Tossed Together Curry and Cold Packs

This weekend's activities (ie. frisbee, corn hole & tennis) have my old woman wrist acting up like it did when I played first seed in high school. I spent the day groaning or yelping (much to my coworkers' dismay and amusement) like a sissy every time I put weight on my right wrist or twisted it the wrong way. It made for some awkward slow reaches for the ringing telephone and mediocre typing.

I had a difficult time chopping the veggies for my dinner, so I decided to do a little R.I.C.E. treatment. Unfortunately, cold packs at the store were too expensive for my taste and my only cold pack was not in the fridge and not really conducive anyway to wrapping around a wrist as it is hard-shelled.  So, while I cooked my curry dinner I wrapped a small pork chop onto my wrist. It worked pretty well until I began to fear that the meat juices would seep out into the wrap. (that didn't happen, I took it off in time.)

The secret ingredient to this meal is Seeds of Change "Madras" a ready-made curry simmer sauce from a brand that I love love love.  But since it's kinda spendy for my budget I like to stretch the jar through two meals. So that the flavors are still full, I spice the veggies well as though I don't have the paste, and then add it very last so that the paste doesn't cook down too much over the heat.

I'm proud to say that I scored my veggies off the $.99 discounted produce rack at my local grocery. I don't know if you have one of these magical veggie goldmines in your hometown, but if you do you need to frequent that sucker hardcore. The cauliflower needed some trimming and the tomatoes were a little soft, but seriously. Veggies on the cheap are the bomb!

my brother-in-law MADE this chef's knife for me - cool, right?!

Tossed-Together Veggie Curry 

• 1 small head Cauliflower
• 1/2 Onion
• Garlic chopped
• Kale (several leaves)
• 2 Roma Tomatoes 

• Turmeric
• Hot Curry Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Jalepeno Flakes
• Olive Oil

• 1/2 jar Seeds of Change Madras Simmer Sauce 

Briefly Sauté Cauliflower, Onion and a clove of chopped garlic in olive oil in hot pan. Add spices to taste. I like hot foods so I turn up the heat with red pepper flakes and jalepeno in addition to curry and tumeric. Sometimes a little all-spice type flavor is nice in this, too. 

I don't measure, just taste along the way. (YOU CAN DO IT, TOO!) Just do it gradually so you don't get too spicy for your palette.

Add water to the mixed up spices and cauliflower and stir around well till everything is nice and turmeric yellow. Cook down (adding more water as needed- don't let it all go away, you want this to be WET) until the cauliflower is done (a fork cuts easily into it). Cut thick stems out of kale and chop into small nickle-sized pieces. Toss kale on top of your steaming cauliflower as it cooks and then mix it up. After the kale's looking yummy, dark green and a bit wilty add chopped tomatoes and simmer sauce. 

kale before and after

Cook to a simmer (That's why it's called simmer sauce!) and serve over rice. I made microwave instant because this meal wasn't about patience. But it sure was tasty, and best thing about it is I have another serving in the fridge for a lunch later this week.

dinner is served!

After realizing my pork wrist wrap was almost defrosted, it seemed I needed to remedy my cold pack situation immediately. After dinner, I took a couple minutes to do a little facebook reconnaissance and Pinterest research. The result? Two cute as a button rice-filled squares cooling down in my freezer as we speak.

Thrown Together Rice Hot/Cold Packs
I threw them together just like this- easy peasy:

1. Cut two identical squares of fabric and 2 matching muslin squares for a liner. 
2. Sew together good sides in with the muslin sandwiching the cover fabric. 
3. Leave a 2 inch gap in order to turn the whole shebang inside-in. And then turn. 
4. Fill with rice. (regular, not instant) 
5. Sew hole shut. PRESTO!

Having two means never having to wait for your cold pack to cool down. Just trade the luke warm one for the freezer fresh version and repeat. And the cold packs cost a whopping $.30 each to construct.  The vintage reproduction fabric was a gift from my Aunt and the rice I had on hand, so I actually spent no money. Take that, drugstore rip offs with gooey gels.

  

So, there you have it. Craft and fine dining don't have to be spendy or well-thought-out. Sometimes you just gotta go at it without a real game plan. Because you're hungry and your wrist hurts. I love last- moment crafts.