Indian kidney bean curry

Heat 3 Tbsp vegetable oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat, then add 1 small onion (grated), 1 Tbsp microplaned ginger, and about 2 garlic cloves (minced).   When fragrant and onion is golden brown, add 1 ripe tomato, cut into quarters.  Reduce heat to medium-low and stir frequently until tomato melts into the onion mixture (about 5… Continue reading Indian kidney bean curry

Japanese curry rice

Japanese vegetable curry.  I grew up eating Japanese curry rice; my mom would sauté beef chunks, add onion and potato, and then fold in S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix: http://www.sbfoods-worldwide.com/products/curry/retail/america_page.html#a3. This mix is a curry roux packaged into semi-firm blocks, and it comes in Mild to Very Hot versions; none of them is particularly spicy. As… Continue reading Japanese curry rice

Sweet oven-baked grits and millet with pecans, maple syrup, and honey

Recipe is here:  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/health/sweet-oven-baked-grits-and-millet-with-pecans-and-maple-syrup.html?referrer (Mar. 2015) Note: The photo shows our modification:  we swapped out medium-grain cornmeal for the grits and amaranth for the millet. We also garnished with walnuts instead of pecans. The result was less solid than the original recipe, but still delicious. (Nov. 2016)

Pear, avocado, and spinach salad

I learned this recipe from my step-MIL, who ingeniously combined crisp pear with ripe avocado.  The recipe is simple:  line a serving dish with baby spinach, place one sliced (1/4") and cored pear (here, Bartlett, but any crisp pear will do) on top of the spinach, and then top with slices from one avocado (the… Continue reading Pear, avocado, and spinach salad