Food Update - Three Weeks Ago

For our anniversary weekend, now three weeks ago, my wife wanted Indian food. So, I made the Tandoori-Inspired Tempeh from The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook by Robin Robertson. I substituted "chicken" seitan for the tempeh. This is the second time I've made this, and my wife says it's her new favorite. I also made the Vegetable Biryani and Cool Cucumber Salad from Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan! I've made the Biryani before and it's delicious! The Cucumber Salad I made for the first time. It was great, very refreshing, and a nice contrast to the other dishes.

I also made Saag Aloo. I've made this Indian dish before from a recipe I found on the Internet, but it didn't taste nearly as good as when we order it in restaurants. So here's my take on Saag Aloo. It comes close to what I'm trying to achieve. I consider it a work in progress, so I'd certainly appreciate any feedback.

Saag Aloo

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 12 - 16 oz. spinach
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 can coconut milk

1. Boil cubed potato until almost cooked, about 10 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, puree spinach in food processor.
3. Heat oil in large saucepan, and saute the onion until translucent, adding the garlic for the last minute or two. Reduce heat to low, add the spices and cook for another minute.
4. Add potato, pureed spinach, and coconut milk to saucepan. Stir and simmer gently until spinach is wilted and all the flavors have blended.

Serves 4.

For our friend who was baby-sitting for us, who also enjoyed the Indian dishes by the way, I made dessert. She loves chocolate, so I made the Death by Chocolate Pie from The Garden of Vegan. I realize it didn't fit in with the Indian-themed dishes, but it was decadently delicious.