Black-eyed peas curry: an attempt of Indian food.

(Em português)

I have been following Enjoy Indian Food for quite a while now, and everytime I go to an Indian restaurant I enjoy it indeed. But I had never made the move  to prepare it myself.
Silly me! I think it's because the logic of Indian food is quite different from everything I usually prepare, so I didn't really now where to start.
So, one day, I come across this recipe, which takes black-eyed peas.
And guess what? I had cooked and and frozen black-eyed peas, which I hadn't figured how to prepare.
By the way, I have quite a few kinds of beans at home, and I have been trying to think of new ways to prepare them besides the everyday rice-and-beans.
After all, I thought this recipe - Teriwale Lobiya - was a great way to approach Indian cuisine.

Soup made with tomatoes from the garden.

(Em português)

Tomatoes are love shaped as vegetables, of that I am sure.

They might be a pretty fresh food, when used in raw salads, as well as they might be comfort food, when grilled, baked, marinated, cooked, transformed in sauce...

And when they in the garden by the bunch? When, in warm weather, we can pick a bowl full of tomatoes every day?

Then it is too much love for one person only. I took advantage of this one afternoon when the rain managed to lower the temperature a bit and made a soup out of them to share with my family.

Wintery gingerbread cookies.

(Em português)

This recipe from Deb is a version of what we consume here in Brazil as Christmas cookies.

But for me, it makes a whole lot more sense to eat those spice-packed cookies - which would perfectly match hot cocoa - in the Winter.

So, preparing myself for the upcoming cold weather which has come and gone a few times to São Paulo over the past weeks, I tested this recipe that has been in my list since it was posted in Smitten Kitchen.

The cookies are soft and not overly sweet, they feel cozy.

But next time, I will be using less pepper, for sure. Geez, cayenne is hot!

Vegetable curry - as known as one bowl lunch.

(Em português)

Sometimes I happen to eat mostly out of home for a couple days, or eat mostly junk food, for any other reason.

Then I just need to stop by the farmers market and buy a bunch of veggies and fruits, and eat only fresh food to compensate.

When I'm in that mood, and still very busy, this curry works wonders.

It's quick to prepare, can be done with almost any vegetable you like, and is comforting.

Works best in cold weather, but whatever. I like it in summer too.

Ginger and pepper salad dressing.

(Em português)

I think salad recipes are something funny. I've always had this impression that salad is a matter of combining whatever you have on hand. It's just washing the leaves, chopping some vegetables, add olive oil, salt, and lemon or vinegar. There, why complicate it?

But then I saw this chinese salad recipe, from which I took the inspiration for this dressing.

And I started reading salad pride more often, because I used to just pass by there quickly to take a look at the pictures. So I changed my mind on the subject.

Pasta over garlic, oil and mint.

(Em português)

I think that lazy and/or tired people do have the right to a nice little dinner after a long work day.

So I just decided to get a bit off the beaten track by adding ground fresh mint leaves to the oil in this classic pasta.

People say it's good for you.

(In Portuguese)


Leisure might some times be the mother of great recipes.
Yesterday, for example, I decided to cube some vegetables, coat them
in olive oil and salt, and bake until they're outsides were crispy and they're insides were soft.
Besides that, I cooked a quick rice and the matter was settled.
Anyway, people say that eating colorful meals is healthy. Even better.