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I guess I will continue the cabbage and cauliflower theme this week. Cauliflower is everywhere right now- big, snowy white, beautiful!

We were in town and a local restaurant was selling farm fresh vegetables. The cauliflower was calling my husband from a mile away. We bought the biggest one we could find and brought it home.

We were having some people over and I was making vegetarian food- what does one make for an appetizer??? Well, grilled or tandoori cauliflower, of course!!

I mixed up a tandoori paste which included ginger, garlic, cilantro and Greek yogurt. I blanched the cauliflower and marinated the florets in the delicious paste. I had time and marinated them overnight. If you don’t have the luxury, marinate them for at least 2 to 3 hours..

Try this next time you are stumped on what to make for a vegetarian appetizer…
Click here for the recipe… »

So, after I made the cabbage dish, I had quite a bit of it leftover in the fridge. I thought of serving it again a few days later but somehow wanted to transform the vegetable into something else. Cooked cabbage tends to be mushy- which is fine but that is what I don’t like about it. I decided to do something about it and change it up into something crunchy and even more delicious.

What do you do with delicious leftovers?? You make fritters, of course! I decided to add an egg, peanuts, raisins and the secret ingredient- panko breadcrumbs. I love using these Japanese breadcrumbs. They provide a delicious crunch in everything.  I incorporated everything and cooked them in a non-stick pan with a bit of oil.

The crunchy fritters were delicious- the chopped raisins provided a surprise burst of sweetness and the peanuts were crunchy. It was amazing to transform the cabbage into delicious fritters. Now I can’t wait to make the cabbage again so I can eat the fritters again!
Click here for the recipe… »

This is one my husbands favorite vegetable. Basically if I make cauliflower and cabbage everyday- he would be happy. I love cauliflower as well but cabbage.. not so much. It is not that I don’t like cabbage, I just don’t seek it out. If someone cooks it for me, I will eat it but I don’t think of making it.

So, while we were food shopping together, he reminded me of how I have not made cabbage in a long time. We bought some cabbage and I decided to come up with this recipe. It is not an original- you will find such a preparation in South Indian restaurants.

It starts with a mixture of some delicious spices- cumin, coriander, mustard and fennel seeds. I roasted and ground them up. This mixture gives the dish a fantastic flavor along with the curry leaves and shredded coconut. Any vegetable with all that flavor will come out delicious…

Try this preparation next time you have cabbage in your fridge…
Click here for the recipe… »

This is another sweet dish to enjoy for Diwali this week. I made this last year and it was a huge success… here is the post.. enjoy!

This was the first time I attempted an Indian confection. I really enjoy eating them, but somehow never made them at home. I would either buy them or my Mom would make them for me. She would tell me how easy they are to make but I never seemed interested.

This time, I decided to give it a try and see what the fuss was all about. Well, it is quite simple to make. All you need is chickpea flour, butter or ghee and nuts. You have to saute the flour in ghee for a bit – kind of like risotto. Once the flour is similar in color to milk chocolate, you add the sugar and any other flavorings you like. The mixture is smoothed onto a platter and refrigerated. Once it is set, cut it up and serve.

Try something different this New Year, your guests will love it…
Click here for the recipe… »

Diwali- Indian New Year is on Wednesday this week. For those who are not familiar with the holiday- there is just one thing you need to know- it a fabulous time to eat good food including something sweet.

Regardless of  where you live in India or what tradition you follow, it is a day to eat sweets and spend time with your family and friends.

We usually get together with family and eat lots of delicious food. As I just mentioned, one of the traditions is to eat something sweet.

I had this sweet rice recipe which I thought would be perfect to eat on such an occasion. Actually it is ideal for breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee.

I grew up eating this delicious rice flavored with jaggery, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and cumin seeds. It has an amazing nutty flavor. In this recipe I have used brown sugar instead- just to make it more accessible. I love eating this rice hot with a dollop of low fat tangy yogurt- it is delicious.

Try this one- it has an amazing flavor…
Click here for the recipe… »