Monday, June 25, 2007

Honey Of An Oatmeal Bread

I decided to try a new bread recipe this week. This bread was easy because I had all the ingredients on hand. The loaf is very light and sweet. I think it's a good breakfast bread, but I probably wouldn't want it for sandwiches. It is very fluffy and was a little difficult to cut, but the taste is good. I would make this one again.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Stir Fry Sauce

We ran out of stir fry sauce this week and I forgot to buy more, so I decided to try to make my own. I usually go to Epicurious or Food Network's websites to look for recipes, but searches on those sites can sometimes take a while to find a good recipe, and I didn't have much time. I found this recipe when I searched on Google, and I had all the ingredients on hand. It was just okay - I don't think I will make it again. The fish sauce taste was a little too strong, and I think my husband prefers more of an American-Chinese stir fry taste (this was Thai). I'll keep looking...

Dal Bhat

When we went to Nepal last year we had a Nepali househelper who would cook lunch for us, and we would have dal bhat almost every day. Dal means lentils, and bhat means rice. It is a staple meal for Nepalis and also most Indians. An Indian friend of mine told me that she can only go two or three days without dal bhat, and she has to eat it because her cravings for it are so strong! It is a comfort food for many South Asians. I have made it a few times since we left Nepal and it certainly reminds us of good times in Nepal. I tried a new recipe for dal bhat this week. It is more Indian than Nepali in the spices it calls for, but when I have tried to make Nepali dal bhat it never tastes quite right. This was great, very flavorful and a hearty meal. The recipe as written makes a lot, so I would probably half it if I make it again. It was tasty, but my stomach is not used to spicy food and was not happy with me for the next day or so. This is a good recipe though if you like Indian food and you are looking for a vegetarian dish.

Tofu Stir Fry

I've made a few things this week and have to catch up on blogging. I made a quick tofu stir fry this week which was actually pretty good. Walmart sells bags of frozen veggies that you can use for stir frying. Of course they aren't as good as fresh, but in a pinch on a weekday they will do. We almost always have a carton of extra firm tofu in the fridge, so I cut them into strips and panfried them. All I used was a heavy spray of cooking spray on the pan, then fried the tofu strips until they were brown and crispy. I then stir fried the vegetables, and then added the tofu and a bottled stir fry sauce to them. It was a good, easy, healthy meal and it's nice to have on days that I don't feel like making a big production but am tired of spaghetti!