A Peek in my Cart: April 27 - May 3

A Peek in my Cart - April 27 - May 3



The week started off very busy, with evening commitments over-shadowing eating. But, mid-way through the week we established a better balance. Thanks to the friends who helped!



Monday April 27 - separate meals. W ate leftover hamburgers. I ate a convenience Indian Meal - Palak Paneer. I combined it with raw baby carrots and wholegrain rye crackers.



Tuesday April 28 - falafal and chicken shwarma wraps. It was late and we didn't plan ahead.

Wednesday April 29 - vegetarian lasagne and salad. This was another busy night with evening commitments. So, I stuck a frozen vegetarian lasagne in the oven. I paired it with the first green salad of the season made from veggies from the farmers market. I made a simple balsamic vinaigrette: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

The lasagne was big enough for leftovers and I made enough salad for leftovers too. By having people dress their own salad, the leftovers stay fresh longer.

Thursday April 30 - prawn pasta with spinach salad. Friends invited us over for dinner. Good food and great company! The way that she prepared the salad caught my eye, I'll ask her for the recipe for a future post. What I caught while standing in her kitchen doorway was that it involved spinach, frozen peas, feta cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette.

Friday April 31 - Nettle and mustard green frittata with chopped salad. A spring-time veggie feast! For the frittata recipe, see May 3rd's post. I chopped up a variety of veggies from my fridge for the salad: radish, cucumber, and carrot. Dressed it with the leftover balsamic vinaigrette from Wednesday. Simply sublime!

Saturday May 1 - home-made pizza. Over to a friend's place to watch the Canucks game. Is there a more classic combo than hockey, pizza, and beer? Great home-made pizzas: one vegetarian and one with smoked salmon and asparagus.

Sunday May 2 - eggplant stew and brown rice. Desperate measures were in order to save the eggplants going bad in my crisper. So, I tried this recipe. It's just ok - a little bland. I'll make it again, but next time I'm adding jelapenos. I used more eggplant than the recipe called for, so I have lots left over. I portioned it into two containers and put them in the freezer.

East-West Eggplant Stew - From Bharti Kirchner's The Bold Vegetarian.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 to 5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1.5 lbs Japanese eggplant or 1 medium regular eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Roma tomatoes, unpeeled, seeded, and coassely chopped (I didn't have any so I didn't include)
I added 1 can of chickpeas (for protein)
one 16-oz can tomato sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, or 2 tsp dried
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish (I didn't have any so I didn't include)

1. In hot oil in a large saucepan, saute onion until it is richly browned, about 8 - 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, cumin and tumeric and stir until evenly distributed in the oil.
3. Add eggplant, tomatoes, green pepper, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 20 - 30 minutes, or until eggplant is almost tender. During this period, uncover occasionally and stir, add a little water if the mixture sticks to the bottom.
4. Add basil, tamarind, sugar, and salt. Simmer, covered, another 10 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
5. Let stand a few minutes before serving to help develop flavour. Serve garnished with cilantro.