Geetha's Kitchen

A simple lentil stew to serve with rice or roti or on its own. Chellu approved :) 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 cup lentils (whole Masoor) 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp oil 1 tsp whole Jeera (Cumin seeds) 4 thin slices Fresh Ginger, finely chopped 1 hot green chili (Jalapeno or Serrano) 1 small onion, chopped A couple of pinches salt 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric 4 small tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp Garam Masala (a spice mix) 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro Method: Sort, wash and cook the lentils with the salt in water to cover until soft. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan (2 quart/liter size) and cook the cumin seeds until lightly browned and fragrant. Add ginger and green chili and saute for a few seconds. Stir in onions with the salt & turmeric and cook until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, mix well and cook until soft. Stir in garam masala and the cooked lentils. Bring to a boil stirring often and turn off the heat. Cover and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Mix in the chopped cilantro before serv...

Protein and fiber-rich lentil salad is perfect for summer lunches and picnics! The walnuts provide extra protein as well as healthy Omega-3 oils. 4 to 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 cup Lentils, green, brown, or black 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lemon juice to taste, about 1/4 cup A splash (2 tsp) of White Wine Vinegar Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste 1 clove Shallot, thinly sliced 1 cup thinly sliced Celery 1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley/Cilantro 1/2 cup sliced Leeks or Green Onions 1 cup finely diced carrots and/or Red Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Mint leaves, cut into thin slices 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped Method: Sort the lentils for debris, wash well and cook in water to cover until tender but not mushy. Drain the cooking liquids and set aside for soup if you wish. Let the lentils cool slightly. Mix the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and add the warm lentils. Stir gently to coat the lentils. Let cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix...

Here are some more pictures from the garden. Don't miss the special visitor! Blooming Beauty: Epiphyllum Our First Harvest 2009: Elephant Garlic You can see the small bulb-lets on the garlic - "seeds" for next crop! Kabocha Squash from the garden Gerber Daisy Reincarnation lily - comes back every year! A visitor in the garden!! Do you see me? Now you do!! Watch where you tread! A humble cabbage core has so much energy still - sprouting new plants! After many kind admonitions and queries from friends, I feel that I must add a comment about the snake. Most were concerned for my safety; others were for the snake :). I am very, very respectful of the snakes as well as being extremely diligent - snakebite is a very serious situation as I saw when I researched the topic. I have seen rattlers occasionally in the garden and am very careful to give them (and myself) lots of space. That particular one surprised me. It did not rattle or move at ...

Here is a lovely chutney to spice up an otherwise simple meal. It makes a great appetizer spooned over cream cheese accompanied by whole grain crackers. Ingredients: 2 cups onions sliced thinly 1 cup garlic sliced into 2 or 3 pieces 2 Tbsp tamarind paste or thick extract 3 Tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 2 tsp bengal gram dal (chana dal) 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida) 1/4 tsp turmeric 2-3 tsp sambhar powder 1 tsp fenugreek - roasted & powdered coarsely 2-3 Tbsp jaggery or brown sugar A few curry leaves salt to taste Method: Heat oil in a pan. add mustard seeds and chana dal. After the mustard seeds pop add hing powder, turmeric powder, & curry leaves. Add onions and garlic slices and saute' for few minutes till the onions are transparent and lightly colored. Add sambhar powder and mix well. Add the tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup water, the powdered jaggery or brown ...

Bajjis are delectable little morsels of vegetable fritters (similar to Japanese tempura) just perfect to offer with afternoon tea or as appetizers. The secret to the bajjis is the special batter - the batter is made with besan (Hindi) or chick pea/garbanzo flour. The simple batter transforms the most ordinary of the veggies into amazingly tasty snacks. Pair the bajjis with a chutney or two of your choice - basic green , sweet and sour date-tamarind , fresh coconut , or green chili . Clockwise from the top: Green chili, Eggplant, Green Banana and Onion Rings An explanation for the uninitiated: bajjis are slices or nuggets of veggies dipped in batter and deep fried; pakodas are chopped veggies mixed in a thick batter and fried. Although I do not make these very often since they are deep fried, they are a delicious addition to the menu occasionally. Both bajjis and pakodas are vegan and gluten-free. Almost any vegetable can be made into a bajji; vegetables with...

This year the garden is prolific with not just flowers but lots of creatures too :-)! Although I have seen many kinds of birds, cotton tail rabbits, and squirrels, it is the very first year I have seen baby owls in our garden. I found these owl babies (great horned owls, I believe) in the hedge when I was investigating some chirping sounds I heard one morning; they were very obliging to stay put while I went to fetch my camera. There were 5 of them actually but I would have had to disturb them by moving the branches to get all of them in the picture. The owl babies seem to like these bushes to hang out during the day. Owl Babies: Sara, Percy and Bill? sleepy babies Here is a picture of one our resident Mourning Doves nesting right by our front door - they have been nesting every year for as long as I can remember. Initially everyone thinks it is only a decoration; they are amazed to find the bird is real! Mourning Dove