YamDaisy College Memories

Here is my blue plate again! Full of the last of the Punjabi Rajma with roasted potato and pumpkin and some freshly picked parsley to garnish. Perfect! (It is sort of related to this post!)

When I first went to college, studying to be a teacher, I was such a wholefoods vegetarian type that I completely avoided the cafeteria. EXCEPT for one pleasure: The apricot pie. These were small pies, no doubt bought bulk, frozen and heated until the insides were molten and then left int the pie warmer until the end of the day.

My main memory is of buying a hot apricot pie and sneaking it into a lecture one cold hungry day. I remember the delicious taste of the apricots against the pastry and the challenge to avoid burning my tongue and also avoid getting drips of apricot filling over my notes. An altogether satisfying memory of food at Toorak Teachers College in the late 1970's ~ and probably just as well that it is my only one!

I dropped out of that course, but in the '80's I tried again and finally completed my Teaching at Bendigo. O Enlightened times! The cafeteria was there selling tired chips and sad other junky things as usual, and lots of soft drinks (but no apricot pies if I remember rightly!). But in the other corner of the Student Lounge was the health food cafe! I can't remember what it was called: Green something probably!

Truthfully.... it was not much better. I didn't bother with the salads there, they were so much tireder than the ones we made at home. An occasional piece of carrot cake (very ordinary, a bit oily) with a coffee is my memory from there, and, well, it isn't nearly as good as my apricot pie experience!

My WORST memory of college food came in the late 1970's when I went on a trip to Northern Europe with the Architecture students at RMIT. We stayed at a university in London and the vegetarian meal I was given consisted of a thawed pizza (a horrible one) topped with instant mashed potato.

These college food memories are in response to (another) Jamie Oliver Forum post about the dreadful food options in a British college right now today. That's a quarter of a century after my last experience college food. O dear, O dear, O dear, O dear!

So here is another plug for my YamDaisy Cafe concept. Instead of the college tendering out to whatever company sells food cheapest, they can put in a YamDaisy Cafe and get fresh, seasonal, delicious food that gives the students health and does their brains some good too!

And those red kidney beans with roasted vegetables just might be on the menu!

YamDaisy Menu for Someone Who Needs It!

This was posted on a food forum I follow (Jamie Oliver.com/forum):
"My mother lives on probably less than $100 USD a month for her food budget.  She has many health problems, many of which could disappear if she could eat healthier.  To my knowledge there is no program or organization that could send someone to go shopping with her to make good decisions on what she buys when she shops.  I live over an hour away from her, and honestly, I'm not too savy myself.  Can anyone give me (and others) good low cost veggie and meat ideas?  Goal to make $100 USD last a month and still be healthy."

I asked if I could use this post, because it talks about such a big issue. This woman is a grandmother with chronic illness and few resources. I think she deserves some looking after.

There is advice about buying fresh cheap food and preparing and cooking, and avoiding waste, and storing and so on.

But how I wish THIS is what was happening for her:

A YamDaisy Cafe is opening in the neighbourhood and the local paper has a big article on it. Mrs Inlinet has signed up and filled out a questionnaire about her favourite foods. 

She has also agreed to be part of the research they are doing, and so has given them information about her health problems. A young woman came around and interviewed her, and explained that there would be another interview after a year, to see how her health is then.

Mrs Inlinet is on a very low income, but the meals are low cost, and each week there are member specials.

The first menu has come out and Mrs Inlinet is looking it over to see what she will choose.

YAMDAISY MENU
(Springtime in the USA)

SOUP

Pea Cream Soup from Love Lives In The Kitchen, (LINK HERE) with melba toast

MAIN 1

Spice Crusted Cod Fillet with Zucchini Salad from Angie's Recipes (LINK HERE) 

MAIN 2

Polpettone (from 3 Hungry Tummies LINK HERE)

with Roasted Potato and Asparagus (from Cinnamon Spice LINK HERE)

FRUIT BASED DESSERT

Rhubarb and Icecream from Belleau Kitchen LINK HERE

A choice of beautiful seasonal food lovingly cooked is what we all deserve!
Especially someone who has is struggling with illness and poverty, who has cared for a family, and needs to care for herself.
Mrs Inlinet can eat at the cafe, or choose takeaway. Why not both? And have a whole day of being looked after foodwise, whenever she needs one.

As you have seen, I put this menu together from wonderful blog posts. Hooray to those bloggers!

More info about the YamDaisy Cafe idea is HERE: and more menus are HERE:

Red Kidney Beans Punjabi Style

I am so pleased to share this recipe with you ~ because it is absolutely delicious!
It is so rich and creamy I don't make it often, but I absolutely relish it when I do make it.
The recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey and it is so different from the other red kidney bean curry recipes that are full of tomatoes and chili!
This is how I make it:

Punjabi Rajma

Soak one cup of dried red kidney beans overnight in plenty of water.
Drain and rinse (there they are above).
Put them in the cooking pot and cover with water bring them to the boil. Let them boil for 10 minutes. Skim of any froth if necessary.
Then add 2 thin slices of ginger and cook them until tender. This takes 8 minutes in my pressure cooker.

When they are cooked drain them, reserving the liquid.
Put them back into the pot with enough liquid (about 3/4 cup) to make into the 'gravy'.
Mash about half the beans so that they thicken the dish and create the texture (you can blend half and then add them back in)
Then add
a teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 tbsps of lemon juice
1/4 tsp of garam masala
3 tbsp rich cream

In a small frying pan heat 3tbs ghee (I use half oil)
when it is hot add
1 tsp cumin seeds. let them sizzle for a second and then add
2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
then add three whole dried chililies and let it all sizzle until the chilies are puffed.
Pour the spices (the tarka) into the beans and stir.

Let it sit on a low heat, stirring as it heats up, just so that it begins to bubble.
This makes the gravy turn into the sexiest  garlic cumin cream with the lemon and ginger giving it a wonderful lift. O yum it is gorgeous!

I ate them simply for lunch with rice and lettuce,

but they would really prefer to be eaten with fresh chapatis.

Guess what I am making next!

Edit: If you use small whole dried chilies, remove them before serving! Otherwise you or a guest might get a horrible shock!

Edit 2: It goes SO WELL with roasted veggies!  Yum yum yum!