A while back, I was feeling a bit sniffly and stuffy, so I spent a few days on the couch browsing the web. Apparently I was in the frame of mind to check out Ayurvedic remedies for my stuffy nose, and thus I spent a lot of time reading blogs and articles stuffed to the brim with advice and ways of life from the sub-continent.

Kitchari was apparently the new kid on the block (or, as it is, the newly discovered elder on the block). I read multiple articles about its abilities to help you cleanse, its ease on your digestive system, its nutritional values (apparently it is a complete protein, though I’m thinking that has more to do with the dal, less to do with the rice and spices). While I scoffed at the idea of eating nothing but this moong dal and rice mixture for any amount of time, my stomach started to growl and the craving had set in. I already had some leftover, new-age pakora in my fridge; this could just be a spicy rice addition with a little beans. Plus, it’s healthy, right?

So I consulted the various recipes I had found around the internets (that link being one of them), then I cracked open my favorite Indian cookbook from “the food of” series, and I started devising a recipe. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Indian, Lunch, Vegan, Vegetarian, World traveller by Courtney

One of the things I didn’t plant in my garden this year are string beans. Last year, while stocking up on seedlings from Cole Canyon Farm, the guy running the stand gave me free string beans. I’m not really a fan of green beans — I don’t hate them, but they’re not something I ever really want to eat. My husband, however, really likes green beans so I decided to plant them and give them a try. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, In the Garden, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

For Christmas I received a bread maker from the husband. After many failed attempts to make bread on my own, I guess he decided I needed a little help! It’s been wonderful, and I’ve been making wheat bread almost every week, thus there’s been an increase in the amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I’ve been eating (oh how I love PB&J!).

This weekend, however, I decided to branch out and try something new. A good friend gave me a cookbook for Christmas, Modern Spice, which I’ve been dying to try some recipes out of. Of course, when I saw the curry bread, I was really excited to try making it in my new bread maker; I’d get to use two new toys at once!! (more…)

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Bread, Indian, Vegetarian by Courtney

What would Thanksgiving be without gravy? When creating my South Indian Thanksgiving menu, the gravy was the thing that posed the biggest issue in my mind. I needed something that would stand up to the big flavors of the tandoori turkey and spicy mashed potatoes without overwhelming the taste buds. I thought about it for quite a while before I decided upon a Tamarind Gravy.

Tamarind is a fruit pulp that is often used in Indian and Caribbean cooking, as well as many other Asian and African cuisines. It can range from sour to sweet, depending on how ripe the fruit is. It can be bought in a block or a paste (which is easier to deal with) at many ethnic grocery stores.

Out of all the dishes I made for my South Indian Thanksgiving, this was the one I thought might end up in the garbage can. But the resulting flavor was delicious, and my husband and I were reaching for second and third pieces of naan to sop up the gravy on our plate. The great thing about this recipe is it is based on a roux of butter and flour, so you can make it vegetarian by adding vegetable stock instead of a poultry stock if you have vegetarian guests. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Indian, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

I always struggle with what types of greens to put on the table for Thanksgiving. Though I love creamed spinach, it always seems too indulgent for an already cream-and-butter-laden meal. Green beans are my default, because everyone else seems to love them so much, but they’re really not my favorite. Asparagus isn’t in season, and broccoli just doesn’t seem very Thanksgiving at all.

However, for last year’s Southern Indian-inspired Thanksgiving, the sides weren’t too creamy, so I decided to do a riff on creamed spinach that contained a hint of cream, but was also filled with flavors and spices of India, so as not to be bland. The result is one of my favorite ways to serve spinach, Thanksgiving or not! (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Indian, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian by Courtney