"Tasty Travels" - WWOOFing, Day 4 & 5

Day 4- It started out as a rainy day (the rain followed me from Mass. to Colorado!) and we did 150 square feet of sheet mulching. The weather quickly changed and we were able to transplant some lavender. We made an amazing dinner and then saw an even more amazing rainbow! The curry recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks by Deborah Madison called "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone".

Malaysian-Inspired Tofu Curry

1, 1-lb package firm tofu
1, 15-oz can unsweetened coconut milk (try Trader Joe's version!)
1 cup water
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp tamarind paste (what's this? SEE below)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 scallions, chopped
juice of 1 lime
cilantro, chopped, for garnish
3 cups brown rice, cooked

Drain and dice the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Combine the coconut milk, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, spices, tamarind paste, garlic and ginger in a large skillet. Boil for 1 minute, then add tofu. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and scallions and simmer for about 10 minutes more. Add the lime juice and taste for salt. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

We gobbled ours up with some roasted cauliflower (tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper).

NOTE: Tamarind paste: Tamarind paste is made up of the inner fruit of a tamarind pod. If you close your eyes and take a bite, it tastes just like a Sour Patch Kid!

While preparing dinner, Anna made "magic" brownies. :-) The recipe in the cookbook was wrong. Instead of 1 1/2 sticks of butter, 3 were added. The lavender was just subtle enough and makes a great alternative to regular brownies!

Q: Know what makes these brownies "magic"?
A: LAVENDER (and butter)!

"MAGIC" BROWNIES

1 tsp dried culinary lavender buds (get from your local health food store)
3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish. Place lavender in a spice grinder w/ 1 Tbsp sugar. Pulse until it is finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, cocoa, salt, coffee powder, and the remaining sugar. Mix well.

Place butter in a medium bowl and microwave on high power for 1 minute at a time until melted. Let cool for a few minutes. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Dessert was enjoyed while gazing at the most amazing rainbow I've ever seen!
Day 5: Saturday! We ate a quick breakfast and made the road trip out to ASPEN! We went up to see the Maroon Bells, which are two of the 54 peaks in Colorado higher than 14,000 feet!

We ate our lunch of chicken tamales, pretzels, and fig newtons, and then ventured into town for a sweet surprise. I got to go to another farmers market!


The Aspen Farmers Market

As we explored downtown, we found some interesting things:


Claire and I found hula hoops.


Anna found a beloved pink fur coat.

It was fun.

Looking forward to tomorrow's hike up Liberty Cap and a wine tour!