A while back, I was feeling a bit sniffly and stuffy, so I spent a few days on the couch browsing the web. Apparently I was in the frame of mind to check out Ayurvedic remedies for my stuffy nose, and thus I spent a lot of time reading blogs and articles stuffed to the brim with advice and ways of life from the sub-continent.

Kitchari was apparently the new kid on the block (or, as it is, the newly discovered elder on the block). I read multiple articles about its abilities to help you cleanse, its ease on your digestive system, its nutritional values (apparently it is a complete protein, though I’m thinking that has more to do with the dal, less to do with the rice and spices). While I scoffed at the idea of eating nothing but this moong dal and rice mixture for any amount of time, my stomach started to growl and the craving had set in. I already had some leftover, new-age pakora in my fridge; this could just be a spicy rice addition with a little beans. Plus, it’s healthy, right?

So I consulted the various recipes I had found around the internets (that link being one of them), then I cracked open my favorite Indian cookbook from “the food of” series, and I started devising a recipe. (more…)

Filed under:
Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Indian, Lunch, Vegan, Vegetarian, World traveller by Courtney

As I was reading through the recipe for Smothered Rabbit yesterday, I decided I wanted to go beyond the basic white rice and try making dirty rice. Usually I fry the livers and giblets and serve them as an appetizer with a bit of creole mustard sauce, but since I had made rabbit stock and had 2 cups leftover (just the perfect amount for the dirty rice), I thought I’d try my hand at this Cajun classic.

Here’s a bit of a shocker — as much Cajun and Creole food as I’ve eaten over the years, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a homemade dirty rice made with the giblets. The old standbye was Zatarain’s dirty rice with sausage thrown in.

So back to the rice. If I don’t use parts of an animal, I tend to throw them back into the freezer for later use. (more…)

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Cajun & Creole, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch by Courtney

The good thing about having 6 pounds of zucchini is you can make a lot of different things. So this weekend, I decided to make one of my favorite quick meals, stir-fried zucchini and onions.

This meal was inspired by Japanese steakhouses of my youth. No matter what you ordered, you were sure to get a huge helping of zucchini and onions at any steakhouse. I take a little help from Kikkoman stir-fry sauce which you can usually find in the Asian foods aisle at the grocery store. So in the time it takes you to make the steamed rice, you’ll have a meal ready to go, from chopping to sliding it into the serving bowl! Want the recipe? (more…)

Filed under:
Asian, Dinner, Quick and Easy, Side Dish, Vegetarian by Courtney