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