Tag: vegetarian cuisine
Sauteed Green Beans with Mustard Seeds
This is a delicious side dish that I made within minutes. The great thing is that it can served with any protein or a rice dish. One of my favorite cuisines is South Indian food- I love the different spices used in these dishes including mustard seeds and curry leaves. I especially love the combination of the two. It creates an amazing, earthy flavor. read more …
Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
This is a really delicious one…. it is hard to remember it is made without any meat. One of my husband’s favorite pasta dishes is pasta primavera. It is typically made with seasonal vegetables, a delicious marinara sauce and pasta of choice. I have made many different versions of it over the years but I have to say, this one is my favorite.
I roasted some red pepper, squash and zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasting vegetables brings out the nutty, sweetness which is delicious in this dish. I mixed the veggies in a mixture of pesto and homemade marinara sauce. To make even more different, I tossed the pasta with some chopped fresh mozzarella.
I then roasted the dish in the oven till the cheese became soft and oozy. I served it with some delicious garlic bread and a yummy red wine… and we did not miss the meat…
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Mattar Paneer
This dish is more of a homestyle version of the one Indian restaurants serve. This is dry and healthier with not too much fat.. try it next time you are craving some delicious Indian food…
- 1 pack Paneer, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 inch fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cayenne pepper
- Salt
- 2 cups frozen peas
Heat a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and coriander and cook for a minute. Add the onion and ginger. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the grated paneer and mix well. Add the turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt and mix well. Cover with lid and cook for about 10 minutes. Take lid off and add the peas. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve warm with roti or naan.
Broccoli Rabe with Kalamata Olives
Broccoli rabe is by far one of my favorite vegetables. I love the earthy bitterness the leafy greens have. I usually cook them with pasta and some sausage. I add some pine nuts, garlic and basil and top it off with lots of parmesan cheese. It is the most delicious thing to have. Unfortunately my husband and daughter don’t love the pasta dish as much as I do. They prefer pasta with red sauce- I think a lot of people feel the same. I like pasta with all sorts of sauces and toppings but I have to say, I do like the sauceless ones the best. I like to be able to taste all the ingredients in my pasta.
Anyway, as usual I digress. I decided to use the broccoli rabe as a side dish. I like to pair the bitterness of the greens with super salty ingredients like olives and anchovies. I started with blanching the broccoli rabe and sauteed some garlic in olive oil. I melted anchovies into the mix and added the olives.
The dish was delicious with all the ingredients but I decided to take it to another level and added some crumbled feta on top. It made the dish come alive and gave it a creamy texture.
I could have eaten the whole dish by myself. All I needed was some warm crusty bread and a glass of red wine…
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Paneer Makhani (Indian Cheese Cooked in a Tomato Butter Sauce)
This is a very popular dish served in Indian restaurants. Some friends were coming over with their kids and I thought of making Indian food that day. Since I was cooking a vegetarian meal, paneer was definitely on the menu- I just didn’t know what kind to make.
As I thought about all my choices, paneer makhani came to mind. I looked in my blog and realized I have never made it before- how can that be?? It is one of the more popular Indian dishes out there.
This version is the easy and quick one- it is done in about half an hour. There are other versions out there with more complex flavors but I don’t see any reason for that- this one is delicious and simple and best of all a big hit with everyone.
All you need is a can of crushed tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic. One key ingredient is roasted cumin seeds- they impart a lovely, sweet, nutty flavor- not as smokey as the regular cumin seeds. I usually roast some cumin and always have it on hand. Another important ingredient is dried mint- I garnished the dish with some. It provides a delicious flavor as well. In case you don’t have the dried variety, add some fresh mint into the processor with the onions, ginger and garlic.
Try this dish next time you want to have a healthy, quick and easy Indian dish…
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South Indian Style Cabbage and Broccoli with Coconut
I made this dish with the south Indian style chicken I made for my husband the other day. Since I was making dinner, I had to come up with some vegetables to serve with the protein.
I wanted to echo the same flavors I added to the chicken tikkas. I bought a bag of shredded cabbage and I had a head of broccoli. I decided to cook them together and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. I also added shredded coconut that I buy frozen from the Indian stores on Oak Tree road in Edison. They package and freeze fresh, grated coconut- it is great to have on hand for sauteed vegetables or meats and even desserts.
The vegetables took about 20 minutes to cook- so ideal for the summer. I finished the dish off with a good squirt of lemon juice. It wakes up all the flavors and makes everything delicious.
The chicken and the cabbage went really well together. I grilled some corn on the side and also made a garlic bread. It was perfect- we opened a Rose and enjoyed the meal outside….
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A Recipe Fit For Royalty: Vegetable Korma
I teach cooking classes a couple time a month. I try to come up with a complete and balanced menu that is delicious but easy to make. For last month’s class, I did the chicken malai tikka– I wanted to come up with a vegetable dish people can enjoy. Someone had suggested a navrattan korma- which is a very popular dish in Indian restaurants around here. A korma is a dish with either vegetables or meat cooked in a creamy white sauce. I have never really made a vegetable korma and never really order it at a restaurant either. The reason for not ordering the dish outside is that it is filled with cream and butter. I can’t imagine how many calories are in that small serving!
In my attempt to come up with a healthier version of this dish, I must have looked at hundreds of recipes. I finally came up with the perfect, delicious concoction. In my mind, a korma is creamy, delicate yet full of flavor. I used dry spices to give the dish loads of flavor. The cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and most of all the black cumin give this dish a very delicate aroma and taste. I tend to use black cumin when I am making a white creamy sauce- unlike regular cumin, this variety has a very floral taste- it’s delicate yet full bodied – the flavor is unmistakable! That being said- if you can’t find this spice, regular cumin will be just fine. Also, any combination of vegetables is great in this dish. I went with a combination with great aesthetic appeal, full of color. For the white creamy sauce, I decided to use non-fat evaporated milk with a touch of half and half. The evaporated milk gives the dish great body and taste without any of the fat- how clever was that!! The half and half adds just enough richness without going over the top. To finish off the dish, I added chopped raw cashews and golden raisins. The sweetness of the two ingredients goes very well with the mild creamy dish. To take the korma to another level, I added crumbled paneer- it gives the dish great texture. Overall the dish was a big success. My husband loved it! People at the class enjoyed it as well. We at it with fresh homemade rotis and pink lentils cooked with broccoli rabe- recipe to follow soon!!