My French Lunch Break

While studying abroad in Cannes I grew to appreciate the importance the French place on their "dejeuner" (lunch). French lunch breaks are commonly 2 hours in order to give people time to truly relax from work, cook and enjoy their most extravagant meal of the day. This blog is dedicated to the idea of taking some extra time in the middle of each day to truly appreciate the gifts of food, nature, friendship, family, art and health.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ghandi Bowl & Thai Stir Fry

After seeing Julie and Julia, I'll admit that I was tempted to buy Julia Child's cookbook and try out the daily cooking challenge myself. 

...then I remembered that I'm a vegetarian who hates cheese (who could barely eat anything in France) and reality overcame my lofty dream. 

Fortunately, there are now entirely vegan cookbooks--my favorite of which is the Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook. I bought my own copy last summer after discovering the Native Foods restaurants, and I am now challenging myself to make a new recipe from the book every couple weeks (sorry Julie & Julia fans, a recipe a day is just too much).
Last week I got started with an indian curry dish--deemed The Ghandi Bowl by Chef Tanya. My new blender had its inaugural use as I blended up a lime green curry consisting of everything from cilantro to maple syrup to soy sauce to curry powder. I had my doubts about this array of ingredients, but when poured atop a plate of biryani rice, grilled tempeh and sauteed veggies, this curry sauce is heavenly. Simply garnish the dish with some green onion and dried cranberries and you have yourself a vegan bowl Ghandi himself would devour. 
Those who know me know I'm quite the practical thinker, so it's not surprising that I scoured the cookbook for recipes that contained some of the same ingredients as the Ghandi Bowl so I could make two meals in one week and not waste ingredients. The Thai Stir Fry turned out to be a great match! Tuesday night I broke out the cutting board and got my cook on once again. This stir fry is similar to a pad thai--complete with peanuts and bean sprouts. I had the pleasure of sharing the meal with my fantastic roommate over a glass of wine. Based on our crumb-free plates and vow to make the dish again soon, I'd say this cooking adventure was a success. 

Two recipes down...many to go. Cheers! 

<3 Lyssa

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