If You Have the Time, Make It

Today is clearly my "catch up" day for blogging.  Somehow, after experiencing a turkey-filled Thanksgiving Weekend, I still seem to have a lot to blog about on my own.

Here's my Friday update:

J and I always try to do something a bit more fun on Fridays (if we have the time). In my household, Fridays were always for Western Sandwiches, ordering pizza, or french fries - all things we couldn't/wouldn't normally have.  If there's time, we try to continue with this same thinking.

Appetizer (which would make a great snack or treat on it's own!):  
Robin's Vegetable Pakora Recipe (this is quite similar to the veggie fritters that I made awhile back, but this recipe is even tastier due to the chickpea flour.  A colleague of mine, Robin, passed this keeper along!)

Mix together:
1cup of chickpea flour*
3/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of masala
1/4 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of cayenne


Slowly add in 1/2 cup of water.  Let stand for 30 minutes.

Next:  I added in chopped mushroom, onion, zucchini, although you could use whatever you wanted.  For this recipe, I used small pieces of the vegetables (unlike the previous recipe).

Covering the bottom of a frying pan with oil (whichever kind you want to use but soy and olive oil), fry each side quickly.  Dip in whatever you like, although I used Sweet Thai Chili Sauce and Renee's Cucumber and Dill.

The Main Dish (and boy was it filling....it's the stick to your ribs kind of food that people talk about):
Creamy Peas/Potato Curry - found on www.earthvegan.blogspot.com.

- Approximately 15 or so peanuts, soaked (the recipe calls for cashews, which I did not have)
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1/2 cup of tomato paste
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1/2 tsp of tumeric
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 8 cilantro leaves, chopped

1.  Microwave potatoes for 5 minutes on a plate.
2.  Add peanuts and potatoes to oil in a pan.  Stir fry.
3.  Add tomato paste along with about a 1/2 of cup of water.  Add all of your spices.
4.  Add coconut milk.  Mix very well together and turn on low.  Don't let it over-boil, just lightly simmer.

This recipe made a lot of food.  If you were interested in having a meal for just two, I would cut this in half.  If you were having this alongside of rice, I would cut it down even more than that.  Creamy and starch make tummy full...

*Chick pea flour:  I bought a 3lb bag at the Super Store for $3.99.  It will last forever, but I couldn't find a smaller amount.  It was in the "international" food aisle.