Geetha's Kitchen

Spicy Mango-Cucumber Salad W/Lime Dressing is a refreshing side salad or can be paired with your favorite chips or tortillas instead of or in addition to the regular tomato salsa for a lovely starter.  Serve this delicious salad any way you like with any meal. Simple and simply delicious! Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS: 1 large ripe but firm Mango, peeled and diced 1-2 green Onions, thinly sliced  1 English Cucumber or about 3 small Persian type, diced A little Salt 1 Shallot OR 1/2 small Red Onion, thinly sliced 4-5 Tbsp Cilantro leaves Dressing: 1-2 cloves Garlic 1 fresh red Thai Chile OR 1/2-1 Serrano/Jalapeño Chile, minced a generous pinch of Salt 1 Tbsp Jaggery (Indian brown sugar) 1 large fresh Lime,  juiced - divided METHOD: Make the dressing:  Carefully mash garlic and chiles with the salt into a coarse paste using the mortar and pestle. Avoid getting splattered with the juices. Add jaggery and mash until it is incorpor...

This protein-packed Quinoa Bowl is so full of tasty ingredients that each bite is a treat! Marinated Tofu and the Seasoned Chickpeas could stand alone as starters, snacks or side dishes; so I often double the quantities so there is plenty for extras and for another recipe. This recipe is great for batch cooking; make the components in double or triple quantities as desired so you can mix and match for a few meals. The tofu, chickpeas, and roasted veggies maybe added to pasta or salads to change them up. NOTES: Instead of the quinoa, other favorite grains like farro, brown and wild rice, millet, or a combination of grains maybe used. Marinate Tofu and Chickpeas at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours ahead. If marinating more than 30 minutes to 1 hour, reserve them in the fridge until needed. 4 Servings INGREDIENTS: Marinated Tofu: ½ teaspoon Chinese type sesame oil 1 tsp Sriracha type hot sauce 2  tsp thyme 1  tsp paprika ½...

My friend EJ loves Indian food including karela or bittermelon! She asked for a good recipe for stuffed karela. Since we enjoyed the Karela Atho so much, I thought it might be fun to make it into Stuffed Karela for EJ with a few minor changes! NOTES: I find that leaving the stem ends of the veggies intact keeps them from falling apart while cooking. Trim off only any excess or discolored stems leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch of the stem intact. Indian or Asian karela may be used to make this dish. Zucchinis may be used instead of karela. Prepare the zucchini by trimming the blossom ends, and make a slit along the length without cutting through. Remove some of the center carefully with a little spoon or a melon baller; just enough to hold the stuffing. Save the the removed portion, chop and add to the onion mixture. 4 Servings Ingredients 4 medium Karela 1/2 tsp Salt + 1/2 tsp Sambar/Rasam powder 1 Tbsp oil for cooking the stuffed veggies 2-3 Green Onions, with lo...

Coleslaw With Creamy OR Lemony Dressing is a delicious way to include nutritious cabbage in your diet. I love anti-oxidant and anthocyanin rich red cabbage for this recipe; green cabbage or a combination of red and green cabbages would be fine too. Both the lemony and creamy dressings to choose from - are utterly delicious. NOTES: 6 cups of cabbage might seem like a lot; when salt is added it wilts and reduces to a much smaller amount! Salting the cabbage is an important step as it removes excess moisture from the cabbage and eliminates a soggy and watery slaw. The optional nuts/seeds boost nutrition and add a nice crunch. You may use one kind only or a combination. 4-6 Servings INGREDIENTS: 6 cups Red Cabbage, thinly sliced 1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Sugar 2 cups Carrots, shredded 3-4 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped 2 Green Onions, finely chopped Creamy Mayo Dressing: 1 clove Garlic, mashed 1/2- 3/4 cup Vegan Mayo 1 Tbsp Ap...

Fresh and Tangy Cucumber Salad With Chili-Lime Dressing is so delicious that even those who are not salad afficionados will enjoy it. The dressing adds sweetness, tartness, and heat; combined with crunchy fresh cucumbers, it is a match made in foodie heaven! Cucumber Salad With Chili-Lime Dressing Fresh and Tangy Cucumber Salad maybe served with any meal or enjoyed as a refreshing starter or snack. I love to offer it especially with Asian/Indian themed meals. NOTES: Use the greenhouse grown English type, Japanese , Armenian or the smaller Persian cucumbers. Regular cucumbers release a lot of moisture; but if only the regular types are available, remove the core and seeds and use.  Fresh red chilies add a lovely flavor to the salad; if not available, soften dried chiles in warm water or use a little ground cayenne. The salad maybe served with or without the nut/seeds. 2-4 Servings INGREDIENTS: Dressing: 1 clove fresh Garlic 1-2 pinches Sa...

Pumpkins and winter squashes are versatile veggies-in-waiting which bide their time patiently to sit in the veggie basket, pantry, or cellar until needed. They last well for weeks which makes them a great veggie to keep for emergencies. Although I love them all, and give an equal opportunity to all types of winter squashes, my all-time favorites are full and sweet flavored kabocha and butternut; banana squash comes in a close second.... or is it third?! Pumpkin or winter squash with coconut may be prepared in many ways. Here I have given two recipes: stir fry with coconut or a thick stew. Two very different tasting dishes with practically the same ingredients! Kabocha does not need peeling as the skin is thin and cooks well. Some winter squashes need peeling as they have tough skins. Thoran/Poriyal 1 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 Tbsp Urad Dal 1-2 dried Red Chiles 1 Onion, finely chopped (optional) 1 Stem fresh Curry Leaves 1/2 Medium Kabocha, Winter Squash or...

Mor Kali is an old-fashioned, home-style South Indian snack. Although called mor kali, this recipe has no mor (buttermilk) in it and is a naturally vegan recipe; not does it need any since the batter is fermented and is naturally a little tart. It is another instance of our foremothers being thrifty as well as innovative with leftovers. Mor Kali was often made with leftover batter from making Verum Arisi Dosai or Adai, a rice and coconut pancake; but since most everyone loves it, it was made at other times too without waiting for leftover batter.  When batter becomes fermented, it devolps a lovely tart taste which is highly prized in Idli/Dosa/Aappam batters. NOTES: Although Indian Sesame oil is the best for preparing Mor Kali, any vegetable oil may be used. If Indian sesame oil is not available, a couple of drops of Chinese sesame oil may be added at the end of cooking to add aroma. I have used green chiles instead of the dried yogurt chillies (thair or mor milagai) ty...

Okra Curry With Roasted Coconut & Tamarind (Vendakkai Thenga Kuzhambu) is a delicious stew typically served with rice for lunch or dinner.  Delicious over plain rice, roti or yogurt rice . Frozen okra work very well in this recipe if fresh ones are not available. Dried unsweetened coconut maybe used instead of the fresh or frozen. Sometimes I like to add cooked toor dal to make it hearty; half a cup of dal should work very well. When adding the dal, increase the amount of spices, salt, and tamarind. 4 Servings INGREDIENTS:  Masala ½ tsp whole Black pepper 2-3 Dried Red Chiles 2 tsp Chana Dal 2 tsp Coriander seeds ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds ⅓ cup shredded Coconut, fresh/frozen Curry: 1 lb Okra 1 Onion, slivered thickly or diced large (optional) 1 Ripe Tomato, chopped (optional) 1 tsp Oil (preferably Indian Sesame oil) ½ tsp Mustard seeds 1-2 dried Red Chiles 1 pinch Asafetida 2 stems Curry leaves, finely sliced ...