Weekday Dinner: Panang Curry

Panang curry with cauliflower, tofu puffs, edamame, coconut flakes and jackfruit.

Weekday Dinner: Noodles with Mince "Meat" and Mushrooms

Wide, chewy noodles topped with a spicy melange of mushrooms and soy crumbles. Very moreish.

Weekend Cooking: Naan Pizza

Naan pizza with cilantro chutney, veggie mince and mozzarella.

Weekend Cooking: Masala Dosa and Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Both of these look and were pretty messy. The masala dosa was made using the same mix as last time, but this time were topped with potato and peas spiced with mustard seeds and garam masala. Tasty but I need to work on the dosa so the filling can actually be rolled up inside.

The vegetarian shepherd's pie used the leftover potato from the dosa with mushrooms and fake vegetarian meat crumbles. The "sauce" was the leftover tomato sauce from a can of sardines in tomato sauce. Messy but tasted OK. More salt and spice next time.

Leftovers: Spicy Rice

Picked up this Indian spice packet mix on impulse while shopping on Devon Avenue during my Christmas trip to Chicago. With leftover rice, some frozen soup mix and fried eggs strips this was a tasty and quick dinner for a busy week.

Weekend Cooking Repurposed: Chickpea and Pea Curry

The original chickpea and pea curry topped with coriander and served with rice.

Added hardboiled egg as the remainder wasn't sufficient for a meal, topped with toasted coconut and served with coriander dosa from a box mix. An overheavy hand with the coconut meant the curry became very dry. Dosas turned out very thick but tasted soft, fluffy and deliciously tangy and spicy. The box makes eight so lots more opportunities to experiment with add-ins and cooking.

Weekend Cooking: Scrambled Tofu with Black Beans and Potatoes

Nothing too inspiring. Exactly as the title says. Trying really hard to eat what's in the fridge and pantry as a money saving exercise.

Weekend Cooking: Scrambled tofu

My first attempt at this stereotypical vegetarian dish. Delicious and no sticking as I had feared. Scrambled with green onions and mushrooms, this made a quick lunch with toast and cheese and a side of tomatoes. Colourful, fresh, healthy.

NSW: Day 3

Breakfast: coffee, toast with hardboiled egg, peacherine, peanuts
Lunch: curry meifun with brown rice noodles, romaine and fried tofu, tea, coffee
Dinner: chicken, potato, romaine and cucmber salad

Snacks: coffee, cookie, fruit, potato sticks, strawberry ice cream

Holiday meals

Clockwise from top left: leftover basmati rice with beans, mushrooms and onions; whole wheat pita pizza with mushrooms, broccoli and walnuts; curry maifun brown rice noodles with soy bean sprouts and tofu puffs; leftover take away meal of saag paneer, rice and home-microwaved poppadums.

Leftovers: Quiche and Cheater's Cake

Trying to use up the leftovers in my fridge this week instead of constantly shopping for more food.

Tonight I was able to use up some elderly yellowing broccoli, bendy celery, spring onions, mushroom and tofu in this quiche. Later in the week, another quiche with mushrooms, spinach and tofu.


Cake was another variant on cheater's cake with some very wrinkled cherries. Came out way too sweet today, probably because of the cherries. Still delicious though. Sadly can't say the same for the baked version of this easy muffin recipe. Rather dry and floury. Guess there's a reason for the milk in these recipes. Too bad as I don't drink milk so never have it around.

Weekend Cooking: Vegetable panang curry

Another riff on panang curry to use up my aging cauliflower and capsicum. Eked out with tomato and edamame. Have been adding more cauli to it during the week to create the neverending curry. So spicy and flavourful for these chilly nights.

Weekend Cooking: curry and sea bass

Very spicy chickpea curry with tomatoes and zucchini for extra fiber and to cut the spiciness of the curry (created with Shan murgh chole mix). Excellent with an English muffin.

Steamed sea bass with mushrooms and eggplant. A bit messy as the sea bass fell apart when I transferred it from the microwave bowl to the plate.

Beans

These multi-coloured beans from the farmers market enlivened another bowl of curry maifun, though sadly the purple beans turned green when cooked.

Discolouration a bit more obvious in this picture. Garlic focaccia was very garlicky and delicious.

Sandwich and cake

A mozzarella sandwich on crusty bread and a slice of strawberry cake make a perfect lunch in the shady grounds of Schloss Benrath, Dusseldorf.

Weekend Cooking: Panang Curry

Maesri panang curry paste with coconut milk, tofu puffs, carrots, tomatoes, beans and cauliflower makes a quick and healthy dinner. Accompanied by (slightly dry) Deep brand tandoori naan.

Leftovers: Pita pizza

Whole wheat pizza spread with chilli chutney for some spice, topped with eggplant, yellow peppers and cheese made an easy lunch and good way to use up leftover veggie odds and ends. A little bland despite the chutney, but healthy.

Weekend Cooking: A series of meals

I seem to have broken through my ennui recently and been cooking (or at least assembling) more recently.


Panang curry with tofu and eggplant and Kawan frozen roti prata. Curry wasn't really thick enough to dip the slightly sweet (why?) prata, but otherwise an OK meal. Prata is nice and fluffy.


Another eclectic platter. Clockwise from the top: tomato and basil hummus (also sweet -eek!), cold tomatoes and cukes for texture and temperature contrast, spicy fried tempeh, homemade pita chips.


Not particularly exciting to most but I seldom eat salads so this was unusual enough for me to document. Omelette with mushrooms and eggplant (adds a surprising note of sweetness) with green salad (red lettuce, cukes, mushrooms, grated cheese, white peppers w/olive oil and pepper).


Fried potatoes and eggplant with salmon (soy sauce, pepper and lime juice). A very dry dinner.

St Patrick's Day green tea noodles

In honour of St Patrick's Day I had green tea tom yum instant noodles today, with coriander, green onion and silken tofu. Not your traditional corned beef and cabbage but definitely in the spirit of the violently green iced cookies and cupcakes available at the grocery store and the green beer at the bars tonight.