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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…
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I grew up eating this lentil dish. My mom would make it when we had people over for a meal.

It is very different than the regular lentil dish we normally make in which the lentils are cooked in water and then drained just till they are soft to the touch but not mushy. Once the lentils are cooked to perfection- like al dente pasta, they are mixed with a mixture of cumin seeds, green chilies and garam masala. You can also add sliced yellow onions into the mixture- it makes it more substantial and adds a bit of sweetness to the mix.

This dish is very simple and quick to make. It is perfect for a weeknight meal or when entertaining. I had chicken and spinach already in the fridge. I served it hot with freshly made rotis.

Try this lentil dish- you will impress everyone who eats it…
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I love mushrooms- I can eat them three times a day, seven days a week. My daughter is the same way- she especially loves mushrooms on her pizza. She is very particular about the kind of mushroom on the pizza, though- they can be canned ones. She wants the fresh ones- I don’t blame her.

Anyway, this is a great side dish to make with any entree with chicken, fish or pork.

It is very easy to make. I sauteed the mushrooms with onions, garlic and cumin seeds. Once the mushrooms are cooked down and all the water is evaporated, I added the peas. They add great color and a yummy sweetness to the dish.

We had it with some sauteed chicken sausages but this concoction will be delicious on top of pizza as well. Try this mushrooms and peas dish- you will love it…
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Here is another version of one of our favorite treats in our house. My daughter can’t get enough of these and asks me to make them all the time. Her favorite are the jelly filled ones but she will eat any kind I make.

For these particular ones, I decided to do a yummy filling in the middle with apples and oranges. It is amazing how well the two flavors complement each other. I zested and juiced a navel orange and used the zest for the actual batter and the juice for the filling. I cut up my favorite apples- pink lady into chunks and added some sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. I let the mixture sit for a while for the flavors to marinate.

I then made the usual batter and added just a bit of the filling in the middle of each duffin. Of course I coated them with the yummy sugar mixture and they were a hit. My daughter loved them.

Try the apple orange duffins- they are delicious.
Click here for the recipe… »