Peach frozen yogurt

A bowl of beautiful, ripe peaches was the beginning of this recipe, but my first idea was making the peach ice cream from the same book this frozen yogurt came from; I changed my mind after considering that using yogurt instead of cream would allow me to eat more dessert – talk about fat thoughts. :)

Peach frozen yogurt
from The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet

Plum tray bake with a cheesecake ripple

There was a rumor on Twitter last month saying that delicious would end – I was in complete panic because I find the tool extremely useful; luckily, it appears to be just that: a rumor.

How else would I have “remembered” this delicious cake – I mean, extremely delicious – bookmarked on Oct, 7, 2008? ;)



Plum tray bake with a cheesecake ripple
adapted from here

Cheesecake ripple:
200g cream

Black-Eyed Peas in a Yogurt Curry

Black-Eyed peas are traditionally served on New Year's Day as they are thought to bring prosperity in the Southeastern region of the US but also around the world. Often the beans are served with greens, which symbolize money, and the peas, because they swell while cooking, are thought to mean prosperity for the New Year and sometimes believed to represent coins. Cornbread is also a frequent serving option along with the legumes and is thought to represent gold. This earthy bean is a favorite anytime of year for me, but how could I resist the promise of good luck and a special friend to help me prepare my dish. It is always a treat to have a sous-chef to assist with my dinners. Serve with rice and any Indian flatbread for a most satisfying meal.

This is my first submission to My Legume Love Affair, # 31, a most popular event started by lovely Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Simona of Briciole.

1 cup of black-eyed peas, soaked overnight in enough water to cover
3 cups of water
3 black cardamon pods, crushed
1 inch stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of sea salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of turmeric
a generous handful of dried fenugreek leaves

1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped

1 cup of plain yogurt
3 green cardamom seeds, crushed
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, reserve some for garnish
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala

Drain the black-eyed peas and transfer to a large pot and bring to a boil with 3 cups of water, along with the cinnamon stick and black cardamom pods and sea salt. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover, stirring occasionally until the beans are soft - roughly 40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

While the beans are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, ground coriander, asafoetida, cayenne, ground cumin, turmeric and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and fry for a minute or two. Now add the ginger, garlic, onion and green chilies and stir and fry for another few minutes. Gradually add the yogurt and then transfer the mixture to the black-eyed peas. Add the green cardamom seeds and the parsley. Simmer for another 15 minutes and then sprinkle with garam masala and a bit of parsley for garnish. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving and also any large bits of cardamom pods.

Serves 4-6.

More Black-Eyed Pea recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Black-Eyed Pea Salsa
Black-Eyed Peas with Spices and Herbs
Black-Eyed Peas with Fenugreek and Tomatoes
Curried Black-Eyed Peas with Dried Mushrooms
Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes
Black-Eyed Pea Sambar

Cherry crumble

Happy New Year everyone!

After a month it’s time to (reluctantly) get back to work – I could definitely use a couple more weeks of vacation… *sigh*

If you, like me, need a boost to get back to work I highly recommend this dessert. :)

Cherry crumble
adapted from here

320g fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons demerara sugar

Topping

A Tetley Giveaway - Find your Colour

I am pleased to offer another giveaway to my readers. This time, I am delighted to present Tetley Tea herbal blends and invite you to find your colour. Tetley offers a tea to match every mood. Simply leave a comment for a chance to win this beautiful gift basket, valued at $70.00, which includes a tea pot, 2 containers each of herbal colour therapy tea and 50 mood influencing greeting cards. With this new blend of teas, you can match and even influence your mood.

I was fortunate to receive a free sample of the Clarity Blueberry, Ginseng and Ginkgo blend and it is indeed a warming tea that is very refreshing. My father in-law enjoyed this tea so much that he purchased a tin. My colour for today is yellow.

Please note the random draw is only open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. If you don't have a blog, please provide your email address along with your comment so I can contact you if you win. The contest ends on the January the 22nd.

No Croutons Required - The winner for December and the theme for January

Congratulations to Sue of Our New Life in the Country who won the December Festive Photo Challenge. Such an inspiring photo.

The challenge for January is to come up with a soup or salad featuring the mighty staple rice. Think brown rice, basmati, white rice, wild rice, arborio or whatever strikes your fancy. I look forward to your inspired creations. For a recap of the submission details, please follow this link.

Ginger peach muffins

When it comes to Eddie Murphy’s movies there are only two I like, but the first bite into one of these muffins and “The Heat is On” popped in my head. :)

The ginger adds a fresh, delicious kick to these muffins and I was amazed by how well the flavor goes with peaches.



Ginger peach muffins
from Good to the Grain

Topping:
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2-3 small peaches,