Peri Perilous Vegetarian Medley

Huzzah! The Perils have passed!  I fear celebrating too quickly, but two nights sans torturous headaches can expectedly be interpreted as a farewell to the clusters.  The relief that bears down on me and more importantly my husband is a weight of the most cloud-like proportions–fluffy and comforting.  So perhaps we can return to the normalcy of not fearing every little thing he eats.  Nevertheless, I did happen to concoct a few lovely meals that were both quick and tasty, and naturally I sit here now to share them.

This particular recipe came about because the husband was a tad wary of eating meats all week, for better or for worse, so I embarked on a LOT of tofu dishes.  This one also yields a healthy dose of the bell pepper (which mentioned previously supposedly aids in the relief of CHs).  I personally liked this one because it was bright and cheerful, and I was able to get the boy eating more green stuff (a trait he evidently carried from the quintessential definition of childhood: an irrational fear of the green vegetable).  One day he will like broccoli too, that’s my ultimate goal.  Don’t say wishful thinking, I will just shut my ears and sing inanities to drown you out (I can have childish tendencies too).

The best part of this dish however comes from the source of the flavor: NANDOS!  Yes on one of my last treks to one of the tastiest restaurants around, I bought a few of their sauces: extra hot and garlic. Whee!  Eventually I’m going to use it on chicken itself and let my tastebuds swoon in ecstasy.  But I digress…

Tofu Coconut Curry

Ah me, where is the serenity, the unfathomable lightness, the sense of accomplishing and participating in the wild frenzied breath of the universe without pain, only bliss?

No clue.  All I know is sometimes you just have to pull together the shards and remnants of all prior existences, the amorphous blobs of unforetold dreams, and the strands of countless prayers, combine them into a large casserole dish and bake until you’ve come up with a savory significance completely your own and completely worthwhile.  No simple task, but your only other recourse is to throw in the towel and let life lead you.  I’ll have none of that, so I’m going to rally my determination and find a way to make the ingredients in my cabinet froth into something grand.  For my sake, for the husband’s sake.  Life is too precious to let stupid obstacles crush you. (I speak in riddles mayhaps, but I’m in an incoherent mood, so play along!)

Bean and Pepper Stew

Suddenly I have things to do—not a job per se, but still many a task at hand.  Irritatingly the Apartment association has decided to revamp the entrance and breezeways of all the buildings, which is lovely and kind of them, but also results in a large accumulation of dust inside my door.  Guess who gets to clean that on a regular basis? Yay.  I’m also trying to actually complete a short story or two for a couple of contests and whatnot, but Oy my mind doesn’t cooperate and constantly wants to change everything as I write it, blocking me from actually moving forward. I’m also going to begin contributing on a volunteer basis at the moment for a peer’s education-oriented website. If that goes somewhere, it could become a proper paid gig.  Have to start working on that asap.

And then there’s my beloved blog—no matter what, I intend to keep this going as a testament to my love for food, writing, and the sheer desire to not let it dwindle like so many other pursuits.   But obviously when times get a little busy, certain things have to get simpler.  Dinner last night, for example.  A bean and pepper stew that looks thicker than it actually was. But really quite good with some bhindi (okra) and naan for the boy.

Mexican Rice Made So Easy

Completely admit I have been glued to the news lately.  I am at once in awe and completely concerned for the Egyptian people as they relentlessly hold their protests and demand freedom.  Similarly proud and astounded by journalists around the world who risk their lives to transmit the truth to us.  This entire series of events, all of it, is mesmerizing and—I can only hope and pray—successful.

But at the cost of the emotional and mental hold this critical event has on me, I at times spend less time concentrating on anything else.  Food included.  So it is always a pleasure when a series of easy steps leads to a joyful dance for the tastebuds.  Case in point: my version of Mexican rice.

I won’t dare claim authenticity of flavor for this dish, but hey I liked it, the husband liked it and, complementing it with some lovely chicken and peppers fajita-style, it worked super well for us.  And it will for you too! Perhaps. One can only hope.