High Protein Moong Idlis with Bell Pepper Chutney

I used to always be nervous about making Idlis. I never thought I could actually work with the proportions of the various grains to make Idlis a perfect dinner time delight. After a great tip from my MIL, I was able to get the ratios for the two dals and rice just perfect and now I make light, fluffy and protein rich Idlis for dinner often. Fermenting the batter is key and a combination of the oven with the light on (8 hours) and room temperature (daytime 4 hours) works really well! A good food processor is equally important to grind the soaked grains into a very fine batter. I use a Vitamix blender.

A nice red bell pepper chutney completes the meal. You can spice up the chutney with whole red chilies if you want or make it mild with the addition of ground black pepper. Serve with a nice salad on the side.

Batter:
1/2 cup split urad dal (black gram), washed
1/2 cup split moong dal, washed
1/2 cup sona masoori rice, washed
1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
Salt to taste

Soak the pulses and rice in warm water for about 4 hours. The water should be just enough to cover the ingredients. A lot of the water will be absorbed in the soaking process, re-hydrate if necessary. Grind all the ingredients into a smooth batter post soaking and add fenugreek powder and salt to taste to the batter. Cover with a lid that has a hole to allow for air circulation in the pot and ferment over 10-12 hours, the batter should rise as seen in the pictures I show below. Mix well post fermentation and refrigerate until ready to use. The batter keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

For the chutney, you will need:

2 red bell peers, washed, chopped

 20 curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Asafoetida

1 small onion, chopped

1/t tsp sambar masala (http://aachigroup.com/cms/)

2 tsp oil (peanut, rice bran, canola)

1 whole red chili, optional

Sputter the mustard seeds in the oil in a sauce pan. Add the onions and curry leaves with the Asafoetida. Saute and add the bell peers and sambar powder. Cook covered until the bell peppers are just cooked. Add salt to taste, cool, blend and serve with the warm Idlis! Enjoy!

Avocado and sprouted green mung bean salad

A high protein salad for weekend brunches. Serve with Pita bread and soup for a full meal!

You will need sprouted mung beans, lightly steamed: To sprout mung beans, soak a cupful overnight in water, and then place them is a strainer lined with a wet cheese cloth. Cover the mung beans with the cheese cloth and let them sprout over the next eight hours or so.

Date and Tamarind spread/chutney: Easily made at home. Soak pitted chopped dates and pitted tamarind in a ratio of 10 dates to a small piece of tamarind in a saucepan with water. Cook, on medium heat, and simmer until a thick slush of dates and tamarind is left behind in the saucepan. Add some jaggery or brown sugar to taste (you won't need much, since the dates are sweet), rock salt, cumin powder and chili powder to taste. Strain the slush and voila! The spread is ready. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Multi-grain crackers made with Pita bread
1 large avocado, chopped
Chopped, seeded tomatoes
1/8 cup chopped red onion (optional)
Mung beans, sprouted, steamed
Date and Tamarind spread


To prepare the salad, place the mung beans, avocado, tomatoes and onions in a bowl. Crush some chips or place them whole on the vegetables. Sprinkle salt to taste. Garnish with the spread and serve!

Mushroom Curry in Cashew Gravy

Mushrooms are a rich source of many nutrients and lend themselves to curries easily. Here is a recipe for a mushroom curry in a rich cashew gravy that works well when served with rice or breads like Naan, Pita, Lavash, and Roti! My cousin loves this curry and I hope you do too!

To serve a table set for two, you will need:

1 packet of mushrooms, washed, and diced lengthwise or in quarters.
2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste (fresh works best, made with a fine grater)
2 tsp of curry powder
1/4 cup ground cashews
1/4 cup yogurt, whisked
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, washed, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
Oil to saute
1 small onion, chopped
1 or 2 tomatoes, washed, seeded, diced
1/4 tsp of turmeric, 1/4 tsp of red chili powder (optional)
Salt to taste, 1/2 tsp sugar

Sputter cumin seeds in the heated oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions, and let them turn a golden brown. Now add the curry powder, turmeric and ginger-garlic paste . Fry for about 30 seconds and add the diced tomatoes and mushrooms. Cover and cook until mushrooms are just cooked, do not add water, since mushrooms tend to sweat as they cook. Now add the ground cashews and about 1/8-1/4 cup water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Season with salt, sugar and red chili powder and turn the stove off. After the curry cools slightly, add the whisked yogurt, garnish with cilantro and serve!

Hearty Cabbage and Potato Soup

Cabbage, aah, not much that you can do with this really healthy, good to eat vegetable right? There's curries, there's coleslaw, there's soup....ahem, did you say soup? Yes, I did!

Try this winning combination of cabbage and potato in a rustic soup. You won't be disappointed.

You will need:

2 carrots, washed and diced.

1/2 cup of cooked rice.

1/4 to 1/2 cup cabbage, washed, shredded.

6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped.

1/2 onion, finely diced.

2 Yukon gold potatoes, washed, peeled, and diced.

1 tsp of California style sweet paprika.

Black pepper and salt to taste.

Olive oil 1 tabsp and butter 1tbsp to saute the onion.

Crushed Thyme, 1 tsp to garnish.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter together. Saute the onions and garlic until a mild golden brown. Now, add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage and stir for a minute or so. Add paprika, black pepper and salt. Pour enough water to cook the vegetable, covered. I normally do about 2 cups of water. After a rolling boil, cook until potatoes are just about done. Now add the rice and bring to a rolling boil. Turn of the stove and let the flavors seep into the broth. Garnish with the crushed thyme and serve warm with rustic bread. Serves two. Enjoy!

Zucchini and Red Lentil Dal

Zucchini and Red Lentil Dal

Most people think of Zucchini as a vegetable to roast or add to pasta or to make fritters with. But Zucchini is also a very versatile vegetable that can be grated and added to cakes, and yes, dal! My aunt gave me this idea, and I tweaked the recipe to work with my taste preferences and spice levels. My friends wanted this recipe, so here it is.

To prepare this nutrition packed dal you will need:

1 cup red lentils (raw), washed, soaked, and cooked (almost)

1 medium sized zucchini, washed, grated

½ large yellow onion, chopped

1 large tomato, seeded, diced

1 bay leaf

1 large stick of cinnamon

3 tbsp of oil (rice bran, olive, canola)

½ tsp of turmeric

1 tsp garam masala (brands include McCormick, Aachi, Penzys)

1 tsp of garlic paste (I make this fresh)

Salt to taste, dash of red chili powder depending on personal spice levels!

¼ tsp sugar (this enhances the flavor of the garam masala)

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and sauté the onion until golden and translucent. Immediately add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Now add the garlic paste and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Now, add the turmeric stir and add the grated zucchini. Sauté until the zucchini just cooks, and then add the tomato. Cook for a minute and then add the dal. Always stir in the cooked dal, and then add a small amount of water to give the mixture a gentle boil. Finally, add salt to taste, chili powder, and the sugar. Serve hot with rice and a good amount of ghee!

Sweet Potato Spice Cake

Sweet potatoes are a staple in my kitchen. The other day, I had some left over sweet potato (the orange flesh variety) and I decided to bake a cake with the cooked flesh. Sweet potatoes are pretty versatile vegetables and I wanted to make a breakfast type of a cake, with almond meal for added protein value. The end result was a surprisingly moist cake that was highly appreciated by the family. This recipe will be a keeper. Try it out! You can make this cake gluten free by substituting the whole wheat pastry flour with amaranth flour (toast the flour prior to using it for a nice, nutty flavor).

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4-1/2 cup canola oil
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup (to suit your palette for sweetness)
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 inch fresh ginger grated
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 small, red-skinned orange flesh sweet potatoes cooked (steamed or baked)

Method
Combine all the dry ingredients including the cinnamon. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and then add the oil, followed by the maple syrup.Now, add the vanilla and freshly grated ginger to the wet ingredients. Mix well and add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients. Mix gently and pour the batter in a greased oven safe cake tin or glass bowl. Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 F or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the baked cake.

Cool and cut into wedges. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you like but we ate it straight for breakfast!

Enjoy!

Parsnip and Methi Pulao

I stumbled upon this combination of vegetables for a pulao when I wanted to do something different with rice. I absolutely love the taste of parsnips and decided to whip up a fragrant pulao with it! My friends really enjoyed it and it tasted really good with a spicy hot pickle or yogurt. I ate it on its own, I don't like to have the yogurt or the pickle overpower the delicate taste of the parsnips.

Ingredients:
1 cup of basmati rice, washed
2 parsnips peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of methi (fenugreek) leaves, washed
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to your spice level)
2 1 inch sticks of cinnamon
4 cloves of garlic peeled
1 small yellow onion finely cut
2-3 tbsp canola oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil in a skillet and sputter the cumin seeds. Toss in the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and onion. Saute until the onions turn a light golden brown. Now add the garlic, red chilli powder, and turmeric, followed by the methi and parsnips. Stir and mix. Finally add the rice, combine all the ingredients and add water (2.5 cups of water). Stir in the salt to taste, Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low to medium heat until the rice and parsnips are cooked through.

Serve hot with pickle or yogurt.

Enjoy!

Leeks with an Indian Twist!

For someone who has grown up in Mumbai, the act of buying vegetables and other produce in a closed-door, artificial environment is well, not exactly fun. I want to feel the vegetables, look for any marks on the cauliflowers, smell the herbs and above all, be able to chat with the vendor or, if one is lucky, the farmer who actually grew the produce. When I moved to California, after several years in Scotland, I was introduced to the Farmer's Market on UCLA's busy campus. I was hooked. Cooking Indian cuisine with fresh produce feels right and the process of cleaning, pealing and chopping the vegetables makes it a very personal experience. While I had tasted leeks in an entrée in Edinburgh, the dish was distinctly not Indian but what I soon came to realize, the very popular 'Baked Leeks with Potatoes'. The mild taste of the leeks stayed with me and I was thrilled to see some fresh ones in the local farmer's market a couple of months ago. I decided to try them in an Indian curry (a.k.a. sabzi in 'Hindi'). I contemplated what spices would go with my ingredients of choice: the leeks of course, potatoes and peas. I came up with a recipe that tingled my taste buds just right. Pair up the curry with fresh 'Phulkas' and some dal and you have a healthy meal that will satisfy a hungry stomach like nothing else! So here is the recipe for the sabzi. Enjoy!

Leek and potato sabzi:

Three leeks - Washed, cleaned and sliced.Five medium-sized Potatoes - Washed, peeled and chopped into 1/2'' pieces.
Green peas - 1 cup, boiled and part cooked (the peas will start wrinkling at this point).
Grated fresh ginger - 1/2 teaspoon.
Grated fresh garlic - 1/2 teaspoon.Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon.
Everest sabzi masala - 1/2 teaspoon (get this in any Indian grocery store).
Jagger or golden brown sugar - 1/2 teaspoon.Salt to taste and some water.

In a saucepan, take 2 tablespoons of canola oil and heat the oil on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds to the oil when it is hot. At this point when added, the seeds will brown and sputter. Traditionally, this step of adding whole spices to hot oil while cooking is often referred to as 'tadka' in Hindi, or 'phodni' in Marathi, the language I speak in Mumbai and is local to the state of Maharashtra. Once the seeds start to crackle, add the sliced leeks and saute them until they turn translucent, with the flame on medium to low heat. Now is the time to add the ginger paste, garlic paste and turmeric to the sauce pan. At once, you will get an earthy aroma with the leeks getting coated with a nice orange hue. Saute some more, say for about 1 minute and add the chopped potatoes. Saute for another two minutes and the part boiled peas. Stir all the ingredients thoroughly. Now, add some water to the sauce pan, I would say about a 1/4 cup and cover with a lid. Let the potatoes cook until just right. We do not want to lose the vegetable shapes to a liquid mush. Hence it is necessary to use as little water as possible. Once a fork can easily insert into the potato pieces, remove the lid, and turn the heat to a low setting. Add the sabzi masala, salt and sugar. Stir well and serve piping hot with the Phulkas.

Butternut squash sambar

Sambar is a type of dal made in the southern states of India to accompany rice, rice cakes (idlis) or crepes (dosa). It can be made with an endless combination of vegetables. This version, made with butternut squash, is one of my favorites. The gently cooked squash cubes perfectly complement the dal. They just melt in your mouth. You can substitute the squash with small red radish pieces. Needless to say, this sambar packs an impressive amount of nutrients including protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese and omega 3 fatty acids and calcium.

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal (pigeon peas).
1 small red onion, finely chopped.
3 small tomatoes, chopped.
1 packet of butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (I use the one from my local Trader Joe's).
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds.
A few curry leaves.
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric.
1 teaspoon Sambar masala.
1 teaspoon of tamarind paste (available at any Indian grocery store, alternatively, try 1 teaspoon of lemon juice)
Salt to taste.
A pinch of brown sugar.

Pressure cook the toor dal separately.

Cook the squash cubes until just tender in a pot by putting them in a pot of water with some turmeric and getting the water to a rolling boil. Once almost cooked, turn of the heat and drain the water away.

In a large sauce pan, take about 1 table spoon of canola oil and add the mustard seeds once the oil is heated. The seeds should crackle as soon as they hit the oil. Then, add the fenugreek seed, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute briskly for about 20 seconds.

Now, add the finely chopped onion to the oil and spice mix. Saute the onion until it becomes translucent. At this point add the tomatoes and let them sweat. One this stage is reached, add the cooked squash cubes and cooked toor dal and stir to mix. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the saucepan and bring the contents to a slow boil. Finally, add the salt, tamarind paste and sugar and mix thoroughly.

Serve hot with rice.

Yellow Moong Dal with Spinach

Here is an attempt to mix the flavors of North and South Indian cuisine. The result, is an incredible dal that you will want to cook when you feel down or want to feel nice and warm on a cold wintry day. Yellow moong dal is routinely used in cuisine from North India while the sambar masala is a ground mixture of roasted legumes and spices that is used to make the famous "sambar" in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu.

I use pressure cooked yellow moong dal (mung beans that have been skinned and split) and use them often as a base in dals because they are so easy to digest. The addition of spinach, onions and tomatoes, makes it a complete meal when accompanied with rice or whole wheat rotis.

Here is the recipe:

3/4 cup yellow moong dal soaked for about 4 hours and then pressure cooked.
1/2 onion, chopped finely.
1/2 cup frozen spinach.
1 small tomato, diced.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds.
1 clove of garlic, crushed.
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.
1 teaspoon sambhar masala powder: you can get various versions of this masala in any Indian grocery store.
Salt and brown sugar to taste.

In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. The hot oil will make them sputter. Immediately add the onion followed by the crushed garlic clove. Saute n medium heat. When the onion becomes translucent, add the turmeric and the chilli powder. Saute for another half a minute and add the tomato, followed by the spinach. Let the vegetables cook on medium heat and let the vegetables sweat.

Now, add the cooked moong dal and 2 cups of water to the vegetables and bring the dal to a rolling boil. Add the sambar masala powder, lemon juice, salt and sugar and stir. Let the dal boil for another minute or so. Serve with rice or fresh rotis!

Swiss Chard and Green Onion Rice

Swiss Chard has to be one of my most cherished culinary discoveries in California. This leafy vegetable comes in a myriad of colors with the stalks ranging from a deep red to a warm yellow. The large leaves are a refreshing green and when available fresh in the local farmer's market make a dramatic entry in your grocery list! I cannot even begin to describe how nutritious this vegetable is. Check out my link above to whfoods.com for a complete nutritional profile of chard. This vegetable pairs very well with rice and I tried a wonderful combination of swiss chard with green onions to make this rice dish that literally invites you to the dinning table. You can serve this rice dish as a hearty main course with traditional Indian pickle (I recommend products from chef Sanjeev Kapoor's new line of pickles available at any Indian grocery store if you do not make your own at home) and a yogurt based raita.

For this dish you will need:

1/2 bunch of swiss chard and green onions each, chopped, retaining the stalks of the chard.
1 cup white basmati rice.
3 tbsp peanut powder (made with roasted, unsalted peanuts in a food processor).
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste or lemon juice.
1 tbsp dark brown sugar.
1 tsp asafoetida.
1 tsp mustard seeds and cumin seeds each.
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Canola oil for cooking.
1 tsp ghee (optional).

Precook the rice to get a fluffy texture. Parboil the chard, draining out the water and set aside. This removes acids as mentioned on whfoods.com

In a large wok or kadhai, heat about 1 to 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is heated, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they crackle and the asafoetida and turmeric. Saute the spices briefly. Now add the chopped green onion and saute for about two minutes. The onion should sweat. At this time, add the par boiled chard and keep stirring until the green onion and chard mix. Reduce the heat setting to low-medium at this point. The vegetables should not get mushy. Finally, add the red chilli powder, salt, sugar and peanut powder. Stir thoroughly. Add the lemon juice or tamarind paste. Mix thoroughly with the remaining ingredients in the wok.

With a fork, fluff the cooked rice and then add it to the wok. Mix thoroughly with the vegetables in the wok. If available at the very end, add the ghee to the rice. This will help keep the individual rice grains from collapsing into each other.

Serve hot!

If chard is not available in your local markets, try this rice recipe with other leafy greens such as beetroot greens or spinach leaves.

Baked Sweet Potato with Black Beans and Greek Yogurt

Here I am back to blogging about some new recipes again. It has been a long time since I posted a recipe, but then, I have been spending a lot of time making up stories about elephants and spiders, going to the park and mentoring summer students. Recently, I whipped up this dish with black beans and sweet potato that was a happy combination of some of my favorite ingredients. Toddlers will really enjoy this one!

You can make your own variations with the base of black beans, I kept it simple.

Olive oil to saute.
A small red onion, finely chopped.
Frozen black beans, about half a packet; approximately 8 ounces.
Cumin, paprika and chopped garlic to taste.
Salt.
A quarter cup chopped fresh cilantro.
Shredded string cheese (mozzarella).
Plain Greek Yogurt.
One baked sweet potato.
Water to cook the beans.

To make the base with the black beans, saute the chopped onions in olive oil. When they turn translucent, add the garlic, cumin and paprika. Saute for another minute and add the frozen black beans. Mix thoroughly,cover and cook on medium heat until the water from the frozen beans melts and the beans begin to cook. Now add some more water and salt to taste, cover and cook until the beans are fully cooked. Note that you do not want a lot of water in this bean dish, just enough to cook them. When the beans are thoroughly cooked, sprinkle the chopped cilantro leave and cover and allow to cool.

To serve, when the beans are just warm, heap about a half cup of the cooked beans on to half a baked sweet potato. To finish, serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

You can also use some oregano while cooking the beans or add some Chipotle peppers to the beans for a little more punch!

Happy eating.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Just to continue with my theme on soups and stews to pacify a cold, here is another recipe that combines the sweetness of butternut squash and the slight tartness of gala apples. Again, this recipe is a hit with little children and I tend to show my toddler all the ingredients that go into the soup, especially the apples. Yum, yum. Need I add that butternut squash, is an all time favorite with most little children? I use frozen butternut squash on most occasions, given that I have a ton of things to do around the house. I also am extremely loyal to a specific brand of frozen butternut squash, which was introduced to me by a friend and is produced by Stahlbush Island Farms. It is by far, the best frozen butternut squash that I have found in the grocery store.

For the soup, you will need:
A quarter large red onion, diced.
One bag of butternut squash.
Two small gala apples, cut, cooked.
1 tbsp butter.
Salt and black pepper to taste.
A handful of cilantro.
Two cups of water.

I normally cut the apples and cook them in very little water. I place the cut apples in a saucepan and cover them with enough water so that the apple pieces are just below the level of water.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan to just melt it. Now add the diced onions and saute them until they turn pink and translucent. Now add some black pepper, stir, and add the frozen butternut squash cubes. Mix the squash and the onions thoroughly. Pour about two cups of water into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Simmer, cover the saucepan, and cook until the squash begins to melt into the water. Remove the lid and add the apples, cooking for another two minutes or so. Finally add the salt and chopped cilantro. Let the soup cool. Blend it and transfer it to the saucepan again. Heat it before serving. Enjoy this refreshing soup with some toasted whole wheat bread!

Cauliflower-Onion Stew

Its flu season and everyone I know seems to have the sniffles! Being down with a bad bug is just awful and nothing makes me feel better than a hot bowl of soup or stew. Since I rarely eat chicken, I wanted to make a stew with vegetables that was full of the goodness of garlic and slightly on the spicier side to clear up the sinuses. So here is what I came up with, a simple stew made with cauliflower florets and onions. My little toddler ate it to, and asked for more. Here is the recipe and its super easy to make.

You will need:

One cauliflower chopped into florets.
Half a large onion, sliced.
Four cloves of garlic, crushed, sliced.
Sweet curry powder and bay leaves from Penzeys.
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Butter and olive oil to saute the onion slices.
One tbsp of brown rice flour mixed in a quarter cup of water.
Water to provide a base for the stew.

Use a large saucepan to saute the onions in about 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. First, add the olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add two bay leaves and the sliced onions. The onions should sizzle if the oil and butter are hot enough. Now saute the onions until they are transparent. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic and onion turn a nice golden  At this point, add the cauliflower florets, stir them to coat them with the onions and garlic and add about 4 cups of water to the pan. Bring it to a boil, simmer and cover the pan to cook the cauliflower florets until they are just tender. This is when you add the curry powder to your stew. I normally add about 1/2-1 tsp but I leave this to you, vary the proportion to suit your spice level. Also add salt and black pepper to taste. Finally, add the rice flour and water paste to the pan, stirring constantly so that no lumps form in the broth. Cover, cook until the stew thickens and serve hot with rustic pita bread.

A Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Are you always trying to get your toddler to eat vegetables? This vegetable pasta sauce is sure to get not only the little ones, but even grown-ups all excited about dinner. To make the sauce, you will need:

One yellow bell pepper chopped.
Two tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped.
Half of a large yellow onion, chopped.
One carrot, chopped.
One tbsp garlic powder.
One tsp fresh, ground pepper.
Two tbsp tomato ketchup.
One tsp of dried basil and oregano each.
Salt to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Two tbsp of olive oil/canola oil to saute.

Cook about two cups of whole wheat pasta and set aside. Reserve the water in which the pasta was cooked to add to the sauce. I normally add a dash of salt and olive oil to the water when I cook the pasta.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Once the onions turn translucent or are golden-brown, add the garlic powder and black pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped carrot and the bell pepper. Let the vegetables cook in the oil for about two minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, stir, cover and cook for another two minutes. The tomatoes should begin to cook. Lift the cover, add the basil and oregano. Stir thoroughly and add the ketchup. At this point you also want to add about 1/2 cup of the water in which you cooked the pasta. Cover and cook until the vegetables are cooked. Now add the salt and sugar. Cool, blend the sauce and transfer it again to the saucepan. Warm up this sauce and add the cooked pasta. Stir, serve hot!

You can add shredded cheese on top as an option. I prefer this pasta without cheese! A salad on the side and you have a meal. Scale up the ingredients for more servings. This recipe should suffice for a family of three, two grown-ups and a toddler if you have a side dish.

Enjoy.

Green Onion and Corn Soup

When I normally get back from work late, and have less than half an hour at hand to whip up a healthy meal, I often think soup. I had this inviting bunch of green onions in the refrigerator. So I got together some frozen corn kernels and before I knew it, I was making this soup.

You will need:
A bunch of green onions, finely chopped.
One cup of frozen corn kernels.
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar.
Soy Sauce.
Butter.
Finely chopped cilantro to garnish.

Saute the chopped green onions in some butter in a pan. Once wilted, add the corn kernels and saute some more. Now add 2 to 3 cups of water (adjust this amount depending on how much final liquid content you want in your soup) to the pan and bring it to a boil. Once the corn is almost cooked, add the salt, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce to taste. Cook for a few minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro and pair it with a hearty salad and a slice of bread from the local bakery!

Roasted Eggplant Bharit - A Yogurt Based Eggplant Dish

I remember this dish perfectly, my grandma used to make it often. Today, as I become more aware of various world cuisines, I am convinced that this is a wonderful way to eat eggplant. Okay, so this dish needs raw onions. So if you are not a big fan of raw onions, this dish is not for you. Note that white, mild onions are the best for this recipe. Also, this dish has a yogurt base which complements the onions and roasted eggplant really well. It pairs nicely with fresh phulkas. I think it will also work as a dip for baked whole wheat pita chips.

You will need:

1 roasted eggplant with the skin and most seeds removed. The browned and roasted flesh of the eggplant should be mashed. (I normally apply a coat of vegetable oil to the eggplant and then place it in the broiler. It roasts really well. The key, is to turn the eggplant every five minutes or so to roast it uniformly. When the eggplant is evenly roasted, the inner flesh will separate from the skin easily.)

1/2 a medium sized onion cut not too coarsely. (I used a red onion in this recipe. I would recommend a white onion. I did not have one at hand when I made this dish. I would also cut the amount of onion if the eggplant is small to about a quarter.)

1 tbsp chopped cilantro.

1/2 tsp of brown sugar.
salt to taste.
1/2-3/4 cup yogurt.

For the ghee (canola oil can be used as a substitute for ghee) tadka:

1 tsp ghee.
1 small green chilli.
1/4 tsp asafoetida.
1/2 tsp cumin seeds.

Mix the mashed eggplant and chopped onions in a serving bowl. Add the cilantro. Mix thoroughly.

Now, add the yogurt, salt and sugar. Mix and keep aside. In a copper bottomed, large sputtering spoon (a small kadhai will also do), heat the ghee (or oil). When hot, add the cumin seeds. Once they crackle add the asafoetida and green chili.



Now, pour this spice and chili mixture on the eggplant. Be careful because the ghee is hot and the yogurt is at room temperature. Some ghee may splash outward. Stir and serve immediately.



ENJOY!

Sweet Potato and Bell Pepper stuffed Whole Wheat Wrap

I am back with a whole bunch of new recipes. I will start off with a personal favorite, my take on a sweet potato enchilada that I had eaten in a restaurant in La Jolla, San Diego a couple of years ago. I cannot recollect the name of the restaurant, but the taste of the dish stayed with me. I tried to recreate it in my kitchen using very little cream, no baking and whole wheat wraps.

To stuff two large whole wheat wraps you will need:

1 large sweet potato (white), almost cooked and cut into 1/2 inch cubes or mashed.
1 cup chopped red bell peppers in thin strips.
1 teaspoon cumin powder.
1 teaspoon dried oregano.
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 tablespoon creme fraiche (I use the one from Trader Joe's).
A generous helping of Tabasco Smoked Chipotle Pepper Sauce.
Salt to taste
Grated Cheddar Cheese as per your taste.

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot (do not let it smoke, olive oil heats up pretty fast) add the cumin powder and oregano. Saute for about 30 seconds and then add the red bell pepper strips. Once the strips are cooked, add the sweet potato cubes and continue cooking for a minute or two. The red bell pepper strips will provide the necessary liquid to hold the vegetables together. At this point, add a generous helping of the Tabasco sauce. I like my stuffing to be spicy, if you like it mild, I would recommend a few drops of the sauce. Finally add the creme fraiche and cook for another minute or so.

Place the wheat wrap on a cast iron griddle to heat it evenly. Then add several spoonfuls of the above mixture to one half of the wrap. Top with the grated cheese.

Fold over the wrap and cut halfway thought the center. Serve with fresh salad.

ENJOY!