i’ve been trying to get back on the chuckwagon, after doing some extra eating out over the holidays. it isn’t that i don’t like to cook! i really love it. i think need some new ideas/inspirations for family meals.
i got a new cookbook for christmas, called ‘the indian slow cooker.’ i believe it is the original source for the curried cauliflower and potatoes recipe that i have posted before. this time i decided to try palak paneer (curried spinach with cheese).
it was EXTREMELY flavorful, which was great, but a little overwhelming, making it a dish that would be better served as part of a meal, rather than an entire meal. i think it was healthy too. i just piled spinach, onions, peppers, garlic, ginger and spices into the slow cooker, cooked it down, then blended it smooth with the immersion blender. i put a big bowl into the freezer for a future meal.
i also did some experimentation with bread baking this week. my dad gave me an old bread machine that had been gathering dust in their garage. my first few loaves had issues. the first one had a weird metallic taste after baking in the machine, the second didn’t rise and smelled metallic.
i got new yeast, new flour and for the third loaf i used the machine to knead the dough, but th
en transferred it to a bread pan for the final rise and baking. and voila! bread perfection!!
the squirm says it is pretty tasty, but pretzels are still a better snack!
i think my next project is homemade granola!
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i would use palak paneer as a side dish. so much spinach. did you make the paneer yourself? it’s a little time consuming but so tasty, and good for the kids to see the process. for a different twist, you could roll the spinach mixture into some puff pastry and bake it for spinach rolls. served with a slice of lemon and home-made wedges and vegies (winter) or salad (summer).
the bread is looking good. you could ditch the machine if it’s not working out for you and do it by hand, it’s not that hard. you just have to be careful that you don’t handle the dough too much. i am the world’s laziest cook, and i make bread dough once per week to take to playgroup, no machine. it’s a great activity for kids to make their own bread bun for morning tea, put some dried fruit in there and some sprinkles on top.
good one!
i definitely agree that the palak paneer would be a good side dish 🙂 you know, i tried to make paneer, and failed 😦 we decided to have an indian potluck in honor of my mom’s birthday, so i can pull out the leftover spinach! maybe i will make it into indian spinach pies….
my original plan was to do the bread totally by hand, but i currently lack the appropriate work surface for kneading and such. that may have to be a little ways down the road for me.
just to prove how lazy i am – i mix my bread dough in a plastic bucket until all of the ingredients are nicely mixed and a good consistency but keeping in mind that it shouldn’t be handled too much (i don’t know why, i’ve just found with experience that it doesn’t rise as well if it’s been handled too much), cover it with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let the yeast do the work for me by letting it sit for about an hour – bucket bread.
Palak Paneer is actually my favorite. I’ve never made it before though, I get it at my favorite Indian place when I eat out and I order it extra-spicy. Yum yum! I will be waiting to hear how your granola comes out. I’ve made granola bars before but never just granola.