Dreaming of Summer: Corn Soup

Gone corny

Can you tell I'm dreaming about summer?

Would you blame me with the wet, gloomy weather we have been having? The groundhog predicted an early spring, where is it??? When I moved last year (PS - March 11 marked one year since I moved from Bombay) it was gorgeous at this time with erratic bouts of rain and no need for heavy jackets. I'm ready for some warm sunshine and patio lounging now. The stores are full of the new spring fashion lines and recipes for Easter fare are popping up in magazines, all teasing the fact that the change is around the corner. All I have to say is stop the teasing, weather please turn around...soon!

In the meantime, I'll just have to placate myself with some summer-inspired cooking. Thanks to a bag of frozen corn, we managed some sunshine in a bowl for dinner last evening topped off with a tangy tomato salsa. It worked nicely because it was also comforting enough to take away the nip in the air. The best part? It's made with ingredients you probably already have stashed in the refirgerator so there is nothing fancy needed. Just add some crusty bread and a summer flick like the classic Roman Holiday or '90s favourite Dazed and Confused and it's easy to pretend that the weather isn't still freezing outside.

Corn soup
Serves 2 as a main

Olive oil
1 red onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup low-fat milk
2 cups corn, frozen
1 tomato, de-seeded and chopped finely
For the tomato salsa:
1 tbs chopped onion, cut extrmely fine
2 tbs coriander leaves, chopped finely
1 tbs of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook until caramelised. Then add the garlic and garam masala and cook for another minute. Pour in the stock and the milk and bring to the boil. Add the frozen corn, salt and pepper to taste and cover. Heat through until the corn and plumped and is tender. Remove at least half a cup of the corn kernels and set aside. Blend the rest of the soup until liquified. Add the corn kernels back in and check the seasoning. In a seperate bowl, soak the chopped onion with the red wine vinegar for at least ten minutes. Add the tomato, coriander and salt and pepper to taste to the onion. Toss together and refrigerate until needed. Serve the soup warm with a generous helping of the salsa.

Lenten Season: Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew

One bowl supper

Getting back to eating right has been easier than I thought. I can see you wiggling your eyebrows at me like I'm mad thinking, “Eating healthy is never easy!!”. It’s so clichéd to say that it takes a bit of planning but it honestly just falls into place if you do. Being strategic about what to make in advance has also allowed me to get to the gym regularly and I’m feeling really good to be back on track.


What’s even better is that Lent started yesterday. Now during this period of fast and abstinence over the next 40 odd days I usually give up alcohol and meat (although I think the latter will fall by the wayside when my parents get here next week). It’s come at the right time now because it is more of a detox for me and will definitely help nudge my weight down to where it is supposed to be. The good thing is Sean and I love vegetarian food and any form of legumes and pulses so we don’t complain so much (okay, I don’t complain, Sean does). It's a good time to improve on some more creative vegetarian cooking.


So dinner last night was a simple chickpea and sweet potato stew, which was perfectly welcome after a horribly wet day. Sean and I trudged through rivers of snow and water to get to and from church and had frozen toes by the time we reached home, still damp from the wet weather. With the chickpeas cooked, this stew really takes no more than 20 minutes to throw together and we hungrily wolfed down a bowlful as soon as it was ready. The spices give it a lovely earthy flavour and are all really beneficial for Sean. I enjoyed it with a rich dollop of yoghurt, while Sean paired it with some whole wheat toast.

So day one and two without meat and alcohol down, let’s see what the rest of the next month brings in store.


Chickpea and sweet potato stew
Serves 4


Olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 red onion, chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp ginger powder
¾ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
3-4 cups chickpeas, cooked (I soaked them overnight and cooked them in a pressure cooker until tender)
1 large sweet potato, chopped into thick chunks
500ml water or vegetable stock
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped finely


Heat some oil in a casserole. Add the bay leaf and the onion and cook until the onions are lightly caramelised. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Now add all the spice powders and sauté for about two minutes. If it starts sticking to the bottom, add a little water so it doesn’t burn. Put in the tomatoes and stir well. Cook for about three minutes until the spices and well incorporated with the tomatoes. Add the sweet potato, add half a cup of water and let it simmer gently. When cooked halfway through, add the chickpeas. Then add enough of water or stock to make a bit of gravy (just enough to cover the chickpeas). It is okay to eyeball the amount depending on how much of gravy you would like. Cover and let it simmer for about ten minutes until all flavours have infused. Remove from heat, sprinkle over coriander leaves and serve. Can be eaten over rice or whole wheat cous cous.

Friends, Food and Fun: Weekend Cooking

Food, glorious food

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that our weekends are become one large excuse to keep stuffing ourselves. To be honest, we had some friends, a husband and wife duo Jaydeep and Radhika, returning to India on March 1st after five years in Toronto so every weekend was a chance to spend time with them and celebrate the good times we’ve had together. This weekend is quiet one and Sean and I are actually surprised we have nothing to do.



The weekend before last we spent the night at our friend’s Liz and Ken’s place and, of course, made a grand potluck feast to go with it. As usual, my department was dessert and I made chocolate mousse spiked with (a lot of ) Grand Marnier. But since Sean and I loved the cauliflower fritters we made at the cooking class at Aphrodite Cooks we decided to make them as well. The next morning we had another feast for berakfast.


Last Friday was a sophisticated charcuterie and cheese party at David's place where we wolfed down a beautiful collection of Canadian and international cheeses from Leslieville Cheese Market. For that evening I made a cheese cake and a silken glazed chocolate tart. Then on Sunday we had a barbecue at Caroline and Nick's home to commemorate the leaving couple’s last Sunday in town. So we had succulent pieces of pork, chicken and a lovely pasta salad. To end on a sweet note I made my Mexican lime and vanilla flan.


Oh yeah, did I mention I joined a gym?


It's been a bittersweet time, bidding Radhika and Jaydeep farewell, even though we only knew them for a couple of months. It's also given us a chance to bond with our other friends talking about everything from our birthplace Bombay to politics and careers. And we've been lucky that we've always had plenty of delicious home-cooked food and good wine to go along with it all. Here’s an photographic account of the past two weekends where the food was definitely the star of the show.

Appetisers - Our cauliflower fritters and Radhika's home-made beef samosas

Sides - Radhika's potato bhaji and Nick's roasted vegetable medley

The Main - Liz's roast goat leg

We're Indian, we had to have rice. Here's Liz's nut rice and the laden table.

 Nick's beetroot salad

Breakfast the next morning - Liz's burji or akoori eggs. She also made banana pancakes, which I forgot to photograph.

Radhika's masala chai

At David's place: Radhika's bruschetta and the cheese platter

The delicious charcuterie and wine

At Nick and Caroline's barbeque: Pasta salad and barbecued pork

We like our carbs - potato salad

Liz's vada pav masala chicken

Grilled eggplant

Mexican lime and vanilla flan

Remainder of the chocolate flan and cheesecake