Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

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… »

I can’t think of a better way to use up a bunch of left over vegetables in the fridge. I had half a cauliflower head, yellow and red pepper, asparagus and most importantly, I had green onions. I love using them for their mild oniony flavor and beautiful green color.

I doused the cauliflower florets with some tamari and roasted them. I then sauteed the vegetables with ginger and garlic. I went through my pantry and hoisin sauce stood out. I added some rice vinegar and honey to finish off the sauce.

It was simple, quick and most of all delicious. It was a perfect pairing with the sausage fried rice. My daughter ate all the vegetables except the peppers- she does not like them. I have learnt to pick my battles with her. She is such a good eater and everyone is allowed not to like a few things.

Next time you have left over vegetables, try this delicious stir fry.
Click here for the recipe… »

This side dish was served with the ma po tofu I whipped up for my husband the other day. I am always looking to serve broccoli in different ways- especially because it is the most popular vegetable with kids. It is also quite versatile. I can chop it up small and use it for fried rice or I can just broil it simply with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

I find most parents boil the broccoli for their kids. I find roasting vegetables brings out the natural sweetness in them and makes them yummier. We invested in a small toaster/convection counter top oven a few years ago. It is super handy. I use it for breakfast to make toast; for lunch to bake a quick fish fillet and for dinner to roast vegetables. Since it has a convection button as well- things cook much faster. It is very convenient and I don’t have to heat my big oven for a small job. The broccoli tastes delicious roasted in the oven.

For this dinner, since I was making a tofu and turkey stir fry, I needed a side of vegetables. Blood oranges are in season and are in abundance at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I had a whole bunch sitting on my kitchen counter and I decided to use that as a base for this quick side dish. I mixed fresh blood orange juice (which is the most delicious thing I have ever had-  a sip takes me back to last summer in Umbria), tamari and a bit of honey and of course some garlic. I reduced the sauce a bit to transform it into a glaze. I roasted the broccoli half way and then poured the glaze on top. You can substitute regular oranges in this dish. I would top the broccoli with some orange zest and it will be delicious.

The broccoli was delicious and a bit different. What I liked about it was that it was easy and quick yet flavorful and most importantly got a thumbs up from my daughter.

Next time you want to cook broccoli for dinner roast it the oven and pour a blood orange and tamari glaze.
Blood Orange Glaze

• Juice 3 to 4 blood oranges- should yield 1/3 to ½ cup juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced

Bring the blood orange juice, honey, tamari and garlic cloves to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes till the juice thickens and reduces to a ¼ cup. Taste for seasonings and keep aside.

• 3 cups broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Roast the broccoli mixed with the olive oil and salt in a 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes or till it becomes soft. Take out of oven and pour the glaze over the broccoli, mix well and place back in the oven. Roast for another 10 minutes. Serve as a side dish with any entrée.

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… »

I somehow always forget to make eggs for dinner or even lunch. I take them out for breakfast on the weekends or unless I am baking- which seems to more and more often these days.

A cousin was in India recently and told me about her trip down to Kerala and described the cuisine. One of the things she couldn’t stop talking about were scrambled eggs cooked south indian style. She carefully described the ingredients or whatever she could decipher. While I was listening, I thought I will definitely make these but didn’t think of writing down the ingredients (duh). Anyway, a couple weeks went by and suddenly the scrambled eggs came to mind. It was one of those evenings where there wasn’t much in the fridge and I wasn’t in the mood to make an elaborate meal.

Now, I had forgotten most of the ingredients for the dish- but I was able to come up with what ever I thought belonged in there considering the part of India we are talking about. Mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut were the main ingredients- and I had all of them. I also had fresh cilantro, tomatoes, onions and green chilies-perfect.

I used all the ingredients and came up with a fantastic, quick and delicious dinner. I made fresh rotis with it. That is what my husband and I ate. For my daughter I made plain scrambled eggs- she is not into fresh tomatoes, green chilies, etc.

I added extra cayenne pepper for myself. I like things spicy but my dear husband likes it really mild. It was really enjoyable- I plan to use more eggs for dinner in the future. Maybe a nice mushroom omelet with gruyere- yum, that sounds delicious. Try the easy scrambled eggs for your next quick meal.

• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4-5 curry leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• ¼ cup white onion, chopped
• 1 serrano chili, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes, or halved cherry tomatoes

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped

Beat the eggs salt, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Keep aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add mustard seeds and sauté for minute on medium high heat or till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the curry leaves, coconut, onion, chili and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or till the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the beaten eggs, stir till the eggs are cooked yet still soft. Serve with fresh rotis or tortillas.