Geetha's Kitchen

My family got tired of the usual bag lunch fare; so I had to do some quick thinking to find some alternatives to the regular sandwiches and so on. I sent this Black Bean Salad in the lunch one day and they loved it! Just popped some in a resealable plastic bag and included a spoon to eat it. No more peanut butter (we still love PB) or plain stuff for my family :)!  Here is the simple recipe: make fresh cooked beans or get a can. I usually use 2 cups of beans and save half the beans and the broth for soup or Casamiento. Note:  Probably one can (at least 16 oz. I would think) might be equivalent to the yield from one cup of dry beans. Ingredients: 1 cup Black Beans 1 sprig each Oregano and Marjoram (or use 1/2 tsp of dry) 1 small Red Bell Pepper 1 cup Corn Kernels, defrosted 1/2 small Red Onion 1 large Roma or regular Tomato 1 Jalapeño chili (optional) 1 clove Garlic Salt to taste 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional) 1/2 Lemon or...

Angel hair pasta with veggies, arugula and tofu A wonderful and succulent dish which is good hot or even at room temperature. You can vary the veggies according to the season or your preference. Children love to brown bag it for lunch in lieu of a sandwich! Just pack it in a resealable bags and include a fork!  2 Japanese, Italian or Chinese Eggplants (1/2 lb) 1 large Red Bell Pepper 2 medium Zucchini (1 lb) 1 medium Red Onion 2 medium Roma Tomatoes 2 cloves Fresh Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 1 small bunch Arugula 1 lb. dry Pasta, any type 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Red Pepper flakes or ground Cayenne 1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 1/2 a Lemon (Optional) 4 Tbsp fresh mixed herbs (Italian Parsley, Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Sage) Method: Wash all the vegetables and dry. Remove stems from eggplant, zucchini and the peppers. Peel and slice the onions. Cut the...

Shakkara Pongal is made as 'neyvedyam' or a divine offering on the day of Pongal or Makara Sankranthi as well as other special occasions. Makara Sankranthi is the day, I believe, when Winter Solstice occurs. The sweet pongal is made with Shakkarai or Vellum (in Tamil), the Indian brown sugar named 'jaggery' (Gur in Hindi). Pongal means 'boiling over' (it is equivalent to the phrase in English 'the cup runneth over') to denote abundance. Do use Jaggery/Gur if you can since it has a wonderful flavor but the regular brown cane sugar will suffice in a pinch. Cardamom pods, Jaggery/Gur, Mung Dal, Ghee, etc are readily available in Indian grocery stores. Any type of rice such as Basmati, Patna, Jasmine rice, etc. will work; but par-boiled rice is not traditionally used for making any type of sweet rice dishes. Ingredients : 1 cup Rice 1/3 cup yellow Mung dal (Optional) 1 cup Milk (Optional) 11/2 cups Jaggery (Gur) or Brown Cane Sugar 1/4 cup Ghee (Clar...

Frijoles Frijoles Mexicanas or just plain melt in your mouth pinto beans are so satisfying! It is an amazingly simple dish and people don't often believe that there is not a drop of oil or butter in it. I learned to cook pintos from my friend Pat a loooong time ago and she used to put a little butter at the end. I used to put a tiny bit of olive oil instead for its health benefits until I saw that Anna doesn't add any fat at all. So now I don't add any either. Amma loved this pinto bean dish and would say, "I will make the salsa if you make the beans". Children of all ages (ours and their friends) love to make their own tacos, tostados, nachos, or burritos with Frijoles! 8 Servings Each 3/4 cup serving contains: 70 calories Ingredients: 2 Cups Dry Pinto Beans 2 tsp Salt 1 Dry Red Chile, or 1 hot green Chile (Optional) 2-4 Tbsp Mexican Seasoning Spice Mix (for spicy Frijoles), optional To Serve: Warm Corn/Whole Wheat tortillas or ...

This salsa is based on Anna's salsa; Anna's family originally came from Mexico. Apparently her parents devised this salsa to get some much needed veggies into their children's diet by pulverizing the tomatoes so that...........look Ma, no chunks :)! and it worked! I have adapted it just a little to suit my family's tastes by adding the chile and red onion instead of the white! It is not only easy to make, but very good tasting too! Ingredients: 4 large ripe Tomatoes 1 Jalapeno Chile or more for a spicy salsa 1/2 small Red Onion, finely chopped 1/2 Lime, squeezed Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste Method: Wash the vegetables well. Remove stem ends from the tomato and cut into quarters. Remove stem, seeds and membranes from the chile for a mild salsa. Leave the chilies whole if you like your salsa spicy. Cook covered in a microwave proof bowl for about 7 minutes or until cooked. Alternately cook in a pan with a few tablespoons of w...

I absolutely adore avocados. It was not love at first sight though. Paji introduced me to the first avocado and told me that I would love it! He told me to just cut it in half and eat it. Well, needless to say that I did not love that one. Subsequently though, I learned to eat it in many different ways - actually even just cut in half, but with the addition of salt and pepper - and did fall hopelessly in love :)! With all the wonderful nutrients in it, I feel it should be - an avocado a day keeps the doctor away - instead of the proverbial apple. Well, if not daily, I try to get some once or twice a week at least. Here is an easy way to get some anytime you feel like it. Mexican food is so much like Indian food to me because of the ingredients like beans , rice, tortillas and last but not least, the fantastic salsa! My family just eats it up when we have beans and salsa. The only time consuming thing is all the chopping for the salsa. So instead of making Guacamole and...

Here is another (perhaps the grown-up) version of the salsa Mexicana. It is very much like the "salaad" that Amma used to make to eat with rice pulav with the exception of the broiled chilies. It is absolutely delicious and once you try it, I am sure you will find it indispensable and find many uses for it: with quesadillas , grilled cheese or other sandwiches, beans and rice, chips, etc, etc. And it has only FIVE ingredients:)! Oops forgot the garlic; so now there are six. NOTE: If you like the taste of broiled/roasted chilies but not so much the heat, Pasilla/Poblano chilies or Anaheim/California chilies may be used instead of the hot ones. Lime/lemon juice maybe added to the salsa as desired. Ingredients: 2 hot green Chilies (Jalapeño or Serrano) or to taste 4 Large ripe Tomatoes (or use 1 standard sized can) 1 small Onion 1 clove garlic 1 small bunch Fresh Cilantro Salt to taste Method: Grill or oven/flame broil chilies until slightly...

Our family loves these quesadillas. This is the way we used to make sandwiches with or without the cheese. I love that they have lots of flavorful veggies in addition to the tortillas and cheese to make a more complete meal. You can also use any kind of bread slices to make a grilled cheese sandwich the same way. Very quick and delicious! Makes 4. Ingredients: 1 large Roma Tomato 1 Mild green Chili 1 hot Jalapeño Chile (Optional) 1 small Red Onion 1 small bunch Cilantro (about 1/2 cup chopped) 1/4 tsp Salt 8 Bread slices, Corn tortillas, or Chapatis 4 oz. Grated Cheese, preferably Jack, or your favorite Method: Wash all the veggies well and chop finely. Mix with the salt. This amount is enough for 4 quesadillas or sandwiches. Heat a skillet or griddle. Divide the veggie mixture among 4 tortillas or bread slices and spread. Sprinkle with one oz. of cheese on top of each. Cover with another piece of bread or tortilla. Carefully place on the hot skillet/griddle, cover and cook ...

Rasam Rice with Toor & Masoor Dals I came up with this innovation when we were sick with a bad cold. Not only did my family need a soothing bowl of Rasam Rice, I badly needed one too. So dire necessity inspired the invention of One Pot Rasam Rice and all of it disappeared in record time! The cumin and black pepper (in the rasam spices) are said to be the perfect antidotes for cold and cough. Rasam and rasam rice are India's answers to bring comfort when one is afflicted with cold, flu, or feeling out of sorts! The hot, brothy, and easy to digest rasam is hydrating and nourishing while the warm spices help to thin the mucus and clear the sinuses and lungs. We adore rasam and rasam rice so much, we don't wait for cold & flu season to make them. Rasam is a wonderful starter and also can make a light meal with freshly cooked rice and any simple veggie dish like Thoran, Mezhukuvarati, Upperi, "Fry", etc. I use short or long grain brown rice and toor...