The takeover

Hi. My name is Whitney. I have (un)officially taken over Isaac's blog. As you can see, nothing has been posted since February, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been eating. In fact, he has been eating pretty well. I have continued to take pictures of our meals on his phone and have encouraged him to post, but my attempts have been unsuccessful. So here I am, writing my first blog post ever. I'm not a very eloquent writer, but you're not here to listen to me, right? It's all about the food. We don't make up a lot of our own recipes...why reinvent the wheel? It is, however, nice to share the good ones we come across.

Anyway, here's what Isaac ate tonight (he actually cooked it all too):

Naan.

Prep time: 20 minutes            Rest time: 60 minutes             Total Time: 90 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Directions

1. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in the yogurt till the dough is too stiff for a spoon, then knead it in the bowl till it holds together well, adding more flour if necessary.
3. Turn it out on a floured surface and continue kneading for about 5 minutes till the dough feels smooth and elastic.
4. Form the dough into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, covered with a towel, to rest for an hour or longer.
5. Take the dough out and cut it into 5 equal pieces. Form each into a ball and press the balls flat into round discs.
6. Heat a large frying pan or griddle, either seasoned cast iron or a good non-stick finish.
7. Heat your oven to about 500 degrees F.
8. Take 1 piece of dough at a time and roll it out on a floured surface till it is about 8-10 inches across and less than 1/4 inch thick.
9. Lay it on the hot griddle and cook it over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
10. It will puff up in places or all over, and there will be some blackish-brown spots on the bottom.
11. Slide a spatula under the naan and transfer it to the oven, directly onto the rack, for a minute or two, just till it finishes puffing up into a balloon and begins to color lightly on top
12. Remove naan from the oven and brush it lightly with melted butter if you like.
13. Continue this way with all the dough.
14. Serve the breads hot, fresh from the oven, or let them cool and wrap them up.
15. To reheat, wrap them in aluminum foil, in packets of 4 or 5 breads and put them in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

**Since there are only two of us, this is our scaled-down version. Get the original recipe at: http://www.food.com/recipe/naan-203261#ixzz1rgZf73Gt

Green Lentils with Garlic & Onion.

Prep time: 10 minutes                   Total time: 75 minutes                  Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (we used ground)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup whole green lentils, washed and drained
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy pot over a medium flame. When hot, add cumin. A few seconds later, put in the garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic pieces turn a medium brown color. Now add the onion. Stir and fry until the onion pieces begin to turn brown at the edges. Put in the lentils and the water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for about an hour or until lentils are tender. Nearly all of the liquid should have been absorbed, but watch that it doesn't turn completely solid.
2. Add the salt and the cayenne. Stir to mix and simmer gently for another 5 minutes.

View original recipe at http://www.food.com/recipe/green-lentils-with-garlic-onion-madhur-jaffrey-438848


This meal took a while to prepare, and may be better for a weekend than a busy weeknight! If you give yourself enough time and start the naan ahead of time, you'll be good to go. Isaac liked the naan, but I thought it was a little bit tough and not as soft and fluffy as it should be. It was tasty once I topped it with lettuce, shredded carrots, and the lentils, and good for a recipe with such few ingredients. Overall, it was a nice,simple vegetarian meal with lots of fiber and a decent amount of protein (go lentils!). I would make it again. Wait, let me re-phrase that. I would have Isaac make it again!

Oh, and listening to your Bollywood radio station on Pandora while cooking and eating only enhances the experience.