe, I was not really sure what tempeh or ragout were. I quickly learned that tempeh is fermented soybeans in cake form (sounds great, right?), and that ragout (ragu) is a main-dish stew. I learned all this while cooking TEMPEH RAGOUT WITH CORN, ZUCCHINI, AND TOMATOES.

This warm dish starts with simmering diced potatoes in a tomato mixture that has been seasoned with garlic and red pepper flakes. Once the potatoes are tender, diced tempeh and zucchini are added to the pot to simmer. Once this mixture is tender, frozen corn and salt are stirred in, and cooked until warm.

This French-style vegetable stew was OUTSTANDING. I loved every bite of it, it was delicious, warm and filling. My first try to tempeh was great, and I can’t wait to make this recipe again!!

TUSCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS SALAD

After a weekend of traveling, and a day of unpacking and catching up on chores, I was ready for a quick and tasty dinner. I chose TUSCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS SALAD, a recipe from the cookbook that comes highly recommended by fellow blogger Bridget.

This dish requires almost no cooking. Water is brought to a boil, and stirred into couscous that has been flavored with turmeric. Once the couscous has absorbed all the water, toasted pine nuts, white beans, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and red onion are mixed in. The salad is then topped with a dressing made from lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

This is a very fresh and tasty dish. As recommended, I enjoyed it with crostini spread with goat cheese and a glass of white wine. This will be a great summer dish, and the leftovers are great to pack for lunches on the go!!