I'm getting pretty good at this try new food thing.

I tried 2 new dishes. That makes 4 for the month. Which is rather impressive since I don't really like to try new things.

Steve made black bean soup just recently because he's on this new diet (he already looks pretty awesome) so this is what I have been referring to as "diet food." Anyway, I am not a lover of beans. With the exception of baked beans. But, he asked me to try it so I did. It wasn't terrible. I had a bite with beans and a bite without. I'd eat it without the beans. And yes I realize that they call it black bean soup because it actually HAS black beans in it, but I could have just eaten the broth part of the soup and scooped out all the beans. Overall, not a bad dish.

Then we had a pot luck at work. I love pot lucks. So much different food, none of it really goes together but for some reason it is all awesome together. Well, one of the ladies brought in a pumpkin subji. This is an Indian dish and its actually pretty good. I was surprised too, but seriously it wasn't bad at all. In this dish, the slightly sweet flavors of the pumpkin are offset by the heat from the chilies and the tanginess of the raw mango powder. (According to a website) There are also a couple different spices in it. It really sounds weird right? But it is really very good. I'd eat it again and the recipe looks fairly easy that I might actually try to make it.

This is how that website says to make it -

Ingredients:

500 gms pumpkin seeds removed, cut into 1" cubes (keep or remove skin as you prefer)
2 large onions sliced thinly
3 tbsps finely chopped garlic
3 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp raw mango powder
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a flat pan and add the cumin and fenugreek seeds and fry till spluttering stops.
Add the dry red chillies and fry for half a minute.
Add the garlic and onions and fry till onion is soft.
Add the powdered spices and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, sugar and season with salt. Mix well.
Cook till pumpkin is soft. Sprinkle with a little water only if needed.
Serve with hot Chapatis (Indian flatbread).