Ghandi Bowl

This was really good! A little spicy. I tried to blacken tofu, but was unsuccesful. So I just cut it in cubes and sauteed it in a little olive oil. That tasted really good. I used blugur instead of the rices, I like that. Made it healthier. And it made tons of sauce.

Native Foods Cookbook

Fun Mung Curry

The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook by Tanya Petrovna

Indian Vegetables like in Kerala (Indisk Grönsaksgryta som i Kerala)

I know, another indian dish! But I love indian food, and have almost done without it since my move to Sweden. I've heard a lot about this cookbook author Anna Bergenström. I had one of her books on my Christmas Wish List, but then decided I wasn't so sure I wanted it- they're kind of expensive. Then, I found out that the local library has a great selection of her books! I stopped by and picked up a book called "Love, Olives and Thyme" and it's wonderful! The book is beautiful with such nice photos! It also contains a lot of information about nutrition. It talks of eating healthy, which rices are better than other, what's good to eat for breakfast, why protein is important and which foods contain a high amount of protein, which fats are good for us and so on. And yes, that is all in Swedish and I understood it (hooray for Swedish class!).

I agree, it seems a little random to find an indian dish in a swedish cookbook, but whatever. So this is the first one I tried. It is also simplified from what a true indian dish would be. There was quite a bit of prep work, but the entire meal didn't take too long to cook. I boiled some potatoes, then sauteed them in some oil. I then sauteed the cauliflower in the same pan, put that all aside. I then sauteed some curry and cummin. I added to that garlic, wedges of yellow onion and diced ginger. I then added a can chopped tomatoes and let that simmer for about 10min. Meanwhile, I cooked some basmati rice- cheaper than the naan I bought before, but still really tasty! I added the potatoes and cauliflower along with some hericots verts to the veggies and simmered another 8min or so. I added a little garam marsala, threw in a little fresh cilantro and dinner is served! Johan liked it a lot, as did I. It did, however, make our house REEK of indian food, the stench is still lingering! I like my food to smell like it, but not my clothes and hair so much. Nevertheless, I will make it again. That is, if it's legal to copy the book from the library...

Johan Scale: VG

"Kärlek, Oliver och Timjan" by Anna Bergenström

Hearty Lentil Soup

This was a new one, I found it on a blog that was recommended by my friend Jessie. And it was really good! A fairly basic lentil soup, but it was different than what we usually eat and with the rice, made a 'hearty' meal! I started with a chopped onion and 2 chopped carrots. I let them soften in some oil. I then added garlic, canned tomatoes, the lentils, some herbs and a little red wine. That boiled for some minutes, I then added a little balsamic vinegar, and viola! Pour that on some rice for a delicious dinner! I have half of it saved in the fridge, can't wait to finish it off! It's extremely healthy, which contributes to it's high grade on the Johan Scale. The only fat is just a little olive oil. And filling with the rice and lentils. It had many dimensions of taste, a perfect fall (okay, I'll finally realize it's winter!) dinner!

Johan Scale: VG-

Super Spark

Risotto

This is one of the first recipes I've tried from my Swedish food magazine. And, it's just plane ol' risottos, but I really liked it! I began by sauteeing a yellow onion in olive oil, then added arborio rice. Added a vegetable buljong and then slowly added water and white wine over 5 min. Then it simmered for 25 min, then sat for another 15min. Meanwhile, I roasted a zucchini, red pepper and onion in the oven. I added some parmesan cheese to the rice and a little butter and extra wine. I then served the rice, vegetables on top, some toasted sesame seeds and a little extra parmesan. It was pretty simple, but good! The risotto had just a little hint of a crunch but was also very sticky. The wine added a great scent! It was quite simple, didn't take too long and tasted good, I'd say a success! I think Johan liked it a little less, but he did like it. It was fun to try a recipe from the Swedish magazine! Next time I would probably use more vegetables and maybe shrimp- if I can ever find frozen raw shrimp again! It just could have used a little more flavor.

Johan Scale: G+

Elle Mat & Vin 5/08

The Hollywood Bowl

Wow. I can't believe I waited so long to try this one! Due to a confusion about allergies, this recipe was never made, but once that was cleard up, I had to give it a try. And I've just noticed this is my first post about a dish which contains tofu. I do use tofu, much more than it seems, I promise! This recipe comes from my Native Foods cookbook. It consists of brown rice topped with steamed vegetables and marinated tofu topped off with a peanut coconut sauce, extra toasted peanuts and red bell pepper. This was so good! And quite simple. The tofu marinated for about 30 min in soy sauce, rice vinegar and garlic, but once that was done the dish was quite quick (especially with a little help from Johan!) I hesitated on the cauliflower because it wasn't the best price, but really glad I didn't! It added great flavor! I followed my friend, Jessie's suggestion to cut back on the vinegar in the sauce a bit, that worked out great. And thankfully, I'm an idiot and accidentally made 3 times as much sauce as it needs! So the rest is in the freezer for next time I make this dish, which will likely be sooner than later. Although it said it was enough for 2 servings, it made 4 for us. Another hit!

Johan Scale: Strong 4.5

"The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook" by Tanya Petrovna

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice

I have been following the blog www.orangette.blogspot.com for a little while. The author, Molly, writes an article for Bon Appetit magazine every months and that's where I heard about her. But I haven't yet tried any of her recipes. She referred her readers to the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, which I have plans to try (as soon as the fancy chocolate chips arrive from my mom!) but these stuffed tomatoes were the first thing I tried. I definitely could have made them better. I just used regular old tomatoes, whatever was at the grocer. I'm sure heirloom would have been much tastier! And I was lazy and used boxed bread crumbs instead of fresh. But the dish was still quite good! It baked for a while, but the prep time was pretty short. I liked the rice and tomato mixture which was just the insides of the tomatoes, arborio rice, onion and basil. I would maybe put in a little more basil next time, but I don't think you could ever have too much basil! I love potatoes too, so I really liked the sliced potatoes on the side. It was nothing too fancy, but good and I will definitely make it again.

Johan Scale: Strong 4

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-cue.html

Curried Rice with Shrimp

Thanks to Jessie's Grandma! This recipe was off the "Real Simple" website, and that's just what it was. It was quick, inexpensive and tasted great! I used brown rice instead of long grain white, so adjusted the cooking time accordingly. Next time, I will adjust the water accordingly, also! I used frozen, uncooked shrimp which tasted great! I used about 400g shrimp, instead of the suggested 700g, but it was still, plenty. Very filling, also. Definitely will do again!

Johan Scale: Strong 4

http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1834383

Bye Bye Barnum Black Bean Salad

This salad recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks. It's the Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook. Native Foods is a restaurant in southern california which offers only vegan food. But there dishes are amazing! I have converted many a meat eater to Native Foods, one never feels like they're missing something with their dishes. The name "Bye Bye Barnum" is a reference to getting rid of Barnum and Bailey's circus for animal rights issues. In particular, the elephants. Probably my most favorite dish is a salad from this book, so I thought I would try another salad on a super hot summer day. This one sounded a bit boring, but trusted the folks at Native Foods. What a good call! This was delicious! I think it was the balsamic vineagerette which made it. With black beans, brown rice, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce and onion this was also a rather healthy salad. I will definitely make it again!

Johan Scale: 4