Carrot Potato Cauliflower Curry

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 small carrots, peeled and cut into pieces around the same size as the potatoes
1/2 head cauliflower, divided into small florets
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeño (or spicy-or-not pepper of your choice), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dry cumin
1/2 teaspoon dry turmeric
1, 14 1/2 ounce can whole plum tomatoes in their juice
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-cook the potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower with whatever method you like. I steamed these, but roasting would be delicious.

Saute the garlic, ginger, and pepper in the olive oil for about a minute. Stir in the dry spices and continue cooking for another minute. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and the vegetables are all warmed through. Season to taste and serve over rice.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe

I haven't been cooking much this week, friends, what with the sinus and ear infections and bronchitis... But here's an easy meal full of health. Maybe posting it will cure my ills?

about a pound of spaghetti
one bunch broccoli rabe
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt + pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Boil the broccoli rabe for 3-5 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Put the pasta on to boil and, meanwhile, saute the garlic in the olive oil for about one minute, then add the broccoli rabe and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.

Top the cooked pasta with the broccoli rabe, season to taste, and garnish with grated parmesan. If the pasta is a bit dry, add a tablespoon or two more of the olive oil.

Cole Slaw Sandwich on Pumpernickel

My low-level, but persistent obsession softly strikes again. Here's how I made this basic slaw:

1/2 head purple (red?) cabbage, sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 gala apple, cut into matchsticks
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonaise

Toss all ingredients to combine!

I grilled the pumpernickel slices, melted some Swiss cheese on one slice, then stuffed the sandwich with the day-old slaw. Oh, and ever wonder where the word pumpernickel came from? A warning: curiosity might kill your craving.

Seitan Marinara Sandwich

This sandwich is easy and comforting.

Cook seitan in your favorite tomato sauce, garnish with chopped parsley, shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Serve on toast.

Easter Brunch: Baked Eggs, Mustard-Roasted Potatoes, Mixed Greens Salad, Kumquats, Cara Cara Oranges, and Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

These lovely eggs are thanks to 101 Cookbooks, with some variations:

approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the ramekins
1 large shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
about 3 tablespoons goat cheese
6 eggs
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil six ramekins (or a muffin tin) and place opened pita quarters inside.

Saute the shallots in the olive oil until softened. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes break down and release their moisture. Spoon this mixture into the bottom of the pita bread. On top of that, crumble the goat cheese then crack an egg into each cup. Bake for about 20 minutes (it took my oven a bit longer than others'). Garnish with parsley and chives and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Along with these elegant eggs, I served super basic mustard-roasted potatoes:


3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt + pepper
6 red skin potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir together the mustard, oil, garlic, salt and pepper, then toss with the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out in a large roasting pan and cook for about an hour, tossing once or twice.

Finally, kumquats, sweet cara cara oranges, and blueberry coffee cake muffins. By the way, I tried these muffins with whole grain pastry flour in place of all-purpose this time. They're less dense this way and to me that meant less muffin-like; maybe next time I'll try half AP, half WGP.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mushrooms, Lemon, and Chives

So, yeah, this really wasn't very delicious. Maybe it was the mushroom broth I used instead of vegetable, or the crimini-because-they-were-out-of-shitake mushrooms, or the fact that I overcooked both the asparagus AND the pasta. Mostly though, I think it was the lemon. When I came across this recipe, all these ingredients said HELLO, SPRING! But when I ate it: sour. Sour sourness.

And, look, I am exaggerating a bit. I still ate it, and so did my mom, sister, and husband (sort of). But it wasn't the inaugural baby-birds-being-born kind of meal I'd hoped for.

Dil Pickle Club

A food post in name only: join me, Chicagoans, on Saturday as I read one or two poems at the Mess Hall.

Celery Root Fritters

I had a lot of celery root laying around, so I made these. They are a strange taste sensation. The celery root melts into a starchy paste as it cooks, while the other vegetables retain some of their crisp. My first taste was unsteady, but as I continued eating, I really fell in love with these bright Spring-is-coming-but-not-really-here-yet fritters.

1 pound celery root, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 medium onion, shredded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup four
1 cup rice flour

Combine the vegetables with the beaten egg. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the vegetable mixture. Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a non-stick griddle coated with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Makes approximate 12-15 fritters.

I served these over mixed greens with a ginger honey-mustard vinaigrette.