Curried Cabbage with Broccoli and Coconut Almond Rice

It's been a hard week and a half since we lost Winston. He was our precious Sweet Boy and we miss him so much. So many wonderful, silly, funny, memories since he came to live with us 12 years ago when he was only 5 weeks old, so tiny he fit in Paul's shirt pocket.

All the "firsts" have been hard. The first time I came home from work and he wasn't barking joyously to greet me. The first time I made dog food and only needed to make half as much. The first time my mother-in-law came by and she refused to ring the doorbell because she couldn't bear not to hear him barking, so she called from the car to tell us she was here. The first time the neighbors mentioned that they hadn't seen Winston outside for awhile. And then when the vet called to say his ashes were ready for use to pick up.

But time does go on and we keep breathing and eventually we hurt less and less until the memories bring more smiles than tears. Winston, we will never, ever forget you, Sweet Boy. And of course Wesley is still here and we do love him so. He has adjusted fairly well - we have given him lots and lots of extra attention. I think he kinda likes being an "only child".





And now for a yummy new recipe. I threw this together as a pantry challenge sort of recipe amidst a week that was challenging from many perspectives. It took about 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish. (Hmmmmmm.......does that make me the vegan Rachel Ray???? Naah.) It is based on a recipe I came across on the blog One Hot Stove. Very, very yummy served over Coconut Almond Rice. I learned a new condiment from this recipe, ground coconut and sesame seeds, that I will use again. I'm sure this combination has a name but I couldn't find it online anywhere.


Curried Cabbage and Broccoli
3 tbs unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
1/2 medium head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 bag frozen broccoli
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander

Grind coconut and sesame seeds together to make a fine powder and set aside. I use my spice-dedicated coffee grinder for this, but you could use a food processor.

In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil.

Add mustard and cumin seeds and fry for a minute.

Add onion and cabbage and fry for another minute or so.

Add chili powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and coconut-sesame powder. Fry for another minute or so.

Add tomato and salt to taste.

Let this cook unattended over med-low heat for 12-15 minutes. Do not add water or cover.

Serve with Coconut Almond Rice (recipe below).

Coconut Almond Rice
Prepare white basmati or jasmine rice according to package directions with this exception: Use one can of coconut milk (I use lite, but use full fat for extra richness and LOTS more calories....) in place of an equal amount of water. In other words, pour the coconut milk into your measuring cup. Add water to equal the amount of water called for to cook your rice.

While the rice is cooking, lightly toast 1/4 - 1/2 cup of slivered or sliced almonds by heating them in a skillet until they are lightly golden. Watch them closely and stir frequently because they will burn quickly. On a rather odd note, Paul always says that toasting almonds smell like scrambled eggs. ???????

When your rice is done, add the almonds and stir gently to mix through.


And right now I have simmering on the stove, a bog pot of leek and potato soup with an added bonus - cauliflower! It smells wonderful, so if it turns out as nicely as it promises, that will be my next post.