Vegetarian Curry with Potatoes and Apple

When I don't even the time to defrost the meat, I come up with something 'vegetarian' like dish.  And here is my photo journal of Vegetarian Curry with Potatoes and Apple.   When you bite into the diced Apple in the curry, it gives a burst of surprising experience.  If I am not mistaken, most of the people who has tasted "Japanese" style curry expect this 'apple' surprise in the curry.  It adds faint bouquet aroma to the curry.  Your tongue will delightfully appreciate the tartness and sweetness that mellows the taste of spicy hot curry.  And you want more of it.   If you have never tried it before, add some diced golden delicious or red delicious to your curry. 

Potato Salad with Vinaigrette

By the way, all these recipe testings I posted in June were not completed in the weeks of June.  They were completed in May.   I just did not have the time to post them due to my crazy final exam and oral surgery (I could not taste well).  It was a very stressful months, and I almost gave up on sharing them over the blog.  But I still cooked every night, testing the recipes and cooking methods, ....    So here is my adaptation of Mustard Vinaigrette (from Ad Hoc cookbook, p 179) with my Potato Salad with Beets served with hard boil egg wedges.  I am quite impressed with the function of Dijon mustard in vinaigrette and in other dressings.  It seems to provide that secret molecular combination to bring the mixture of vinegar and olive oil as in 'emulsification' together.  A tiny mustard seed indeed have a great power.   I like the smooth texture of this vinaigrette and less acidic taste from the champagne vinegar used.  Boil large diced potatoes and medium diced carrots till fork tender.  Mince 1 Tb of onions.  Mix in vinaigrette to chopped red beets and carrots first, then fold into potatoes.  Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Toss in some chopped cilantro leaves from the garden.  Slice one hard boiled egg into wedges and serve.

Black Bean Soup

Black Beans is not one of the common beans in my kitchen.  And using it to make the soup is just not done.  Most of my friends have made many different types of dishes with black beans.  But as for me, my first encounter with black beans is inside some healthy burrito somewhere, then, inside Adobe Cob Salad served at Dos Coyotes, which I like very much.  It taste nutty and firmer in texture than the pinto beans that I use almost exclusively to make my family famous chili during the cold winter.  What kind of culinary adventurer am I if I don't try black bean soup, I thought.  We've done this in the class, and it did not turn out to my liking.  The cooking time is too short that beans were not tender enough to release its flavor.  Mindfully remembering this, I soaked the beans and patiently boiled the beans till they are just right.  What a difference in the final serving.  Love that heart warming and nutty taste going down my throat.
Soaking beans overnight.  Soaked black beans look almost like red beans from natural discoloration during hydration.

 It resembles the sweet Chinese sesame soup.