Pumpkin Curry Soup

In honor of the first week of fall weather, I've posted my favorite soup recipe. I found this gem last year and I think we had it for dinner at least once a week (and never got tired of it). It's easy and it's yummy. If you make it, please comment about it on the blog...and don't forget to serve it with a good, crusty bread.

Pumpkin Curry Soup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can 100% Pure Pumpkin (do not use organic - for some reason the soup doesn't turn out)
1 (12 fl. oz.) can Evaporated Milk
Optional Garnish - Fried Onions (French's or Trader Joe's)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic;
cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry
powder, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
Add broth and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring
occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. Transfer
mixture to food processor or blender (in batches, if necessary); cover.
Blend until smooth. Serve warm.

Grilled Chicken with Indian Spices

This little gem of a chicken recipe was discovered when a friend and I decided to make an Indian Feast. We made chicken masala, and this is the chicken part without the sauce. It was so good, I decided to keep it. As a side note, the original recipe called for way too much salt, so I cut it in half and there is still quite a bit of salt, but the flavor is much more balanced. If you want it spicier add another teaspoon of Cayenne. With one teaspoon of Cayenne it has a little spice, but is pretty mild.

1 C. Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, minced
2 tsp. Salt
4 each Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat a grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side

Confessions of an addict...

I have always been a big coffee fan...

My first job was at Cafe Monet, a combination of cafe and florist. In acutality, it was a flower shop that happened to serve coffee and have sandwiches in the refrigerated case (incidentially the owners were Persian and this was where I first tasted Falafel). A later job was at the short-lived Cafe Mayhem...an attempt at a cool coffee house by a business man who didn't understand the concept. Then Micah's, which was essentially the same. Then La Tazza in college, which carries so many fond memories for me.

On the weekends in High school the girls from PHS and I would spend hours over coffee at Denny's shooting the breeze. I spent many hours during college at the E Bar in Pasadena. First in a dark alley of old town and then on green street. Wood floors, simple wood chairs and tables, the white walls, stained yellowish by the cigarette smoke, were mostly bare, except for random pieces of artwork that were dark and unfriendly. You could count on the staff being indifferent at best, but rude most likely. After Zha Zha started working there I probably spent at least part of every day sipping an americano and visiting with the regulars...Doug, Scott (not mine), Erin and the others. The ban on smoking in bars and restaurants was the downfall of the e-bar. Actually, it was the man that reported their non-compliance of the law, but that's another story.

I don't drink a lot of coffee...usually no more than a half a cup a couple times a day, but I love it. I went through a period where I couldn't sleep at night after having coffee or a soft drink, but I just convinced myself that it was mental and now, once again, I have no trouble.

I have known for a while that a cup of coffee in the late afternoon does wonders for me at night. I come home from work and I have the energy to do laundry or any other chore that I normally would not even want to think about. I was reminded of that yesterday when I had a late afternoon cup.

And here is my confession, I think coffee makes me a better person.

Tiger Woods

A golfer, but also the namesake of our most recent beverage of choice. Actually it is the iced tea with lemonade from starbucks. Typically this is called an Arnold Palmer, but since our version is made with green tea, we thought we'd modify the name to include the asian element. I've duplicated it at home. There aren't exact measurements, but here's what to do. Boil a saucepan full of water and add 3 green tea bags (I used the zen tea from starbucks). Let it steep for 3 minutes and discard tea bags. Pour into a pitcher. Add 1/4 C. Splenda or sugar to taste. Add lemon juice or true lemon to taste. Fill the rest of the pitcher with cool water. Chill. This is a surprisingly refreshing drink. Too bad I didn't know about it when I was prego.

My newest obsession

Now that I'm a working mom, I am trying even harder to find easy ways to put healthy meals on the table. I've always thought highly of spice rubs (especially the gourmet rub from Weber Grill), but this truly is an easy and tasty way to cook meat and vegetables. Forget the complicated recipes with a gazillion ingredients, a little EVOO and a spice rub, maybe some lemon juice for the meat and all you have to do is grill or broil it! I purchased some spice rubs from World Market called Tulocay's and they are pretty nifty. The Asian Accents rub is amazing on zucchini. Who knew?

If you feel awful, eat Falafel!

At Hannukah, or for special occasions we like to make Falafel at home. I got this recipe from a little recipe book put out by the Israeli Embassy. Hope you enjoy it.

Falafel
16 oz. cooked chick-peas (drained)
1 lg. onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 C. Breadcrumbs
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Peppers
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
A whole lot of vegetable oil

Combine chick-peas with onion. Add parsley, lightly beaten egg and spices. Mix in a food processor or blender. Add breadcrumbs until mixture forms a small ball without sticking to your hands. Form chick-pea mixture in small balls about the size of a quarter (one inch in diameter). Fry until golden brown. (If frying in a pan, flatten them slightly before frying and flip to brown both sides.) Drain on paper towels. Serve with chopped tomato, cucumber, lettuce, onion, and tehina inside pita.

Tehina
1 C. Tahini (sesame paste)
2 cl. Garlic, crushed
1/2 C. Water (or more)
dash of cayenne
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
juice from 2 lemons
olive oil for garnish

Mix tahini, garlic, water, pepper, salt, and lemon juice until you get a smooth paste. Add water if tehina is too thick.

A Tip for Dallasites and Chicagoans

Whenever I'm in the mood for serious chocolate, I know where to go. Eatzi's. The name of the cake: Chocolate Oblivion. They sell them whole, but often they will have individual slices in the refrigerated case or they have single serving mini-cakes in the bakery case. Imagine a bottom layer of moist (sorry Jerod) chocolate cake topped with a thick layer of creamy chocolate mousse and finished off with chunks of Toffee and caramel sauce.

I recently purchased this cake for a department event and was quite amused by the reactions to it. It reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from the movie Chocolat, when they are celebrating Armand's birthday. In slow motion you watch the group savor the delicious meal that Vien has prepared for them; a truly sensual experience.

So, if you live in Dallas or Chicago, you may also satisfy your inner chocolate monster. In Dallas Eatzi's is located on Oak Lawn just south of Lemmon, in Chicago it is located on Clark just north of Diversey. They have a wide variety of other gourmet foods that are delicious as well, but none quite as noteworthy as Chocolate Oblivion.