It’s my grandpa’s birthday weekend, so most of my family was in New York to celebrate, which mostly meant a whole lot of celebratory eating (we also went to see The Book of Mormon, which lived up to its reviews). Friday night was dinner at Rosa Mexicano (the 1st Ave location), which despite being derided for having turned into a high-end chain restaurant with very strong margaritas is, I think, still reliable for quality and atmosphere. They were doing a whole lot of press for their upcoming Mexican Passover menu, which was kind of curious. I had short ribs with mole on my step-grandmother’s recommendation: they were tender and flavorful and shared pretty much in half between my boyfriend and my mom. I had quite a bit of his chicken tortilla pie, which was floating in some verdantly green poblano cream sauce (it was very cheesy and very weird-looking: definitely what I’d recommend ordering for the under-thirteen crowd).

My mom valiantly ordered a salad, and ended up eating it for breakfast the next morning after polishing off an entire short rib for dinner. Also, I’m just this moment remembering that we’d been set on trying the sweet potato fries and completely forgot to order them (it’s true, the margaritas here are very strong).

Shared dessert was a sort of strange caramelized banana chocolate chip cake. It wasn’t really up my alley, but I ate most of it anyway. 

I woke up on Saturday morning still uncomfortable full from dinner, which meant figuring out a way to get through day two of celebrations while doing a little bit of detox. That goal was made infinitely easier by lunch at Quintessence in the East Village with my mom and our friend Stacy, where we had some miso vegetable stew with hijiki and burdock root and a raw vegan caesar salad to share. Quintessence was a raw food restaurant until quite recently, when they integrated some organic cooked vegan options into their menu as a response to the popularized idea among raw foodists that introducing small and nutritious amounts of cooked vegan or even animal-based foods into a mostly raw diet can result in benefits that outweigh the risks. 

Saturday night was birthday cake & presents.

The obligatory Harry & David. I’m shocked that my family hasn’t singlehandedly kept them from going bankrupt. 

We went to Frankie & Johnnie’s before the show, where I completely couldn’t bro up and order an enormous steak. I had oysters instead, since they’re pretty much my latest obsession and have a very detox-friendly nutritional profile: very low-calorie and low-fat, they have large amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals including zinc, magnesium and calcium. Of course, I took home plenty of steak and chocolate cake leftovers to eat for breakfast today.

Last night’s dinner was an Indian food buffet for six, one of my favorite meals to make. I grew up with vegetarian Indian dishes and curries in regular rotation for everyday dinners, probably influenced by the fact that my mom was working as a vegetarian, macrobiotic and natural foods cook in the ’70s. As a result, I’m a huge fan of pretty much all beans and peas and well-versed in the arsenal of “c”-spices common in Indian cooking.

Baked vegetarian samosas:

My cheat for samosa filling is setting aside a little of the aloo gobi, adding in some green peas, and frying the mixture briefly with a little extra spice in just a teaspoon of oil. That leaves only the samosa dough to make, which also takes just a few minutes. Baking rather than frying the samosas not only makes them healthier but gives you more flexibility as to when to serve them - I usually use them as a hot appetizer that can be popped in the oven as soon as guests arrive.

• 1 cup samosa filling
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water

1. Mix together the flour, vegetable oil and salt in a bowl. Add water bit by bit as needed to make a dough that’s easily workable, not too dry and not too sticky. Knead the dough for a few minutes, and then let it sit while you make the samosa filling.
2. Split the samosa dough into six spheres. Roll each sphere into a flat circle, about six inches wide. 
3. Cut each circle in half with sharp knife.
4. Pick up half a circle and roll it into a cone shape, pressing the edges together to stick. Fill the cone with 2 heaping tablespoons of samosa filling and pull the top of the cone down to seal the samosa like an envelope. Press the edges together to seal.
5. Repeat with all twelve samosas. Brush the finished samosas with an egg wash or a little oil to help them brown while baking.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Aloo gobi: 

This is one of those repertoire meals that I make about once a week. It’s easy, healthy, vegan, delicious and the leftovers are even better the next day. Aloo means potato and gob(h)i cauliflower, so the chickpeas are optional but included in my version. I sometimes add green peas or chopped tomatoes as well.

• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into sixths
• 1 cup dry chickpeas
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp powdered cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 + 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garam masala

1. Soak chickpeas for a few hours, then drain and boil with peeled and chopped potatoes until beans are tender and potatoes are just beginning to fall apart, about half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot and add cumin seeds and diced onion. Saute until onions are golden and translucent.
3. Add minced garlic, turmeric, powdered cumin and salt, and a tablespoon of water to create a sauce.
4. Add raw chopped cauliflower to the sauce and stir to coat. Let simmer for five minutes.
5. Add cooked chickpeas and potatoes to the mixture and stir well. Potatoes will begin to take on a mashed-like quality.
6. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for flavors to combine as long as possible before serving. When reheating, adjust spices as necessary.

Raita: 

The perfect condiment to offset the heat in Indian food, raita is a yogurt-based sauce and dip with many variations, akin to tzatziki sauce in Greek cooking. I start with plain full-fat or Greek yogurt, then add an entire cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced finely. Fresh mint, dill or other herbs are next; last night’s raita included only chopped parsley. A teaspoon of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice finish the dish. It’s best to make raita a few hours ahead of time and let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Lentil dahl: 

This is a variation on dal makhani that I make with brown lentils, rather than black (which I can never find here). Makhani is the Hindi word for ‘buttery’, and this dish traditionally includes ghee (clarified butter). I used just a little butter to saute the onion in, and coconut milk to add creaminess and flavor - plus cardamom, cumin, coriander, and a little cayenne for kick.

The basmati rice, lamb curry and garlic naan escaped foodtography: when I’m having a dinner party, I do always prioritize getting food on the table and into guests’ mouths while it’s still warm and just off the stove over getting a good photo of it - a policy I sometimes regret the next day! 

You know those days when you’re just hungry? Today was one of those for me, so I made a hearty, healthy dinner to satisfy my appetite and also to use up some odds and ends I had around the kitchen: a half-pound of sausage that was on sale yesterday at Whole Foods, a crisper drawer full of veggies, and goat cheese that I bought to make spanakopita. I always keep dried beans on hand, as they’re infinitely versatile and don’t take up much pantry space. 

Goat cheese crostini:

• 12 slices baguette or other similarly sized bread, about 3/4 inch thick (this is yeast-free herbed spelt bread, made yesterday)
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 green olives, pitted and minced
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Brush each slice of bread lightly with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes per side, until crisp and golden.
2. Heat remaining olive oil in a saucepan and saute minced garlic over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix together cheese, parsley and minced olives in a bowl. Add garlic with olive oil and mash together with a fork to make a paste.
4. Add salt & pepper to taste and spread cheese mixture on each crostini. Serve as is or, if desired, bake cheese-topped crostini for an additional four minutes before eating.

Sausage & lentil stew:

• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 1 potato, chopped into eighths
• 1/2 lb raw sausage (I used turkey breakfast sausage)
• 1 tsbp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp each basil, oregano and marjoram
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Soak dry lentils for several hours or overnight. Drain and rinse with cold water. Boil along with raw chopped potato, with enough water to cover, until lentils and potato are tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick stockpot or dutch oven. Saute minced garlic until golden.
3. Chop sausage into bite-size pieces and add to stockpot with garlic. Saute until browned. Add carrots and celery and cook until beginning to be tender, about five minute. 
4. Add tomatoes with juice, parsley and other herbs to the sausage mixture.
5. Once lentils and potato are tender, add to sausage mixture. Simmer until ready to eat: 2-3 hours to give flavors time to combine.