Recipes Like This are Why I Have to Run!!!

This is too good not to share ASAP!  So good in fact that I made it last Wednesday and again this Tuesday.  Mostly because there were some adjustments I wanted to try, and lamb was still on sale and wanted to take advantage of the great price.   

Rogan Josh is a recipe from Well Fed and is from the Kashmir region of India...so exotic!  Check out Melissa Joulwan's (cook book author) Blog: The Clothes Make The Girl HERE for the original recipe.

My version, with my changes noted, below. 

Rogan Josh
serves 6 to 8
prep 30 minutes
cooking time 1-2 hours

Start with this....

Ingredients:
Spice Blend
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 Tbs sweet paprika
1 tsp chili powder (original recipe calls for 2 tsp)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp salt
1/4 Tbs cayenne pepper (original recipe calls for 1/2 Tbs)

It was way too spicy (and we like spice!) the first time I made it, this time was much better but would still cut the pepper a bit more if I was making this for those that don't handle spice well.  Maybe 1/2 tsp chili powder and a pinch of cayenne if people really don't like spice. 

Curry
-2 lbs lamb (stew meat, shoulder, or leg), cut into 1 inch cubes (I used lamb chops that I cut the bone out of and cubed myself).  If you don't care for lamb you can use beef, although I haven't tried this with beef, so can't speak to taste. 
-salt and black pepper to taste
-1 Tbs coconut oil
-2 medium onions, diced (2 cups)
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 1/4 cups water

...and end with this!  (I really need not so dark dishes for food pictures!)

Directions:

-In a small bowl, combine all the Rogan Josh spices and mix with a fork.  In a large bowl, sprinkle the meat generously with salt and pepper, tossing with your hands to coat.

-In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the lamb in batches and sear on all sides.  Put the meat in there and let it be for at least 5 minutes, so it gets a nice brown crust...do not stir it!

-When the meat is brown, add the chopped onions and cook until the onions begin to soften and show brown spots. 

-Add the Rogan Josh spice blend to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  The spices really come to life in the fat. 

-Pour the coconut milk and water into the pot.  Mix well, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, allowing the meat to braise in the coconut milk for 1-2 hours.  (I usually make it 1.5 hours and then am so hungry we go ahead and eat)!

-When time's up, remove the lid and let the sauce thicken a bit, about 2-3 minutes.  

Since it's from a paleo cookbook there are several paleo sides to serve this with, but we are not sticking to a paleo diet (just picking what we like from it) so I do whatever I want.  The first time I made it I served it over quinoa, and this last time I roasted baby potatoes and served it over the potatoes, along with naan on the side for Sky and I.  

It reheats really well, without overcooking the meat in the least!  

Now time to get ready to go run off the double serving I had last night!!!  

Anyone else dabble in the Paleo Diet world/follow it to the letter?  

 

 

Happy Sunny Friday & Not From The Kitchen

Sky got her cast off this morning!!!  I had no idea her skin would stink so bad what the cast came off.  I thought it was the cast itself that stunk, but her arm was nasty.  (BTW - we found that when she did accidently get her cast wet and the stink flared up that putting cornstarch down/up her cast helped a ton!) 

I can't tell you how happy I was to wash her hair, and let her sit in the bath until the water was filthy and cold.  Her first real bath in over a month = black bath water.  She splashed and reunited with her favorite bath toys, and had a huge grin the entire time.  I tried to get a picture, but she was splashing so much it was getting my phone wet. 

With all the rain we have had there has been a lake puddle in the driveway for weeks, and Sky has wanted to stomp and jump in it every time we go outside.  I wouldn't let her though because we had to keep the cast dry. 

Since yesterday was the last day in the cast I let her go for it!

Pure happiness.  She was soaked from head to toe after stomping and belly flopping in it.  Of course now that the cast is off it's lovely and sunny out.  Spent weeks trying to keep her dry and happy inside and now we have sun. 

It's supposed to be fairly nice tomorrow too, so after nap time Sky and I are headed to Chambers Bay for a run and play time at the park.  I need to get my running legs back and she needs some outside play time! 

This little bit of sun is what I needed to counteract the post-race, post-training run let down.  At least when I'm training I don't even think about if I'm going to run or not.  I run no matter what no matter the weather.  But, with all the rain and only a couple of 5K's on the schedule between now and April I was starting to feel like hibernating was a better idea than running.  What a difference some sun makes!!  I'm looking forward to logging some miles tomorrow!

I was going to share a recipe for a From The Kitchen post today, but I'm opting to encourage you to get the Well Fed cookbook for yourself and/or check out the blog HERE
 

Even if you don't follow a strict Paleo diet (we don't) the recipes are yummy and add nice variety to our menu planning!

How much time do you take off after a big race?
2 to 3 days, anything more than that and I have a hard time getting back into it.

Ever gone puddle jumping?
Every puddle we see...we love our rain boots!

Any fun weekend plans?
Mark is busy all weekend, so Sky and I are going to hang out, run, play, and maybe run some more.  Oh, and go to Costco.