Spinach with Kidney beans but this is no Palak Paneer

After the snow finally stopped around 10PM on Saturday, we had anywhere from 18-24 inches of snow in the area. Officially this was not a blizzard because there was no wind blowing at 35mph. The fun is watching the snow fall as long as there is no need to go anywhere, but reality sets in once the snow stops falling. We have to dig ourselves out of the snow and hope the roads are clean enough to get to work. Luckily it was a Sunday otherwise the cleanup would have been a mess. To the credit of our local government the roads were cleaned up and ready for us to go shopping once we cleaned up the driveway to get the cars out. DD wanted to get presents for her teachers and friends and the rest of us were ready for contact with the outside world. Just a day of being snowed in can bring on that feeling.

We fortified ourselves with Poori Masala and the driveway was clean in 2 hours or so, while DH did the bulk of the heavy lifting. I tend to not deep fry during the winter months because of the fumes clinging on to everything and staying around for a long time. The trick is, once the oil has become hot, to keep the temperature at medium so the oil does not smoke. If that does not work mix distilled white vinegar with water in the ratio of 1:2 and let it boil on the stove for 15-30 minutes, that usually takes care of all the smells.

I have never been a member of the Palak Paneer love brigade. I am not particularly fond of paneer and tasted palak paneer in a restaurant in a buffet only after coming here. Not very appealing. Malai kofta, paneer based was an exception, it was always a big time favorite. But every other person who talked about Indian food always wanted the recipe for palak paneer. In my unofficial survey every non-Indian, Indian food lover loves palak paneer. I have come to realize that the restaurant style palak paneer slathered in fat and cream is an exception rather than the rule and Anita confirms the fact. I have always liked mashed up greens, so cooking the greens without all the additives, mashing it and adding beans, potatoes or even paneer makes it appealing but simple.

This will be a entry for MLLA-18 hosted over at Cooking 4 all Seasons by Srivalli. This event featuring one of my favorite ingredients was started by Susan who blogs at The Well Seasoned Cook.

Spinach with Kidney Beans
Ingredients
1. 1 cup of red kidney beans soaked and cooked till soft (not mushy)
2. 1/2 onion chopped 1/2 cup
3. 4 Cups of fresh spinach
4. 3 garlic cloves chopped
5. 6-8 green chilies slit
6. 1/2 inch ginger grated
7. seasonings: curry leaves and cumin seeds
8. 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, 2 tsp red chili powder
Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil when hot add the seasonings.
2. Add the chopped onions and slit green chilies and saute till the onions are soft.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add salt and the powders followed by the spinach leaves.
4. Let cook for 6-8 minutes till the leaves have wilted.
5. Mash the leaves with the back of the spoon or with a hand blender.
6. Add the cooked red beans and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Spinach with Kidney beans but this is no Palak Paneer

Thai inspired soup with Chinese cabbage, baby corn, soba noodles and mushrooms and snowed in

The forecast on Friday was calling for a foot or more of snow from midnight all through Saturday. The kids are ecstatic, DD has already made several trips outside and as is her hobby of the moment taking pictures.Her unscientific measurement says we have got 7inches of snow already. People from the mid west and up north laugh at the way we deal with snow. We deal with snow by making a run of the grocery stores and stocking up on bread, milk and toilet paper. Why toilet paper have no idea. Am I well stocked up? Yes but not because of the weather.

Early in the morning, 6 inches of snow

I was getting into a funk earlier in the week with the overcast skies and the mercury dipping. It is this time of the year when I wonder what I am doing in a faraway cold country and then get into a deeper funk. The best medicine to treat this particular kind of funk is to get out and be active which is exactly what I did followed by a visit to the library where I caught sight of a glorious Thai soup on the cover of Vegetarian Times. Just the thing for the weather and the mood. I made a bee line to the international market and stocked up on some veggies. The Thai soup had green, Swiss Chard to be exact but I caught sight of some lovely fresh Chinese(Shanghai) cabbage and decided to make use of them. I did not have a paper to jot down the recipe from the magazine so this not the exact recipe that was on there but my own with the ingredients I had on hand. That is how I ended up with a well stocked refrigerator to wait out the snow storm. But being a Washingtonian we also made sure we have enough milk and bread. As for toilet paper we were already well stocked.

Few hours later, a foot of snow

DD just reported there is one foot of snow and we have another 6-12 hours to go before it finally stops. So that is an additional 4 inches from the time I started to write this post, in the meantime we had breakfast and made some kollu rasam. We have enough left overs from dinner last night when we had some relative/friends over.

still going strong

How is the weather in your neck of the woods?

Chinese cabbage

Clear soups are a favorite in our house. I rarely buy Tofu but it was perfect in this soup. There was no need to add salt because of the fish and soy sauce.

Soup with Chinese cabbage, mushroom, baby corn and soba noodles
Ingredients
1. 4 Cups of low sodium chicken stock
2. 1/2 of an onion sliced
3. 1 packet dried mushroom or fresh
4. 1 tin of baby corn drained and washed
5. 4 heads of Chinese cabbage washed thoroughly separated and sliced (regular cabbage cut into big slices would work as well)
6. 1 1/2 cups of cooked soba noodles
7. 4-6 garlic cloves mashed and cut
8. 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger
9. 1 tbsp of bruised lemon grass (optional)
10. 1 tbsp of Thai chili paste (I used Maesri brand)
11. 1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
12. 2 tsp of soy sauce (optional)
13. 8 shrimp (optional)
14. Extra firm Tofu cut into cubes
15. coriander leaves

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and saute the onions till they are soft, add the garlic and saute for a few minutes. Meanwhile set a sauce pan with the chicken stock, add the lemon grass and let it come to a boil and separately cook the soba noodles.
2. Add the Chinese cabbage and chili paste and saute (I loved the smell of the sauteing Chinese cabbage like boiling peanuts) for about 5 minutes.
3.Add the mushrooms and baby corn and saute till the cabbage has wilted. If adding shrimp add it now and saute for a minute and fish it out.
4. Add the soy sauce and fish sauce if doing so.
5.Remove the lemon grass and add the stock to the vegetables and let it come to a boil.
6. Add the shrimp,sliced Tofu and coriander leaves a couple of minutes before turning off the heat.

Thai inspired soup with Chinese cabbage, baby corn, soba noodles and mushrooms and snowed in

Cauliflower and Potato Subzi

I have very little faith in the health care reform bill that is coming out of congress. I am not particularly sure what the final bill will have when it does get passed. Last month it was the senator from Maine, Susan Collins who was seen as the all important vote but now the man of the hour is Joe Liberman, yes the very same guy from Connecticut who is probably in the payroll of a dozen insurance companies. Whatever shenanigans these guys play with the health of people who cares? I doubt if there is any American today who does not have anxiety about his health care coverage. We have our worries.

For many years we had individual coverage, purchased directly from an insurance company. The premium on such a plan is no doubt very high. Majority of Americans have health coverage through their employers called group insurance, the premiums are deducted from the pay check which may range from zero to as high as an individual plan. During the last decade barring a couple of years when I was a full time employee our coverage has been through an organization called the National Association of Self Employed professionals. We pay premium where coverage is mostly for catastrophic situations while getting group rates for treatment but the doctor's bill would be paid by us. The health insurance also gets us admission to a doctor's office who for the most part would not accept patients without insurance coverage. A non insured patient ends up in the emergency room, where they cannot be turned away for lack of coverage.

That said, I took the DDs for their yearly checkup and vaccinations appointment. The bills we received should have given me a heart attack. The amounts given in parenthesis is the discounted amount through the insurance.

DD2's bill came to $509 (don't know yet)
DDs bill came to $406 (256.91)
Sick visit for DD2 $111 (52.95)

We are still sorting through the doctor's office about the actual amount that needs to be paid. The doctor's office claims that they have not heard from insurance company. No way am I blaming the doctor's office for the mess but the frustration and the multiples phone calls have me in a bad mood.

How do we deal with our lack of complete coverage? We have a health saving account (HSA) through which we contribute a yearly maximum of $5000 which can used solely towards payment for health related expenses. We also have a CD in the bank for expenses related to health. In case of a huge health related expense we are prepared to make a trip to India where we have family members who are doctors to get treated.
Sad right?

But surely this is not a perfect solution. What about people who are unable to pay? Tough luck.

No health care reform will have the impact it should without adequate tort reform. Tort reform to release doctors from the strange hold the sue happy lawyers have on them. Patients for sure need a single payer system where health coverage is not tied to an employer. I read both are not politically possible. Congress is so indebted to industry and special interest money that meaningful reform is probably impossible.

The biggest question I have in mind is the coverage that so called conservatives have. They are so offended by the government entering the health care business through the public option - this is not a radical thought the government is already entrenched in the health care market through Medicare. But what about the health care mess they and their family are in?

What we can do and is under our control is to eat healthy and stay healthy. Cauliflower and Potatoes is a much beloved combination in our house. Cooked mostly in a dry form, sookhi aloo gobhi are a great combination with chapatis. I wanted to make a slight modification and give this combination a try.

Cauliflower and Potato Subzi
Ingredients
1. 4 Medium sized potatoes cubed 4 cups worth
2. 1 head of cauliflower, flowers separated to bite sized pieces 2 cups worth
3. 1/2 onion sliced 1/2 cup
4. 1/2 medium sized tomato chopped very fine 1/2 cup
5. 2 tsp turmeric powder
6. 1/2 tbsp ginger grated
7. pounded 5 - 6 garlic cloves
8. 1 tbsp sambhar powder
9. seasonings: mustard, cumin and curry leaves
10. 1 tsp oil, salt to taste

Method
1. In a wide bottomed pan heat oil and add the seasonings followed by the onion and garlic and saute till onions start to soften
2. Add ginger and give a good mix, add the turmeric powder followed by the potatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower and salt, mix well, sprinkle 1 tbsp of water, cover the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or till the potatoes are soft and well cooked.
4. Open the lid add the sambhar powder and let look for 5 more minutes or till the moisture is completed gone.

Serve with chapatis.

Cauliflower and Potato Subzi

Kids Lunch - Potatoes and Corn Quesadilla/Chapati

When should we be more graceful? When we are wrong or when we are correct? I would think more when we are right than wrong. When we are wrong it probably does not matter because we are already apologizing or bashful. When we are correct and feeling high we forget and hurt a few sensibilities. We might realize it a minute or two later but the damage is done and the seeds of resentment are sown.

We all have colleagues, friend, family members who are correct most of the time but not that well liked. There are always exceptions, there are a few who we like even though they are right all the time. What sets them apart is the attitude they bring to the situation.

I am reminded of this everyday, when I take DD to her bus stop, which is about a 1 1/2 miles from home. The bus driver is on time every single day both in the morning and evening. We can set the watch by her arrival times. In the mornings especially, having a bus arrive on time is a big relief if you have other kids to be dropped off at school, or have a bus to catch to work, or be at work at a certain time. But most parents who drop off the kids at the bus stop hate(hate might be a strong word here dislike is more like it) the bus driver. No the dislike has nothing to do with her arriving on time.

For a month and a half after the school started there was a different driver who for that entire time, never came on time even for a day. We hung around waiting for the bus and wondering when it is going to come. Most of us (parents) did not have a problem with the driver and mostly ignored the fact that he did not come on time and the kids appreciated the fact that he never yelled at them.

What was the difference? quite simply the attitude. The tardy driver waited, if he saw parents driving towards the stop and sometimes on the road to pick up kids after leaving the designated stop area. The on-time driver on the other hand, has a bad attitude . She has a habit of loudly(she yells so loud the whole street can hear) admonishing parents and kids about being late and won't open the door even if she has moved a feet from bus stop. She has picked up DD twice on the road but not before loudly admonishing me for my tardiness (we were half a minute late) and stating in no uncertain terms that the bus would not stop away from the designated bus stop. We learned our lesson quickly and now are on time rain or shine but with a clear feeling of resentment. Though there is nothing wrong in what she does, perhaps even doing things by the rulebook besides the loud screaming.

In my more generous moments I would give in to the fact that the on time driver makes our life easier and teaches the kids a lesson or two about being punctual and taking responsibility for their actions. All good but the one thing that stands out like a sore thumb is her attitude. If she had been graceful and not so aggressive in her attitude we would have really appreciated her.

A reminder every day, that being graceful is very important more so when you are in control of a situation.

Besides being on my toes to drop DD off at time I need to be smart about packing healthy but fun lunches. This is one such. Both the kids love potatoes and corn and quesadillas are a clear favorite. The plain cheese quesdillas though tasty are not filling enough. Hence this recipe is a clear winner.

Serving: 2 Quesadillas - Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Potatoes and Corn Quesadillas
Ingredients
1. 1 Potatoes peeled and cubed into small pieces (1/2 cup worth) and 1/2 cup corn or peas
2. 2 tbsp chopped onion
3. 1 tsp sambhar powder or chili powder
4. 1 tsp of shredded ginger (optional)
5. seasonings: cumin and muustard seeds
6. salt to taste
7. 2 whole wheat tortillas or chapatis
8. 3 tbsp of shredded cheese

Method
1. In a pan heat a tsp of oil and when hot add the cumin and mustard seeds, when mustard starts to pop add the onions and saute till translucent. add ginger if doing and saute for a minute.
2. add the salt and sambhar powder and give a stir, add the potatoes and corn, sprinkle a tbsp of water, cover with a lid and let cook for 5-8 minutes till the potatoes are soft. Set aside
3. Heat a griddle, toast the tortillas on each side for about 10-15 seconds.
4. Place the filling, sprinkle cheese on top and heat till the cheese melts - about a minute. fold in 2. Cut and wrap in paper towel and pack in lunch boxes

This is a very popular lunch box item for the kids. Not a bad one for adults as well.

Kids Lunch - Potatoes and Corn Quesadilla/Chapati

Simple Lunches - 18 (beets with potates)

If a business gives a person in power money to get something done it is called a bribe. If the Nobel committee offers the peace prize with an expectation of a certain type of behavior is it still called a prize? BHO after accepting his bribe prize delivers an impassioned speech about being a war president. Didn't we vote for him to be the peace president? Don't miss the article on Jugalbandi and the article linked there - this piece in Rolling stones. As people who voted for him it is also our responsibility to keep tabs on what our President is really up to apart from the sound bites.

The weather has turned noticeably colder and we have had the season's first snow already. The mouth craves for foods that are spicy and hot. The kids relish the snow and watch the melting of snow with great sadness, as for me the faster the snow melts the better. But one thing that offers solace is the availability of beets. I know beets are found all year round but the best ones I think are found in winter. Beets is one vegetable that I remember eating with great pleasure. This beet raita was made often. We had a cook who used to make a dry beet root curry which was also a big favorite. I have to recreate the recipe from memory. The recipe presented here was given by a dear friend, amazing in its simplicity but really tasty.

Beets and Potatoes stir fry
Ingredients
1. 3 Medium sized beet roots chopped into cubes, 2 cups
2. 1/2 - 1 onion chopped
3. 2 Potatoes peeled and cubed into slightly bigger size than the beets
4. 4-5 green chilies slit (optional)
5. 3/4 tbsp sambhar powder or chili powder and coriander powder
6. seasonings: mustard seeds, urad dal - 1 tsp, cumin seeds and curry leaves

Method
1. In a pan heat a tsp of oil and add the seasonings followed by the onions and green chilies and saute till the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the beets and potatoes and saute for a few minutes, add salt, sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of water, close the lid and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Open the lid, add the sambhar powder and saute for 3-4 minutes.

Serve as a side with rice and sambhar or with chapatis.

Simple Lunches - 18 (beets with potates)

Chickpeas Curry (Stew)

Not to beat the gift card horse to death, bear with me as I share this story. Happened about 8 9 years ago, I wanted to spend a gift card presented for DD's birthday in favor Zainy Brainy, used to be a nifty store but unfortunately went out of business in 2001. At the store I purchased stuff worth a little over $25, the value of the gift card. (isn't that always the case, we end up purchasing more than the gift card's worth), I took it to the counter, when the cashier rang it up, the card was worth $20.87 or some such. I was a bit surprised and it seemed strange that someone would gift a used card. These friends of ours were tight wads and for a second the thought crossed my mind. I am bad, I know and I apologize for thinking that. But these were days when gift cards were not all that popular and not every financial advisor was talking about the evils of penalty of non-usage and reducing value of the gift cards after a certain period. I don't remember exactly but that's probably what happened. I bet most of you are aware but just a reminder to make sure the gift cards don't have expiry dates and penalties attached.

Don't get me wrong, I am not condemning regifting, I do it all the time but I make sure the product is in its original package and in the case of gift cards the value has not reduced. Just don't want the recipient to feel offended.

Green Earth
"To really save the planet, stop going green" says Mike Tidwell the executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in an article in the Washington Post.


He states,

"All who appreciate the enormity of the climate crisis still have a responsibility to make every change possible in their personal lives. I have, from the solar panels on my roof to the Prius in my driveway to my low-carbon-footprint vegetarian diet. But surveys show that very few people are willing to make significant voluntary changes, and those of us who do create the false impression of mass progress as the media hypes our actions."

......

"So what's the problem? There's lots of blame to go around, but the distraction of the "go green" movement has played a significant role. Taking their cues from the popular media and cautious politicians, many Americans have come to believe that they are personally to blame for global warming and that they must fix it, one by one, at home. And so they either do as they're told -- a little of this, a little of that -- or they feel overwhelmed and do nothing.

We all got into this mess together. And now, with treaty talks underway internationally and Congress stalled at home, we need to act accordingly. Don't spend an hour changing your light bulbs. Don't take a day to caulk your windows. Instead, pick up a phone, open a laptop, or travel to a U.S. Senate office near you and turn the tables: "What are the 10 green statutes you're working on to save the planet, Senator?" "

Read full article here.

This article struck a chord, having been seriously disillusioned every time I visit the grocery store carrying my cloth bags. I am probably one of the very few with a reusable bag. Sometimes I am the only one amid the clamor to double bag everything. I doubt if there is anyone who does not understand the harmful effects of plastic bags but most people don't make the effort. It's not like these reusable bags are expensive, they are not. Most grocery stores give credit for the reusable bags that are brought in. Doesn't seem to be doing much to change attitudes. This is a tiny example and I am sure there are many things that can be done by individuals without pain but most don't. A government mandated no plastic bag rule would go a long way in doing what voluntary efforts are never going to.

What do you all think? Is voluntary efforts by individuals enough to change anything?




When I saw the recipe on plaintain leaf I immediately went looking for black chickpeas but did not have any. I decided to use garbanzo beans instead. I added star anise but none of the other whole spices.

Recipe Source: Kadala Curry

1. 2 Cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked with turmeric powder
2. 2 tbsp grated coconut
3. 1/2 medium sized onion roughly chopped - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp finely chopped
4. 2 star anise
5. 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
6. 1 tsp cumin and few pepper corns
7. 6-8 green chilies
8. 4 cloves garlic sliced
9. salt to taste
10. seasonings: mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds

Method
1. Roast the coconut till they turn brown, set aside
2. Add a bit of oil to the pan and saute the onions, when they are almost brown add the star anise, coriander seeds, cumin, pepper corns and green chilies and saute for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool and blend to a paste.
3. In a wide mouthed vessel heat a tsp of oil and add the seasonings. Add the onions and saute till translucent, add the garlic and saute for a minute
4. Add the cooked chickpeas and the blended paste and 1/2 cup of water.
5. Cook for 6-1o minutes, add salt and let the curry come to a desired consistency.

Serve with chapatis, rice or even idlis.

The smell was just wonderful.

Chickpeas Curry (Stew)

Carrot Payasam/Kheer

In India, no festival or special occasion is complete and no guest happy without a bowl of this sweet dish. Simple yet tasty payasam is the customary sweet dish in a multicourse festival meal. Traditionally paal payasam is made with rice and milk. The rice is cooked in milk and added to boiling milk that has been reduced, sweetened with sugar and garnished with nuts and raisins. Payasam can also made with vermicelli, tapioca pearls, carrots, dates etc., the choice is endless.

During the festival season sweets and savories are cooked up to be shared and enjoyed. Savories like murukku and sweets like gulab jamun, badam (almond) burfi, badam halwa prepared ahead of the festival day and shared with friends and family.

On the festival day itself be it Christmas, Deepavali or Pongal the lunch is a very important meal, with payasam taking a starring role. Presented here is payasam made with carrots.

The recipe will be featured on Dec 12, in the International Recipe Advent Calendar over at Lexiophiles. Visit the website to check out all the recipes in the series.

Carrot Payasam/Kheer
Ingredients
1. 4 Carrots or 2 Cups worth peeled and chopped
2. 3 1/2 cups of fat free milk
3. 6-7 tbsp of sugar
4. 2 tbsp cashews + 1 tbsp raisins + 1/2 tbsp pistachios
5. 1 cardamom powdered
6. 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter) or butter

Method
1. In a pressure cooker take 2 cups of milk with the 2 cups of carrots and cook for a whistle (OR) cook on stove top till carrots are soft. Let cool.
2. Blend the carrots till smooth.
3. Roast the cashews and raisins in the ghee
3. Take the blended carrots with the rest of milk in a thick bottomed pan and cook in low medium heat, add the cardamom powder and sugar, let cook for 4-5 minutes. Add more milk if you want drinkable consistency. [cooking at this point is just to heat up the milk and dissolve the sugar]
4. Switch off the heat, add the roasted nuts.
5. Powder the pistachios roughly and sprinkle on top just before serving.
Serve warm or chilled.

Carrot Payasam/Kheer