Simple Spicy Curry (with help from Maya)

Today was non-stop. I team taught a Stroller Strides class…played at the park with my little one…zipped through Whole Foods (which I love, but that reminds how much less expensive Trader Joe’s is) with minutes to spare before picking up my bigger one…took them both for an impromptu picnic (brown rice sushi from Whole Foods and one of the Whole Food’s bakery’s decadent “granola bars”) at the New Canaan Nature Center…home in time to nap the little one and squeeze in half a workout myself…before taking the big one to his music class and then treating the kids to a (dinner busting) gelato at Gelatissimo. Totally worth it. I tried to give them a goat cheese polenta terrine thingy I picked up at Whole Foods (my little one boisterously asked for it and I thought I had a slam-dunk kid’s dinner, but he probably thought it was a cupcake…) anyway, that totally bombed. But in the couple minutes they were sitting still, turning up their noses, I whipped up this curry for our dinner. Most of the time I try to make something I can also give my kids. Maybe it's subconsciously to broaden their palate, but it's also just to keep things more sane around here. But they won’t touch anything spicy, so this is all for us.

Simple Spicy/Sweet Chicken Curry

1 container Maya Kaimal Vindaloo Sauce
3 zucchini, chopped
3 breasts of all natural chicken, chopped into 1” pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Fuji apple, chopped

Combine everything in a saucepan; bring to a boil then lower heat to low. Pop a cover on it, so the chicken cooks through and the zucchini and apple become tender. I had to run an errand, so I actually turned the heat off after it simmered 10 minutes or so, left the lid on, and when I came home dinner was ready (and the house smells amazing).

As Kaimal says on her website, “I make my products with the finest ingredients and traditional techniques to reflect my favorite flavors of India. I take no shortcuts—so you can.” As long as I recognize all the ingredients in a sauce such as this, I am all for shortcuts.

10 minutes after arriving at Tyler Place last year...

Tyler Place

It must be the 3 consecutive days of sun that has me dreaming of Tyler Place…that, or the fact that this family camp has been a recurring topic of conversation amongst friends this past week. (It couldn't be the mild panic I am feeling that school is out shortly...) It seems that many of us want to plan the perfect family getaway, but we are also in dire need of a break. Tyler Place has it figured out. I cannot wait…

Simple Roasted Veggies

I am all about economies of scale when it comes to cooking. If I am making any of my meatball recipes, or something like chicken enchiladas, I make a batch for the freezer. When I whip up a frittata or protein pancakes I make extra for later in the week, so we can simply heat up breakfast in a matter of minutes...but still enjoy a healthy homemade meal. So last night, when I needed to make a veggie side for dinner, I decided to also roast several different veggies to cut down on prep time later this week.

All veggies were tossed in a little olive oil and kosher salt then roasted in a 375 degree oven for between 20-45 minutes, depending upon the type of veggie. The idea is to cook them until they’re crisp tender. You don’t want to overcook them (to the point when they’re mushy) or they’ll be nasty the night you make them…and even worse a couple days later! Here’s what I roasted, and what I intend to make with each one to give you some ideas:

Leeks (tender spring ones from my CSA delivery) – were eaten last night as a side with our halibut
New Potatoes – the kids had these as a side with their chicken apple sausage dinner last night then I chopped them up in a hash I made for our breakfast this morning; we still have a couple leftover and I’ll crisp them up in a fry pan tonight with the kid’s dinner
Zucchini – always a good addition to a frittata; will be tossed in salads; will toss with a little more olive oil, some lemon zest and fresh mint and serve as a side with dinner tomorrow
Broccoli - chopped some and added it to my son’s Annie’s Mac & Cheese at lunch today; will make scrambled eggs with broccoli and Feta; if I have any left, I’ll toss in a sherry vinaigrette and add some pine nuts and yellow raisins for a nice sweet-tangy room temp side
Carrots – also appeared in my son’s Mac & Cheese; roasting them brings out their sweetness, so my kids like to snack on these; another idea for a side would be to toss carrots in a tangy vinaigrette like this: 1T olive oil + 1T mustard + 2t lemon juice + 2t honey...whisk and add chopped fresh parsley
Peppers and Onions – were used in today’s hash; will be used in the frittata; perfect in the black bean burritos that are a current favorite with my kids (probably because it’s a meal they can eat while moving…); and will be a side to the fish tacos I am making Friday night

So, I have a fridge full of veggies ready to go…but tonight I don’t have to use any of them as it’s my night to pick up dinner from my Supper Exchange (see posting from March 18 if you want to set up your own). Chicken Curry here I come!

"I WOCKET!....I VOWCANO!"

Today, as I struggled to pay attention at a school meeting I was reminded that my life is currently not my own. Not wanting to spend $40-50 on a sitter, I brought my little one along, thinking surely the bag full of Etch-a-sketch, small cars and trucks and the lunchbox we packed full of his choice of snacks would keep him quiet. He wasn’t hungry for the snacks (seeing that it was only 8:30 and he’d just had breakfast), the truck he most wanted to play with made a (loud) whirring sound whenever pulled back, and when he realized bellowing “I VOWCANO! I WOCKET!” in a room filled with attentive moms elicited some giggles (and stink eye) we quickly excused ourselves. This seems to happen to me a lot these days. At first I was really annoyed that I learned nothing about the reading process between K and 1st grade. I was in a resentful mood that perfectly matched today’s foul weather. Then I ran into a friend in town who said she was embracing the fact that nothing was going as she’d planned today and that once she did that, she was much happier. Hmmm, I’d never thought of that tact. Instead I was slowly working myself into a lather because my day was totally off kilter. The meeting was videotaped so working parents could get the information too. My kid is two (quite two). Of course he’d rather be bouncing around at a gym class than a meeting full of moms. When I consider that he’s my job these days, I realize it’s ok for me to borrow one of those meeting DVDs too. Gina was a good reality check. I am going to try to laugh times like these off more. My life may not be my own these days, but it’s a short window when my child is completely dependent on me.

Simple Multi-Tasking Meal: Pasta with Red Sauce becomes Papardelle with (Soy) Chorizo Sauce

Today was one of those days when I needed my meal to multi-task…and I only had a short time to prepare dinner before my kids started spiraling downward. It was so cold and rainy here today that I wanted to give my kids a warm, hearty meal. Got home at 5pm, dinner was ready at 5:30 and the kids were bathed, read to and asleep by 7pm. Delicious success.

1 pkg Trader Joe’s (TJ’s) Sprouted Wheat Papardelle
1 jar TJ’s Organic Pasta Sauce
1 pkg TJ’s Soy Chorizo
Freshly shredded Parmesan

After preparing the papardelle according to the directions on the package (boiling it for 7 minutes with a dash of kosher salt), I mixed in a healthy dose of tomato sauce and freshly shredded Parmesan for the kids and served it with a side of finger-friendly strawberries, mango, cucumbers and carrots. (The consistency of the sprouted wheat pasta went unnoticed, in fact, everyone really liked it.) While they started eating (underfoot) I simply sautéed the chorizo until browned, added the remainder of the sauce, and stirred in the papardelle until warmed and nicely blended. Then I sat down and ate with them. This made a simple, but healthy, pasta dinner a little more interesting and zesty… and it’s another meal that holds up well until your husband comes home from work if you also eat in shifts at your house.

The REAL "Protein Pancakes" of my childhood

Thank you to Loren Kaplan, my Rustic Canyon neighborhood pal, who located the original Canyon School Cookbook: Cosmic Cookery for Kids. This cookbook from the 70’s contains the real Protein Pancake recipe I so fondly remember my mom whipping up. I thought I'd done a good job of recreating the recipe through memory and the combination of a bunch of recipes I'd found online, but this makes much more sense with the ratio of cottage cheese to flour. Since the cookbook is likely not an easy find, here’s the recipe:

Cosmic Cookery for Kids' Protein Pancakes

1 lb cottage cheese (1 tub)

6 eggs

pinch salt

pinch sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 T soft or melted butter

2 t vanilla

Blend everything in the blender until the batter is smooth with a consistency of sour cream. Bake small pancakes on hot buttered griddle, turning once. Serve hot with a little cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. Also good served with sour cream, applesauce, jam, etc. May be used as a main dish.

Now I know what I am making the kids for supper tonight. Mmmm, I wonder if the cookbook also has my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Toy’s Egg Foo Yung?