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Tag Archives: Curry


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My New Favorite Salad

Spoiler alert:  It’s summer, you guys.

Which means it’s H-O-T hot.  I don’t really remember summers always being this hot in the past, or this brutal on my allergies.  But here I am, wearing only clothing that won’t show sweat marks as to maintain some level of dignity, and sporting my glasses for the umpteenth time since apparently my contacts have sprouted little razor blades inside them and waged a full on attack on my eyeballs.

How’s that for imagery?

Anywho.  Since it’s been so muggy and sweat-tacular these days, my cooking has come to a little bit of a halt.  Besides grilling whenever possible, I mostly try to prepare meals that don’t involve me turning the oven dial past 4oo, and I don’t  partake in a whole lot of stove-top action.  So I end up making a lot of salads.  Which gets boring.

Enter my new favorite salad.

Peanut Curry Slaw Salad.  It’s a delightful blend of sweet and savory, and with a nice little how’s your father kick from the sriracha.  It’s a quick and easy vegetarian dish, but can also be just as tasty with some diced up chicken thrown in for added protein.  I make this about once a week now, and have been known to eat the entire bowl in record time.


Though, in all fairness, the bowls not that big.

Peanut Curry Slaw Salad
Prep time:  About 10 minutes
Yields: About 4 big servings
You’ll Need:
1 bag of shredded broccoli slaw
15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup golden raisins
The sauce:
1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. curry powder
Splash rice wine vinegar
Splash of water if needed, to thin out the sauce
1-3 T sriracha (or more, depending on your preference of heat)

Directions:  Combine slaw, chickpeas and raisins in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk until very smooth.  Toss with the salad and serve.

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This works great as a main-course or as a dinner side.  I had it one night with some salmon and it was deeeelish.

It also pairs wonderfully with my other favorite summer activity…

Any favorite salads you’d like to share for when I inevitably grow tired of this one?


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Spicy Curry Hummus

I think one of my most favorite things to do is take something ordinary and reinvent it.  Like when I used to make strategic cuts in my old Ramones tshirts and then carefully haphazardly piece them back together with safety pins.  (Oh mom, I’m so sorry…)  Or that time when I was 15 and decided I really needed to have the “Rachael” haircut, so I took my trusty scissors and… wait, that is not a good example.  Come to think of it, you should probably just not leave me around scissors.

That’s why I love experimenting with food.  Because no one’s left with tattered clothing or mullet-esque haircuts.  And don’t act like I’m the only one who has had the genius idea of turning seriously frayed jeans into cut-off jean shorts (are those really ever cute?) or shrunken yoga pants into capris (uh, they look totally even when I’m lunging.)

Sure, I’ve had a few stomach ache’s and burnt extremities (yes I said extremities, not just fingers have been harmed in the SSH kitchen.)  But most times I’m left with a smile on my face and a crumb or 7 on my chin.

This hummus was a great example of when reinvention is a good thing.  Yes I love classic hummus, but throw in some sriracha and curry, and you will have to pry that bowl out of my ninja kung fu grip.  As well as the box of rosemary Wasa crackers, but that’s a whole other story.  Seriously, do they sprinkle heroin on those things?

Spicy Curry Hummus
You’ll Need:
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup tahini
1 T grated or minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 T sriracha (less if you prefer less heat)
1 heaping tsp. curry powder
1tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
2 T olive oil
+ 1/4 cup water if needs thinning

Directions:  Remove the shells of the chickpeas by squeezing them together, gently, between your thumb and forefinger.  (Yes this is a pain and takes about 10 minutes but I promise your hummus will be insanely smooth.)  Combine all ingredients into a food processor, except olive oil, and begin to pulse.  Slowly pour in olive oil while you are blending.  If the mixture is still too thick, add water and continue to blend.  Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and an extra shot of srirachi for some kick and color.

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Feel free to slather this delicious spread on tortilla chips, crackers or even a sandwich.  Just bring some gum along if you plan on having social interaction afterwards.

Or throw on your safety-pinned t shirt, frighteningly uneven cut-off shorts and newly shorn locks, and social interaction probably won’t even be an issue!  And that, my friends, is a win-win.

PS- Happy 30th birthday to my handsome and hilarious husband, Brandon!  He doesn’t really read my blog, but he’ll be super embarrassed to know I gave him a shout out, and isn’t routinely embarrassing one another what marriage is all about?

Love you, shmoopy!


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Mild Victories

Oh hello, Friday.  You beautiful little last day of the work week, you.  Come in.  Stay awhile.

I’ve made soup. 

sweet potato soup

…Yes, again.

sweet potato soup 2

Well I thought you liked soup… you said…

soup 3

Frankly I don’t like your tone.  Yes, I know you don’t like sweet potatoes, but you simply must try….

soup 4

Look, you can’t come waltzing in here, week after week,  expecting me to get all creative and…like.. come up with crazy new ideas and-

soup 5

Ok, you’re right.
I’m sorry too. 

soup 6

For what it’s worth, Saturday’s always been my favorite anyways.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Curry Soup
Total time: 1 hr
Serves: 6
You’ll Need:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 squash (I used acorn- peeled, seeded, scraped and cubed)
1 large onion, quartered
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
2 T Sriracha, plus more for additional flavoring

Directions:  Preheat oven to 425.  Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil and place all vegetables (once prepped) into the pan, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place them in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.  Place veggies in a large pot and cover with half the vegetable broth and add spices and sriracha (if desired).  With hand-held blender (you can also place everything in a regular blender), combine until smooth, slowly adding the remainder of the broth.  Stir in sriracha for added heat.

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soup 7

Despite my awkward conversations with days of the week, inanimate objects, animals and make-believe people, this soup really is quite spectacular.  It came about after acquiring an acorn squash from my mother and having 2 sweet potatoes that were on their way out.  So not only did I end up with delicious soup, I used up a bunch of random ingredients that would have, otherwise, met their demise after starting to smell funny.  

On another note I may have eaten a frozen pizza last night and had a glass 2 glasses of wine.  But I did manage to not eat the whole pizza, so let’s just celebrate that mild victory and call it a day. 

A Fri Day.  And thank God for that.

(You’re still my fave, Saturday.)

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