A Collection of Recipes

Vegetarian Mock Tandoori Chicken

2017-02-18T13:37:00.001-06:00

I think -- in fact, I know this dish would satisfy vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. It's packed with protein from the soya and bursting with Indian spices and flavors. This is definitely my go-to recipe when I'm trying to feed company that are non-veg and it certainly can be considered party food as this recipe is enough to feed a crowd. If you're not trying to feed a crowd, then just half the recipe below.

I do have to give a disclaimer about the "star" of the show. The mock chicken is Worthington Chick-ettes. They are not readily available at your local grocery store. You can find them sold at Seventh Day Adventist stores in the freezer section, and for most of us that can be tricky. While I was living in Chicago, I found that Apple Valley Foods on Ogden Avenue sells them. Here's a helpful link for them: http://www.avnf.com/

And here in Texas, I find that I have to order them all the way from Keene, Texas. After making a few phone calls, I was able to order a box of these babies to have them delivered to a local church in Austin for pick-up. They are pricy, costing about $7 a roll. So a box of 12 rolls would cost you about $85. If you don't live in either Texas or Chicago, I would call around to find a Seventh Day Adventist Book store near you that sells it. Good luck!

And now here's the recipe ....

For marinade:
2 rolls of Worthington Chick-ettes soya protein (frozen) - to thaw, place in refrigerator the day/night before you are going to make this dish
1 small can tomato paste
5-6 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves, grated for veggies
1.5 inch piece of ginger, grated for soya + 0.5 inch piece of ginger, grated for veggies
2 tsp red chili (or per taste)
2 tbsp tandoori masala (or per taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala (or per taste)
Salt per taste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup oil
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice

For veggies:
1 big ole onion, sliced lengthwise
3 multicolored bell peppers, sliced lengthwise
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
5-6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half and then sliced thin (no need to peel)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish

1. Make the marinade. I marinated for about 4 hours, but the longer the better. In a bowl, add the yogurt and tomato paste and mix together. Then add ginger, garlic, salt, lemon juice and all the powders and beat together. Roughly break the protein roll into uneven medium size pieces into the marinade and combine it all together. Let it sit to marry all of the flavors. It doesn't matter whether you place in fridge or on the countertop.

2. Cook the veggies. In a big wide pan, add 2-3 tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and the cinnamon sticks. When the seeds pop, add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes while you chop the mushrooms. After about five minutes of cook time, add the ginger and garlic. Once that's cooked for roughly a minute, add the mushrooms and salt.Mix together and let that cook while you chop the onions. Drop the onions in while you chop the peppers. Finally, add the peppers. I also added more red chili and tandoori in the veggies, just eyeballed it. After all the veggies are cooked, remove them into a bowl.

3. Cook the mock chicken. In the same wide pan, add 2 tbsp more oil and cook the marinated soya on med heat. It will take roughly 20 minutes, but remember to mix five minutes or so. For a charred tandoori effect, raise the heat at the end.

4. Assembly. Once the soya is cooked, add the veggies and mix together. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges as a side dish with sandwiches or with roti.

I hope you like it as much as our family does. Even my kids eat this stuff, and of course, I have to mellow down the heat for them. Enjoy!

School Lunches: Feeding the Little Bellies

2015-09-03T11:28:00.001-05:00

This year my first born starts kindergarten. For the past three years she's been attending a half-day preschool (if you can call 2.5 hours a half-day). So this first week has been a total adjustment, waking up at 6:30am to get her ready, lunches packed and be out the door by 7:20. We were late the whole first week! Oh, how I'm reminiscing about those 9am start date mornings! At least then I could catch a few more Z's and had time to pack her lunch then. For all of you working moms, how do you do it?!

I gathered a few tidbits of advice from experienced moms on how to survive these hectic mornings. One is to pack as much of the lunches as you can the night before. Second is to always keep the pantry and fridge stocked with a variety of fruits, vegetables, spreads and breads. Finally, a functional lunch bag with lunch accessories is a must. I probably spent over an hour in the Target lunchbox aisle trying to figure out the perfect lunch bag. They come in all different shapes and sizes now with all sorts of gimmicky characters. Ultimately I settled on the Embark lunchbag. They work for me because uno, they stand upright so there's no spillage. Dos, there's a zipper compartment up top in case you need to separate items. Finally, they're easy to clean. Just wipe them down with a Lysol wipe and let it dry.

The second essential for packing lunches was to buy the containers to go with the lunch bag. I chose this Rubbermaid Lunchblox Sandwich Kit because I could pack a sandwich, yogurt, fruit and vegetable all without it touching one another. An added bonus is that it comes with a blue ice pack to keep the yogurt cool until lunchtime. I've only used them for about a week now and I already love them.

The last essential is a good water bottle. There's no telling how many water bottles I've gone through with the kids. Most of them are just so hard to clean and mold forms in the hard to clean areas. I was super excited when I found these Thermos FUNtainer bottles. They have been super easy to clean so far and I like the added benefit of keeping drinks cold up to 12 hours. I normally put the thermos bottles in the separate zipper compartment of the Embark lunch bag. I have to admit that the water bottle does weigh the lunch bag down. So if it's too heavy for your child to carry, then the water bottle can still be carried separately.

With these essentials, I hope to consistently pack a healthy,well-balanced lunch packed with plenty of protein, grains and wholesome goodness. So follow along with me as I pack a to go meal for the kiddos. I can't guarantee pictures every day, but I will surely try my best. Today's lunch was a pb and jelly wrap, sliced kiwi/apples and a handful of plain Sun Chips. Yay for us! We've survived this first week!

Roasted Eggplant tinged with cinnamon spiced chickpeas

2015-09-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

Roasted Eggplant tinged with cinnamon spiced chickpeas

This recipe has always been a family favorite ever since I first laid eyes on it in The New York Times. It's part of Martha Rose Shulman's Recipes for Health series. Not only is it healthy but it is also delicious and super easy to make. It's the simple things in life that bring true happiness and this is simplicity at its best. I deviated from the original recipe by adding shredded mozzarella cheese on half of the dish, party hoping that I could sway the kids into eating it with no fuss. It worked somewhat. They threw up some complaints about eating the eggplant. So to make the dish kid-friendly, I will chop up the eggplant after roasting and add it in as a layer. They loved the chickpeas though! Next time I might experiment by making this in individual serving ramekins. How fun!

3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans chickpeas, drained

1 28-oz can whole or diced tomatoes, crushed into puree

1 whole eggplant, sliced into rounds

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tsp honey (depends on how sour your tomatoes are)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes

Fresh oregano if you have

Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Heat up about 2 tbsp oil in a pot. Add the crushed garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the tomato puree, salt, honey, cinnamon and Italian seasoning and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook covered for about 20 minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning based on your tastes.

2. Meanwhile, lay down some foil on your baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. In a single layer lay down the eggplant rounds on the foil. You might need two baking sheets for this. I happened to use one very large round pizza pan and they all fit perfectly in one go. Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt on both sides.

3. Roast the eggplant slices for about 20 minutes. I flipped them over halfway through. Once roasted, remove from oven and crimple up the sides of foil so that eggplant can steam for a few seconds.

4. Lower the heat of the oven down to 350 degrees F.

5. Prepare your baking dish by spraying with nonstick spray. I used a small rectangular 2 quart Pyrex baking dish. Place all your chickpeas in the dish. Pour about 1 cup of the sauce from Step 2. Layer the eggplant slices on top of the chickpeas. Then pour the remainder of the sauce on the top.Sprinkle feta, goat, mozzarella or whatever cheese you like on top and chopped fresh oregano if you have.

6. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.

7. Serve hot with garlic bread and a side salad. Enjoy!

Cauli-Corn Pohe

2015-08-23T16:55:00.001-05:00

I made this Cauli-Corn Pohe today for a light lunch. It was great. The kids even ate it all up! The one change that I would make would be to add cashews and/or peanuts at the beginning. I love to have that crunch in my pohe. Since we have a slight allergy in the house, I skipped it all together.

1/4 head of cauliflower, trimmed and diced into small pieces

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted

2 cups thick pohe (beaten rice)

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp green chili paste

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Pinch of hing

1-2 tsp salt or per taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp coriander powder

Juice of 1 lemon, or 2 tbsp lemon juice

Few curry leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Lemon wedges for serving

1. Start by heating up oil in a big Dutch oven nonstick pot. When hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them pop. Drop the curry leaves in and close lid. Remove from heat to prevent getting burned. Add the sesame seeds and hing and mix. Add the onions and return pot back on the heat.

2. Let onions cook on medium heat until shiny. Add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste and mix for about a minute. Add the cauliflower and salt next and let it cook.

3. About 5-7 minutes once the cauliflower is a bit soft, add the corn and coriander powder.

4. While the veggies are cooking, soak the pohe for about a minute or two until you see them puff up. You want to be careful not to soak for too long or else they'll get all mushy and will not retain their shape. Drain the water out of the bowl of pohe using a colander.

5. Once again, remove the pot from the heat. I bring the pot next to the kitchen sink. I squeeze out as much water from the pohe as possible and sprinkle the pohe into the pot. Return pot back on heat.

6. Let all of the flavors marry for about 5 minutes. Then add sugar and lemon juice, tasting and adjust seasoning. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with lemon wedges on side.

This dish was surprisingly delicious. The cauliflower was a great substitute for the traditional potatoes. Soybeans, peas and/or carrots would also be a great addition to bump up the nutrition level. After all, potatoes and rice alone aren't all that wholesome! Definitely give this one a try!

My Mother's Tomato Biryani

2014-05-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Tomato Biryani

My mother makes the best tomato biryani. It's one of her specialties, and a dish that we always request she make even years after we've all grown up and moved out. It's the perfect wholesome comfort food. I've never tried to make it before. I just saved it in my recipe archive for some day. Well, some day has come and for this Mother's Day, I decided to try my hand at it. Before I get started, I must note that this recipe always feeds a crowd so try reducing it by half if you're trying to feed a family of four. I, myself, do not mind having leftovers ready to go in the fridge so I made the full batch :)

2 cups Uncle Ben's Original Parboiled Long Grain Rice*
1 small can of tomato paste
4 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or ground into paste
1 inch piece ginger, ground into paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chili powder or to taste
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup multi-colored bell peppers, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 celery stalks, cleaned, trimmed and diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 ears of corn on the cob, cut into thirds (optional)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Garam masala (optional)

1. First, boil the rice, much like you would for pasta. So bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Once water comes to a vigorous boil, add the Uncle Ben's rice and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Second, steam the vegetables. I use a two pot steamer for this step. The corn will steam on the bottom, while the veggies steam on the top of the steamer basket. So to the bottom pot the one in which you fill the water, I would add the corn on the cob. To the steaming basket, I add the carrots, celery, peas and corn because those veggies have a longer cooking time. Cover and steam for about 25 minutes.
4. While the veggies are steaming, I prepared the tomato base. Heat oil in Dutch oven on medium heat.. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add onions and saute for a few minutes. Then add the bell peppers and let them sweat a little bit. Add the ginger and garlic paste next along with some salt. I salted in this step (enough for the rice and veggies) so start off with at least a teaspoon. After about a minute, add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato mixture for about 5-7 minutes. Add the red chili and garam masala (if using) in this step as well.
5. Once the veggies are done steaming, add them straight into the tomato mixture. Mix well. Now, add the boiled rice to the pot and mix everything together.Lower the heat, and continue cooking for at least another 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to come together.
6. We serve our biryani hot, hot with cool cucumber raita and potato salad. Enjoy!

The first note I wanted to make was that my mom specially uses this brand of rice. She's tried other types of rice, like regular long grain and basmati, but none ever comes out as well as the Uncle Ben's! Secondly, the garam masala is optional. My mother's biryani does not have much spice, which is the way we like it. It's very simple, but you can adjust the seasonings to your preference. The biryani turned out really nice, obviously not as good as my Mom's, but I enjoyed it as did the kids. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommys, Aunts and Grandmothers out there. I hope this recipe makes it into your own personal cookbooks for many to enjoy!

Mexican Tortilla Pizza

2014-05-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Baked Mexican Tortilla Pizza, tastes just like Taco Bell's but even better!

Taco Bell is infamous for their Mexican pizzas. Growing up, I used to crave it. That is, until I realized how unhealthy it really is, one fried tortilla slathered with beans topped with another fried tortilla smothered with very little sauce and even less toppings. Heck, the green onions were even banned for a short while so what were you really paying for?!

I've made these before, trying to make them as healthy as possible. Once, I tried dry roasting the tortillas on the stovetop. Another time I tried spraying just a little bit of cooking spray on the tortillas. The end result was always the same. The tortillas never got crisp enough to the fried version and turned out soggy. This time the little bit of oil was just enough to give crispy tortillas that stood up to the toppings. I made these in honor of Cinco de Mayo and will most definitely be making them again!

Mexican Tortilla Pizza

Makes 2

4 flour tortillas (I used Costco brand tortillas which are a little thicker than most)

8 tsp oil

Prepared refried beans

Prepared sauce or salsa*

Onions, finely diced

Red jalapenos, diced

Black olives, diced

Cheddar cheese

Goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees..

2. Prepared baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. I used a big round pizza pan so that I could bake all four tortillas at the same time. Prick holes with a fork on all four of the tortillas.

3. Spread about a tsp of oil on each side of each tortilla. Lay on prepared sheet or pan. Bake for 10 minutes, flipping all of the tortillas after 5 minutes.

4. Lay one baked tortilla on work surface. Spread as much or as little of the refried beans as desired. Place second baked tortilla on top. Spread sauce or salsa on the base. Layer the toppings next. Cover with very little cheese (as you will be garnishing the pizza with goat cheese).

5. Bake the pizzas for 12 minutes in the oven.

6. Remove the pizzas from the oven. Add a little bit of goat cheese while the pizzas are still hot out of the oven. Let cool, then cut into four wedges. Serve garnished with sour cream.yogurt and hot sauce.

*For sauce, I combined some leftover enchilada sauce with some leftover homemade pizza sauce. The enchilada sauce I normally use is the Old El Paso mild sauce. See below for my recipe for pizza sauce.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1 onion, finely diced

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in pot. Add the onions and saute on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

2. Add the crushed tomatoes next along with the seasoning and salt. Bring to simmer and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Slow Cooker Dal Makhani

2014-02-21T17:14:00.002-06:00

We bought a slow cooker/rice cooker 2-in-1 a few months ago from Costco. To date, I've used it 3 times, for cooking brown rice mostly. That worked out great. For my first attempt of using the slow cooker, I decided I would make dal makhani because it's the way they make it at the Indian restaurants- nice and slow - to achieve its' signature effects of creaminess and richness.

I stumbled upon this recipe a while ago and slipped it into my recipe archive. I thought it would be a good way to start, but I thought something was strange when the recipe called for 8 cups of water! Having been the first time I used the cooker, I thought maybe the lentils triple in size or the water would eventually burn out. Once I pushed the "start" button, there was no going back. After 7 hours, the lentils were nice and cooked, but there was way too much water. So, using a colander, I drained most of the brown frothy water out, leaving about 2 cups for the finished product. It still turned out to be too much, but it was dinner time and dinner had to be served. I was very disappointed at the outcome, but we ate the dal "soup" anyway with brown rice. The flavor was great, but it was way too runny. After dinner, I transferred the soup to the stovetop to burn out the excess water. That was the best thing I could have done to save the day. The leftovers were served for lunch the next day, and it was wonderful, amazing, restaurant-style-finger-licking-good! You could definitely taste the creaminess and that it had been slow cooked for hours. Lucky for us, we still have more leftovers so into the freezer it goes for another day. Perhaps, I might serve it with Palak Paneer and Jeera rice for a true night of Indian Dine-In.

Ingredients:
2 onions, finely chopped (1 ground into paste and 1 chopped)
1 1/2 cups whole sabut urad dal, dry (aka black Beluga lentils)
1/2 cup rajma (aka dry kidney beans)
2 tsp garlic paste or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp green chili paste
7 cups water (original recipe has 9 cups!)
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes or tomato puree of 3 tomatoes
4 tbsp skim milk
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tsp plus more per taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

Method:
1. Soak urad dal and rajma separately in water overnight.
2. Drain and wash under a few changes of water and add to slow cooker pot.
3. To slow cooker (along with lentils) add butter, water, ginger and green chili paste. Only add 1 tsp of garlic paste along with the paste of 1 onion and about 2 tsp salt. Set slow cooker on HI for one hour. [I turned it on before dropping kids off to school because I knew I was going to be back home within the hour.]
4. An hour later, turn cooker down to LO setting and let cook for 6 hours.
5. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let them crackle. Add asafoetida, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, and coriander powders along with 1 tsp garlic paste. Stir fry spices for about a minute.
6. Add the onions to the tadka seasoning and cook for few minutes until soft. Add can of tomatoes or puree (is using) next and cook until tomatoes cook down. Take it off of the heat, add the milk and liquidize mixture (if using the can of tomatoes like I did.)
7. Add the pureed spiced tomatoes to the slow cooker and cook the dal makhani for the last hour on LO.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and cream and serve hot with jeera rice and naan.

The effort was well worth it, and I will never make the same mistake again. A few other recipes say to use 2 cups so I'll start from there ...for another day! I might also just put everything in the pot (tadka, masalas, cooked onions and tomatoes with the soaked and uncooked lentils) and let it all marry and cook for 8 hours (1 hour on HI and 7 on LO). I hope you try it (with my revisions of course) in your slow cooker because this Slow Cooker Dal Makhani recipe is one that will leave a lasting impression

If you are still not convinced enough by now to go out and buy yourself a slow cooker, click here for the stovetop version of dal makhani. Keep in mind that recipes vary based on the brand of the slow cooker, so that is how I justify my first night's fiasco. As I stated earlier, the slow cooker I used is from Costco. The brand is Aroma and it is a 20 cup slow cooker, rice cooker and steamer in one. I'll testify that the slow cooker is worth the $30 investment. This one dish serves 6 people generously, which more than pays for itself. :)

Rigatoni with Lentils (Rigatoni con le Lenticchie)

2013-07-30T09:56:00.003-05:00

Rigatoni with Lentils (Rigatoni con le Lenticchie)
Adapted by: Lidia's Italy

1 cup small lentils (aka whole masoor dal)
⅓ cup carrot, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 onion, diced
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 plump garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
1-24 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspooon black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 pound rigatoni, or other pasta (reserve pasta water)
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese

Rinse the lentils, and put them in the saucepan with the diced carrot and 3 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmer. Cook until the lentils are just tender, about 25 minutes (or longer, depending on size).

When the lentils are almost cooked, pour the olive oil into the large skillet, and set it over medium- high heat. Add onions and sautee for until translucent. Scatter in the garlic slices, and cook for a minute or two, until sizzling and starting to color; sprinkle the Italian seasoning onto the pan bottom to toast as the garlic sizzles. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, slosh out the can with a cup of cold water, pour that into the skillet, stir well, and bring to the boil. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes or so, just to thicken up a bit.

When the lentils are tender, pour them into the skillet with the tomatoes, season with the salt and pepper, add red wine vinegar and stir everything together, and heat the sauce to a bubbling simmer. Cook for 25 minutes or so, until the lentils are quite tender and the sauce has thickened to a consistency you like for dressing pasta. If you're going to cook the pasta right away, keep the sauce at a bare simmer. For later use, let it cool, then refrigerate. (If it thickens after cooling, loosen it with pasta water when you reheat it.)

To cook the rigatoni or other pasta: Fill the big pot with salted water, and heat to a rolling boil. Stir in the pasta, and cook it until barely al dente. Scoop the rigatoni from the water, let drain for a moment, and drop it into the skillet of sauce, simmering over low heat. Toss together for a minute or two, until the rigatoni is evenly dressed and perfectly al dente.

Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the chopped parsley and a cup of grated cheese, and toss well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, toss again, and serve immediately in warm bowls, with more cheese at the table.

Verdict: FIVE Stars!
Notes: Kids thought it was delicious and licked it up. This dish reminded me of an Italian version of Dal Dhokli, which leads me to believe that a gravy version of this cooked with Indian spices would taste really nice with some roti or naan. Next time, I may add some eggplant or mushrooms to this dish to add an additional layer of flavor. I would recommend you try this because it was super easy to make and totally worth the effort.

Southwestern Chili

2011-09-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

I think everyone would agree that the ultimate comfort food is a hot bowl of Southwestern chili. With no other explanation required, below is the recipe for what's for dinner tonight.

1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1 cup multicolored peppers, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tsp garlic paste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, pureed (I use Hunt's fire roasted)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
Brown sugar or regular sugar to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add the onions and sautee until soft. Then sautee the garlic paste for 30 seconds.
2. Next add the diced jalapenos and colored peppers and sautee for a few minutes.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes next and cook them for about 5 minutes. Also, add the red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and black pepper.
4. Finally, add the corn, pinto beans, black beans and kidney beans and bring the chili to a boil. Add about 1/2 tsp of brown sugar. Reduce the heat to simmer and let chili slowly cook for about 30-45 minutes. Adjust the taste according to your preference.
5. Garnish chili with your choice of the following: chopped scallions, chopped black olives, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. My favorite is a generous sprinkle of corn chips. Serve hot with garlic toast or a slice of jalapeno foccacia bread.

Pav Bhaji Flatbread Pizzas

2011-01-17T06:21:00.004-06:00

A year back we were invited over to a friend's house for a pizza party. The host made several pizzas, but one in particular stood out in my mind because it was that good. She was experimenting with the pizza sauce and added pav bhaji masala to one batch of sauce. That particular pizza was everyone's favorite and was gone in two seconds. I wanted to replicate that idea, except my version is a much quicker version as it requires readymade flatbread.

For sauce:

1/2 jar of Ragu pizza sauce

1 tsp pav bhaji masala

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp red chili powder (more if you like it spicier)

1/2 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

4 multigrain flatbreads (found in bread or bakery section. You could also use naan bread or pita bread)

1/2 onion, chopped lengthwise

1/2 of colored bell peppers, chopped lengthwise

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine all of the sauce ingredients together. No need to heat.

3. Generously coat both sides of flatbread with the olive oil.

4. Spread the pizza sauce, then the cheese and veggies.

5. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and a golden brown color. Enjoy!

We both loved the pizza, so much so that we did not even need any hot sauce or condiments. Because we coated the flatbread with olive oil on the bottom, the pizza turns nice and crispy. B was a skeptic at first, encouraging me to go easy on the pav bhaji masala. After a few bites, he became a believer.

When you are cooking for two, it's sometimes a drag making a whole entire pizza. So, this is my go-to meal for times when I have a pizza fix. I keep the flatbreads in my freezer and always have jarred pizza sauce in the pantry. I hope you try it too because you will love it too - guaranteed!

Homemade Granola

2011-01-05T21:41:00.004-06:00

Hidden in my pantry were all of the ingredients needed to make granola. The only thing I needed was the recipe to put it all together. Even after watching granola and granola bars being made on Food Network, I still did not have the courage to actually make it myself. I think to be honest, I had no interest in eating it- possibly because it is so healthy! I could hide no more, though. Yesterday, my hubby suggests we make granola together. We pretty much followed Alton Brown's recipe, with a few alterations.

3 cups rolling oats

1/3 cup cashews, chopped

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds

1/3 cup roasted and hulled pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 tsp salt

3 cinnamon sticks

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Combine the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and coconut in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, combine the salt, honey and oil. [To loosen the honey, we zapped it in the microwave for 10 seconds.]

4. Combine both mixtures and lay out onto two baking sheets. We placed both baking sheets on different racks.

5. Stir every 15 minutes so that the granola stays as loose as possible. [To make life easier, set your oven timer for every 15 minutes so that you do not forget all about it!]

6. Alton's recipe cooks slowly for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Our granola on the bottom rack cooked in 30 minutes while the top rack took about 45 minutes.

7. Let cool, remove the cinnamon sticks and store in airtight container. Once cool, you can also add 1 cup raisins. Enjoy for breakfast as cereal or with yogurt. I prefer my granola as a healthy snack.

The granola came out nice and toasted perfectly. The one thing B and I disagreed about was the raisins. He thought it added texture, while I'm not too fond of dried fruits.We will tweak the ingredients some more. Instead of whole cinnamon sticks, we will add 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder instead. Some other things we wanted to try were adding cardamom, walnuts and pecans.

Emeril has his own recipe, where he uses 1/4 cup unsalted butter in place of the vegetable oil. He also adds 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Those are a few other options to keep in mind for next time. This snack/cereal gets eaten FAST so I have a feeling I will be making it quite often.

Vegetarian Shephard's Pie

2010-12-30T14:21:00.008-06:00

Vegetarian Shephard's Pie (cooked vegetable and lentils

topped with garlic mashed potatoes)

This recipe is compliments to Chuck Hughes, from Cooking Channel's Chuck's Day Off. I always like watching him cook because his style of cooking is so unique. I especially liked this episode because it was all vegetarian dishes. I basically followed his recipe for the pie, except for the roasted spaghetti squash. That part seemed tedious so I left it out. Besides that, here is the recipe for vegetarian shephard's pie, which made about 4 servings (half of Chuck's recipe).

For the Mashed Potatoes:

3 big russet potatoes, boiled for 30 minutes

2 tbsp melted butter

4 oz. cream cheese

Black Pepper to taste

For the Roasted Garlic Puree:

1 garlic bulb

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the Stuffing:

1/2 cup whole masoor dal, cooked

1 stalk of celery, diced

1/2 carrot, diced

1/2 onion, diced

5 mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup milk

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Fried onions for garnish

1. Boil the potatoes in cold water for about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Chop off the top of the garlic bulb. Coat the outside with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap the whole bulb in aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool before unwrapping.

3. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk and stir until the milk is absorbed into the bread. Add Italian seasoning and keep to side.

4. When potatoes are done, let cool. Then peel and mash with masher or use a ricer. Add the melted butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper and mix together. For the final touch, squeeze out the garlic puree from the roasted bulb. Mix together and keep aside.

5. Heat olive oil in pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sautee for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic paste and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix in the cooked lentils and breadcrumb mixture.

6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the lentil mixture as the bottom layer. Top with the garlic mashed potatoes and smooth it out until even. Bake for 30 minutes.

I tried to make the fried onions at home. I thinly sliced 1/2 onion. Melted 2 tbsp butter in a skillet. Added the onions, stirred until all of the onions were covered with butter. I cooked them until they were crisp, about 5-7 minutes. They ended up burning, though, so they did not make it on top as a garnish (not because I overcooked them). The one thing I did wrong was that I kept them in the skillet, on top of the heated oven. I should have removed them into a bowl to cool. Oh well ...

We loved the pie so much that we ate it for lunch and dinner. I might try the spaghetti squash eventually, but we thought the pie tasted fine just like this. We even talked about making a desi version using a samosa filling or a pav bhaji version. Although the pictures do not really do the final product justice, here's a final look.

Mushroom Risotto, 2 meals ideas in 1

2010-12-29T20:29:00.004-06:00

Risotto is basically Italian arborio rice. It has an unusual cooking process, than regular short or long grain rice. The first time I made this dish, I was very frustrated because I felt like the rice was not cooking fast enough and I kept having to add so much water. On this second try, I followed Tyler Florence's recipe, and it came out just perfect. There were a few omissions from the original recipe, but overall, we loved the way it came out. Here's how I made our mushroom risotto.

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock, packaged or soak 2 large vegetable buillion cubes in 4 cups boiling water

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 pound baby bella mushrooms

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Green chives for garnish

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pot. Sautee the onions first until translucent. Add 1/2 tsp garlic paste and sautee that for about 30 seconds.

2. Next, add the butter and sliced mushrooms. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Sautee the mushrooms for about 6 minutes. Remove the mushrooms into a separate bowl to cool.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in now empty pot. Sautee the onions and garlic as in Step 1.

4. To the onions and garlic, add the rice and continuously stir for 1 minute until all of the rice grains are glossy and covered with oil. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock and stir until all of the water is evaporated.

5. Continue to add 1 cup at a time until all of the water is evaporated.

6. Now, add the sauteed mushrooms and parmesan cheese. Stir for one minute until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, garnished with snips of garlic chives or freshly chopped parsley.

Second option/meal: With the leftovers, we divided one red bell pepper in half, ribbed and deseeded it, then stuffed with the mushroom risotto. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This risotto is a must try. It tasted so delicious. Now that I have the recipe down, I will definitely try different variations, possibly adding spinach next time. Another version could be butternut squash. I think the possibilities are endless. That is exactly why it is going on my list of favorites!

Veggie Ma Po Tofu

2010-12-24T20:17:00.005-06:00

Ma Po Tofu is a vegetarian dish found on P. F. Chang's menu and probably on the menu of most popular Chinese restaurants. I have never had it and did not even know what it looked like. So, when B suggested I make it, I was kind of nervous. I researched it on the web, built up the courage and this is what we had for dinner tonight.

1/2 package of extra firm tofu

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets

1/4 onion, chopped

5 mushrooms (portobello is what I used, but shitake would probably work well), quartered

1.5 tbsp corn starch

1 cup vegetable stock

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp garlic paste

1. Prepare the tofu by draining all of the liquid from package. Lay out a few paper towels on plate. Place tofu on paper towel. Place a few more paper towels on top. Place another plate on top as well as some sort of weight, such as a skillet or a few canned items. Let rest for atleast one hour before cooking.

2. I used one half of the block. (The other half I froze for later use.) Cut the tofu block in the center, and then into small cubes.

3. Heat up about 3 tbsp oil in wok or wide nonstick skillet. Braize the tofu on all sides. Place on paper towel to drain out excess oil. Meanwhile, combine the corn starch with the soy sauce, chili garlic paste and 1/3 cup stock. Keep aside.

4. With whatever oil that is left in skillet, I added 1/2 tsp garlic paste. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds, then added the onions. Stir fry for one minute. Remove from skillet.

5. Heat up 1 tsp oil in skillet. Add 1/2 tsp garlic paste and let is sizzle for 30 seconds. Stir fry the mushrooms for one minute. Then, remove in same plate as onions.

6. Heat up 1 tsp oil in skillet. Stir fry the broccoli for one minute and remove onto plate with other vegetables.

7. In now empty skillet, add the reserved corn starch mixture you made in step 3 along with the 2/3 vegetable stock. Mix together until sauce thickens. Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

8. To the sauce, add the vegetables and tofu and mix for 2 minutes.

9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve with a wedge of lime, crushed honey roasted peanuts and Chinese sauce (see recipe below)) on the side. We also served with brown rice.

Chinese Sauce:

3 tsp garlic chili sauce

1 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp vinegar

Combine the ingredients together. Serve as condiment with your favorite Chinese dish.

Imagine my surprise when B found this dish to be almost perfect. He complimented me on the fact that I actually stir fried the veggies, instead of steaming, like I usually do. "You need the veggies to be crunchy, not mushy," he says. The spice level was also great. The one thing that could be changed was that the sauce came out too thick. To remedy that, I will reduce the amount of corn starch to less than 1 tbsp. The other thing I would change (or add) is 1/2 tsp black bean sauce (or douchi) that is usually added to this dish. I did not have it on hand. Other than that, this recipe is one I will definitely include in "the cookbook"!

Two Dal Damaka with Whole Wheat Parathas

2010-12-22T16:26:00.008-06:00

This Two Dal Damaka is a combination of two previous recipes that I have made - the Tomatoey Masoor Dal and Spiced Moong Dal. In this recipe, I added both the masoor dal (red lentils) and moong dal (yellow lentils) together to make a one pot wonder. To make dinner even easier, I served the dal with packaged frozen whole wheat parathas. Here's the recipe ...

3/4 cup masoor dal

3/4 cup moong dal

3 cups water

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

Pinch of asafoetida powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/4 tsp green chili paste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 dry red chili bits

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 lemon, juiced

Big handful of spinach, chopped

Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat up oil in pot. Add the dry red chili bits and cumin seeds and let the seeds sizzle. Remove from heat and add the asafoetida powder next followed by the onions. Cook onions until translucent.

2. Add the ginger, garlic and green chili pastes and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, and red chili powder as well as the water.

3. Bring the dal to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes, adding more water depending on the consistency you prefer. Add the chopped spinach and lemon juice at the last 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the dal is ready!

Dinner was scrumptious. The leftovers were even better for lunch the next day. I changed things up by pureeing the dal to make it soup-like consistency. (I added 1/2 tsp sambhar masala and 1 tsp of lemon juice for added flavor.) Instead of parathas, I served with jeera rice and onion raita. We loved it because the "new" dal tasted a bit different than what we are used to, tasting more South Indian than Gujarati. This one's a keeper, guys!

Quinoa Khichadi

2010-12-10T16:36:00.004-06:00

This recipe was given to me by my hip, young and health-conscious aunt from Cali! It's a very quick and easy recipe to make a lighter version of khichadi. A comfort food for sure, it is best enjoyed piping hot on a cold winter day. I would like to note that quinoa is not readily available at the regular grocery store, atleast not around here. I bought a big bag of quinoa from Costco, so I will definitely be making this quite often as our house begins another health kick in the coming year ..

1 cup quinoa

4 tbsp moong, soaked (1/4 cup)

2 tbsp moong dal (1/8 cup)

2 tbsp masoor dal (red kind) (1/8 cup)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 eggplant, chopped

1 handful frozen edamame, shelled (boiled for 5 minutes and then peeled)

1/4 cup frozen green peas

1/2 medium potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of hing

ginger paste, garlic paste, green chili paste to taste

Salt to taste

2 1/2-3 cups water (basically double the quantity of quinoa and dal)

1. I soaked the moong overnight but a few hours should be just fine.

2. Boil the frozen edamame in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain. Peel when it cools down.

3. Make vagar in pressure cooker with mustard seeds. When pops, add the hing. Sautee onions first.

4. Then add the veggies and dals. Mix together. Also add the salt, turmeric, green chili paste, garlic paste and ginger paste, and garam masala. Mix together.

5. Add the edamame and quinoa next followed by the water. Close lid of pressure cooker.

6. Khichadi is done after 4 whistles. Turn off heat. When all of the pressure is released, add the spinach and mix it in when it is piping hot.

7. Serve hot with chaas or khadhi and mango pickle, if desired.

On a side note, I tweaked the original recipe a little. Original recipe called for 1/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup moong beans, 1 tomato, zucchini in place of eggplant, and biryani masala in place of garam masala. Hope you try it either way because this meal is a definite go-to comfort food!

Vegetable Pies (Turnovers)

2010-12-05T21:41:00.005-06:00

I was recently introduced to this menu item and I loved it. Up until now, I had only eaten samosas. These vegetable pies, on the other hand, use flaky and buttery puff pastry for the outer crust so you can never go wrong. For the first time, they turned out pretty well. It looks like alot of steps, but it's really easy and cleanup is even easier. Here's the rundown ...

1 sheet of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry, defrosted

1 pack of frozen mixed vegetables

1 potato, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 lemon, juiced

Chopped cilantro

For stuffing:

1. In a bowl, soak chopped onions in vinegar. Keep aside.

2. If you do not have time to defrost the mixed vegetables, just run them under hot tap water in a colander. Drain well. The green beans were bigger in size compared to other vegetables, so I chopped them into thirds. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter fully. Remove from heat. Off heat, add asafoetida powder followed by potatoes. Mix well.

3. Return to medium high heat and add salt next. Cover lid.

4. After about 5 minutes, add the mixed vegetables to pot. Also, add the turmeric powder, garlic paste and ginger paste. Cover lid.

5. After about 5 more minutes, reduce heat to medium and add the garam masala and red chili powder. Mix again and cover lid.

6. When the vegetables are cooked, add in the sugar, lemon juice and hot sauce.

7. Squeeze out the vinegar from the onions and add the pickled onions to the stuffing. Also, add the chopped cilantro and mix one final time. Adjust seasoning per taste, keeping in mind that the spice level should be higher due to the pies being baked in the oven. (Stuffing should be spicy and sour.)

For pies:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spread a generous amount of all purpose flour on your work surface. Lay out your sheet of puff pastry on top of the flour.

3. Roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape.

4. Cut the pastry in half horizontally and into thirds vertically until you have 6 fairly equal size pieces.

5. Take each piece one at a time and roll a few times more. Place stuffing in center of the pastry, leaving one inch open for closure. Using your finger, brush water or milk along the border of the pastry.

6. Fold the pastry over. Pinch closed and prick with fork on all three sides. Make a slit on top with a knife to release steam. Finally, brush the tops with milk.

7. Spread a generous amount of cornmeal on top of a baking sheet. Place the vegetable pies onto the baking sheet.

8. Bake the pies for 30 minutes.

For instant spicy chutney/sauce:

1. Mix together equal amounts of Asian chili-garlic sauce with ketchup.

2. Enjoy with hot vegetable pies!

We gave these pies a 5 out of 5! The flavor was just right, having the perfect balance of sourness and spice. The pies were also the perfect golden brown, although some of the sides may have gotten too crispy. I would suggest reducing the baking time by a few minutes to resolve that issue. Also, I will also lay down parchment paper on the baking sheet next time (rather than using cornmeal). Otherwise, it was a great dinner!

Fresh Foccacia Bread

2010-10-06T16:58:00.007-05:00

I always thought that you need a bread machine in order to make fresh bread at home. Boy, was I wrong! You don't need no machine when you got two of the best utensils in the kitchen- your hands! Making foccacia bread is just as easy as making pizza dough, maybe even a little easier! Here's the recipe for the foccacia that I made.

1 medium baking potato

3.5-4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp for garnish

1 cup warm water

Garnishments of your choice: olives, rosemary, sundried tomatoes, cheese, etc.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the potato for about 25 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and grate the potato.

2. In your working bowl, combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water. Cover and let stand for anywhere between 10-20 minutes. (I don't think it really matters the amount of time. I tried both ways and the bread turned out the same.)

3. Begin making the dough by adding 2.5 cups of flour to the foamy water. Mix well. Add the salt, grated potato, 4 tbsp olive oil and remaining 1 cup flour. Knead, adding 1/4 more flour as needed until you have a soft dough.

4. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Pat the dough down into the tray. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1.5 hours. I placed the dough uncovered in the oven with the oven light on for 1.5 hours.

5. After the allocated time has lapsed, take the dish out of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, wet your two fingers and made about 2 dozen indentations on the top of the dough . Drizzle about 1-2 tbsp olive oil directly on the dough. Turn the pan side to side so that the oil finds its way into the indentations that you made. Garnish with desired toppings (sliced black olives, rosemary, sliced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, cheese, etc.)

6. Bake in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes.

The final result is perfection! Now, you are probably wondering how two people managed to finish that whole big loaf. The many different ways foccacia can be enjoyed are as follows: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, (Garlic or regular) breadsticks with soup, or as the crust for the ultimate bread pizza (recipe coming up soon)! This recipe is definitely one of my favorites, one that I will be passing down to Little A. I urge everyone to try it!!

Homemade Marinara Sauce

2010-09-25T15:07:00.005-05:00

This quick sauce recipe is compliments of America's Test Kitchen. It works well for pizzas, pastas or a basic marinara dipping sauce.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer.
3. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
4. Off heat, stir in basil and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

The changes I made to this recipe is that I cooked the sauce a little longer than 10 minutes. Tomatoes in general need atleast 20 minutes to cook. I cooked the sauce for roughly 30 minutes and it thickened up quite nicely.

A few things I learned from that particular show is that the use of butter instead of olive oil at the beginning really enhances the flavors. Secondly, grating the onion helps to bring out the sweetness of the onion. Third, when using canned tomatoes for a quick sauce like this one, always check the ingredients on the label. The first ingredient must be tomatoes and not tomato puree. Finally, adding the olive oil at the end changes the flavor of the sauce completely. These tips were very helpful so I thought I would pass them on. B appreciated the sauce as well, and was thankful that I stuck to the recipe and did not "desi-fy" it with too many Indian spices. I did add crushed pepper flakes for heat. Other than that, this recipe was great!

Calzone

2010-09-19T21:43:00.005-05:00

To try something a little different from pizza, we made calzones the other day. The pizza dough recipe I usually follow makes 2 pizzas. We made pizza one night and with the second half of the dough, we made calzones. Calzones have a little longer baking time than pizza, but it tastes equally good ... just follow the following easy steps.

1. Roll the dough out, just like you would for pizza.
2. Stuff 1/2 side of the rolled out dough with cheese at the bottom, then veggies followed by a few tbsp of sauce. Remember to leave a one inch diameter. Brush the outside diameter with water (or egg wash) so that when you fold it over, the sides will stick together.
3. Fold the unstuffed side on top of the stuffed side. Pinch seams down and prick with fork.
4. Brush top of calzone with olive oil.
5. Using a knife, cut a few lines on top of the calzone to allow excess steam to exit.
6. Dust a baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Place calzones on baking sheet.
7. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

The calzones turned out great. We will definitely make this again.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

2010-09-16T13:01:00.003-05:00

I guess my afternoons aimlessly watching Barefoot Contessa work her magic weren't a total waste. I saw her make her Creamy Cucumber Salad one day and I immediately made a mental note to myself that I must try it out. It is similar to Indian raita with a few key differences. First, the cucumber is not shredded. Second, the cilantro is replaced by dill and there is vinegar in her recipe. I reduced her recipe by half and like a true desi, I had to add green chilies and garlic!

1 hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced in half rounds

16 oz. plain yogurt

4 oz. sour cream

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced fresh green dill (a.k.a. "leeli suva")

Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Mix the cucumbers and onions and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Place in a colander that is sitting inside of a large bowl. Let the cucumbers drain in the refrigerator for atleast 4 hours or overnight.

2. Line a sieve with paper towel. Pour the yogurt into the sieve. Refrigerate the yogurt for atleast 4 hours or overnight.

3. Mix the strained yogurt and cucumbers with sour cream, vinegar, minced dill, garlic paste, green chili paste, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.

4. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I must admit that this recipe did take some time. With advance planning though, it can be a piece of cake, I HIGHLY recommend draining the yogurt and cucumbers overnight. It will save so much time in the end. It was my first time at it, but I planned ahead and started draining in the morning. Eight hours later, I had a finished product. I will definitely be draining overnight.

We both really enjoyed this salad. The dill is a refreshing change from the everyday cilantro that we use in our cooking. In the first round, I served this salad as a side with Tomatey Masoor Dal and Cumin-Flavored Parathas. In the second round and for tonight's dinner, the salad will be wrapped inside a multi-grain pita bread along with homemade chickpea burgers and our Homemade Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Sauce. This will be served with my Mediterranean Couscous Salad. I can hardly wait for Round 2!

Garden Ratatouille with Herbed Polenta

2010-09-14T21:57:00.007-05:00

This recipe is compliments of McCormick.com. I deviated from the original recipe in a few ways. First, I substituted sliced mushrooms for the eggplant and replaced the can of diced of tomatoes with one fresh tomato, diced. I forgot to add the balsamic vinegar. Finally, I served the dish like so: grilled polenta topped with goat cheese followed be garden ratatouille and homemade marinara sauce. I am glad I made this because it was delicious. I served this with McCormick's Edamame and Corn Salad with Oregano Vinegarette. It was a nice pairing and we will definitely make this again. Thanks McCormick!!

The leftovers of the ratatouille can be recycled into a garden vegetable sandwich (similar to the Eggplant Caponata one that I have made before). Toast your bread. Heat up your ratatouille. Place stuffing inside topped with mozzarella cheese or goat cheese and close your sandwich. Yummy!!

Potato & Black Bean Flautas

2010-09-06T23:33:00.011-05:00

If you are like me and completely clueless about Mexican cuisine outside of the basic burritos, tacos and enchiladoes, then you probably do not know what a "flauta" is! I educated myself a little on this deep fried wonder and found out that it's quite simple. I discovered that it is similar to a "taquito" in that it is deep-fried, flute-shaped and stuffed with pretty much anything you like. The only difference is that a flauta is normally made with flour tortillas while the taquito is made with corn tortillas. This recipe was revised to fit a healthier lifestyle. I oven baked the flautas instead of deep frying. The whole idea for this recipe experiment came when I was watching Guy Fieri make his "Confetti Mashed Potato Flautas" on Food Network. I revised the recipe a little so here is my version ...

First, I made the mashed potato mixture. Boil one medium potato with 2 cloves of garlic for about 30 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel and mash the potatoes. Also, add 2 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup green onions, 1/4 cup diced jalapenos, few dashes of hot sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Mix together and keep aside.

While the potato was boiling, I started to make the black bean mixture. Sautee 1/2 diced onion with 1 tsp garlic paste. Add 1/4 cup defrosted corn 1 can of drained black beans next. Mix well and add salt. Finally, add 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro. When cool, mash the mixture and keep aside.

Third, make the tomatilla salsa. Remove the husks of 3 tomatillas and chop them up. Sautee 1/4 cup green onions in oil. Add 2 cloves garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add salt and 2 jalapenos, deseeded and diced. Cook for a few minutes. Then, add the chopped tomatillas with 1/4 cup water and cook for 10 minutes. Add the 1 tsp lime juice as well as 2 tbsp chopped cilantro last. When cool, puree the salsa with a hand blender. Keep aside.

The fourth step requires fire roasting 2 red jalapeno peppers. I put a wire rack directly on the fire. Roast the peppers until charred on all sides. Remove from heat and let cool. Deseed the pepper and dice into thin strips. Keep aside.

Finally, assemble your flautas. You will need the above potato and black bean mixtures, roasted peppers, corn tortillas, and a few toothpicks by your side. Spray some cooking spray on a baking sheet and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave, three at a time, for about 30 seconds. On one end of the tortilla, layer a thin layer of the potato first, then the black beans topped with two strips of the roasted peppers. Roll up your flauta tightly and secure with a toothpick, Lay the flap side down on the baking sheet and roll up the remaining flautas. Bake in the oven for about 6-8 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and cut the flauta in half at a diagonal.

To serve, I assembled the flauta like so: Place 4 tbsp of the tomatilla salsa down on the plate. Place one half of the flauta down and the other half standing up at a diagonal, exposing the stuffing of the flauta. Sprinkle any cheese of your choice as well as a handful of chopped green onions.

Now, I must admit that this was more work that I thought it was going to be. It looked real easy to make on the television! The flavors were wonderful, though. The only thing I would change the next time around would be to use flour tortillas instead of corn. Otherwise, it was a nice change from the burrito and taco nights!

Potato Mac

2010-09-06T23:33:00.010-05:00

This dish is one that B grew up eating when he was little. He spoke of it many times before and it sounded interesting so I just had to try it. My mil gave me this recipe. As a child, he probably enjoyed it. As a grownup, though, you figure out that all it is is carbs. Nothing wrong with indulging in that pleasure every now and again. This recipe, when made milder, would work great for children!

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 package of whole wheat elbow macaroni

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Pinch of asafoetida powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp green chili paste

1 tsp garlic paste

sriracha sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Dash of sugar (optional)

Shredded cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Boil the elbow macaroni until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in nonstick pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds, then the cumin seeds. Wait for it to splutter. Remove from heat and add the asafoetida powder.

3. Add the onions first and sautee for a few minutes until soft. Then add the potatoes and salt. Close lid and let the potatoes do their thing on medium heat.

4. After about 3-4 minutes, open lid and add the garlic-green chili paste as well as the turmeric powder. Close lid again and let the potatoes cook through.

5. Once the potatoes are completely cooked (roughly 5 minutes later), add in the elbow macaroni. Mix in red chili powder, the sriracha sauce (a little goes a long way, gotta remember that!), lemon juice and dash of sugar together. Cook for just about 1 minute more.

6. Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot. Place cheese on table. "To each their own!" Enjoy .. I certainly did.

This dish is definitely added to one of my favorites. It so closely resembles my other favorite (puva bataka) and it contains two of my favorite things (potatoes and pasta!). As I noted above, I went a little overboard on the sriracha sauce. I would suggest only adding a dash and allowing everyone to add more at the table, if they wish. Otherwise, it's a winner ... my only question is .. "How come I didn't grow up eating this stuff?"

Baby Food 101

2010-09-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

Because I am a stay at home mom, I make my baby's food at home. I must admit that at first, I was so nervous that I was not going to do it right. I researched online and found one website that I can rely on for tons of ideas and recipes. www.wholesomebabyfood.com

I'm enjoying making babyfood now. The best thing about it is that you can't really get it wrong. I mean you can either boil or steam your food, then blend it up into a puree using a scant amount of water. It's not so bad and the best part is the comfort in knowing that she is getting a hearty and healthy meal at each sitting.

Doctors generally say to begin the transition into solid foods for babies with fruits, then vegetables. We chose to begin with vegetables first because naturally, the sweetness of the fruits would turn any baby's head away when it's time to eat their vegetables. We started the baby cereal at about 5 months and then vegetables at 6 months. Of course, once she ate the vegetables, she refused to eat the cereal. Below is the breakdown of my babyfood making adventures.

Stage 1: Baby Cereal (rice first, then oatmeal, whole wheat)

Stage 2: Introduction to Solids- Vegetables

Natural sweeteners: carrot; sweet potatoes

Yellows: yellow squash, butternut squash

Greens: green peas, green beans

Other: potato, cauliflower, broccoli

Stage 3: Fruits (apples, pears, banana, peaches, plums)

Stage 4: Rice with Toor Dal (pureed with a little ghee: clarified butter)

Stage 5: Finger Foods (not there yet, but soon!)

The key is to introduce the baby to one food at a time and feed for up to 3 days. This technique helps to pinpoint food allergies, if any. If baby has no allergies and each has been introduced, then comes the fun part- mixing and matching the vegetables and fruits. I'm trying out different variations, but I'm coming to find out that with vegetables, it's best to mix one sweet vegetable (like carrots or sweet potato) with like a green (green beans, green peas) that the baby does not necessarily like. Every day is an adventure. Soon, she will be on to finger foods, and that will be a whole new adventure in itself. I can hardly wait!