[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 2014] Garlic Tostones | Puerto Rican Twice Fried Plantains With Rice and Beans Recipe

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I follow and read many inspiring food writers. Through them, I learn how to find the right words and express my feelings and various food experiences. One of them is Judith Jones and she once said - "One of great virtues of cooking for oneself, you have only yourself to please. If a dish isn't quite right, you'll eat it anyway and improve on it next time". But, what if the dish turns out so good that you are tempted to write almost immediately on the blog, share with others so that they can make some too!. For my Saturday lunch last week, I made some Garlic Tostones with rice & beans, ate alone, all by myself. It was just perfect, mopping the last bit of beans with a crispy fried plantain tostone. From the moment I bookmarked it and to the point I ate the first bite, I was fascinated and eager to try the combination. These little munchies were all that it promised - simple-to-make-crispy-pleasure-bombs. Ok, I will STOP right here. :-) Read on and get the recipe. 

Mixed Vegetable Korma | Navratri | Dussehra Recipes

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Words fall short to convey how happy I am right now. After 6 years of being away from my friends and family, couple of days ago, I celebrated by 28th birthday. Did I hear Oooohs and Aaaahs out there as some wise(wo)men said - never ask a woman her real age ;-).

Well, I believe in not hiding but learning and becoming wiser & smarter through life experiences by each passing year.

I had a swell time in Hyderabad with my lovely, gorgeous SIL and her cute little baby S who were visiting India, for a very short period of time. I met her last while we were in US, in April this year and again, we got to spend some awesome time together, here in India. Time flies when I am with Little S. Her innocent love is just so captivating and fills my heart with so much warmth & love.

My mom threw a birthday bash for her baby and invited all of us for lunch. We had asked her to keep it traditional. There was her signature dish - tomato chutney, raw banana poriyal, mango dal, potato-bell pepper fry, mirchi bajji, sambar with rice & ghee. We polished off, with decadent rava kesari. Amidst lots of chatter, laughter and conversations about politics & movies with occassional burps every now & then, we had a swell time together. :D.

A birthday is never complete without birthday gifts, Isn't it. K gave me a cute, black-colored Vintage bag and Mads surprised me with beautiful Food Photography & Styling book - Plate to Pixels by super talented Helene. For a really long time, I was planning to get my own copy. :-) I hope to learn some tips & tricks from this book and improve my photography over time..

Coming to the recipe for today ....

Yesterday, the auspicious Navratri days began and here's Wishing you all a very Happy Navratri. :-). May Goddess Lakshmi bless us with lots of joy, wealth and prosperity.

Today's recipe is a luscious Vegetable Kurma which doesn't need a special occassion to be made. With rice or roti, it serves as a delicious accompaniment leaving you wanting for more.

Give it a try and Enjoy with your family & friends during this festival time..

Mixed Vegetable Kurma/Korma

Ingredients:

For the masala:

1 cup fresh coconut, cut into small pieces
1.5 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp dry roasted cashewnuts
3/4 tbsp coriander powder
1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp tamarind extract
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced & fried in a tbsp of oil until golden brown (use only half of it for the masala)
1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
water

Other ingredients -

1 tomato
2 cups mixed veggies cut into almost equal sizes - potato, beans, carrot, bell peppers
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp red chilli powder (or less based on the desired spice level)
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
3-4 tbsp canola oil

Preparation:

1. In the blender jar add all the ingredients listed in the "masala" list with enough water to make fine paste.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add rest of fried onion with tomato. Saute for few mins and then add all the vegetables. Cook them until done, not mushy just tender. Season with turmeric, red chilli powder and salt.

3. Add the ground masala to the vegetables. Cook on low-medium flame until oil separates on the edges. Mix in tomato ketchup and cook for few more minutes.

4. Serve with roti or rice.

Check out one other variation of korma here.

until next time,

Edamame Fried Rice

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'For, dear me, why abandon a belief
merely because it ceases to be true?
cling to it long enough, and not a doubt
it will turn true again, for so it goes."

~ Robert Frost, The Black Cottage

Thirty days..this has been the longest time I am missing from my blog without any notice . I guess it happens at times in life when you constantly juggle between work, home, blogging, household chores, groceries, library, work again - that one can't juggle any more. I had to take a moment to breath and get back to myself. :)

Today's recipe features a kind of bean which I have never tried before. We all know that beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and when combined with whole grains such as brown rice, these beans provide a fat-free high quality protein, which is very much necessary to incorporate in our daily diets.

Edamame is a popular soya bean variety from Japan and is a 'wonder veggie' which has numerous health benefits. The recipe featured today is a simple fried rice with the goodness of both beans and wholegrains. It is a complete meal in itself and can be made as a lunch/dinner item.

Edamame Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1.5 cups shot-grained brown rice, cooked (substitute: white rice,any kind)
1/2 cup edamame beans, boiled in water until tender
1 egg, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp soya sauce
1/4 tsp (toasted) sesame oil (optional)
1 tsp canola oil
salt & pepper (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a large pan, add garlic and onion. Saute until golden brown and aromatic. (3-4 mins).

2. Add edamame and rice into the pan to cook for 5-6 mins. Adjust salt & pepper if needed.

3. Make a well into the center of rice mixture. Add a very small amount of oil, then add the egg, cook until entirely scrambled. Stir the egg into rice mixture.

4. Finally add soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Mix through. Serve hot.

Variation: One can add tofu to give it a more sumptuous twist.

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair 14 hosted by Susan. :)

Have a weekend ahead.

Siri

Butter Bean Pualo

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From past few weeks, I reach home exhausted with absolutely no energy to do anything - let alone cook & blog. So, I have been cooking pretty simple (and more often eating out!) and in my very little free time, I am engrossed in New Moon. I just started it 3 days ago and thought it was as engaging as it predecessor. :)

Today's dish is something I tasted at one the potlucks at my office. - a tasty yet simple 'Butter Bean Pulao'. It takes 20 mins flat to make it and with a spicy side dish as an accompaniment, it would make a healthy lunch/dinner.

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair: 12th Helping, guest hosted by Anarasa, a brainchild of lovely Susan @ The Well Seasoned Cook.

Butter Bean Pulao

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice, soaked for 30 mins
1 cup butter beans (or lima beans) [ I used frozen!]
1 medium onion, sliced into thin strips
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 tsp butter
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric
2 tsp biryani masala
1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
few mint leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat butter in a flat bottom pan, add cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Saute onion until golden brown on medium heat.

2. Add all the dry powders - turmeric, salt, biryani masala and coriander-cumin powder. Drop the butter beans with mint leaves. Mix well. Let it cook for 1-2 mins. Add a tbsp of water if needed.

3. Now add soaked rice and fry for 2-3 mins. Add 3 cups of boiling water and cook it covered for 15-20 mins on medium-low flame. Once done, let it sit for 2 mins and serve with any side dish!!

Yummy..:)

Have a great week ahead.

Siri

Straight Out Of Puck's Oven # 2 : Twice Fried Rice

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Welcome to the second edition of my weekly series - 'Straight Out of Puck's Oven' and here I present a rice dish - 'Twice Fried Rice' from Puck's cookbook - "The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook: Recipes from Spago, Chinois, and Points East and West".



Its a versatile dish and one can jazz it up with any kind of veggies that are in season. This is definitely one such Puck's recipes which can stimulate your appetite and would want you for more and being a huge veggie lover, I thoroughly enjoyed it...:)

Ingredients

2 cups Rice (Recommended: Long Grain Rice)
4 cups of Vegetable Stock
Salt to taste
Veggies I added- Cauliflower, Green Beans, Broccoli, Tomatoes (Original Recipe: Napa Cabbage, Mushrooms, Green and Red Bell Peppers and Snow Peas)
1/2 Onion - thinly sliced (my addition)
1 to 2 tablespoons Olive Oil (Recommended: Peanut oil)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

Note: The original recipe asked for 1/4 cup of Soya sauce for 1 cup of Rice. But, I don't like the strong, pungent taste of Soya Sauce, so I halved it.

Preparation:

1. Place the rice in a saucepan and add the stock and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook slowly for 15 to 18 minutes. It is important to cook the rice until dry. Turn the rice out onto a large platter or baking sheet and let it air dry for up to an hour. (or) Place the rice on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at 200 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring two or three times with a fork. I followed the latter option as its much quicker.

2. Take a fork and thoroughly fluff the rice.

3. Heat a wok or large skillet until it is very hot, pour the oil in around the edges, and then stir fry all the vegetables for a minute. Add rice and continue to stir fry for another 30 seconds. Pour the egg in around the edges of the wok or skillet and quickly stir it into the rice and vegetables.

4. Finally, stir in the soy sauce. Cook for couple of minutes. Serve hot with the choice of side dish!



Off this goes to Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging, this week guest hosted by Coffee and Vanilla.

Have a great weekend ahead folks!

Related posts:

Straight Out of Puck's Oven # 1: Couscous Salad

- Siri

Mixed Veggies dipped in Tomato Sauce

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It is one such cold, chilly evening when my tummy wanted to have a big bowl of hot, simmering mixed vegetable curry for dinner, but with a twist of tomato. As you wish my 'aaka' (master) said my heart, and here it is - " Mixed Veggies dipped in Tomato Sauce".


There is something very soothing and comforting about having a big heap of hot rice and a pot of creamy vegetable curry on a cold, chilly and gloomy winter night. Isn't it !!
and today I am in a mood of experimenting with some known flavors like veggies and spaghetti sauce. Wondering where this spaghetti sauce came from... hmmmmm.. thats the secret of the tomato sauce of my version of mixed veggie curry. Read on to find out how...!!
I promised Suganya of 'Tasty Palettes' to make something exclusively for her 'Vegan Ventures' event, November being a Vegan Month. Forwarding this recipe to you dear and will try to make more in coming days..:)


Ingredients:

1. Veggies whatever u can find - I used cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beans, potato
2. 1 big Tomato (chopped)
3. 1 medium Onion ( finely chopped)
4. 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce ( or tomato puree will do !!)
5. Salt - to taste
6. 1/2 tbsp Chilli powder
7. 1 tbsp Oil
8. 1/2 tbsp Garam Masala ( for that Indian kick !!)
9. Water - if needed

How to make:

1. HEAT oil in a skillet, add finely chopped onion and fry until golden brown.
2. ADD tomatoes, par-boiled veggies and mix well. Cook for few minutes.
3. POUR a good amount of spagetti sauce over the veggies. Add salt, chilli powder, and garam masala one by one.


4. MIX the content well. Cook for 7 to 10 mins until the veggies are nicely dipped into the tomato sauce and soaked with its flavors...:)
5. GARNISH with coriander leaves or a big dollop of cream and ENJOI with hot rice or as it is..:DD

Another Look....


Also sending this to Sra's 'Grindless Gravies' Event..:))

A Big Thank You for all you wonderful fellow bloggers who visited my blog often - as it crossed a 10,000 visitors mark with this post. Thank You dearies..:DD
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