Quesadilla with Roasted Red Pepper spread, Spinach and Feta

Quesadilla is one of my favorite go to meals over the weekday especially with the large variety of tasty tortillas that are available now in grocery stores. It is quick, simple, flavorful and offers endless options for fillings. Also, quesadilla doesnt really have to be loaded with cheese the way most restaurants do (definitely amazing but artery-clogging) !! I prefer mine a bit less fatty and loaded with yummy beans and veggies. You control all that goes into the quesadilla and can add little to NO cheese! We like our quesadillas light on cheese and pretty toasty. Quesadilla for main course warrants it be a complete meal with proteins, carbs and fat and hence I like to layer it with a spread made of bean or nuts, some vegetable either sauteed, roasted or fresh and finish it with some cheese. If I really feel like splurging I might just finish it with a side of salsa and a dollop of sour cream or Greek Yogurt :-)

Notes:

1. Spreads like hummus, roasted red pepper or any leftover bean dip work well. Infact I have had tasty quesadillas with simple chutneys like cilantro or mint. 
2. You can bump up the protein by adding a few tbsp of cooked beans tossed in a little bit of oil and salt in the filling.
3. If you would like to increase the veggies, raw (cucmber, olives, bell pepper etc) or roasted vegetables (zucchini, bell pepper, egg plants etc) can be added.
4. I dont like the cheese to get very gooey and we find feta pleases our palate the best. Use any of your favorite cheeses instead of or in addition to the feta.

Ingredients
Cilantro-red pepper spread
1/2 cup toasted Almonds
1 roasted red pepper, chopped(store bought works just fine)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Jalapeno pepper (adjust as per taste)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt, to taste

6 large tortilla (corn, wheat or others)
1 cup sauteed spinach or fresh baby spinach (see notes)
1/2 cup Feta or as needed
Oil to brush the tortilla
Sour Cream/Greek yogurt, Salsa (optional)

Method

1. Pulse the toasted almonds in a food processor just until it is coarse. Add cilantro, jalapeno, roasted red peppers, salt and lemon juice. Run the processor for a few minutes just until you get a coarse paste. Add a few tbsp of water or a few drops of oil if the spread is too thick.
2. Heat a griddle on medium low heat. 
3. Spread one half of the tortilla with the cilantro-red pepper spread. Spread evenly a few tbsp of the spinach mixture. Sprinkle feta cheese. 
4. Fold the tortilla over the cheese. Brush the outside with oil.
5. Toast it over the hot griddle for about 3 min on each side. Remove from heat when you get the desired browning on the tortilla.
6. Slice it into 4 triangles. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream/greek yogurt and salsa.

Enjoy!!

Black-eyed Peas Pulao

Winter this year has been what winter should be - cold snowy and white !! Not that I am a huge fan of winter but there is something a little unsettling about those 60F non snowy days like we had last year during the peak winter months. And on cold wintry nights the thought of piping hot food on the table is very comforting and warms us from the inside.

So here is an easy one pot meal for cold winter nights - extremely flavorful that will make you momentarily forget the below zero temperatures outside :-) Just what the doctor ordered !!

Notes:

• I have used black-eyed peas but any kind of beans (pinto, kidney beans, garbanzo beans etc) works great. 
• Cilantro/green chillies combination is the major flavor that gives the kick to this dish, so feel free to adjust the quantity as per your taste. Mint can be substituted for cilantro or a mint/cilantro combination will work great. 
• Serve this with a cooling cucumber raita (cucumber yogurt dip, recipe included) to balance the spices.

Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice (soak in 3 cups of salted water for 30 min)
1/2 cup Black-eyed peas (cooked al dente or canned will work fine as well)
1/2 cup mixed vegetables, diced (carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower florets)

1 small onion (red or cooking onions), finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
6 nos. whole cloves
3-4 Cardamom pods
1 Bay leaf
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
11/2 cup water
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Grind to Paste
1/4 cup cilantro
2-3 serrano chillies (adjust to taste)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 inch ginger, peeled

Method

1. Heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat, add cumin. cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. Let it splutter. 
2. Now add the onion and saute until the onions are turn light brown. 
3. Add the cilantro/chilli/garlic paste. Saute for a few minutes until the raw smell disappears. 
4. Add the mixed vegetables, stir and allow it to cook for a 2-3 minutes. 
5. Drain the rice and add it to the above mixture. Now add the black-eyed peas. Stir until well mixed. Add salt to taste.

Stove-top method -

1. If you plan to continue cooking on the stove top, pour the water and coconut milk to the above mixture. 
2. Bring it to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low. And cover the pan tightly. 
3. Let it cook for 15 - 18 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Check once around 12 minutes to see if the rice is done and if necessary can add another 1/4 cup water.
4. Turn the heat off. And let it rest for 5-10 minutes before opening the lid.

Microwave method -

1. After step 5, transfer the contents in to a microwave safe bowl. 
2. Pour the liquids (water and coconut milk) to the above mixture. Stir once and cook it in the microwave for 15 - 18 minutes.
3. Check once around 12 minutes to see if the rice is done and if necessary can add another 1/4 cup water. 

Fluff with a fork and serve hot with cucumber raita.

Cucumber Raita - Mix 1/2 cup greek or regular yogurt with 1 shredded cucumber, 1 finely chopped green chillies. Add 2 tsp of finely powdered roasted peanuts (optional). Season with salt.

Enjoy !!

A Taco Dinner - Black Bean Spinach stuffed Tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice

I love Mexican food and this is one type of cuisine I instantly fell in love with when I first came to the US. Mexican cuisine is very close to Indian cooking what with the use of multiple spices and beans. This was the only food I could identify with then and could really enjoy. But over the years my taste buds have certainly evolved with exposure to so many different cuisines. In the past 10 years I have come to love my pastas, burgers/veggie patties, pitas/falafels yet my love for Mexican cuisine remains unchanged. I do like eating out at Mexican restaurants but more often than not the dishes come loaded with cheese which I actually find off putting. Fortunately cooking Mexican food at home is pretty simple and I love the fact that I can control the ingredients that go into it. I try to strike a good balance between using enough beans and vegetables with just enough cheese/sour cream to make a perfect Mexican dinner that suits our tastes.

I made corn tortilla from scratch and having a tortilla maker makes it very easy to roll out the tortillas. But if you dont have a tortilla maker, the dough can be rolled between two pieces of parchment. Feel free to use store bought ones if you are pressed for time (hard or soft shell tacos will work fine). This recipe is more of a method than a strict recipe you need to follow. Any kind of beans and greens can be used and you can vary the fixings (Salsa, sour cream, avocado etc) as you like. I have used chilli sauce that my cousin got for us from Mexico and I must say they were awesome and SPICY. I used green hot sauce and red hot sauce in place where I would normally use jalapenos.
Cilantro-Lime Rice -I normally dont make rice when I can get away with just tortillas but I wanted to try this cilantro lime rice that we had in one of the Mexican restaurants on our trip to Phoenix (the restaurant is Abuelos, in Chandler, AZ). This is a very simple rice to make, nothing too complicated with just 3 ingredients or so.Its a breeze to prepare and it makes this a complete Mexican dinner like the one you would eat if ordering in a restaurant!!

Ingredients

Corn Tortilla

11/2 cups Masa Harina (I used P.A.N pre-cooked white corn meal, available in the international section of most grocery stores)
11/2 - 2 cups warm water (or as needed)
Salt to taste

Stuffing
2 cups cooked black bean (can or fresh)
1 cup spinach, Kale or Swiss Chard, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp Mexican hot sauce or chopped jalapeno
Salt to taste
Garnish - Finely chopped tomatoes, onions (or salsa), avocado, cilantro, sour cream

Method

1. Mix masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Add one cup warm water and mix it well into the dough. Add more water as necessary to form a soft dough. 
2. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 min.
3. Pinch a lemon sized ball from the dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat with rest of the dough. 
4. Line the two discs of the tortilla maker with plastic wrap. Place a lemon sized ball of the dough in the lower disc of the tortilla maker. Press the upper disc to form a flat round tortilla. 
5. Heat a cast iron or a non-stick griddle on a medium flame. When the griddle is hot place the shaped tortilla on the griddle. Let it cook just until the bottom gets brown spots. Flip it over to cook the other side.
6. Remove it on to a aluminum foil to keep it warm. 
7. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 

Stuffing

1. Heat oil in saute pan, add garlic, jalapeno (if using) and cut greens. Saute for a few minutes until the greens wilt. Cook a little longer if you like the greens to be soft. Add cumin powder, hot sauce and salt. Stir well.
2. Mash half the quantity of the cooked black bean. Add this to the above mixture. Add about 1/4 cup water, lower the heat and close the pan. Let this cook for a minute or two until the spices sink into the beans and the greens. 
3. Now add rest of the beans. Stir and cook for a few more minutes on a medium low flame. 

Assembling
Take a corn tortilla, fill it with 2 -3 tbsp of the beans/greens mixture. Top it with any or all of the condiments listed under garnish. Serve with cilantro lime rice.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1. Cook 1 cup long grained rice (like Basmati) with 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt. ( I used a microwave rice cooker but feel free to use any method you would normally cook rice). Set aside for 5 min or so, until the steam settles down. 
2. Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer it into a shallow dish. Pour 2 tsp oil (canola, vegetable oil or light olive oil) over the rice, add 1 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro and juice from 1 lime. Stir to combine and take care not to break the rice grains. Taste and adjust salt and add more lime juice if need be. Serve as a side to tacos, burritos, fajitas etc.

Enjoy !!

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

The first time I had a version of the spicy cake was back in my graduate school days in the small town of Ames, IA. One of the micro brewery/restaurants there had these spicy bean cakes as an entree item. In the early 2000's when I was new to the US, being a vegetarian meant limited eating out options especially in a small town like Ames. Most restaurants would have just one or two vegetarian options and the worst I have seen for a vegetarian option was just a salad with no protein in it whatsoever. Things have come a long way since then and with vegetarianism gaining immense popularity in this part of the world most restaurants have made their menus more vegetarian-friendly. So when I first saw this spicy bean cake in the restaurant five years ago, I was pretty excited. I dont remember much of the what the spicy bean cake tasted - two things stand out clearly in memory though - it was made of black bean and it had a very distinct smoky flavor.

Now to the matter at hand. The recipe I have here uses pretty simple ingredients - I have used roasted cumin powder to give the smoky flavor and the heat comes from the jalapeno peppers. Brown rice is what forms the binding material to keep the cake together. This is a very nourishing all in one meal. There is enough carbohydrates and proteins that a simple salad on the side makes a perfect dinner. Other ways to serve this cake is like a burger between slices of bread or as a wrap in tortilla/roti with condiments of your choice. I made a very simple garlicky buttermilk dressing similar to an aioli.

Ingredients
1 15oz can or 11/2 cups cooked black bean
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup carrots (optional)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (or any other green chili pepper), adjust to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp oil + more for shallow frying
salt to taste

For Buttermilk aioli
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp cayenne or red chili powder
2 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp stone-ground mustard
A pinch of dill (dried) or 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method
Buttermilk aioli

1. In a medium bowl whisk the buttermilk, add all the ingredients and mix well. 
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Set aside.

Black bean cakes

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeno and onions. Saute until the onions turn translucent.
2. Add carrots if using, saute for a minute or two and then add black beans, cumin powder and salt. 
3. Saute for two more minutes. Finally add brown rice, mix well and remove from the heat. 
4. Let it cool slightly, add cilantro if using and then mix well so the black beans and the rice looked mashed and well combined. Taste and adjust for seasoning. 
5. Take a lemon sized ball of the mixture and flatten to make a 1/4 inch thick disc. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. At this point you can either proceed to the next step immediately or  refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.
6. Place a saute pan or a griddle on a medium flame, pour 1 tbsp of oil and swirl so the bottom of the pan is well-coated with oil. 
7. When the oil is hot enough lay the flattened cakes on the pan. Make sure the patties do not touch each other. Cook for 3-4 min or until the bottom is brown. Flip over, cook the other side till brown. 
8. Remove on a plate and serve warm with a salad and dressing.

Enjoy !!

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Its been pretty hectic and fun times training and playing with Tipoo. Guess you guys have to put up with my Tipoo tales for a few weeks now, what with every single one being eventful - happy for most part and really tiring at the end of the day !! For much of the day I am the primary care-taker and am I glad that puppies sleep a lot. But once he wakes up I am running around behind him either playing with him or making sure he doesnt chew everything he finds in his way. By 6 PM both of us are eagerly waiting for my husband to come home, so he will relieve me of the running around :-) If he gets delayed at work for some reason, then I have a crazy puppy on my hands. All those walks and playing fetch saves our day. And its a sight to see Tipoo welcoming my husband home from work. I fade into the back ground for sometime until the two boys have had their little "reunion" :-)

After such a busy day, I rarely have the energy or enthusiasm to cook elaborate dinner. I prefer one pot meals that is both easy on the time and makes a complete dinner. Most of my leisurely cooking now-a-days have been relegated to the weekends when my husband takes complete care of the little guy.


Anyway, coming to today's recipe, I have been planning to make chili for a long time now. Finally I did make some a few weeks ago and it came out very good. There are a lot of different recipes for vegetarian chili and as always I have taken ideas from few different recipes to make one that best suits our taste. I think the addition of bulgur is what gives the texture and body to the recipe. This is a wholesome and healthy one pot recipe since it has everything you need to make a complete meal.

Notes:

1. A combination of black beans and red kidney beans works very well for this recipe.
2. If using fresh beans, soak it overnight and cook it till its done but still firm.
   
3. Use Jalapeno sparingly, I did go a bit overboard and my chili turned out a bit spicier than what I would have liked.
4. I havent included celery in my recipe but if you have it on hand you can surely use it for the added flavor.
5. Bulgur makes the soup to be a bit on the thicker side. So adjust the quantity according to the final consistency you'd like to have.

Ingredients
1 14oz can Black beans
1/4 cup bulgur
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (adjust as per heat)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp molasses
2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cups water or vegetable stock (or as required)

Garnish:
Sour cream
Monterey Jack or mexican blend cheese
cilantro

Method

1. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottom sauce pan or a dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno.
2. Saute it for a few minutes until onions turns brown, almost 4-5 minutes.
3. Now add carrots (and celery if using). Saute it for 2 minutes.
4. Add bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes and tomato paste. Saute it well until the tomatoes are well cooked. It takes about 5 minutes or so.
5. Now add all the spices, starting from chili powder to oregano. Add bulgur and stir well.
6. Let it cook for 2 minutes and then add water starting with 2 cups.
7. Bring this to a boil, close with a lid and let the soup cook for 15 minutes or so.
8. Keep a close watch to make sure it has enough water. Add more water as the chili cooks as necessary.
9. Finally add salt, adjust seasoning and spices.
10. Allow it to boil for 5 more minutes or until done.
11. Ladle it in a bowl, garnish with cilantro, sour cream and cheese.
12. Serve with corn bread on the side.

Enjoy !!

Moong Dal Dosa (Yellow Split Pea Crepes)

When I started blogging almost 2 years ago, I didn't realize what I was getting into. All I knew was I needed a place to document my recipes and so I started out with using Google documents. Then someone suggested giving blogging a shot. I wasn't sure if I was up for it, both time wise and also doling out new/interesting recipes every so often. At some point my husband managed to convince me to give it a shot and said I might even start enjoying it. He even offered to be my critic as well as the editor and that was an offer I couldn't refuse :-) Looking back, I am glad he said what he said for I think this is one of the best hobbies I have taken up in recent times. I sure haven't been as regular as I would like to be. In fact, I have had times where I slacked off, felt guilty for not giving enough attention to blogging. But hey, its supposed to be a hobby and not a chore. So I figured its ok for me to blog as and when I like and how much ever I like.


As much as I love blogging, it is still work - getting the recipe right, making sure I remember the measurements, take good pictures and finally put it down in words. I really admire a lot of my fellow bloggers who blog in spite of a busy schedule (with kids, full-time jobs just to mention a few) and blog they do very regularly. So hats off to all you guys out there and I should say you guys are a big motivation. I am ever so grateful to my readers who actually take time to go through my ramblings and leave their wonderful comments. And to see "# comments to be moderated" in my dashboard really makes my day and makes me want to blog more !! To add yet another dimension to my blog, I am grateful that my friend stepped forward to start MMC challenge. Because of him I have experimented with some interesting ingredient combinations and he's been kind enough to spend his time testing my recipes and giving his feedback. I am hoping we will continue this little venture of ours and make it even more interesting.

I think I got nostalgic because it will be 2 yrs this June since I started blogging. That probably is the reason for my senti acknowledgment today !! Guess I should stop rambling now and jump to my recipe of the day. The following recipe is one of the dosa varieties and relatively quick cooking one. I love dosa and idlis in any form more so now than when I was growing up. I especially love the instant varieties where I don't have to plan ahead. Moong dal dosa is a pretty simple, relatively quick cooking dinner and a very healthful one as well. Split moong dal soaks pretty fast when compared to the whole green moong that we use to make pesarattu. Also, I find moong dal dosa lighter than the regular adai where I use 3 different type of lentils. Served with chutney and yogurt, this makes a complete and a satisfying meal.

Note:

1. I soak moong dal for 3-4 hrs, but I have gotten away with soaking it for as little as 2 hrs.
2. I make the batter pretty thick. This way I can use the batter to make dosa or fry it in oil to make lentil fritters (similar to vada).
3. For dosa: I take a part of it out and dilute the batter to a dosa/pancake consistency.
4. For fritters: Add chopped onions and drop a spoon full into an appam pan or ebelskiver pan.

Ingredients:
3 cups moong dal, split
1 cup rice flour
4 green chillies (or to taste)
1 tsp coarsely chopped ginger
Water as required
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak moong dal for 3-4 hours.
2. Grind the moong dal with green chillies and ginger to a smooth paste. Add just enough water to facilitate the grinding process.
3. Add the rice flour to this mixture. Mix well by hand or in the food processor.
4. For dosa, dilute the batter with enough water to get a pancake/dosa batter consistency.
5. Take a ladle full of the batter and spread it into a thin circle on a hot griddle.
6. Drizzle a few drops of oil along the edges. Let it cook till the bottom browns.
7. Flip, cook for another 30 seconds or so.
8. Remove it on to a plate.
9. Serve with chutney and yogurt.

Enjoy !!

Cauliflower Sambar

"Confessions of a cook book-aholic?" I am a sucker for cook books. I go weak in my knees when I walk through a book store and see all those colorful cook books adorning the shelves. Don't know what I am addicted to - the glossy prints, tempting pictures, smell of the fresh print? Whatever it is, I find it very hard to resist the temptation. Thank god for Amazon - the wish list option and a great spouse who actually is very kind towards my obsession (hope he takes the hint..lol..). I can proudly say I am an avid cook book collector and my loot is prominently displayed in the house. But the most intriguing part of all this is I seldom follow the recipe to the "T", most of the time am in a hurry or just plain lazy to open the book measure the ingredients etc. I curl up with my cook books and read it like I would a regular novel/fiction and if something interests me I make it a point to try it out before it is displaced from my memory. Am sure most of you out there will relate to this. But to be fair, I do once in a while have the cookbook open and follow the recipe meticulously - with great results.

I can categorize my cook books depending on how I use them. For instance, books such as Mark Bittman's How to cook Everything Vegetarian and Jacques Pepin's Complete techniques are my bible/encyclopedia category. There are a few other which I use to look at the pictures and drool :-) And some more which are my go-to books for authentic Indian cooking such as Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan and Cooking at home with Pedatha. I love the simplicity of the recipes and the lovely pictures in Dakshin especially.

The following recipe, cauliflower sambar, is my adaptation of the original recipe found in Dakshin. I took a shortcut by substituting sambar powder where the original recipe calls for grinding the masala. But the end result was very tasty. My husband says it tastes like a hybrid between sambar and korma !!

Ingredients
1 medium sized cauliflower (washed, separated into florets)
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup toor dal
1/4-1/2 cup thick tamarind water (or as required)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp Sambar Powder
1 tsp turmeric
asafoetida, a pinch

Tempering
1 tsp urad dal
2 tsp mustard
4-6 curry leaves
2 red chillies
2 tsp oil
A pinch of asafoetida

Method

1. Pressure cook toor dal along with one cup water and tomatoes, until the dal is well-cooked (normally 4 whistles and wait for the steam to be released naturally). Alternatively, you can cook the dal on the stove top for 30 minutes. Mash the dal and tomatoes well. Set aside.
2. In a quart pan, heat oil. Add urad dal. Let it turn light brown in color. Now add the mustard. Wait until it starts spluttering. Now add red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
3. Add cauliflower, turmeric, asafoetida and some salt. Saute for a few minutes, until cauliflower is tender.
4. Add tamarind water. Boil for for 3 minutes or until the raw smell of the tamarind disappears.
5. Add sambar powder. Mix well.
6. Now add the mashed dal/tomatoes. Taste, adjust salt and seasoning (add more sambar powder if required).
7. Allow it to boil for a few more minutes. Add the coconut milk. Allow it to boil just for a minute.
8. Remove from heat. Serve hot with rice, idli, dosa or aappam.

Enjoy !!

Ragi Dosa (Finger Millet Crepes)

Ragi or Finger millet is very healthy and I remember my mom making porridge or kanji with ragi. One other dish that I remember from my "wonder" years, though only vaguely is Ragi urundai or Ragi Mudha where boiled raagi is mixed with jaggery. Since I do not seem to remember much about the ragi urundai, I think its safe to assume it wasn't one of my favorites. Maybe if I try it now, I might have a different opinion but that's for another day. Anyway, coming back to the present, I am trying to include a variety whole grains in our diet to make a healthy meal without sacrificing the taste. I find that the best way to incorporate these without having to try too hard is to substitute whole grains in places where we use rice or refined flour. Thus was born Ragi dosa.


I wanted to try the instant dosa variety but surprisingly I had the mood and enthusiasm to actually make fermented idli/dosa batter. So I decided to use ragi in place of rice and grind it along with urad dal, ferment it for 12 hrs or so as we would do for the traditional idli. Looking up online I found a number of recipes for making ragi idli/dosa batter and I realized it might not be wise to remove rice completely from the equation. So I used 2 parts ragi, one part rice and one part urad dal for my batter. I should say I am pretty pleased with the result.

Note:

1. Ragi flour is widely available in Indian grocery stores. You can also use whole ragi if you have them on hand. Soak it for a few hours and then grind it separately.
   
2. Fermentation of this ragi containing batter took longer than my usual idli batter. I had to wait almost 18 hrs or so before I could say it was fermented enough.
3. Once the dal is well soaked, decant the water. Set aside half a cup of this water and discard the rest. I find that using the water that the urad dal soaked in, while grinding helps the fermentation process.
   
4. I started out with making idlis with this batter as soon it was fermented enough, 2 days later I made dosa and a few more days later I made uttapam. All three dishes came out just fine.

Ingredient
2 cups ragi flour (Finger Millet flour)
1 cup Idli rava (Cream of rice)
1 cup whole urad dal (White lentils)
Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak urad dal for 5-6 hrs in water. Set aside half a cup of the water that the urad dal soaked in. Discard the rest. Grind it to a smooth paste with just enough water in a food processor, a blender or a wet grinder.
2. Mix the idli rava and ragi flour (or ground ragi, if using whole grain) to the urad dal paste. Add more water to get a thick consistency. You can mix it by hand but I find using a food processor much easier to mix all the ingredients evenly.
3. Transfer to a large bowl. Add salt, mix well. Make sure your bowl is large enough to hold the batter once it ferments and rises.
4. Place the bowl in a warm place and let ferment. This takes anywhere between 12-24 hrs.
5. Now you can use this batter to make either dosa, idli or uthappam.

For Dosa:
For dosa, pour a ladle full of the batter on a hot griddle and spread it into a thin circle.
Drizzle a tsp of oil (preferably sesame oil) around the dosa. Flip when the bottom turns light brown in color and cook the other side for a minute or so.
Remove the dosa from the pan. Serve hot with sambar, chutney and/or milagai podi.

This will be my entry to Divya's "Show me your whole grain" event.

Enjoy !!

White Beans and Chickpeas Burger

MMC Challenge is on a brief hiatus until Mid-April as our judge is going back home on an important mission :-) In the meantime I thought its a good idea for me to get back to my usual blogging. This week's recipe is one version of the vegetarian burger I make at home. I normally make burger with veggies and any type of beans that I have on hand. I like my burger without too many toppings or condiments. So the best way for me to incorporate veggies is to use them up to make my burger. This particular version uses white beans and chickpeas with tahini paste to give it a Middle-Eastern flair or falafel like taste. Following is just a method, you can experiment with any type of beans/veggie combination along with fresh or dried herbs that you have on hand.

Note:

1. I have used canned beans here since I didn't plan ahead to soak the beans. If you have dried beans soak it in water overnight and then boil until the beans are cooked.
   
2. I normally do not like to add bread crumbs, eggs or flour in my burger and hence my burgers turn out softer than the normal frozen burger that you'd normally get in the stores.
3. Having said that, feel free to add any of the above ingredient if you dont like a soft burger.
4. I have used stove top method to cook the burger but am sure using an oven would also work fine.
   

Ingredients:
11/2 cups White beans/Cannellini beans (boiled or canned)
11/2 cups garbanzo beans (boiled or canned)
1 clove garlic
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup fresh mint leaves
3 tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp cumin powder
11/2 tbsp tahini paste
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add garlic, onions and carrots.
2. Saute until the carrots are tender.
3. Add chili flakes, cumin powder and saute lightly.
4. Now add the mint leaves and turn off the heat.
5. In a food processor with the steel blade attachment, add the beans and the cooked mixture.
6. Run the food processor just until the mixture blends well (take care not to make it into a smooth paste).
7. Make half an inch patties and refrigerate for few hours.
8. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a skillet and brown the burgers.
9. Serve on a english muffin, hamburger bun or multigrain bread with onions, tomatoes or any other topping of your choice.

This is my entry to Susan's event MLLA-21 guest hosted by Super Chef of Mirch Masala blog.

Enjoy !!

MMC Ingredient 2 - Pearl Onion

The second MMC challenge is:

Sunday Lunch from Mom's Kitchen:
Pearl Onion Sambar/Chinni vengaya Sambar/ Chummna Kandhecha Sambar

For the 2nd week of our MMC challenge, M brought a twist to the story. He gave me a choice of 3 ingredients out of which I had to pick one and give my reasons for choosing it. The three ingredients are:

1. Pearl Onion
2. Dates
3 Orange Juice

As soon as I heard the choices, I thought I knew right away what I was going to choose - Pearl Onions. I wanted to share with you all one of my mom's signature dishes - Sambar with Pearl Onions. But just a few minutes later, I could hear the Dates calling my name :-) I always wanted to use Dates other than in sweet chutney that we use for Chaat. So I thought this challenge is a good platform to use Dates in a innovative way. But the nostalgia & "Mom sentiment" won over innovation and I decided to go ahead and choose Pearl onion. So I am hoping "Mom senti" will sway the judge as well as it did me :-)

When I was young, this sambar was our Sunday special lunch with Aloo subji or with idlis for the Diwali eve dinner that my mom makes. Pearl onions also known as "Madras Onions" are widely available in Madras where I grew up. These tiny ones have a very different taste, much less pungent and sweeter than their larger counterpart. But the main problem with these is peeling them. Though these onions dont bring as much tears to your eyes like the bigger ones, they still are pretty potent and added to this was the miniature size that makes it hard to peel. So before we actually got to enjoy the dish we had to go through the grueling work of peeling the onions.

Preparing the onions prior to cooking was a big chore; obviously those were the days before the comfort of frozen or ready to cook vegetables was readily available. My dad used to soak it in cold water to remove the dirt/mud and then all us kids had to sit down and help him peel. Wet onions, sticky peel - not a good combination; I used to hate this chore. But.. oh so in love was I with the dish that I didnt mind all the trouble. Me being the enforcer of gender equality in the household, I would fight really hard with my brothers accusing them of not doing the chore but getting to enjoy the reward alone. As any of you who grew up with brothers might know, Sunday morning will invariably have a few different cricket matches that my brothers had to run too. So it was pretty convenient for them that they'd be out the whole morning and show up just in time for the sumptuous lunch. I used to get so angry at them then but thinking of it now brings a smile to my face thinking of all that silliness :-)

So here's the Sambar with Pearl Onion the way my mom makes but in my kitchen. My mom never gives me exact measurement for any recipe coz as most mom's, she herself doesnt use any standard measurement. Its always a handful of this or a handful of that. So I have tried a few different version and have standardized it to our taste.

Note:

1. I like the taste of Dhaniya/coriander. So I have been a bit liberal with it.
2. I have used frozen red pearl onions (thawed in the microwave for a few min). You can use fresh ones as well if available.
   
3. The speciality of this dish is the inclusion of cloves and cinnamon bark. These two spices sets this recipe apart from the Tamilian/Keralite "arachivitta sambar" (Sambar with ground coconut based masala).
4. I love my pressure cooker for cooking dal as it saves me lotsa time. If you dont have a pressure cooker, boil the dal with or without onions for 20 to 30 minutes until well cooked. Soaking the toor dal in warm water for 1/2 hr prior to cooking it will help quicken the cooking process.
   
5. My husband does not share my love for the pearl onions the way I do. He is not too keen the whole pearl onions but loves the flavor when they are cooked into the dal. So I normally pressure cook the onions with dal. But if you want to retain the wholeness of the onions, I would suggest sauteing it with the mustard and jeera (step 3), wait until it gets tender before adding tamarind water.
6. I find it easy to use tamarind concentrate. But if you have tamarind, soak it in water and extract the pulp. Use 1/4 cup thick pulp in place of 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate. Depending on the sourness you'd like, adjust the amount of tamarind in the recipe. I normally go easy on the tamarind.
   
7. Masala can be made ahead of time. Can be refrigerated for a couple of days or may be frozen for almost a month.
   

Ingredients
12 oz red pearl onions (white ones are fine as well. Save a few to be blended with the masala)
3/4 cup toor dal
1 cup water
1 to 11/4 tbsp tamarind concentrate (dissolve it in 1/4 cup water)
1 tsp turmeric
A few pinches of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Masala -
1/2 cup dhaniya (coriander seeds)
2 tbsp chana dal
2 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 tsp methi seeds (Fenugreek)
1 inch stick cinnamon bark
6 cloves
5-6 red chillies
1/4 cup coconut (dessicated, fresh or frozen)
3-4 nos. pearl onions
1/4 cup water (or as needed)

Tadka
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp chana dal
2 red chillies
1 tsp Jeera (cumin)
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves

Method

1. For masala: Dry roast each ingredient given under Masala (except water, obviously) until they turn light brown and aromatic. Let it cool. Grind into a smooth paste with water. Set aside.
2. Pressure cook the dal and onions with one cup water, a pinch of turmeric and a few drops of oil. I normally allow 3-4 whistle and this works best for my cooker. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
   
3. In a medium sized pot, heat oil and add all the ingredient for tadka starting with the dals. Let the mustard and curry leaves splutter.
4. Now add the tamarind concentrate dissolved in water. Add turmeric and asafoetida. Allow this to boil until the raw smell of tamarind disappears. (5 min or so)
5. Now add the cooked dal and the ground masala. Add more water only if necessary. Stir frequently.
   
6. Adjust seasoning, simmer for another 5 min to 10 min, until the masala gets cooked.
   
7. Garnish with a few drops of sesame oil. Serve with hot rice. Goes well with Idlis or Dosas too.

Enjoy !!

Panzanella - A Hearty Bread Salad

Panzanella is a traditional Italian salad made with leftover stale bread, tomatoes and basil. For a weeknight meal, this salad is the easiest one I have found... yet.... Panzanella is a very summery dish but using seasonal vegetables this dish can be made all round the year. Fall is here, apples abound the market in tons and hence my salad here features apples. Dressing for this salad cannot be any simpler either: just olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. I added some black beans that I had on hand to make this hearty enough for a light supper. But feel free to add any kind of beans. Also, to reduce the pungent taste of onions, soak sliced onions in ice cold water for 10 min, drain and pat dry before adding it in the salad. This ensures a crunchy yet mellow onion flavor.

Ingredients
3 cups of bread, cubed
1 apple, cored and quartered
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, seeded and quartered
1 big carrot, sliced
1/2 cup black beans
2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, according to taste
shredded Parmesan (optional)

Method

1. Mix 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the bread in this mixture, spread it on a sheet pan.
2. Toast it in a 425ºF pre-heated oven for 10 min or until the bread turns golden brown and crunchy.
3. In a salad bowl whisk in rest of the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
4. Toss in the veggies, bread, beans and mix well until the dressing is evenly distributed.
5. Sprinkle some Parmesan and serve.

Variations:
A few things that can be added or substituted:
- Quartered hard boiled eggs
- Fresh mozzarella instead of Parmesan
- Basil instead of cilantro/parsley
- Veggies like bell pepper, roasted peppers, olives

Moong Dal Kheer (Yellow Lentil Dessert) - A Vegan Fare

Can't believe its been almost a month since I blogged. Past few weeks have been crazy and sadly one of the things that had to be pushed to the back burner was blogging and blog surfing. I think I have missed most part of the Dussera goodies that have been posted on the blogosphere. But I do hope to catch up with all of them very soon.

Here is a quick and tasty kheer I made for Dussera. Traditionally kheer is made with lots of milk but I wanted to make a dessert that would qualify for the "Sweet Vegan" event hosted by Vaishali. There is no doubt that being vegan is much more challenging than being a vegetarian but it is also fun to come up with a recipe which does not involve any dairy product. I wanted to make a traditional Indian dessert with a vegan twist and also something that did not require me squeezing my brain out trying to come up with one :-) My first attempt was jangiri which is very much a vegan dessert as is made traditionally if ghee be substituted with oil for frying. It came out well for the first attempt but I think it needs a bit more work before I can post it. I hope to do so pretty soon.

No festival goes without having some kind of kheer and in my family important festivals must always be celebrated with kheer made of jaggery (we call it "gulacha kheer"). So as per the tradition, I decided to make moong dal kheer which I so love. The long version of this kheer, the way my mom makes is using khus-khus/coconut paste, milk, moong or channa dal and jaggery. In order to make this a vegan recipe I substituted milk with coconut milk. I find it very hard to make a smooth paste of khus-khus with the food processor I have and I hate the grainy texture of partially ground khus-khus. Hence I skipped it altogether and there was no soaking or grinding involved which make this a perfect recipe for a weekday celebrations. Also molasses works amazingly well as a substitute for jaggery. And finally, need I say this dish is very healthy. It is almost fat free...er... if you discount the fat from the coconut milk :-)

Ingredients
1/4 cup moong dal
1/4 cup jaggery or as required
1 tbsp slivered cashew
1 tbsp slivered almonds
4 pods cardamom
1 cup coconut milk

Method

1. Dissolve jaggery in 1/4 cup water, boil for 3-5min or until the jaggery is well-dissolved.
2. Remove from heat, strain to remove any dirt and set it aside.
3. Dry roast moong dal until it starts to turn light brown and aromatic.
4. Dry roast cashews and almonds until light brown.
5. Boil moong dal, cashews, almonds and cardamom in 1/2 cup (or just enough) water.
6. When the moong dal is cooked but still firm add the dissolved jaggery.
7. Boil for 5 min and then add coconut milk.
8. Let this boil for another 3 min or so.
9. Serve this warm or cold.

And then there was this sweet surprise from Usha a few weeks ago. I should apologize for not having shared this award earlier, but guess its better late than never.
Thanks Usha for the lovely Dussera gift and I would like to extend my friendship award to these wonderful people: Anudivya, Sagari, Sireesha, VIJ, Arundathi.

Cooking in a Jiffy - Green Beans Koottu

With cooking time reduced to an hour or less, I have started looking for innovative ways to cut down the cooking time. A friend of ours from Ames was visiting us and we had a mini get together talking about good old grad school days. As usual the talk veered towards cooking and we were reminiscing those simpler grad school days, living with room mates, taking turns to cook where one ended up cooking for just once or twice a week. Now that we have all moved on to the next phase in life, living with significant others or living all alone, working 8-10 hours a day, cooking on an everyday basis is getting harder. But I guess each one of us has tried out different things and have finally managed to devise our own ways to tackle this day-to-day problem.
Eating out is a very simple alternative but may not be good for health or for the wallet. Cooking 4 different dishes or so on Sundays, as one of my friends does eliminates the need to cook over most part of the week. Yet another way to minimize cooking time is to partially cook and freeze the dish for use over the week. And this is my way of saving cooking time on weekdays. In fact I try to make substantial amounts of masala for different dishes, portion control it and store in the freezer. This way, a major part of my cooking is taken care of and it hardly takes 15-20 to mix the masala with veggies or lentils to make an entire dish.

Heads up: Time saving tips

• Grind coconut, jeera, peppercorn and green chillies ahead of time and pop the ground mixture in the freezer. This stays good for 2-3 weeks. Increase the amount of ingredients to four fold (or as per your need), grind it all at once, portion it into 4 different containers and use it on 4 different days.
• Beans is just one of the veggies that I had on hand. Feel free to substitute it with cabbage, greens, carrot & peas or just about any vegetable.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped green beans (1/2" long pieces)
1 cup moong dal
1/4 cup toor dal
One large pinch of turmeric.

To grind: (This part can be done ahead of time and the masala stays good in the freezer for 3-4 weeks)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp jeera
2 green chillies
5-7 peppercorns

For tadka:
2 tsp oil
1 tsp channa dal
2 tsp split urad dal
2 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard
A few pinch hing
Few curry leaves
cilantro for garnish.

Method:

1. Boil green beans and dal until well cooked, about 20 min.
2. Soak all the ingredients listed under 'to grind" for 15 min and then grind well to a smooth paste.
3. Add the ground mixture to boiled dal and beans.
4. Let this mixture boil for 15 min.
5. In a small kadai heat 3 tsp oil, add all the ingredients for tadka.
6. Add the tadka to the boiling mixture and let it boil for 2 more min.
7. Garnish with cilantro (optional).
8. Goes well with rice or roti.

Isn't that simple....

And this is my entry to "WYF: Colour in Food" event hosted by Simple Indian Food blog.

A Middle Eastern Dinner

Lemony Couscous with Eggplant Salad

It was a Tuesday evening and the mid-week syndrome was just setting in. All I was looking for was a simple meal that I can have on the dinner table in half hour or so. I could have looked up on the Internet to see if Rachel Ray had any vegetarian dish to get me through the evening in under 30 min but I wasn't in the mood to browse for 30 min trying to get some ideas to make a 30 min meal :-) I opened the fridge and the same old veggies stared at me: eggplants, beans, bell peppers. Now that we have been regulars at our neighborhood farmers market, we do not have the luxury of choosing between 30 different varieties of veggies ( Pardon me, am going crazy with the 30's but some of you out there might understand :-)). We have to buy whatever is in season and now is the season for eggplants, beans, bell peppers and of course, summer squash. The produce tastes so good that I am for once not complaining about having to cook with just these few veggies for 3 straight weeks now. Anyhow, I decided to make a simple eggplant salad with no fuss, dress it simply and let the flavor of the veggie speak for itself.

Indian cooking uses a lot of eggplants and so do middle eastern and Mediterranean cooking. In my recipe here I have used a very typical middle eastern flavor, Tahini for the salad dressing. Also, I had some left over falafel in the freezer which I used to make the salad more filling. Addition of falafel is completely optional. The salad is quite substantial even in the absence of falafel. And for the carb part of this dinner, I made couscous with a tangy lemony flavor. It sure turned out to be a flavorful and delicious meal just enough to beat the mid-week syndrome at least temporarily!

A few things to note: drain and dry the eggplant really well so the salad doesn't get soggy. If you think the eggplants are soggy, sprinkle some all purpose flour along with the dry seasoning, this will help absorb the excess moisture. Also the amount of tahini can be adjusted according to your taste.

Ingredients
For Couscous:
11/2 instant couscous
3 cups water or vegetable broth
1 handful raisins
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or more if reqiured)
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
For salad:
4 medium sized eggplant
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp tahini paste
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
Salt to taste
Falafel (optional)

Method
Couscous:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan, add fennel, cumin, raisins, garlic and onion.
2. Saute till onions get soft and translucent.
3. Add peas, lemon zest, thyme, salt and 3 cups of water/broth. Let it come to a boil.
4. Now add the couscous, turn off the heat and close the pan with a lid.
5. Let it rest for 5 min or until all the water is absorbed.
6. Fluff the couscous with a fork, add lemon juice, pepper and stir well.

Salad:

1. Dice eggplant into 1/2" cubes, soak it in salted cold water for 15 min.
2. Drain the water and dry it well.
3. Mix cayenne powder, cumin powder and oil. Coat the eggplant evenly with this mixture and spread it out on a sheet pan.
4. Bake it in a 425F pre-heated oven for 15-20 or until crisp (take care not to burn it).
5. In a large bowl, mix rest of the ingredients, except tomatoes to form a vinaigrette.
6. Toss in the tomatoes and the crispy eggplant with the vinaigrette. Falafel can be added at this point if you are using it.
   
7. Serve this on a bed of lemony couscous.

This is my entry for AFAM event for Aug '08: Lemon, hosted by Simple Indian Food blog.

Enjoy !!!

Ghatte ki Subji (Steamed Chickpeas Flour Dumpling in Onion-Tomato Gravy)

Moving from one royalty to another, from the Mughals to the Rajputs. The recipe I am sharing with you all today is a Rajasthani dish called ghatte ki subji. Rajasthan being a desert and all has limited availability of fresh veggies and water. Hence the cuisine is greatly influenced by ingredients that were readily available such as dried lentils, flour. Besan (gram flour) is widely used to make ghatta (pl. ghatte), pakodi etc. Ghattes can be used in subji, kadi or even pulao. Once the ghatte are ready, the whole dish can be made within 20-30 min which makes this a wonderful dish for a busy weekday meal. To boost its nutritional value, I have added bell peppers; vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower etc can be also added.

Ingredients:
For Ghatta:
2 cups besan
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Dhania-jeera powder
1/2 tsp amchoor
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil salt to taste
For gravy:
1 onion
3 tomatoes
2 bell pepper (cut into big pieces)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
11/2 chilli powder
2 tsp dhania-jeera powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp amchoor
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp fennel
2 tsp thick yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp kasoori methi
cilantro for garnish

Method:
Ghatta:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the ghatta with enough water to form a tight dough (like that of a chapathi dough).
2. Roll it out into an inch thick cylinder and cut into bite size pieces.
3. Drop the pieces into salted boiling water and let it cook for 10-15 min or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Drain them and let it dry for a few mintues.
5. Shallow fry or saute these ghattes in a few tablespoon of oil.

At this point, ghattes can be frozen and they stay good for a month or so.

Gravy:

1. Heat oil in a saute pan, add fennel and jeera.
2. Add ginger, garlic and onions. Saute until the onions are golden brown.
3. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Cook until the raw smell of tomato disappears.
4. Add chilli powder, dhania-jeera powder, amchoor and let it cook until it becomes thick.
5. Now add the yogurt/sour cream and mix in bell peppers.
6. Add 1/2 cup water and let it boil for 5 min or until the bell peppers are cooked but firm.
7. Now add the ghatte and let it boil for 10 more mins or until the ghatte are soft.
8. Sprinkle the kasoori methi and cilantro.

Serve with hot rice or roti.

This post is my contribution for the "curry mela" blog event hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons blog. Hope you all like it :-)