Friday, May 04, 2007

The Grit again, and more

You may be tired of seeing and hearing about my meals from The Grit, but I don't get tired of sharing them! One of my friends wanted to go to lunch with me, and The Grit is the place we chose. I could never get tired of their food, and she had never been there before--after several years in Athens. So it really was a must.


This time around, I just got a "veggie" plate--steamed broccoli with spicy peanut sauce, lentil and chickpea stew over brown rice, and a cup of hot and sour soup. The broccoli and peanut sauce was excellent, as always (secret ingredient in the sauce = orange juice), and the stew was very thick and hearty--fairly mild, with a slight curry flavor. The soup? Maybe my favorite thing on the plate. But if you don't do spicy well then this would not be the soup for you--it wasn't hot and sour, it was HOTTTT and sour! Quite tangy, with huge chunks of veggies in it, just like I like it. Sorry about the glare on the soup--it was a pretty sunny day, and we sat outside.

At The Grit they have this huge dessert display case, and recently they have always had some variety of vegan cupcake on display. There was no way we could have eaten dessert after that meal (a good chunk of my meal came home with me as it was), but I had cupcakes on my brain after that. Later that night Abby and I returned to my place, and...


Vanilla cupcakes with cinnamon frosting, from VCTOTW. I used a little chunk of cinnamon stick to dress these up a bit. So tasty! I've got to get more artful with the frosting, though. It's harder than it looks to make all those incredibly cute designs that I have seen around!

If you remember, I recently bought a ton of red and orange bell peppers, and I knew that I wanted to make stuffed peppers at some point before they were gone. I did a search on stuffed peppers just to get some ideas, and I came across this recipe for bharli mirchi, Indian stuffed peppers. I knew I had to try it.


These peppers are stuffed and then sautéed, rather than baked like most Italian-style stuffed peppers. It was tricky turning them over and over in the pan to cook all sides--you know how peppers naturally want to sit in just a few positions based on their shape. But they finally did cook all over.




The filling is made from potatoes, and your traditional spices. I added some peas just for good measure. When I finished making the filling and tasting it, I was a little skeptical--it was kind of bland. But once the peppers had cooked and released some of their juices into the mixture, it was better. I think that there was too much potato--I had a good bit of filling left over, and so the flavors probably got too thinned out with all that potato. Next time I'll use smaller spuds! But we really enjoyed it, with some homemade roti.

What can I do with the leftover filling? Indian-style potato pancakes? Or... samosas? We'll see!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think the cupcake looks very good.

I will love to see what you will do with the leftover filling!! yum!

Beata said...

It's funny - your red peppers look kind of like ladybugs in the pan!

How cute!

Your food always makes me hungry. :)

scottishvegan said...

I’ve ordered the Grit cookbook from my library and am just waiting on it becoming available. I can’t wait to try some stuff out of it…everyone on Amazon gave it 5 stars! Your peppers look beautiful! I love that they are sautéed instead of baked….makes them look much more interesting!

Anonymous said...

mmm! stuffed peppers look so adorable and delicious - samosa sounds like a great idea for using the leftover stuffing!

KleoPatra said...

Those red peppers look just like ladybugs!! So cute! And the yellow ones like yellow ladybugs... Neat how you stuffed them with good stuff there. So colourful, Laura.

i never get tired of your food at The Grit, by the way. What could get me tired of great veg food that you share with us? Nada! What you had looks awesome. So much good stuff. They really gave you lots of broccoli, that was nice to see!

Way to make your own vanilla (i prefer' em yellow or white over chocolate, btw, but peeps think i'm weird 'cause of that, so don't tell anyone!) cupcakes, too. Those look groovy. i'm big on cinnamon! Real big on it!

aTxVegn said...

Everything from The Grit looks wonderful - your meal looks like the perfect plate of food!

I think is my second fave flavor after chocolate. Your cupcakes sound delicious.

I'm the only one in my family that likes stuffed peppers so I never make them. Your Indian version certainly sounds tasty!

Anonymous said...

Indian-style potato pancakes??!! Oh, yes, please make some and share the recipe -- that would combine two of my favorite foods of all-time.

I'm loving the stuffed peppers. I would never have thought to stuff them with curried potatoes or to roast them.

theONLYtania said...

The Grit looks like a neat place. I probably would have eaten all that haha. I like the cinnamon stick in the cupcake.. but it doesn't really matter how they look as long as they taste good!

And your peppers look and sound so good! I may try something like this when I have a kitchen!

Caty said...

The lentil and chickpea stew looks yummy, but my favourite thing has to be the cupcake, it looks delicious and I love the cinnamon stick just poking out of it.

MeloMeals said...

I'm not tired of hearing about The Grit.. in fact, I keep meaning to check their book out or order it..

Your cupcakes look amazing! .. as do your stuffed peppers. How clever, stuffing them with potatoes.. yum!

Dr. Melissa West said...

Laura, I can't get tired of hearing about the Grit. It looks like a great place to eat out. Those cupcakes are adorable. I love icing cupcakes... maybe you just need to experiment with different tips? I use a really wide one. Those stuffed peppers are amazing. You are a patient woman turning them over and over on the fry pan!

Emmy said...

The cupcakes sound delish. Love the piece of cinnamon stick on top too.

Just call me Orangie said...

ooh I've got like 5 peppers in my fridge I'll definately have to make those peppers soon :)

Webly said...

Yummy, yummy, cute, I want!
Everything looks amazing like it normally does.

Kati said...

We never get tired of the Grit - keep it comin'! I like the look of those peppers, too.

Your cupcake is really cute - the cinnamon stick is a nice touch. You're right about the frosting: it looks easier to make those fancy swirls than it really is.

As far as where to get spirulina, most health food stores should have it. I use the powdered kind, but they also sell it in capsules (sometimes made with gelatin - yuck!) and flakes. I get mine from Whole Foods, so I don't think it's too hard to find anymore. You don't even taste it in a smoothie...assuming you don't put too much in, of course. =)

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

I wish I could eat @ The Grit, but since I can't, you gotta keep coming with the photos! Your cupcake looks fabulous, and I must agree that the frosting is quite tricky. The peppers are what I want for dinner tonight, though I don't understand too many potatoes! lol! :o)

Teresa said...

If I ever make it to Georgia, you can be sure that I will be finding you and going to the Grit with you. Interesting idea to saute the stuffed peppers. I've only baked them. Did you make the samosa's yet?

-Teresa

bazu said...

I never get tired of eating at the Grit either! Your photos make me fantasize about being there right now, sitting outdoors, ordering a veggie platter. MMMM.

Oh, and your peppers look SO gorgeous! Perfect summery colors.

Webly said...

It's been said before but I like the look of lady bugs on the peppers. I am not a pepper fan but it makes me want to make these for someone else.