Geetha's Kitchen

Here is a simple but delicious pasta salad that can go together pretty quickly. The children can choose the ingredients, help grate/chop the veggies, grind the pepper, etc and mix the salad and best of all --- eat the salad!! Hand choppers or a food processor will assist in quickly chopping and grating the veggies and herbs. 8 Main Dish Servings Nutrition Information using Orzo pasta: Each serving contains - 298 Calories; 9.58 g Protein; 48 g Total Carbohydrates; 4.2 g Fat; 4.8 g Fiber. Ingredients: 1 lb small pasta, any type - I used Orzo 1 cup cooked and drained Garbanzo beans 2 small carrots, grated 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (Optional) 4 oz. Non-rennet Feta Cheese, crumbled coarsely or cubed 1/2 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped 2 Tbsp Fresh basil, torn 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (Optional) 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar or Wine Vinegar Salt to taste Freshly ground Black Pep...

This soup is not only beautiful but nutritious and filling too. It is pretty easy to make and freezes well also; just defrost and heat up for a wonderful meal. This recipe makes a mild soup; you can adjust the quantity of the spices as well as the green chilies and ginger according to your taste. To make a complete and hearty meal, serve with warm  corn bread  or whole grain bread/rolls, and  Rainbow Salad  with  Cilantro Dressing . Variations: 1. Yellow split peas or red lentils (split and skinless masoor dal) may be used instead of the Mung Dal. 2. Two medium grated Zucchinis {or other summer squash, ridge gourds (tori), chayote squash (Chow chow or Bangalore Kathirikai)}, and/or 2 medium chopped Tomatoes, etc. may be added to the soup at the time of adding the carrots. 3. Add a finely chopped onion and clove of garlic if you wish along with the ginger, green chili, and curry leaves and cook until onion is translucent before addin...

Apple Crisp is one of the most satisfying of simple desserts. I made one today with the help of all the little ones and everyone loved the making as much as the eating!! It is a pretty healthy dessert with very little fat and sugar - so one does not have to feel too guilty about indulging in this one on occasion. My friend Linola insists that Macintosh is the best apple for the job. I have used green Granny Smith or Pippin or the Golden Delicious also with good results. Today we used an assortment of apples - whatever the children brought; the crisp turned out absolutely delicious. Try them all and see for yourself and let me know what your favorite apples are :). Use freshly grated nutmeg if you can as it is much more flavorful than the already ground one because once ground, spices lose their volatile oils and out goes the flavor. Keep the whole nutmegs in an air-tight jar to use as needed. Whole Wheat flour, Unbleached flour, and whole nutmegs are available at most markets. 8 Se...

The more I become acquainted with other cuisines of the world, the more amazed I am to find that every cuisine has very similar dishes. The roasted eggplant Pachadi/Raita is very similar to Baba Ghanouj of Middle Eastern countries. Try this recipe and tell me how you liked it. 4 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 large globe Eggplant 1 small Red Onion, finely chopped (Optional) 1 cup Thick Unflavored Yogurt 2 Tbsp Cilantro 1/2 tsp Salt 1-2 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 pinch Asafoetida 1 Hot Green Chili (Jalapeno or Serrano), de-seeded, and finely chopped 1 sprig Fresh Curry Leaves Method: Roast or broil the eggplant in the oven or over hot coals until soft. Place in a brown bag and let cool. When eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the charred skin. Save any juices. Chop or mash the pulp and combine with the juices. Add the salt, chopped onion, yogurt, and cilantro and mix well. Prepare the thalippu: heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. W...

Radish Leaves Thoran Radish Greens Thoran with  Fresh Coconut is another ingenious dish from my mother's repertoire! Most people just twist off the greens from radishes and toss them into the rubbish/compost bin. The greens from radishes may look a bit forbidding; but cooking tames and renders them absolutely mild and delicious. Amma would often add a little (or a lot depending on the amount of the leaves) grated radishes to augment the quantity of the greens which shrink considerably upon cooking. If there is a sufficient quantity of greens, radishes need not be added. Another lovely addition is cooked toor/chana dal; dal should be just tender and not mushy.  For a delicious taste, coarsely grind the coconut with a pinch of cumin seeds and a dried red chile before adding to the thoran. Radish Leaves Thoran Ingredients: 2 Daikon Radishes (Mooli) with greens or 1 big bunch any radish with greens Salt to taste 1 pinch Turmeric 2 to 4 Tbsp Grat...

Paji fondly recalls that his mother always made this curry every weekend. On Saturdays his father only had to work half days and returned home in time for lunch. His mother made this family favorite and fresh chapatis/rotis to celebrate. Homemade yogurt and some Indian pickles completed the simple but sumptuous meal. This is a typical South Indian potato curry usually served with rotis, puris (fried bread) or dosa. It is amazing how a few spices transform the humble potato into this delicious dish! Notes : Potatoes may be cooked whole in their jackets, peeled if desired and coarsely broken into chunks to stir into the sauteed onion mixture along with the besan slurry and proceed with the rest of the directions.  Leave the ginger and green chilies in large chunks if you prefer a mild taste; this will allow you to easily fish them out before serving so someone does not bite into a big chunk of either one. I like to chop them very finely so that they just melt i...

It is quite simple and easy to make yogurt at home. If you only taste homemade yogurt once, you will not want to eat store-bought ones. My friend Linola was not a yogurt fan before she tasted homemade yogurt; now she makes it regularly! It is so light, creamy, refreshing and very economical too. You really do not need any fancy equipment either - just a nice clean container and a warm, draft-free spot! Packets of culture are available in health food stores. I have also used a couple of spoonfuls of plain yogurt with active culture - make sure there are no additives such as gelatin or thickeners of any kind. I have found that Greek-style yogurt or plain buttermilk work well also. Check to make sure that the culture is active - i.e. it is added after the pasteurization process and not before. Use any type of milk - from skim to half and half - for making yogurt. Long ago in those carefree days when we did not worry about fat or calories I used to make yogurt with a hefty dose of ...

Adais are generally thicker and hence more substantial than Dosas; both are similar to pancakes or crepes and are traditional South Indian fare. My maternal grandmother made them in the afternoon for tea but at our paternal grandparents' house adais were made for breakfast. So you decide when you might like to eat them :). This adai is called Karthikai Adai as it is made as an offering on the occasion of Karthikai Deepam (a festival of lights in the winter) when sisters fast, light oil lamps, and pray for the well being of their brothers. It was quite a beautiful sight to behold in my grandparents' village when all the houses on both rows lit the lamps in front of their homes!  Girls and women of all ages pray for their brothers and women fast. When the sun sets, all the lamps are lit, the adais are made and blessed; only then the women break their fasts. The grateful brothers visit and may bring presents for their sisters. Once you make the batter, it is qui...

We just made this dessert for a large gathering (500 servings!) and everyone enjoyed it tremendously. It is the easy version without having to start from scratch - i.e. making paneer. A fantastic make-ahead dessert that really is quick and easy! 12 Servings Ingredients: 2 lbs Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese 1 cup Sugar 2 cups Whole Milk 1 pinch Saffron (Optional) 1 Tbsp Cardamom Pods 1/4 cup Blanched Almonds, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup Raw Pistachios, coarsely chopped 1/8 tsp Freshly grated Nutmeg (Optional) 1 Tbsp Rose Water Method: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine thoroughly the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Spread the cheese mixture in the buttered pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool; then cut into squares or rectangles - as desired, and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios. In the meantime, boil the milk with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and simmer for 30 minutes. While milk is simmering, peel the cardamom pods and gather the se...