Geetha's Kitchen

Frijoles Negros or Seasoned Black Beans are amazingly delicious; just a handful of ingredients produce lip smackingly yummy beans! With a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot, cooking beans becomes so easy and quick. Do try to cook the beans if possible rather than using canned for the wonderful and rich taste. See Ode to Beans or Basic Black Beans for more ideas on cooking beans. Any leftovers maybe used as filling for tacos/burritos/tostadas etc. or in the delicious  Black Bean and Corn Casserole , Burgers ,  Cuban Black Bean Soup , or Casamiento .  Black Beans belong to the superfood family of legumes; they are typically served as part of meals in Mexican, Central & South American, and other cuisines. Cooking beans is quite simple and very cost effective. Similar to most beans, black beans have negligible amounts of fat. They are a great source of protein, fiber, and thiamin. Black beans are loaded with anthocyanins and also contain good amounts of iron, calcium...

Turn frozen artichoke hearts into this fabulous salad that can be served warm, cool, or cold with just a few ingredients. You may use canned beans also; about 2 standard cans should do it.  Ingredients: 1 cup Great Northern Beans 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 Shallot, thinly sliced 1 Lemon, juiced Salt and Pepper to taste 1 tsp Olive oil 1/2 medium Onion, diced 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced 2 Ripe Tomatoes, diced 2 (9 oz) pckges frozen Artichoke Hearts 1 tsp Lemon Zest 1/2 tsp Salt, to taste 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives 8-10 fresh Basil leaves, torn Freshly ground Black Pepper Method: Prepare the beans: sort, soak overnight, and rinse the beans. Cook in water to cover until soft but not mushy. Drain the beans while still warm and add the garlic, shallot, salt and pepper, and lemon to taste.  Heat oil with the garlic and onions; when they soften and become translucent, add tomatoes, artichoke, lemon and a sprinkle of water. Cook covere...

Succulent, saucy and pleasantly spicy Chili Tofu is an adaptation of the popular chili paneer and example of the Indo-Chinese fusion recipes. Flavored with tamari, ginger, garlic, coriander and cumin, it is the perfect blend of two distinctive world cuisines. Serve with rice, rice noodles, corn/rice tortillas for a delicious starter, lunch or dinner. Use Thai chiles or serranos without removing the core for spicy hot Chili Tofu. Roasted Tofu maybe used in this recipe; prepare it without the herbs and adjust the amount of spices as there is some in the roasted tofu also. 4-5 servings Ingredients: Marinade: 1 tsp Garlic paste 1 tsp Ginger paste 2 tsp Corn Starch 1 tsp Tamari/soy sauce Chili Tofu:  1 14-oz block extra-firm Tofu  1 large bell pepper (any color), diced 1 green Chile, like Serrano, cored and minced 1 tsp Oil 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 2 tsp ground Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper 1 large Onion, diced 1-2 c...

This fresh tasting Tabbouleh makes a light meal or a refreshing snack/starter; offer with other wonderful Middle Eastern dishes such as Dolma (Rice stuffed Grape Leaves), Smoky Red Pepper OR  Regular  Hummus , White Bean Dip , Vegetable Caviar , Baba Ghanoush, etc for a more substantial meal. Notes:  This recipe maybe doubled or tripled etc as needed. Tabbouleh tastes fresh and is best enjoyed within a couple of days of making. The Tabbouleh maybe prepared with Quinoa or Cauliflower alone or both as prefereed.  You may use 2 Tbsp Bulgur (Cracked Wheat #1) soaked in about 1/2 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes instead of the quinoa or cauliflower if gluten is not a concern. Serves 2-4 Ingredients: 1/2 cup cooked Quinoa, cooled 1 cup Riced Cauliflower, raw or lightly cooked 1 large bunch Italian Parsley 1 large handful fresh Spearmint 1 small Persian Cucumber, finely diced 1 ripe Roma Tomato, diced finely and drained 1/2 ...