dropping recipes like bombs..

Curry Veggie Lentil Soup Overload

Sorry peeps- I'm bad at cups/measurements - normally my style of cooking is to borrow from many variants of the same recipe and conform into own. Not alot of pics either- only decided to capture the moment halfway through the creation process :\


base

1 small yellow onion
2 leeks
half root of ginger
veggie stock/water blend
2 cans diced tomatoes
EEVO


spices:
red pepper flakes
indian curry (alot)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme or fresh sprig
1/2 tsp cinnamin/nutmeg
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
black pepper



veggies:
yellow squash
zucchini
Brussels sprouts
string beans
broccoli
kale

2 cups (mixed) french/green lentils

chop up all veggies to size..add just a lil bit of salt to veggies only

VERY IMPORTANT - when cooking a lentil soup.. salt makes lentils rubbery hence add salt for overall flavor the last 10 mins or so..


The prep is heavy overhead but once everything is chopped up

Get a large pan base with some EEVO warmed- throw in the base dry ingredients first when almost brown add liquid & spices. I don't add water to my veggie stock until i've bought everything to a boil. Retaste make sure flavors are to personal liking.
Toss in veggies let cook good 20 mins on low simmer with top on.
Lentils go afterwards 30-45 mins+

Note I like my veggies soft you can opt to throw those preferred to be more firm closer to the last 20 mins of cooking time.


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TV wise I hate reality TV and the only shows/stations I watch are:

FoodNetwork
Sports
Cartoons
Old Shows (e.g Golden Girls)
MSNBC -
Documentary shows

From the foodnetwork the person I love and adore is Ina Garten aka BAREFOOT CONTESSA



IDK what it is about this lady but her style of cooking just resonates with me.
I love her steezo. She's calm quiet yet vicious when it comes to picking ingredients for cooking, and flavors- plus I love her home and how the incorporates aesthetic value towards picking dishes and decor to match the meal - That's a personal goal of mines when I buy a big house - Although the vegetarian thing will be an obstacle I'm so about hosting dinner & tea parties




Anyway I hope to be back with a few blogs- I have long coming rant against RIM- Blackberry

Work's kicking my butt as usual but check ya later peeps

Weekend Recap

hewwo peeps....

tired and busy.. went out to U st the last 3 Fridays in a row up till 5am.. im 29 body is old LOL

Friday night attended the Kem/Ledisi and Mint Condition show at DAR Constitution Hall
Being lazy and not up for the 10-15 min walk from Farragut North/West metro I drove and didn't even leave my spot until 730 show started at 8 and oddly it started on time LOL
so I missed Ledisi who they only gave her about 20 mins bc Mint Condition came on 830 I got there about 845 so I was able to see some of the best R&B band of my era!

Kem came out very dapper gray suit hat.. slim and short dude. He sung a variety of songs from each cd and genuinely sounded just like his cd very strong voice.


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I'm geeked off a new tea shop I found down that National Harbor in Maryland.
Capital Teas - the shop was small but I loved the wall of tea. The tea was held in glass jars for customers to smell. I purchased the basic 2oz (minimum) of Basil/Lemon Oolong [can we say perfect with an Italian dinner] & Stimulating Herbal Tea - it is an intense blend of ginger roots, cardamom, coriander, tumeric, cloves and nutmeg. I could not help myself I brewed a halfcup of the herbal tea tonight and OMG - u know anything w/ ginger is spicy-yum but the other herbs heighten the senses to a new level - I LOVE THIS TEA!

Also after a long convo with my tea twin at work.. I invested in a measuring spoon to help with ensuring my tea purchases last- ex 4oz of tea should yield 20+ cups.. me scooping a pinch of tea each morning LOL kills the ratio and now that I'm on a tight budget (explain lata) plus honestly adhering to proper temperature, quantity makes for a better cuppa...I'm slowly getting there.




Anyway about to finish watching my FAVORITE show Chopped (All-Stars) than going bed TIRED

Raw Foods detox - Day 1

hewwo peeps... its about to go down my annual sometimes bi-yearly Raw Food Detox; details below:

When: Sunday, March 6th – Saturday, March 19th (14 days)

What: This is our classic RAW/Cooked detox.

How:
*Each day, you can enjoy as many uncooked, unprocessed foods as you like (fruits, veggies, etc).
*In addition, once per day (before 6pm) you may enjoy 1 cooked meal.
*Your cooked meal may consist of whole grains, veggies, beans, eggs, and baked/broiled fish/seafood (this is a new ‘perk’ for you classic detox challenge participants). Dairy, other meats, and other processed foods are restricted during the 14days.

I'm preparing to really really embrace true raw food meals with the hopes to strength my vegan principles. Thanks to our local borders going outta business I've scooped a few books to aid my journey.

1. I mentioned greens for life (previous post)
2. Raw Food for Everyone: Essential Techniques and 300 Simple-to-Sophisticated Recipes


What I like so far about this book is I learned technically balsamic vinegar is not a raw food as it comes from reduced cooked grapes. I'm also LOVING the idea of herb infused olive oil - like OMG I always make my own salad dressing surprised I never thought of this concept earlier- gonna take my dressings to another level!

2. 1000 Vegan recipes- I had 2 great vegetarian books but I was overdue for good vegan cook book. I haven't read much with this book but I'm looking to some help with healthy breakfast options.

Welp
I'm about to go continue working on meal planing as I prepare to visit the best organic market in the DC Area - shout out to MOMS Organic Market

Vegan Pizza

Hello i need to blog more so im going to put on my vegan hat and talk about this pizza i made

now i make many variants of pizza depending on whats in stock at the organic market so imma give the FULL shagbang and show what is and is not always necessary

ingredients

a gluten/vegan pizza bread

oilive oil

garlic

onions (1/2 to 1) depending on your love for onions // also have used onion flakes

ginger root

red pepper flakes

Italian seasoning

basil

pizza sauce

nutrional yeast flakes

veggies:

eggplant

zucchini

red peppers

spinach leaves/salad

leeks

Directions:

prep:

chop up veggies sprinkle with salt

chop up garlic onion ginger root to the desired size - I like mines minced as possible than I sprinkle red pepper flakes all into a lil bowl and let sit to the side 5-10 mins (minimum)

take your dough and baste olive oil

add pizza sauce + itailan herbs (to heart's content) + ginger/garlic/onion base

add veggies

sometimes i like to add more sauce mix it all up

sprinkle sprinkle lots of nutrional yeast (what provides the cheese taste) + more Italian herbs + fresh basil + drizzle lil bit of olive oil

pop in oven 15-20mins+ depending on how crispy you like your pizza and eat up

Since I'm currently reading Greens for life book - i remixed my pizza last night and chopped up my salad greens as topping and WOW- i loved it!

Eat up peeps- and I'mma try to blog more .....