Best of the Month July 2013

A recap of my most popular blog posts of July 2013

This has been a good month for my blog.  I have made some cosmetic changes to by adding a picture header and a drop down menu bar to de-clutter my side bar.  I also finally got around to writing an 'about me' page.  It still needs work but I hope my readers will get a better sense of who I am. Last but not least I've started joining link parties to get my blog out there and to meet new people.  All of this has had good results and my blog has more views than ever.  I hope this continues.

In case you missed them, or are just curious here are my most viewed posts of July.

Light Wheat English Muffins

Light Wheat English Muffins:

Soft, flat buns full of nooks and crannies, English Muffins make a great breakfast or lunch sandwich even a great snack.

These were accepted to YeastSpotting.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553515344/

Mocha Graham Crackers

Mocha Graham Crackers:

The perfect sweet and crunchy, chocolaty snack.  With a kick of espresso.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553464365/

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich:

An egg salad made with no mayonnaise.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553411409/

How to Roll a Spring Roll

How to Roll a Spring Roll:

A tutorial showing how to roll a spring roll (also called a fresh roll or summer roll).

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553453087/

Sambar

Sambar:

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553499747/




Enjoy.

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Sambar

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

I had a jar of Sambar masala in my spice cabinet so I decided to make sambar for dinner.  I found a recipe at ShowMeTheCurry, a great cooking channel on YouTube where I've learned how to cook many Indian dishes, and tweaked it to what I had.  The results were delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup (dry) Toor Dal or lentils
4 cups water
pinch turmeric
salt

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
10-12 dried curry leaves (crumbled)
1 large onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups cauliflower florets
1-2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp sambar masala
1 Tbsp coriander
red chili powder to taste
cilantro leaves

Cook the lentils in 4 cups of water with salt and a pinch of turmeric.  Do not drain, then set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds until they sputter.  Add the crumbled curry leaves and give it a quick stir then add the onion.

Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes soft and translucent.  Then add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.  Add the cauliflower and about 1/4 cup of water.

Cover the pan and allow cauliflower to steam for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Using a large spoon mash some of the lentils against the side of the pan then pour lentils and remaining cooking water into the vegetable mixture.

Add the tamarind concentrate, sambar masala, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder to taste (I made it as spicy as I could handle it and then had my husband add more red chili to his serving).  Add salt to taste, stir, and lower the heat.  You can add more water if you would like it soupier. I added about 4 oz of diced pork loin (that was leftover from an earlier dinner) but this is optional. Let simmer for a few minutes then serve.

Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro, and naan bread on the side.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Enjoy.

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

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