Baingan Bharta and Chole Palak

Why I am awake right now is beyond me.

I went to bed around 1:30, and woke up at 8:03. Why?? Today is my day to sleep in (past 10, anyway). Yet whenever I do actually have time to waste the morning/afternoon away sleeping, I find that I cannot. This is torturous. Here I am, laying (lying) [down] in bed, eyes closing but still unable to fall asleep (yes, I tried putting the computer away). I have so much to do today as Turath is hosting two programs but I can't really bring myself to get out of bed to do said things.

Now before you judge me and [correctly] accuse me of being lazy, I have some exciting news! I'm hosting a lovely prefrosh from Hawaii until tomorrow (she arrived yesterday) and we've been having a wonderful time. But yeah so she's still asleep and I'd feel bad waking her (right, that's the reason....).

And now it's Saturday; Alisse has unfortunately left :( Please come to Wes!!!!

Anyway, while she was here my friend Ellen (who also had a prefrosh) and I decided we would all cook together. Ellen (pictured at the bottom of this post with me) and I are living together next year in Turath and we are both so so excited we can never contain our excitement when we see each other. We cook a lot, mainly deliciously spicy Indian food. Our food is very specific, since she's a vegetarian and gluten-intolerant, and I'm lactose-intolerant. But somehow we still manage to make delicious food (because of her, really). So I will share two delicious Indian recipes with you all today. But when Ellen and I cook, we don't really use a recipe, so I'm gonna have to wing that part. Indian food is really all about adjusting to your taste buds, anyway.

"What should we make? Indian food?" "....is that even a question?"

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry [somewhat])

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• 15oz. can crushed tomatoes (with garlic if possible)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• red pepper flakes
• cumin
• garam masala
• turmeric
• curry powder
• *all spices to taste

Instructions

1. Stab one eggplant with a fork all around and stick it in the microwave on a plate for about 7 minutes or until softened. Place outside to cool (if it's cold out) and do the same with the other eggplant. Once cooled, cut off the stem (?) and then slice lengthwise and widthwise. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Fry onions in some olive oil in a medium saucepan and then add garlic and red pepper. Add all spices except red pepper flakes.
3. Add tomato sauce and eggplant, sprinkle some red pepper flakes. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Add more spices to taste, and blend with an immersion blender if you prefer a smoother texture.

Chole Palak (Chickpeas in a Spinach Curry Sauce)

Ingredients

• 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 large handfuls of spinach, more or less depending on how spinach-y you want it
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 green chile, diced (I just used 1/4 of a can of diced green chiles)
• cumin
• garam masala
• turmeric
• curry powder

Instructions

1. Fry the onions and green chile in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and spices.
2. Add chickpeas and fry for a bit. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas and then add spinach. Cook until wilted. Add more depending on your preference.
3. Let cook for a few minutes, and add spices to taste.

Anyway. This week has been crazy stressful. We had an ice cream social yesterday for WesFest and then at night we had an Arab Cooking party where I taught people how to make fetteh and baklava (recipe coming soon!), and then other dishes that were made were koshari, om ali, tabbouleh, and mana'eesh. So good. It was a great night of food, hookah, and drinks.

Okay I'm really hungry and haven't had breakfast yet so I'm gonna go do that. Or maybe lunch, because looking at these pictures of Indian food is making me super hungry for something savory.

Song of the Day-- Toccatina by Mouse on the Keys. An awesome band with drums and two pianos. Innovative and beautiful.

Recovery Quote of the Day-- let's face it: the vast majority of us do enjoy dessert. If you don't want it, don't make a fuss. Decline it politely and leave it at that.

Enjoy this gorgeous day! Looks like Spring is finally here.

-Carina

Mac & Cheese, 3 Ways

Yesterday was the 6-month mark of my beloved grandpa Amal's death.

It's been a rough week in terms of grieving--he was in my dream 2 nights ago and when I woke up I thought that reality was a dream instead, and started crying. It took me everything I had to drag myself out of bed and go to Arabic. I was planning on taking the day off, but realized that it would've been the exact opposite of what my grandpa would have wanted. He was an academic, a scholar, a doctor--no way would he have approved of not going to class, especially if it were for his sake.

I miss him dearly, more than anyone besides my grandma, who died this past January. I've been taking this time since their untimely deaths to be in even more close contact with my living grandparents, understanding in October for the first time that mortality is, in fact, real, and it does affect people close to me.

So, I celebrated their lives. I celebrated life in general. I celebrated writing 7 awesome pages in an hour and a half for a paper. I celebrated not caring about the grade I got on my last stats test. I popped open a bottle of champagne with a friend and we made a toast to all of these things, enjoying the present, not caring about what came next.

Not yet, anyway.

Because, you see, dear readers, what came next was mac & cheese. What may immediately come to mind is the classic Kraft blue-box mac & cheese with the powder that somehow turns into this creamy cheese that as children (and as college students, let's face it) we simply adored. Not only the smell and the taste and the sight of it, but also the sound of it. The sound of that creamy macaroni mingling with the oddly-colored bright orange cheese....it's a sound that brings back childhood memories, for sure.

Anyway, I've been working the last 3 days at making and testing different recipes for dairy-free mac & cheese. And these ones, I've found, are the best. I also decided to add quinoa to it, but feel free to leave it out.

"No, no, you have to LISTEN to it" -me nagging my friend to....hear the mac & cheese

Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese with Quinoa, Three Ways
inspired by Oh She Glows, Tia Tofu, and Healthy Happy Life

Method #1:
Ingredients

• 15oz. pureed butternut squash or pumpkin
• 3 T cashews
• a bit of unflavored/unsweetened almond milk
• one large garlic clove
• salt
• dehydrated garlic
• mustard powder
• curry powder
• turmeric
• italian seasonings
• pepper
• 2 T nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Ground your cashews in the food processor. Add almond milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, mustard powder, and dehydrated garlic.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin and the rest of the flavors to taste.
3. Put pumpkin in food processor with cashew mix and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. When pasta/quinoa is cooked, stir in cheese sauce and it will be heated by the pasta.

Method #2:

Ingredients

• 1.5 c cheddar Daiya
• 1 c dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened original almond milk)
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix together the milk and nutritional yeast in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the cheddar Daiya and black pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the Daiya is melted, about 2 minutes.

Method #3:

Ingredients

• 3/4 c nutritional yeast
• 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp mustard powder
• 1 c pumpkin
• 3 T EVOO
• 3 T Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1 T agave
• 2 T tahini
• almond milk, to thin (if desired)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor. ........

"MORE QUINOA" -this picture

It really is quite delicious. Choose your favorite method and make it again and again! I've had mac & cheese 4 times this week already. I love the addition of the quinoa, it makes such an interesting texture.

My grandpa is the reason why, more often than not, I decide to have a good day no matter what. To be nice to everyone I meet, to give everyone a smile. He was an incredible man, and his smile will always be a beacon of light for us, reminding us of the good times, and the right thing to do in any situation. I miss him a lot.

I love you, Grandpa. This post is for you!!

Song of the Day-- Stand by Me, River Phoenix. Grandpa's song.

Recovery Quote of the Day-- "Promise me you will nourish your body with delicious food, your mind with knowledge, and your soul with so much love, because you have so much of it to offer." -Grandpa

-Carina

Baked Pumpkin Falafel and DIY Wave Earrings

One thing I wanted more than anything today: to be with all the Caligiuris in Buffalo for Easter.

I called all 3 households in Buffalo to wish them a Happy Easter, each time being told what delicious food they were about to bring over to Aunt Ro's, or what was already there. Even my immediate family back in Boston (suburbs of, to clarify) was having an Easter lunch. And to let you know just how much of a special occasion it was: my dad. ate. meat. Red meat. This is a man who will pick the chicken out of chicken soup if that's what we're having for dinner. No, he's not a vegetarian. He just 'doesn't eat meat.' (except he does).

Anyway, to soothe my soul on an already depressing day (let's face it, we all save our work for Sundays. Yes I still have Arabic homework to do), I figured I'd cook, as I usually do when I feel an emotion I don't want to deal with. I almost ordered in, but then my craving changed from Indian food to Middle-Eastern food, so I decided to make falafel. This is a recipe I've made many times--actually my go-to when I'm coming back from a party and am hungry. None of that 'falafel cart' stuff. Anyway, I figured I'd put a little spin on it since I had just bought 3 cans of pumpkin. So, you guessed it, I made baked pumpkin falafel. I got the original recipe from Can You Stay For Dinner?, a blog with great food and photos.

"DUDE LET'S GO TO MAMOUN'S" -majority of Wesleyan students on Saturday nights

Baked Pumpkin Falafel

adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?

Ingredients

• one 15oz. can of chickpeas
• 3 T flour
• 2 T pureed pumpkin
• 2 T parsley, finely chopped (sub 1tsp dried if you don't have fresh)
• 1 T cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine all falafel ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended.
3. Scoop the bean mixture into a bowl, coat hands with flour, and shape into 8 equal-sized patties.
4. Place onto a greased baking sheet, spray with olive oil spray, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Accompany with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, tahini, and pita bread if desired.

Note: The falafel will be sticky! They won't be perfectly shaped, but they'll still bake fine.

"no." -my response to the falafel cart suggestion

Why go to the falafel cart when you can make it at home? The texture is better baked anyway, in my opinion.

So good. I'll probably definitely be having the leftovers as a midnight snack.

Anyway, when I was on my DIY kick, I made these earrings, inspired by this tutorial. I was too lazy to do wire-wrapping (read: cannot do wire-wrapping), so I just ended up alternating gold jump rings and beads. I like them though!

They're great with a white dress and gold bangles.

Song of the Day-- When I Fall in Love by the Bill Evans Trio. A beautiful variation on a beautiful song. Fits the 'Sunday night' mood well.

Recovery Quote of the Day-- "He who plants thorns must never expect to gather roses." -Arab proverb

Okay, now I should do work. Gotta read up on my Arabic authors!

-Carina