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Here we go again. This is another variation of my husbands favorite vegetable. I paired the cauliflower with it’s perfect mate- potatoes. Not sure why- but in Indian cuisine this pairing is classic- and it is my favorite so I guess I do know why it is so popular.

To change it up a bit, I cut the potatoes in large wedges and cauliflower in large florets.

In terms of the base flavor, I used ajwain which is a seed used extensively in India. The best way to describe the oval shaped seeds is that they are very close to thyme in flavor. Well, thyme is very mild compared to ajwain or carom seeds. This spice is heavier in taste and a lot more pungent. The flavor gets more rounded and a bit milder as they are cooked in oil or an oven. I love the flavor- a little goes a long way so if you do end up using it- be careful.

In case you don’t find the seeds, simply skip them. Use the recipe the same way and only use the cumin seeds. The dish will still be really good and delicious. I made this for a dinner we had with our neighbors. Everyone enjoyed it, especially you know who….

Click here for the recipe… »

This is my easy, quick ‘go to’ meal. I use the pink lentils which cook up in a matter of minutes and it is ready to eat. I made this for a friend who requested Indian food. She said she was satisfying her craving by going to Trader Joes and buying the boxed Indian meals- what??? I couldn’t let that one go- I think she knew I would be very disturbed by that comment and she was right. Even though I had no plans on making Indian food for our dinner together- I couldn’t help myself. I decided to make a chicken dish and these lentils.

I needed to serve a vegetable and to make it easy I decided to use baby spinach- that I had in my fridge- yet another great thing to keep in there all the time. It is handy for a quick salad or even a stir fry.

The lentils were done in about 15 minutes, I added the spinach and then heated some mustard and cumin seeds in oil and was done! The result was a delicious, healthy side dish that can be served with rice or bread.

I gave it to my daughter the next day and she didn’t even notice the spinach in it- I am not sure how that happened. The bright colored greens were quite apparent to me but I think because the dal was so delicious, she didn’t even care about the spinach.

Make the spinach dal next time you are short on time…

Click here for the recipe… »

It was a cold weekend and I was craving Indian food- not just any old Indian food but proper restaurant food. By that I mean, something like chicken tikka masala, some kebabs and dal makhani. We were out for dinner the night before and I don’t feel right going out two nights in a row. So, what should I do. I decided to make it at home.

I ran to Trader Joes and got some chicken thighs and marinated them as soon as possible. The key to very flavor kebabs or tikkas is to marinate over night- ideally. Since I thought this up in the morning, I wanted to marinate quickly to get 3 to 4 hours for the chicken to sit in the yogurt mixture and get happy. For the first time ever I used food coloring- I wanted the authentic look – the tikkas have a red color to them and yes it does come from food coloring. Usually I make my tikkas au naturale and like them the way they are but somehow that day I needed for them to look exactly how they do in a restaurant. The other thing I did different was to use my broiling pan- do you use it?? I usually forget I have it. It is perfect to use when broiling things like chicken that have a lot of moisture. The excess moisture seeps down to the bottom tray and you are left with dry on the outside, juicy on the inside chicken.  To make it easier I used wooden skewers. It makes it a lot quicker to flip the pieces if they are on a skewer.

Well, it resulted in fabulous chicken tikkas- which is a great base for this classic curry available at Indian restaurants everywhere. The sauce is very easy to make. I made mine quite healthy with very little half and half. The one you get outside is laden with heavy cream- that is why it is so yummy. Mine is yummy as well with very little fat. One main flavor is dried fenugreek. It gives the dish a very distinct flavor- it is optional but I would highly recommend it. It is available at any Indian grocery store.

I served mine with dal makhani and homemade tandoori rotis- it was DElicious.

Next time you feel like eating Chicken Tikka Masala- do try my version- you may never eat out again!

• 2 pounds boneless skinless thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 inches fresh ginger

Process the garlic and ginger into a paste and add to a medium sized bowl.

• ½ cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat broiler on high.

Add the yogurt, half and half, food coloring, lemon juice, coriander powder, salt, garam masala, cilantro and cashews into the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Mix well and add the chicken pieces. Marinate over night or at least two to three hours.
Take out the pieces out of the marinade and place them evenly onto the skewers. Broil on a broiling pan on high for 5 to 6 minutes on both sides or till the chicken is golden brown. Take the chicken out of the skewers and keep aside.

• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 cans (14 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup milk
• ¼ cup half and half
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds on medium high heat. Saute for a minute and add the ginger and garlic. Saute for another minute and add the tomato sauce. Add the milk, half and half, sugar, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and add half of the chicken pieces (the rest can be used for another recipe). Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the fenugreek and fresh coriander. Check for seasonings.

I was in Whole Foods and noticed pink Maine shrimp on sale. I immediately went to the fish counter and asked for a pound. I asked if I could get the shrimp cleaned. The guy informed me very politely he was very busy and apologized. I expressed my concern about the amount of time it will take me to clean the shrimp. He told me this kind only needs to have the shell taken off. I decided to take it home and he was right- it took me all of 15 minutes to take the shells off and I was done.

I got in the mood to make a delicious shrimp curry. I usually make one that has a variety of dry spices including cumin, peppercorns and fenugreek seeds. They are roasted and ground and used as the curry base. Coconut milk is added for the sweet nutty flavor.

We all love that particular dish but I wanted to make something different. I decided to make a paste out of white and green onions, garlic, cilantro and mint. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves- by far, my favorite flavors.

I quickly sauteed the pink shrimp – literally for a minute on each side and took them out. I like to leave the shrimp half done so they can cook up just right once I add them back into the curry. I sauteed the green paste with the mustard seeds, coriander seeds and curry leaves and added the coconut milk.

I made lemon rice with it and dinner was a bit hit. My daughter initially was not happy with the green colored gravy. Once she tasted it, she changed her mind- she had two bowls full with plain rice.

Overall- it was a successful attempt at a green coconut curry… I was very satisfied.

• 1 pound medium sized shrimp, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Green Curry

• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup mint, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 serrano chili, chopped
• ¼ cup water

Blend the cilantro, mint, green onions, white onion, garlic, ginger, chili and water till a smooth sauce.

• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
• 1 (14 ounces) light coconut milk
• Salt
• Juice of one lemon

Saute the shrimp on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes in a wok like sauce pan with the extra light olive oil. Take the shrimp out on a paper towel lined platter. Keep aside.

Reheat the wok like sauce pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute for a minute on high heat or till the seeds start to sizzle. Add the sauce and sauté on medium high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coriander seeds, salt and coconut milk. Mix well and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the shrimp, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste for seasonings. Serve with plain or lemon rice.

This is one of my favorite things to eat – okay, I know I say that a lot- but I really do have lots of favorites. This one is from my childhood and I make it a lot at home. I made chicken tikka masala and had left over chicken tikkas. I normally give my daughter the chicken pieces rolled in a tortilla or roti for lunch- she absolutely loves it. This time I wanted to save the chicken for kathi kebabs.

I already had cilantro chutney in the fridge. All I had to do is to make some fresh rotis and prepare the egg mixture.

In the past I would give my daughter the chicken in the roti without the egg. This time, I told her I would stuff the chicken pieces in an egg roti. She did not like that idea at all. She suggested I give her scrambled eggs on the side but I didn’t budge. I told her that is what she will be getting for dinner.

I prepared it for her and didn’t include the onion relish or the chutney. She had one bite and made a lot ‘yum’ sound. “This is delicious”, she said. I made her apologize for doubting me and having a closed mind. She smiled and said sorry.

This time I served the roll with sweet potato fries- they are my new obsession. I love the sweet inside with the smoky, savory exterior- they are delicious!

Try the kathi kebabs with any kind of filling- you will love them.

• Leftover chicken tikkas (you need about a quarter cup per kathi), cut into one inch pieces and keep warm
• 4 whole-wheat rotis
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Egg Mixture

• 4 eggs, beaten lightly
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper. Beat lightly and keep aside.

Onion Relish

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lime, juiced

• ¼ cup cilantro chutney

• 8 toothpicks

In a small bowl mix the onion, salt, cayenne pepper and limejuice. Keep aside.

In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil. Add one roti to the pan and heat both sides, about a minute on each side. Take out of the pan and add 1/3 cup of the egg mixture. Immediately top the egg mixture with the warmed roti.
Cook on medium high heat, till the egg is cooked at the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the egg roti and cook the other side for about a minute.

Place the egg roti on a serving plate and place the chicken pieces in the middle from top to bottom. Add about a tablespoon or more of the onion relish and the cilantro chutney.

Roll the roti and secure with two toothpicks.

Sweet Potato Fries

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick fries
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the fries on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and paprika. Mix well with your fingers and bake for about 45 minutes or till the fries are soft on the inside and crunchy and golden brown on the outside.