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!

Vegetarian Banh Mi

I love watching food network shows, and one that has been a lot of fun to watch is the one with the food trucks.  Food trucks are becoming very popular, especially in big cities, and they have some very tasty food!  One dish that I have seen come up a lot on a food truck is a Vietnamese sandwich called Banh Mi.  The classic version of this sandwich is made with various Vietnamese cold cuts such as sliced pork and pork bellies, head cheese, liver pate, and vegetables.

In Vietnam, vegetarian sandwiches are rarely ever found on the streets, but I was curious to see if there were any vegetarian versions of this sandwich available.  My mom got me a cook book recently called Culinary Consciousness: An Intimate Journal of Vegetarian Food and Travel by Nirupa Sejpal-Parmar.  And to my great delight, I found a recipe for vegetarian Banh Mi in it!

When I saw that there were radishes in this week's CSA box, I knew I had to make this sandwich with them, as they are one of the key ingredients!  I also got spring (green) onions in this week's CSA box, which is also needed for this sandwich.  I have made this a few times now, and it is quickly becoming my favorite sandwich of all time!  This time, I even made my own French baguette using my new bread maker that Vivek got for me for my birthday.  So yummy!

Recipe for Vegetarian Banh Mi

INGREDIENTS
1 French baguette, sliced
10 radishes, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced thinly
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp garlic chili sauce
1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved.  Add the carrots and radishes and marinate for about 1 hour.  Then strain the mixture.

2. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic chili sauce until smooth.  Spread this mixture on one side of the baguette slice.

3. In another small bowl, toss together green onions, cilantro, and mint.

4. Layer on the baguette the pickled carrots and radishes, a few slices of cucumber and red onion, and the green onions/cilantro/mint mixture.

5. Drizzle with soy sauce, top with the other slice of baguette, and serve immediately.

Kid-friendly kale

I wanted to find a way to get the kids to eat some kale after learning about all the nutritional benefits. For Vidya, it was easy!  I just mixed in some steamed kale with her steamed apple and carrot and pureed it.  She ate it up!

For Keshav, it was a big trickier since he is such a picky eater!  Vivek's cousin, Anu, in California had once made some kale chips when we were still living there, and since Keshav loves eating potato chips and tortilla chips, I thought this may be a way to get him to try this amazing green vegetable.  They ended up being a yummy salty snack, but after trying two kale chips, Keshav said, "I don't want these chips...I want the yellow ones!"  Well, it was worth a try!

Recipe for Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

2. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard.  Tear the leaves into pieces of uniform size, about the size of a potato chip.  Wash the torn kale pieces and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.

3. Put the kale pieces into a large resealable bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily).  Add about half of the olive oil; seal and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces.  Add the remaining oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly 'massaged.'

4. Sprinkle the vinegar over the kale leaves, reseal the bag, and shake to spread the vinegar evenly over the leaves.

5. Spread the leaves evenly onto a baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven until mostly crisp, about 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt and serve immediately.

Green Smoothie

Yesterday, we picked up our second CSA box, and we are so excited about all the new things inside!  This week we have arugula, kale, lettuce mix, mizuna (similar to a mustard green), radish, spring onion and spinach.  I have always heard about the nutritional benefits of kale, so I looked it up, and it really is a superfood!  It is high in iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium.  It is also filled with powerful antioxidants and fiber for good digestive health!

I decided to start off my morning with some of this superfood, and I made myself a green smoothie!  It tasted pretty good, but I think next time I'll add some strawberries to give it a little bit of extra sweetness and fruitiness.  It is high in protein and vitamins...a great way to start the day!

Recipe for Green Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
1 cup kale
1 cup spinach
1 banana
1 carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
3/4 cup ice
2 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all the ingredients into a blender (I love my Vitamix) and blend until smooth

Baked Spinach Ravioli

The first meal that I ever cooked for Vivek was in college, at Duke, in the dorm kitchen!  I bought some packaged spinach ravioli that I boiled in water and topped it with some store-bought marinara sauce.  And Vivek LOVED it!  We were 19 years old, and I was trying to win his heart through his stomach (and I think it worked)!

Well now, 14 years later (OH MY GOSH, we're old!), since we have gotten fresh spinach in our CSA box for the past two weeks, I decided it was time to try my hand at making my own spinach ravioli!  Instead of making fresh pasta, I used some square won ton wraps that I bought at the store to save some time.  The recipe I used said to bake the ravioli instead of boiling it in water, which I did.  However, baking it made the edges pretty tough and crispy, which is not the consistency I want when making ravioli.  But the taste was great!  I think next time I'll try cooking it in some boiling water instead of baking it.  Also, I still used some store-bought marinara sauce, but I heated it in a saucepan and added about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese and about 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper to make it a creamy arrabiata sauce.

Recipe for Baked Spinach Ravioli

INGREDIENTS

Won Ton Wraps
10 oz fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Marinara sauce of your choice (I made mine a creamy arrabiata sauce as above)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook spinach in olive oil in a saucepan for 5 minutes of until just wilted.
2. Combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, grated cheese, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender until smooth.
3. Place wraps flat on a clean, dry work surface.  Drop 2 tbsp of mixture in the center of each wrap and brush edges of wrap with water.  Place a second wrap on top and crimp edges together tightly with a fork.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the ravioli on a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Brush raviolis lightly with olive oil and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
5. Serve with marinara sauce.

Easy Calzones

I am always looking for quick and easy meals that are kid-friendly for a very picky eater.  This one I learned from Reema, and it is a great way to get Keshav to eat some vegetables!

Recipe for Calzones

INGREDIENTS
1 package of Pillsbury Grands Original Biscuits
Shredded cheese (1/4 cup per calzone)
Chopped vegetables of your choice: we used broccoli and spinach from our CSA box and mushrooms
Pasta sauce of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Roll out the dough of one biscuit until it is about 1/4 inch thin.
3.  Put veggies on half of the biscuit dough and cover with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
4.  Fold over the other half of the dough and pinch the edges together so it is completely closed all the way around.
5.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is browned.  Then flip over the calzone and bake for another 5 minutes.
6.  Serve topped with warm pasta sauce and a salad on the side!

Tofu Saag

We got a lot of spinach and mustard greens in this week's CSA box, so we decided to try mixing the two to make a punjabi saag dish.  I always wondered what the difference was between "Palak Paneer" and "Saag Paneer," so I looked it up, and it turns out that "palak" is the punjabi word for spinach, whereas "saag" means any greens or mixture of greens.  So since I was making this dish with both spinach and mustard greens, it is a saag dish.

Also, I didn't have any paneer in the house, but Ami Mami came to the rescue!  She cut up some tofu into thin slabs and pan fried them in some olive oil until it was browned on one side and then flipped them to brown on the other side.  Then she cut up the slabs into squares, and the texture and taste was very similar to paneer!  It was a perfect addition to the saag.

This is a recipe that I have used before, but never with fresh vegetables (I always used frozen spinach).  And I had never used mustard greens before, but I definitely believe it added a delicious peppery taste to the saag, and I would certainly make it with them again!

Recipe for Tofu Saag

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons ghee
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dhana jeeru (coriander cumin powder)
3 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 can tomato paste
1 (3 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cups chopped fresh spinach and mustard greens
1 teaspoon sour cream
1/2 container tofu pan fried in olive oil (as described above)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt ghee in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir in garlic, onions, dhana jeeru, ginger, garam masala, salt, red pepper, curry powder, and tomato paste.  Add water to keep it at a sauce-like consistency and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in spinach and mustard greens and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes.
4. Place mixture into a blender and pulse puree 5-10 times.  You want to keep it a chunky consistency, not completely smooth.
5. Transfer back to saucepan and add sour cream and tofu.  Mix well, and serve with rice or naan!

Cheesy Spinach Mini-Quiche

In addition to the amazing spinach we got in our CSA box, we also got a half dozen farm fresh eggs, so I decided to combine the two and make a quiche!  It was a hit with Vivek, and even Keshav enjoyed it (and he is a pretty picky eater)!  We dipped it in Shlotzsky's Louisiana Hot Sauce, and it was so yummy!

Recipe for Cheesy Spinach Mini-Quiche

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3 white mushrooms, diced
1 (6 ounce) package feta, crumbled
3/4 cup shredded cheese (we used the Mexican blend)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Saute garlic and onion in the oil until onions are translucent. Stir in mushrooms and spinach and cook until spinach is tender. Take off of heat and stir in feta and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add the spinach mixture to the bowl along with the salt and mix.

4. Fill a greased muffin pan with the egg and spinach mixture and bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until set in the center.

We made this without any crust, but you could also make it by putting the egg and spinach mixture into a 9 inch unbaked deep dish pie crust and then baking it.

Our first CSA share!

Welcome to my new blog!  I have always loved cooking, and although it is tough to find time to make new things with the two little munchkins around, I am passionate about finding healthy and yummy food for the whole family!  This year for my birthday, my amazing parents and in-laws bought me a CSA share, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  This is basically a membership to a local farm, and each week, they prepare a box of whichever crops are ready to be harvested, and I get to pick it up to use for the week!  By being a member, I get the freshest fruits and vegetables (because they are picked the morning that I pick them up!), and I get a huge variety of things that I may or may not have ever used before.

The CSA share that I got was for Dragonfly Farms in Pepperell, MA (http://www.dragonfly-farms.com).  I picked up my very first box yesterday, and I am SO excited to try out new recipes with all the different types of vegetables that I got!  In this week's box, there is spinach, broccoli, broccoli raab (rapini), mustard greens, spring onions, and a lettuce mix.

Last night for dinner, I made a pasta with rapini, mushrooms and goat cheese according to a recipe that the farm sent out, and it was delicious!  I paired it with some salad made with the lettuce mix that was in the box, and it was a complete, healthy, and tasty meal!  Vivek was a big fan :)

Recipe for Pasta with Rapini, Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

INGREDIENTS

Salt, to taste

1 bunch rapini, washed and roughly chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, crushed

3/4 tsp. crushed red chili flakes

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

12 oz. pasta of your choice (I used penne), cooked al dente

2 tsp. lemon juice

4 oz. goat cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring an 8 qt. pot of salted water to a boil.  Add rapini and boil until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slatted spoon, transfer rapini to a large bowl of ice water; chill.  Drain rapini, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add chili flakes, basil and rapini and cook stirring frequently for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

3. Add the cooked pasta to the vegetable mixture and toss.  Add lemon juice and mix well.  Season with salt.  Divide up the pasta into serving bowls and top with crumbled goat cheese.

I also used the broccoli that came in the box to make some baby food for Vidya!  She loves the combination of steamed and pureed apple and broccoli!

I'm really looking forward to trying new recipes and sharing them with all of you!