::Spiced Roasted sweet Potatoes::

{via Food & Drink}

I love the licorice flavour of fennel. My kids do not tend to appreciate black licorice, but even they loved these potatoes. These potatoes can be made ahead of time and reheated in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes just before serving.

Ingredient:

6 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp (15 mL) coriander seeds
1 tbsp (15 mL) fennel seed
½ tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
¼ cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) melted butter
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped chives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC).

2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and slice each half into thirds lengthwise to make long French fries.

3. Combine coriander seeds, fennel seeds and chili flakes in a plastic bag. Crush seeds with the back of a pot or a rolling pin until coarsely cracked. Alternatively, place spices in a coffee grinder and pulse until just cracked.

4. Place potato slices in a bowl and toss with cracked seeds, oil and salt and pepper.

5. Lay potatoes on baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and tender.

6. Place in a serving dish and drizzle with melted butter and extra salt if needed. Sprinkle with chives.

::Cucumber Boats::

A quick snack for the healthy-minded.
I found it at ::RawonTen::

Lunch

Cucumber Club

serves 1 ~ $2.08 per serving

1 cucumber ($.59)

1 small onion

1 avocado ($1.49)

salt

This is another recipe idea from Bette. It's so simple and made a great lunch that was both light and filling.

Peel the cucumber and cut in half. Using a spoon or scoop, scrape out the seed cavity and some of the flesh so that it's a hollowed boat. Keep what has been scraped out and chop finely. To that, add one chopped avocado and one finely minced onion. Mix together and use this to fill the cucumber.

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::Curry with Naan Bread & Creamy Curried Veggies::

WE ALL HAVE A MEAL THAT MAKES US WEAK.
ONE WE WANT OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
ONE WE BREAK ALL OF OUR DIET RULES FOR...
THIS IS MINE:

::Basic Chicken Curry::
WE ALL HAVE A BELOVED RECIPE. MINE IS A FAMILY RECIPE I THROW TOGETHER FROM MEMORY, SO I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO FIND ONE YOU LOVE.

::Naan Bread::
NAAN IS A MUST-HAVE WITH CURRY. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FIND IT ON THE MENU AT AN INDIAN RESTAURANT. A FEW YEARS AGO, MOM AND I DECIDED TO TRY IT FROM SCRATCH. WE NAILED IT. I THINK THAT THIS STUFF TASTES JUST LIKE THE REAL THING. LOTS OF WORK, BUT THE MEAL JUST ISN'T THE SAME WITHOUT THIS BUTTERY BREAD.

4 T warm milk
2 t sugar
1- 1/2 t dry yeast/ or 1/2 oz fresh

Warm your milk in a microwave for 20 seconds or so. Add sugar and yeast. Let rest for 10 minutes, until you see that the yeast has begun to create a frothy layer in the bowl.

3 cups + 2 T flour {1 pound}
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Sift all of these dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Set aside.

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup + 1 T milk
1/2 cup + 1 T yogurt
4 T melted butter, {referred to as "ghee"}

Combine all the above. Combine egg mixture and yeast mixture and add to the dry ingredients. Bring together into a ball. Dump onto a floured surface and knead it for a good long while ie. 5 minutes, {feels like an eternity.} Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rest in a warm and draft-free spot for about an hour and half. {I heat the oven for a few minutes until it's warm, then turn it off and let my dough rise in there.} It should double in size.

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Punch down the dough and separate into 8 balls. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for another 10 minutes in warmth.
3. Form each ball into elongated ovals. They don't have to be rolled flat. Just aim for that lovely naan shape. Place on one or two baking trays, covered in parchment paper or foil. Butter the tops with ghee. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip over and brush with more ghee. Bake 6 minutes more, or until lightly golden.
Serve warm. The sooner the better. But if you want to make them ahead, the keep beautifully and can be easy reheated. I have even been known to pop them into the toaster!

::Creamy Curried Veggies::
I REMEMBER SHOPPING IN WHOLE FOODS STORE WITH MY MOM WHEN I WAS A GIRL. THE STORE WAS CALLED "HERB & SPICE." WE WOULD BUY THIS BRIGHT YELLOW SALAD, COMPOSED OF JULIENNED CARROTS & TINY FLORETS OF CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI, TOSSED IN A CREAMY CURRY DRESSING. IT TASTED EXOTIC AND REFRESHING. AND IT BELONGS WITH THIS MEAL. I HAVE SINCE TRIED TO REPRODUCE THE DRESSING WITHOUT FULLY RE-CAPTURING THE FLAVOUR. BUT THIS IS PRETTY CLOSE...

Curry Dressing
1/3 cup (125 mL) sour cream
1/2 cup (75 mL) mayonnaise
1 tbsp (15 mL) mild curry paste
2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) grated ginger root
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar

Salad
cauliflower, broken into small florets
broccoli, broken into small florets
carrot, julienned

NOTE: Another possible salad combination: shrimp and avocado.

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

1/3 c butter
1 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce
2 t white vinegar
1/4 t ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. chopped salted cashews.

Cook broccoli - I like to steam it, but you could also boil it.
While broccoli is cooking:
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper & garlic.
Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
Mix in the cashews and pour the sauce over the broccoli.
Serve immediately.


So yummy! I found this recipe here