Chic Pea and Tofu Dry Curry (Vegetarian)

I twitted last evening that I had cooked something delicious and healthy for dinner and that I would take a picture of it. Well, procrastination never did work out well for me. I forgot. So I will owe you that recipe the next time I make it.

For tonight though, I have something very simple. Being a game night for my husband, he likes to have something easy and healthy when he gets home. So, here is my Chic Pea and Tofu Dry Curry recipe:

1 can Chic Pea (drain and wash away the liquid from the can)
2 squares of Tofu (pat dry and cut into bite size cubes)
1/2 white onion (diced finely)
3 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
1 tsp mustard seed
2 stems of curry leaves (roughy chop the leaves)
3 pcs of dried chilli (cut roughly into 1 inch pieces)
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tbs curry powder (more if you like it spicy)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup of water
1 cup of powder milk mixed in water (instead of coconut milk)
Salt to taste

I fried the cut Tofu cubes in a little oil first so that it got a little firm to give it some texture. I removed it and threw in the onions. Once it was tender, I added the garlic, mustard seeds, dry chilli and curry leaves and sauted it for about 1 minute. I put in the tumeric and curry powder next and after a quick stir, I added the chic peas, taufu and about 1/2 cup of water so it does not burn. I let it simmer for about 3 minutes and then added the diluted powder milk and let this boil and reduce for about 5 minutes. Just before I turned the heat off, I added salt to taste. And there you have it. Simple and fast.

I prepared it in a dry style this time as we are going to have it with Chapati. You can always have more gravy by adding more water and milk as per your preference. I personally like this dish because its hign in protein. Since I use olive oil and powder milk as substitute for regular cooking oil and coconut milk, it also makes it less rich, albeit still tasty.

Chic Pea & Tofu Dry Curry (Vegetarian)

My Weight Loss POA - The Beginning Of A Healthier Me

I am one of those who struggle to loose weight. First of all, I am not fat. I will describe myself as healthy, if thats okey. I am five feet four inches tall and around 56 kilograms healthy. So my struggle to loose weight is really my desire to look better, feel healthier and to get back into my favourite pair of jeans. I think 50 kilograms will be my target.

The struggle I mentioned above is that, I could not find a routine that suited my lifestyle. See, my lifestyle really excludes any form of exercise, because, I hate it. I have tried walking, jogging, running, swimming, but, two minutes into it and I am wishing I was done. If I had to do these things for fun, like I do with my kids, then I tend to enjoy it. But when its coupled with loosing weight, I seem to falter. I even invested in a high end treadmill thinking perhaps exercising in the privacy of my home may be the key. Well, it sure makes a great spot for storing my stuff.

So you see what I mean. I cannot seem to commit the time or the energy it takes to burn say 100 or 200 calories at a time. It just takes too much pressure and effort and on some days, I don't have the energy to spare. To some it may sound like an excuse, and you may be right. So that is why I am saying outright that exercise is just not for me when it comes to loosing weight. It does not mean, however, that I don't want to.

So I decided to take another route. I focused on food, i.e. what I ate. Luckily for me, I love my veggies, fruits and all things healthy. Being from a culture where the staple diet is rice (even up to three times a day), I can go a whole week without it and not crave it. So I guess that was a great starting point for my weight loss plan.

It's been about 23 days now and I know I have lost some weight. I know because, I feel it and I look it. Last weekend, at a family get together, people noticed. I stop short of saying exactly how much I have lost only because I have not weighed myself. Firstly, I don't own a weighing scale as I threw my last one out after it jammed on me. Secondly, I am afraid to jinx it. I am afraid that if I see the numbers going down, I may start to slack and give myself treats I should not be having. Believe me, with kids around, cheating on treats is easy.

I am trying to hit a whole month with my healthy eating plan before weighing myself. If I loose about 3 kilograms or more, I will be happy. I will be happy and I will stick with it for a long time to come, with some improvements of course. I will share with you my weight loss plan and thoughts on it in my next blog.