Raspberry muffins + a very specific question

I have a very specific question for you today: have you read “The Hunger Games” trilogy? Because I liked the movie a lot and have been thinking of reading "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" and would love to hear the opinion of those who have read the books. Would you recommend them? I wonder if these books would grab my attention the same way the Millennium trilogy did.

These were my third

Mung Beans, Toor Dal, Green Beans and Fresh Dill Palya

Palya, also known as Poriyal, are dry curries that are a very popular addition to South Indian meals. Fresh, with a subtle blend of flavors, this wholesome dish is certainly one that I would recommend to grace your dinner table. Traditionally, a full course South Indian meal starts with a sambar, followed by a rasam, along with a side dish or two such as this one and rice and perhaps a flatbread.

Bursting with a fine balance of flavor, I've adapted this rather unique dish from Mysore Style Cooking: The Secret Recipes of Mysore, India by V. Sandlhya. I have written about this beautifully illustrated and lovely cookbook before and it truly is a treasure. Strictly vegetarian and inspired by her families well-guarded recipes, Sandhya has a home-based restaurant where she serves yogis. All of the recipes are "Ayurvedically correct" featuring creations from the Mysore region. Designed to encourage peace of mind, good health and spiritual progress, those who want simple but nourishing ideas for South Indian dishes will certainly want to get this book. A wide range of recipes for legumes, grains, vegetables, chutneys, breads and sweets are offered up along with helpful introductions and meal suggestions.

This is my submission to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly event started by lovely Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by the creator. Be sure to send off your offerings to Susan.

Mung Beans, Toor Dal, Green Beans and Fresh Dill Palya

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Mysore Style Cooking: The Secret Recipes of Mysore, India Cuisine: Indian Published on April 11, 2012 A dry and lightly-spiced fresh-tasting dal and vegetable curry from south India Print this recipe Palya: 5 tablespoons dried whole mung beans, rinsed 5 tablespoons toor dal, rinsed 5 cups water 8 oz green beans, trimmed and chopped 1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped sea salt to taste Tempering: 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 3 dried red chilies, broken into pieces 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida generous handful dried curry leaves 3 tablespoons grated coconut Instructions: In a large saucepan, add the water, mung beans and toor dal. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the beans are softened, about 20 - 30 minutes. Now add the green beans, dill and sea salt. Stir and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, taking care not to overcook the green beans. They should still have a bit of crunch to them. Drain the beans, set aside, and reserve the cooking water. The cooking water can be used as a broth in other dishes. For the tempering, heat the oil in the same pan over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. Stir and fry until they begin to turn grey and splutter and pop. Now add the chilies, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, asafoetida, curry leaves and coconut. Stir for another minute and then add the cooked beans and vegetables. Stir and fry for another few minutes and serve hot. Makes 4 servings

More South Indian dishes you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Beetroot Palya
Cabbage Poriyal
Spicy Lentil Rasam
Mung Bean and Tamarind Dal

On the top of the reading stack: Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More by Maria Speck

Audio Accompaniment: "Air Structures" by Brian Eno and Robert Fripp

Cherry tomato and thyme focaccia

I’d never heard of “The Hunger Games” book trilogy until the frenzy for the movie started but since I adore Jennifer Lawrence – how can anyone not? – I decided to watch the movie; I thought it was really good but it was also, certainly, the most agonizing hours I’ve spent in a movie theater recently – as I went home I felt my body sore from all that tension. :/
I really don’t mind going to the

Almond Clafouti with Blood Orange

I don't know why I don't make clafoutis more often, when variations of the traditional French country baked fruit pudding are so easy to make and the results have such a wonderful cake-and-custard texture and the rustic charm of the simple flavors of milk, flour and eggs. I suppose that there's so many ideas for food that it's easy to forget about one while exploring others, until something reminds me again. Fortunately that reminder showed up in the form of a recipe for an almond-peach clafouti while browsing through the latest cookbook to arrive on my shelves, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck. I will have much to say about this informative and beautifully illustrated cookbook in the coming months as I explore the recipes and information contained between the covers.

I love the idea of adding almond flour to a clafouti for its wonderful marzipan-like fragrance and the toothsomeness it adds to the pudding's texture. And I also liked the convenience of baking the clafouti in a glass pie plate rather than the customary earthenware dish. But peaches aren't in season around here right now, while on the other hand it's a great time for citrus fruits from the southern United States. So I've adapted the recipe from the book to use colorful segments of blood orange as well as using honey for a sweetener. And the results? The blood oranges burst into your mouth with a sweet and tart pop, surrounded by a creamy and aromatic pudding cake. Absolutely wonderful, and the clafouti disappeared in one sitting.

This recipe is so easy to make, you can put it together after a meal while everyone's food is settling. On the other hand, you can make it an hour ahead of the meal and keep it at room temperature. If you don't have almond flour — also known as almond meal or simply ground almonds — on hand, it's easy to make at home too. Simply grind 1/3 cup of blanched (skinless) almonds with 1 teaspoon of white sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor until finely ground, sifting the results to add clumps back into the grinder (sugar is added to absorb the oil from the almonds in order to prevent clumping). You may also want to consider serving this clafouti for a sweet weekend breakfast.

Almond Clafouti with Blood Orange

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More Cuisine: French Published on April 9, 2012 A simple cake-and-custard like baked pudding made with fragrant almond meal and tart blood oranges Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup whole milk zest from 1 blood orange 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 large eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup almond flour 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 blood oranges butter and almond flour for brushing and dusting icing sugar (optional) Instructions: Preheat an oven to 375°. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate or 1-quart (1-liter) casserole dish. Dust with almond flour and tap out the excess. Whisk together the whipping cream, milk, zest and vanilla in a small bowl. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs together until blended. Pour in the honey, whisking as you go along, until the honey is blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Continuing to whisk, pour in the cream and milk mixture, followed by the almond flour and beat until smooth. Finally, add the all-purpose flour and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate or casserole dish. Peel the blood oranges and remove pieces of the membrane around the segments. Scatter the segments in the batter. Bake in the preheated oven until the clafouti is puffed and golden-brown around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just clean, about 30 minutes if using a pie plate — adjust for a slightly longer cooking time if using a casserole dish. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool and set for 15 minutes. Serve warm, with a dusting of icing sugar if desired. Makes 4 - 6 servings

Other baked fruit puddings you may enjoy:
Rum Plum Clafouti
Cherry Pudding
Lemon Sponge Pudding

On the top of the reading stack: various bits and pieces

Audio Accompaniment: Marsen Jules

Simple cardamom sponge + Jason Reitman

I watched “Young Adult” last Saturday in an almost empty theater and at the end of the movie, to my surprise, most of the viewers were saying awful things about it; I understand that Jason Reitman’s kind of humor is not the very popular kind (thank heavens!) and I’ll admit that his movies should come with a bar of chocolate attached – a little mood enhancing for the end of the session – but to

Green Beans with Baby Potatoes, Collard Greens and Olives

I adapted this recipe from River Cottage Everyday Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Although perhaps better suited to summer time meals, this hearty and vegetable-packed dish is really perfect anytime of the year. We need our veggies and, served alongside Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes, you are in for a good dose of nutrition and one fine meal.

This beautifully illustrated and informative cookbook will satisfying any craving for vegetable based dishes. The array of vegetables and combinations has already become an important resource when I am brainstorming for healthy and tantalizing recipes to grace my table. Though the author is not a vegetarian, each and every recipe is suitable for a vegetarian diet and vegans will also find many satisfying meal ideas.

If you want a vegan version of this dish, simply omit the Parmesan cheese.

Green Beans with Baby Potatoes, Collard Greens and Olives

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from River Cottage Everyday Veg Published on April 7, 2012 A warm, satisfying and delicious healthy salad, packed with layers of wonderful flavors Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 pound red baby potatoes 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and sliced 1 bunch (1 pound) collard greens, trimmed and chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (optional) 1/2 cup Kalamata or black olives, pitted and chopped 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese juice of 1 lemon sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste Instructions: Scrub the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Put them in a large heavy-bottomed sauce-pan along with enough water to cover, and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add the green beans and collard greens and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. In small frying pan or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Toss in the garlic and stir and fry for a few minutes. Now add the asafoetida (if using) and olives, and stir and fry for a minute. Remove from the heat. Transfer this mixture to the pot with the potatoes, green beans and collard greens. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan and season with more salt if desired and some fresh cracked black-pepper. Toss lightly to combine. Serve warm. Makes 3 - 4 servings

Other potato dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you will likely enjoy:
Scalloped Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Mushrooms
Tamarind Potatoes
Paratha Stuffed with Sweet Potato and Potato
Cheese Potato Puff with Dried-Mushrooms

On the top of the reading stack: Kafka

Audio Accompaniment: the drone of the fridge

Spiced plum pavlovas + a nice hint

You know well about my love for Donna Hay’s work: I have some of her cookbooks – cannot live without “Modern Classics 2” – and I’ve been a subscriber to her magazine since September 2006. But for the past year I’ve been having trouble receiving the magazines – last year’s winter issue never arrived and the same happened to this year’s summer issue. I do not know if they’ve changed the shipping