Geetha's Kitchen

Touffee is a mild vegetable dish from the fair isle of Mauritius; simply prepared with a bare minimum of spices. Touffee is a a creole culinary term meaning "smothered" or "stewed"; it is a contraction of the French word 'Etouffee'. Other veggies such as potatoes, eggplants, taro leaves and stems, etc. are also prepared this way. Sometimes onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes are also added.  This is Hema's favorite way to preparing "choko" or chayote squash :) - simply delicious! Note:  Wear gloves or smear your hands with a little oil before cutting the chayote as this vegetable leaves a sticky film on your hands.  The film is not harmful and washes off after a while (if you forget to don gloves) especially when you wash the dishes :). Choko Touffee Ingredients; 1-2 Tsp oil 1 generous pinch Brown Mustard Seeds/Cumin Seeds 1 Tbsp Urad dal (optional) 1 hot Green Chile, end slit OR 1 dry Red Chile, broken into two pieces...

Holiday Bread Casserole with Gravy Holiday Bread Casserole (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. I prefer to call this delicious dish Holiday Bread Casserole because it really is not used to stuff a creature of any kind. With toasty cubes of bread and succulent bits of veggies bound together with delightful fragrant herbs, all that the casserole needs is a little gravy. You may wish to add more veggies such as corn, zucchini or other summer squash, mushrooms, etc. If you want a good Bread Casserole, you have to start with good bread - artisan breads like garlic, rosemary, ciabatta, or country Italian/French loaf all lend themselves to making this dish a fabulous treat. Although a day old bread is preferable, fresh bread may be used also with a little extra care.  Good bread should never be discarded just because it gets a little old or stale. Every cuisine has at le...

Cran-Fruit Salad Here is a bright and beautiful Cranberry Salad that is refreshing as well as tasty - and guilt-free! I like to chop the fruit/jicama by hand for neat diced pieces whereas the food processor makes it more like a relish. But if you prefer, go ahead and use a food processor - the salad will be ready in no time at all. It is the perfect make ahead salad for a family or special company meal whichever way it is made! Frozen cranberries are even better as they chop easily rather than get mushy. It is not necessary to peel the apple. Other fruits that are delicious in this salad are fresh pineapples, persimmons, and firm regular pears. The salad will last fresh for a few days; in fact it tastes better after marinating together for a few hours. Ingredients: 4-6 oz. Fresh or frozen Cranberries 1  small Jicama, Asian or Regular Pear, Peeled 1 Apple, cored 1 Orange 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 small Pomegranate, seeded 1 Tbsp Agave Syrup, Sugar or oth...

Lentil-Oats Loaf Muffins Lentil-Oats Loaf Patties  Lentil and Oats Loaf is a toothsome and very satisfying dish, my special Thanksgiving Day recipe of all time! The basic mixture can be prepared in many versatile ways: as muffins, a loaf or patties - take your pick :). I love making the muffins or patties as they are perfect for individual servings and freezing - and the bonus is that they cook faster too! You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving for making this, it is great for any occasion, special or not. Do use the old fashioned rolled oats and not the steel-cut oats. It is great to make a big batch of the Lentil-Oat muffins or patties; they freeze and reheat well. The gravy reheats well also; so I make plenty of gravy too as it is delicious over lots of other dishes - we love it spooned liberally over Holiday bread casserole, mashed potatoes, steamed/sauteed veggies, etc. Note: If you like the Lentil-Oat Loaf mufins/patties, well spiced, add more of all the spic...

Delicious Indian Coleslaw is a hit! - everyone who tried, absolutely loved it. Hema calls it Vegetable Achar or Achards Des Legume s - as the veggies get a bit pickled in the marinade. Use as a topping on any bread for a lovely, fresh tasting bruschetta, as a filling for a spring roll, wrap, or a sandwich, and as a side dish. With all the fresh tasting and crunchy veggies, Indian Coleslaw really satisfies one's craving for the munchies :-). So go ahead and make a big batch ... you'll be glad you did. Note: My favorite is apple cider vinegar and I do not use any sweetener. Any vinegar may be used including rice vinegar. When you use a vinegar other than seasoned rice vinegar, you might like to add about 1/2 tsp sugar, agave syrup, or other sweetener to the coleslaw to mellow the bite of the vinegar.  Hema's Indian Coleslaw (photo by Hema) Ingredients: 1 Tbsp brown Mustard Seeds, coarsely ground 1/2 tsp - 1 Tbsp Oil 1/2 medium Onion 1-2 cloves Garli...

A very easy but rewarding stew that finds its way into everyone's favorite stew list!  Although similar to the Kerala special Olan , this stew has a bit of spice as well as onions. The simmering results in velvety soft veggies some of which melt into the cooking liquid to make a delectable rich sauce. Fresh curry leaves and freshly ground cumin are the essential flavorings; if curry leaves are unavailable, use cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in addition to the cumin. Green chiles add their magical flavor; removing the core keeps the stew mild. Leave the chiles whole with the blossom ends slightly split for a milder stew; remove and discard the chile at the end of cooking. You may use any flavorful pumpkins, winter squash or orange-colored sweet potatoes for this stew. I have used them all singly or in various combinations with great results. Banana squash Stew   Butternut (l), Castillo (at the back), and Banana squash in front Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Co...

Halwa I had given up on enjoying  traditional halwa  as it is made with ghee. Following a whim, I made it with Earth Balance, a butter substitute and Wow! life got a whole lot better :)! Easy to make and simply delicious, this halwa is low in fats too. It was indeed a Happy Diwali! Any leftovers may be saved in the fridge and reheated to serve; store in the freezer for longer storage. Makes about 6 cups of Halwa Ingredients: 1 cup fine Cream of Wheat 1 1/2 cups Sugar 1/4 cup Earth Balance (butter substitute) 7-8 Green Cardamom Pods 1 small pinch Saffron (Optional) 1/4 cup Raw Cashew pieces 1/4 cup Raisins Method: Dry roast the cream of wheat either in a skillet or in a 350 degree F oven until deep golden; roasting in a skillet will require constant stirring; it burns easily if not careful. Let cool slightly while you proceed with the water. Heat 2 and 1/3 cups of water to boiling; stir in sugar and Earth Balance. Reduce the heat to low and pou...

Kidney bean Enfrijoladas Tortillas in Bean Sauce might sound so bland and bleak - but Enfrijoladas are nothing of the kind - they are amazingly flavorful and tasty food. They belong to the homey, comfort food category and utilize leftover beans, tortillas, etc. Once tasted, they are sure to become a family favorite - they have become ours. Beans and tortillas provide great nutrition without impacting your food budget. Enfrijoladas make a hearty meal but the tortillas may be served simply dipped in the enfrijoladas sauce (see picture above) without any stuffing. We love this sauce over chips, Mexican rice , and Kidney bean cakes . Note: Assemble the enfrijoladas just before serving as they taste best served right away; they get soggy if kept waiting too long. 4-6 Servings Ingredients: 1 medium Onion, chopped 1-2 cloves Garlic, crushed 2 Tomatoes, chopped 1 small green Bell Pepper (capsicum) 1 or 2 Jalapeno/Serrano OR Chipotle Chile (optional) 1/2 tsp Turm...

Kidney bean burgers are wonderful - on its own or on a bun piled with all the traditional additions of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, etc for a very satisfying meal. Or, they may be tucked inside the pockets of pita breads with your favorite fixings. I like serving these burgers with salsa, tomato chutney or  a simple tomato sauce. The burgers may be made a day or two ahead and grilled with a little barbecue sauce to warm them. These burgers are not as tough as the store-bought ones and hence need to be handled gently while grilling. I made these with only the ingredients allowed on Paji's Ayurvedic anti-inflammatory diet and he really enjoyed his special treat topped with peperonata :).  But really, one does not have to be on a special diet to enjoy these! I used matzo meal since bread crumbs were a no-no; crushed or coarsely powdered dried chapatis or any plain unleavened whole wheat bread or crackers may also be used. Matzo are plain unleavened whole wheat...

Easy to make, delicious to eat, nutritious and easy to digest, what's not to love about Mung Dal Cheelas?! When made thin, these delicate crepe-like pancakes are very similar to the classic Dosas . The batter can be whipped up quickly using Mung bean flour readily available for purchase from Indian markets. Make it simply or with the added veggies and herbs such as onions, chiles, fresh fenugreek or other greens and cilantro, and you will have an amazing meal. Serve the cheelas with Mulagai Podi , your favorite chutneys, pickles or raitas. Stuffed Cheelas About 8 -12 Cheelas Ingredients: 1 cup Mung Flour 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 pinch Turmeric 1 generous pinch Crushed Cumin seeds 1 1/3 cup water Tadka/Thalippu: (optional) 1 - 2 tsp Oil 1 pinch Brown Mustard seeds Asafetida (Hing) 1 or 2 Minced Green Chiles Oil for cooking the cheelas Basic Potato , Scrambled Tofu , OR Sweet Potato Curry for stuffing Coconut Chutney and/or Raita for serv...

This quick tofu dish is so beautiful, it is hard to resist snacking directly from the pan; I have had to swat eager hands away many a time trying to sneak a bite or two while still cooking :). It is that amazingly delicious for such a simple dish with few ingredients! Do use the fragrant dried fenugreek leaves as they add an awesome taste to this dish; fresh methi leaves may be substituted for the dry if you wish. If you like more sauce, puree two more tomatoes (for a total of 4) and add along with about 1/4 cup of hot water. You might need a bit more salt; adjust it to your taste. Dried fenugreek leaves are readily available at Indian markets; fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves are available in Indian and Middle Eastern markets.   Kadai Tofu 5 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 lb block Tofu (firm or extra firm), cubed 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Sea Salt 1 Tbsp ground Coriander seeds 1 large Onion, thinly sliced 3 Bell Peppers, assorted...