Rasaswad

This is a salad which is hearty, tasty, healthy and worthy of being a vegetarian side in a fancy restaurant. Seriously, why don't more restaurants serve food like this? Mix a heaping tablespoon of Salsa Macha (recipe here: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/salsa-macha/ mine was made with peanuts), some red wine vinegar, some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix together to make a dressing. Add diced, farm fresh, green pepper, a carrot and some spring onion. Add about a cup of cooked, leftover brown rice. Press into a nice bowl, and invert onto a plate for a nice presentation.

I've been meaning to blog about them, but just haven't been able to. Here are some bookmarks: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mushroom-and-fontina-quiche-355191 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-salad-with-dates-parmesan-and-almonds-51137020 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe.html http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-dip-recipe.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGbIYcH4dAI http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2013/11/chickpea-puttanesca-polenta/

Inspired by my own post earlier today, I made this nice curry for dinner with hot, steaming fulkas and ghee. Slice Japanese eggplants on a bias, and deep fry. Slice potatoes and deep fry and set aside. I made the same base and used the two veggies for the two people in the household. Soak tamarind (about the size of a lemon) in warm water. For the curry, in a pot, heat some oil, add a handful of whole, raw peanuts, one red chilly, a handful of sesame seeds,  a handful of fresh (frozen) coconut, a big pinch of cumin seeds, a big pinch of methi seeds, and roast on a low flame until sesame seeds are golden brown. Let cool on a plate for a bit, and then grind coarsely. Add Water and make a somewhat fine paste (not super smooth). Now, wipe the same pan, and add some more oil (3/4 of a tbsp should be enough). Add mustard seeds, Curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder, and the peanut paste. Stir constantly to avoid burning (it will stick a bit). Add a ...

To my non-Indian friends, who enjoy cooking Indian food..It's a rather long post, but it's meant for those who dream of exotic food all day long and constantly obsess over their ingredients.... Most of you have heard of Turmeric and Garam Masala and Ghee...But here are some ingredients that I think can help step up your game. If you want to move beyond naan, and greasy curries, and understand the beauty and simplicity of simple, home made Indian food, you need to get to know these ingredients. Some of these are short-cuts, but hey, every good cook has some dark secrets. Some of these ingredients sound really scary, but be brave, and just venture into your nearest Indian grocery store to find them, and you will be rewarded with new flavor awakenings. 1. Chaat Masala: It's a mixture of spices, usually sold in small cardboard boxes. I usually buy "MDH" brand, but most brands are good. "Chaat" means  "to lick". This spice is literally lip sma...

Boil, peel, cool, and dice 2-3 russet potatoes. Soak half a cup of boondi and set aside. Roast and chop half cup of peeled peanuts. Coarsely crush a table spoon of whole coriander seeds. Heat oil, add 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds, one whole red chilli, crushed  coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cruched red chilli flakes, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, a pinch of aesofetida, and add the potatoes. Add salt and let it saute for about a minute. Add 3/4 teaspoon amchur powder, 1/2 teaspoon chat masala, soaked boondi, peanuts, chopped cilantro and mint. Let the mixture cool. Beat about 11/2 cups of yoghurt with 1/2 cup of water. Mix it with the potato mixture, and garnish with red chilli powder, chat masala, and chopped herbs. Cool and eat for dinner on a sultry summer night...

As crazy as it sounds....done right, this can be a fabulous dish....the kind that might some day show up in a fancy farm to table kind of restaurant.... Ok, so make sure you use a fantastic bread..I had this almost warm out of the oven (and freshly sliced) seven grain loaf I picked up this evening from Wegman's. Super crunchy crust, which I think really elevated this dish. Ideally you would grill the bread like for bruscetta, but I just heated it up on a griddle. Ok, now for the main part of the dish...wash and dry Okra, slice it medium thick (I think diagonal is not the way to go here). Heat some olive oil, add cumin seeds, let it brown and then add chopped white onion and saute for a couple of minutes. Add some minced garlic, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and amchur. Saute for a few more minutes, till the onion gets brown on the edges. Then add the bhindi and some salt and saute. Don't worry if it gets sticky. Keep sauteing on a medium heat for a while, til...

hot oil + thinly sliced (and dried) leeks + minced ginger + minced garlic + sliced napa cabbage + ribbon spinach + sliced red pepper + diagonally, thickly sliced kind oyster mushrooms (start of the show) + pre-cooked whole wheat noodles (Tang's Natural) + kosher salt + dash of sriracha + dash of rice vinegar + a couple of globs of Lee Kum Kee vegetarian mushroom flavored stir fry sauce +  enoki mushrooms + clamshell mushrooms + bean sprouts+ toasted sesame seeds = Amazing.

Oil + broccoli florets + sliced carrots + sliced garlic. Saute for a bit + sliced king oyseter mushroom + bean sprouts + defrosted wheat berries (1 part wheat berries + 3 parts water (I think) + salt and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles) + 1-2 table spoon of Salsa Macha + kosher salt + nutritional yeast + carrot greens. Salte everything for a couple more minutes and serve hot.

Pretty basic, but quite a hit with adults and kids alike. Melt half a stick of butter with a bag of chocolate chips (whatever kind you have on hand...semisweet for grown up, milk for chocolate) and cool. Whisk together a cup of sour cream, a teaspoon of vanilla, the cooled chocolate mixture and several cups of confectioner's sugar. Adjust according to how stiff/sweet you want the frosting to be. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sour-cream-chocolate-cake

Heat oil. Add finely chopped Ginger + Garlic + cilantro stems (lots of them) + spring onion + a little bit of red onion + yellow bell pepper (little bit..not a lot). Saute for a few secongs. Add finely diced carrots + finely diced cabbage (a big handful). Saute everything till the veggies soften just a little bit. Add a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Add soy sauce + dark Soy + rice vinegar + a small amount of schezwan sauce (indian style) + a few drops of dark sesame oil. Stir. Add a can of Straw Mushrooms split in half length wise. Add a couple of cups of water and let it come to boil. Add cornstarch slurry, let it boil and then simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Serve piping hot with finely chopped spring onion greens. Winter. Solved.