Peppermint Hot Chocolate...in a jar!

This holiday season, I decided to make some gifts that Vivek could take for his coworkers.  I came across this idea for peppermint hot chocolate in a jar on Pinterest, and I loved it!  It was so easy to prepare, and the results are so cute!

Recipe for Peppermint Hot Chocolate in a Jar

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup dry milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3 candycanes, crushed
1/4 cup mini marshmallows

INSTRUCTIONS
In the order listed above, layer all the ingredients in a mason jar, pushing down on each layer as you go.  The instructions for making the hot chocolate is to mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and the mix 1/3 of the mixture with 1 cup of boiling water.  There are 3 servings in one jar!

Thanksgiving Dinner!

This year, Shyam and Ami came over for Thanksgiving, and I cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner...vegetarian style!  I made my own tofu turkey from scratch with stuffing, baked macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and homemade rolls!  We had mushroom gravy and cranberry sauce as well (not homemade) to add to the meal.  And we finished off with some homemade pumpkin pie!  I have tried to make a vegetarian version of Thanksgiving dinner in the past with little success, but this year, everything tasted delicious!  I will definitely be using these recipes again next year :)

Cross-section of the tofu turkey with stuffing in the middle!

Recipe for Tofu Turkey with stuffing

INGREDIENTS

2 packages of extra firm tofu

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

Stuffing made according to package instructions (I used celery, onions, and vegetable broth with the stuffing mix that I bought.  Make sure to read the ingredients to make sure it is vegetarian!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Drain the water out of both packages of tofu and place the tofu into a blender or food processor.  Blend until it is a mushy texture.

2. Line a strainer with a cheese cloth and put the mashed tofu into the cheese cloth.  Wrap the top of the tofu with the cheese cloth and place a weight on top of it.  You can put the strainer in a large bowl to catch the liquid.  Allow the liquid to strain out for 2-3 hours.

3. Once the liquid has strained from the tofu, unwrap the top of the cheese cloth and scoop out the middle of the tofu to make a "bowl."  Use the tofu that you scooped out to spread on the bottom of a greased baking pan in a layer about 1/2 an inch thick.  Fill the tofu "bowl" with your pre-made stuffing.  Then carefully flip the whole tofu "bowl" using the cheese cloth onto the tofu in your baking pan so now it is like a dome.  Shape it with your hands.

4.  Mix together the sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl.  Used a brush to "baste" the tofu dome with about half of the bowl of oil and soy sauce.

5.  Surround the dome with more of your pre-made stuffing.  Then cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

6. Remove the baking pan from the oven and take off the foil.  Baste with the remainder of the oil and soy sauce mixture and then put back in the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until browned on top.

7. Serve warm with gravy and cranberry sauce!

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Homemade rolls

Baked Mac and Cheese

Vegetarian Sushi!

Many people have asked me how to make vegetarian sushi, and while my brother Shyam is the master sushi chef that comes up with most of the different types of sushi, I have learned from him and am able to make it myself now!  I hope this helps inspire some of you to try and make this yourself!  It does take a lot of time and effort, but the results are amazing and SOOOO tasty!  You can't get vegetarian sushi like this in any restaurant :)

So the first step to making sushi is to make sure you have the right ingredients.  I have added links to the types/brands that I typically use.  I usually buy my seaweed from the regular grocery store, but it is usually way cheaper at an Asian grocery store.  Then you need sushi rice, which is basically medium-grain rice.  If you cook it to package instructions (usually one cup rice for 1.5 cups water), then you get a perfectly sticky rice that is best for making sushi.  Always add plenty of rice vinegar seasoning to the rice while it is warm so that the flavor pops!  I usually add about 1/2-3/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar if I cooked 2 cups of rice.

To make a basic sushi roll, just follow these steps:

1. Spread rice onto the rough side of the seaweed.  You can put as much or as little rice as you want depending on the type of flavor you want.  Make sure to put rice all along the edges of the seaweed so that they will stick together after rolling.

2. Put your filling about 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the seaweed in a horizontal line.

3. Roll from the bottom.  Tuck the bottom part of the seaweed over the filling, and then keep rolling up from there.  Make sure the top end of the seaweed sticks to the outside with rice.  Make the roll tight, otherwise it will fall apart when you are cutting it!

4. Cut the sushi cross-sectionally into 1/2 inch pieces with a serrated knife.

Now the fun part is coming up with all the different fillings!  The tastes become so unique depending on what filling you put in, and it makes the whole experience of eating sushi so delightful!  Here are a few examples:

1. Avocado and honey-roasted peanuts

2. Green peppers, garlic and avocado

3. Avocado and tempura flakes

4. Cucumber, tempura asparagus, tempura broccoli, topped with avocado slices

5. Carrots, radish, cucumber and avocado

6. Cream cheese, sweet potato, topped with a spicy tofu explosion (grilled tofu mixed with mayo and sriracha)

7. Bell pepper and cream cheese
8. Tofu-holic: tofu and onions sauteed in soy sauce and sriracha on the inside, topped with more of the tofu/onion mixture

There are so many possibilities!  You can also always do the traditional cucumber roll or avocado roll.  In terms of the sauces, we usually have soy sauce to which we add a little bit of wasabi, and we also have pickled ginger on the side to put on top if you like.  Recently, we have been making spicy mayo (mayonnaise mixed with sriracha) as another sauce that you can use on top of the sushi.

Now go out there and try it!!  It will be worth all the work :)

Pumpkin pie!

Well, it is October now, and fall has arrived!  While I love the beautiful colors of fall, I am dreading the fast approaching winter...but maybe this year it won't be so bad :)

In our CSA box last week, we got a pie pumpkin!  A pie pumpkin is sweeter than regular pumpkins, which is why it is great for cooking and for making pumpkin pie.  So that's exactly what I did!  It was the first real pie I've ever really made successfully, and it was delicious!  Vivek and I don't exactly like those store bought pie crusts because then we just taste too much bland crust and not enough filling.  So I made my own graham cracker crust that only covered the bottom of the pie pan.  We definitely liked it better that way!

Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS
3/4 pint vanilla ice cream, melted and warm
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (I boiled the pumpkin until soft, scooped out the flesh, then pureed it)
1/4 cup white sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 unbaked pie crust

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg.  Stir in the pumpkin puree, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Mix in the melted ice cream until smooth.  Pour the filling into the pie crust.

3. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is set.  Serve with whipped cream on top!

Soups!

We have been able to try some awesome new recipes with our veggies from our CSA including two amazing soups!  The first is a potato leek soup, and Vivek says that it is his favorite soup of all the ones I have ever made!  This is my first time cooking with leeks, which are like onions but have a milder flavor.  The soup is definitely hearty and delicious!

Recipe for Potato Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp butter
4 leeks, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups 2% milk
2 tbsp low fat cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large pot, heat the butter until melted.  Cook the leeks in the butter with some salt and pepper until tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

2. Pour the broth into the pot.  Add the potatoes and bring to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour in the milk and add the cream cheese.  Reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.


The other soup that I made quickly became one of my favorites as it has a sweet and spicy element to it!  I made this soup using a delicata squash from the CSA box.  I had never heard of this type of squash before, but it is similar to a butternut squash or a pumpkin in that it has a sweetness to it when cooked.  I got this recipe from the Vitamix cook book, so it was relatively healthy as well :)

Recipe for Thai Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 delicata squash, halved and baked until soft
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 can of tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tbsp chopped green chilies
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Use a peeler to peel off the skin of the cooked squash and cut squash into chunks.

2. In a large pot, saute onions in olive oil until soft.  Add tomato paste, squash, ginger, garlic, broth and coconut milk. Mix well and allow it to heat for about 10 minutes.

3. Place the contents of the pot along with the lemon juice, green chilies, and salt in the Vitamix and blend on high for about 2 1/2 minutes or until smooth.

You can serve this soup garnished with some chopped cilantro, peanuts, sour cream, or drizzled with sriracha sauce!  So yummy!

Italian feast!

When Shyam and Ami were visiting us last week, we decided to cook up an Italian feast!  Shyam made some incredible ravioli FROM SCRATCH!  He made the pasta dough, rolled it out in his pasta roller, made the creamy mushroom filling, and made the rich cream sauce!  I will have to get the recipe from him and try it myself (after I get a pasta roller!), but I did help out by making some bruschetta!  I used the delicious baby tomatoes that was in my CSA box to make the topping for the bruschetta, and it was so easy and tasty that I will definitely be making it again!  I made the bread that we used for the bruschetta from scratch in my bread machine.  It was so nice to have such a fresh meal!

Here are some pics of the incredible ravioli:

Perfection!

Sundried tomato and parsley on top!

And here is my side dish :)

Baguettes made from scratch!

Recipe for Bruschetta

INGREDIENTS
3 cups tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp dried basil
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf French bread, sliced and toasted

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a bowl, toss together all ingredients except the bread.

2. Serve on toasted bread slices.

Quinoa Masala Burgers

Now that we are back from our California trip, we are back in the swing of things and cooking with all of our amazing CSA veggies!  We were so lucky to have Shyam and Ami visiting us this past week, so we really got to try out some delicious recipes.  I made some yummy quinoa masala burgers, which I have made before and we all love!  I made the buns from scratch using my bread machine, and they turned out so soft and yummy!  I used the lettuce, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes from the CSA box to accompany the patty in the burger, and with a little mustard, mayo, cheese and Sriracha sauce, it was an amazing meal!

Recipe for Quinoa Masala Burgers

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup dry quinoa-cooked with 3/4 cup water (bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook until quinoa is clear with a white rim around the edge)
1 baked sweet potato with skin removed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 inch piece of ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
melted coconut oil for brushing burger patties

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients and mix in a large bowl

3. Form mixture into patties (makes about 4-6 patties)

4. Place patties on a large greased baking sheet

5. Brush top of burgers with small amount of coconut oil

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the burgers and coat with coconut oil again.  Bake for another 15 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan

Although I was not much of an eggplant fan growing up, I have found several ways to enjoy this vegetable, and one way is in eggplant parmesan!  I found a recipe that bakes the eggplant rather than frying it, which makes it a much healthier alternative to the restaurant versions I've had.  We paired it with some whole wheat spaghetti and some store-bought marinara sauce and topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese!  Yum!

Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan

INGREDIENTS
1 large Chinese eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch sections
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Spread out eggplant slices and sprinkle some salt on each slice.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Then rinse them and pat dry with paper towel.

2. In a gallon sized ziplock bag, mix together bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and dried basil.  Shake the bag until mixed well.

3. Dip an eggplant slice in the egg and then place it in the ziplock bag with the breadcrumb mixture in it.  Shake the bag until the eggplant is coated with the breadcrumb mixture.

4. Remove the eggplant from the bag and place it on a baking tray that is coated with olive oil.  Repeat above steps with all the eggplant slices.

5. Bake the slices in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on each side.

6. Serve warm with marinara sauce, spaghetti, and shredded mozzarella cheese!

Thai Basil Eggplant

In keeping with the Asian theme this week, I made a Thai Basil Eggplant dish that we have had at restaurants before, and it was very tasty!  I got eggplant and basil in our CSA box last week, so it was a perfect way to use those ingredients.  I served it over white rice, but next time I may try making some coconut rice to give it some extra flavor!

Recipe for Thai Basil Eggplant

INGREDIENTS
1 large Chinese eggplant, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
2 tsp corn starch

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a wok, heat the oil and add the eggplant pieces.  Toss to coat the eggplant in oil.  Add a tablespoon of water and cover and let cook on low-medium heat for 10 minutes.  Stir frequently to avoid the eggplant from sticking to the pan.

2. Add in the onions, garlic, bell pepper, and tofu. Stir and let cook for 5 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and corn starch.

4. Add the sauce to the wok, stir well, and let cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens and coats all the vegetables and tofu.

5. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped basil.  Serve over rice!

Asian lettuce wraps

This week, I have been cooking a lot of East Asian dishes, and one that I have made several times before are Asian lettuce wraps.  These are inspired by the vegetarian lettuce wraps at PF Changs, which we love!  I use soy crumbles (we like the Lightlife brand because they use non-GMO soy) and tofu bits, which make it very hearty and full of protein!  I used the lettuce head that was in our CSA box as the wrap, and it makes a delicious meal or appetizer!

Recipe for Asian Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS
Lettuce leaves
1 package soy crumbles
1/2 cup tofu, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp minced pickled ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp dark sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a wok, heat the cooking oil and add onions, water chestnuts, tofu and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili garlic sauce and stir.

3. Add in the sesame oil and soy crumbles.  Cook for 5 minutes.

4. Spoon mixture into washed lettuce leaves and serve with dipping sauce.  To make the dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce.

Macaroni Rosa

When we were living in California, one of our favorite chain Italian restaurants to visit was Buca di Beppo.  They had a lot of yummy vegetarian options on their menu, but our favorite by far was the Macaroni Rosa (without the chicken).  It is basically a pasta dish with vegetables (specifically peas, broccoli, and mushrooms) and a tomato cream sauce.  I wanted to try and replicate that dish since we had fresh peas and tomatoes in our CSA box last week, and the result was delicious!  It was just something I made up myself, and it actually tastes almost exactly like the dish at the restaurant!  And I bet it is a lot healthier since I didn't use any heavy cream to make the sauce (I used light cream cheese instead)!  Too bad Vivek is traveling for work right now, and I don't think the leftovers are going to last until he comes home tomorrow night!

Recipe for Macaroni Rosa

INGREDIENTS
1/2 box macaroni (I used Cavatappi pasta, which is the spiraled macaroni they use at the restaurant)
1 package whole white mushrooms, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup peas, boiled
1 cup broccoli, steamed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cans tomato sauce
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp light cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.  Set to the side.

2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add onions and garlic.  Cook until onions are soft.  Then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basic, oregano, and pepper flakes.  Stir, cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Add the peas, broccoli, and mushrooms to the saucepan, cover and let simmer another 15 minutes.

4. Add the cream cheese and parmesan cheese and mix well until sauce is a creamy pink color.  Then toss the pasta into the sauce and serve!

Stuffed Paratha

Nani is in town for a few days while Vivek is traveling, and in addition to all the help she gives me with the kids, I have a great cook in the house that can teach me some new recipes!  In this week's CSA box, we have fresh peas, and I wanted to figure out a way to get Keshav to eat some because they are so healthy for you!  One dish that Nani has made for him using peas before that he really enjoyed was stuffed paratha.  It tastes great dipped in yogurt, and Keshav also likes to dip it in ketchup.  Keshav even helped Nani to shell the peas!  It was delicious and so easy to make!

Recipe for Stuffed Paratha

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 potatoes, boiled and peeled
1/2 cup peas, boiled
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine flour, water, and oil until dough is formed.  Make into golf-ball sized portions.

2. Mash together potatoes and peas.  Add salt and garam masala to the potato/peas mixture and form into golf-ball sized portions.

3. Roll out one ball of dough into a circle.  Place one ball of the potato/peas mixture in the middle of the dough circle and flatten slightly.  Then pull the sides of the dough up and around the top of the potatoes/peas and pinch together at the top.  Remove excess dough.

4. Roll out the dough and vegetable patty until circular.  Then cook in a pan with oil on medium heat on both sides until slightly browned.

Hide and seek squash!

These past couple of weeks, we have gotten some summer squash in our CSA boxes.  I have never quite figured out what to do with squash when cooking before as it doesn't really have much taste by itself.  So, we decided to try and hide it in some of our favorite foods to add the vitamins and antioxidants that the squash provides.  We steamed, mashed, and mixed it with pasta sauce, which was a hit with Keshav.  We also mixed some steamed and pureed squash into some pancake batter and made pancakes!  I steamed and pureed squash with carrots and kale to make baby food for Vidya.  And finally, I made some summer squash bread!  This is basically a sweet bread that tastes delicious with butter smeared on it and paired with some fruit (we had fresh picked strawberries from a local farm) and coffee for breakfast!

Recipe for Summer Squash Bread

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups shredded summer squash

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the beaten eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Fold in the squash.  Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Beets!

There were 4 beets in our CSA box last week, and I wasn't sure what to do with them!  I don't ever remember actually having beets before, so I didn't know what to expect.  I came across two side dishes that I made on two separate days this week, and both were pretty good!  I made a beet, arugula, and quinoa salad last week, and today, I made a Russian borscht beet soup with a recipe from my new cook book.  I think beets have a very strong and unique flavor, and while both dishes were tasty, they could only be eaten in small portions as side dishes because Vivek and I both would have gotten tired of the strong taste if we had eaten them as main dishes.

Beets are very nutritious as they are an excellent source of folate and have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  It was definitely fun to experiment with these different recipes using beets, but I'm not sure they are going to become a regular part of our diet.  

Recipe for Beet, Arugula, and Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 beetroots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 green onions, sliced
1 bunch arugula, chopped
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Steam the beetroots. 

2. Bring quinoa and 3/4 cup water to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.

4. Remove quinoa from heat, then immediately add half of the vinegar dressing.  Reserve remaining dressing.  Cover and refrigerate quinoa until cool, at least 1 hour.

5. Stir green onions, arugula, goat cheese, beets, and remaining dressing into cooled quinoa mixture. Toss lightly before serving.

Recipe for Russian Borscht Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 beetroots, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped finely
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp low fat sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chili pepper
salt and black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and onion and cook until soft.  Add the carrots, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Cover 1/4 of the beetroot with the vinegar and put aside.  Add the remaining beetroot to the saucepan.  Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper, and red chili pepper.  Add the reserved chopped beetroot and the liquid it was soaking in.  Simmer for an additional 40 minutes.

4. Garnish with low fat sour cream.

Falafel

Growing up, my mom used to make Falafel on a regular basis for us, and it was one of my favorites!  Vivek is also a big fan, so we make it often, usually using the store bought falafel mix.  This time, I wanted to try to make the falafel balls from scratch according to a recipe that is in the new cook book that my mom gave me.  They turned out to be delicious in taste, but a little wet in consistency.  I think next time, I will let the mixture sit out to dry a bit before baking them.

We ate the falafel balls with pita, lettuce and cucumber from our CSA box, tomatoes, a sesame yogurt chutney, and some garlic chili sauce.  This dish is so tasty, and it's pretty low in calories!

Recipe for Falafel

INGREDIENTS
1 can chick peas
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 onion
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
10 pickled jalepenos
1/2 tsp salt
Pita
Lettuce
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Garlic chili sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put chick peas, cilantro, onion, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.  Let rest for 30 minutes to one hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Form the falafel mixture into ping pong-sized balls, and slightly flatten.  Put the balls onto a greased baking dish and drizzle olive oil over the falafel balls.  Bake for 15 minutes on each side, until browned.

3. To make the sesame yogurt chutney, first put the sesame seeds into a blender and blend until seeds are a fine powder consistency.  Then add yogurt, jalepenos, and salt and blend until smooth.

4. To assemble the sandwich, cut the pitas in half.  Fill the pita pockets with lettuce, falafel balls, cucumber, and tomatoes and then drizzle with the sesame yogurt chutney and garlic chili sauce.

Coconut Curry Tofu

This week's CSA box has many vegetables that I have never used before, one being bok choy.  Bok choy is Chinese cabbage, and it has smooth, dark green leaf blades that form a cluster.  It contains a high amount of vitamin A and also has antioxidants.  Lately, I have been really enjoying Thai coconut curry dishes, so I was thrilled when I found a recipe for a coconut curry dish that called for Bok Choy!  I also used the green onions from the CSA box in this dish, and it turned out to be SO delicious served over white rice!  It was pretty simple and quick to make, too.  It will be a perfect alternative to the expensive Thai restaurant here in Chelmsford when I have that craving for coconut curry!

Recipe for Coconut Curry Tofu

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches green onions, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
3 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 package firm tofu, cubed
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 cups bok choy, chopped
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large pot over medium heat, mix coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and garlic chili sauce.  Bring to a boil.

2. Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and green onions into the pot.  Cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Mix basil and bok choy into the pot and season with salt.  Cover and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but crisp.

4. Serve over rice.

Chinese Tofu Taco

I had a bunch of green onions left in the fridge from my last CSA box, and with a new box coming in tomorrow, I wanted to find a good way to use them up!  A great way to do so is by making it into a chutney.  I had made these Chinese tofu tacos from the new cook book that my my mom gave me before, and they called for a cilantro, garlic and green onion chutney.  I made them again tonight, and they are so tasty!  They definitely have a strong garlic taste to them, but Vivek and I love garlic, so it was no problem for us!

Recipe for Chinese Tofu Taco

INGREDIENTS
Corn tortillas
2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 cup thin rice noodles, cooked
2 cups firm tofu, sliced thinly
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic chili sauce
1 cup cilantro
1 cup green onions
1/4 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat sesame oil in a wok and stir fry tofu and noodles in the oil.  Add soy sauce and chili garlic sauce and let cook for 5 minutes.

2. Put the cilantro, green onions, sour cream, garlic clove, lemon juice and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Warm a tortilla in a small pan until soft.  Spoon the tofu and noodle mixture into the tortilla.  Then add some shredded cabbage and carrot, chopped peanuts, and the green onion chutney on top.

4. Fold in half and enjoy!  For a little extra kick, drizzle some Sriracha sauce on top.

Pizza with homemade pesto, tomatoes, and goat cheese

When I found out that there was arugula in our CSA box, I was so excited to try making some arugula pesto!  Arugula is a leafy, green vegetable that has a pungent, peppery flavor, and it is often used in Italian cooking.  The arugula pesto can be tossed with pasta or used as a spread on a sandwich, but I decided to try it on a pizza, and it turned out to be SO delicious!

First of all, I made my own pizza crust for the first time using my new bread machine!  It was some of the best crust I have ever had with just the right amount of crispiness and softness (although I couldn't quite get it in a round shape!).  I spread the pesto on the crust as my sauce.  I generally like to have some tomato on my pizza, and since I wasn't using any tomato sauce, I decided to put tomatoes as a topping.  I used fresh tomato slices on one pizza, and I used sun-dried tomatoes on another.  I also added some goat cheese and shredded cheese, and it turned out to be one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted!  Even Keshav ate the bites without tomatoes on it :)

Recipe for Arugula Pesto

INGREDIENTS

1 cup arugula leaves

1 cup fresh basil leaves

2/3 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

10 green olives

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan/romano cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

To make the pizza, I spread the pesto on the rolled out dough and sprinkled it with shredded cheese.  Then I topped it with tomatoes and goat cheese and baked it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes.  We ate it right out of the oven...MMMM!

Vegetarian Southern Greens

Vivek grew up in Louisiana, and the Southern culture there is so fascinating!  One major side dish that is made all over the South is greens.  This could include mustard greens, collard greens, spinach, or kale cooked with bacon and different spices.  I wanted to see what a vegetarian version of this dish would taste like, especially since I had some mustard greens leftover from last week's CSA.  So, I made a curried mustard greens with kidney beans dish that I served over rice, and it was very tasty!  I added some Sriracha sauce on top to give it a little more kick, but it tasted really yummy by itself as well.  And it is quite healthy with the protein from the beans and the vitamins from the mustard greens.

Recipe for Vegetarian Southern Greens

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch mustard greens
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Place greens in the pot, cover, and cook for about 7 minutes, or just until tender.  Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until lightly brown.  Stir in ginger, cayenne, kidney beans, tomato sauce, curry powder, and greens and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the yogurt and mix well.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Serve over rice or as a side dish.

Thai spring rolls

Every time we go to a Thai restaurant, we love to order the fresh spring rolls as an appetizer.  Well it turns out that they are pretty easy to make!  They taste so fresh, which is perfect for hot summer days.  I made these with a peanut dipping sauce, and they were delicious!  I used the lettuce mix and the green onions from my CSA box in this recipe.

Recipe for Thai Spring Rolls

INGREDIENTS
Vietnamese spring roll wraps
Rice vermicelli
Carrots, julienned
Cucumber, julienned
Lettuce, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Mint leaves, chopped
Tofu, cut into thin strips and then pan fried in olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for about 10 minutes, until noodles are soft.  Drain.

2. Dip the spring roll wraps in warm water for 3-5 seconds.  Then spread the wrap on a flat surface.

3. Fill the middle of the wrap with some noodles, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, mint leaves, and tofu.

4. Wrap tightly and serve immediately with peanut dipping sauce!

Recipe for Peanut Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup warm water

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Whisk together all of the above ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Simmer and stir until sugar has dissolved and sauce has thickened.

3. Serve warm with spring rolls!