Veggie Raita

Veggie Raita recipe is simple one to prepare in almost less than 10 min.

Ingredients:
1. Red Onion - 1/2 Cup
2. Red bell pepper- 1/2 Cup
3. Black Olives - 1/3 Cup
4. Greek Yogurt - 1 Cup
5. Cilantro - Handful
6. Chaat Masala - 2 TSP
7. Lemon Juice - 1 TSP
8. Sugar - 1 TSP
9. Salt - as per taste

Method:
1. Mix chopped vegetables with greek yogurt. Add a bit of water to get consistency. Add in all spices and mix together. If needed, mix in one tsp of red chili powder.

Handva

 Handva is very much region I belong to. It’s not popular in all of the country but made almost every week in every home in my region. As it needs fermentation, it’s a lengthy process but results are delicious.

Ingredients for Flour:
1. Idali Rice - 3 Cups
2. Urad Dal - 1 and 1/4 Cups
3. Chana Dal - 1/2 Cup
4. Whole Wheat - 1/2 Cup
5. Toor Dal - 1/3 Cup
6. Moong Dal - 1/3 Cup
7. Whole Moong Dal - 1/3 Cup

Ingredients for Handva:
1. Handva Flour - 2 Cups
2. Sour Yogurt - 1.5 Cups
3. Sesame Seeds - 2 TBSP
4. Baking Soda - 0.5 TSP
5. Ginger - 1.5 TSP
6. Green Chili - 1.5 TSP
7. Red Chili Powder- 1 TSP
8. Turmeric Powder - 1 TSP
9. Bottle Gourd - 1 Small
10. Green Cups - 1/2 Cup

Optional Vegetables:
1. Carrot- 1/2 Cup
2. Green Beans - 1/2 Cup

Ingredients for Tempering:
1. Oil - 1 TBSP
2. Urad Dal - 1 TBSP
3. Muster Seeds - 1/2 TBSP
4. Red Chilies - 2-3
5. Curry Leaves - 5/6
7. Asofotida - Pinch

Method:
1. Grind all ingredients listed under Flour.

2. Mix in flour and sour yogurt. Let it fermentate for 8-12 hours depending on how hot it is.

3. Once fermentation is complete; add in grated vegetables. I have chosen bottle gourd and green peas.

4. Add in red chili powder, turmeric powder, baking soda, grated ginger, finely chopped green chili and salt.

5. Heat the small thick bottom pan, add oil and urad dal. Fry urad dal then add muster seeds, asofotida, red chili, curry leaves.

6. Pour this hot tempering to the fermented batter with veggies.

7. Prepare a oven safe pot with thin layer of oil. I have used Canola Oil cooking spray.

8.Pour the batter in the pot. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9. Preheat convection oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 75-90 min. Before taking out the pot, do a cooking test by inserting toothpick in the middle. If batter sticks, continue to bake for 5-7 min. else let the pot cool down for 10 min on wired rack.

10. Once cooled down, slice it to enjoy with Raita or plain yogurt.

Carrot Ginger Soup

 Since I got vitamix, making soup has become an easy thing to do. I have improvised the Carrot Ginger Soup recipe that came in with the booklet. Here it is -

Ingredients:
1. Carrot - 1/2 Pound
2. Onion - 1 Medium
3. Ginger - 2 TSP ground
4. Butter - 1 TBSP
5. Vegetable Broth- 1.5 Cups
6. Almond Milk - 0.5 Cup
7. Salt - 1 TSP or as per taste

Method:
1. Sauté chopped onion, carrots and ginger in butter for 5-6 min. or until onion are softened. If you like you can use fresh ginger; about 1/2 Inch.

2. Add vegetable broth and almond milk. Now simmer until carrots are softened; in about 10-12 mins

3. Blend it with salt until you get a smooth consistency.

4. Soup is ready. Serve hot with fresh ground black pepper and spring of cilantro.

Swiss Chard Lentil Curry

        Swiss chard comes in various bright colors; orange, yellow, red. I have seen in pale green also. Sometimes it’s called as rainbow chard rightfully. For today’s recipe I am using red Swiss chard. It’s called as Collard Green or Spinach Beet also. The stems have texture and feel of a celery. Even it’s red, the juices that comes do not stain. During summer, farmers market carry this colorful vegetable. After skipping it for many years, I finally thought to give it a try. It’s delicious and nutritious.

The curry is vegan, vegetarian, low calorie, low cholesterol, diabetic friendly, diary free.

Ingredients:
1. Red Swiss Chard- 1 Bunch
2. Yellow Mung Dal - 1 Cup
3. Onion - 1 Medium
4. Tomato- 1 Medium
5. Garlic - 4-5 Cloves
6. Ginger - 2 inches
7. Mustard Seeds- 1 TSP
8. Cumin Seeds- 1 TSP
9. Curry Leaves- 8/9 Leaves
10. Lemon Juice- 2 TBSP
11. Red Chili Powder - 2 TSP
12. Turmeric Powder- 1 TSP
13. Garam Masala - 2 TSP
14. Salt - 2 TSP or as per taste

Method:
1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly.  Separate stems from leaves for chard and cut in small pieces like onion. Also few leaves have thicker ribs. So fold the leaf in half and separate the ribs and chop in small pieces like the stems.

2. Heat the thick bottom pan on high heat. Add in oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the seeds start to sputter add chopped onion and stems. Sauté those together for 5-6 minutes.

3. Add chopped tomato, shredded ginger and crushed garlic. Sauté for 3-4 min.

4. In the meantime, chop the green leaves in small pieces.

5. Add chopped greens with all spices; turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Sauté for 2-3 min or until greens are cooked.

6. I have used yellow mung lentils. You can easily substitute for green mung lentils or masoor lentil. While washing, chopping and sautéing vegetables, soak the lentil of your choice in water. Once greens are cooked add lentils and water. 

7. If you are using pressure cooker, cook for three whistle. If using instant pot, close the lid and seal vent. Choose pressure cooker mode for 4 min.Let the pressure release naturally. I used slow cooking, so cooked it for 90 min. The curry is ready to enjoy with rice, roti or naan. One way to enjoy is as curried soup. Yes, it’s that good.

Fiesta Salad

 As the name gives away, fiesta salad is full of colorful, delicious ingredients. If you are looking to incorporate quinoa in your diet, this is by far the easiest salad recipe. It is also known as Quinoa Black Beans and Mango Salad.

It is Vegan, Vegetarian, Kids Friendly, Lactose Intolerance Friendly.

Ingredients:
1. Quinoa- 2 Cups Cooked
2. Black Beans - 2 Cups
3. Mango - 2 Medium
4. Red Onion- 1/2 Small
5. Red Bell Pepper- 1/2 Small
6. Cilantro - Handful
7. Jalapeño - 1 Small
8. Avocado- 1 Large

Dressing:
1. Olive Oil- 3 TBSP
2. Lemon Juice- 2 TBSP
3. Garlic - 1 TBSP Minced
4. Honey - 1 TBSP
5. Dijon Mustard- 2 TSP
6. Black Pepper - 1 TSP or as per taste
7. Salt - 1 TSP or as per taste

Method:
1. Cook Quinoa as per the directions on the packaging. Generally it is 1 parts of quinoa and 2 parts of water or vegetable broth. Bring it boil, then simmer for 15-20 min or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with the fork and it’s ready to serve.

2. While quinoa is being cooked, prepare dressing first and then chop vegetables. In a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients listed under dressing. Whisk all together until you get a consistent dressing. Keep it aside.

3. For black beans, I am using canned black beans. Alternative is to soak dry black beans overnight, cook in triple water for an hour. In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa and black beans. Pour all of the dressing and mix all well.

4. Add chopped red onion, red bell pepper, mango and jalapeño. Mix well. All the colors are inviting at this point to take a first bite but hold one. One last step is left!

5. Top it with avocado and cilantro and serve!!

Plum Jam

 Though plum is available almost all spring and summer season, Jam is delicious way to remember the juicy goodness of plum. It’s easy, as it takes only two ingredients to make it.

It’s vegan, vegetarian, kids friendly!

Ingredients:
1. Plum - 7 Cups
2. Sugar- 3.5 Cups

Method:
1. Choose ripe plums to make the jam. Wash those thoroughly and dry well.

2. Thinly slice each by discarding the seeds. Add sliced plum and sugar in instant pot. 

3. Choose Sauté mode for 3 min. Keep stirring. For almost all slices, skin will be separated by now.

4. Close the lid, seal the venting. Set pressure cook mode to 1 min. Before cooking, it will take about 10 min to build the pressure. Once the timer is off, let the pressure release naturally. Another 15-20 min. Open the lid, all the plums are cooked and you will see syrup.

5. Set instant pot to sauté mode for 30 min. The syrup will start to boil almost immediately. Keep stirring occasionally; every 4-5 min. It is syrup even after 15 min, like in below picture.

In another 15 min, syrup will thicken quickly. By end of 30 min, the consistency looks like Jam. If not, you can add 2-3 min more in Sauté mode until you get consistency as shown in below picture.

6. Give it a couple of hours to completely cool down. Store in airtight container to last long. It can last upto an year. 7 Cups of Plums yield to 20 oz Jam.

Plum Quinoa Salad

Plums are summer favorite of mine. As much as I like plums, I was surprised when I heard of plum and quinoa salad. I did tweak it to make it taste ‘ just right’ for my family. I want to share the same with you today.

Ingredients:
1. Plums - 2-3 Medium
2. Quinoa - 2 Cups (Cooked)
3. Parsley- 1 Bunch
4. Slivered Almonds - 1/4 Cup

For Dressing:
1. Ginger - 1 TSP - freshly grated or ground
2. Lemon Juice - 2 TBSP
3. Honey - 1 TBSP
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 3 TBSP
5. Salt - 1/2 TSP or as per taste
6. Cracked Black Pepper - 1/2 TSP or as per taste

Method:
1. Cook the quinoa as per directions on the packaging. Most of the times, it’s one part of quinoa and 2 parts of vegetable broth or water. You bring both to boil and cover for 15-20 min to simmer. If needed, let it simmer longer until all liquid is absorbed.

2. While quinoa is cooking, in a small jar, about 8-10 oz, add all the ingredients listed under ‘for dressing’. Close the lid for the jar and shake it until all ingredients are mixed well. Keep the dressing aside to chop parsley and plum.

3. Thinly slice plums. Wash parsley thoroughly. Discard the thick stems and roughly chop it.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix quinoa, parsley and all the dressing. Gently mix in plum slices. Top it with slivered almonds. 

Spinach Strawberry Salad

 Strawberries are available throughout the summertime. As much as I like to eat those fresh as is this salad recipe easy way to consume strawberries when I buy those in bulk. I am describing salad for one persons lunch or side dish for 2-3 people.

It is kids friendly, diabetic friendly, vegetarian..

Ingredients:
1. Baby Spinach- 2 Cups
2. Red Onion - 1/4 Medium size
3. Strawberries - 6-7
4. Avocado- 1 Medium
5. Pecan - 1/2 Cup
6. Sugar - 1 TBSP
7. Butter - 1 TBSP
8. Ground Cinnamon - 1 TSP
9. Black Pepper- as per taste
10. Vinaigrette - 2 TSP

Method:
1. Heat a small sauce pan, melt butter.

2. Add sugar and cinnamon. Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring gently until sugar melts.

3. Stir in all pecan and continue stirring until pecan are coated with syrup and get lightly toasted. Be careful of burning those.

4. Keep those aside to cool down.

5. Roughly chop spinach, cut strawberries vertically, cut onion in julienne cut. In a mixing bowl, toss those together with vinaigrette.

6. Now top it with toasted pecan, avocado and cheese. I have used vegan cheese. You can use regular Mexican blend or blue cheese. Add freshly crushed black pepper and salad is ready!