MmmmmmmMaharaja!

Though I can't claim that Maharaja has the best Indian food in Madison (since it's the only Indian restaurant I've been to in Madison) I will say that it is AMAZING and it is the best Indian food I've ever had.


I have been here twice now, and the last time I was there I got a vegetarian dish and was recommended to have the Navarattan Korma which was mixed vegetables cooked with cream, herbs, and cashews.  

It. Was. Amazing.

I don't even know how else to say it or describe it, but the flavor was so good and I couldn't stop eating it.

Here it is in this picture (it's the closest one).

I went this time with my sister Tanya, my Aunt Dotty, my cousin Clare, and my husband AJ.  We all got something different and then put them in the middle so everyone could share.  Luckily my sister and aunt also got vegetarian dishes.  Everything was awesome and the waiter was so funny.

My cousin is the pickiest eater and she even loved her dish.

The setup of the restaurant is the only thing that I think could be improved, but I think they do ok with the space they have.  I felt however, that there wasn't a lot of privacy.  There are a lot of tables in a small space and there is no separation, booths or much for decor.  They try their best to set the mood, and the space is clean, so it really wasn't that bad.  Plus the waiter really made up for it.  We had a great time here.

And the best part???   Hot towels after dinner!!  Ahhhhh..... Bliss.

I recommend this to anyone who likes, or wants to try Indian Food.  They also have a lunch buffet that I haven't tried yet.

Update: Lunch Buffet = awesome

Livin’ the Veggie Life.

I think its been almost 3 weeks since I last ate meat!  I feel great about myself and proud that I have kept it up.  I actually haven't craved any meat or been tempted by my husbands steak dinners and hamburgers!  

What I have noticed so far.

1.  I feel better about myself as a person.  I started going vegetarian because of where most of our meat comes from and because of how the animals are treated in these places.  It is also kind of disgusting to me how much meat we eat in the US and I just wanted to do my part in helping these animals and get myself into a more healthy and whole diet.

I know most people don’t want to know what goes on in the slaughterhouses and chicken farms, but I don’t really understand why?  Because they know its bad?  Because they feel bad?  If you’re curious please watch this.  Even if you’re not curious you should just watch it to be informed about where your meat actually comes from.

2.  When I eat a vegetarian meal I feel satisfied, but I don’t feel as full, if that makes sense.  When I was eating meat I always felt soooo full after a meal, but now I can eat a meal and feel full, but feel better about it.  It’s like I got enough food in me and that food was much better for me, but my stomach isn’t bursting.  I attribute this to my increased fiber intake.

3.  Vegetarian dishes are amazingly delicious.  I’ve had a few at restaurants, but have also played with some at home (sorry I don’t have pics, I’ve been really busy). 

Last week I made a mushroom burger.  I took the caps of two portabella mushrooms, grilled them up and then put a little pepper jack cheese in between them and then ate it on a bun with all of the normal hamburger fixings.  It was so delicious, and didn’t taste much different from a hamburger except it was a little messier and the texture was obviously different.  Actually, I thought it was better than a hamburger, and when I was done eating it I felt so good.  Again, not too full but satisfied.

4.  I’ve been losing weight.  Not a whole lot yet, as I’m still transitioning to a point and haven’t had time to keep up with exercising, but the new diet keeps me fuller longer and keeps me from snacking.  Plus, when I feel good about my eating decisions I want to keep doing it because of these feelings, so I have some motivation.

5.  My husband loves it and is totally supporting me.  He still eats meat, but told me that he really likes what I’m doing and it just helps so much to have his love and support.  He offered to try Tofu with me and everything and has liked a lot of the things I’ve made so far.  A lot of times we will make something, like the hamburgers for example, and I will just use a vegetable instead of the protein he is using.

He also has been making better decisions, like switching to whole wheat bread!  I love him and love that he is taking my diet shift so well.

So, even though I will have to pass on a lot of things I’ve loved in the past like Wisconsin brats I am more happy with this diet. I feel better about myself from a moral perspective and feel better physically.  I can’t wait to continue this and see where it takes me.
I have tried a few recipes so far, but am still taking any suggestions for vegetarian dishes.  I can never have too many!

Today’s Lunch

In an attempt to lead a more vegetarian lifestyle, today for lunch I had oatmeal that I cooked using soy milk.  I added some ground flax seed and put fresh blueberries (that were frozen in my freezer – so maybe they’re technically frozen blueberries) and a little bit of brown sugar on top.

I used Silk soy milk, the vanilla kind.  What I realized is the vanilla flavor is pretty sweet so I didn’t have to add much brown sugar, if any.  It was very delicious and it felt awesome to eat something using no animal products!

I’m on the hunt for tasty vegetarian/vegan recipes, so if you have some, please post them below so I can try them out.  I’m very excited to take this step away from meat.  I can’t wait to be healthy, full of energy, and feeling good.

Breakfast Tradition

Whenever these are made or talked about in our family, the reaction of outsiders is usually, "Ewwww" or "Wait, what did you say?"  These -- my friends -- are Cottage Cheese Pancakes and boy are they delicious!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 cup of flour ( I used whole wheat flour)

1/4 stick melted butter

1 cup cottage cheese

pinch of salt

 

Easy huh?  Combine all the ingredients and there's your batter!  There's debate in the family of what toppings are the best.  My favorite is the traditional maple syrup.

Other Toppings that are just as delicious:

Powdered Sugar

Cinnamon Sugar

Any mix of the three

Take a chance on these.  They might sound gross at first, but I promise, everyone who was skeptical has ended up loving them.

Enjoy!

Tacos Anyone? Tex Tubbs vs. Los Gemelos

Wow, Madison has some amazing taco joints.  Recently AJ and I brought home Tex Tubbs Tacos from Tex Tubbs on Atwood Ave.  A few days after that I ate lunch at Los Gemelos on State St.  I heard they had great tacos so I had to check it out; and I thought I could write a comparison post, so here it is.

Tex Tubbs

I didn't get the tacos -- AJ did and brought them home, so I didn't get to see the inside of this place.  However I do know someone that works there and I've heard their decor is pretty fun and I know they have good drink specials.

Their menu is really cool and includes tacos that you probably wouldn't see at a more authentic Mexican joint.  We ordered two each of the Carne Asada taco (on the left) and the Derby Bird (on the right).
    
On the Carne Asada there is: Carne asada, cabbage slaw, jack cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream
On the Derby Bird you get: Honey-bourbon glazed chicken, fresh corn salsa, lettuce, and sour cream
Both of these tacos were tasty and I thought they used classic and delicious toppings.  Each taco was able to stand out on its own because of their different toppings though.  The Derby Bird had a sweet factor because of the honey-bourbon glaze and the corn salsa, whereas the carne asada was more classic in taste.  I will definitely go back to try more and find my favorite.

Los Gemelos

In contrast to Tex Tubbs, Los Gemelos is definitely more authentic.  However, their restaurant could use a little work on the inside.  Currently it is a weird mix of sit down and to-go style.  I wanted to take a break so I ate there and it felt like I was at Taco Bell or something, but with mariachi music playing and an oddly placed bar.

I also think they would benefit from switching their entrance and exit doors.  This sounds silly and trivial, but I expected to walk in and be at the counter to order, but instead the entrance is at the end of the serving counter and I had to backtrack in order to meet the hostess and get a table.  Moving the doors around would make for a better grab and go taco joint because you can walk in, order, pay and move down to the end to get your food.  (I'm picturing the Starbucks flow in my head).  Their location on State St. and their great prices are great for this too.  It's my new favorite for lunch.

The service was good, but just felt a little awkward because (like I mentioned) it didn't feel like a sit-down kind of place to begin with.  I got chips and salsa which was sweet, and though they do have a more elaborate menu containing the basics like enchiladas and such, I stuck to the tacos.  I ordered a pork taco and a chorizo taco.
 
These were both amazingly delicious.  However, I wasn't sure which was which at first as both had the same toppings of cilantro and lime.  It only took a bite of each to figure it out and I realized simple is simply delicious.  The cilantro and lime were all that was needed on these tacos.  The flavors in the meat exploded in my mouth and the pork was incredibly tender.  They give you some hot sauces too; one red, and one green.  I usually am a fan of hot sauce, but the tacos really didn't need anything else.  I tasted each of the sauces with a small bite of my taco, but didn't use them after that.

I will be going back here for sure, but definitely will get my tacos to-go.  The best part, second to the amazing food was the price.  Tacos are two dollars a pop bringing my lunch total to only $4.25 with tax.

Both of these taco joints offer delicious options.  I will go back to both, but recently I have been considering going a more vegetarian route with my diet.  I don’t remember seeing many if any vegetarian options at Los Gemelos.  However, Tex Tubbs offers 6 vegetarian options that sound very tasty.

Tex Tubbs also uses a lot of local ingredients which I try to support whenever possible. That, along with a more vegetarian menu will probably persuade me to go there more than Los Gemelos.  I only wish there was a Tex Tubbs on State…

My Favorite Time of Year

A week from tomorrow is the beginning of the summer farmer’s market that takes place on capital square.  This is my favorite times of year and I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t work next Saturday. 

Hopefully my sister Tanya, AJ, and I will go up and grab some local products from farmers across the area.  I’m hoping to get some awesome pictures and video to share with you all.  This truly is my favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings in Madison.

Stay tuned for pics and video from the market!

Sausage Cassoulet

I made this for dinner on Tuesday night.  I've been trying to use more recipes when I cook, but its really hard when I don't have a lot of time for cooking or shopping.  Since I've been back in school I've really stuck to basic dinners that don't require a lot of ingredients, but are still tasty.  I've made this dish once before, but haven't had it in a while so I thought I would try it again.
Growing up we ate Kielbasa on many occasions.  Usually it was a quick dinner for us as a family and being a Sconnie girl, I loved it.  Simple sausage dinner; yummy with just the basic ketchup and mustard.  This recipe called Cassoulet in a Flash (which is actually a take on franks and beans, but I hate saying franks and beans) from the Family Circle Cookbook I own, gave me a way to use the kielbasa I love in a new way that's a little more "grown up."  The recipe is simple and it cooks fast -- good for me since I don't have a lot of time to cook.
Here are my ingredients

1lb kielbasa cut into 1/2 inch pieces ( I would actually cut them into smaller more bite-size pieces)
1 medium red onion cut into thin wedges
1 can white kidney/canelli beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can pork and beans in tomato sauce
1 clove garlic - chopped (I used 2)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme (Yum!)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 
Cook the kielbasa on medium heat for about 4 minutes

Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 3 more minutes

Add the beans and the rest of the seasonings.
 
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 5-7 minutes until heated through.
Great German dish that reminds me of my childhood, but pleases my grown up palate. Yum!