Spicy roasted bell pepper peanut sauce

This summer, I had a few opportunities to eat at Epiphany Cafe in downtown Tuscaloosa, AL. Epiphany sources and features Alabama grown produce on their menu (they also go local with their beers, meats, and dairy too). I like sampling the small plates, as they are generous portions to share. Now, I'm not a foodie critic, and I rarely write about restaurant meals, but this place just floors me each time. For someone that cooks a lot, I'm impressed when restaurant meals are something that I would not prepare at home. I want to be impressed. A quick glance at their menu, shows a description of foods and flavors - they really work it. 

Last week, they had a special 3-course menu for restaurant week: hay-smoked scallops served with coin-thin sliced cucumbers and drizzles of soy sauce, flash-fried and crunchy fish with radishes and slivers of dainty grassy chives served over potatoes, and to finish off the meal a rich (I would think brown sugar) pound cake featuring Chilton County peaches. All this for 30 bucks - no splitting though. I ate all of it. 

Each time I've gone, I try to sample new things. They tend to change the menu frequently. One dish that has stuck with me, and that I absolutely adored was a roasted okra with a red bell pepper coulis. If you love okra, you've got to try it roasted. 

After settling in and unpacking the kitchen, one visits the farmers' markets. There was a lot of good looking late summer produce around. Pretty purple and green okra pods, hot peppers, tomatoes, dimpled and firm summer squash, flowers, basil, eggplants. I knew I had to recreate that okra dish. I didn't want to view the menu to see what flavors I had loved so much, I wanted to go off memory, and what we had around. Turning the oven on in the middle of summer here was not the best idea, but so be it when you want roasted okra.  

I made a roasted bell pepper sauce/chutney, and served it over just roasted okra, and topped it with some fresh basil. I served mine alongside some couscous, which proved a bit boring, but was a key sauce soaker-upper. This is a delicious dish. Choose young fresh okra. If the okra is too mature, the seeds will be an unpleasant crunch, and the skins can get too tough and fibrous. Young pods should be 3-4" in length or smaller. 

Spicy roasted bell pepper peanut sauce served with roasted okra and couscous

Serves: 4, or 2 hungry people; recipe inspired from Epiphany Cafe, Tuscaloosa, AL

Ingredients:

1-2 red bell peppers 

1-2 hot peppers, or jalapeños 

2 cloves garlic

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp water

2-3 tbsp parsley, cut off stems

juice of half a lime

1 tbsp soy sauce

large handful roasted peanuts

Roasted okra:

1-2 lbs okra (count 1/2 pound per person)

olive oil

Couscous:

1 cup couscous

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Turn the broiler on high, and lay out a few red bell peppers and hot peppers on a pan. Broil them until they are nicely charred. Rotating every few minutes until the skins look blistered. Once they are done, set in a heat-proof bowl and cover with a plate. You can set them in the fridge to speed up cooling down time. Boil 1 cup water for the couscous. When the water boils, add the 1 cup dry couscous, stir, and turn off the heat. You can leave the sauce pan with the couscous on the same burner. I think it helps it dry out more quickly. Now, the okra.  

In the same pan, lay out freshly washed okra. Drizzle with olive oil, toss to cover evenly, and roast in the oven at 375º F/ 190º C for about 25 minutes or until baked. Now, the sauce.

In a blender, add roughly chopped parsley, garlic cloves, olive oil, water, the juice of half a lime, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and roasted peanuts. Make sure the bottom of the blender has about 1/2 inch of liquid or more. Blend on low setting, incorporating all the ingredients. Depending on your blender, you might need to scrape the sides of the blender down to incorporate any fly aways. Now, the peppers.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the waxy papery skins, and discard the membranes and seeds. Use plastic gloves (or 2 sandwich plastic zip locks) to prep the hot peppers. Once, I rubbed my eye after ignoring the "use rubber gloves" and it was painful enough that now I try and protect my hands from the capsaicin found in peppers. Add the peppers to the blender. Blend until incorporated. Set aside until ready to use. 

Turn out the roasted okra in a nice serving dish. Spoon some of the spicy roasted bell pepper peanut sauce on top, garnish with basil leaves, and serve alongside the couscous. Voilá, lekkere eten! Een echt super lekkere hoofdgerechten die Jeroen Meus jaloers vindt zijn. 

Black bean salsa with avocado and cukes

This is a simple healthy fresh black bean salsa. It's perfect with chips or as a side. If using cucumbers, it stores up to 2 days. The cukes add a nice crunch, but can be omitted (I'm sneaking in more garden produce). The avocado hits the spot. This recipe changes with whatever I have on hand. Tomatoes, a combination of bell peppers, or corn can be used as well.

Ingredients:

Yield: approx. 2 cups

1/2 cup or more of dried black beans, soaked and cooked, or 1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine, about 1/2 cup

1/2 of a small red onion, chopped, about 2 T

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 small lemon cucumber, seeds removed, chopped fine, or 1/2 red yellow bell pepper chopped

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 canned whole jalapenos, chopped, or 1 jalapeno seeded and diced.

chopped cilantro to taste

1 tbsp or more of fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 of a ripe avocado, small dice. I like to cut all the way around the avocado, peel apart the two sides and gently make dices in the avocado flesh. Then I use a spoon to scoop them all out. This works well with ripe avocados.

Directions:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add in cooked black beans, the chopped red peppers, onions, garlic and cukes (or yellow bell peppers if using). Stir to combine.
2. Add in apple cider vinegar, jalapenos, lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Stir together and adjust for lime juice, heat, and salt.
3. Gently stir in avocado cubes, and fold gently to combine all ingredients.  

Seitan Tikka Masala

This dish is similar to the tofu tikka masala kebabs, but uses seitan instead. While it comes together very quickly, let the seitan marinade for at least 30 minutes. Use the time it's resting to prep the salads and papads. Serve the seitan tikka over a salad garnished with lemon wedges and papads. The seitan looks kind of funny, but has a chewy meaty taste. I would recommend trying it. 

Tikka marinade/sauce

Naked seitan (looks like brown sponge chunks without the sauce) 

Dressed up seitan 

For the marinade/sauce:

½" piece of ginger, chopped fine (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
¼ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp coriander seeds and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds toasted and ground together (omit fenugreek if you can’t find it)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika (smoked paprika, if you have it)
3 tbsp yogurt (or heavy cream)

For the tikka:

1 package seitan rinsed and patted dry, cut into chunks

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips about 1" thick

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips about 1" thick

Olive oil or peanut oil for stir-frying

For the salad:

Any lettuce or salad mix greens will do. Can also serve with grated carrots, corn, tomatoes, onions, lettuce. Garnish with lemon wedges and papads.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add in seitan to the marinade sauce, coat well, and let marinade for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to cook:

2. Cook bell peppers in 1 tsp of oil (e.g. olive oil or peanut oil) over high heat until they are sauteed and cooked. Stir frequently. Once done, remove from pan. Should take 4-5 minutes.

3. Turn heat down to medium and add 1 tsp of oil to the pan. Add in marinaded seitan along with the tikka sauce. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes. The bottom of the pan will start to dry up and will stick.

4. Add the peppers back into the pan along with ¼ cup of water. Stir together. The sauce will thicken up in less than a minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Chipotle Salsa

Salsa ingredients + lazy Friday afternoon + bad photography = chipotle salsa!

orange bell peppers getting diced

green bell peppers getting prepped

After hand-chopping almost a dozen of these guys, I realized I needed a picture. Tomato love.

Jars of chipotle salsa

and since it's a lazy Friday:

Duds' shows off his stretching

Not sure if salsa is kitty appropriate

This is a delicious, hearty, spicy, tasty, slightly smoky fresh salsa and I can't wait to share it on here. I've been eating it this entire past month. The recipe comes from my family in NC, I can't remember when I copied it down, but I've held onto it for a few years. It's easy to prepare and freezes well. You can chop all ingredients by hand – it'll take about an hour; a food processor will certainly speed things up, and can be used as well.

S and K's Chipotle Salsa

2 and ½ lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

1-2 bell peppers (green, red, or yellow), chopped fine

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can, 7.5 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine

2 tsp of adobo sauce

1-2 tbsp lime juice

1-2 tbsp vinegar (e.g. white-wine vinegar is fine)

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp oregano (dried is fine)

½ cup cilantro, chopped fine

For a super hot salsa, count 1-2 chipotle peppers per tomato; for a medium salsa use 4-5 chipotle peppers for the batch, and for a mild salsa use 2-3 chipotle peppers for the batch. Use gloves to handle peppers. Start off adding half the chipotle amount, taste and adjust, and add extra as needed. The salsa can get spicy quickly.

If using a food processor you'll whip this up in no time. Attach the chopping blades and mince whole garlic first. Add in onions (prepped as quarters) and chop to combine. Chop until desired consistency is reached. Remove to a bowl, or a large soup stockpot. Add in bell peppers (prepped as quarters), chop then remove. Finally, add in tomatoes (prepped as quarters) with chipotle peppers (kept whole) and chop until desired consistency is reached. Add all chopped ingredients to a large mixing bowl, or a large soup stockpot. Stir in adobo sauce, lime juice through cilantro and combine. If adding additional chipotle peppers, just chop them in the food processor and add to the pot.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a large soup stockpot. Stir to combine and adjust for taste.
2. Heat up salsa over medium heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. Once cool, ladle into jars and set in fridge. You can freeze extras, thaw overnight in the fridge and it's ready to eat.

Chili sin Carne (con frijoles!)

Tacos with chili con frijoles


Chili con frijoles

In my never-ending quest to satiate my Mexican food hunger cravings, I scoured the Leuven library to check out some Mexican cookbooks. I adapted a recipe from Tacos and Tortillas by Thea Spierings to be vegetarian and include more taco-esque ingredients. Cookbooks with simple pictures do loads to help with language learning.

If you've never had bean-based tacos I would highly recommend trying this. When I taught cooking classes, I often taught how to prepare simple healthy foods, encouraged trying new foods, and helped plan meals to make the most out of food budgets. In prepping tacos, I would recommend cutting half the beef with beans to improve nutritional content and extend food dollars. A lot of meals I taught revolved around beans – beans are high in protein, fiber, and nutrition. Beans cooked from scratch are dirt cheap (although they do take some planning), and they have a long shelf life. Canned beans can be very cheap, and require no cooking (besides heat and eat). The bean filling can be used in tacos, quesadillas, burritos, or served alongside some rice.

Chili sin Carne (con frijoles!)

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp olive oil

½ block of frozen tofu, defrosted and chopped fine (optional)

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped or mixture of red, yellow, or green bell peppers

1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2, 14 oz cans pinto beans (or mixture kidney and pinto), rinsed and drained, or 1 and ½ cups soaked pinto beans prepared with the soak and cook method

1, 6 or 8 oz can pineapple chunks in their own syrup, rinsed and drained

2-3 tbsp hot chili sauce

1 pack of taco shells

Fix-ins for tacos:

2 cups shredded lettuce

salsa (like this really yummy chipotle salsa)

black olives

chopped tomatoes or bell peppers

sour cream

avocado chunks or guacomole

Directions:

1. Heat up olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. If using tofu, add it in and stir fry until golden brown. Once golden, remove from pan and then add in onions and bell pepper. Continue to cook 5-7 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Stir in jalapeno and garlic. Season with a bit of salt.
4. Add in pinto beans, tofu (if using), pineapple chunks, and hot chili sauce. Stir to combine until heated through. Meanwhile, place taco shells on a pan and heat up until hot.
5. Set out taco fix-ins on a counter and serve immediately.   

I Love Tofu

Have you ever visited the Foodgawker website?  It is a serious collection of food photography from many talented food bloggers.  I spend hours searching through the images and coming up with lists of foods I want to prepare, and it has introduced me to many creative bloggers.  This recipe and blog post from Beyond Kimchee, invited me to fall in love with tofu again.  Such a simple, perfect, delicious recipe.  Karl and I have made this at least five times.  We always eat so quickly, briefly pausing between our next bite, to remark how perfect the tofu tastes, and how delicious and fresh the sauce tastes.  It’s made of soy sauce, garlic, red chili, sesame oil, chives, and sesame seeds, but it makes you feel like you are eating so much more.

This is perfect to serve as a starting appetizer, or to be served over rice as the blog author suggests, or really however you wish. We cook up some Chinese-style noodles, then saute red bell peppers, mushroom, snow peas or Napa cabbage, and add the golden pan-fried tofu on top and spoon the sauce over all of it.

First we were ga-ga over Mainly Veggie's spinach veggie burgers, now it’s all about Korean-style pan-fried tofu.  Click the links to take you to the author’s sites. I will write what I did with the recipe here, but the pictures should be pretty obvious, eh?

Pan-fried tofu served with some sauteed vegetables on top of noodles. 

Tofu waiting to be golden. 

Golden pan-fried tofu

Chinese-style noodles
Ingredients:
1 block extra-firm tofu
3 tbsp soy sauce (I used 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp water)
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp shrimp powder (I used ½ tsp Thai panang curry paste)
2 tbsp peanut oil to fry up tofu

Prepare these ingredients with directions from Beyond Kimchee’s blogpost. Her pictures are really wonderful.  

I followed her directions exactly, but I served them with a vegetable stir-fry over noodles. 

More ingredients:
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup mushrooms, wiped clean and cut up however you want
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup snow peas, or 2 cups Napa cabbage chopped (or include both)
12 oz uncooked pasta (such as Chinese noodles, or linguine), or prepare rice instead of pasta.
water for pasta

Directions:

1. First, you can toast the sesame seeds in a non-stick pan without any oil over medium heat. Watch them closely so they won’t burn.  While you are cooking the sesame seeds, prep the tofu (drain, cut it up, then salt it lightly).
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the noodles to the boiling water once you start cooking the tofu. The veggies will take about 15 minutes or less, and the tofu will also take about 15 minutes or less.  This way you’ll have hot noodles.
3. Remove the seeds and add them to the sauce.  Turn heat up heat to medium-high, and add 1 tbsp of peanut oil to the pan. Once hot, add in mushrooms and saute 5-7 minutes.  Jerk the pan in small controlled horizontal movements to toss the mushrooms around. Continue doing this when you add a new ingredient to the pan. You can also stir them around, but it looks more sexy doing it this way (especially if you are wearing an apron).
4. Next, add in bell pepper strips, and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Add in cabbage and snow peas and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes. Then remove to a plate, and prepare the same pan to cook up the tofu.  You can start heating up 2 tbsp of peanut oil while you go get the tofu, and start pan-frying it up.
5. Once you have cooked the tofu, you can add the sauteed veggies to the pan to heat them back up. Remove all of this to a plate. Meanwhile, drain the pasta, reserve ½ cup of boiling water.  If the noodles stick, add about a teaspoon of oil to the noodles along with the water. Divide them up between 4 plates and add about 1 cup of veggies plus 4 pieces of tofu on top. Pass the sauce at the table.

This is a super fast weeknight meal and I’m sure it will be among your favorites.

Fondue on a Budget

The first time I had cheese fondue, it was celebrating Thanksgiving with my sister, Kavita, back in 2005 - the second time was visiting Ellen and Silke in The Hague this spring.  Ironically, these people have now welcomed little cutie baby's into the world.

I love the concept of fondue and have been lazy and lame by not trying to make it sooner. This is a super budget-friendly, romantic, lovely way to have fondue (Allison and Nico, you guys are on the list of providing super inspiration).

You can, of course, make your own fondue out of Swiss and Gruyere cheeses or you can purchase ready made packages. We bought a ready-made package of fondue from our local (and non-fancy) GB Carrefour. They sell "heat and eat" packages that cost around 3 euros for 2 persons.  The hubs and I heated the cheese package over low heat, then served this with vegetable crudites and a whole-grain bread (cut into chunks); we served it with a red wine. 

The fondue cheese was heated on the stovetop in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. It was left on low to keep the cheese melted (we have a nice bar seating area next to the stove-top) so it was left (on low heat) on the stovetop while the fondue was served.  If you don't have a fondue pot (part of this post, was "on a budget") you could shuttle it back and forth, transfer it to a crockpot, or serve it over a double boiler. 

The crudites (totaling about 2 cups of cut up fresh veggies) and a small loaf of bread

radishes

bell peppers

broccoli

carrots

cornichons (to clear the palette)

and bread

but you could also use sugar snap peas, mushrooms, cubed tofu, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, cubed cooked potatoes, etc.

This is so much cheaper than eating out and much more pleasurable and romantic. 

Tempeh Wings, Things, and Stumps

TEMPEH WINGS!

I like tempeh and I like wing sauce. After much searching, and trial and error, I have found the best combination of recipes for tempeh wings (or things, or stumps, or fingers, or whatever you want to call them). These are simply marvelous, fantastic, and finger-licking good.

To make the tempeh wings, I followed this recipe and post of The Ordinary Vegetarian's Tempeh Hot Wings.  I think the recipe has gone viral, as I have found it on many vegan blogs, but Sarah's directions are really easy to follow, and I kept getting distracted by all the other delicious recipes she has posted (which I hope to add to a future week of meals).

To make these really crunchy, put the steamed tempeh in the soy milk/rice milk, dredge in flour, re-dip in the soy milk/rice milk, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. I used Panko breadcrumbs, soy milk instead of rice milk, and smoked paprika.  Honestly, I will put smoked paprika into anything. I had to increase the baking time by about 20 minutes, but I think you can put them in and take them out when browned enough.  Toss in wing sauce once they come out of the oven.

I liked the simplicity of Vegan Dad's wing sauce: half margarine and half wing sauce.  His post on making your own vegan wings was pretty impressive.  I utilized butter and Thai sriracha sauce with a splash of Tabasco to very appetizing results.  I have 3 kinds of hot sauce in the pantry, and I just couldn't justify buying another one.  I can't wait to try the BBQ sauce, and the number of other appetizing recipes.

I served up my tempeh "things" with some coleslaw:


This coleslaw utilizes the seasonings of a ranch-based dressing, in yogurt thinned with water.

Ranch-Yogurt Coleslaw:
Serves 4
1/2 of a medium head of green cabbage, shredded or sliced thin. I prefer slicing, because the shredding just destroys the cabbage
2 carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, chopped

For coleslaw dressing:
1/2 cup or more plain yogurt (the European yogurt I buy is runnier than US yogurts, so I think I used 3/4 cup of yogurt thinned with 3 T of water).
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp salt
fresh black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix together cabbage, carrots and bell pepper in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine yogurt through black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Thin the yogurt with approx. 3 T of water. If the dressing is too thick, thin with more water.
4. Stir into cabbage mixture and adjust seasonings if needed. 

Saucepan Lasagna

I call this saucepan lasagna (my lack of casserole dishes at the moment) because that is how it's getting served. Biking home today in 25 F degree weather caused hallucinations of comfort food. Try this when your pressed for time and don't feel like waiting around for the baking time. Assemble the ingredients in a large skillet (like a lasagna) and heat. Of course, you can also assemble in a casserole and bake (400 F, covered with foil, for 35-45 minutes).

Serves 4-6

1-1.5 cups uncooked bowtie or farfalle pasta (you can use fettucine or whatever you desire)
Water for boiling
salt to get it going faster
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, quartered
1 lb mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Marinara sauce (recipe below, or your own)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup fresh mozzarella (the rubbery wet kind), sliced

Ingredients for Marinara Sauce:

2 T olive oil
3 T carrots, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
few parsley springs
2 T mixed herbs (basil, marjoram, oregano etc), chopped
1 28 oz can pureed tomatoes (low-sodium)
generous pour of red wine (I used this merlot)

Directions:

1. Boil water for the pasta, and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile prep the veggies for the sauce and lasagna. 
3. Drain pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, to use if the pasta sticks. 
4. In the same pan (or a new one), heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat, and add mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes or until golden, turn heat to medium.
5. Add in peppers and zucchini. Continue to cook 5 minutes.
6. Stir in crushed red pepper and season with salt, set aside.

Directions for Marinara Sauce:

1. In the same pot (no need to dirty a new one, right?) heat up 2 T of olive oil over medium-high heat, and add in garlic and onions. Cook for about 3 minutes, and turning heat down to medium, add in carrots, and parsley sprigs.
2. Add in pureed tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Cook covered, over medium-high heat until the marinara thickens (about 20 minutes). Remove parsley sprigs before using, adjust salt if needed.
3. Next, assemble your lasagna, layering sauce, noodles, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and veggies.
4. Heat up, over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs and parmesan. While its cooking you can make a salad =)

Pav Bhaji

I'm going to tell you about the best dish ever. But first, some reflection.




This dish, pav bhaji, takes me back to the day...
Growing up our family ate Gujarati food everyday. Of course Indian food wasn't cool back then, with all of our hand-eating and what not. We ate roti, that I had to constantly explain was like a tortilla, but not; then we had mixed vegetable dishes (shak-bhaji), rice (bath), and dhal (a rotating variety of about 3 kinds, tuver, mung, and channa), then we'd eat yogurt, which my sister and brother would substitute with Cool Whip (haha shak-bhaji with Cool Whip) oh a Seestah classic. We'd have a small salad consisting of radish, carrots, cucumbers and lime juice with cumin and red chili, then pickled mangoes, and sometimes pickled turmeric root that would stain your hands and teeth. And yeah we ate all of this with our hands. It was an embarrassing time to be the only brown kids in your neighborhood (and town). At every chance, my best friend neighborino Christie and I would sneak and trade dinners at least 3 nights a week. I hated the atrocious food my mom would force us to eat, and Christie loved it. While she could eat shak bhaji and roti, I would get her lovely turkey lasagna. She got chutney cucumber sandwiches, I got 3-bean pasta salad, she'd get kitchari, I'd get spaghetti. You'd have to get there early because it was sure to run out (with her 6 brothers and sisters). Oh Christie, you remember those days. Melissa, you too. At least 1 or 2 days out of the week, we'd have leftovers, and we kids would be forced to eat it. Oh. THE ATROCITIES! That was mom, cooking every meal, then re-serving them later in the week.

Then when I was 12, I spent an entire summer in India, eating only Indian foods (we tried pizza once, but the pizza had ketchup for sauce, and shredded Amul cheese on top). I didn't have an epiphany, I just got to experience why my parents loved it so much. Being there, every meal was cooked fresh, and came with 5-6 different dishes. And instead of complaining about the food, my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents just ate it. No big deal. It was like the best damn Indian buffet you had every gone to. I think this (and later living in Houston for 8 years) set me straight.

My parents now live 3000 miles away from me, and I don't ever get to eat their yummus food, but I do make sure and call to see what meals their eating and cooking and mostly to get mom to tell me how to make this or that. This last time she was making Pav Bhaji, I had to make it, and then write about it. It's really simple, and everything comes together, and the best part is you can host a lot of hungry people with this dish.

Getting her (or really any Indian auntie) to tell me how to prepare something goes somewhat like this: :

Neeli: Mom so how do I make the pav bhaji?
Mom: beta, it is so simple, just put cauliflower and few potatoes in cooker and set for only 1 whistle. Then save that water, you can use it to thicken it later. You've never made? I packed you the pav bhaji spice, it is so simple.
Neeli: OK, but my cooker is broken.
Mom: Oh. boil it!
Neeli: OK, then what?
Mom: Just put in mixed vegetable bag with some tomatoes and just 1-2 spoonfuls of pav bhaji and you can add whatever other spices by smelling and tasting it. Make sure you use enough potatoes.
Neeli: how important are the potatoes?
Mom: Very! you must have potatoes in this dish. So how many you have? Oh and remember to put masalu (this is code for the holy trinity, chili, ginger, garlic). You can add onion too.


They'll never tell you all the spices or all the steps. Pretty much every dish she has every told me goes a lot like that. Getting food to taste right means tasting it, looking at it, and smelling it. I've never gotten exact measurements, but when she explains it this way, something in me gets it, and the dishes that come out when I think of her, would amaze her. I hope you'll try this, and let me know how it turns out

Pav Bhaji or Indian-style veggie burgers

Ingredients:
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (russets or baking potatoes are best because of their fancy starch content)
1 large head cauliflower, cut into big chunks
1 or 2 small bell peppers, diced fine
jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, chopped
garlic, smashed
ginger, grated or minced fine
tomatoes (1 can, diced)
carrot, diced fine
1-2 T pav bhaji masala mix
1-2 t salt
1/2 t turmeric
1 T cumin
2 limes or lemons. Squeeze one of them, and slice the other in wedges for garnish
2 medium sized onions, chopped fine. Set aside 1 cup for garnish
2-3 T butter (more or less)
water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
good quality hearty hamburger buns, or some hearty crusty bread
butter for the bread

(Note: if you don't have bell peppers or carrots, just toss in a frozen bag of peas and carrots or mixed vegetables. You can buy the Pav Bhaji masala mix at a South Asian grocery store, just read the label to make sure it has no added salt)

Directions:

1. Option 1: put potatoes and cauliflower in a pressure cooker and set for 1 whistle.
   
2. Option 2: Heat a large stockpot with water, and boil potatoes and cauliflower together until soft enough to mash. Reserve the water from either method above. Mash when still warm - watch out for spurts, they'll burn.
3. In another stockpot, melt the butter, and add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Saute about 5 minutes. Next add in carrots and tomatoes. Add pav bhaji mix through cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need more salt, or pav bhaji mix (if you want it spicier) It may taste bland at this point.
4. Add in mashed potato and cauliflower mixture, lime or lemon juice, and more water if the mixture is too dry. Bring to a simmer, continue cooking 10-15 minutes
5. Meanwhile, butter the bread rolls and assemble garnishes in bowls or on a platter. Bake the rolls until crispy and soft.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. You may want to stir in a little bit more butter, some lime juice, or salt. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve in bowls along with the bread, onions and lime.
7. They are best open-faced and topped with onions and squeeze of lime.
   

Amazing Stuffed Peppers

This dish is made for late summer/early fall when peppers are super cheap, and delicious at the farmer's market. This is totally a Carrboro inspiration. For 3 weeks now, I have been buying gallon-sized ziploc bags of amazing amazing amazing peppers from the market (i will get the farm on here asap; they are to the left of the Flat River Nursery folks). Amazing peppers.


Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice mixture, cooked and set aside (see picture above)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2-3 T parsley, chopped
2 T basil, chopped
1 T oregano, chopped (or large handful of whatever herbs you want)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 peppers or more (the peppers are between 4-6 inches, on the smaller side) washed, with tops removed and seeds and veins discarded. This should leave you a wide enough hole on top.
1 T olive oil
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Cook wild rice/brown rice blend according to package directions, set aside
2. Heat olive oil over saute pan, and once hot, saute onions and garlic until cooked.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F, and get out a 9" or more deep dish pie plate, coated with cooking spray.
   
4. In a large bowl mix together the wild rice with lemon juice, herbs, feta, and the onions and garlic, and salt and pepper.
   
5. Place the delicious mixture in each pepper and then place the pepper on the pie plate.
   
6. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes or so.

Serve with some bread and a side salad.
(I served with some garlic bread, and sauteed swiss chard, pepper remains, and tomatoes).


Chalo apre khayye!

Cilantro Spicy Noodles

I know this seems like a hellish list of ingredients and steps. It is rather intuitive. Before you do anything, boil water for the pasta, and while that is heating, cut up veggies and prepare the dressing. If roasting peanuts and sesame seeds sounds stupid to you, just omit the step or toss in some canned peanuts. Serve right away or chill for some cold noodles. If you don't have everything here just use what you have around. I'm sure just the noodles and dressing would be good enough.

Serve 6-8
1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and set aside
1 squash, julienned
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined, and minced
1 T ginger, peeled and minced
1 T canola or vegetable oil

For the dressing:
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T hot sauce
3 T apple cider vinegar OR 2 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 c reserved cooking liquid

For garnish:
1/2-3/4 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 c roasted peanuts
1 T roasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside and reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add jalapeno and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Do not let brown.
3. Add in squash through peppers and continue to cook until tender to the bite.
4. Meanwhile combine the dressing ingredients and add in a little bit (1-2 T) of the reserved cooking liquid to help the sugar dissolve. Adjust seasonings if needed. You may need to add a little more of the seasonings depending on your taste. The vinegar was deemed too vinegary so feel free to omit this ingredient.
5. If using raw peanuts and sesame seeds set a small saute pan over medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray and slow roast the peanuts (about 8 minutes) until done. Set aside to cool and chop when cool enough to handle.
6. If using sesame seeds, add to pan and roast. These will burn quickly so watch them closely. When golden set aside.
7. Finally, add a little bit (1/4 cup) of the reserved cooking liquid to the drained pasta noodles to help them not stick. Toss slightly until they come apart. Add in vegetables and dressing and toss well. Garnish with cilantro, peanuts and sesame seeds and toss well to combine everything.

Tandoori Tempeh Veggies

A Tandoor is basically a huge clay oven that can reach temperatures >600 F. I do not have a tandoor - but I have always loved the spices utilized in the foods that go in the tandoor. I suppose you could grill or broil as an acceptable substitute. This is my take on some tandoori vegetables (because you've probably noticed the lack of fish, fowl, and other land animals that I inevitably do not cook here on khavanu).

Half of my kitchen space is taken up by spices, so if you don't have some or all, just substitute what you do have. I often rely on the smell of foods to season or salt. I think spices are for the most part something that every kitchen should have (i say this b/c well spices are a great investment in your cooking future).

(from the red clockwise: red chili powder, black mustard seeds, ajwan seeds, channa dhal or split yellow peas, cumin seeds, udad dhal and fenugreek seed mixture, and turmeric)

(From top to bottom, left to right: kosher salt, Sriracha sauce, coriander, garam masala, cumin, paprika, cinnamon)

I think you could use any combination of vegetables that you have on hand. To increase the protein in this dish, I also used tempeh which holds up well to marinating. Extra-firm tofu would work well. If you were using meat, I would marinate separately. Serve with some cumin pilaf or raitu (recipes below).


Tandoori marinade:
1-1/2 cups yogurt
1 tsp salt
2 T paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T coriander, ground
1-2 T ground cumin
2 T ginger, minced fine
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 scallions, chopped fine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T sugar
1-2 T garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
(adjust seasonings more or less to taste)

1. Place yogurt in a small mixing bowl and stir in seasonings. Set aside.



Tempeh and Veggies:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2" coins
1 package cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed and cut in half
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 package tempeh, cubed into 1" dice

1. Place cut up veggies and tempeh in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the marinade, coating well. Adjust for taste and seasoning. Cover bowl and set in fridge until ready to use. I would recommend marinating atleast 1 hour, but what the heck, if you can't wait...
2. Heat oven to 400 F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and coat with non-stick spray. Cook 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
3. While preheating or baking, you could prepare some raitu (a yogurt sauce like a chutney) and some cumin rice (jeera pulao)



Raitu:
1/2 - 1 cup yogurt
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cumin or chat masala
1/4 tsp paprika
2-3 T shredded cucumber or carrot (or mixture of both)
1. Mix all together well, and set aside. This is like the ubiquitous yogurt "sauce" that gets served at Indian restaurants to offset the heat of foods.

Cumin rice:
1 T olive oil or butter
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 - 2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1/2 of 1 cinnamon stick

1. Heat olive oil in a wide shallow pan. Place cumin seeds and cook until they are aromatic.
2. Add in rice and wait until the sizzling goes away. Add in 2 cups water, and if needed add in extra water if the water level looks low. Sorry I've never learned how to cook rice by directions it has always been a look at the water deal. i said sorry.
3. Stir in bay leaf, cinnamon stick and some salt and pepper to taste
4. Cook uncovered, 15 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir twice in 15 minutes. Once the rice begins to look porous and most of the water is gone, cover rice, switch to low heat, and leave there 5-10 minutes

Serve tandoori vegetables alongside some cumin rice and raitu. Skewering these would make them look even more awesome.

Sambar post

Perhaps what I love more than Indian food is South Indian food. Masala dosa has to be an all-time favorite. Dosa is made from a rice and split black gram fermented batter, poured into a pan like a crepe, and then stuffed with masala potatoes, and served alongside a steamy tuver dhal based sambar with coriander and cumin aromas.

What makes me appreciate sambar more than anything is using your own garden grown veggies in the recipe. Sambar vegetables usually include squash, peppers, and tomatoes. I personally love okra, tomatoes, eggplant, onions (or leeks), and lots and lots of fresh and ground coriander (ground coriander seed + cilantro). Because I enjoy more of a "sour" sambar, I'll use less tomato and more tamarind paste. You could use any variety of soup/stew style veggies.



This is my mom's sambar recipe tweaked with my ocd sambar obsession. If you can't find these ingredients (I've put substitutions or links in the ingredient listing, these are just FYI), try a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant. I recommend Tower in Morrisville, NC. You can't go wrong.

Sambar
Serves 4 or more.

1 C tuver dhal

2 C water

Cook in pressure cooker and set aside (you can also cook on stove top in pot; skim off foamy liquids and mash coarsely when done)

In large stockpot

(vaghar)

1 T oil

1/2 t channa dhal

1/2 t urad dhal

1 1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 c onions, chopped

1/4 t hing or asafoetida powder (or use garlic powder)

8-10 mitta limbda leaves (or use bay leaves)

1 1/2 c mixed sambar vegetables (shallots, carrots, okra, eggplant, tomatoes)

1 t turmeric

2 T sambar powder
1 T cumin, ground
1 T coriander, ground

1 T tamarind concentrate

1/2 cup tomato sauce or 2 tomatoes, chopped

1-2 cups water

1 t salt

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Add channa, urad, cumin, hing and mitta limbda leaves. Cook 3 minutes.
3. Next add shallots if using and onions.
4. Stir in sambar vegetables.
5. Next add tuver, extra water and bring to a boil. Add salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil cook 5-6 more minutes
   
6. Add sambar powder, tamarind and tomato sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Note:

t = teaspoon

T= = tablespoon