SWEET POTATO BURGER

How was Thanksgiving for everyone? Ours was delicious. We had more side dishes than we bargained for. They were all so good! This also means we had a lot of leftovers. I usually end up making my sweet potato burger from the leftover sweet potato side. I add yams to it if we have those leftover too. These taste good if you make them from scratch too, no leftover sides required. We enjoy thanksgiving flavors for one more day. Good thing I had made a lot of my Chilli Peanut dip for veggies. It made the perfect condiment to go with this burger.

INGREDIENTS
Burger Buns
Greens
Vegan Mayo

FOR THE PATTIE
3-4 Sweet Potato, mashed
1 Cup Onion, diced
2 Green Chillies, Diced
1/4 Cup Peanuts, Raw
1/4 Cup Raisins
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour (Substitute Cornmeal for gluten free)
1/4 Tsp Turmeric

CONDIMENT
1-2 Red Chillies, Dry
1 Cup Peanuts, Raw (no shell)
1/4 Tsp Tamarind Paste
1-2 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Onion, Sauteed
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. In a pan saute the onion until it is almost translucent.
2. Add the green chilli and peanut and saute for one more minute.
3. In a bowl combine the sauteed ingredients with the mashed sweet potato/sweet potato side.
4. Add Raisins, Turmeric, and Wheat Flour. Mix in gently.
5. Form even sized patties. Add some more flour and mix if your pattie does not form easily or keeps falling apart.
6. Place the patties 2 inches apart on a lined baking try and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
7. While you are waiting for the patties, follow this link to put the Chilli Peanut sauce together.
8. After the 30 mins in the freezer are up, lightly brush the patties with oil and place under broiler.
9. When it just begins to brown, flip them half way through and broil the other side too. Watch carefully or the raisins and peanuts may char quickly.
10. Assemble on burger buns with the mayo and greens, and top it off with the Chilli Peanut sauce. Enjoy.

CHILLI PEANUT DIP

Red Chillies, or any chillies can light your mouth and throat on fire but that same chilli can help ease your pain too. The capsaicin found in chillies is naturally anti-inflammatory. The hotter the chilli, the more potent the capsaicin. I guess that is a bonus since chilli can enhance flavor of any food. In other words, I eat it for the flavor yum! Adding the red chillies to my peanut sauce makes it perfect for dipping veggies or nuggets or whatever you want to dip. It makes snacking on veggies a delicious experience.

INGREDIENTS
1-2 Red Chillies, Dry
1 Cup Peanuts, Raw (no shell)
1-2 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Onion, Sauteed
1/4 Tsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Roast the peanuts in a pan. Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning them. No oil needed.
2. When they begin to brown slightly, take them off the heat and let them cool.
3. Peel the shell/skin off of the peanuts after they cool and throw in food processor.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and let the food processor do its magic. 
5. Serve in a bowl with your favorite veggies for dipping.

TIP
You can always add 1 red chilli and go from there on how potent you want the dip to be.
Experiment with other varieties of chilli peppers and see how it changes the flavor.

TOFU WALNUT BURGER

I am always trying to add more protein sources to my family's diet. If I don't make it attractive and delectable, my kids will refuse to touch it. If I call it burger, they line up to eat it before I can finish saying 'burger'. This way they eat their protein and veggies and have their junk food fix (in the form of healthy food of course). I add some oven baked sweet potato fries along with it. Adults love it too. Try it out.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Arugula/Mixed Greens
Burger Buns

BURGER PATTIE

2-3 Cups Tofu, scrambled/shredded (Substitute Paneer)

6 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour (Substitute Rice Flour for a gluten free version)

1/2 Onion, minced

1/2 Lemon, juice

1/2 Cup Walnut, coarsly chopped

2 Green Chilli, finely chopped (optional)

2 Tbsp Cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp Garam Masala (Substitute Curry Powder)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

AIOLI

1 Cup Mayo

1/2 Lemon, juice

2 Tbsp Cilantro, minced

Pepper to taste

PROCESS
1. Drain all the water from the tofu and strain it with a muslin cloth. Need the tofu to be as dry as possible. Then scramble it.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients of the pattie together with the tofu.
3. Add more flour if the pattie does not form easily. Make even sized patties.
4. Line a cookie sheet with silpat or spray some cooking spray.
5. Brush the patties lightly with oil and place on cookie sheet and under the broiler on Med/Hi
6. Keep a close eye on it. Once the patties begin to brown, flip them over and let them cook till the other side browns too.
7. If you don't want to broil it, you can always shallow fry them in a pan.
8. Combine all the aioli ingredients together.
9. Assemble the burger on the buns with some arugula topped with the pattie and the aioli. So delicious and healthy.

VEGAN STIR FRIED RICE

This is so easy and quick to make. It gets eaten up as quickly too. You can make it with fresh rice or leftover rice, whichever works for you. Brown rice makes it more healthier to eat if you happen to like it. Make this any night, always a hit!

INGREDIENTS
1.5 Cups Uncooked Rice
1 Cup Carrots, diced
1/2 Cup Green Peas
1/2 Cup Green Beans, cut
1 Cup Cabbage, shredded
1/2 Cup Onion, diced
1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4-5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Wash rice thoroughly under water. This removes the excess starch from the grains and they don't stick together once cooked.
2. Add the rice with 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, salt to taste (soy sauce already has salt in it so be careful how much you add), and water in a rice cooker and let cook. If you don't have a rice cooker you can cook rice over your stove too.
3. In a Wok/Frying Pan add the oil. Keep on High heat. Once hot add the garlic and onion.
4. When the onion begins to look translucent, add the remaining veggies.
5. Once the veggies are par cooked, add the soy sauce and vinegar and the cooked rice.
6. Mix thoroughly and enjoy

TIP
1. You can add tofu to it for some variation
2. You can also add scrambled egg to it if you like
3. Watch the amount of salt you add since Soy Sauce already has a lot of sodium

GARLIC SPREAD

We finally had a family road trip through a town called Gilroy in CA. It smells of garlic as you pass by it. Of course we made a stop, and bought a big bag of fresh picked garlic. Once we got home did I realize how much garlic we purchased. Not to worry, I thought of this garlic spread right then and have a lot of it in my freezer ready at a moments notice to use for flavoring any kind of food, or just as a spread for some fresh garlic bread. I make it with Jaggery (Panela) which is a "natural" sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice without the use of any chemicals or synthetic additives or preservatives. It contains a wealth of minerals, protein, and vitamins. If you don't have access to jaggery, you can always use brown sugar.
The most tedious part about making this spread you ask? Well peeling all that garlic. I made a mental note to start from store bought, peeled, ready to go garlic next time. Unless you have a lot of patience, you should get the store bought peeled version of garlic.

INGREDIENTS
5-6 Heads Garlic, peeled
1/4 Cup Jaggery/Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Salt
3 Tbsp Cup Cayenne Pepper
4-5 Tbsp Oil

PROCESS
1.  Bring all the ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Once it is a pasty consistency, it is ready to use.

MANGO MARMALADE

Mango Marmalade is the best! It is so yummy with some toast or just by itself. A perfect flavor explosion in the mouth or tangy, sweet, salty and a touch of spicy. I love mangoes to being with and then a marmalade... heaven!

INGREDIENTS
2 Raw/Unripe Mangoes, peeled and  shredded
1 Tsp Salt
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Cinnamon Stick
4-5 Cloves
1/4 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
1 Cup Water

PROCESS
1. Mix salt into the shredded raw mango and let sit for an hour. The mango will begin to release water. Drain the water just a bit.
2. Add the cumin to a pan and toast on medium heat. You will smell it when it gets done.
3. Add 1 cup of water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the mango and the rest of the ingredients except cayenne pepper.
4. Let is simmer on low heat until the mango is cooked through and combined well with the sugar.
5. Dip a spoon into the syrup. If it is not watery when you pick the spoon up, then you are good to go. If you let it cook to much then the syrup is going to get crystallized as it cools.
6. Turn the heat off and add the cayenne pepper and mix. Let it cool and enjoy!

CLARIFIED BUTTER

What is clarified butter? Well, it is what is left after you remove the milk solids from regular butter.  Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter, making it ideal for cooking foods at higher temperatures. Foods cooked with clarified butter have a richer taste and a very nice aroma too. Try it out, you will know what I mean. It does not burn as easy. It is also known as ghee in many parts of the world.

INGREDIENTS
2-4 Sticks Unsalted Butter

PROCESS
1. Put all the sticks of unsalted butter in a pan over low heat and melt.
2. Let it simmer until the melted butter does not look murky anymore. This will take a while. Keep stirring every 15-20 minutes so that the milk solids don't stick to the bottom of the pan as they separate.
3. Once the milk solids float to the top and the butter looks clear underneath, strain the milk solids out completely (for longer shelf life) and the clarified butter is ready to use.
4. It will go back to a thicker consistency as it cools.

Tip: Store in the refrigerator for a longer life or store at room temperature for everyday use.

VEGAN APPLE WALNUT CAKE

Apple picking is so much fun with the kids. It is a good way to keep them interested in their fruits and veggies. When you bring home all the apples most will get devoured the same day. The rest are for the vegan apple walnut cake that I make with my kids. My 18 month old is the taste tester, she loves licking the batter off of apple pieces. My 4 year old helps me stir all the ingredients together. At the end of it all we have a warm apple walnut cake enjoyed with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Such a treat for the whole family.

INGREDIENTS
3 Apples of choice
1 Cup Semolina
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Cup Brown Sugar (substitute regular sugar)
1 Tsp White Vinegar
1/2 Cup Safflower Oil (Substitute Dairy free Margarine)
1 Cup Unsweetened Rice Milk
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Rum Extract
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon, powdered
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg, powdered

PROCESS
1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a cake pan with parchment/wax paper.
2. Peel and evenly slice on apple. Mix it with a little of cinnamon and sugar and line the bottom of the cake pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, peel and dice the remaining apple and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
4. Pour evenly over the apple slices in the cake pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 375
6. Bake for another 30 minutes at 325. Baking times may vary so keep a close eye on the cake.
7.  Let it cool down once done and flip it upside down, such that the sliced apples are on top.
8. Top it off with some vanilla ice cream. Enjoy.

TIP: Pour into a muffin pan instead of a cake pan and you have individual serving for on the go.

FIERY MARINARA SAUCE

Whenever I have made this sauce, the whole home smells delectable. It is  slow cooked goodness! Growing up in the eastern side of the world has given me a pallet a little bit of spicy in everything. Once you try this you will never do any other way. I make it in huge quantities and store small serving sizes in the freezer. I can enjoy it anytime I want by defrosting it a serving at time. Perfect on pizzas, pastas, and/or dipping your garlic bread in.

INGREDIENTS
6-8 Ripe Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Onion, finely diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Tomato Ketchup
1/2 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala (Substitute Curry Powder)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Crushed Black Pepper to Taste
Salt to Taste

PROCESS
1. Put tomatoes in a pot topped with water. Tomatoes should be completely submerged. Boil.
2. Once the tomato skin begins to peel, take it off the heat.
3. Drain the water, peel tomatoes and puree the rest.
4. In a pan add the olive oil. Followed by the garlic and onion.
5. Once the onions turn a bit translucent, add the ketchup, sriracha, garam masala, brown sugar, black pepper, salt, and pureed tomatoes.
6. Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Your marinara sauce is ready once it has reduced to almost a pasty consistency.

SAFFRON GREEK YOGURT

Saffron is the most natural and flavorful food color for any food. I think it goes best in a desert or any sweet treat. The aroma is heavenly. I cant believe how flavorful it can make the yogurt taste and have medicinal qualities too. It has anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-depression, and anti-inflammatory qualities of the few known. Medicinal uses aside, I think I like it with my Greek yogurt, which is a good source of protein and calcium without too many carbs. Two healthy things make a yummy desert I say! You just need a few strands of saffron to get some amazing color and taste.

 

INGREDIENTS

4-5 Saffron strands
4 Cups Plain Greek Yogurt
2-3 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Almond slivers (optional)
1/4 Tsp raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp Milk
1/4 Tsp Cardamom, powdered


PROCESS
1. Bring the milk to a boil in the microwave and add the saffron strands to it. Let it stand for 15 mins.
2. Mix the sugar and cardamom into the Greek yogurt.
3. Add the almonds and raisins. Mix
4. Stir the saffron milk and add to Greek yogurt.
5. Stir all the ingredients and it is ready to devour.

TIP: For a brighter color, let the saffron stay in the milk longer. Add more sugar depending on taste.

SPICED TOMATO SOUP

Getting cooler outside. 'Tis the season for sniffles. My go-to soothing soup when the whole family is having a case of the sniffles is the spiced tomato soup. Don't worry, you can control the spiced portion of it depending on what your taste buds allow. With a little white rice to go with it, it is a quick dinner too. That is if you are the lucky few who don't get the sniffles.

INGREDIENTS
3-4 Curry Leaves (optional)
1/2 Cup Onion, diced
3-4 Roma Tomatoes, finely diced
1/4 Tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 Tsp Mustard seeds
1-2 Green chillies, finely diced (optional)
3-4 Whole black pepper pieces
1//4 Tsp Turmeric
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 Tsp Coconut, shredded (optional)
Cilantro for garnish

Salt to taste


PROCESS
1. In a pan add heat the oil and add the mustard seeds.
2. When you begin to hear the mustard seeds pop, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, whole black pepper, and green chillies.
3. Add diced onion and fry until almost translucent.
4. Add all the diced tomato, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and shredded coconut.
5. Stir, cover, and let simmer on med-high flame for 15-20 minutes, garnish with cilantro, and eat.

TIP: If you boil the tomatoes, peel the skin off after, and puree, it makes for a smoother textured soup.

LEFTOVER RICE PUDDING

We had friends over last weekend for lunch. I usually just whip together some quick curried lentils that go perfectly with rice. I went a little overboard on the rice quantity, and had leftover rice that I would not like to see go waste. Not to worry, this mean we can all have some Rice Pudding! No fret desert is what I should call it. You can always make this recipe with fresh rice too.

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups leftover white rice, cooked
4 Cups Whole Milk (susbstitute 2%)
1/4 Tsp Cardamom, powdered
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2-4 Saffron threads (optional)
2 Tbsp Pistachio, chopped
2 Tbsp Almonds, chopped
2 Tbsp Raisins
1 Tsp butter, unsalted

PROCESS
1. Make sure the rice is not clumped together. Separate it out by hand or with a fork.
2. In a pan add the unsalted butter and add the raisins, almonds, pistachios and cardamom.
3. Once the raisins look a bit plump, add the milk, rice, sugar, and saffron.
4. Once the milk comes to a boil, let it simmer on medium heat until the rice absorbs the milk.
5. Let it cool or enjoy it warm.


Tip:
Add 2 cups of milk for every 1 cup of cooked rice.
You can always leave the nuts out if you have a nut allergy.
You can always substitute regular milk for coconut milk, almond milk, etc.
       

MONGOLIAN CAULIFLOWER (manchurain)

This has been a favorite with my husband. He loves to sit with his beer while he munches on this. The part I love the most? No frying like the original recipe(s) calls for. Eliminating a majority of the fat makes it almost guilt free I say! The bonus? It is a serving of veggies! I have tried, and re-tried until I have perfected the recipe where the cauliflower turns out just right. That is, not soggy and soft or over-cooked and dry. And did I mention NO FRYING needed!! Well, all my excitement for mastering this aside, I hope you really enjoy this finger food. Do let me know how it turns out for you.

INGREDIENTS
1 Head of Cauliflower, cut into even sized florets
Cilantro for garnish
1/4 Tsp Ginger, paste
1/4 Tsp Garlic, paste

BATTER
3/4 cup all purpose flour (substitute whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2-3/4 cup water
1/4 Tsp Garlic salt (substitute garlic paste)
1/4 Tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

SAUCE
1/4-1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
3 Tbsp Butter

PROCESS
1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray non-stick cooking spray.
3. Cut the cauliflower into even sized florets, and wipe clean with a damp clean cloth.
4. In a bowl mix all the batter ingredients.
5. Dip each floret into the batter and coat it evenly and place on the baking sheet.
6. Bake at 450 for approximately 15-20 minutes (oven cooking times vary).
7. Remove when the coating begins to form a crust or harden.
8. In another bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce.
9. With a basting brush, coat the cauliflower florets evenly with the above sauce.
10. Place back in the oven and bake until the sauce is mostly dry and the cauliflower is crisp.
11. Remove form oven and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!


Tip: Stick a toothpick in each floret and it makes good finger food for your guests. 
You can always wok fry some onions, carrots. and cabbage to mix into the cooked cauliflower for an extra kick.

Gastrowise  Veggie Spice Burgers made it on Spicely.com
With the cooler weather, it is the perfect way to make it feel like summer indoors. Don't forget to make some for yourself this weekend!

TOFU/PANEER WRAP

I am back! It took me two years but what can I say, I had one more baby along the way. Very very time consuming! Well, I am back to cooking again. I need to shed the baby weight and am trying to count my carbs with the help pf my trusted nutritionist. It is not easy to eliminate all carbs for a vegetarian but I can definitly try to up my protein intake and have balanced meals when the kids/time allow it. So here goes...

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Crumbled Tofu/Paneer

1 Onion, diced

1 Tomato, diced

1-2 Green Chilli/Jalapeno, finely diced

¼ Tsp Turmeric

¼ Tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)

¼ Tsp Cumin seeds

¼ Tsp Ginger, paste

¼ Tsp Garlic, paste

1 Tsp Lemon juice

3-4 Curry Leaves (optional)

2 Tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Oil

2-3 Cups Arugula (Substitute: Spinach/Mixed Greens)

Salt to taste

Pita wrap of choice

PROCESS
1. Add salt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice to half the diced onion and mix. Keep aside.

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds when hot. Add the curry leaves.

2. Add the green chilli/jalapeno, ginger and garlic paste

3. Add rest of the onion, followed by tomato once the onion turns translucent. Cover and let cook for a minute or two.

4. Add the crumbled tofu/paneer, turmeric, and salt.

5. Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes on a low flame.
6. Meanwhile, heat the pita

7. Add the arugula in the center of the warmed pita, topped with the tofu/paneer and followed by onion lemon juice mixture.

8. Garnish with cilantro and roll. Eat. Enjoy!

TIP: When using paneer in any recipe, always check for trans fats in its ingredients. Say no to trans fats!
Tofu is a little moist in comparison to paneer, so cooking time might vary to remove all the moisture from it.