DO try this at home

Last night, I tried a recipe from the The Complete Book of Indian Cooking, a book that Nana and Pops gave me two Christmases ago. The book is really straight forward and has pics for each step - something i am a huge fan of. We had Sweet-and-Sour Balti Tofu (instead of the chicken) and I was licking my plate while Raj was licking the prep spoon. It was better than most dishes I have had eating out. MAKE IT.

Sweet-and Sour Balti Chicken (or tofu)

Ingredients
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp greek-style yogurt
1.5 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic pulp (don't know what the heck this means, so I chopped the garlic)
2 tbsp mango chutney (see pic)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (optional) and yes I added it!
4 tbsp oil (I used 1 instead)
1.5 lbs cubed chicken or 1 package of tofu (grilled)
2/3 cup water
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp light cream

1. Blend together the tomato paste, yogurt, garam masala, chilli powder, garlic, mango chutney, salt and sugar in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a deep pan. Lower the head slightly and pour in the spice mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chicken or tofu and stir until they are well covered.
4. Add the water to thin the sauce slightly. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is tender (only a few mins if using tofu).
5. Add the fresh chillies, cilantro and cream. Cook for two more mins.
6. Serve hot with Naan (what we did) or with rice.
7. Lick plate and spoon.

Fall in Michigan

It has been rainy and cold here the last week. So much so that I was starting to think that Ann Arbor could give Seattle's weather a run for its money (what do you think, Pranati & Jaideep?). Finally, the sun has poked through and the rain has stopped. So, Raj and I are celebrating by going to the Y (in our car) to workout (indoors). The plan is to go canoeing tomorrow. Hold off, rain!

Roasted Potatoes with North Indian Spices

Thanks to Nana & Cooking Light for this tasty side dish. Raj topped his with Sriracha hot chili sauce, while I was tame and stuck to ketchup. The tumeric gives the potatoes a lovely color.

Ingredients
3 & 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided (I opted for 2 tablespoons total instead)
3 pounds small red potatoes, halved (about 8 cups)
1 & 3/4 teaspoons black mustard seed
6 dried red chiles
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 5 due to our garlic addiction)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (used normal salt and a bit more than required - yikes!)
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon gararm masala
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint (I skipped this, because I didn't have any)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
8 lime wedges

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400*
2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes, tossing to coat. Set aside.
3. Heat remaining 2 & 1/2 tablespoons oil (I used 1 tbsp), mustard seeds, and chiles in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook 1.5 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add ginger, garlic, and jalapeno to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, tumeric, and garam masala; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add spice mixture to potatoes, tossing to coat. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer in a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 400* for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, mint, and juice. Serve with lime wedges.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup potato mixture and 1 lime wedge).
Calories: 241
Fat: 7.4 grams
Protein: 5.9 grams
Fiber: 5.5 grams

Chana Masala

This. is. the. best. dish. It is so good that I am including the link to the recipe AND posting it below.

Thanks to Meena for a delicious dish!

CHANA MASALA
CHICKPEA CURRY
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 2

1 can 1 medium-sized 1 large 1-2 1 tbsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp 2 tbsp

chickpeas, drained onion, finely chopped tomato, chopped green chillies, finely chopped ginger-garlic paste tomato paste cumin seeds red chilli powder turmeric powder coriander powder cumin powder light cooking oil salt, to taste water, as needed fresh chopped coriander, as garnish lemon wedges, as garnish

SAUTE cumin seeds in hot oil till they start to sizzle and pop. Add onions and green chillies, and fry till tender.

ADD in tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste, salt and spices, and cook till tomatoes pulp and starts to give out oil from the sides.

STIR in about a cup of water, allow it to come to a boil, and then add chickpeas. Let simmer covered for a few minutes till chickpeas are soft and tender to the touch.

GARNISH with fresh coriander and a sprinkle of lemon juice.

Palak Tofu

Thanks again to Hooked on Heat for yet another tasty dish. I substituted tofu for the paneer and grilled it before throwing it into the dish. Very easy and really good - serve it on brown rice or with heated naan (throw on some chopped garlic - sorry mom!- and salt for good measure). Not only are Meena's recipes delicious, her narratives behind the menus are entertaining.

Hot off the Press

Dinner was quite decadent this evening...

Ingredients
4 slices of thyme & rosemary bread
Smart Start light butter
4 pieces of bacon
2 slices of pepper jack cheese
Salt to taste
4 roma tomatoes, sliced in half

First off, I grilled the tomatoes on our panini press. Whatever you do, don't do it for too long. I forgot about the first batch and when I remembered to check on them a few minutes later, they were total smoosh and I had to peel them off the grill!

I slow cooked the bacon in a pan. It took me about 30 minutes. I did it on really low heat & the taste made it worth it.

After lightly buttering the sides of the bread that would touch the grill, I layered the rest of the ingredients and grilled it for about 7 minutes.

We so went back for seconds.

Chilli Tofu With Beans & Bok Choy

I have found some really delicious recipes from the blog Hooked on Heat. I will be updating this weekend and sharing all the tasty treats I have learned from this site! The chili tofu with beans & bok choy is amazing. I am a huge fan of tamarind and loved the flavor it gave this dish. The crispiness of the green beans was tres bien. I decided to throw the tofu on the panini press, rather than fry it and I love it.

Visit her site for the recipe.

No Money Fun

When I hear a new song or want to see a movie, I typically run out to Blockbuster or purchase something on I-tunes. While it is is only a couple of bucks here and there, it is annoying to look at my statements and see that I spend silly amounts of money on a few minutes of entertainment. Since we have moved to Ann Arbor, I have been trying to cut back on mindless spending. Instead, I have been checking out Cd's from the library and instead of spending $1.99 on one song, I get to burn the whole album for free. Most recently I burned The Trinity Session by the Cowboy Junkies and Moby's 18. Check out One of These Mornings - I am listening to it on repeat. I joined netflix and find the convenience to be a money and time saver.

Chocolaterie Wanders

This past summer, my little sister, Debbie sent Raj and me amazing chocolate tea. Now that the leaves are changing and the chilliness of MI weather is setting in, I have been drinking it daily, sometimes twice a day! The store's location is in VA, but you can order their products online . Yummy! Nothing better than a good book (currently reading The Local News by Miriam Gershow) and an excellent cup of tea. Thanks Roo!

Walk it off

For those of you who don't know me, I am private personal trainer with a background in clinical social work. I advocate the connection between exercise and personal well-being. First hand, my self-esteem, sleep, relationships and spiritual life all benefit from regular exercise. Working with people and observing their journey and accomplishments is truly a blessing.

Since I was a wee little girl, I remember experiencing bouts of anxiety. Flash back to first grade. Rather than alerting my teacher to my gushing bloody nose, I wiped the blood all over my pale, yellow blouse. I did not want to disturb her while she taught us the ABCs. And so on and so on for the next 20+ years. Anxiety and I are on friendly, communicative terms and every once in awhile I invite it in, while other times I tell it to seek elsewhere.

I know that exercise can help reduce anxious feelings, but I have to say that some forms of exercise seem to lead to feelings of angst for me. Take running for example. Some days, I wish I could emulate my friend Soo and become a marathoner. Most days, I really don't enjoy running and notice that I am berating myself throughout the exercise - why aren't I running faster, longer and more often?

When I moved to Ann Arbor, I vowed to incorporate more walks into my routine and subsequently have almost completely dropped running from my routine. When I finish an hour of incline walking, I feel refreshed and energized. While it is not as belaboring as running, I do get my heart rate up and feel calm, rather than anxious, while I am doing it. And happy after:)

And I do it more often than not! A day rarely goes by when I don't crave the physical release and calmness that accompanies a walk. Oddly enough, I am feeling much fitter than when I was trying to hammer out runs. And my knees and hips feel wonderful.

Little Liam

Now that Liam has moved home, it is such a treat to watch him on webcam and be able to hear all the wild commotion that is my family go on around him. The dining room has been turned into his new nursery and it is brilliant for many reasons. Raj and I always joke that dining rooms are usually just extra, neglected space and the little guy sure changed that! Now, he won't have to be transported up and down stairs - hopefully this will help with his congestion and help him save up some energy for those beautiful smiles and yawns that he has been sharing with everyone.

Curried Coconut-Squash Soup

When I came across this recipe, I wanted the leaves to start changing colors and imagined myself drinking hot cider. Aahhh...So, yes, I thought that it looked delicious and gave it a whirl. The original recipe calls for pumpkin, but after checking out every store in my area, I decided to skip the pie filling (eww!) I found and substitute squash. It was very delicious. I have made this another time and learned that it is not as tasty unless the squash is super tender. Basically, cook the squash into liquid form. Definitely tastes much better over brown rice, than with noodles (didn't really absorb the flavor). Give it a try and enjoy!