No-Dairy, No-Nut, No-soy Nacho Sauce and No-soy Tofu

Never one to turn down free food, I accepted a cheery red bell pepper from my friend after she and her husband treated me and Dave to a home-cooked meal (I get to dog sit for her next weekend.) She said she wouldn't be able to use it in time. Months ago I saw a nacho sauce recipe that claimed having bell pepper was a key ingredient. Naturally I was so excited, I forgot to book mark it and now can't remember which one it was.

I found a few versions online, some used cashews to make it rich (I tried No Meat Athlete's Vegan Mac N' Cheese but found I had to add lots of sriracha to make it to my liking), but like one blogger pointed out if you like to lay it on thick, a cashew based sauce may be a wee bit too high in calories for a recipe to be used more often than special occasions. The nutless ones I came across used miso...which interestingly one blogger claimed as being soy-free. Well, maybe she found the one made from chickpeas. Any way, I'm not ready to re-introduce soy into my diet to test my reaction yet and don't have time to wait to order chickpea miso or make calls trying to locate it locally. So substitution recipe for miso searching was needed. A few boards suggested using tahini or a tomato-paste/soy sauce substitution. I happened to have coconut aminos from my local Whole Foods to use instead of soy sauce/Braggs liquid amino-it's not as satisfying on my mochi and nori as soy sauce but it could just work for this recipe.I always keep a can of tomato paste in the pantry.

I'm not going to say the recipe really tastes anything like the cans of neon orange cheese, but by golly, I sure felt it was tasty and rich. I spent from about 6:40p-7:40p in the kitchen. A little prep work was done over the weekend (pepper roasting, soak beans).  I modified the recipe I found at Fo Reals Life to make it soy-free. And also tried making a soy-free tofu to put into this nacho "cheese" recipe (tofu not made from soy sounds contradictory, no? Apparently you can make tofu from other kinds of beans. And if you only have 45 minutes and chickpea flour, you're ready! I had no idea about any of this until I read this blog Triumph of the Lentil. If you enjoy legumes, I think this lady's blog is worth a gander. I hope to find some other recipes to try...maybe doing a test vegan body building month WOULD be possible without soy after all).

Here's the modifed ingredients and instruction:

NO DAIRY, NO NUT, NO SOY NACHO SAUCE

1/4 c. roasted red pepper (if making from scratch, just brush with oil, and roast at ~400F for 20 minutes, rotating 2-3 times if leaving whole so all sides get some charring. Place in a brown paper bag after for about 10 minutes to make the skin easier to peel off and pull out the seeds)
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TBSP.sesame seeds
1 TBSP. tomato paste + 1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 c rice. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz of chickpea tofu (recipe below)-this was probably a cup of strips if you don't have a scale.
1 c.plain hemp milk
1/2 c. water

Stick all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cook over medium-high heat until nice and thick. Stir constantly to avoid a burnt bottom.

Serve it with your favorite nacho fixings. My dinner consisted of toasting some corn tortillas until crisp and piling it high with arugula, chopped olives and some kidney beans.

NO SOY TOFU
I made a half recipe of what was on the original blog since my chickpea flour reserves are low and I still have half an 8x8 pan left to make an additional 2-3 meals this week-score!

1.25 cups chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water

Mix together dry ingredients, breaking up lumps.

Put dry ingredients into a pan or saucepan. Adding water a bit at a time and breaking up lumps.

Turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring until the batter thickens (my half recipe took about 4 minutes on a gas stove, the original chef says her full batch was 7 minutes on electric). 

Grease the pan and then spread the batter evenly. Allow to cool/firm up on the counter 20-30 minutes before attempting to cut. Reminds me of polenta but so much faster (no hand cramps)! And more protein!

And to think this all started with getting a free bell pepper.

What was the last free/good deal you got without knowing what you were going to do with it? What did you end up making?

Rosemary Returns: Dry your own herbs, lemon-coconut cookies & Jamba "pizza" bread

I looked at great little potted herb, lettuce and pepper arrangements online at Better Homes and Gardens a month or two back. However, the airplant from my sister, a poinsettia from my work's Christmas party and a shrimp plant at my desk is all that's going on. I could use some outdoor time but what's holding me back? I don't know.

I did see a commercial for Home Depots Black Friday sale, 5 plants for $10...tempting! Maybe if I try starting my seedlings at work they will do better than last year. My other plants are thriving in the window there.


Even without herbs readily available on my patio, my box has started supplying again.  I set out the rosemary to dry on a cookie sheet since I can't get through all of it in two weeks. Here's a nice article on drying your own herbs and you don't need any fancy tools!

 With a cookie contest coming up at work and the lemons beaming at me from the window, it was inspiration for a twist on the super easy macaroon recipe I found during the holidays (hmm, this post will also feature a recipe with tomato paste like my one in December).

LEMON-ROSEMARY MACAROONS adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (Try stores that carry items sold in bulk bins or, Fresh & Easy near me carries Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tbsp flour of choice (I went with white rice flour)
• 1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk (or full-fat)--if you use full fat can save the rest for coconut milk whipped cream or dump 1/4 cup in with a frozen banana, some water and protein powder.
• 2-3 tbsp honey or other liquid sweetener (2 tbsp if you really want the rosemary to shine)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• tiny bit over 1/16 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice.

1. If using the regular oven pre-heat to 350. I use my toaster oven since this makes a small batch of about 16-1 tbsp sized cookies.

2. Chop rosemary leaves finely or pulse in your food processor.

3. Place all ingredients into a medium microwavable bowl and mix until evenly combined. Microwave for 3 minutes

4. Use a tablespoon (can press the batter into the scoop with your fingers to give the cookie better shape). and scoop out onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes (check earlier to see browning, seems like with lemon juice added it browns fast, you can see from the picture!)

 It reminds me of lemon bars without so much sugar-just that amount of tartness.

PIZZA BREAD adapted from Gluten Free Goddess

The next recipe is not perfect with the substitutions I tried (I think it may I may be using flax seeds instead of eggs and chickpea flour being quite dense. I also accidentally forgot to add the oil) but for some reason I still like this bread's flavor with the rosemary and tomato paste. I was happy that it did rise. It also kept me feeling full for a long time. From my hazy memories of high school hang outs, I thought of the pizza protein sticks from Jamba Juice. I was really happy doing the lemon-jam muffins earlier this year with ratio baking, so next need to gluten-free ratio for bread making which does the ingredients by weight. Or get a weight on the original ingredients (the oat flour) Though the portion may or may not work with my size bread machine.

Again, I used the bread machine recipe from Gluten Free Goddess, with a few changes:
.
DRY INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/2 cup chickpea flour (maybe since it's so dense...the loaf baked weird)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup finely chopped rosemary

WET INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups warm water (at 110 to 115ºF) 
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey- or raw agave nectar to keep it vegan 
1/2 teaspoon mild rice vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp ground flax seed with 8 TBSP hot water-mix and cover to let sit separately (or 2 eggs)

Add the ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine (mine is dry, make a hole, add yeast, then add wet ingredients on top. Use the quick bread setting was a great tip from Gluten Free Goddess. And don't let the bread sit in the machine too long after it finishes baking (keep the crust from getting soggy).

My machine beeps when you can add in nuts or cheese, chocolate chips, etc. So I take that time to use a spatula to help things mix if they are looking a bit uneven.

Do you have an award winning recipe you're willing to share? If you haven't competed, what kind of contest would you want to enter?

Shepherd's Pie Roll

After watching Brave and after winter break, we'd had an inkling to take a summer trip to Scotland/Ireland with our wonderful bay area friends. A couple months ticked by and I started firing off the messages to get the ball rolling as I always seem to (Ms. Facilitator), divided up the research after having a phone date. Then began my research with Glasgow, intrigued to find a "Crannog" center in Abernathy (5,000 year old type of dwelling), excited by walking tours  put on by the art school, yearning for Pollock Country park for hikes...and drooling over gluten-free {happy dance}afternoon tea places! But alas, less than a week later, with second thoughts about upcoming financial commitments (or looming furloughs), this trip has to be shelved.

Whether it was inspired by the future-vacation or maybe it was just because St. Patrick's Day was only a few weeks ago, I wanted something Irish/UK inspired. Shepherd's pie sounded good. And I also had plenty of cabbage from CSA. So adapted a cabbage roll recipe into Shepherd's Pie wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves. There's something that really makes my brain happy with the cabbage and potato combo. I even saw this recipe that could make a vegetarian version (use lentils instead of ground meat)

The big round cabbages work best. If your cabbage is the smaller cone or a different type of cabbage I would try chopping it, steaming and serving it as the "bed" for the potato and protein. 

POTATO FILLING-use this or your favorite mashed potato recipe. I wanted to use up carrot tops and lemons.

I made up a potato recipe: Rinsed, cut into similar sized pieces and boiled red potatoes, until a fork could pierce to the middle. While the potatoes boiled, I rinsed carrot tops and stuck them in a blender. Added about 2 tbsp of lemon juice, some smoked tomato flakes and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast and 1/4 cup (add more if needed) of water. Made for a pesto to mix with the potatoes. Because of the citrus pucker, for me, it's not a dish I would eat a big bowl-full on it's own, I'd have something mellow to balance it out. Or perhaps turn it into salmon and/or daiya cheese patties. I found the pesto to taste nice over steamed broccoli.

CABBAGE LEAVES AND TURKEY FILLING-adapted a Mediterranean cabbage rolls recipe from Cooking Light, which originally called for a smaller portion, using turkey sausage instead of plain ground and it used rice.

18 Cabbage Leaves, rinsed

1 lb Ground Turkey, 93% Lean

1 lb Ground Turkey, 99% Lean

1.5 tbsps pine nuts

2 tsp sugar 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice 
1 tsp ground cumin

1.5 cup water

 4 tbsp tomato paste

Steam the cabbage leaves, covered, 3 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.

Cook turkey and nuts in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat 12 minutes or until the meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in next 4 ingredients (rice through cumin); cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and tomato paste and stir until evenly incorporated. Remove from heat. Place the mixture in a medium bowl; cool slightly.

Place 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each cabbage leaf. Add 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes. Fold in edges of leaves; roll up. Eat. If you need a little zip, dot in some Sriracha sauce.

I wish the pesto kept its bright green, I know it looks swampy-chic...but it tastes very zingy carrot-lemon fresh.

Where is your next trip and does it inspire any recipes?

Work-out Kale-Ginger-Apple "Biscuits"

The last three days the sleep in my eyes could not be dislodged easily. Getting up for oatmeal again wasn't encouraging. In tracking my protein intake, been doing a standard mix of 1/3 cup oats + 1/2 cup coconut milk (milk alternative) + 1/4 cup raisins + 5 g coconut sugar (low glycemic index) and cinnamon + 1 scoop Brown Rice protein powder. Tired of oatmeal means TIME FOR PANCAKES!!! But wait...I need more protein not just carbs for energy during these tiring circuit workouts...hmmm...

I know a few yoga friends have mentioned doing 3 day-juicing cleanses this month. I got inspired by that and I had some leftover pulp from my one-time (not ready for even a full day liquid cleanse yet) kale-ginger-orange-apple juicing snack last weekend (saved the pulp in a ziplock bag in the freezer). My mouth did a recoil from the amount of spiciness, the recipe called for 5 oz of ginger, I only did 2 oz. I do have to admit that it made me feel very alert. You know what else made me alert? Vitamin B-12. Dave let me have a little of his stash today after the lazy afternoon of watching The Croods (cute prehistoric animals, silly, brilliant/crystal clear visuals-go see it. I could be biased for liking Emma Stone). But back to the topic at hand, a hearty breakfast to fuel you in doing a work-out!

I decided to shake it up with another variation on the reliable gluten-free pancakes recipe and make a dent in my juicer pulp; however, I failed to consider that my new Sun Warrior Blend Protein Powder (Pea, Hemp and Cranberry protein) is very dense as is chickpea flour. My pancakes were a blobby-wobbly mess on the stove, so my second batch was thrown into the toaster oven on parchment paper. Which solved the doughy-center (raw chickpea flour makes my tongue cringe). There's a little touch savory flavor from the kale and ginger and some sweetness from the coconut sugar so I ate these without any sauces. I could see it being tasty with a sour cream (or dairy free nut "sour cream") or with jam if you have a sweet tooth. I also thought if the sugar was left out and  more herbs added it could be a great gluten-free topping for a pot pie (and includes protein if you're not doing a tofu or chicken pot pie)

 

INGREDIENTS for 10 biscuits

1.5 scoops of Sun Warrior Protein Blend (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP ground flax seed
2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup of leftover juicer pieces puree (I had kale-apple-ginger 1/2 cup blended with a few tbsp water)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 3/4 cup coconut milk (refrigerated milk alternative kind)



If using a regular oven, preheat to 400F.

1. Make your juicer puree.

2. Mix the ingredients starting at vanilla extract together in one bowl and allow to sit.

3. Mix the rest of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until uniformly mixed.

5. Place parchment paper on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through if one side browns more than the other.

NUTRITION per biscuit :

128 calories; 6.0 g protein; 20.8 g carbs; 2.3 g fat;
10% Calcium
4% Vitamin A
1% Vitamin C
6% Iron
High in Manganese...whatever that is good for.

Are you working on getting healthy as the weather is growing nicer? And what changes are you making?

Guest Chef VEGETARIAN Recipe: "Make-something-fast-because- I -didn't-plan-lunch dish"

I miss my family already from Christmas, despite weekly phone calls, texts or emails. I have all these things I'd like to do when they visit next.

-Indian food @ Annapurna (dosas!)
-Yoga @ the studio or on the beach
-Check out the San Diego Public Market (not yet done this but Vietca has)
-Thrift stores with in Poway
-Foot reflexology @ the newly remodeled Asian Twins massage rooms. Call ahead is recommended.
-See another play/musical
-Make tamales
-See if we can find Steam Powered Giraffe playing ("robotic" trio wearing steampunk, if you've $20, it would be well spent next weekend )

My sister shared this delightfully healthy and filling meal in a Facebook message with me a couple weeks ago.  If she can't be here in the kitchen with me, then her spirit and humor will have to do. Her original words and recipe:

 "Make-something-fast-because- I -didn't-plan-lunch dish"

-Some sort of grain(I used harvest blend from Trader Joe's. It has Israeli cous-cous, red quinoa, baby chickpeas, rosemary orzo. It has a nice texture and crunch in the quinoa and baby chickpeas!)
- Rainbow chard
-Leeks
-Olive oil
-Red wine vinegar
-crumbled soft cheese(I used goat, but feta or blue could work)
-Nutritional yeast flakes
-ground flax seed
1) cook up your grains. rinse until cool.
2) Cook leeks in olive oil until browned, add chard and stir so it won't wilt, but enough that it's cooked Add a splash of vinegar. Take off heat.
3)When ingredients are cool, mix them together. Add cheese, nutritional yeast, and flax. I also added small freshly ground pepper on top. Taste the rainbow....chard. Served with bread of choice and a nice spread! (Olive bread from a local bakery in Kelseyville with eggplant)

Sara's take: I'm cool without measuring for some recipes. I figured some readers may not be ready to take that leap yet, so now I will let you know how mine made about 4-6 servings.

All my ingredients prepped:  cooked the beans from dried & the barley and rinsed/cut beet greens the night before. So maybe my version isn't an "oops forgot to make lunch"...but I have seen instant microwavable rice courtesy of my grandma. You can short cut with things like that and canned beans of course or use leftover cooked grains from another meal.

Big spoonful of love. The nutritional yeast and vinegar provides enough seasoning so I don't really care that there's no cheese-y goodness. If I don't dwell on it too much. Wah, gooey grilled cheese and pizza, I miss you. Daiya isn't the same.

A-NOM-NOM-NOM

-1 3/4 cup of cooked grain (Too bad the TJ mix has cous cous and orzo that aren't wheat free...I used pearl barley which is wheat-free but not gluten-free, cooked with 2x water to grain ratio for 20 minutes, had to add a little additional water)
-6 cups beet greens and stems instead of chard (rinsed 3 times in a big bowl to remove dirt, separated greens and stems)
-1/2 cup chopped onion (since I didn't have leeks)
-2/3 tbsp of olive oil
-1 tbsp red wine vinegar and/or rice vinegar
-1.5 cups of kidney beans for protein instead of cheese/TJ mix's chickpeas
-1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
-2 tbsp ground flax seed (Costco had a huge bag that doesn't require refrigeration!)


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With feeling crabby (can't attribute it all to work stress) and skin going downhill, it's time to re-energize the exercising and diet. Farewell for awhile refined sugar.  Hello, butt-kicking circuit work-outs and testing out more protein powder based-snacks. And hello (sigh) macronutrient tracking.

Practicing for Marconutrient tracking with Kathleen Tesori work-outs: 

6 servings-serving size 132 g (need to see how accurate this Calorie Counter is, I just divided my tupperware into 6 portions)

290 calories: 18.1 g protein; 50.8 g carbs; 5.3 g fat

I like Calorie Counter because it tells you the pros and cons of recipes you make...this one is:

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• Low in sugar
• Very high in dietary fiber
• High in iron
• High in phosphorus
• High in potassium
• High in riboflavin
• High in thiamin
• High in vitamin A

With no cons...good job & thanks SIS-STAR! 

Do you have leftover beans because you used 2 cans or just overdid it with dried beans like me? I used my  do ever-new-favorite tamale recipe but you could do a half portion (12 squares) of No Meat Athlete's vegan bean brownie (don't knock it till you try it-really rich and the instant coffee is a must! Has the extra boost of protein. Have not tested, but am sure the low GI coconut sugar I use could work instead)


What recipe have you received recently and made? What's your favorite place to take out of town guests?

20 Minute Orange-mirin Chicken

Up until today, the weather had been perking up to the point of me asking "why haven't I started planning for a garden this season?" (and the compost worm bin for that matter). The poor mint shrivelled up in the fall and is home to spiders now and basil is a lone bare twig after its leaves went yellow.

 I like the convenience of buying plants pre-grown but then I feel a little bad having no good re-use for the containers they come in. Any ideas?

WISH LIST -next time I am feeling like I have nothing to do, these little projects should fill my time. Right after that t-shirt yarn I want to make.

• tomatoes
• yellow beans (still have seeds from last year)
• things that can grow together in containers (not lettuce/leafy greens). I like the visually tasty ideas on Better Homes and Garden and Real Simple...combining veggies with edible flowers. Peppers sound lovely with "grasses" (chives and onions).  Smelling the sage on our weekly hikes has me craving that taste as well. Wondering if sweet potatoes can be grown in containers (apparently potatoes can). I found out from Valentine's dinner leftovers that I adore the fragrant combo of thyme and oregano. 

Speaking of my leftovers, that's what I'm sharing with you today. We spend a fair amount when buying herbs at the grocery store, so we better get our money's worth!

20 Minute Orange-Mirin Chicken

1/2 cup fresh squeezed OJ
1/3 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine, pictured below)
1/4 cup fresh thyme and oregano mixed  (remove leaves from stocky stems, keep stems for soups stock..or compost, or may haps making organic looking toothpicks for your next appetizer party.)
1-1.5 lbs of chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks

1. Squeeze the OJ and put it into a medium frying pan. Add the mirin. Bring to boil.

2. Add the uncooked chicken. Turn down the heat to medium-high. Let the chicken simmer for 5 minutes on each side.

3. While chicken is cooking, prep your herbs if you haven't already. Add the herbs after the chicken is done, mix in and keep on low heat for 1 minute more.

4. Serve the chicken with your choice of grain and veggie or go for an all veggie bowl.

 I did cauliflower leaf stems chopped and sauteed once and another with 1/2 cup cooked pearl barley + 1 cup of fennel bulb and 1 cup fronds cooked in leftover orange-mirin sauce. Sorry, again vegetarian friends, my next post will be sharing a leafy-green concoction from my very own sis-star! If you do soy, savory tempeh would probably taste great in today's sauce (based on a rosemary-orange maple syrup recipe favorite).


 In case you need help finding mirin, this is what it looks like. Usually near vinegars and oils at the Japanese markets or the ethnic section of regular grocery chains. Not sure if the alcohol content requires a driver's license check, I haven't bought it in awhile.

 A sigh of relief for a simple 4 ingredient sauce. Not the sauce for you if you are shy of carbs.

  Adding the herbs last minute seems to help                  I like the crunchy veggies to contrast
keep the flavor stronger.                                                 texturally.

Other thyme & oregano use for the week: adding these herbs to the 101 cookbooks lemon chutney. So yummy with salmon or just add to freshly steamed cauliflower. Our Valentine's dinner was a red-wine and onion stock with these herbs, simmering the flank steak in it.


Do you plan to plant anything this spring? (if so tell me about it as inspiration)

Simple light eats: Leafy greens dill-salad and curried greens

Deep in the Leafy Green Jungle, it's been weeks that I've been lost here. I have been hacking through spinach, kale, cabbage, chard, beet tops, turnip tops doing my tried and true concoctions (1)  Quick and flavorful steamed with fresh lemon juice and sesame seeds, inspired by Reegan's post-yoga workshop dinner last year (2) the garlic/greens tamales. I have not yet resorted to juicing. I am beginning to feel inspired again this week and made a couple easy weekday-friendly dishes (sorry vegetarian friends...I didn't get to test a veg version of these. Would love to know if you do!)

Simple Spinach & Dill Recharge Salad-mine own combo; refreshing after a work out and clean-tasting

Pre-Mixing: Tonight I added roasted turnips, spanish olives & radish sprouts ( last two not pictured)

For a single serving: 2 cups raw, rinsed Spinach or try steaming it if you prefer + (mixed cooked chicken this was 3.5 oz dry weight + 2 tbsp pine nut herb dressing*) + if you crave carbs or just need a bit more substance, I found 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice or roasted red potatoes tossed in is satisfying. The turnips tonight were ok. I think they are not my favorite veggie. Thinking a white bean or chickpea would be a nice non-meat substitute that lets the dill shine, but alas, I have none in the pantry and lots of kidney beans instead.

*Pine nut dressing: 1/3 to 1/2 cup pinenuts, two squeezes fresh lemon and 2-3 sprigs fresh dill in a blender or food processor. Enough water to blend into a mayo-like spread (start with a tablespoon). Pine nuts blend easily enough without soaking in liquid. Some other nuts suggest soaking for at least an hour or two. This made enough for 6 TBSP of dressing.

Danny Boome's Spiced Potatoes & Spinach-from Food Network; slightly modified (sans potatoes and dairy)

The ever-versatile taco.

1/2 tablespoon butter canola oil (since curry has enough flavor and doing this on high heat, don't need to "waste" expensive olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 cups baby spinach Leafy green of choice, I used beet leaves and stems. (helpful note: rinse leafies submerged and multiple times, I was lazy and got some grit.)
1 large tomato, diced 1 overflowing- tablespoon of tomato paste

Heat the oil in a wok over med-high heat a few minutes

1. Add the onion and stems to cook a few minutes first. Add curry powder for last minute.

2. Add tomato paste and about 1/4 cup water, stirring to incorporate.

3. Stir in the leaves and cook until the leaves wilt and the water evaporates. 

I left out the potatoes and ate mine with sauteed scallops (rinse scallops in water, then pat dry before cooking. The large ones just about 3 minutes on each side over medium heat should do it, don't want them to be tough and chewy) and corn tortillas.

It looks like the weekend will be "cold", so me thinks I will fire up the oven. I'm feeling an Indian food vibe. My sister just sent me a recipe this week too that uses chard. Am sure I can make it through the wilderness with these beautiful ideas leading me.

Have you entered any cooking or baking competitions before? What happened?