Needed Diversion: Crock Pot Indian Lamb and Spinach Curry

I love crock pot meals (despite never being quite as set-it-and-forget-it as advertised) and felt compelled to pull out my machine and try something new. Recent personal developments provided an opportunity to use some cooking as a needed diversion. I've made most other types of ethnic meals to some level of success but never attempted Indian until today. Curry fever is expanding in my life.

Servings: Serves 6–8

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 yellow onions , chopped
• 4 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
• 1 (2-inch) piece of ginger , peeled and grated
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 cups beef broth , preferably high quality
• 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb , cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt
• 6 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups plain full-fat yogurt

Directions

Note: For an easy mint pilaf to serve with the curry, steam 2 cups basmati rice; just before serving, add about 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint. Fluff mint and rice together with a pair of forks.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm oil. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in ginger, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

 Pour in broth, raise heat to high, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom. When broth comes to a boil, remove pan from heat.

Put lamb in a slow cooker, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt.

Add contents of frying pan. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 4 hours or low-heat setting for 8 hours.

Add baby spinach to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in 1 1/3 cups yogurt.

  Season to taste with salt (like, a lot). Spoon into shallow bowls and serve, passing remaining yogurt to add as a garnish.

Et Voila.

To the curry I also made some rice in the rice cooker with a little bit of butter, olive oil, and fresh-chopped mint. They complimented each other well. The meal was pretty good but lacking something to make it really great. We'll see how the leftover taste and see if I can put my finger on it.

Per Oprah (http://www.oprah.com/food/For-the-Crock-Pot-Indian-Lamb-and-Spinach-Curry)

Restaurant Review: Le Grenier

Upon seeing news of a new French restaurant on H St. NE, I was eager to check it out. Le Grenier, at 502 was a good experience but they may need some tweeks. 

First off, the space is a little shabby-chic and reminded me of Granville Moore's but with more 'artistic' use of picture frames and mirrors. The front door opens into the main dining room and looking straight up, you see all the way the the ceiling rafters. Kind of a cool effect but it's gonna be a bitch to heat this place. 

Our party of four was promptly seated and one of the 'booths' along the wall. It wasn't exactly a booth in that the bench that made the wall-side part of the table was made from an old headboard, another nice touch. However, instead of cushions, pillows are piled up between the table and the headboard which made for a more involved seating than desired. 

We shared a bottle of wine and after a short view of the menu placed an order for escargot. When i think French I think escargot and foie gras so I had to get one of the two. The escargot arrived already shelled and  was seasoned to an overpowering degree.The garlic and pesto flavor stayed on our palate until well into the main course; I would have preferred it be a bit more subtle.

For the main, I ordered the veal roast with barley and got to taste the duck breast with risotto. The veal was tender and juicy and very flavorful. The al dente barley provided a good contrast to the meat and they complimented each other well and certainly fit the season. The duck was succulent but the risotto was a bit rich. The rest of the table ordered the hangar steak and a not-quite bouillabaise that they both enjoyed. 

In addition, the service was excellent. They need to finish building out their website as it states very little and the menu there does not match what was available in the restaurant. I'm certainly willing to give it another go.

Last PT

After 10 weeks of Physical Therapy, the Insurance has run out. They determined that I have gotten back to a functional level of ability. Although I am nowhere near where I was before the surgery, and cannot even try running yet, United Healthcare patted me on the ass and told me to get on out there.

I've come a long way in recovery and that's a good thing. Shira gave me a list of things that I will need to continue to work on in order to continue re-habbing the hip as well as in an attempt to better the mechanics of my legs to try and prevent injury. Here it is:

Hands and knees rocking 20x
Clam shells with band 20-30x
Sideways and backwards diagonal walking 2-3 laps
Single leg Terminal Knee Extensions (TKE) 2x15
Donkey Kicks (not punches) with weight 2x10 - 2x15
3-way step touches 6" step 15x
Hip 4-ways with band 20x
Ball hamstring curl and bridge, front plank knees to chest 2x10
Single leg balance and windmill (opposite side reach and touch) 10x
Straight-leg raises 2x10 - 2x20
Lunges forward and sideways
Adduction walk
Planks - walkout on ball

And once I get the green light from Dr. Parker to commence running, I was given this protocol:
Level 1: .1 mile walk / .1 mile jog; x 10
Level 2: .1 mile walk / .2 mile jog; 2 mile total
Level 3: .1 mile walk / .3 mile jog; 2 mile total
Level 4: .1 mile walk / .4 mile jog; 2 mile total
Level 5: Job full 2 miles
Level 6: Increase workout to 2.5 miles
Level 7: Increase workout to 3 miles
Level 8: Alternate running/jogging every .25 miles

2-day rest between workouts for the first two weeks
No more than 2 levels per week
2 days rest between levels 1,2, and 3
1 day rest between levels 4-8

If sore during warm-up, take 2 days off and drop 1 level
If sore during workout, take 1 day off and drop 1 level
If sore after workout, stay at same level

Recovery Progress Report

5.5 Weeks since surgery and things are looking up.

The first week after surgery, although most painful, also had the most noticeable day-to-day improvement. After that, there has been steady improvement, but barely discernible from a day-to-day standpoint. Here's what Shira has had me doing:

Week 1: Spinning on bike, no resistance, Lay prone 2 hour/s day, Laying heel pulls, Limit sitting at <=90 degrees leg to body angle, Two crutches, Leg in Constant Passive Motion (CPM) for 6 hours/day

Week 2 Allowed to swim with pull buoy, Iso abs flexes, Glut flexs, Quad flexes

Week 3 Same as 2

Week 4 Allowed to water walk, Down to one crutch, Terminal knee extension, Hip extension - unilateral support, Terminal knee extension (standing), Resisted hip abduction (on stomach), Standing abduction, Bent knee fall-outs, Hip int/ext rotators, can do curls and pull-ups but make sure not to kip.

Week 5 No more crutches, One-leg balance, Side-lying hip abduction, Terminal knee extension (standing), Hip extension - unilateral support, Supine terminal knee extension, Strengthening wall slides, Resisted hip abductor, Bridging, clam shells and reverse clam shells

I made it to the pool the day before my appointment to test out my hip while "lightly kicking" and it didn't feel great. I did one lap kicking and the rest with the pull buoy. I guess we'll work up to regular swimming.

Since I have loose and overly flexible joints, her approach has been to limit stretching exercises and focus on strength.She also wants to postpone any hip flexor work because she feels it will likely result in tendinitis.

Yesterday, however, I visited Dr. Parker. He was unable to see me at my initial post-surgical meeting and after meeting him for the 5-week meeting, I wish he had been there.

We reviewed the scope pics from my surgery and I was able to gain a much better understanding of what the  images actually showed. It turns out, I did not have two labral tears, which is good. There was damage to it due to the pinching between my hip and femur which he fixed. It was also interesting to see the scope pics taken after his work was done. He ground my bones down to the point where you can see marrow. Apparently, it takes about 3 months for the hard exterior of the bone to re-grow and that is the majority of the reason for running restrictions (avoiding a stress fracture). He did some strength and flexibility tests and said that I am ahead of schedule. Dr. Parker said I can resume any activities I want to the extent my hip will allow and probably only need another month or so of PT. Finally, he said I could probably try running again after three months instead of four, so that's great news as well. 

Things are good.

Hip Scope

Had my hip scope on 8/28 at Commonwealth  Medical Center in Herndon. Dr. Parker was in there for 2.5 hours and was able to grind out the bone piece that had lodged itself in my labrum, grind down my femoral neck, grind down my acetabula, and repair two labral tears. Not bad for a day's work.

In the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) I remember thinking that I would be able to remember everything and may have for all of two minutes before it faded into obscurity. I was given some Oxycontin prior to the surgery and the staff checked on me repeatedly to ensure they had the right person and correct leg on which to operate.

I got home and slept most of the rest of the day. The day afterward, I actually working for half the day and got to try out my awesome (/sarcasm) Constant Passive Motion machine. I was supposed to spend 6 hours per day in the device that aims to keep my legs moving to inhibit scarring from the surgery. I haven't quite been able to do that.

Day by day, the pain has gone down due, in part, to the local anesthetics that was injected into my leg at the end of the surgery and subsisted there for almost a week after the procedure. Against, Dr.'s orders, I've tried walking without crutches and although there is no pain, it was definitely awkward. The only issue has been one of the suture sites which is pretty sore and has been leaky. During the Post-Op yesterday they looked at it and it is apparently nothing to worry about. I'm only taking anti-infalmmatories now and have stopped the painkillers and never really needed the anti-nausea medication.

Today was my first PT session with Shira Greenburg at Professional Sports and Rehab. She conducted more measurements and gave me my assigned activities for the next week. Butt clinches. Quad flexes. Ab flexes. Laying heal pulls (to work hamstring). Incredibly boring.

Once the sutures healing supports it, I can water walk, swim with a pull buoy, or swim while lightly kicking. At least it's something. I can also do curls and pull-up (no piking) but no push-ups or sit-ups. Still three weeks with crutches and three weeks until I can ride a bike again. I read in the material that it will be 4 months from the surgery before I can run. Suck.

Colorado

Took a brief vacation to Colorado to visit friends Craig and Alison and to watch the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in its second year. Colorado was great!

After leaving the airport Andrea and I met up with them at Pinche Tacos and followed up with a beer at the Vine Street Pub. The next morning we drove out to Aspen, a 4-hour trek through the winding mountain roads. Our arrival time was perfect as we were able to see everything along the race course and visit all the tents prior to a large influx of other spectators. The Women's Crit race was pretty fun but it was great seeing the guys fly down the chute for their Stage 3 finish.

That night, C&A met back up with us for some dinner at Brunelleschi's for some good salad and pizza. Then, we went to Aspen Brewery for some shitty service and limited selection. Thursday morning Craig, Andrea and I (on our nice Giant Avail Carbon frame bikes rented from D&E Ski and Snowboard Shop) got up and started out ride up to Independence Pass from Aspen. The climb was long more than anything, no big climbs to speak of, just constant incline and altitude. I decided I hadn't worked hard enough so I went back down about two miles and did a "charge" back up the mountain. That did it for me and I was coughing and had what felt like a hole in my lungs for a while afterward. The temperature fluctuated wildly depending on the sun/clouds/rain so I bundled up as best I could. We waited and finally the race came through led by the eventual stage winner, Jens Voight of "Shut up, legs!" fame. We hung out in Aspen for the rest of the day and ate at Justice Snow's. Pretty, pretty good. For some brewed digestifs, we ambled in to Zane's Tavern and were greeted with another underwhelming service experience. We did indulge in some hot wings which were quite perfect. Finally, Friday morning we are breakfast at Poppycock's Cafe and ceded our boothed table to none other than Mr. Ken Burns and family.

Then, it was time for some hiking in the mountains. From the outset, we wanted to visit some hot springs and multiple people recommended Conundrum in the Maroon Bells region outside Aspen. We took about 4 hours to hike up and were able to get campsite #10. The highest one in the area but it had a great view and a relatively flat tent area. We dipped into the hot spring for a while and just barely beat a rainstorm we saw come up through the valley. After getting up, enjoying some breakfast and another dip in the hot spring, we headed back down to the car. We cut an hour off the ascent time and started the long drive back. After some deliberation, we decided not to visit fort Collins and instead cleaned up and went to dinner at Cheeky Monk's. Being a Belgian restaurant, naturally, we each had moules and Belgian beer.

The next morning we had coffee and some breakfast at DazBog's in Capital hill neighborhood. Good coffee and a very gay friendly atmosphere but very expensive to buy in bulk (~$!$/lb whole bean) so I declined. We bikeshared to the library downtown and once again checked out the scenery. Shortly before the final stage time trial began, we stopped by the United Healthcare tent and I jumped on the bike and trainer they had set up for, I assume, Training peaks. I blew my load too early and got crushed but then the computer crashed and as we were leaving I told the folks good luck. Apparently, that was the magic word as the guy gave us two tickets to the grandstand. Grandstand access was pretty nice, upgraded bathrooms and a vantage point right on the course 200M from the finish line.

The time trial was actually pretty exciting in that (thankfully) we got a start list and were able to time our breaks and interested depending on who was going out or coming in from the course. Started were staggered by 1:00 and then 2:00. Levi Leipheimer started the stage with a lead but ceded it to Christian Van de Velde and his great time trial.

Overall, great trip. We got to do everything we wanted and I got to be pretty active right before a prolonged period of relative inactivity.

This is either a really bad idea or a slightly dumb idea

In the midst of peer pressure and dozens of DC Tri Clubbers signing up for the inaugural DC Tri full distance triathlon, I have signed up for Lake Placid 2013. Yes, I've been injured all year. Yes, I need hip surgery. Yes, it's a long goddamn event. I know. But maybe it'll force me to recover more quickly because I have to. How's that for some faulty logic?

Aside from that, I finally had my appointment with Dr. Parker. While there, he took another Xray and the 1.6 cm bone piece that was clearly visible on my last Xray was now undetectable. This leaves me to believe that part of my body started healing and basically re-attached itself which doesn't really make me feel good. I also found out that I have not one, but two labral tears in my right hip. Come strong or not at all is what I say.

He also set quite a different expectation of recovery for me. One week using a Constant Passive Motion machine, 4 weeks on crutches and 4-9 months recovery. I asked him about the Ironman possibility and he said it would be tight but we'll give it a go. Date for surgery 8/28/2012. Also, there is a 25% chance I'll need surgery on my right hip as I have FAI there too and "deep sockets" in both hips. Yippee!