Category Archives: Vegetarian
Poblano Corn Salsa
This is a very simple, yet delicious salad I have been making this summer- definitely a crowd pleaser!
- 6 ears of corn, grilled, off the cob
- 2 poblano peppers, grilled, skin off and chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl. Let sit for at least an hour before serving.
Channa Dal with Curry Leaves
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup channa dal, rinsed and soaked in water
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon ghee or oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 to 7 curry leaves
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat a medium pressure cooker with the oil. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat. Drain the dal and add to the sautéed onion. Add the water, salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Bring to a boil and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Take the lid off once the pressure has subsided. Continue to cook on medium heat. Add the lime juice and check for seasonings.
In a small frying pan, add the ghee, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes till the cumin seeds begin to sizzle. Transfer the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the cooking dal. Mix well and add the garam masala and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
4th of July Recipes- Thai Style Potato Salad
- 3 pounds red skinned potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 3 sweet peppers, cut into ½ inch cubes (a mix of red and yellow or orange)
Add to a large serving bowl and keep aside.
Dressing
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- Salt
Mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, honey, tamari, sriracha sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar and salt. Mix well and add to the potatoes. Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed.
Garnish
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped
Top with cilantro, green onions and peanuts. Serve room temperature.
4th of July Recipes -Mushrooms and Cannellini Bean Burgers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 14 ounces cannellini beans, drained
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, salt and cook until the onion is translucent about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the veggies to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse 5-10 times to combine- careful not to overdo it… you don’t want a paste.
Press mixture between fingers- if you can form a patty with it, you are good, if it is too crumbly, add some water 1 tablespoon at a time until it sticks together. If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
Form the mixture into 8 patties (about 1/3 cup of the mixture each) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook 3 to 4 patties at a time until brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add sliced cheese on top if desired. The left overs can be frozen. Serve in ciabatta rolls with tomato and cucumber relish and cumin mayo!
Tomato and Cucumber Relish
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup cucumbers, chopped
- 1 teaspoons salt
- Juice of half lemon
Mix all the ingredients and let sit for ½ an hour before serving with burger.
Cumin Mayonnaise
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt
- Juice of half lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Mix all the ingredients and serve with the burgers.
Punjabi Kadhi- Potato Fritters Cooked in a Yogurt Gravy
Amazing recipe I haven’t posted in a while…
This is a delicious dish I grew up with. My mom would make it once in a while and when she did – we all looked forward to it. For me it is one of those things I like to eat every few months- not all the time- not sure why- maybe because it is a bit labor intensive so people don’t end up making it very often.
This dish also has a few hard to find ingredients- including asafetida, fenugreek seeds and dried fenugreek. These ingredients are available at any Indian grocery store or online.
The dish is essentially a yogurt gravy thickened with besan (chickpea flour). Potato fritters are fried made with onions, ginger, cilantro,etc and are added to the thickened yogurt gravy.
Last but not least, the dish is seasoned with a mixture of fenugreek seeds and chili peppers and topped with dried fenugreek leaves.
The dish has a very distinct flavor imparted by the asafetida and the fenugreek seeds. You could make it without either and it will still taste good.
Try this on a Sunday afternoon when you have some time to spend in the kitchen- our family will love it…
Yogurt Gravy
- 6 cups low-fat plain yogurt (it should be nice and tangy), whisk till smooth
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour), sifted
- 7 cups water
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder
Add the yogurt and besan to a large saucepan. Whisk till smooth, getting rid of all lumps. Add the water, salt, turmeric and asafetida powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Potato Fritters
- 2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 large potato, chopped into ¼ inch dice
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 2 inch grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup water
Mix the besan, potato, cilantro, green onions, red onion, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the water slowly while mixing the ingredients with your hands. The consistency should be like a wet potato salad.
- 2 cups extra light olive oil
Place the oil into a wok like saucepan and heat the oil to 375 degrees. Form soft balls with a spoon and gently fry in the oil. Try not to over crowd. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till the fritters are golden brown. Take out and drain in a paper towel lined platter. Repeat process till all the mixture is used up.
Add the fritters to the simmering yogurt gravy. Turn the heat off.
Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil (you can same oil you used for frying)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 dried chili pepper
Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds, asafetida, cayenne pepper and the chili peppers. Saute on medium heat till the seeds begin to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the seasoned oil into the gravy. Mix and check for seasonings.
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
Garnish with garam masala and methi. Serve hot with plain rice.
Bean Avocado and Shishito Pepper Salad
Shishito peppers are everywhere now.. they are these small Japanese peppers that can be quite mild or every once in a while, they can be a bit spicy.. this salad is delicious with black beans and avocados…
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 3 to 4 shishito peppers
- 1 medium pepper, yellow or red, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro
- Juice of a large lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Transfer the shishito peppers to a heated cast iron pan. On medium high heat, char the peppers on all sides- about 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a chopping board and let cool and then chop. Transfer the beans, avocado, charred peppers, sweet peppers, green onions and cilantro to a serving bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, honey and oil. Mix well and taste for seasonings and adjust. Let it sit for at least half an hour before serving.
Moroccan Style Carrot and Orange Salad with Harissa Dressing
This is a great carrot salad to complement yesterdays’ stew or any other entree.. in fact, it will delicious with any grilled meats/seafood! I have buying the most gorgeous looking multi colored organic carrots from Trader Joes but any kind of carrots will do, in face you can buy the pack of already shredded carrots to keep things simple. Either way, this is a yummy salad!
- 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and grated
- 3 to 4 navel oranges, cut into segments and squeeze the juice and keep aside for dressing
- 4 green onions, chopped
Transfer all the ingredients to a serving bowl. Keep aside.
Dressing
- ½ cup orange juice
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
Transfer all the ingredients to an airtight container. Mix well with the lid on. Taste for seasonings. Pour half of the dressing onto the salad, mix well and add some salt to adjust seasonings. Pour more dressing if needed. Let the salad sit for at least an hour in the fridge before serving.