Geetha's Kitchen

Maple Roasted Carrots With Citrusy Carrot Top Chimichurri uses the carrots as well as their tops, a delicious, no waste, naturally gluten-free and vegan recipe. Multicolor carrots work really beautifully in this recipe. Maple Roasted Carrots are a perfect side for any holiday meal. Chimichurri is a wonderful condiment for adding to anything you like, pasta, soups, stews, sandwiches, or salads. The chimichurri may be frozen; an ice cube tray is handy for this. When frozen, store the frozen cubes in a resealable freezer plastic bag or container. To thaw, remove the required amount from freezer and allow to come to room temperature. You can also use it to flavor soups and stews by dropping a cube or two in them. Chimichurri may also be prepared using equal parts parlsley and cilantro. Also check out this recipe for carrot tops  Chimichurri . 2-4 Servings Ingredients: Carrot-Tops Chimichurri 3 cups Carrot-tops, washed, drained and finely chopped  2 Tb...

Eggplant Rasavangi is a traditional South Indian Stew aromatic with freshly toasted spices and coconut. This delicious tangy stew is a nice alternative to Sambar or another Kuzhambu and can be served over freshly cooked rice or grains, Idli, Dosa, etc. Although any eggplant maybe used, the long types hold their shapes better without disintegrating. Dried unsweetened coconut maybe used - use about 2-3 tablespoons. 2-4 Servings Ingredients Masala - roast and grind: 11/2 tsp Channa dal 2 tsp Coriander seeds 1-3 dry Red Chiles 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds 1/2 cup grated Coconut, fresh or frozen Rasavangi 2 long Eggplants, Japanese type preferably 1/2 cup Toor dal 1 tsp Tamarind concentrate 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 stem Curry Leaves Salt to taste Thalippu/Tadka: 1 tsp Oil 1 tsp Mustard seeds 11/2 tsp Urad dal 1/8 tsp Asafetida 1 Stem Curry Leaves, leaves finely chopped Method: Make the masala: Toast channa dal...

Quick and Easy Spinach Salad, is a pretty and tasty salad; deep emerald green spinach and gorgeous red-purple cabbage make a stunning combination! Purple radicchio maybe substituted for the red cabbage. Napa or Savoy Cabbage with their pale green and crinckly leaves make a lovely addition if red cabbage is not available. Use the dressing given here or your favorite. 2 servings INGREDIENTS: Salad: 4 cups Spinach (6 oz) 1 cup Red Cabbage, thinly sliced 1/4 cup Red Onions, very thinly sliced 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries 1/2 cup Toasted Walnut pieces 1-2 Tbsp Fresh Herbs  Dressing: 1-3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 clove Garlic, mashed 1 tsp prepared Mustard Salt and Pepper to taste METHOD: Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until an emulsion forms; taste and adjust seasonings. Tip spinach and the rest of the salad ingredients and mix. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat well. Taste and a...

Almost Bagel Spice & Seed Mix is a savory spice mix that can be sprinkled on just about everything for a nutty, crunchy flaovor boost. It is my version of a very popular spice mix. The toasted seeds, crisp onions and garlic add a lively and wonderful flavor to even the simplest of foods. Delicious on toast, salads, pasta,  guacamole ,  hummus , or anything at all. Toast the seeds before mixing with the rest of the ingredients to bring out their nutty flavor. Onions and garlic maybe omitted if you like; add a couple of pinches asafetida instead along with the pepper and chile. Just like the sesame seeds, I like using a combination of black and white poppy seeds also. White poppy seeds and Asafetida are available in Indian markets. INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp Poppy seeds 3 Tbsp Sesame seeds, a mixture of black and white 1 Tbsp dried minced Garlic 2 Tbsp dried minced Onion 3 Tbsp coarse Sea Salt Optional 1- 2 tsp freshly cracked Black Pepper 1/2 - 1 tsp ...

Flavored with aromatic herbs, spices, and the mirepoix, vegan Bolognese Sauce uses borlotti or other beans for a hearty and delicious meal. Mirepoix (pronounced meer-pwah), the flavorful base used in many sauces, stews and soups (similar to soffrito, is a melange of onion, carrot, and celery cooked slowly without browning or caramelizing). The spiralized mix of green zucchini, yellow summer squash, and orange carrots makes a colorful, healthy, fresh, and gluten-free alternative to traditional pasta. Spaghetti squash is another lovely option. Fresh or dried pasta maybe used instead. If Borlotti beans are unavailble, use Pinto or Kidney or Cannelini beans. In a pinch, 2 cans (14 ounces Each) of  the beans maybe used instead of the freshly cooked.  5-6 Servings INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups dried Borlotti Beans, cooked 1 cup Onion, finely diced 1 cup Carrots, finely diced 1/2 cup Celery, finely diced 2-3 big cloves Garlic, minced finely 1 can (28 ounces) Tom...

Holiday Bread Casserole, Gluten-Free  (a.k.a. dressing/stuffing), like its Indian cousin Bread Upma , can be presented as a substantial dish on its own for a light meal or snack. Toasty cubes of gluten-free regular or corn bread with succulent bits of veggies combined with delightful fragrant herbs, all this casserole needs is a little gravy. If you want a good Bread Casserole, you have to start with good gluten-free bread - you can use homemade or purchased breads to making this fabulous treat. Although a day old or stale bread is preferable, fresh bread may be used also with a little extra care. If the bread is fresh, cut/crumble and let air dry while preparing the rest of the meal or ingredients.  Good bread doesn't need be discarded just because it gets a little old or stale. Just slice, cube, or crumble and freeze with or without toasting. If you prefer dry bread crumbs/cubes, do the crumbling or dicing while the bread is still a little soft and not hard and...

Bread Upma is India's equivalent to the Holiday Bread Casserole - warm toasty cubes or crumbles of bread studded with assorted vegetables flavored with fragrant spices and herbs. Bread Upma could sub for the traditional Holiday Bread Casserole for the holiday meals! We didn't eat much bread (yeasted kind) while growing up in India. These days though, bread is ubiquitious even in rural areas and little villages. Although it has become quite common as a breakfast toast for a busy morning or a quick tea time toast/sandwich, often we ended up having leftovers as most family members enjoyed other breakfast and teatime treats. So leftover bread morphed into bread upma, a quick savory dish with onions, veggies, spices and herbs. Although a great recipe to use up stale bread, fresh bread may be used to make this absolutely delicious upma. Sometimes no one wants to eat the end slices of the loaf; those may be collected in the freezer until there is enough to prepare bread upma. ...

Freshly cooked sinuous pasta studded with fresh veggies and flavored with fragrant herbs is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Easy 10 minute Noodles I, Italian Style really takes only about 10 minutes to prepare especially when using fresh noodles. I use gluten free noodles; but if gluten is not a concern, any favorite noodles maybe used. Notes: Dried noodles maybe used to prepare this recipe but take a few of minutes longer than fresh; use 2 ounces and prepare according to package directions. When preparing the veggies, I often chop more than I need for one recipe and save them for another day. Using the special julienne peeler makes quick and easy work of making thin strips of carrots and zucchini. You may use a spiralizer also to make veggie strands. Or a good knife will work just fine. 1 Serving Ingredients: 1 pkg Fresh Noodles (~ 4 oz), Gluten free 1 clove Garlic, minced or mashed 3-4 Green Onions, sliced diagonally 7-8 large fresh Basil...

Cranberries and apples combine to make delicious and beautiful chutney, a welcome addition to meals anytime but especially at the Thanksgiving table!  It is fantastic with the Thanksgiving Lentil and Otas Loaf/Muffins and the Holiday Bread Casserole aka stuffing. Long after Thanksgiving meal is a distant memory, the thokku maybe enjoyed in many ways: with  Dosa ,  Adai , other snacks, and with everyday meals. The spices maybe adjusted according to your preference. Chutney maybe prepared in large batches doubling, tripling, etc. all the ingredients. Cranberry and Apple Chutney makes a great gift too anytime especially for the holidays. Autum is the perfect time to put up this chutney when fresh crops of cranberries and apples are available. It can be prepared with frozen cranberries also. Cranberry and Apple chutney, just like its cousin   Cran-Apple Preserves , makes for wonderful starters with your favorite snacks, vegan cheesees and flatbreads or crac...

These super tasty and fabulous trio of dressings are not only great for salads, they can be used as a dip/sauce for fresh, steamed or roasted vegetables and as a dressing for sandwiches. These dressings are quite easy and simple to make. Our family loves to have a couple ready to use in squeeze bottles to squeeze over their daily salads. Simply Delicious! Tahini and Lemon dressings will stay fresh for 4-5 days as they have fresh ingredients; the Maple Mustard dressing will last a week. Tahini Dressing: NOTES: Add one or all of the optional ingredients for more depth and nuanced taste. I love adding the fresh herbs as they not only make it tasty, but also add to the nutrient density. Adjust the amount of water to make a dressing: more to dress salads and less to make a spread or dip. Tahini dressing maybe prepared without a blender; place all the ingredients in a widemouth jar with a tight-fitting lid and whisk or shake vigorously. It will take a little effort at first t...