Day Three: Pictures

Breakfast:

This is how I kicked off day 3. Behold, breakfast in a cup: Scrambled eggs, sauteed red bell peppers & onion, peppered turkey bacon and cottage cheese. All washed down with a hot pot of loose leaf yerba mate. Mmmmm....



Lunch:

Don't be fooled, you're not looking at a dish from the Clay Pit. That, my friends, is homemade Indian-inspired food (I am reluctant to call it Indian food because it is not Indian food. It is my own bastardized version of Indian food. In no way do I claim to have a clue about the methods and traditions that create true Indian cuisine. I'm sure someone somewhere would be greatly offended by my creation.)

What exactly are you looking at? The dish centers around my version of Lamb Vindaloo*. The sauce contains onion, garlic, chilis, curry, spices, wine and pureed tomatoes. If it looks spicy it's because it IS spicy. As Hell. Accompanying the lamb is some leftover red dahl with tomatoes as well as curried cauliflower with kale from Day One.



Dinner:

Another night, another taco salad. This one is similar to yesterday, although tonight I omitted the cottage cheese and instead substituted some carrots (good move for the morale). The lineup includes: romaine lettuce, southwest black beans, grilled chicken, salsa fresca, roma tomato, avocado, carrots and roasted poblanos.




Lamb Vindaloo
yield: 1#

1# Lamb stew meat
1 t curry powder
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
3 T grapeseed oil
1 c sweet onion, diced
2 T serrano, minced w/ seeds
1 T garlic, minced
2 T special curry powder
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin, toasted
1 T paprika
1 T coriander, toasted
1 T ginger
1 t cayenne
1 t crushed red chilis
¼ c red wine (malbec)
8 oz organic tomato sauce
¼ c cilantro, chiffonade

-preheat oven to 375.
-toss lamb with curry powder, black pepper and salt. brown well, in batches, in 1 T grapeseed oil. reserve lamb onto a plate, covered, and discard pan juice. return pan to medium heat.
-puree remaining 2 T grapeseed oil with onion, garlic, serrano, curry, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, ginger, and red chilies to form paste. saute for a few minutes until highly aromatic.
-deglaze pan with wine. stir in tomato sauce and bring to simmer.
-add lamb to sauce, stirring to combine. place pan in the oven and stew for 30 minutes.
-garnish with cilantro. serve.



*Vindaloo gets its name from the Portuguese words 'vinho'(wine) and 'alhos' (garlic), both of which are included in the dish. Vindaloo is a dish native to the southwestern Indian state of Goa, a former Portuguese colony.