Pasta Aglio E Olio | Vegan Pasta Recipes

Pasta Aglio E Olio means Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil in Italian. A simple pasta flavored with garlic and olive oil, it is one of the classic pasta dishes. I added some chopped bell peppers and a little lemon juice to brighten things up, since, you know I love lemony anything. 
I adapted this recipe from a Pasta Cookbook which my friend Denny gave me when we visited her for Christmas. Spaghetti is the best choice for this pasta dish. Since I did not have any spaghetti in hand and wanted to introduce pasta to my 1.5 yr old with a fun shape, I used Campanelle.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Pasta - 1 lb box
Bell peppers - sliced thin - 1 cup (I used a combination of green and mini red, orange, yellow peppers)
Garlic cloves - 6 - slivered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 6 tbsp
Res Pepper Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Parsley / Cilantro - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta boiled water. Drain and set aside covered. Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a wide non-stick pan and add sliced peppers and saute for 2 minutes. Add the slivered garlic cloves and saute another 2 minutes. Throw in the red pepper flakes and toss for a couple of seconds. Add the pasta water and lemon juice with salt and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the pasta, parsley and toss. Add the remaining olive oil. Serve warm.
Linking this up for Priya's Vegan Thursdays.

Tofu Bellpepper Scramble / Tofu Bhurji | Vegan Breakfast Scramble

This is a simple Vegan scramble with Tofu and Bell peppers which is a great dish for breakfast or as a snack. It is really versatile that it can be stuffed as a sandwich, rolled in a chapathi like khatti roll or had as a side dish for rice. I got this bag of cute little mini peppers which I had to add in every stir fry dish I make. Peppers are storehouses of antioxidants and Vitamin C and hey, it makes the dish colorful and appetizing. Bell peppers can be readily substituted with chopped boiled carrots, green beans and peas. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Tofu - 1/3rd of a block
Bell peppers - chopped - 1-1/2 cups (I used a mix of mini red, orange and yellow peppers)
Green Bellpepper / Capsicum - 1/2 - chopped fine
Oil - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Crumble the pressed tofu into little pieces. Heat 1 tsp of oil with the spice powders and a pinch of salt. When it is heated through add the crumbled tofu and fry in medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes until it starts to become light brown. Remove and set aside. Spray some oil in the pan and fry the chopped bell peppers in medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add the fried tofu and add salt if needed. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Carrot Rice for Infants | Infant & Toddler Food Ideas

I had been wanting to start a section for Baby and Toddler Foods for a while now. Kavin is now 19 months and pretty much eats whatever I make for us. Of course mealtimes are fuss times. Now that he had started saying "enough" (in our language), he starts saying enough midway through his meal or sometimes even after the first spoon. On some days when I have leftovers for me to finish, I make some of his favorites. These recipes I will be posting here are Kavin-approved tasty baby foods.

Ingredients:
Serves - 1;
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Carrots - chopped - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Pepper - a pinch
Ghee - 1/2 tsp

Method:
In a closed saucepan, cook the chopped carrots with water and a pinch of salt and pepper. When the carrots are completely through, cool it a little and puree in the blender. Mash the cooked rice when it is still hot and mix in the ghee and pureed carrots. Serve warm. 
Notes:
Baby age - 7 months and above. Make sure you have already introduced rice and carrots to your baby, not necessarily together.

Methi Paratha | Roti Paratha Recipes

Every family deserves a healthy wholesome meal. I made this Methi Paratha with Aloo Capsicum Sabzi for lunch one day. Topped with a glass of lassi, it is a complete meal in itself. These winter days when fresh greens are difficult to come by, the frozen greens come in handy. I never fail to buy the frozen methi leaves during my produce shopping. What about you? Which vegetables would you buy only fresh or only frozen?

Ingredients:
Makes 12 parathas; Measurements in 160 ml cup
Wheat flour - 4 cups 
Water - 1-1/4 cups + more if needed
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Methi leaves - 1/2 cup - tightly packed - I used two cubes of frozen leaves
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - a big pinch
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt  - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Method:
Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the methi leaves and saute until it wilts. Add the spice powders and salt and cook in medium heat until it shrinks. Allow it to cool. Mix whole wheat flour, salt and 1 tbsp of oil well. Add the cooled methi mixture and mix well. Make a well in the center and pour water and mix slowly and form a dough. Sprinkle more water if needed. Knead well for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and pliable. Rest for 15 minutes. Make small-orange sized balls of dough. Dust the balls with wheat flour and roll into thin parathas with a rolling pin. Heat a dosa tawa and place the rolled paratha on it when hot. Flip when little bubbles appear on the top. Cook in medium-high heat by pressing and rotating with a kitchen towel, until it puffs up. Smear with couple of drops of ghee before serving. Serve hot with any curry of your choice. 

Aloo Capsicum Bhaji / Bell Peppers Potato Curry | Indian Curry Recipes

Bhaji is a simple curry prepared with vegetables. This is one such curry I prepared aimlessly. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to do and how I was going to make this curry for the Methi Paratha for which I had prepared the dough. All I wanted was a potato capsicum combo, which we love and I wanted to make it little spicy, since LO was not going to eat that. I was planning to give Kavin just the paratha with some yogurt or milk. So I went ahead, out and out to prepare a spicy bhaji to go with the parathas.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3-4
Potatoes - 3
Green Bell Peppers / Capsicum - 2
Tomato - 2 ripe
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - a big pinch
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder  - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Method:
Cut the potatoes and bell peppers into 1 inch cubes. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes in high heat. It should be enough if the potatoes form a golden crust on them and it is not needed that the potatoes should be cooked through. Remove and set aside. In the same kadai add a few drops of oil and fry the bell peppers/capsicum. Fry until it starts to brown, in high heat. Remove and set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and add the cumin seeds and the ginger garlic paste. After about a min, add the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt. When the tomatoes become mushy and cooked completely add the spice powders and mix well. After about a minute or so add the water, cover and allow it to boil. When it comes to a boil, add salt and potatoes. Cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers now and and cook covered for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with any paratha of your choice.
Notes:
Freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped raw red onions are other garnish suggestions. You can always add more water as needed for the curry's consistency. The frying of the potatoes and capsicum prior to making the curry is purely optional. I just like the smoked flavour. 

Mocha Pancakes | Eggless Pancake Recipes

If you are a morning coffee person, you would love these for breakfast. If you are not a coffee person, you would love these anytime. This is a super simple chocolate pancake recipe, with no eggs. The touch of coffee is sure to wake your senses and get you geared up for the day. 

Ingredients:
Makes 8 pancakes
Adapted from Sailu's recipe
All purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 2-1/2 tsp
Instant Coffee Powder - 2 tsp
Butter - 1 tsp - melted
Oil -  2 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 2 tbsp plus more if needed

Method:
Whisk the dry ingredients together using a sieve or whisk until well mixed without lumps. Mix the butter, oil, milk and water. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk briskly. The batter should be well mixed, but a few lumps are fine. Set the batter aside until the griddle is heated. When it is heated, use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter and pour on the griddle. Let it spread on its own. When bubbles start appear on the top, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two. Serve with maple syrup or chocolate spread, okay, there cannot be too much chocolate, can it.. 
Notes:
If you want to make it vegan, skip the butter and substitute milk with almond, soy or coconut milk. If the batter is thick, add one or two more tbsp of water as needed.

Butternut Squash Rajma Kurma | Indian Curry Recipes

A tasty, wholesome curry with lots of flavours. That is how I would define a korma. This recipe is true to that definition. A delicate vegetable and hearty beans combined with yogurt and spices, it is a great side for Jeera Rice and Rotis. This can be treated as a base recipe and different combinations of vegetables (Butternut squash, Pumpkin, Winter melon, Bottle gourd) and beans (Rajma, Black Eyed peas, Chickpeas) can be added. This recipe serves a large crowd, so I make and freeze half of the portion for later use.

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-6
Recipe from Priya
Butternut Squash - 1/2 of a squash - cut into half inch cubes
Red kidney beans / Rajma - cooked - 2 cups
Onion - 1 cup - chopped
Tomato - 1 - chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Make a paste:
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Khus Khus / Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp

Method:
Make a smooth paste with yogurt, khus khus and cashewnuts. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry the onions until they are soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute. Add the chopped tomato with a pinch of salt and saute until they turn mushy. Add the spice powders and fry for a minute. Throw the cubed butternut squash pieces and saute for about 5 minutes. Add half a cup of water and cover and cook until the squash is almost cooked. Add the cooked beans, ground paste and salt to taste. Mix in required quantity of water for the kurma and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with roti or pulao.

Kathirikai Gothsu / Brinjal Kothsu | South Indian Curry Recipes

Like most South-Indian homes, we almost never run out of dosa batter. But whenever it happens, a quick upma or pongal is my saviour. Ven Pongal is best had with Coconut chutney. I was in this assumption until one of my friends told me what he was having for breakfast. Ven Pongal with Kathirikai kothsu. It was a new combination which I have not tasted before. I had been wanting to ask his wife how she made the gothsu, but never got a chance to ask. So I set out to make it myself one fine day. 

Ingredients:
Serves - 3-4
Eggplant - 1 large - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Onions - 1/2 cup -chopped
Ripe Tomato - 1 small - chopped
Tamarind - size of half a lime - soaked in 1 cup warm water
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 2-3 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Spice mix
Dry red chillies - 3 big
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch

Method:
Heat a few drops of oil and roast the ingredients under spice mix for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool and make a fine powder in a mixie. Extract thick juice from tamarind. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a wide pan and add the mustard seeds and urad dhal. When the mustard splutters add the onions and fry for a minute. Add the chopped tomato and eggplant and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the tamarind juice, turmeric, salt and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook until the eggplant is cooked through and mushy, about 12-15 minutes in med-high heat. Stir occasionally while cooking. When the eggplant is fully cooked and most of the water is evaporated, mash it well with the back of the ladle/wooden spoon. An old fashioned mathu would work perfectly in this case. Add the remaining water and the spice powder. Allow to come to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve for idli/dosa/pongal.

Vazhaikai Milagu Kari / Plantain Pepper Curry | South Indian Curry Recipes

When we were produce shopping before a few weeks, DH saw me buying plantains and was excited that I was going to make Bajjis. Yeah, he loves any food deep fried. He forgot about that and when the next time when I bought them, he asked "Didn't you buy one last week. What happened to that one?" I said I put them in the kootu I made for Thiruvadhirai (a religious festival). I assured him this time the plantains will go into making bajjis, but instead I made this pepper curry. No, I didn't break the promise, I reserved some for the bajjis, which I hope I will make soon :).

Also do check out my other recipes with Plantain, Vazhaikai Podimas and Vazhaikai Varuval.

Ingredients:

Adapted from Mallika Badrinath cookbook

Serves -  3

Vazhaikai / Plantain - 2 small

Fresh Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp

Black Peppercorns / Milagu - 3/4 tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

Grind the peppercorns and cumin seeds into an almost fine powder in the mixie / coffee grinder. Add the grated coconut and 2-3 tbsp of water and make a smooth paste. Peel the plantains and cut them into approximately 1 cm cubes. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the plantains and stir for about a minute or two. Add the ground paste,salt and water and cover and cook in medium heat until done. Stir occasionally to prevent the curry to stick to the bottom of the pan. When the plantains are fully cooked, remove to a bowl and serve. 

Kale Stir Fry / Keerai Poriyal

Honestly, I have not heard about something called "Kale" when in India. In India we get a variety of greens, totally different from the ones we get here. I remember the Keeraikaramma (meaning greens selling lady) selling a bunch of different greens. She used to yell "Araikeerai, Mulaikeerai, Sirukeerai, Ponnanganni keerai, Manathakkali keerai". Those are few of the tamil names of the keerai I remember. But Kale, Chards, Arugula etc.,. are not so common there. After coming to US I missed all those keerais (sshh, hope my grandma doesn't hear me saying this), but I still got access to fenugreek leaves, spinach and even drumstick leaves sometimes. 
After I bought Kale for the first time, I was doubtful on how to cook it, to be more precise how to convert it into an Indian dish. I remembered Denny's recipe on Kale Molagootal which I tried time and again and fell in love with. Slowly I started using it in soups and omelets. Kale could particularly be a difficult ingredient to cook with but, given a little time and care it tastes really good.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Kale - 1 bunch - I used purple kale
Toor dhal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch optional
Onion - chopped - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 3 cloves - chopped
Dry red chillies - 2 - broken
Oil - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup plus more to cook the dhal
Salt - to taste

Method:
Heat 1 cup of water and toor dhal in a saucepan with a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt. Cook the dhal until it still holds its shape but mashed when pressed. Drain the water and set the dhal to cool.
Remove the hard stems of the kale and cut the leaves to small bite sized pieces. In a wide pan, heat oil and fry the onions, garlic and red chillies until the onion is cooked through. Add a pinch of salt and the kale leaves and mix well. Add the water, cover and cook until the leaves are fully cooked. It took somewhere around 15-20 minutes for me. Remove the cover and mix once in every 3-4 minutes. If the water is evaporated but the kale is still not cooked, add more water as needed to cook. When the kale is cooked add the cooked toor dhal and mix well. Serve as a side. If you are on a health kick, it is great as a snack too with a cup of greek yogurt.
Linking this up to Nayna's Let's Cook - Green Vegetables; Vardhini's New 'U' 2014.

Oats Upma & Winner of Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

I had been meaning to make upma with oats sooner. After having about 9 upmas in my bounty (read as My Menu) including the not so common Barley Upma, making Oats Upma should be easy, right? Yeah, You would think. I have 2 persons to convince. Firstly, me. Aren't oats supposed to be gooey when cooked, how can I make them to be less gooey in the consistency of upma. Secondly, my 1.5 yr old son. Kavin is ok with experimenting anything new, BUT it has to be tasty. I also have to remember that he is not a fan of oatmeal. DH does not want to do anything with oats, so I have not included him in the "persons to convince" list.
There started my venture of making Oats Upma for a Saturday morning breakfast and I would say it was pretty successful with two happy tummies.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Rolled oats / Old fashined oats - 1 cup (160 ml cup)
Onion - chopped - 1/2 cup
Carrots - 1 - finely chopped
Green Beans - 6 - finely chopped
Green chillies - 2
Water - 2 cups (see notes)
Salt - to taste (see notes below)
Oil - 2 tsp
Tempering - optional
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method:
Dry roast the rolled oats until it is warm to touch. Remove to a plate to cool. Heat oil in a wide pan and add the ingredients for tempering, if using. Add the chillies and onions. Saute until the onions are cooked through and add the chopped vegetables and salt to taste. Add about 1/2 cup of water and cover and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked. Add the remaining water and allow it to boil. When it boils add the oats and mix. Cover and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the oats is fully cooked. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the pan. If the oats is cooked but there is still some water left in the pan, remove the cover and cook until all the water evaporates. Serve with coconut chutney, pickle or with some sugar sprinkled over.
Notes:
If using quick cooking oats using equal parts of water since they cook faster than rolled oats. Also, while adding salt make sure that you add the right amount of salt. In other upmas, like rava upma we have to add more salt in the water to have it bit salty, so that it evens out when rava is added. Not the case here.
Linking these up to Vardhini's Dish It Out - Light Dinners; New U - 2014;

Now the interesting part. I celebrated my blog's three year anniversary with an event and a giveaway. I received 33 total entries and I used random.org to select the winner. The lucky winner is Sharanya of Just not the cakes. Congratulations Sharanya! I have sent you an email and please respond with your address. You will be receiving a copy of Dakshin - Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanaban.
Thank you everyone for the enthusiasm and support!

Seppankilangu Masala Varuval

This is one of those addictive, no-one-can-eat-just-one kind of dish. Seppankilangu Masala Varuval (Taro Masala Fry) is a spicy shallow fried version of the arbi/taro root and is a tasty side dish for dhal rice or curd rice. 
I also have posted another version of this Seppankilangu Varuval earlier.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Taro / Arbi / Seppankilangu - 6
Corn Starch - 2 tsp
Sambar Powder - 2 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Pressure cook the arbi for 2 whistles. When done, drain, cool and remove skin. Slice into thin discs and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients with water to make a thin paste (except oil). The paste should be in a batter consistency, not too thin. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a flat, wide non-stick pan, coating the pan evenly. Dip the cut arbi discs into the spice paste and shake off excess. Place in the heated pan. Repeat for the other pieces until pan is full. Fry until it is golden. Flip over and continue to fry the other side. When full done and crispy remove and drain on a kitchen tissue paper. Repeat for the next batch with remaining oil if needed. This fry is a great snack in itself, but I served with sambar rice.

Mixed Vegetable Kuruma / Kurma for Pulao | Indian Curry Recipes

As a home cook, my simple dream is to provide healthy wholesome food to my family yet spend less time in the kitchen. Sounds confusing I know, it may not come true everyday, but is possible some days. One of those days are when I make this universal side dish, Vegetable kurma. It is a multi-purpose accompaniment to almost all the Indian main courses, Idli, dosa, rice, Poori, Chapathi, Paratha. I make it in the morning for dosa, and it pops up for lunch with Thengaipal Sadham and does not fail to make an appearance for dinner with chapathi. Now that is a win-win for me.  It is also a great way to use up all those leftover veggies before you go on a trip :).

Ingredients:
Serves - 4-6
Potato - 1
Turnip - 1
Carrots - 2
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - sliced thin - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
To Grind:
Garlic - 5 cloves
Green Chillis - 4 or 5
Grated Coconut - 4 tbsp - heaped
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp

Method:
Make a smooth paste of the ingredients under 'To Grind' in a blender. Cut the vegetables in little, almost equal sized pieces. Boil them in salted water, about 4-5 cups until done. Drain and reserve water. Heat oil in a kadai and add the sliced onions. Fry until they are soft and add the ground masala with salt and half a cup of water. Allow it to cook for about 2 minutes. Now add the water from the vegetables and allow it to boil. When it starts to boil, simmer for about 5 minutes and add the vegetables. Continue to simmer in low heat until the desired thickness is achieved. Serve with chapathi, idli, dosa or rice.
Pressure cooker method:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker add add the onions. Fry until they are soft and then add the cut, raw vegetables and salt. Add the ground paste and about 4-5 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Open after the pressure is dropped. Serve.

Thengaipal Sadham / Coconut Milk Pulao | Indian Rice Recipes

A simple rice dish that is rich and delicious. Perhaps those words are  just enough to introduce this tasty Thengaipal (Coconut Milk) Sadham. With just a few ingredients it is truly a mystical food. I made this for lunch the other day with Vegetable Kurma. Great Pair I would say!

Ingredients:
Recipe source - Mother-in-law
Serves - 3
Rice - 1-1/2 cups
Thick Coconut milk from can - 1 cup (See notes below)
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 cup - sliced
Garlic  - 5 cloves - sliced
Green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and splutter the cumin seeds and green chillis. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion turns light brown. Add coriander powder, salt and mix well. Add the coconut milk, water along with the drained rice. Cover and cook for 2 whistles. Serve with any spicy kurma of your choice.
Notes:
If using home made coconut milk, add 2 cups coconut milk with 1 cup water. If not cooking in pressure cooker, cover and cook for 15 minutes in medium-high heat.
Linking it to Priya's Vegan Thursdays.