Vegan MoFo 13.1: Masi Cat Recovery and Curried “Unfried” Rice

Friday morning Masi was better but still a little wobbly when he tried to walk. Additionally he was not judging distance well when jumped which meant I was worried. Of course I called the vet’s office first thing in the morning and since Masi was improving, eating and drinking they said I shouldn’t worry … yet. Apparently long haired cats tend to have difficulty recovering from anesthesia. Since we hadn’t had any problem with anesthesia recovery previously this was new info for me. My plan was to keep a watchful eye on my cat clan during the day which meant no running my usual Friday errands.

Breakfast for me was collard wraps with fat-free hummus, red pepper strips, broccoli sprouts and raw sunflower seeds. I eat these often because they are quick, filling and nutritious.

By mid-afternoon my little Masi was napping so that I could do a few things. You don’t realize how busy cats actually are until you try to follow one around all day to make certain he is stable when he jumps. No wonder my boy cats are so slender. If they are awake they are moving. That is probably a good tip for all of us. ;-)

I had planned to spend some time in the kitchen but never really got the chance with the feline surveillance. I did find time to make some brown rice to put in the refrigerator for later. Both Dan and I enjoyed the “unfried” rice from earlier in the week so I decided I would make another variation of it for dinner tonight. Since the rice was ready it only took 5 minutes to prep the veggies and then less than 10 minutes to cook dinner. I need to make more of this type of meal. I think this may be my current favorite fast meal.

Curried “Unfried” Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients:

¾ cup brown basmati rice
1 ½ cup water for cooking the rice
½ yellow onion, peeled and diced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating so the thiopropanal sulfoxide can develop)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating so the allicin can develop)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
14 ounce can diced tomatoes (or 2 cups of fresh peeled diced tomatoes with the juice)
1 carrot, thinly sliced on a mandoline or you can julienne
1 parsnip, thinly sliced on a mandoline or you can julienne
2 cups cauliflower, minced so it cooks quickly
2 tablespoons hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (be generous the piperine in the black pepper keeps the turmeric bioavailable longer so you absorb more of it)
2 cups spicy greens, thinly sliced
¼ cup cilantro, finely minced
¼ cup roasted cashews for garnish

Directions:

Cook the rice and store it in the refrigerator until needed. Cold rice seems to make better fried rice than hot rice. I learned this long ago making the traditional version and it does seem to result in a final dish that is free of clumps of rice. Try using cold rice I think you will be surprised how well it works.

To make the “unfried” rice place the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, carrot, parsnip, cauliflower, and spices (and hot peppers) in a wok over high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are just starting to become tender. Now add the rice breaking it up with your hands as you add it. This helps to separate the grains. Stir to incorporate the spices and veggies with the rice. When the rice is hot and the veggies are as tender as you like turn off the heat and add the spicy greens and cilantro.

To serve, place a pile of the curried “unfried” rice on the plate and top with cashews.

Any veggies will work in this dish the important part is the spice combination. If you are not fond of turmeric you can add a little coconut milk or tahini to the pan to blunt the bitter taste of the spice. We are so accustomed to the flavor of turmeric I didn’t add either coconut milk or tahini but it would work if you think it is necessary. I added the cashews to this dish to provide fat since curcumin (in the turmeric) is fat soluble and I wanted to make certain that we were able to absorb as much as possible.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 301.67
Calories From Fat (17%) - 51.88

Total Fat - 6.2g
Saturated Fat - 1.17g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 72mg
Potassium - 1040.25mg
Total Carbohydrates - 56.96g
Fiber - 9.79g
Sugar - 9.8g
Protein - 8.54g

Comments:

This is one of those recipes that you can make in moments. It is quick and nutritious my favorite combination in a recipe. If you prepare the veggies the night before the entire dish can be on the table in 10 minutes. Who wouldn’t love that on busy weeknight? In additional to being quick it also tastes good.

Thanksgiving menu:

The Thanksgiving menu options will be in tomorrow’s post. We ended up going out for dinner tonight (Saturday) which meant less computer time than I expected.

Happy Thoughts:

In keeping with my recent happy thoughts to end the post here are mine from today:

• Masi is about 95% back to normal now. Yay! Two feline dental procedures down one to go.
• Dan didn’t need to work today! You know how much I love that. LOL
• Tonight we went out for dinner. It was date night and we had a great time.  There will be details tomorrow since I got some tasty recipe ideas.  That is why I love eating Ian's food.  I always come home with a happy stomach as well as recipe ideas. ;-)
• We were able to spend time with our precious Aimee this evening which is always a pleasure. She is one of those people you can't help but love.

Signing out:

Since 6 am comes early it is time for us to wind down. Talk to you again tomorrow. I hope all of you are having a fabulous weekend.