Meal Plan

Woke up to rain this morning so I'm hoping to finally make some soups. Its cold at 80F here.

Monday Noon: Curried Tuna, Naan, Curried Vegetables using my Shan Curried Vegetables Packet that I toted back from Singapore. I love shopping in Little India.

Monday dinner: Leftover Roots, and leftover mac & cheese
Menu: Smothered Pork, Steamed Veg and Naan
Menu: Pasta Fagoli Soup, mixing in carrot and zucchini
Menu: Beef Parmesan with Pasta, Brocolli
Menu: Baked Potatos and Pork Sate (a vendor up the street makes this), Brocolli

Alternate/ Extra Menus (I don't know where they fit in yet but I'm pretty sure they do):
- Pasta Carbonara from a packet
- Malai Kofta & Naan

When we travel to a new place, I always stop at the grocery store. In Singapore we make a trip to Mustafa's and I slowly meander through the crazy grocery sectionI. I walk down the packet/ spice aisle- the one with the soup mixes, taco mixes, enchilada sauce mixes, bouillon cubes, etc and read the packets. There's always something that if mixed together with the stuff I have at home it makes normal into magic. Shan Spices do that for me . Its India pre-pakaged for the short on time family. I adore them. If you are in a large-ish city (with a little Indian population), like Indian food (or are willing to experiment) look for the Shan Food spices. They'll be there most likely. For the American tastebud, they might run toward the "spicy" end but man alive are they so worth it!

After buying the spices, Indian cooking is typically quite frugal. Think about the veg that is in season where you are at and then put in the spice and you've got something that would appeal. The spice is the kicker but if you are in a city you'll probably be able to find them without a problem. Its also good to have a little window sill garden for nice fresh things like cilantro and mint.