Random? Yeah, That's Me.

Cooking just isn't what it used to be to me. Anymore, it's "I have to eat to function. What can I throw together to at least pretend to enjoy?"
Budget, time, blah-ness (I know, that's not a word), effort...I just don't have it.
Unless I make soup. Soup I can get motivated for. It's usually cheap. The big bonus is it stocks my freezer, allowing me to grab something on the way out the door for my lunch. With an apple, a piece of cheese, and/or celery sticks, it's a balanced meal!

The other exception is when I'm craving something specific. Like tonight. I think it's the cold weather. I am craving Indian food. Not wanting to splurge on the $10 buffet, I came home and assessed my pantry.

Here is what I did (am doing--it's still cooking).
2 small sweet potatoes (one was sprouting--pretty purple leaves. It was time), 1 yellow squash, a 1 inch piece of diced ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup sliced onion, 1 cup green lentils (Yields about 3 cups cooked), a handful of carrots, 3 cups homemade chicken stock (from my freezer).

Sauteed onion, garlic, and 1/2 the ginger and 1/2 jalapenos in a bit of olive oil until my eyes watered.
Added sweet potatoes, cooked for 2 minutes. Added a lot of curry powder, salt, pepper. Added enough broth to coat pan. Stirred. Added remaining jalapenos and ginger. Sneezed.
Added one can of coconut milk.

Meanwhile, cooked 1 cup lentils in 2.5 cups of chicken stock. I had to add a bit more water before they got tender.

I added them to the other ingredients simmering away, along with the squash. It cooked until the squash was tender, and then I ladled it into a bowl. I served it with a piece of whole wheat pita bread and a dollop of low fat plain yogurt.

Yum. Had I been stuffy, this definitely would have cleared me up! Better yet, I have leftovers.

Wow, I can still cook, and can improvise half decently. Who knows if this would pass muster in an Indian cook's kitchen, but it works for me.