Sunday, January 3, 2010

Challenge Day 1 What's in my pantry?


It's freezing outside this morning! Beautiful sunshine but it's 6 degrees with a wind chill below zero. Brrrrr!! Don't like thinking about going out to muck stalls, so I'll think about something else for a little while....

I took another look at my pantry this morning so I can start thinking about a plan. Here is part of what I have to work with:
  • several kinds of dried beans, mostly a cup or less of each
  • dried soybeans (for making tofu)
  • several cans of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
  • box of quinoa
  • a box of penne and chreese
  • couple of cans of cooked beans - pinto and garbanzos
  • 2 cans vegetarian baked beans
  • a cup or so of red lentils
  • about a cup of french lentils
  • 1/2 bag of brown basmati rice
  • bag of white basmati
  • small amount of TVP
  • a few soy curls
  • box of dosai mix
  • box of sambhar mix
  • several bags of whole wheat pasta
  • box of pad thai noodles
  • 2 cans coconut milk
  • 1/2 bag of white whole wheat flour and 1/2 bag of all-purpose flour
  • a variety of oils, spices, and condiments
  • vital gluten
  • nutritional yeast
  • 5 lb russet potatoes
I'm thinking Indian today, so maybe the sambhar and dosai. They're easy and the sambhar is spicy and yummy for such a cold day. I buy these mixes at the local international market and try to keep a couple on hand for nights when I need something quick. And I have some leftover samosa filling that will be tasty with the dosai. If you have never made dosai before, leave yourself some extra time. You have to start with a cold pan for each pancake.

The dosai turned out crispy and delicious.



For the sambhar, I followed the directions on the package with a few exceptions. After adding water to the mix, I added the following:
  • 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 3 smallish potatoes, cut into small cubes
  • 3 tbs french lentils
The end result was spicy and sour and a bit sweet. And completely delicious!





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