Cookbooks and magazines still remain a core of my recipe repertoire, but blogs are a significant source of inspiration for me. In some ways, it is less of a chore to bookmark a recipe on a blog for a rainy day than to deliberately seek one out in print. The two following dishes I made recently were gleaned from the online world of cooking – but there are many more to come!
Spiced Paneer with Spinach, Tomatoes and Potatoes
Although mutter paneer is one of my favourite dishes at Indian restaurants, I’ve never tried cooking with paneer at home. When I saw Michelle’s easy recipe for spiced paneer with spinach, tomatoes and potatoes, there seemed like no better way to start.
I had thought paneer would be available at Superstore, but that wasn’t the case (we ended up picking up a package at Spice Centre, our go-to Indian grocer). The package and white block reminded me very much of tofu, but of course, it is much more dense and firm in texture.
As promised, the recipe was very fast to pull together (we used Doef’s tomatoes and Greens, Eggs and Ham potatoes). I loved the wilted spinach, and the spice combination – great flavour, with just the right amount of heat for us. Next time, I’d likely include onions, and because I love tomatoes, I would double what the recipe calls for. Overall though, it’s a keeper!
Spiced paneer with spinach, tomatoes and potatoes (photo much less alluring than Michelle’s)
Thai Red Curry with Halibut
Trish Magwood’s Thai chicken curry is a rotating staple in our kitchen, but for whatever reason, we haven’t really used any other protein with that sauce and vegetable combination. Cream and Sugar’s recipe for Thai red curry with halibut was a good reminder that we should change it up.
We had some wild Alberta shallots from the Italian Centre, a bell pepper from Doef’s, and halibut from Ocean Odyssey, though we also threw in some green beans we had in the freezer. Similar to the dish above, this cooked up quickly, and had the by-product of scenting the condo with fragrant coconut milk.
We didn’t have fresh basil and cilantro on hand, unfortunate because I know it would have brightened up the dish considerably. Still, the curry was tasty – the halibut held up very well, and the vegetables cooked down to tender perfection.
Thai red curry with halibut (another photo that doesn’t even remotely compare to the original blog shot)
Which cooking blogs inspire you?
Only Here for the Food 
Thanks for the shoutout Sharon. I am so glad you liked the recipe, its one of my everyday suppers, and we love it. Its really versatile too, and you can change up the veg to suit whatever is in season.
That Thai curry looks gorgeous, I am on a Thai cooking kick at the moment, and I also have some fresh caught salmon, so might have to give that a go.
Happy to hear my post was inspiring! That’s always the biggest compliment. This time of year is perfect for warming up with a fragrant curry.
Thanks for reading.
Michelle – thanks for sharing one of your recipes! I look to bloggers like you to do so :).
Rhianna – agreed, cold = curries!
The recipe looks yummy! I was at Superstore on the north side today and saw paneer in two places within the store. At your store try these two places: the cheese bin (where the Blue Menu cheese is), the freezer area near the falafels and wonton wrapping paper.
Hope this helps you in the future! Keep up your awesome writing – it is one of my online reading pleasures.
Hey Sharon, paneer should be available at Superstore. I picked up a package there. It should be in the frozen aisle with frozen ethnic vegetables (casava and frozen coconut juice).
Erin – thanks for kind words, and for the tip! We looked ourselves, and asked staff, but they didn’t seem to know where things were kept. We’ll look harder next time!
FoodieMcPoon – thanks for pointing us in the right direction! I guess the advantage of Spice Centre is that the paneer is fresh and not frozen, but I suppose that is a minor point. Next time!