Monday, January 19, 2009

A Food Rodeo and a Cooking Joust

I had the very best intentions to update Muffin Love's layout today, but I suppose I just got too busy. Between taking the dogs on a long hike, baking spaghetti squash for lunches and dinners later in the week, running errands, reading blogs, uploading photos, and cleaning, the day flew by. It was a nice one, though! Anyway, I had planned to kick off the new blog layout with a little food stalking, taking you through what I ate today. Even though the layout hasn't changed, neither will my plan. I'll even reveal my new slow cooker recipe and Royal Foodie Joust entry. Let the stalking begin!

After trying out a new workout DVD (The Biggest Loser's boot camp video), I kicked off the day with one of my new favorite breakfasts: a 2% Fage yogurt, 1 sliced banana, 1 cup cinnamon Puffins, with nutmeg, cinnamon, and a dismembered ginger baby from The Ginger People's gift basket, all stirred together. Delicious! Teamed with a cup of vanilla coffee with a little skim, my supplements (a multi-vitamin, vitamin D, iron, and cranberry tablets, as well as ibuprofen for my recently removed teeth) and some time with my Bible, it was meal that nourished me in many satisfying ways. Because I ate breakfast later than usual since I had off from work for MLK Day, I didn't have my usual mid-morning yogurt snack.

Meet lunch: 1 cup fat-free egg replacers with soy jalapeno cheddar and lots o' ketchup (I adore condiments), broccoli soup sprinkled with basil and a pinch of nutmeg, sea salt pita chips, baby carrots, a caramel calcium chew, one ginger baby, and watermelon-flavored seltzer. I read Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collions, which is the third book in her fun YA series. I randomly discovered Collins' books in the library of the school where I work, and really enjoy these easy but entertaining reads. I'm not sure if I'll keep pressing on through the series, though, because I have other books I want to conquer.

For dinner I made a slow cooker cauliflower chickpea curry with mushrooms (recipe below), served over soy noodles and topped with a dollop of plain yogurt to cool my palate. Some other non-photographed dinner items that served to soothe the curry's spice included cottage cheese mixed with a spoonful of pumpkin puree, sea salt pita chips (I found them in the clearance section at Target and can't imagine why -- they're delicious!), a salad with balsamic and Dijon mustard, and a caramel calcium chew.


I also had some of this for dessert. Yum! A sweet ending to a pretty sweet day. But it's not quite the right note to finish out this post on, because I still owe you a recipe!

So let's get to it. Not only is this easy-peasy curry extremely flavorful and spicy, but it's crammed with veggies and healthy protein. Also, it's easily transferable to a stovetop for cooking if you don't own a Crock-Pot -- just combine all the ingredients in your favorite skillet or pan and cook until the veggies are nice and tender (about 30 minutes). Enjoy the curry, and my entry for the February 2009 round of the Royal Foodie Joust (whose ingredients, if you were wondering, are cauliflower, mushrooms, and noodles).

3 C's in a Crock-Pot: Cauliflower Chickpea Curry

1 medium head cauliflower, leaves removed and chopped
1 cup yellow onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
7 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 15-oz. can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1/4 cup light coconut milk

1 heaping T garlic, minced
1 T cayenne pepper
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp garam masala
1 inch crystallized ginger, diced

Noodles, rice, or flatbread to serve

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker. Mix thoroughly. Cook on high for about 4 hours. Serve over noodles, rice, or a flatbread of your choice (naan is my favorite!). Top with a dollop of plain yogurt.


Serves 4.

3 comments:

  1. The curry looks fantastic! You are certainly a much healthier eater than me... I'd have had the ice cream for breakfast, dinner AND dessert. :-D

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  2. Haha, believe me, Tia, sometimes that's a huge temptation! for me as well!

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  3. Thanks for the curry recipe!

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