Watermelon slushie

Summer is officially over this week, but here's one last take at a summery treat:



See the recipe at Healthy Happy Life.

As I didn't have any on hand, rather than using fresh lemon juice, I used a few tablespoons of refrigerated lime juice.
A nice refreshing treat for a warm day!

Wine of the Week - STO 2008 "Hardways" Cabernet Sauvignon

Another delicious entry from Sort This Out, of whom I'm a big fan. Scents of cherry. On the tongue, a bit of grass and pepperoni, but mostly a rich taste of honey. A nice casual, affordable, stand-alone drink.
13.5%

Bombay Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

My roommate made a variation of this recipe from Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness. She added squash & zucchini and served it over saffron rice. Delish!

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, quartered

6 garlic cloves

2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thirds

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tsp salt

1 fresh hot green chile, sliced into thin rounds

12 fresh or 18 frozen curry leaves, torn to pieces (optional)

4 lbs of chicken, cut into pieces

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For spice powder:

2 Tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)

12 black peppercorns

2 whole dried red chilies

1/4 tsp turmeric

6 whole cloves

6 green cardamom pods

Directions:

For the spice powder, combine the ingredients in a grinder & grind into a powder. Set aside.

Combine the onion, garlic and ginger in a blender and process to a puree. Set aside.

Heat oil in large casserole dish or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion puree and salt. Cook until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Drizzle water in as onion cooks to keep from burning.

Add green chili and curry leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add spice powder and salt and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly, until meat is mostly opaque (4-5 minutes).

Add the coconut milk and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Salt to taste & sprinkle the remaining cilantro on top.

Stir fry with Tofu

I grew up a picky eater. Anything that wasn't meat/potatoes or pasta, I wouldn't touch. Moved to Los Angeles, and that all changed. I started with Mexican. I wouldn't set foot in a Mexican restaurant before. But I start preparing a super basic Mexican dish at home - taco shell, ground turkey, lettuce, and cheese. I slowly upped the ante to include seasonings, then more veggies like peppers. Today, I'm a Mexican food addict.

So I'm attempting to do the same thing with Asian cuisine. I started with a basic stir fry with noodles recipe. After a few runs with that, I've taken the next step:



Ingredients
2 whole carrots, sliced
1/2 block tofu, small slices
1 cup broccoli
1/2 large zucchini, sliced
1/2 large summer squash, sliced
1 cup snowpeas, chopped
2 cups bok choy, shredded
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 cup brown rice/rice medley
Rice vinegar
Soy sauce
Olive oil

1. In a wok, heat a few tbsp of oil. Add carrots; cook for 5 minutes. Add tofu and cook for another 5.
2. Add zucchini, squash, snowpeas, and pepper. Cook until veggies have softened, about 15 minutes.
3. Coat mixture with vinegar to taste.
4. Add bok choy and cook until wilted.
5. Serve on top of rice and coat with soy sauce.

Maybe one of these days, I'll make the leap to actually go to a restaurant! (Stop snickering, I'm proud of myself :) )

Wine of the Week - Pizza Wine!

My go-to wine store recommended pairing this wine with pizza, so I had to buy it.  I mean, how can you pass it up?  That means you're committed to both eating pizza and drinking red wine.
Le Fraghe Bardolino is a blend of 65% Corvina grapes and 35% Rondinella.  Cherries and strawberries on the nose.  A little dry and tart to taste, but light and bouncy and goes down easy.  Enjoyable.  And, as promised, it complements the taste of tomato sauce and seasonings very well.  (This wine probably doesn't stand on its own too well, as the flavor is lacking in the middle.)