What's cookin', good lookin'? Part II

[Endless_Night]

Something with eggplant and paneer. Not sure what, yet.

Oooooh! Yum! Would you post a pic, and possibly a recipe? Please.

I adore eggplant, possibly my all time favorite food. Panner and eggplant? Divine.

 

[seela]

Oooooh! Yum! Would you post a pic, and possibly a recipe? Please.

I adore eggplant, possibly my all time favorite food. Panner and eggplant? Divine.

Here's a pic.

I didn't follow any recipe and I never measure anything when I cook, so I can't really give a specific one.

Puree half an onion, garlic, ginger and chili. Slice half an onion and garlic thinly. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and a cinnamon stick, wait until the seeds start to pop a little. Add ground fenugreek, garam masala and tumeric, fry but don't burn. Add sliced onions and garlic, sautee until translucent, add onion puree and continue cooking the onions until they caramelize a little. Add cubed eggplant and tomato. Add a splash of tomato sauce (is it called tomato sauce if it's just tomato with nothing added to it? I'm blanking for another word) and a bit of the whey left over from making the paneer. Add cubed paneer and let it simmer until cooked. Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

You don't necessarily need the tomato sauce if you have pretty and ripe tomatoes, but I always add it anyways, because it makes the color more vibrant.

I made naan to serve with my curry and skipped the rice. I also had raita and leftovers from a mung bean salad type thing I made yesterday, but they're not shown on the pic.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[seela]

Passata?

g would love this, he adores paneer.

Is passata English? But yes, that's the stuff.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Yes, I did about ten days on the Whole 30 plan. It was about a year ago and I think I followed it pretty closely but not completely. I dropped alcohol, grains, dairy, and added sugar from my diet for sure. I think there's at least one forbidden element that I continued to eat but I don't remember the specifics right now. I didn't notice much change in energy level or how I felt generally, but I did lose 3 pounds in the ten days. Now, I'm sure that proponents of the Whole 30 approach would say that I didn't get the whole benefit because I followed the plan for only a third as long as is recommended.

Thank you!
I was curious because someone was raving about it.

The first adjustment pain should be over after 10 days, but any positive results from not eating something that disagrees with you might take longer.
A friend of mine had to overhaul her diet because the discovered she had severe celiak disease.
It took months to get back to reasonable health but I think she started to feel better after about 2 week.
We did talk about what would have happened if she had tried eliminating gluten before she got as sick though and she thought she would have noticed rather early that some of her stomach issues that she thought were normal, would have disappeared.

I am going to google the whole 30.

I quite often fast/ sacrifice some things by choice and also have to give up stuff for medical reasons. This time, combined with a medicine change, for the first time in years and years, I am seeing some 'vanity' improvements. I have lost ten percent of my excess weight in the last eight weeks(?) I think, any way, since I had to go into hospital for a couple of days and my meds were tweeked. I quite enjoy forgoing things for other reasons, but it's really nice to see a change. The vanity aspect of my health is by far the most challenging to me

Edit: that whole thirty looks like a nicish sugar/ palate refresher. Not bad at all. I'd out balsamic too, there are plenty of other vinegars. One of the things I really miss right now is yoghurt. I'm not missing milk, even though I like it, but I'd love a little plain live yoghurt.

Did you find it draining MWY, or socially inconvenient? Socially these things are just ......nuts. Luckily I am a recluse.

Yoghurt would be difficult, yes and I think they frown on legumes too? Beans and lentils are kind of a staple here.

And congratulations on the vanity/health stuff too.

 

[midwestyankee]

Thank you!
I was curious because someone was raving about it.

<snip>

Yoghurt would be difficult, yes and I think they frown on legumes too? Beans and lentils are kind of a staple here.

And congratulations on the vanity/health stuff too.

Yes, it's legumes that is the missing element from my initial list. Thanks for that.

I have a friend who drops into the Whole 30 regimen for about a month at a time, about three times each year. She's a nurse and also an ultramarathoner (races of 100 miles or more) and following this regimen now and again doesn't seem to have harmed her health and she claims it makes her feel better overall.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Yes, it's legumes that is the missing element from my initial list. Thanks for that.

I have a friend who drops into the Whole 30 regimen for about a month at a time, about three times each year. She's a nurse and also an ultramarathoner (races of 100 miles or more) and following this regimen now and again doesn't seem to have harmed her health and she claims it makes her feel better overall.

I don't think there is any risk to harm your health eating that way. I'm more concerned about spraining my willpower or something like that.

Elle is right about the social part of it.
In my experience of eating a non standard diet, that's the hardest part.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[Blue]

I haven't developed any ailments which would require me to restrict my diet yet and I'm not yet at the age where my metabolism clutches its metaphorical chest, makes metaphorical wheezing sounds and metaphorically collapses. So at the present moment I'm practically living off of carbohydrates, dairy and meat. Hardly an attractive diet, I know. But I'm far too weak in willpower and enthusiasm to change it.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[Endless_Night]

< Here's a pic. >

Thank you, Seela.

It looks delish! Though I'm afraid I lost my enthusiasm a little when I read that you make your own panner.

So, totally, completely, utterly, beyond my limited culinary skills.

Passata?

g would love this, he adores paneer.

Passata? Is that what it's called?

 

[seela]

Thank you, Seela.

It looks delish! Though I'm afraid I lost my enthusiasm a little when I read that you make your own panner.

So, totally, completely, utterly, beyond my limited culinary skills.



Passata? Is that what it's called?

It was really good, a lot better than I expected. I'm happy I have leftovers.

Paneer is super simple to make. Boil milk, add lemon juice (I add one teaspoon at a time until it looks good, about half a tablespoon per cup is needed, but I don't really measure it), wait until the curd separates and pour into a strainer covered with a cheese cloth, wring out liquid and let it squeeze between plates in the fridge for a couple of hours. The active time needed isn't much longer than 10 minutes.

Of course you can buy the paneer too and use water instead of the whey as the liquid.

 

[IrisAlthea]

It was really good, a lot better than I expected. I'm happy I have leftovers.

Paneer is super simple to make. Boil milk, add lemon juice (I add one teaspoon at a time until it looks good, about half a tablespoon per cup is needed, but I don't really measure it), wait until the curd separates and pour into a strainer covered with a cheese cloth, wring out liquid and let it squeeze between plates in the fridge for a couple of hours. The active time needed isn't much longer than 10 minutes.

Of course you can buy the paneer too and use water instead of the whey as the liquid.

Seela, it looks great!

And if you want whey without making paneer, you can strain som yoghurt through a cheese cloth or tea towel.
The yoghurt left is good for tsatsiki or mixed with garlic, lemon and chick peas.

 

[IrisAlthea]

I think there is a danger when people low carb by high proteining, if you see my meaning. I also think there is a good idea in picking where your food supply comes from: particularly the things you eat most heavily, which might be treated with the same things. I am biologically not well engineered to do economically on carbs....I have pretty much all the hormone indicators that suck all the juice out of carbs and deposit them in places that show this, my endocrinologists were patient in explaining this . However, I also have to see a nephrologist occasionally, who reminds me not to rely over much on proteins, because of the harm this can do.

There is a lot to be said for a balanced plate of food, because particularly if you have no health problems, it can stop you acquiring them! ( balance includes joy and frivolity IMO)

Yes, it's easy to loose balance when you avoid or restrict something.
Vegetables are usually the part people miss. I've even seen people turn vegetarian diet into a sour cream, cheese and pasta diet.
ETA: And ketchup of course!

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[Endless_Night]

It was really good, a lot better than I expected. I'm happy I have leftovers.

Paneer is super simple to make. Boil milk, add lemon juice (I add one teaspoon at a time until it looks good, about half a tablespoon per cup is needed, but I don't really measure it), wait until the curd separates and pour into a strainer covered with a cheese cloth, wring out liquid and let it squeeze between plates in the fridge for a couple of hours. The active time needed isn't much longer than 10 minutes.

Of course you can buy the paneer too and use water instead of the whey as the liquid.

Hmmm. You make this sound so...easy. *squints suspiciously*

I am really, really tempted to try it this weekend. You didn't steer me wrong on the Gravlax, so maybe I'll brave up. What's the worst that can happen? I make a mess?

Besides, what with the cost of my pup's root canal and crown I will be eating in for quite some time. Best to expand my repertoire.

 

[seela]

Hmmm. You make this sound so...easy. *squints suspiciously*

I am really, really tempted to try it this weekend. You didn't steer me wrong on the Gravlax, so maybe I'll brave up. What's the worst that can happen? I make a mess?

Besides, what with the cost of my pup's root canal and crown I will be eating in for quite some time. Best to expand my repertoire.

It really is that easy. I wouldn't lead you astray on your food path. Maybe. Besides you managed just fine with the gold standard of fats, so you'll be ok with humble paneer.

But if you want whey and don't want to make the paneer yourself, use the trick Iris mentioned. Or just use water.

 

[midwestyankee]

It really is that easy. I wouldn't lead you astray on your food path. Maybe. Besides you managed just fine with the gold standard of fats, so you'll be ok with humble paneer.

But if you want whey and don't want to make the paneer yourself, use the trick Iris mentioned. Or just use water.

Isn't this why Odin gave us takeout?

 

[seela]

Isn't this why Odin gave us takeout?

Where's the fun in that? Also, kinda expensive at least here.

 

[MeekMe]

I usually do not enjoy making bread. Today, my efforts turned out pretty delicious. I'm going to get so fat.
(@￣ρ￣@)

 

[Blue]

I'm absolutely terrible at cooking.
The last time I tried to the result ended up attacking me and had to be incinerated so I've been kind of put off since then.

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

I usually do not enjoy making bread. Today, my efforts turned out pretty delicious. I'm going to get so fat.
(@￣ρ￣@)

Oh. My. God.

If Michelangelo had baked.

That's really not fair for anyone, especially those of us who go low-carb.

 

[MeekMe]

Oh. My. God.

If Michelangelo had baked.

That's really not fair for anyone, especially those of us who go low-carb.

f^_^; I should really not eat this much bread. I think it's amazing to be able to stick to a special diet. (-｡-; Need more willpower.

 

[seela]

I usually do not enjoy making bread. Today, my efforts turned out pretty delicious. I'm going to get so fat.
(@￣ρ￣@)

That looks so delicious and pretty!

Oh. My. God.

If Michelangelo had baked.

If Michelangelo had baked, he would have made pizza.

Oh wait, are you not talking about the turtle?

 

[Collar_N_Cuffs]

Your bread looks awesome, Meeks!