Cream of Asparagus Soup

One of my many favourite things about Spring are the delicate shoots of Asparagus. I love their soft green color with beautiful ornate tops. Their nutty flavor takes me back to the monsoons in India when we used to boil whole in-shell peanuts in salt water and savor them one peanut at a time taking our own sweet time.
Those were the days when time was abundant and memories were made out of those sweet moments. But now, when time is such a luxury, I usually just char grill these babies and have them with salt and pepper.
But once in a while when I do have more time on my hands and the weather outside is perfect for having some warm soups, that is when I make this comforting soup which has now become a family favorite.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

Cream of Asparagus

Ingredients -

Olive Oil - 2 tbspns
Butter - 2 tbspns
Asparagus Shoots - 1lb
Shallots - 1 medium
Spring onions - 1 bunch
Spinach Leaves - 8 - 10
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Vegetable Stock - 4 cups
Whole Milk or Cream - 3/4 cup
Green Chilies (Optional) - 4
Freshly Ground black pepper - 1 tbspn
Sugar - 3 tspns
Salt to taste


Directions -

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan
Finely chop the shallots and the white onions the spring onions
Add them to the hot oil-butter mixture and fry till golden brown
Chop the spinach leaves and add them to the pan
Snap off the woody stocks of Asparagus and cut them into 1 cm pieces. Save some of the top shoots for garnish. Blanch them separately in another pan or in the microware
Add the cut Asparagus to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes till the Asparagus turns tender
Next add Vegetable Stock, Crushed Garlic, Crushed Green Chilies, Salt and Sugar
Bring it to a boil
Puree the soup with a hand blender
Add cream and black pepper and serve hot with finely chopped green onions and blanched Asparagus Tops.

Handvo (Spicy Lentil Cake)

Ingredients

For the Cake

Rice - 1 Cup
Split Moong Beans (Moong Daal) - 1/2 Cup
Split Chickpeas - 1/2 cup
Split White Beans (Urad Daal) - 1/2 Cup
Black Eye Beans - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 1 inch
Cumin Powder - 2 tbspns
Cayenne Powder - 1 tbspn
Turmeric Powder - 1 tspn
Dry Mango Powder (Aamchur) - 2 tbspn
Sugar - 3 tbspn
Salt  to taste

For Tempering

Oil - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - 12
Asafoetida Powder - 1 tspn
Sesame Seeds - 2 tbspns
Mustard Seeds - 2 tbspsns
Fennel Seeds - 2 tbspns
Red Chili Flakes - 1 tbspn

Directions

Soak the rice and lentils in water for 3 hours
After 3 hours, remove extra water and grind it into a smooth batter along with the ginger
Add Cumin Powder, Cayenne Powder, Mango Powder, Turmeric, Sugar and Salt
Heat half of the oil and add to the batter
Pour the batter into a baking sheet so that it would be about an inch in  thickness
Preheat the oven to 375F
Bake the cake for 40 minutes

While the cake is baking prepare the tempering by heating the remaining oil in a small pan
Once the oil is hot, add Mustard Seeds, Asafoetida Powder, Curry Leaves, Chili Flakes, Sesame Seeds and Fennel Seeds

Remove the cake from the oven after 40 minutes. Pour the tempering evenly over the cake while the cake is still hot.

Cut into squares and serve warm or cold with Mint or Coriander Chutney.

Vegetarian Pulled Pork Sandwich with Home Made Barbecue Sauce and Caramelized Onions

A little disclaimer here before I get into the actual recipe for this dish - being a vegetarian, I have never eaten pork and don't really know what a pulled pork sandwich tastes like or how the texture is. However, since it is a such a big craze wherever you go now-a-days, I thought of making my own vegetarian version. 

You see, it may or may not taste like the real deal. So you may or may not call it a pulled pork sandwich. But I would say, keep an open mind as this recipe is quick to make, pretty healthy and the end result tastes amazing, if not like an actual pulled pork sandwich.

Ingredients

Finely Shredded/ Sliced Red Cabbage - 21/2 - 3 cups

Burger Buns - 4

Oil - 2 tspns

For the Barbecue Sauce 

Ketchup - 3 tbsps

Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 tbspns

Black Strap Molasses - 1 tbspn (You can use regular molasses if you do not have BSM)

Brown Sugar or Gur - 1-2 tbspn

Chipotle Peppers in tomato sauce - 1

Cumin Powder - 2 tbspns

Coriander Powder - 2 tbspns

Garlic - 2 cloves

Caramelized Onions

Sliced Onions - 11/2 cup

Oil - 2 tspns

Directions

Heat oil in a pan

Add the cabbage and cook for a couple of minutes till the cabbage is cooked, but still firm 

In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce

Once the cabbage is cooked like above, add this sauce to the cabbage

Cook till the sauce thickens in about 3-5 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tspns of oil

Add onions

Fry on a low to medium flame till the onions are caramalized

That's it folks Serve hot on a bun with caramelized onions.

Cracked Wheat, Steel Cut Oats and Cracked Millet Porridge (Khichadi) with Peas and Carrots

Cracked Wheat, Steel Cut Oats and Cracked Millet Porridge with Peas and Carrots

Recipe development has always been my passion. While cooking time tested, traditional recipes has a place in everyday cooking, I like to challenge myself in the kitchen by coming up with some brand new recipes or modifying the traditional ones to give them a total makeover.  My challenge is to come up with dishes which are tasty and at the same time being a mom and a health freak, I have to make sure that they are also very healthy.

Also, while developing recipes with a full fridge and pantry is always exciting, my biggest challenge is to come up with recipes with ingredients on hand as grocery shopping is always the last item on the to do list.

So last week, when I had only carrots, frozen peas in the refrigerator, was not in a mood for rice or chapati and had only half an hour before putting dinner on the table, I found some whole grains in the pantry and came up with this recipe.

I was extremely happy the way it turned out. Apart from being super tasty, it is super healthy, is a whole meal with grains and vegetables and could be something you could serve on a regular basis if you are suffering from conditions like high sugar or diabetes.

Would love to hear from you all on what you think of this recipe.



Ingredients


Grated Carrots - 1 cup
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Chopped Onion - 1 Medium

Cracked Wheat - 3/4 cup
Steel Cut Oats - 3/4 cup
Cracked Millet (Bajra) - 3/4 cup. (If you cannot get cracked millet, you can buy them whole and pulse them in the grinder a few times to crack them)

Boiling water - 4 - 5 cups

Cumin Seeds - 2 tspns
Asafoetida Powder - 1/2 tspn (Optional)
Red Chili Flakes - 3 - 4 tspns
Finely chopped Garlic - 5 cloves
Oil - 1 tbspn
Clarified Butter - 3 tbpns
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat Oil and 1 tbspn of clarified butter in a pan
Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida and chili flakes
Once the cumin seeds start crackling, add the chopped onion
Fry the onion till golden brown
Next add the carrots and green peas and cook for a couple of minutes
Now add the cracked wheat, oats and millet and cook for 3-4 minutes
Add boiling water, salt and half of the chopped garlic to the pan
Cover the pan, reduce the flame and let it cook for 15 - 20 minutes
Take it off the stove, once the grains are cooked and the consistency is similar to that of a porridge

For the Garnish

While the khichadi/ porridge is cooking, in a separate small pan heat the remainder of the clarified butter
Add 2 tspns of chilies and the remaining of the garlic
Fry the garlic till it starts turning color

Serve with the clarified butter garnish and chopped cilantro, with sliced red onion on the side.

Kale and Spinach Cakes in Cashew Tomato Gravy

Ingredients

Kale and Spinach Cakes with Tomato Cashew Gravy

For the Tikkis 
Boiled Potatoes - 4 Medium
Cooked and pureed Spinach - 1/2 cup
Cooked and pureed Kale - 1/2 cup
Crushed Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Crushed Green Chilies - 4
Sugar - 2 tspns
Salt to taste
Oil - 3-4 tspns for shallow frying
Dry Rice flour or Bread Crumbs for coating the cakes

For the Gravy

Onions - 2 Small to Medium
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
Tomatoes - 2 Large
Cashews - 1/2 cup
Cumin Powder - 2 tbspns
Coriander Powder - 2 tbspns
Red Chili Powder - 1 tspn
Oil - 2 tbspns
Sugar - 2 tspns
Salt to taste

Directions

For the Tikkis

Mash the potatoes in a large bowl
Add the cooked spinach, kale puree
Add the crushed garlic, chilies, sugar and salt
Mix thoroughly
Form into medium sized cakes/ tikkis
Dust the cakes with Panko crumbs or rice flour
Shallow fry the cakes with a little bit of oil until both the sides are golden brown

For the Gravy

Blend the Onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor to form a paste
Heat oil in a pan
Add the Onion - Ginger -Garlic paste to the oil
Cook until the paste is golden brown
In the meantime, puree the tomatoes in the food processor
Once the Onion paste is cooked, add the tomato puree
Cook the puree till all the water evaporates
Add Cumin, Coriander and Chili powder and cook for a couple of minutes
Blend the cashews in the food processor with half a cup of water to form a smooth blend
Add this to cashew puree to the pan
Add water to the pan to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
Add Salt and Sugar
Bring the gravy to a boil and thicken it to a desired consistency.

Serve with Green Onions

After The Hiatus....

Kundan and Glitter Glue Rangoli

The last few weeks were crazy in every which way which. They kept me away from my blog all along. And while this hiatus occasionally kept nagging at me to get back and start writing, it nevertheless rejuvenated me from inside out.

It all started in September with the beginning of Navratri - The 9 day festival of Goddess Durga. This was a time for cleansing and contemplation for me. A time to connect with my higher self and thank the goddess for this beautiful life that she has bestowed on me.

Diwali Faral

While this festival was filled with celebrating the Goddess in her 9 different forms, in the hindsight, I feel like those were the more peaceful days before I got sucked into a whirlwind of celebrations - what with  weddings to attend, anniversaries and birthdays to plan, family to visit from abroad and festivities like Dassehra, Diwali to celebrate.

Top that up with extremely high workload at my day job, and what you get was living one day at a time and making the most of that day. Celebrating each day with renewed fervor and at the same time keeping myself firmly grounded by thanking the Universe for each and every moment of this glorious time.

Well, and while the blogging had definitely stopped during this period, what continued with twice the force was the cooking.  Cooking traditional Maharashtrian Diwali Snacks (Faral), cooking for guests, cooking for DS, cooking for DH, making the Prashad and so much more.

While cooking Diwali Snacks was a major event for me and a few of my close friends, I will share those recipes some other time. In the meantime here are a few other recipes that I made during the last few weeks.


Kale and Spinach Cakes in Tomato Cashew Gravy

Cracked Wheat, Steel Cut Oats and Cracked Millet Porridge (Khichadi) with Peas and Carrots

Vegetarian Pulled Pork Sandwich with Home Made Barbecue Sauce and Caramelized Onions

Diwali Faral

A 30 Minute Affair

Watching food shows on T.V. is one of my favorite pass times. Though most of the shows here in North America are geared towards meat eaters and American diet/ recipes, I find loads of inspiration on these shows to come up with some of my own recipes.

One such all time inspirations is Jamie Oliver. I just love the energy and passion that he brings into his cooking. Just looking at him create his art so passionately makes me get off the couch and enter the kitchen to create something magical.

One of his shows that I use to follow regularly was his 30 minute meals. I loved the idea of creating a whole spread in less than 30 minutes.

So last week, I decided to give it a try and see if I could come up with my own spread in 30 minutes. What I created was pretty impressive, considering there was no previous planning that went into creating this meal. Yes, it did take me 35 minutes instead of 30, which I could have avoided, had I planned earlier.

But you see, inspiration is like a butterfly. It does not come to you all planned. And once it comes to you, you need to capture its beauty and appreciate it with your whole being. Because it will just fly away the very next moment. And in those few moments, what you create is always beautiful.

So here is what I created in my 30 minutes -

Sauteed Zuchini and Red Peppers
Lentil Cakes
Saffron Infused Yogurt Dressing
Tomato Salsa

All these served with Warm Whole Wheat Tortillas for Make Your Own Wraps.