The other day I was cleaning out my basement pantry, and discovered several cans of potatoes. Since it was lunch time, I brought one upstairs and threw this simple but satisfying dish together. I liked it so much that I made it the next two days for lunch. As with anything to do with curry, I only use a small amount, so adjust the amount to your taste.




Bombay Aloo
1 can whole potatoes, rinsed and drained and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 TBS tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 TBS raisins
1 tsp curry powder (or to taste)
sprinkle of onion powder

Place all ingredients in small saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and cook 5 min. Uncover and cook until the sauce reaches desired consistency (1 minute longer, usually).


Thanks to Jenn at Pass the Potatoes, another McDougalling mom, I had the courage to try making my own veggie sushi. I usually time my trips to the grocery store to pick up some brown rice/cucumber/carrot/avocado uramaki (inside out rolls) for lunch. It's a nice little treat, but it's pretty spendy for what it is. Mine tasted great, but I'll need some practice and a sharper knife to make beautiful sushi. Check out Jenn's blog for the recipe and step by step instructions (plus more great recipes and beautiful pictures). This is a quick picture I took before bringing them to a multi-generational party. They were a big hit with the high school and college girls.

What, no potatoes? I eat a lot of potatoes (regular and sweet), just not in the most exciting ways. Sometimes, however, they find their way into delicious concoctions like tonight's Chickpea Curry.

I enjoy Indian food. When I was growing up, my mother made a delicious chicken curry. The recipe came from a family friend who served as a missionary priest in India. Sadly, my sister and I have not located the recipe while cleaning out my mother's house. I still have hope that it will turn up so I can veganize/McDougallize it. I have yet to come across another recipe that tastes as good as my memories of that dish. Some attempts have been downright disasters, others just disappointing. When I saw the Chickpea and Cashew Biryani on VeganDad's blog, I knew it was time for another try. Unfortunately, cashews are rich foods that I'm avoiding while trying to lose weight, so the hunt was on for inspiration. After poring over numerous recipes, I came up with this winner:


Chickpea Curry

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
water as needed for sauteeing
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup almond or other non-dairy milk (optional)*

Cook potatoes in water until tender, drain and set aside. (Note: I drain them in the colander after draining and rinsing the chickpeas; the cooking water from the potatoes heats the chick peas slightly.) In large non-stick skillet, water saute onion and garlic, until onions are translucent. Add curry powder, garam masala, cumin and ginger to skillet and saute 2 minutes, adding more water a little at a time as necessary to keep the spices from burning. Add tomato sauce, onion powder, and salt to onion mixture; stir to combine. If using non-dairy milk, add it now. Stir in potatoes and chickpeas, and cook 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve over brown basmati rice. Peas, green beans, cauliflower, and/or raisins may be added as well. If the additions are more than 1 cup, decrease the amount of potatoes proportionately.

*Note: I used 1/2 cup reconstituted DariFree, made slightly thicker than usual.


While I'm on the subject of chickpeas and rice, I thought I'd post a picture of a completely different chickpea and rice dish that I made a few weeks ago. I found the recipe on VegWeb, modified it and posted about it on the McDougall Food board. Letha, from the McDougall Forums, made it and suggested simplified cooking instructions on her beautiful blog.

So, there you have it, rice and chickpeas, 2 very different ways.

Note: Sorry about the poor pictures...I'm borrowing my daughter's camera until mine gets fixed.