Geetha's Kitchen

These bright red theplas or spicy flat breads (rotis) are as beautiful as they are delicious! Theplas are traditionally served with Kichdi (a rice and lentil risotto quite popular all over India), a vegetable curry with potatoes, a raitas or fresh plain yogurt , papadams, and pickles; they make a very filling and nutritious meal. But they can be served as part of a simpler meal with pickles, sliced veggies and plain yogurt. We love theplas with Hot Lemon or Mango pickles and a cup of Chai as a simple meal or snack. Although fresh Methi (Fenugreek) Theplas are the most popular, they may be made with other herbs and veggies too; but the veggie ones are not as long lasting. Refrigerate any extras and freeze for longer storage. Although the Indian whole wheat flour ground specifically for making flat breads (known as atta) is the best for making thepla as well as other types of roti, any whole wheat flour may be used. Makes 12 Theplas Ingredients: 2 tsp Oil ...

This week I see red everywhere - food that is :-)! Since I have a humongous red cabbage sitting in the fridge waiting to be eaten, I thought I would make some salad with it. Perhaps Waldorf salad with apples and walnuts. Or I could make a really red salad with beets, fennel, and capers. A rainbow salad! Or a spicy Indian relish salad. Or may be a warm slaw with the Bengali spice mix "panch phodan" = "five poppers". So many possibilities ....... so little cabbage ...... :-). Whichever of the above recipes you choose, you will be rewarded with a yummy salad/slaw loaded with nutrients - especially anthocyanins. For info on anthocyanins, click here . These recipes guarantee chewy/crunchy satisfaction while filling the tummy with wholesome and flavorful food. Here is a recipe for Really Red Cabbage & Beet Salad: This salad is fabulous after a couple of days if you can wait that long :P. 4 - 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 small Red Cabbage, shredded 1 Medium B...

I have wanted to make Red Velvet Cake ever since I heard the name - it sounds so luxurious and the color looked so lovely! But even the vegan recipes contained a huge amount of red dye much to my disappointment and when I found out that some of the dyes are made from crushed beetles (yikes!), I just could not stomach the idea of eating beetle juice any more than eggs. Until ............ I had the "Eureka" moment to make a healthy one with - Yes, Beets! I kept buying beets to make the cake but kept eating them up in salad or as thoran :P. Finally, I saved a few for the cake and decided to test out my theory by adapting an old zucchini cake recipe from King Arthur Flour with the beets standing in for the zucchini; I used 6 small beets. I also tweaked the ingredients to make it a vegan cake. To my pleasant surprise, the cake turned out quite successful. Although Keeshu insisted that he could taste the beets a little, it did not in the least discourage him from gobbling up ...

Beets and their greens are delicious as well as nutritious. They are packed full of minerals and cancer-fighting pigments. Beets are such showy veggies with their wonderful color! I like to include them in our meals as often as I can. Here is one pretty simple but delicious way to eat them. Enjoy Beets Thoran as a side dish with any meal! The mustard seeds and the split legumes in the thalippu/tadka add a delicious toasty flavor and a mild nutty crunch to the thoran in addition to giving the dish a protein boost even though it is a small one; every little bit ultimately contributes to the total nutrient count of the whole meal! Ingredients: 1 small bunch Beets with leaves Salt to taste 1 small dry red chili 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds 2 Tbsp grated coconut, fresh or frozen (or use dry, unsweetened) Thalippu/Tadka: 1 or 2 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard seeds 1 or 2 Tbsp Urad dal 1 dry hot Red Chili 1 sprig fresh Curry Leaves Method: Wash the beets and their leaves well; drain. Cut off...

The simple Beet Salad brightens up winter menus deliciously. It can be made with uncooked carrots and beets also. The crunchy, juicy, and sweet Asian pear or jicama (a Mexican root vegetable usually eaten raw) is great in this salad. Jicama (pronounced hee-ka-ma) tastes a bit like the Asian pear. 4 Servings Ingredients: 2 medium Beets 1 medium Carrot 1 small Onion Sea Salt to taste 1 Lime/Lemon Chopped fresh Cilantro for garnishing Diced peeled Jicama OR Asian Pear for garnishing Fresh Pomegranate arils for garnishing Method: Steam the beets and carrot lightly until barely tender but still retain their crunch; cool and cut into 1/2" cubes. Cut the onion into small cubes while the beets are cooling. Place them in a colander and pour a cup of boiling water over them; drain well and let cool. Place the onions in a bowl; sprinkle a pinch of salt over them and squeeze the lime/lemon juice. Let marinate for a few minutes. Stir in the c...