[VeganMoFo 2016] Plantain and Coconut Stir Fry (Green/Raw Banana Thoran) Recipe

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An integral part of Kerala cuisine, Thoran is a stir-fry essentially made with grated coconut and minimal spices. From potatoes to cabbage, carrots, green beans, broccoli or even pumpkin, you can make a thoran with almost any vegetable that can hold some shape after cooking. Today's version is made with my favorite vegetable - plantain or (green) raw banana. This is my go-to recipe whenever I am out of ideas; super tired or when I hardly have any fresh vegetables on hand. Happy Cooking!

[VeganMoFo 2016] Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

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Tomato season is long gone here in California but I occasionally see a bag of small, cherry tomatoes here in the Farmer's Markets. Whenever I do, I eagerly grab a few. Most of the times, I eat them raw. I have a long commute to work so these serve as a handy, easy to carry snack to curb those 5 pm hunger pangs. But, this time around I put some extra effort to roast these beauties. I saw today's Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes recipe in Heidi Swanson's cookbook and instantly fell in love with its simplicity. You will be surprised on how little there is to do but by the end they are so flavorful that it is hard to stop nibbling on them. I ended munching an entire tray full of roasted tomatoes in one go and had to make an another batch to add to my favorite pasta and my weekly salad. Yumm-ee-dee-dum, I tell ya! 

[VeganMoFo 2016] My Mother's Simply Fried Cauliflower Recipe

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Every time I make these Simply Fried Cauliflower florets at home, I think of my mother and her cooking. Our favorite to this day, it is simply amazing how she used to deep fry almost everything without a drop of excess oil. There were times when we were kids - me & my sister used to just gobble right out of the frying pan. Especially on rainy days and Saturdays, these were an absolute must-make dish in our household. The ritual continued until I charted out to a far away land for my higher studies. Now, living worlds apart from her, I crave for her reassuring words during times of distress and most of all her comforting food. Amma, this post like many others on this blog is dedicated to you. I love you. I miss you. 

[VeganMoFo 2016] Tofu Masala Recipe

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What do you do with a slab of tofu lurking at the back of the fridge and with no more than 20 minutes on hand? You make today's recipe - an easy yet hearty Tofu Masala of course! When I saw it on Food and Wine for the first time, I wondered how ordinary the ingredients list is. But the end result in terms of flavor was nothing but ordinary. On a crazy weeknight, I served this dish with some prepared rotis and a bowl of fruit. Satisfied with happy bellies, we both called it a day and I thought how sometimes keeping the spices to minimum is a good thing. Trust me, this recipe is a perfect example of that! Do give it a try. Bon Appetit.

[VeganMoFo 2016] Spinach and Green Onion Mashed Potatoes Recipe

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I am still in a state of shock after what happened yesterday. How did it happen? How could it happen? I am not an American to understand the nuances of the Electoral Collage system in detail but I do know that Hate Cannot Win! Sadly it did. Way back in July, Michael Moore predicted Trump's win and gave 5 reasons in plain simple english . I happen to read it today and yes, it made perfect sense, though it is too late now. Here's hoping the next 4 years will be remembered for growth, progress and spreading positivity instead of spewing hatred on each other.

Coming to today's recipe, the title says it all - Green Mashed Potatoes! I saw Mark Bittman make this dish with dandelion greens which I conveniently with some spinach and spring onions. Any kind of greens will work and do make this for upcoming Thanksgiving to surprise your family & friends. Bon Appetit. 

[VeganMoFo 2016] Roasted Christmas Beans (Tok-Cel Beans) Recipe

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Who is waiting for Thanksgiving week already? I sure am. :-) Have you got your holiday menu ready? Being vegetarian (who eats eggs), many at times I feel left out with not many options to eat except for some mashed potatoes and pasta. How wonderful would it be if we non-meaters get some love too! After writing a detailed post on how to cook dried beans from scratch, it is only fitting to share a legume recipe. Isn't it? How about an easy Roasted Bean recipe that could be served as a wonderful side-dish along with your Thanksgiving entries! I saw today's recipe on NPR and what immediately caught my attention was the use of simple yet intriguing ingredients. The original recipes was a feature on Lima Beans and I conveniently substituted them with Christmas Beans (without compromising taste), my new Farmer's Market find. Read more to get the recipe. 

[VeganMoFo 2016] How To Cook Dried Beans From Scratch

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Beans! Beans! And More Beans! I am a huge fan of beans and whenever I see a new variety in Farmer's Market, I quickly grab some to try a recipe or two. A bag of Christmas Beans (as pictured below) was one such impulse buys. Aren't they just beautiful to look at? How can one not buy? :-) Today's post is all about how to prepare and cook dried beans from scratch. Once you get the basics right, it is so much easier (and healthier) than canned version (with their absurd amounts of sodium levels). Personally, I think cooked beans also make a far more delicious meal than canned beans. There is also a information on how to store/freeze cooked beans with a few pretty photographs to look at. While you are soaking a batch of beans, don't forget to check out this entire list of legume recipes for some good ideas. Happy Cooking!

[VeganMoFo 2016] Zucchini Carpaccio Recipe

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Day 4 of ongoing VeganMoFo 2016 challenge is here and today I am about share a quick, no-cook Zucchini salad recipe I saw on NYT Cooking. I am also super kicked and doing a happy dance for another reason. Do you know the last time I posted FOUR recipes in a month was way back in 2015. Yep! it is always the case that I start off the month with best of intentions, slowly loose mojo and never share more than a recipe or two. Here's hoping at least this year (unlike 2014), I will successfully finish this VeganMoFo challenge. Read more and get this refreshingly easy recipe for Zucchini Carpaccio.

[VeganMoFo 2016] Sindhi Kadhi | Vegetables in Chickpea Flour Gravy Recipe

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All the kadhi (yogurt gravy) recipes I know so far are made with yogurt by default. Never had I ever tasted or encountered a dish which is named as a kadhi but without the use of any diary. Made just out of chickpea flour as a base for the gravy, today's recipe (Sindhi Kadhi) is an exception. If you are wary about how would it taste (just like I did), then you got to make it to believe how mind blowing it tastes. For several Sundays after I teetered on the recipe, I found myself eagerly making two portions of it for my upcoming weekday lunches. Did I tell you, it is a lovely make-ahead recipe too which keeps well for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. All I had to was warm it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, pour on top of some rice and enjoy my desk lunch. 

The recipe is from justagirlfrommumbai, one of my favorite Instagram accounts with beautiful (unpretentious) food photography and heart warming stories behind each one of them. If you are not following her already on IG and love food then give her a follow right way!

[VeganMoFo 2016] Andhra Style Gongura Pappu (Sorrel Leaves Dal) With Peanuts Recipe

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Sorrel leaves which can be easily found in any Farmer's Market (in the Bay Area at least) or in any Indian store is my absolute favorite way to make dal. Growing up my mother used to make it once a week and now I do too. Today's version of Gongura Pappu (Sorrel Leaves Dal) With Peanuts is a recipe I stumbled upon on Youtube while looking for easy weeknight dinner ideas. The only hard part is to remove the sorrel leaves from their stems and rest is just a breeze. If you have never made this version of dal before, I urge you to try some. Poured over a hot bed of rice and served with some crunchy chips, it tastes divine. Now, if you will excuse me, I will have to take leave to prepare the sorrel leaves bunch sitting next to me as I type this post. :-) Enjoy!

[VeganMoFo 2016] Breakfast Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions Recipe

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Bonjour Novembre! You have arrived so fast this year. It feels like just few weeks ago we all merrily celebrated New Year's Day! :-) November is also time for my favorite event of the blog-o-sphere: VeganMoFo (Vegan Month Of Food), where many enthusiasts like me blog and celebrate vegan food all month long. I have attempted (and failed mid-way) VeganMoFo back in 2014. It is time to give everyday blogging a sincere try again. That's right, the challenge is to post a new vegan recipe every weekday of this month. I am definitely better prepared than last time around. Let's see how it goes! I hope you guys will give me company and cheer me along as I progress through this vegan recipe marathon? How about I kick start things by sharing an easy recipe for Breakfast Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions. 

Sweet Corn and Black Bean Salad Recipe

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You wouldn't believe if I told you that these days I eagerly and often hungrily click on any recipe which has the words: easy | make-ahead | freezable. Balancing work and umpteen number of things I wish to do (like zentangle, reading) AND eating healthy food is becoming increasingly challenging. I stumbled upon today's recipe during one of those Google searches where I was looking for a healthy yet easy salad. 

Weekend get together | an Update on Social Media Detox | Three Lentil Dal Recipe

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Today I have so much to say and much to share with you all. This post is long (with lots of photographs) when compared to my other blogposts. If you are short of time and came here only for the three lentil dal recipe, then scroll down to the end of the post. :-)

Slow Roasted Bell Pepper with Red Lentils (Bhuna Hua Simla Mirch Aur Masoor Dal) Recipe

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I don't think I can ever get bored of eating dal. Probably because it is so easy to make and doesn't need much planning or thought especially on a busy weeknight. And also because an egg omelette and a simple tomato dal were the first few recipes I tried under my mother's watchful eye. She is a terrific cook and all I wanted to do is cook like her. Though my first dal didn't turn out to be a spectacular one with the tempering almost burnt, I still fondly remember the night and its memories. Today's recipe (adapted from my favorite book - 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer) - Slow Roasted Bell Pepper with Red Lentils is a combination of flavors I never cooked before - bell pepper with red lentils. Finger licking good!

[Recipe Redux] Zucchini Noodles With Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing Recipe

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Fresh zucchini noodles (zoodles) tossed with lightly sautéed corn, cherry tomatoes and in an easy avocdao-cilantro-lime-chilli dressing. A fun way to incorporate more veggies and also an healthier gluten-free alternative to our traditional noodles/spaghetti pasta.

Tarla Dalal's Tawa Chana | Pan-Fried Chickpeas Curry Recipe

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A quick and easy recipe for chickpea curry - pan fried and lightly coated with spices. Perfect as a side dish for rice/roti or as an easy snack with crunchy chips. Indian food is not hard at all and this dish is the proof.

How to Make and Freeze South Indian Tomato Sauce Recipe

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..let us preserve some summer sunshine by making this vibrant sauce..

Summer is here. Farmer's Markets across Bay Area are bustling with tomatoes at their absolute best and also cheapest. Summer tomatoes are so much juicier and better when compared to their ghostly, almost powdery versions of the Winter. And Now is also the best time to get to work towards preserving a little sunshine by making a batch of homemade tomato sauce and freeze in a small containers, for later use. Not necessarily for colder months to come as I am pretty sure these will be used way before that. Almost every Indian curry starts with an onion-tomato base and this sauce  compliment well with all of them. 

Today's tomato sauce recipe is a South Indian version I stumbled upon in Madhur Jaffrey's 'Vegetarian Cooking' cookbook. The ingredients are basic pantry staples and the resultant sauce is very flavorful and aromatic. For this recipe, there is no blanching or peeling of tomatoes required. Just roughly chop them into chunks, mix in other ingredients, use some muscle power and let it simmer until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. Cool, blend and store/freeze. That is it. No fancy equipment except for a blender to puree the tomato-ey mixture. 

[Pressure Cooker Recipes] Lauki Chana Dal | Bottle Gourd Cooked in Lentils

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Piping hot dal + white rice (chawal) is a combination made in heaven. There are numerous ways to prepare a dal in Indian cuisine incorporating different kinds of veggies and spices. Today's recipe - Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Cooked in Lentils) uses split bengal gram, bottle gourd also known as opo squash and my handy, best friend in the kitchen - a pressure cooker. I know it is one of those cooking equipments with a bad rep but it is making a comeback thankfully with many fool-proof, safety features. Did you know when compared to conventional cooking, most foods cook 70% faster (here's the proof) when using a pressure cooker. No wonder I love it so much especially on crazy weekdays when whipping up a simple meal seems like a big chore. Food taste better too, don't you think with all the aromatics, juices and nutrients trapped inside the pot. If you don't have one already, I would highly recommend it and there are tons of delicious recipes that you can make in minutes. Now, let's jump on the dal recipe. Shall we?

[Quick Monsoon Recipe] Iyengar Bakery Style Vegetable Masala Bread Toast

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Don't we all miss those memorable moments of our past? Those tiny incidents that warm our hearts and bring a smile on our faces even today. Well, my short stint in Bangalore sure had many moments to cherish. Eating in Iyengar bakeries was just one of them especially when the weather is slightly cooler than normal. Today's recipe Iyengar Bakery Style Vegetable Masala Bread Toast was made to reminisce & celebrate the time spent in the beautiful city of Bangalore. The intention is also to break the dry spell of no-posts happening on this blog since May and be more regular with my updates. Enjoy...

[Recipe Redux] Tandoori Gobi | Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Tandoori Masala

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Out of all the vegetables I like, Cauliflower is my most favorite. I sneakily add it to my pastas, stuff into my bread, simply fry it and even use it as a substitute for an authentic meat dish. Today's recipe 'Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Tandoori Masala' too is an adaptation of Melissa Clark's popular recipe which I already made it for the blog. When done right, I believe there is nothing that beats a humble cauliflower dish. So, when the awesome people at Recipe Redux gave 'Spring Cleaning' as a theme for this month, I raided my pantry for a condiment I hardly used before (Tandoori Masala, which I got in the goodie bag of IFBM 2014), grabbed a cauliflower (I always have one in my fridge), tossed everything with good olive oil and let the magic happen. Except for the few stirs in between while the veggies are roasting, there is not much to do for this dish. Yet, when served hot, it will amaze you on how incredibly flavorful it is. :-) 

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Tandoori Masala