a little help from a few days ago

It's not the strongest way to start out a food-related NaBloPoMo, but here goes the first menu of the month.

*Breakfast: Homemade apple-cinnamon muffins and milk.

I made the muffins on Friday so I wouldn't have to think about breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, those days being Ultimate tournament days. I always want a muffin before a tournament, so I thought I'd have them handy. Sadly, my tried and true Betty Crocker cookbook failed me a bit, in that the muffins were definitely on the dry and bland side. Next time, I'm adding apple cider for some moisture and a kick.

*Lunch: Dilled salmon croissant and potato salad

I subbed at the Co-op today, and one of the perks is free, slightly old food. I've always liked the potato salad because it is creamy, but the salmon croissant was a bit mushy. That's what I get for eating free food.

*Dinner: Indian yam soup with pita bread

We pick up our CSA box on Wednesdays, which means Monday and Tuesday are a bit of a scramble to see how much of last week's CSA we can use up before we get the next box. The small refrigerator demands it. Tonight we used up spinach and yams with a little help from some leftover coconut milk and a can of chick peas.

This was the second attempt at this particular Indian yam soup recipe. Generally, this is a curry soup of sorts, and I dumped in some extra spices tonight to really bring that curry flavor to the forefront. The coconut milk and yams mellowed the heat a bit, but their sweetness gave way to a lingering spice in the back of the throat. I am not sure whether I liked the texture of this soup, which is a bit grainy, and next time I may try to puree the whole thing instead of just partially mashing it. Overall, though, it's a nice warming soup for a cold evening, and I really can't hate much of anything that has coconut milk in it.

Make Your Own Curry Powder (makes 1/2 cup)
3 tbls ground coriander
2 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls garam masala
1 tbls ground tumeric
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all spices together.
(courtesy Delicious Living Magazine)

The great thing about making your own curry powder is that you can adjust the amounts to get just the right flavor and heat for your taste, and you know exactly what's in it.