Things I Am Loving This Week

Time for some more "Things I Am Loving This Week", those (mostly) food-related things that I am enjoying and want to share,

First up, "I Love Assam 2"--the vegetarian Indian food class I took at KCC (the local community college) this Saturday. I took the first part earlier in the year and loved it, and this one was just as good. Our instructor, Alyssa is awesome and I always learn something from her. We had a demo and trial of a Carrot Halva Cake, basically an Indian spiced carrot cake that I will be making and posting at some point. We then made three dishes; a red lentil dal, a spiced rice and my favorite, these Veggie Kofta. Kofta are basically meatballs, often of lamb or beef, mixed with spices. There are vegetarian versions as well like these, which were made of chickpeas, zucchini and cabbage and lightly browned in the pan before finishing baking in the oven. Served with a delicious spiced yogurt sauce, they were easy to make and just delicious. I can see myself making these often as written, or changing out the veggies. 

Vegetarian Kofta with Spiced Yogurt Sauce

by Alyssa Moreau

(Serves 4)

1 cup zucchini, grated, (Let sit 10 min then squeeze dry with cloth or hands)

1/2 cup cabbage, grated (Let sit 10 minutes then squeeze dry with cloth or hands)

1 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, mashed well

1/4 cup garbanzo flour or fine bread crumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

dash of cayenne 

1-2 Tbsp ghee or light oil such as high oleic salflower oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine ingredients through cayenne and mix well with hands. Form into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter, (if too wet, add in some more flour). Cook in ghee/safflower oil mixture (medium heat), turning to brown all sides, then bake for 20 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Spiced Yogurt Sauce

2 cups non-fat Greek yogurt (or regular full-fat yogurt, drained well*)

1 Tbsp ghee or light oil

1/4 tsp each of cumin, coriander, chili powder, and salt 

dash each of clove powder, cardamon powder, ginger, cayenne, black pepper

1/4 cup cashews

1/2 cup tomato, chopped

*Drain yogurt in a cheese cloth lined colander for 30 minutes or longer. Heat oil in a small pan and add the spices. Cook for one minute, then add in the cashews and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes more, then add 1/2 cup of the yogurt. Heat through, then transfer mixture to a blender and blend with the rest of the yogurt. Adjust flavors to taste. Place sauce in a serving dish and top with the cooked kofta, garnish with cilantro.

Speaking of Indian food, we kicked off the weekend by attending an Indian-Themed Macrobiotic Community Dinner on Friday night. They hold them twice a month with different themes and types of food. On the menu for this one: Vegetable Samosas with Chutney, Red Lentil Dahl, Brown Rice, Cabbage and Peas Sauteed with Mustard Seeds and Garlic and for dessert, Carrot Halva with Kukicha Tea. I love to try new and different types of food and ways of cooking and lucky for me, my Mom, at 78 this month, is a good sport and game to try new things too. 

I know the plate doesn't look gorgeous--but hey when you are feeding tons of people out of a church kitchen, you do what you can and it tasted great. The dinners are very casual, plastic plates and "green" utensils, and this one was a full house, packed with a great variety of people, all different ages and backgrounds. Hosted by the wonderful Chef Leslie Ashburn of Macrobiotic Hawaii, they feature unprocessed, vegan, macrobiotic meals with lots of local, organic ingredients. You walk away full and satisfied but feeling healthy too. The baked samosas, stuffed with quinoa and veggies were my favorite part of the meal--Yum! Not familiar with Macrobiotics? It is basically a lifestyle that is based around achieving balance, harmony, and wholeness in all aspects of life. I am not expert, I just like to learn, so you can read more about it at the Macrobiotic Hawaii website, here. 

Finally, the perfect foodie afternoon yesterday, I finally saw Julie & Julia. Since the last movie I saw in a theater, Food Inc. made me not ever want to eat again, it was nice to see a movie that made me hungry this time. (I may have to drag out my Mastering the Art of French Cooking and jump on that Boeuf Bourguignon bandwagon!). Meryl Streep was phenomenal as Julia and the rest of the cast great as well, especially Stanley Tucci (love him!), as her husband Paul. Basically, a cute, feel good movie and some good Mother / Daughter bonding. 

Afterward we went to the newly-opened Red Mango in Kahala Mall. (So happy to have one closer than running into Waikiki). Having tried a lot of different frozen yogurt brands, I love Red Mango the best, and since a small one is only about 90 calories plus another 35-40 calories for the fruit, it is a great, healthy afternoon snack. My favorite is the original flavor with mango and blackberry. 

So that is it, the "Things I Am Loving This Week". How about you?