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...