Spinach dip Christmas tree

Its always a great day when the whole family, both your childhood family and your grown up family comes together. It is always great if you can sit with people with whom you have shared the childhood and grown up. You know exactly what was funny in those days. What annoyed who and its amazing to see the young cousins playing together. Some day they will come together for holidays and cherish "this day" which will be long past.

The original recipe called for a pizza roll but I did not have it and all I had were Pillsbury Crescent rolls. So I used them. The original recipe is from itsalwaysautumn.com

Spinach dip Christmas tree

Ingredients

1. 1 can chopped baby spinach, squeezed out of water, as much as possible
2. 6 oz cream cheese softened
3. 2 bug garlic cloves chopped fine
4. 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, chilli powder
6. 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
7. 1/2 cup your fav cheese grated
8. 2 tablespoons butter
9. 1 tube refrigerated thin crust pizza or crescent roll

Mix all the ingredients together until creamy and smooth.

Unroll the crescent roll or pizza crust. Cut it into a triangle. Spread the spinach dip .

Lay the 2 pieces of triangles cut upside down and lay on it to cover the spinach dip.

Cut 1 inch strips leaving 1 inch in the middle intact.

Bake according to the package directions + 2 minutes. Enjoy

Spinach dip potato salad

I got these crab cakes the other day and I was looking for side dishes to go with them. And I found the best potato salad recipe to go with it.
The potato salad has spinach, black beans and artichoke. It is super filling and delicious on its own. The leftovers are awesome. The original recipe is here
So, my dinner was crab cakes, Spinach and artichoke dip potato salad and Orzo pasta


Spinach Artichoke Dip Potato Salad

Crab cake dinner with potato

Spinach with artichoke dip potato salad

Ingredients:

1. 11/2 pounds small red potatoes scrubbed clean or peeled
2. 4 oz baby spinach cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes
3. 4-oz or 1/2 package cream cheese, softened
4. 1/3 cup mayonnaise
5. 1/4 cup plain yogurt
6. 1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
7. 2 garlic cloves, minced
8. 1 teaspoon each of  dried Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10. 6 oz (mine was 81/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped), 2/3 jar
11. 3/4 cup chopped red onion
12. 1/2 cup cup black beans drained (optional)

Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes. Let them cool and chop.

Mix all the ingredients together and add the artichokes and black beans (if using).

Fold in the potatoes and enjoy 

Kaddu jhinga

Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals

So, this recipe is one of the dishes where I am trying to "Incorporate more veggies in my meals"

Kaddu jhinga (Bottle gourd with Shrimp Curry)

Kaddu Jhinga

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz large or medium shrimp peeled and deveined
2. 1 medium large bottle gourd peeled, cored and cubed
3. 1 cup chopped onions
4. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 teaspoon salt divided
6. 1 teaspoon turmeric divided
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder

Marinate the shrimp with 1/2 of salt and turmeric and set aside. In the mean time peal,core and cube the bottle gourd.

In a heated pan fry the shrimp for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

 Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions till they start changing to dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add the bottle gourd pieces and all the spices and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and enjoy with steamed rice

Squash Kheema

Kheema is nothing but ground meat...ground beef, ground lamb, ground chicken or ground turkey. Use whatever is your favorite ground meat for this recipe. It is super fast to cook and super great to serve with either rice or roti

Squash Kheema (Ground meat cooked with yellow squash)

Squash Kheema

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or finely chopped garlic
3.  1/2 lb ground meat (any kind)
4. 1 large or 2 small yellow squash or zucchini cut into 1 cm cubes
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder
6. 1/2 cup chopped onions

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they start getting dark brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the meat and cook with all the spices for 10 minutes. Add the squash or zucchini and cook for 7-10 more minutes. garnish with cilantro and enjoy with Chickpea Quinoa Rice

Quinoa Rice with Chick Peas

Quinoa being the latest fab here,people have been making different dishes with quinoa in it.
The latest is a one pot dish which is super simple to make and is super flavorful and delicious. So, here you go

Quinoa Rice with Chick Peas (Chickpeas cooked with rice and quinoa)

Chickpeas with rice and quinoa

Ingredients:

1. 1.5 cups long grain rice
2. 1/2 cup quinoa washed
3. 1/2 cup chopped onions
4. 1 heaped teaspoon finely chopped garlic
5. 2 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water
6. 1 can chickpeas drained
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, chilli powder
8. 1 teaspoon salt, coriander powder, sumac
9. 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onion till they start getting browned. Add garlic and stir well. Add rice and stir well for 2 minutes. Add the spices and mix well. Add the liquid and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the washed quinoa. Cook for 15 more minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir to combine. Garnish with more sumac if desired and enjoy

More Quinoa recipes
Quinoa pudding
Coconut Vegetable Quinoa
Quinoa Wheat Roti
Veggie Quinoa and Brown Rice
Chicken Quinoa Rice

Till ka khatta with Simple okra curry, okra fry

If you came here searching for "Till" or Sesame seeds recipe then you should also check out kaccha khatta . The kaccha khatta recipe is an amazing recipe and it is a staple in my house and this till ka khatta is an extension of it. I made a simple okra curry to go with it but I am also including my favorite okra fry recipe also.


 Simple okra curry (Okra stir fry with onions)

Okra curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb okra ends cut and cut into about 1 inch pieces
2. 1 medium small onion chopped
3. 1 green chilly chopped
4. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric
6. 2-3 tablespoons oil

Mix the plain yogurt into the okra pieces and set aside for 30 minutes (This step will prevent the okra from getting slimy)
In a pan heat oil and fry the onions till tender. Add all the powders and fry for a couple of minutes and stir. Add okra and stir to combine. Cook covered for 20 minutes stirring occasionally until okra is cooked. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or roti


Till ka khatta (Sesame powder cooked in tamarind juice)

Till ka khatta

Ingredients:

1. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds dry roasted and powdered
2. 1 tablespoons oil
3. 1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
4. 1 green chilly chopped
5. 1/4 teaspoon cumin
6. 3 cups of juice from tamarind the size of small lemon
7. 1 tablespoon each of cilantro, mint chopped fine
8. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
9. 2 red chillies broken
10. few curry leaves

Mix the sesame seed powder into onions, chilly pieces, cilantro and mint and add it to the tamarind juice and salt. In a pan heat oil and add cumin, red chilly and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add the tamarind water to it and bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes. Cut the heat and cover and set aside. Serve after an hour or so for better taste


Simple Okra fry (Fried okra with cumin)

Okra fry

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb okra ends cut and cut into 1 inch pieces
2. 3 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, chilly powder, turmeric
4. 1 teaspoon coriander powder

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin for 3-4 minutes. Add okra, cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Take care so as not to mash the okra. Add the rest of the ingredients stir and fry without covering for 10 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro and serve with with rice

Rajasthani Gatta Pulao

This is one of the very different pulao recipes. First of it has Gatte which are pieces of fried chick pea flour which have been boiled. Its is very different and quite awesome. My little fella just loved it and asked if he can pick up some form the rice and eat them, by themselves. That is a good sign.

Here is the original recipe

Rajasthani Gatte Pulao (Rice with Gatta and spices)

Rajasthani Gatta Pulao

Gatta (Boiled chick pea flour logs)
Ingredients:

1. 1 cup chick pea Flour (Besan)
2. 1/4 teaspoon each of  Asafetida,Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder 
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of Salt, Cumin Seeds , baking soda
4. 1/4 cup Yogurt
5. 2 tablespoons oil 
6. 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
7. Water, If Needed

Add asafetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin,  baking soda, yogurt, oil, Kasuri methi and knead into a stiff dough. Use water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into logs roll (wet your hands so that the dough doesn't stick to your palms)
Boil enough water in a pan. Add rolls to the boiling water and boil for 15 minutes.
Drain and set aside

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Basmati Rice, Cooked with salt
2. 1 teaspoon each of Cumin 
3. 2 tablespoon Oil+ 1 teaspoon oil
4. 1 Onion, Sliced 
5. 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder 
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt. 
7. Fresh Coriander Leaves Chopped
8. 2 tablespoons each of Peanuts, raisins
9. 1 medium carrot grated wide
10.  2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add onions and fry till they turn golden brown. Drain and set aide.
Heat the remaining  oil in the and add cumin and bay leaf and let them splutter. Add peanuts and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add shredded carrot and mix well. Add raisins and mix.
Add cooked gattas and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. Add the cooked rice, fried onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, and mix well. Cook covered on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander and enjoy With Raita and Ground meat curry

Rajasthani Kheema

Kheema or minced meat, if done right is great. Every country, every region in every country has thier own way of making dishes with minced/ ground meat. This recipe is from one of the states in India...Rajasthan. Here is the  original recipe

 Rajasthani Kheema (Ground meat cooked in spices)

Rajasthani Kheema

Ingredients:

1. 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2. 2 Green Cardamom
3. 1 inch Cinnamon
4. 2-3 Clove
5. 1 cup Onion Chopped
6. 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
7. 1 cup Tomato Chopped
8. 1/2 cup plain yogurtWhisked
9. 5-6 Green Chilli Slit Into half
10. 1 teaspoon each of 
11. 1/2 teaspoon each ofTurmeric Powder ,Black Pepper , salt, garam masala powder
12. 1 lb ground chicken or ground meat or ground lamb
13. 1/2 cup Mint Leaves Chopped
14. 2 tablespoons Kasuri Methi
15. 2-3 strands of  Greens onionsChopped
16. 2 inch Ginger Julienned
17. 2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Heat theoil in a pan. Add green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add onion and fry until slightly browned. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until golden brown. Now add tomato and yogurt and cook for 5  minutes.Add all the spices and mix well and cook for 2 more minutes

Add chicken keema and salt and cover and cook until it is cooked.

Now add kasuri methi, spring onion greens, ginger, lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve hot with any Indian bread or with Rajasthani Pulao

Another Kheema recipe

Aloo Mutter Kheema

Brussel Sprouts with Nuts and Cranberries

Its the Thanksgiving meal time again and the search for that perfect side dish continues and I think I found it this time.
Brussel Sprouts are alright...they are not one of my favs. But the recipe by Alton Brown was great. Everyone in the house loved it.

The original recipe has only pecans in it, but since I did not have enough pecans on hand, I added some walnuts to it and it was great. Also I reduced the amount of butter. SO here is my take

Brussel Sprouts with Nuts and Cranberries 

Brussel Sprouts with nuts and cranberries

Ingredients:

1. lb fresh Brussels sprout, rinsed and trimmed
2. 1/4 cup each of chopped pecans and walnuts, cranberries
3. 1-11/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground pepper

Half the Brussels sprouts and slice them. In a non stick pan toast the nuts on medium low until you smell the aroma...2-3 minutes.
Add the butter and stir to combine. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes.
Cut the heat, add the cranberries, mix to combine and enjoy

Lemon Rice

Lemon rice or yellow rice is one of those dishes which is served at South Indian weddings. It is an awesome dish and the most delicious. Its also made at many celebrations other than weddings.

This kind of rice which in another name translates to "sour rice" can also be made with other ingredients which are sour. Here are some more types of Pulihora or pulaharam

Tamarind Rice
Mango Rice
Gongura (Sorrel leaves) rice

Lemon Rice (Rice with lemon juice)

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups long grain rice cooked with salt and cooled
2. 1/3 cup vermicelli cooked (optional)
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1 tablespoon each of peanuts, cashew
5. 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, turmeric, Finely chopped ginger
6. handful of curry leaves
7. 2 dried red chillies
8. 3-4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Mix the cooked rice and vermicelli if using and add the lemon juice and mix. In a pan heat the oil and fry the peanuts for 2 minutes. Add all the other ingredients but ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and turmeric and fry for 1 more minute. Cut the heat out and add this to the rice and mix well. Give a taste test. Add more lemon juice and salt if desired. Enjoy Andhra Lemon rice

Chicken curry with Zucchini

I have said this multiple times but yet again I will write it again...I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables in my meals, so the chicken curry which is actually an impersonation of chicken karahi dish is with Zucchini's in it and it was super delicious.

Chicken curry with Zucchini (Chicken and zucchini Indian style)

Ingredients:

1. 1lb chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
2. 3/4 teaspoon salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilli powder, cumin seeds
4. 1 medium onion chopped fine
5. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1 bay leaf
7. 2 large tomatoes chopped fine
8. 1 large or 2 medium zucchini quartered and sliced
9. 1 tablespoon oil

Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin and bay leaf and let the cumin splutter. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the marinated chicken and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Add zucchini and cook for 7-8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with brown rice or like me serve with rice and quinoa

Pumpkin Chickpea stew

Its the season of the pumpkin...everywhere you go you see pumpkins. But the best things are those that have real pumpkin in them.

I make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and it is the most popular item on the table for desert. This time when I went grocery shopping there were these small pumpkins...I picked the smallest one which was still close to 2 lbs. The recipe is super great, but the biggest difficulty is peeling the pumpkin. But once you peel it, all the other things are pretty easy.

This is a Moroccan kind of a recipe and I served it with home made naan without yeast. And it is the best combination ever.

Pumpkin Chickpea stew (Chickpeas in coconut and pumpkin gravy)

Pumpkin chickpea stew

Ingredients:

1. 1 small pumpkin , close to 2 lbs, peeled and cubed
2. 1 medium small onion chopped
3. 2 large garlic pods
4. 1 inch ginger peeled and sliced
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
6. 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, crushed basil
7. 2 tablespoons raisins
8. 1 tablespoon toasted cashew and almond
9. Handful of baby spinach
10. 1 can garbanzo 
11. 1 can coconut milk
12. 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
13. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

In a stock pot heat the oil and add the onions and fry till they become translucent. Add the pumpkin pieces and garlic and ginger and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the broth and cover and cook for 20 minutes.

With an immersion blender, blend the pumpkin to puree. Add all the ingredients and stir to combine and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes. Serve as is or with your fav grains r with instant naan.

Note: For the soup, I added a bunch of baby spinach to a bowl and added the hot soup to it so that the spinach wilts a little. It is great.

Vegetable lamb pulao

There are a number of recipes for meat pulao and vegetable pulao and I have a few myself

Fenugreek Lamb Pulao
Chicken Pulao
Chinese Okra pulao

All of these are super delicious and the one I made today with meat and lots of vegetables is my new favorite. As usual, the thing which consumes the longest time is preparing the vegetables.

Go ahead enjoy this one pot dinner


Vegetable lamb pulao (Rice cooked with lamb and vegetables and spices)

Lamb and vegetable pulao

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups basmati rice
2. 1 lb lamb cut into bite size pieces
3.  1.2 cup each of yogurt, chopped carrot, peas, chopped potatoes, cauliflower florets, American eggplant peeled and chopped, 1/2 bell pepper of your choice of color, spinach leaves
4. 1 medium small onion sliced
5. 2 tablespoons oil divided
6. 2 cups chicken broth
7. 2 cups water
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin
9. 2 cardamom pods
10. 1 bay leaf
11. 2 cloves
12. 1 inch cinnamon bark
13. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
14. Heaped tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves

In a pressure cooker add 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they become dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minuet. Add eggplant and fry for 5 minutes. Beat the yogurt and add it to the cooker. Add all the spices and the lamb and cover and cook for 3-4 whistles.

In the mean time, wash and soak the rice in water. Prepare vegetables.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a wide heavy bottomed pan and add cumin and let it splutter. Add the cardamon, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon and fry for a minute. Add potatoes and cauliflower and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and fry for 5 more minutes. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Add the mint and cilantro and rice and the meat from the cooker to the pan. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Enjoy with raita

Grilled vegetable and chicken salad

Sunday evenings come too fast and before you know it, its time to wind up the weekend and get ready for a busy week. Its always great to have a dinner which is super fast to make and healthy and yummy to eat.

Grilled vegetables and chicken salad

Grilled Chicken and vegetable salad

Ingredients:

1. 2 chicken breast cut into bit size pieces
2. Ingredients for marinating chicken : 1 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning + 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 medium zucchini
4. 1 medium squash
5. 1 medium carrot
6. 1/2 red bell pepper ( 1 used 6 sweet peppers halved)
7. Ingredients for the vegetables : 1 teaspoon each of  1 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Rosemary, coriander powder + 2 tablespoons olive oil
8. 1 cup orzo pasta if desired...cooked to package directions

Cut the chicken into bit size pieces and add all the ingredients in #2 and set aside for 15-30 minutes.

Cut all the vegetables into bite size pieces and lay on a baking sheet and add all the ingredients in #7.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the vegetables on the lower rack and chicken in the middle rack for 25 minutes. Stir mid way.

Take the vegetables out and bake the chicken for 5 more minutes.

Serve with orzo if desired or just vegetables and chicken if a sprinkle of cheese 

Blueberry breakfast cake in cup

Cake in a cup :D ...Cup Cake

Few months ago I made /blueberry breakfast cake which is awesome and my family loves it. Its a great make ahead breakfast but then I found this recipes of "Blue Berry mug cake on MyFoodStory.com and it is great and making things super fast...I am all for it.

I made teeny tiny modifications to the original recipes and it is great...super yummy and super fast to make.

Blueberry Breakfast/Dessert Cake in Cup

Blueberry cake in a cup

Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon butter
2.  2 tablespoons each of sugar, milk
3.  1/2 teaspoon each of rose essence or vanilla, baking powder
4.  1/4 cup all purpose flour
5. 1 teaspoon cream cheese cut into little cubes
6. Handful of blueberries

Melt the butter in the cup and mix it with sugar milk and vanilla or rose essence. Add the flour to it along with a tiny pinch of salt and baking powder and mix well. Top with cream cheese and blue berries and microwave it on high for 1 minute to 1 minute 10 seconds. Let it cool a bit and enjoy 

Chinese style soya chunks stir fry

Soya chunks or imitation meat as they were sometimes called in India are yummy. But you would have to know how to cook them. I have eaten some pretty delicious dishes made with them. Today I made Chinese style soya wadi stir fry and it turned out great

Chinese style soya chunks stir fry(Soya chunks cooked with Chinese flavors)

Chinese style soya chunks stir fried

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup soya chunks, added to boiling water and boiled for 3 minutes and set aside for 5 more minutes. 
2. 1/2 bell pepper cut into chunks
3. 1 medium small red onion chopped
4. 1 tablespoon  corn starch
5. 1 tablespoon each of soya sauce, white vinegar
6. 2 tablespoons tomato keychup
7. 3 tablespoons oil divided
8. 2 big cloves of garlic
9. 2 green onions chopped

Drain the soya chunks and when they are a little cooler squeeze as much water as possible. Mix in the  corn starch and set aside.

Mix the vinegar, soya sauce and ketchup and set aside

In a pan add half of the oil and fry the soya chunks on medium high heat for 10-12 minutes. Stirring occasionally until they become crispy. Drain and set aside.

IN the same pan add the remaining oil and fry the onions and bell pepper on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Garnish with green onions and cilantro if desired and enjoy with fried rice

Cabbage egg salad

I was making my special egg curry and I was slicing cabbage for the same and the cabbage looked sooooo fresh and yummy to eat. So I decided to make egg salad for myself with cabbage and it was great. More than me, my mini me finished it.

This one is perfect for a one person meal and it is super fast to make, super great to eat and healthy

Cabbage egg salad

Cabbage egg salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage
2. 2 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped 
3. 1 tablespoon each of olive oil mayo, dijon mustard, honey mustard, sour cream
4. 1 teaspoon poppy seeds or papitas
5. 1-2 stalks of green onions chopped
6. 1 tablespoon raisins
7. 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and fresh ground black pepper
8. 1 teaspoon lemon juice if desired

Mix all the ingredients together except eggs. When all ingredients are mixed well, add egg and raisins and combine with a gentle hand. Freeze until ready to use or eat immediately 

Simple crispy roasted cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower is one of the best recipes in case you season the cauliflower well otherwise its just BLAH. This recipe is my second recipe for roasting and it makes the cauliflower more crispy than the other roasted cauliflower recipe

Note: I did not use any turmeric or any other ingredients which give color to my dish. I used the yellow cauliflower instead of white as I was feeling bored of white cauliflower

Simple crispy roasted cauliflower

Crispy roasted cauliflower

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium small cauliflower (any color you prefer) ( I used Yellow cauliflower) cut into florets
2. 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 heaped teaspoon corn starch
4. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6. 1 tablespoon each of soya sauce, white vinegar
7. 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together.

Bake at 400 degrees oven (mine was a black baking sheet, so I baked at 345 degrees) for 40 minutes. Turn the cauliflower mid way. Enjoy

Also try Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

Cherry Rhubarb squares

This week was the first week of school and my son's project was to try 3 new things which he never tried before. It gave me an opportunity to try something which I have been thinking of trying for a very long time...Rhubarb.

The Rhubarb I got was not crimson or red but was mostly green and about 1/3 of the bottom was a mix of red and green. But none the less I got it and made it into the cherry Rhubarb squares, which started flying off the baking sheet even before I could take a picture. It is great. Only thing is I used a little bit more cherries than in the recipes cause I had some leftover cherries getting close to their end of life

Cherry Rhubarb squares

Cherry Rhubarb squares

Ingredients:

For the Crust and Topping

1. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup finely ground pistachios
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 tsp. baking powder
5. 1/4 tsp. salt
6. Zest from 1 lemon
7. 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
8. 1 egg
9. 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Filling

1. 2 stacks rhubarb sliced
2. 2 cups cherry halves (stemmed and pitted)
3. 1 tablespoon corn starch
4. Juice from 1/2 lemon

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. 
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mix them together to form a crumbly mixture. (I used 2 tablespoons whole mix as the mixture was very dry)
In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb, cherries, corn starch and lemon juice. Set aside.
Transfer about two-thirds of the dough into your prepared 9x13 baking pan. Press it down firmly into an even layer. Then spread the fruit mixture in a single layer over top. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the fruit.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy with whipped cream or as is 

Sesame Celery

Celery sticks are one amazing vegetable. They are salty and delicious with a side of ranch. But this amazing trick makes them super delicious and I served it as a vegetable dish for one of the game days

Sesame Celery

Sesame coated Celery

Ingredients

1. 3 sticks of Celery washed and cut into 6 inch long stick. Cut lengthwise to 2 or 3 sticks each
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4. Black pepper Ranch for serving

Put the celery sticks in a bowl and toss with soy sauce Then toss in sesame seeds and toss to coat. Serve with a side of ranch
 

Peach cobbler

Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler with ice cream

Peach cobbler

Ingredients for peach filling

1. 6 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges or cut into chunks
2. 1/4 cup white sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg
4. 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5. 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Ingredients for topping:

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup each of white sugar, brown sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
7. chilled water as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, combine peaches, with all the ingredients in the filling. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

In a  bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping and cut in butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers. Add water until just combined.
Remove peaches from oven, and sprinkle or spread the topping evenly all over . Bake for about 30 minutes until topping is golden brown

Serve warm as is or enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream

Deep fried Cod fish

I usually do not prefer deep fried fish. It feels very oily no matter what. But this recipe of deep fried
cod fish has no egg in  the batter and I really like it.
Serve it with coleslaw and you have a delicious dinner.

Deep fried Cod fish 

Deep fried Cod fish 

Ingredients:

1. 3 cod fish fillets cut into 2 inch pieces (about 12)
2. 1.5 cups all purpose flour
3. 1 teaspoon baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper
5. 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk to make a thinner pancake like batter
6. Oil for deep frying

for sprinkling over fish: 

1. 1 teaspoon each of salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Wash and pat dry the fish. Mix the ingredients for sprinkling and sprinkle it over the fish on both side andset aside.
Mix all the ingredients for the batter and set aside for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil. Dip the fish in the batter and drop into the hot oil carefully. Fry for 5 minutes on medium and flip and fry fry few more minutes until the fish is nice and golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and enjoy with tartar sauce or ketchup

Nimki

In the olden India there used to be sweet stalls...these are like small mom and pop bakeries which sold savory snacks and sweets. In the evening, during the tea time you could go and get hot snacks and all day long there will be other savory snacks which are great any time. Nimki, nammak para or I don't know the other million names this snack has, but these used to be my family's favorite.

So when my dear brother was visiting I found a recipe for this and made them. They were so delicious and so easy to make.
I will definitely be making them more often

Nimki (Salty snacks)

Nimki (Namak Para)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup oil
3. 1 teaspoon salt (or less)
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of kalongi (onions seeds), ajwain
5. oil for deep frying

Add the salt and the seeds to the flour and mix well. Add the oil and mix so that that oil and flour
get incorporated  well together. Add water little by little until the dough comes together. Cover and set aside
for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in  a pan.
Roll the dough about 1/3 inch thick and cut it into cubes.
When the oil is hot, add some nimki to the oil and reduce the heat to medium and fry them until they become golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and enjoy

Mango Coconut loaf cake

Coconut is one of the top favorite ingredients of my family. Any recipe remotely tasting or smelling of coconut will be gobbled up in minutes. So this loaf cake is a natural favorite of my family and its super easy to make. I made it and in the first 10 minutes of its life on the kitchen counter it has already been reduced to half its original size😋

Mango Coconut loaf cake(Cake with mango pulp and coconut)

Mango Coconut loaf cake

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all purpose flour
2. 1 cup mango pulp
3. 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
4. 1/4 cup coconut flakes
5. 3/4 cup sugar
6. 1 stick butter softened
7. 11/2 teaspoon baking powder
8. 3 small or 2 large eggs
9. pinch of salt

Prepare a loaf pan and pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add one egg at a time and continue to beat. Add coconut milk and coconut pulp and mix well. 

Sift together the salt, flour and baking powder. 

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the rest and the coconut flake and mix until combined.

Add the batter to the loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Let it cool and enjoy

Thai red mushroom curry

The red and yellow Thai curry pastes you get in the super markets are life savers when you want to make something different and do not have the ingredients like "lemon grass". And when you have these pastes its pretty easy to make Thai curries. By no means I will say they can compete with the real thing but they are still pretty awesome and delicious

Thai Red Curry Mushroom (Mushroom and other veggies cooked in red curry flavored coconut milk)
Ingredients

1. 16 oz button mushrooms sliced
2. 1 14 oz can coconut milk
3. 1 chicken bouillon or substitute water or veggie broth
4. 1 big or 2 small garlic pods chopped fine
5. 1 tablespoon each of oil, red curry paste, fresh squeezed lemon juice
6. 1 zucchini halved length wise and sliced
7. 1 bell pepper (your fav color chopped)

In a pan heat the oil and fry the thai curry paste for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms ad zucchini and fry on high for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat and add the garlic and bell pepper and stir well. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro and serve over brown rice

Eggplant and Lima beans curry

Lima beans are one of my favorite legumes and my most favorite curry with lima beans is eggplant and lima beans. This dish is one of the most easily made dishes and the most delicious. And it is so versatile that you can add lamb or shrimp to it and have a meat-ful option

Eggplant and Lima beans curry (Eggplants and Lima beans cooked in spices)
Ingredients:

1. 2 large Chinese eggplants or one Medium American eggplant (peeled) and cubed
2. 1 medium onions chopped
3. 1 tomato chopped
4. 1 can baby lima beans drained
5. 1 teaspoon each of ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, chilli powder
7.  1 tablespoon olive oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin till they start spluttering. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add eggplant and all the spices and cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium high. Add lima beans and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Fruit bits Pistachio biscotti

Biscotti are easy to make and they are super delicious and ofcourse our beloved coffee shop charges us ridiculous amounts for this (If you know who I am talking about!!!)

My brother is a daily customer to his coffee shop and he loves them. He is visiting me and I am making these for him. And my family loves them and I do too. They are super delicious. Make them and impress your own family

Fruit bits Pistachio biscotti

Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all purpose flour
2. ¼ cup olive oil
3. ½ cup sugar
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 2 large eggs
6. ¼ teaspoon salt
7. 1 teaspoon baking powder
8. ¼ cup fruit bits (these are available in Indian stores) or use cranberries
9. 1-1.5 cups pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degress

In a bowl mix the liquid ingredients and add the eggs to it and mix well. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the flour with salt and baking powder and mix. Add the fruit bits and pistachio and mix it.

On a baking sheet add the dough and make a log. The width of the log is your biscotti’s length. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Cut the log into biscotti’s ¾ inches thick and lay them side ways. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 275 degrees. Let it cool and enjoy

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium cauliflower cut into medium florets
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1 bell pepper any color you like cut into 1 inch cubes
4. 3 medium cloves garlic chopped
5. ¼ cup peanuts roasted
6. 1 teaspoon Sichuan (regular) peppers or numbing peppers
7. 2-3 dried red chillies

Stir fry sauce

1. 1 tablespoon each of vinegar, soya sauce
2. 1 heaped tablespoon corn starch
3. 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
4. ½ cup water
5. ½ teaspoon each of salt, black pepper
6. 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all the ingredients for sauce mix and set aside.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the Sichuan peppers and red chillies for a minute. Add cauliflower and fry covered for 5-7 minutes, until they become a little tender. Add bell peppers and garlic and fry for few more minutes. Add the sauce and stir well to combine. Add roasted peanuts and garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Chicken 65

This Chicken 65 recipe is super simple to make and super delicious and it will fly off the table like a bird with wings

Chicken 65 Dry (Shallow fried chicken)

Chicken 65

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons corn starch

2-3 tablespoons rice flour

2-3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon each of vinegar, soya sauce

Handful of curry leaves

2 big or 3 medium garlic pods chopped

2 thai green chillies or serrano peppers chopped

Red onions chopped (optional)

Ingredients for Marinade:

1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon each of turmeric, lemon pepper or regular pepper, red chilli powder

¾ teaspoon salt

Marinade the chicken with the ingredients in marinade and set aside for for atleast 45 minutes. Add the rice flour and corn flour and stir to coat well .

In a non stick pan heat the oil and add the chicken in one layer and on medium low flame fry the chicken  for 10 minutes. If using onions add onions around 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, chillies and curry leaves and stir well and fry for 1 more minute. Add vinegar and soya sauce and  stir well. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy immediately

Shrimp Fajita Pasta

Living in Los Angeles you are introduced to the myriad of Mexican recipes. And my favorite of them all where the dishes which had a ton of sauce in them. And the next favorite were fajitas.  The dish I made today is with Pasta and it us super saucy and delicious

Shrimp Fajita Pasta (Pasta in enchilada sauce with Shrimp)

Shells with Shrimp Fajita

Ingredients:

1. 16 oz frozen shrimp thawed, peeled and deviened
2. 1/2 can black beans
3. 2 cups small pasta like small shells or dittalini
4. 2 tablespoons oil divided
5. 1 bell peppers chopped into 1 inch cubes
6. 1 medium onion chopped fine
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, , garlic powder, black pepper, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, Finely chopped garlic
8. 1 cup enchilada sauce, plus extra if desired

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and chilli powder and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Fry the shrimp and cook until the shrimp curl up and cook through. About 5 minutes. Drain and set aside

In the same pan add the remaining oil and fry the onions and bell pepper until they start changing color. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add black beans and enchilada sauce and everything else and mix well. Add cooked pasta and lower the heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and mix well. Top with cheese and serve

Carrot pulihora

As any other mother I am always trying to sneek-in some vegetables into my meat eater's diet. He loves the plain old tamarind rice or yellow rice or pulihora. So I am startng to make it with different vegetables. Today it is with Carrot and it is super delicious and healthy

Carrot pulihora (Rice with carrots cooked in tamarind juice)

Carrot pulihora

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups rice cooked according to directions
2. 2 cups finely grated carrot
3. 3 tablespoons oil
4. 1 handful each of cashew pieces and peanuts
5. 1-2 tablespoons sliced onions
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, asafoetida, salt, turmeric, finely chopped ginger
7. 1 teaspoon each of urad dal, chana dal (soaked for 10 minutes), sesame seeds
8. 1 big or 2 green chillies chopped, few curry leaves, 2 dried red chillies
9. Cilantro for garnish
10. 1 cup of thick juice from 1 lemon sized tamarind

*Soak the tamarind in warm water and get the juice


In a pan heat the oil fry the peanuts for two minutes. Add cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, cashew pieces and let them splutter. Add onions, ginger and carrots and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tamarind juice and cook for 5-7 minutes on high till oil floats on top.  Now add rice and mix well. Garnish with cilantro and let it cool a bit and enjoy