Chandra Malai Kofta

More goodness from Isa Does It.  This recipe took some putting together.  It is Indian-inspired, and our house smells like an Indian restaurant.  I've been cooking for the last hour.  It takes that long to put this together.  But oh boy!  Cashews in the blender with vegetable broth, shredded zucchini, and sauce that is to die for.

On a related note, I see the dietitian on November 8th.  I am not looking forward to writing down my food.  I should have done it today, but I got lazy.

Missing out

I am going back to work today after being furloughed for a week.  You'd think I would have found time to do a lot of things.  Not really.  I was quite lazy, and caught up on all my episodes of Columbo.  I didn't wax creative in the kitchen, though I did practice flute some.  I feel better going back to work. 

I also missed out on the vegan month of food this year.  For some reason, they decided to have it in September, and I just wasn't ready.  I was simply not inspired to cook ANYTHING.  Oh, I'm still vegan, but I just didn't feel inspired to go all out in the kitchen.  I really need a new kitchen.  Mine is old, crowded, and a mess. The counters are so crowded, I am surprised I can find anything.  And I need a dishwasher.  Washing dishes by hand is really tedious.

And those are my first world problems for today.

I'm grateful I have a house to live in, and indoor sanitation, as well as a washer and dryer and, now, a new water heater.  Life really isn't bad.

Roman Beans and...Quinoa???

It actually works!  I made quinoa in the rice cooker, and used veggie broth instead of water.  One thing - the quinoa cooks faster than rice does, so I think I'm going to taste it next time and turn it off before the little buzzer goes off.  Otherwise, some of it burns a little bit.

I took the Roman Rice and Beans recipe and subbed quinoa for the rice.  DELICIOUS!  The kids like it also.  I have two lunches for next week already, and with the leftover Chinese food from yesterday, I should have four lunches for this week already.

Merry Christmas!

We give gifts of zucchini bread to family and friends every year.  This year is no exception.

Here is the recipe we used this year:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup vegetable oil
2¼ cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Combine all applesauce, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients, whisking together until well combined.  Then, combine dry with wet, adding zucchini and walnuts until all is well mixed.

Divide batter between two well-greased and floured loaf pans.  Put in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.  Check for doneness with a butter knife in the center of each loaf.  Bake another 10 minutes if needed.   Enjoy!

We had some for breakfast this morning and it was delicious.  It's very moist and can be toasted if you like.  We're using our Kitchenaid mixer that Marcus gave me for Christmas last year.  It is very sturdy and can mix double and even triple batches.  We're having a lot of fun with it.

Kitchen Wishes

KitchenAid 9 cup food processor
KitchenAid 2 speed Hand Blender

These two items are a must for anyone who wants to do some serious cooking.  All too often, families give up on cooking at home because homemade food isn't quite like what is served in a restaurant.  With these two appliances, you can get the kind of smooth textures you find in restaurant dishes, without the added salt and chemicals from commercially processed/prepared foods.  You can take what you get at your local farmer's market, and with a little work, you get creamy soups, perfect lasagna filling, and all kinds of wonderful vegan foods made with tofu, cashews and other delectables.  I am fortunate I have a good blender, but I need more than that.  Definitely want these two items.  Or something like them.  Doesn't have to be KitchenAid, although that is one of the best brands out there.