finally

Finally, finally, finally, I've got this just right.

These are so wickedly absurdly good, I can't believe that I haven't discovered them earlier. "Oh?" You say. Yes, that's right, I do. These little veggie-curry-cakes are not only tasty, but full of cauliflower!

It has taken me a few disastrous attempts to recreate a friends' recipe, and trust me, the failed tries were so very bad, that I was skeptical that I should even try again. I had to though. Just trust me when I say that chickpea flour can be very, very bitter.

First off, it is easy to get tired of just eating plain old cauliflower and broccoli, and most improvements on taste, definitely forgo any reasons to eat these tree-like friends for health. Secondly, my kid will eat nearly anything. Okay, so the liver and onion pâté I made for dinner, he didn't really like. However, he does love to eat sautéed onions by the boatload, and will eat gobs of blackberries more tart than most lemons. But cauliflower? Broccoli? Forget it. Hide it? Ha! Disguise it? He'll still recognize it. But in these patties? It even stumped him! Although, he does love curries and spices in general.

I guess you could say that these are mostly potato cakes with a good swack of other veggies, and then some curry powder and cumin to liven things up.



The recipe makes 16 patties, but it is exceedingly difficult to not eat at least a few...


Cauliflower-Potato Cakes

Makes 16 patties

1/2 head cauliflower (3 cups), cut into large pieces
4 medium red potatoes, halved
4 medium new potatoes (white), halved
1/4 cup very finely diced red pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp chickpea flower (or other flour you prefer)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil for frying

1. In a large stock pot, cover all the vegetables, with water and bring to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until the potatoes and cauliflower is fork tender. Drain, and let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, place the spices, chickpea flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Add the vegetables to the bowl, and mash with a potato masher, and stir to combine everything together into a dough.
4. Using a griddle or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Make patties by filling and ice cream scoop with the dough, release it onto the pan, and then flatten it into a pattie with a spatula. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Consume immediately, or freeze for later. Enjoy! Follow my blog with Bloglovin
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coconut curry with yam, shiitake, and tofu

Yes, I said tofu. Don't freak out; it's not that scary. Tofu doesn't have to be scary, or inedible. I'll admit there are things I like better, but tofu can be yummy too. It just takes a bit of creativity and some big, bold flavours. I like tofu for its versatility. But it's also fabulous since it can sit in the fridge a good while longer than most meats can, and therefore saves an emergency trip to the store before dinner. Plus, it's super budget friendly. Can't beat that. This is best served with a grain of some sort. I like quinoa. Basmati rice, barley, or kamut would be delicious too. I didn't mix the tofu into the mix, but might be a better idea to help out any picky eater you might have. Coconut Curry with Yam, Shiittake, and Tofu 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 cloves of garlic 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp Hungarian paprika 1 tsp ginger powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground coriander 4 small crushed red chili peppers 1 can of coconut milk, full fat 5 cups yam or sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 cup shiitake mushrooms 1 package firm tofu 1/2 bunch of cilantro 1. Pre-heat a deep sided sauté pan. 2. Finely chop the garlic. 3. Add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, followed shortly by the garlic. 4. As soon as the garlic has a little colour to it, add the curry powder, paprika, ginger, garam masala, coriander, and chili peppers. It might be time to lower the heat to medium low, if things are getting too much colour. 5. Add the can of coconut milk, and stir. Once the coconut milk begins to simmer, add the diced yam and cover. 6. Cook the yam until tender, adding a little water or broth as necessary. Season with salt to taste. 7. Meanwhile, remove the tofu from the package and drain. Wrap in a couple paper towels, and weight it down between two plates to help remove any excess moisture. Let sit as long as it takes for the yams to become tender. Then cube into bite size pieces. 8. In another nonstick sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the shiitake's. Let them sit for thirty seconds before turning, or they will stick. Repeat. Then add the mushrooms to the yam mixture. 9. Be sure to keep the pan hot, and add the tofu. Do not stir it until each piece has formed a golden brown crust (turn the heat up if necessary). Season with a little salt to keep your fingers occupied. Allow to brown on each side before transferring to serving plates or adding to the yam mixture (your choice). 10. Add some chopped cilantro to the yams and shiitakes. Stir, and serve with the tofu, and alongside a grain or rice if you prefer. Enjoy!
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chicken & bean & barley curry

I like beans. Jeff likes chicken. We compromise. There is more than one kind of "bean" present, however. There are green beans, du puy lentils, and chickpeas too. We started at the Calgary Farmers Market on Friday morning in search of fruits and vegetables to help appease our month long eat-a-thon. And then, I like to use what I have on hand. No special trips, no extra jaunts to the store. Certainly, there are more spices that could be added, or things done slightly differently, but sometimes it is more fun to work with what I've got. This is not exactly a fussy or authentic recipe, but something delicious that can be eaten for a couple of days, or to serve a small army. I like this kind of dish, as it serves my inherent laziness, and desire for food cooked from scratch. But I am a sucker. At the market, I saw these purple onions and it was all over. An onion is a vegetable you say, it counts, and I did want vegetables. And you would be correct, except that I immediately was called back to the best onion soup I've ever had, or even imagined, in Certaldo with their famous onions (I'll get to it don't worry!). When in Certaldo, in the Tuscany region of Italy, you find onions very similar to this, I had dare not say that the onions are the same as the onions in Certaldo, or the Certaldese would probably beg to differ that they are not the same... While these look like red onions, they are much more mild, less spicy and much more sweet than a red onion. I got so excited, I had to have them, and into the curry they went. To make this curry, white onions will do just as well, I was just using what I had on hand. I can't deny beautiful green beans either. Although, I normally prefer them with a smattering of salt and olive oil, Jeff wanted a gigantic VAT of curry. Curry, curry, curry in monster sized bowls. Green beans were also requested, and they were lovely. More things I had on hand: pot barley, du puy lentils, cumin, canola oil, passata, coconut milk. I suppose I could have saved these lentils, for something to really display their beauty, but again, this is what I had on hand. My favourite discovery was to use the passata, which is a type of tomato puree; it has a more refined texture than simply crushed tomatoes. I stock up when I find it at specialty shops, or if the grocery store happens to have it. Sometimes, I prefer it to make quick tomato sauces. In this case, I like that the passata enhanced the sauce, without becoming too noticeably tomato. A little bit more elegant, as it were. If I didn't have the passata I probably would have used crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or whizzed some canned tomatoes in the blender. Somehow the spices, below, were all unopened, but purchasing whole seeds and grinding it is definitely the way to go. A little coffee grinder is perfect, and costs maybe $8. A mortar and pestle are good too. This has makes a world of difference. A lot of recipes say to toast the seeds before grinding. I rarely have the energy to do that, but do try to almost, and I mean only ALMOST, burn.... yes burn(!), the spices when I add them to the onions and garlic. When faced with the choice of cooking from scratch, or caving into one's own fears of not living up to the standard of Ferran Adria, not everything has to act as intimidation to prevent the simple act of putting food on one's own plate. It is better, and preferable for me, to prepare my own tomato sauce or my own curry, than to ever, EVER, buy it in a jar. Just go for it, chances are, it will be great. This is why I use full-fat coconut milk. So luscious. Chicken & Bean & Barley Curry 1 1/2 cups diced onion 2 tbsp canola oil 1 tbsp curry powder 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp ground brown mustard seed 1 - 690g jar passata, or 4-5 cups tomato sauce, plus an equivalent amount of water 2 cups of du puy lentils, rinsed 4 chicken breasts 6 cups of cooked chickpeas (3 cans) 1 -400 mL can of coconut milk 6-8 cups green beans, or as desired 3 cups pot barley, rinsed 6 cups water salt, to taste 1. In a small stockpot with a lid, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, and add the barley. Stir once. Replace the lid, and leave it alone. Check it in 10-15 minutes, and stir with a fork, once. When nearly all of the moisture has been absorbed, turn the heat off. 2. Using a deep-sided saute pan, begin by heating the canola oil on medium-high heat. Then add the onion, and saute until golden brown. Season with salt. The more the onion is cooked without burning, the better, although, just a touch of nearly "burnt" will be fine. 3. Add the spices to the heat for 20-30 seconds. 4. Add the passata, and an equivalent amount of water immediately following. 5. Add the lentils. Cover with a lid, lower the heat to prevent burning, and stir occasionally. 6. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add it to the pan, and cover. Continue to cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Meanwhile, clean the ends of the green beans. The beans can be sliced into smaller pieces, if you prefer, as the large beans can be slightly trickier to eat. 8. Add the coconut milk, green beans, and chickpeas. Allow the pan to simmer, but not so hot that it will burn. Continue to cook until the lentils are tender but still firm, and the beans are just slightly less than crunchy - approximately 20 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it cools, so if the temperature is too high, the sauce will still appear quite thin. Taste it, and adjust the salt, as needed. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. 9. Spoon some barley into a bowl, and top with the curry and green beans. This is one of those dishes that really is better the next day.
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