VEGGIE SLOPPY JOE

Who says if you give up meat you cannot enjoy a Sloppy Joe? Perfect for a quick go to American classic with a kick. A blend of veggies and spices put a healthy twist on the regular Joe.  Flavor in every bite! You will never go back to the meaty counterpart.

SPICE MIX
3 Tablespoons Cumin Seeds, dry roasted 
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds, dry roasted
1 Tablespoon Cloves, dry roasted
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon, powdered
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Freeze Dried Mango, powdered (optional)
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper, powdered



INGREDIENTS
4 Large Potatoes (mashed)
1 Large Onion, diced finely
2-3 Tomatoes, diced finely
2 Green peppers, seeded and diced
1 Cup Green Peas, shelled
4 Cloves of Garlic, paste
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
6 Crusty Buns
1-2 Lemons, sliced
1 Stick Organic Butter
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Grind together the spices in a spice grinder/processor. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, add the stick of the Organic Butter and Garlic paste.
3. Add the diced Onions and let sweat.
4. Add the tomatoes and turn the heat down to low. Cover with a lid and stir often. You want the tomatoes to get soft and almost close to a puree form, from sweating them.
5. Meanwhile, in another container add water and bring the Green Peppers and Green Peas to a boil. They need to be only par-cooked at this point.
6. Once the peppers and peas are par-cooked, puree them coarsely.
7. Add this pureed mixture to the tomatoes, onion, garlic that has been simmering. 
8. Add the mashed potatoes and mix. Keep the heat on low to avoid any splattering. 
9. Add salt, sugar, and spice mix. Let simmer so the flavor from the spices blends well with the veggies.
10. Preheat the broiler on high.
11. Slice the Crusty Buns and place on a baking sheet. Lightly butter them and place under the broiler. 
12. Once toasted, spoon equal portions of the veggie mixture on the bottom portion of the buns. 
13. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lemon and place the top of the bun on it and enjoy. 


TIP: Replace the tomatoes with unsalted organic tomato puree for shorter cooking time.
        Freeze dried mango powder can be found in ethnic stores and is also know as amchoor.

CHICKPEA KABOBS

Happy 4th of July! Warm weather, fireworks, and backyard bbq - nothing says summer quite like it. And best of all is getting to celebrate our freedom, our independence with family and friends. These chickpea kabobs are like a cherry on top of all the celebration on 4th of July. Spicy, savory, hint of sweet all at once...umm umm umm!! So healthy too! I do have to give my husband credit for these. It is he who inspired me to take the recipe we came up with together, and kick it up a notch. My little one has been eating these up everytime I have me made them. Equally enjoyed by adults too. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July! Enjoy the fireworks. Do let me know how these work out for you.

SPICE MIX
3 Tablespoons Cumin Seeds, dry roasted
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds, dry roasted
1 Tablespoon Cloves, dry roasted
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon, powdered
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
1 Tablespoon Mace, powdered
Salt to taste

OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 Cups Chickpeas, (canned-no salt added)
2 Slices of Bread
1 Ripe Banana, sliced
1/2 Cup Carrots, diced
1/2 Cup Green peas, shelled
1/2 Cup Edamame, shelled
1/2 Cup Corn kernels
2 Cloves Garlic, paste
1 Green Chili, diced
1 Tablespoon Ginger, paste
1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped
1/2 Cup Flaxseed, ground meal

GARNISH
1-2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
1-2 Lemons, sliced

METHOD
1. Combine all the spices and grind them together in a spice grinder/food processor, and set aside.
2. Toast the 2 slices of bread and grind into crumbs in a food processor immediately after.
3. Add the chickpeas to the food processor, coarse grind.
4. Add the flaxseed, banana, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and green chili to the food processor.
5. Add 2 Tablespoons of the spice mixture to the food processor and mix.
6. Remove the above mixture into a mixing bowl and add all the remaining veggies and mix with hand.
7. Form small rounds by hand place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for a few hours.
8. Liberally apply olive oil to both sides of the kabobs and throw it on the grill or under your broiler (if you don't have an outdoor grill)
9. Let both sides brown slightly.
10. Serve it sprinkled with the cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.
11. Enjoy with a cold beer or any drink of choice. It is sure to please everyone.

VEGGIE SPICE BURGER

Being a vegetarian, it has been next to impossible to come across a burger that is truly delicious. There is a always a compromise that my taste buds have experienced at some level or another. The closest I have come to liking one, had a lot of soy in it and tasted awful. Now what am I supposed to do if I do not like the texture of faux meat? I made my own burger! It does not taste like faux meat and is a perfect balance of spice, texture and taste.

What you will need for 4-6 Veggie Spice Burgers:


PATTIES
6 Large Potatoes (mashed)
1/4 Cup Carrots, diced
1/4 Cup Peas
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped
1-2 Tablespoon Green Chili/Jalapeno, diced
1/2-1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Toasted Bread slices / Bread crumbs
1/4 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Roasted and powdered clove, cardamom, and cumin
Salt to taste
Peanut oil/Olive oil as needed

AIOLI

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon juice
2-4 Tablespoon low fat Mayo/Vegan Mayo
1-2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Teaspoon Cilantro, chopped
Fresh ground Black pepper to taste

CONDIMENTS

2-4 Tbsp Organic Ketchup
2-3 Tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Baby Spinach
Whole Wheat Burger Buns

PROCESS
1. Combine all of the ingredients for the patties.
2. Once combined, form into Pattie shapes and place on a baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
3. Refrigerate for a few hours. It will help hold the shape when cooking.
4. Brush the patties with olive oil on both sides.
5. Turn broiler to high and place the baking sheet with the patties in the oven.
6. Turn the patties over, once they have browned on the side facing up, and continue broiling.
7. Combine the Mayo, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, and black pepper in a food processor.
8. Toast the burger buns in a toaster oven/regular oven/or however you prefer to toast them.
9. Apply the mayo liberally on one side and ketchup on the other.
10. Add the sliced tomato and spinach and the Veggie Spice pattie.
11. Enjoy with fries and a drink of choice!

EGG SALAD SANDWICH

Who says eggs are for breakfast only? They are a great for any meal at any time of the day - brunch, lunch, or dinner. This sandwich is so easy to make, you will never need to eat out again!

Makes 2 Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

4 Slices of Sourdough Bread

3 Eggs, boiled

3 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped

1 Jalapeno, thin slices

3 Tbsp Mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

PROCESS

1. Toast the Bread slices if you prefer them that way.

2. In a mixing bowl, lightly mash the boiled eggs.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir gently.

4. Place the egg mixture on one slice of the sourdough bread and top with another slice of the bread for a sandwich.

TIP: For a healthier version of the recipe, use only 2 egg yellows from the 3 eggs, and substitute vegan mayo.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE DESERT

A long weekend finally! What a perfect time to spend some time grilling burgers and whatever you fancy. But, a meal is never complete without desert I say. The creamy ice-cream, the delicious grilled pineapple is just plain amazing. Try this semi-homemade simple recipe out. Have a fun filled Memorial Day!

INGREDIENTS

1 Angel food cake, sliced

1 Pint Mango ice-cream (or any other ice-cream of choice)

1 Whole pineapple, sliced

PROCESS

1. In a desert cup/bowl, place the angel food cake slice at the bottom.

2. Top the cake with a scoop of Mango ice-cream.

3. Grill the pineapple slices on an outdoor grill until it has light grill marks on both sides.

4. Place the grilled pineapple slice on the ice-cream scoop and enjoy.

TIP: You can grill any fruit you like the same way for topping your ice-cream and cake.

CREAM OF WHEAT PUDDING (eggless)

The mother in me never liked the packaged baby food, organic or not. Nor does my 17 month old son. He will disapprovingly spit it out. I had to get creative. This is one of the things I sort of reinvented from the original and it has become a favorite with the lil one and his father alike. Yes, adults can enjoy this too! It is perfect at the time when he is teething and his little gums are too sore to chew any solids. What is really good about this is, that he will get his protein, vitamin A, folate, etc. required for his growth. This is a sweet version of the recipe, but you can make it savory if you like. Maybe I will get to posting the savory version one of these days.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Semolina
1/4 cup Organic cane sugar
2 Cups Whole milk
3 Tablespoons Clarified Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
2 Tablespoons Raisins, chopped
A pinch of saffron
Toasted almond slivers (optional)


METHOD
1. On low heat, roast the semolina in 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter.
2. You will get a toasty aroma from it when it is ready.
3. In a separate pan, at the rest of the clarified butter, cardamom, and raisins. Stir and then add the milk and saffron.
4. Bring the milk to a low boil on low heat. Stir often.
5. Once the milk is boiling, add the roasted semolina one spoon at a time and keep stirring.
6. Keep stirring until the liquid thickens slightly. Turn the heat of, cover and let sit.
7. The mixture will get thicker as it cools.
8. Serve with toasted almond slivers as garnish.

EGG CURRY

I always crave this on cold rainy evenings for some reason. This was one of the first things I learned to make when I was in school. I am sure there are many recipes in existence, but for this one I pan fry the outside of the soft-boiled egg to give it a nice flavorful crispiness. So here goes...

INGREDIENTS
6-8 Soft-boiled organic eggs (eggs will cook some more later)
1 Large onion, diced
2 Vine tomatoes, diced (can substitute tomato puree)
1 Green pepper, diced
1-2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1-2 Teaspoon Turmeric
1-2 Teaspoon toasted Cumin, ground
Salt to taste
Oil, for frying/cooking


PROCESS
1. In a pan, heat a couple of teaspoons of oil and add the onions.
2. Sweat the onions and then add the green pepper and tomato.
3. Turn the heat down to medium/low, cover the pan, and let simmer until all of the ingredients get a gravy like consistency.
4. Add cayenne pepper, ground cumin, turmeric, and salt.
5. In a separate pan on medium heat, add a 2-3 teaspoons of oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, turmeric, and toasted ground cumin and stir. Add egg.
6. Keep turning the eggs until they are all evenly coated on each side. Let them crisp up lightly.
7. Add the eggs and the spicy oil mixture to the rest of the curry.
8. Enjoy with some naan or basmati rice.

I love food. Need I say more?
I believe food is for savoring, devouring, and most of all nourishing the body and soul. Whenever I cook, I feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from watching one of my concoctions being enjoyed by others and of-course my own taste buds. My love for food has helped me blend the western into the eastern and come up with entrées that tantalize the taste buds endlessly. I hope you come to enjoy, as much as my family has, some of my traditional-eastern-yet-with-a-twist concoctions.