Tasty Palettes

Changing Times…

2009-10-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

These past few months have been quite an escapade for me. Exciting, tiresome, anticipative and even nervous. With the arrival of fall, I am not only looking forward to cooler temperatures and a pleasanter weather; but memories that are going to last a lifetime. Recently, this blog is experiencing a slow down, and this may continue for some more time. Because, in a few weeks time, my hands are

Mixed Sprouts Burger

2009-09-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Just as there are endless possibilities for making parathas (Indian stuffed flatbread), there are infinite ways one could make vegetarian burgers, while still keeping them unique, nutritious and tasty. I never get tired of trying new kinds of burgers. With simple ingredients on hand, its easy to put together one. Like I did with leftover sprouts.Packed with a mighty nutritious punch, these

Dark Chocolate Cups With Raspberries

2009-08-27T01:07:00.000-07:00

House shifting is a mammoth task. I speak from experience here. There is so much to be done before, during and after a move. If you are an organizing junkie like me, you will have more things on your plate. Its been a couple of weeks, and there are still boxes and stuff lying around the house. We both were exhausted thoroughly. Adding to our misery is the triple digit temperature and excessive

Quinoa And Summer Fruit Salad

2009-07-22T00:15:00.001-07:00

Summer in the blazing hot desert. Do I even have to elucidate anymore? Its been 110F+ for the past 10 days. We are now like vampires; the curtains are always shut to block day light and we go out only after the sun goes down. Yesterday, I didn’t even want to set foot in the kitchen. So, with ingredients on hand, I tossed a salad that was quick, easy, and refreshing.Succulent seasonal fruits,

Pavakkai Sadam – Spiced Bittergourd Rice

2009-07-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

There are few standard bittergourd recipes that we enjoy year round. Pitlai is a family favourite, followed by oven baked chips. This time G asked for something different. ‘Why don’t you just do a sauté or a simple curry?’, he asked. Very well. The recipe he was mentioning was an old one that my mom makes often. The gourd is cooked and lightly seasoned with mustard seeds, urad dal and chana

The Last Slice...

2009-07-06T22:29:00.001-07:00

...waiting to be devoured. A weekend well spent.Recipe - Hershey's 'perfectly chocolate' chocolate cake.

Vegetarian Phyllo Pizza

2009-07-01T23:41:00.001-07:00

A cook can never have too many cookbooks. My bookcase somehow seem to grow and have room for good cookbooks. Vegetarian Meals Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes is one such cookbook. It is filled with recipes that are quick, easy and fun. A good find, considering that I picked this book in a rush without flipping even a single page, from my local library.Back at home, when I had the time to

Getting Back…

2009-06-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

Caught in the whirlwind called life, with all its glorious twists and turns, I had kept myself from blogging longer than anticipated. An impending house shift in a month’s time is not helping either. To say that I didn’t enjoy this time off would be a lie. Other interests, both old and new, took precedence, keeping me occupied. But, last week, when I was packing my blog props in the moving boxes,

Tasty Palettes Turns Two

2009-04-13T23:33:00.003-07:00

I have been MIA for the past two weeks. But today is a special day and I cannot resist a peek into this web space that has become my virtual kitchen. My blog turns two today. Two years back, I wouldn’t have believed that this blog would become an integral part of my life. But, it is today.There are so many people I am thankful for, G being the first and foremost. He has always been the gentle

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

2009-03-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

In my earlier post, I mentioned I made a creamy black bean soup along with those vibrant corn muffins. Here is the recipe. The creamy part is due to corn tortillas that gets cooked right in the soup along with the vegetables. As the soup boils, the tortilla melts into the broth, leaving you with velvety soup. I have used an Ancho chilli (a dried poblano), which is mildly hot. You can also use any

Spicy Corn Muffins

2009-03-25T00:15:00.001-07:00

Creamy black bean soup was on the menu last night, creamy and very tasty. It was almost dinner time, but, I was in the mood for corn bread. Takes long to cook…hmmm…I will cook them in muffin molds to cut back on the cooking time, I thought to myself. A little bit of this and that, and these muffins were done in no time. I made only 6 (2 for the master, 2 for the dame, 2 for…er… the dame again for

Karadayan Nonbu Adai

2009-03-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Apart from Deepavali and Pongal, the Tamil lunar calendar is dotted with many small scale festivals. Each one of them, with a mythological story behind, is celebrated with specific rites. More importantly, they have their own menu. Some of these menus are time consuming, that they are seldom done a second time in the same year. As a kid, I associated these festivals only through food. The rituals

Varuthu Araitha Kootu – Vegetable Dal With Freshly Ground Spices

2009-03-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Varuthu – roasted, araitha – ground, kootu – medley. That’s all. Freshly ground spices with cooked dal and vegetables – healthy one pot meal. Poricha kootu and varuthu araitha kootu are stand-ins for the traditional sambar. They are usually made without tamarind. But what the kootu lacks in tang, is made up by the freshly roasted spices. My mom usually made this kootu with odd vegetables lying in

Ravishing Radish Sandwich With Poppy Seed Dressing

2009-03-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Easter egg radishes - crunchy, peppery and downright colourful. Who could resist that? I seldom cook these beauties. They end being mushy and smell awful. The only time I would do that is while making sambar. Otherwise, they are good to go with just a squirt of lemon juice and salt. The radish greens, with a mild radish-y flavour, taste equally good too. If you haven’t cooked the greens, you

Fig - Red Onion Confit

2009-03-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood for a three course meal the other day. Cornmeal crusted mini-tarts, store-bought mango sorbet (made with alphonso, I can’t get enough of this stuff. Its always in my freezer) were on the menu. I still wanted something to nibble, for starters. Inspired from a meal at Café Flora, I made this onion confit. What’s better? It can be served at room temperature. That is a rule of thumb

Marinated Feta

2009-03-05T21:34:00.001-07:00

What a way to infuse flavor into spoilt milk.. ahem.. cheese? It quickly caught my attention when the uber-talented and famous David Lebovitz posted it. The idea was as delightful as his blog. As simple as it may sound, the tangy feta mellows down after soaking in the fruity olive oil. The herbs add a nice touch and so do the chillies. I too refrained from using garlic due to ill effects as

Quick Paneer-Mint-Vegetable Sauté

2009-03-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

Its already March? When did that happen? Time sure does fly. But I have something to look forward to this month. Its Zlamushka’s Tried and Tested. Yes, its back. Its one of my favourite blog events and better yet, its my blog that is in spotlight this month. Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf has generously accepted to host an edition featuring "Tasty Palettes". I am little nervous knowing that my

Indian Spiced Millet And Black Bean Timbale

2009-02-24T22:15:00.002-07:00

Its no secret that even an ordinary dish can look extra ordinary with proper plating. You don’t have to go to great heights to achieve restaurant-like perfection. With a little creativity and attention to detail, this can be a snap.Like I did with this timbale. Creamy millet imitating mashed potatoes, black beans dressed with Indian spices instead of the usual Mexican flavour, and a little raw

‘Shrooms In My Pizza

2009-02-20T00:05:00.002-07:00

Pizza – a good canvas for.. whatever. Anything goes on a pizza, as long as you figure out what flavours go well with each other. Pizza base is a crucial factor for a good pizza. Although I have tried various pizza dough recipes, I always, always come back to Slash Food’s recipe. This dough makes for a mean pizza margherita. But it does equally well with other toppings too. Be it a vegan pizza ,

Goodness Stacked – Easy Eggplant Bake

2009-02-17T23:37:00.001-07:00

G and I love a good eggplant dish at any meal, any day of the week. I can’t remember a single grocery trip that we spotted, but skipped buying Indian eggplants. If its in the store, its in our shopping cart. We have some favourite eggplant recipes, and eggplant-parmesan is way up the list. There is a restaurant that serves it just the way we like it. But after I happened to know how much calories

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2009-02-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

My yoga master once said that we all go through energy blocks twice a year. Once around the beginning of the year and once around your birthday. You either feel sluggish, lacking energy, or downright fall sick. Surprisingly, I have noticed this to be true during more than one instance (or that my mind is playing tricks on me). Last year this time, I felt the same energy slump; 'Burn out’ as one

Vallarai Milagu Kuzhambhu – Pennywort Pepper Gravy

2009-02-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

I jumped with joy when I discovered pennywort at a local Asian grocery. They have been carrying it all along, but only now do they have their English names on them. Good for me. I grabbed a pack, rushed home and called my mom for my favourite recipe that I enjoyed growing up.Indian pennywort is one of those remarkable herbs with amazing medicinal values. In Ayurvedha, it is referred to as ‘the

Bloody Toast, Sin City Style

2009-02-01T00:24:00.002-07:00

Click - Red, judging has begun.

Pecan, Squash and Cranberries Speckled Wild Rice

2009-01-22T18:26:00.001-07:00

I stumbled upon this recipe one afternoon, by chance. Basmati rice, leftover cranberry-pecan topping from breakfast oatmeal, and some odd vegetables lying in the fridge were thrown together in a skillet. I served it over acorn squash baked in its shell. We absolutely loved the lunch, which was very filling, but took little time to fix. Next time around, I tweaked the recipe a bit. Wild rice mix

Sarkkarai Pongal – Indian Rice Pudding

2009-01-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, we celebrated ‘Makara Sankaranthi’ or Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamilnadu. It also denotes the end of ‘Maargazhi’ and birth of ‘Thai’, one of the most auspicious months in the Tamil lunar calendar. This day also marks the commencement of Uttarayanam (mid Jan - mid Jul), the northern ascent of the Sun. The days are warmer and longer from now on. Pongal is celebrated for three days