I don’t know about you, but I’m cold. My fingers haven’t been a normal temperature since September.
Yesterday, I decided I was going to be a tough Canadian girl and head outside for a run just after sunrise, despite the fact that it was only about –4C. If you know me, you may know that I don’t do cold very well. Despite being born in New Brunswick and enduring many crazy Winters, I just hate the cold.
I left the house with 3/4 length pants, a light zip-up mesh jacket from Costco (you know the ones with all the air vents), a baseball cap, and running gloves. I figured I would be a bit cold to start off and then I’d warm up. No problem, right?
Well, it turns out I’m not so tough…and I was dressed like a fool! A jacket with mesh air vents all over it? What was I thinking? I didn’t even make it half way down my street before feeling like my body would break off like an ice chunk if I took one more step. I stopped in my tracks and flew like a bat out of hell all the way home! All I remember is thinking that I was dying. So much for tough…
I knew if I turned back there would be a strong possibility that I may not make it back outside again, but I gave myself a little pep talk and took just a couple minutes to put on some warmer clothes. I threw on a light Nike jacket and a headband around my ears and I was off once again! Half the battle is showing up. Granted, I was still wearing 3/4 length pants, but you win some you lose some.
After about 5 minutes of warming up, I ended up having a wonderful 4-mile run. The sun came out and the cold didn’t bother me much now that I was dressed properly. I returned with rosy cheeks and a new outlook on the day before me.
Moral of the story: Dress for success.
…and eat really spicy Indian food which is what we’ve been doing a lot lately!
I’ve turned Eric into a real curry fan, despite his claims that he doesn’t like spicy food. Well, I’m not buying it anymore!
Last week, we found ourselves eating at the Whole Foods food bar like we often do when we’re in Mississauga. I tried a dish called Aloo Matar (which I read is a classic Punjabi dish). With a base of potatoes and green peas sautéed with Indian spices, it’s the perfect comforting, stick-to-your-ribs, warm-me-up meal. I knew I had to try to make this at home.
You can see the dish in the photo just below the sign! It sure isn’t a pretty dish, but it’s amazing regardless.
My first attempt was pretty good, although I would like to compare them side by side! I used this All Recipes Aloo Matar recipe and adapted it to what I had in my pantry. I didn’t have ginger garlic paste, so I used fresh garlic and ginger and then changed a bunch of other things.
Aloo Matar (attempt 1)
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb potatoes, chopped
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 & 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- pinch chili pepper and paprika
It turned out really good, but I kept feeling like something was missing. Maybe it was the garlic ginger paste or fenugreek leaves? If anyone has a kick-butt authentic Aloo matar recipe, please let me know!
I made my Butternut Squash Mac N Cheeze again last week (obsessed) and had some roasted butternut squash to use up, so I thought it would be fun to make a curry-flavoured hummus. I added a cup of roasted squash, tweaked my favourite hummus recipe, and then added spices to taste. It paired wonderfully with the Aloo Matar and it was fun to dip the pita bread in and mix it all together.
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Spicy Curry Butternut Squash Hummus
You control how spicy you want this hummus! The butternut squash adds a light sweetness which is nicely contrasted by the curry powder, tahini, and cumin. Serve with a warm pita and your favourite Indian dish.
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup cooked butternut squash
- One 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2-3 tsp good-quality curry powder, to taste
1. With the processor running, drop in two garlic cloves to mince. Scrape down side of bowl, and add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust curry spices to taste and add more water if necessary to attain your desired consistency. Garnish with garam masala and a bit of olive oil if desired. Serve with pita bread, crackers, tortilla wraps, vegetables, etc.
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At first, I wasn’t sure if I was crazy over this hummus, but it really grew on me after a few tastes. I don’t think the batch lasted longer than 2 days!
We’re definitely feeling warmer over here, but more spicy food will be needed soon…
and maybe a Snuggie or two.
I completely know what you mean, I was sat at my laptop the other day wearing GLOVES! Who’d ve thunk it would get this cold in Cyprus of all places! Lovely looking recipe! Butternut squash is EVERYWHERE recently, not that I’m complaining! :)
These aren’t something I would normally make but I need to break out of my box and they look really good! Thanks for doing the “test” phase of great recipes for the rest of us to gobble up!
My thoughts are it’s better to use the fresh ginger and garlic, but I would have used an oil like canola or sesame (not the roasted kind, just plain sesame oil). Also, the fenugreek does have a very pronounced flavor. I make Indian food quite often, but I never take Indian recipes off of a site like all recipes. Not that it’ll necessarily be bad, but there are so many other websites that seem to be based in India that always yield such better results. The only problem is that they sometimes write the name of spices with words we don’t hear in North America, so you need to look them up, and also, they’ll put everything in grams and conversions will be necessary (unless you have a scale, which I don’t).
I love making Indian recipes at home. Thanks for this one. The hubs will appreciate the extra spice!
My goodness, this looks divine! Love all those spices and flavors! Sounds delicious!
Hi Angela,
You see Punjabi cooking doesn’t really use coconut oil; it’s more of ghee or other mellow vegetable oils. My mother uses barely 1/2 tsp of cumin and adds turmeric, coriander powder, fennel and green chillies and no sugar.
It is best to mix your own garam masala – it’s more flavorful & cheaper. Also, curries are usually eaten with naans, rotis or chappathis.
Good luck.
I can’t wait to try this hummus recipe! My husband and I are a little obsessed with homemade hummus (it’s so much better than store bought!) and I often just eat it straight up with a spoon. I have a recipe for Moroccan spiced hummus if you’re interested:
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2011/10/24/moroccan-inspired-hummus/
If you want to make really good, authentic Indian food, you must get one of Madhur Jaffrey’s cookbooks. I have been using her Asian Vegetarian cookbook for years and the pages are literally falling out. The recipes look daunting because the ingredient lists are long, but it’s mostly just spices that require nothing more than a bit of measuring.
Thanks for the suggestion!
aahh, Angela! Do you have a pair of tights for winter running? If you don’t, I HIGHLY recommend getting a pair. You will love them forever and it will make a difference on running in the cold. They are a bit pricey but they last for years.
I love how bright colored that hummus is.. looks good!
No I don’t but I think I really need a pair!
I love love love this post!! #1: Aloo Matar has to be one of the BEST foods on the planet, period. Definitely perfect fall-weather food. #2: I have 3 butternut squashes sitting on my counter. 3. Overzealous? I think so. But the hummus sounds delish, and will help me use it up faster! Thanks Angela!
heh I hope you like it!
i want to like curry….i just don’t know if i do though. first i’m so scared to make it at home. i never have the right spices. and i have a curry powder…i just don’t know if it’s the ‘right’ curry powder. lol that makes no sense. curry confuses me.
Hi Angela,
I cook Indian food quite a lot and although most of my recipes are hand me downs from family, I look at Sanjeev Kapoor’s website a lot. Here’s a link to the Aloo matar recipe. The taste lies in its simplicity. http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/aloo-matar.aspx
PS – I’ve had problems with his website since the redesign a couple of months ago, so if the link doesn’t work, pls google Sanjeev Kapoor Aloo Matar :)
I looove aloo matar. I find Indian dishes really difficult to successfully recreate at home. It’s so hard to get the mixes of spices and everything else just right. The butternut squash hummus sounds really yummy!
That hummus sounds great but everything I’ve done with butternut squash this year has been a disaster. I seriously don’t know what the problem is but I’m leaving that squash alone for now!
Hummus+ Butternut Squash? Genius! By the way, how do you get your pictures with ingredients in the pan to look so pretty? All your pictures are gorgeous. ;)
I love stealing ideas from WF salad bar…the ingredients listings are just too hard not to steal tips from! Love the idea of squash hummus, definitely bookmarking this! Thanks for sharing :)
I’m a whole foods hot bar ingredient snapper as well!! I come home and try to remake what I just ate! I did this last week with their vegan pumpkin soup….swooonnnnn!!!
I love, love, love Indian food, so these are musts on my list!!!!
xxoo
I love Indian Food! Eat it 3-4 times a month.
I find myself peeking at WFoods salad bar list too!
So I am going to make this butternut squash hummus after Thanksgiving! I can’t wait!!! I will let you know how it goes. :)
how much do i love that my city gets a shout out in this post! SO MUCH! yay mississauga!
:) so happy Mississauga has a whole foods now!
It really is great the Mississauga has so many great things to offer….Whole Foods being one of my favourites though also having a Crate & Barrel has been a great addition.
As someone who is totally obsessed with hummus, I have never in my life heard of the butternut squash variation and, I have to tell you, I already know I have been seriously missing out! This looks like it tastes AMAZING and I totally can’t wait to try it. Thanks!!!
Enjoy Irina!