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This is a delicious lentil dish. I tried something similar at a South Indian restaurant we were eating at the other day. Since my husband grew up in the South of India- he loves the cuisine and we end up going out for it once in a while. Actually, he would like to go out for it more often than we do- but my daughter refuses to go every time we suggest a restaurant. She does not care of South Indian food as much- which really disappoints my husband.

Anyway, I really enjoy the food and do try to replicate it at home as much as possible.

This particular dish is different than the regular lentil dishes I normally make. The lentils are dry instead of in a soupy consistency. I cooked them till they were just soft and not mushy. I then mixed the lentils with a cooked mixture of spinach, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onions and ginger. Once all the ingredients were mixed together- I added coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves.

The dish was full of flavor and was perfect with some homemade rotis. We all enjoyed this well-balanced meal. It was simple, healthy and delicious.
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This is a super quick, healthy dish- oh, and it is a one pot meal. I feel like taking a bow to the applauding audience- yes, I realize no one is applauding- but I feel like they should.

It was one of those days when I had no time and no ideas swimming around in my head. I took out two chicken breast from the freezer and in order to make it really simple, I spiced them with salt and garam masala. Garam masala is made with any where between 5 to 15 spices- depending on who is making it. Since I make my own, it is super flavorful, filled with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

I sauteed the chicken pieces and then used the same pan to cook onions and garlic and more garam masala. I added some tomatoes, chicken broth with the rice and tossed in a whole bag of baby spinach.  I sliced the chicken pieces and introduced it to the rice and spinach and came up with a wonderful dish.

The busy day ended with a well-balanced, one pot meal and I had only one pot to clean after making the dinner- perfect.

Make this rice dish when things are crazy and you have no time to spend in the kitchen….
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I grew up eating this delicious goat dish. It is one of the more popular Kashmiri dishes served in Indian restaurants all over.

I have this memory of a cousin cooking this dish and I remember it taking a long time. Since then I have thought this goat preparation to be extremely difficult and time consuming.

Well, it isn’t really true- at least the version I made- sure, it has a few more steps than what I normally post but the end result is totally worth it.

The meat is marinated in yogurt and a few very aromatic spices including cloves, cumin, fennel and asafoetida. The combination of these spices remind me of a Kashmiri restaurant- they all smell delicious…

The meat is then cooked in chicken broth and ginger powder. There are no onions, garlic or tomatoes in this dish but the spices used lend a delicious aroma and taste to this stew like preparation.

Rogan josh tastes delicious simply with some naan or homemade rotis. I can’t get enough of this delicious dish. Everyone loved it including my daughter. The only problem was- there were no leftovers- we ate up the whole thing in one sitting….
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Here we go- I have yet another recipe for cauliflower. I am afraid very soon I will run out of ideas to make this vegetable. As I have mentioned many times before, my husband can eat this veggie 24/7. He never gets enough of it. So, I am always looking for new ways to make cauliflower.

I made this particular one with mustard seeds and curry leaves- they are the dominating flavors in the dish. It is one of my favorite combinations to cook with. I love the nuttiness of the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. I usually pair them with ginger and lots of coriander powder. It always results in a delicious dish no matter what it is.

I served it with freshly made rotis and we had a delicious meal. Please help me out with other cauliflower recipes- do you have a favorite?
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I made this meal on a Monday- the beginning of the  week is extremely busy for me. I have lots of chores and my daughter has piano and ballet back to back. By the time we get home it is six o’clock and she is famished and wants dinner right away. I try to have something ready for her as we enter the house. I mostly make something ahead of time and heat it up as we walk in.

I bought fresh raviolis and green beans from the super market and I already had fresh tomato sauce in the fridge. I decided to cook the raviolis simply in the tomato sauce and serve them with the green beans sauteed in basil pesto- yes I had pesto in the fridge as well.

It was an easy and fast meal. I sauteed the beans in a little olive oil and cooked them till they were tender with a crunch. I then added the pesto and turned the heat off. It was a simple side dish with a lot of flavor.

I cooked the raviolis in lots of salted water (fresh pasta takes all of a few minutes to cook) and transferred them over to the simmering tomato sauce- thats it.. dinner was ready.

I love taking help from the store when it comes to fresh pasta. It is great to make it at home but obviously it is a bit time consuming and definitely not conducive for a weeknight meal.

It was a quick dinner followed by bedtime for my daughter and a glass of wine for me once she was down.
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