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These burgers hold a special place in my heart- why you ask- well, because this was the first time my daughter started eating burgers! She does not like sandwiches- they only one she will eat is a jam sandwich. I don’t make it for her very often since it offers hardly any food value.

I made this for a barbecue and she had been outside playing all day and came in completely famished and ready to pounce on dinner. I had planned on giving her grilled sausages with corn since I knew she was not keen on the hamburgers- but surprise, surprise- she picked up a burger and started eating it.

I made these simply with ground turkey, ginger and some fresh mint and cilantro. I flavored them with salt and garam masala. I also whipped up a quick cilantro mayonnaise with lots of fresh cilantro, green onions and lemon juice. It is amazing how much different a few key ingredients can make a huge difference- the mayo was delicious.

My daughter had the burger with baby spinach but no mayo. She loved it and announced that she will be eating burgers from now on. I am thrilled- yet another food group had been added to her vast collection.

Try these burger this weekend- they are quick, easy and delicious…
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I made these a few weeks ago for a barbecue we were having. I decided to make these seekh kebab to serve as appetizers with some shrimp. I love making seekh kebabs since they are so simple and full of flavor.

I kept it real simple for these particular ones. The two main ingredients I added were ginger and mint. I love the two aromatics together- they make anything taste delicious.

I of course started with ground turkey meat. You can use ground pork or lamb but since turkey meat is healthier- I always use that.

I simply marinated the meat with ginger, mint, cilantro, coriander powder and garam masala. I beat an egg for binding and some salt- thats it. It is great for this mixture to sit for a few hours if not over night (that would be ideal). It is amazing what a difference over night makes- the seekh kebab come out a lot more flavorful.

I have extra long metal skewers which I used to make the seekh kebabs on the grill outside. It doesn’t take very long for the meat to cook and so they were done in no time. I served them with some mint chutney and it was a wonderful appetizer.

You could serve in hot dog or any other kind of buns and make a meal out of them. Drizzle some mint chutney on top and maybe some onions and you have a fabulous sandwich.

Try the ginger and mint seekh kebab for your next barbecue….
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My daughter was complaining to me the other day about missing chicken nuggets. She claimed not to remember the last time she had them. In my mind- that is a good thing. I explained to her chicken nuggets are for younger kids and especially for those who are a bit picky and don’t like to eat anything else. It didn’t make her feel better and asked me to buy some.

I convinced her to let me make her some instead and she agreed.

I have made chicken cutlets in the past that she has enjoyed. I almost always use panko bread crumbs to add the crunch- plus I always bake them and never fry.

For these- I decided to add an Indian spin to them. I marinated the chicken tenders in garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. All these ingredients gave the chicken super flavor- I was already to a good start.

Next I prepared the breading. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves to the panko breadcrumbs to add great flavor.  I added turmeric, salt and coriander powder to the flour. All in all it was a lot of deliciousness going on with all the spices.

My daughter was watching me as I was putting the cutlets together and was not happy with the way they looked- especially the green curry leaves. As usual, I convinced her to try them and she was thrilled- she loved them. She claimed the chicken reminded her of popcorn! I served the chicken with the tomato rice and it was a delicious meal…
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This is a great snack or meal idea for when you have leftovers. In this case, I had keema or ground meat cooked in delicious spices. We had a great meal with fresh rotis and some lentils.

It was one of those crazy busy days and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal. I did have the leftover keema but not enough for another meal.

I decided to use it for another quick meal. Quesadillas and pizzas come to mind when I think of using up leftovers. I had a carton of tomatoes which I roasted simply with olive oil and salt. I put the tomatoes through a food mill (or a processor) and made a quick sauce. I used the sauce as the first layer on a whole wheat tortillas. I then topped it with the keema, cheese and some pickled jalapenos. I topped the ensemble with another tortilla and cooked it till the quesadilla was crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.

I served it with a salad and some wine- perfect evening…
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This is one of my favorite dishes to eat. I usually order the chicken curry at restaurants and always thought it would be too complicated to make it at home.

I finally got super curious and decided to make this on my own. I did a lot of research online and finally came up with this recipe- plus I think I made it simple as well.

To start with I marinated chicken thighs in lime juice and salt. While the chicken sat, I roasted coriander, cumin and fennel seeds. Dried red chilies, cinnamon, cloves and dried coconut were added as well and ground into a coarse powder. The next step was to saute onions, ginger and garlic with tomato sauce. Of course before I added the aromatics, I added my favorite ingredient- curry leaves. I like everything with curry leaves..

This dish does have a few steps but the end result is definitely worth all the work. Everyone loved it- especially my husband who loves South Indian food. You should definitely make this one- it is a winner…
Click here for the recipe… »