Good morning!
Happy Father’s Day to my 3 awesome DADS- Brian (dad), John (stepdad), and Ken (father-in-law) and all the wonderful father’s out there!
Secondly, thank you for all your sweet comments about the market! :biggrin:
As I mentioned in my Farmer’s Market recap last night, I bought some new spices from a wonderful local business called Arvinda’s.
I had a chance to speak with the amazing business owners and they are just the sweetest people you will ever meet! It was so fun learning about the different spices. You can tell they have such a great passion for their business. They have a really great story about how they started the business here and they are in many stores and also have an online store. I think we are going to become great friends! I also met a lovely lady who was telling me about her daughter’s recent transition to a vegan diet so I gave her my website and she seemed quite thrilled (she was unsure what to make her daughter for meals when she comes to visit). :biggrin: I love meeting new people, it was so much fun!
Back to the spices…
I cannot even explain to you how amazing these spices smell. We were all ooo-ing and aww-ing at their stand! It made me soooooo hungry! :lol:
Last night I cracked open this baby for dinner!
I would say this Curry Masala was an upgrade from what I was using…
LOL!!! Can you believe that is what I was using?! NO NAME curry. I know, it is unspeakable. I have no idea what ever made me buy no name curry. I can’t even begin to describe the difference in taste and aroma.
My spices in general are SO lacking…
It looks like I have a lot, but don’t be fooled. They all are dried out and unusable for the most part! None of them taste very good either. :ermm:
Inside each Arvinda’s tin, there is a recipe! Awesome idea. I decided to adapt the Classic Chicken Curry and used lentils instead. [Click recipe to enlarge if necessary].
It was so easy I told Eric I could do it with my eyes closed!
I started with cooking the lentils…
While those cooked I made the curry sauce. First you add some EVOO and caramelize the chopped onion (takes about 10 minutes on low-medium). Then add 1/2 cup of canned or chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add in 1.5 tbsp of the Curry Masala…
and stir well until a thick paste forms.
Mmmmm. Smells sooooooooooooo good. You will drool.
Rinse lentils when cooked.
Add about 1/2 cup of water to the curry paste and stir. Now add in 1.5-2 cups of lentils and stir well.
Voila! A super easy, super high-protein vegan curry dish at your service.
Sprinkle the lentil curry with Garam Masala and you are ready to roll.
It was soooo spicy my mouth was on fire! But I loved every second of it.
Let’s just say my sinuses are clear! :biggrin:
We had it with some bread and Earth Balance on the side.
[recycled photo as I forgot to take a picture!]
After dinner, we headed out for a sunset walk…
Post-curry stretch!
Relax…..
Breathe.
On the agenda today is a little work and a little play. I had a full 7.5 hours sleep last night, so I will not be bailing on my workout today…promise!! :biggrin: I will be back later to talk about the rest of my training plan for the try-a-tri and sprint triathlon.
Today’s questions- Do you have a spice collection in your kitchen? What are your favourites or must-haves? Any tips for helping someone start up a spice collection?
Have a great Father’s Day!
I love Indian spices! I work at an Indian restaurant in NYC– so good for you!
I love fresh finds like that from the farmer’s market! the lentils look delish!!
I think that the key to having a good spice collection is to have the staples that you use all the time, for me it’s garlic powder, oregano, basil , parsley, rosemary, chili powder, curry powder, etc. I could go on forever. :)
I just now read your re-cap of yesterday and I just wanted to say congratulations!!! SO SO happy for you!!! It’s amazing when things start falling into place, you know?
My spices are in HUGE need of an overhaul! I cleaned them out a couple of months ago and found spices from the 90’s!
Thanks for your congrats!
I love buying new spices! I have a pretty big collection, but in my mind a spice collection can never be ready :)
Hehehe my spice collection looks very similar to yours! I also don’t exactly have the highest-grade spices (Bulk Barn is my usual source!) but those ones look great. Curry powder, garam masala, cumin and turmeric are my staples for Indian dishes. I also like to have chipotle chili powder and paprika for mexican or spicier dishes. Looks like a delicious dinner!
I have just started reading your blog and I love it!
I am so glad the Farmer’s Market went well for you!
Your glo-bars look amazing and yummy!
Thank you I am glad you enjoy it :)
I have a pretty big spice collection, but I normally season my food with salt, pepper and fresh garlic. I’ve got all the staples: garlic powder, onion powder, garam masala, curry powder, tumeric, no less than 6 kinds of pre-mixed ‘bbq’ (salt free) blends (ex: lemon pepper, seafood seasoning, etc), herbs de Provance, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, 3 kinds of chili powder, cumin, oregano, rosemary, sweet basil… and I think that’s about it. I wish I could attach a picture or something… I love my spices. I’m such a nerd… aka: proud spice mamma ? ;P
Looks yummy :D well done on your farmers market success too! I’d say the spices we use most are cayenne, cumin, paprika, ground coriander, cinnamon, galangal, piri piri and a cajun rub :)
Red pepper flakes. Cumin. Thyme. Basil. Parsley. Garlic salt. Italian Seasoning.
I love spices!! And your blog :)
I NEED red pepper flakes! I have never used them before, but somehow I NEED them NOW. haha
i could imagine the difference from No Name, thats what i have and ClubHouse too, it would overpower and taste way better than both of those combined i’m sure
I wish I cooked more with curry..but my husband doesn’t like hot spices. I’ll have to make something similar when he’s not home!
I have a spice rack we got as a wedding gift. I typically use paprika, cumin, garlic salt, dried parsley and oregano and chili powder the most.
People should check out Penzey’s (penzeys.com)! They have several store locations all across the US and also have an online catalog (and will ship outside the US for Canadians!). I wrote a post all about them on my blog! They offer more than 200 spices and have tons of different packaging sizes from 1 ounce to an entire lb, and they have great deals too.
It is my go-to spice store!
I love Penzey’s. They are my source for zaatar – my favourite middle eastern spice blend that I use on EVERYTHING. It is a spice that isn’t that common but it is worth trying for sure!
Your photography is really getting amazing!
My favorite spices are cumin (SO good in bean salad and tofu scramble), paprika (yam fries!), cinnamon (loaded into oats, smoothies, over sliced apple, peanut butter toast (with banana!) – okay, i am clearly a tad excessive with cinnamon!, chili powder, garlic powder (when I’m feeling lazy :), and cayenne!
I have always thought that spices and herbs make any dish…mine are extensive, and all low in salt as hubby is diabetic they include….fresh garlic and ginger almost always but also.. onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, fresh ground black pepper, sea salt (used very sparingly), Mrs. Dash original, ginger, cumin, chili powder, dried mustard, crushed red pepper, paprika (smoked and regular), Dill, Corriander seed, oregano, sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, celery seed, nutmeg, cloves, turmeric, five spice powder, cinnamon, and herbs de provence.I have to keep things original as I have to work around the nut allergy that I developed after I had my kids. I’m very recently converted to a veggie based diet and I’m hoping that it helps…I’m working on the hubby and son, but they are both carnivores. I am making progress….they are eating meat free many nights. The big thing with dried herbs and spices are that they should be bought fresh every six months or so because they lose their potency and flavour with age, and keep them well sealed once they are opened, air is the enemy.
Great info, thank you!
Congrats on the Farmers Market!!!
I love curry and don’t be embarrassed I just recently threw my no name brand spices away a little while ago. I realized that spices are worth splurging on now since we do cook a lot of indian around this house!
I am going to check this brand out that you got! My mouth is watering for some good indian eats!
Cute pics doll!
XXOO
Looks delish! My spice collection is like yours. It needs to be updated too. My must of spices are fresh black pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, and vietnamese cinnamon (I spend way too much money on cinnamon because I use it a lot).
Have a great day! :-)
Everything from the curry to the walk looks absolutely lovely :)
Yum, that looks delicious! I have embarrassingly few spices since moving, so I guess I really just have my essentials. Salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and curry. I really need some new ones!
I love curry!!! I use it to flavor most of my dishes now that I finally found it in stores haha Delicious looking dish!
Those spices look great – might I suggest a chickpea curry with the garam marsala? I can send you an easy recipe that is really tasty, especially when served with some flat bread and sauted green beans on the side!
As for herbs and spices, I can’t live without the following – cumin (ground and seeds), ground coriander seeds, turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper, garam marsala, cinnamon (ground and quills), cloves, nutmeg, cardamon pods, star anise, chinese five spice, dried basil, oregano, rosemary (I prefer fresh, but dried is good for emergency roasted potatoes and the like!), bay leaves and parsley. I usually make my own curry powder from a combination of spices (mainly cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, chilli and ginger). Having real curries instead of no name curry powder will change your life! :)
mmm that sounds amazing