Geetha's Kitchen

Citrus Salad With Pistachios is a refreshing, sunny salad celebrating the abundance of delicious citrus fruits of all kinds. Mix and match your favorites to create a lovely composition that is a delight to the palate as well as the eyes! Citrus Salad is a great as a potluck offering as well as accompaniment to any meal. Serve it cool but not cold to enjoy the fragrant fruit. The Balsamic vinegar reduction is a simple, lovely, tangy-sweet sauce that makes anything it is drizzled on tastier. If you like a sweeter sauce, maple syrup or sugar, brown or regular sugar etc maybe added while making the reduction. Save the extras for drizzling or adding to salads, veggies, fruit, berries, etc. Pomelo maybe used in place of the grapefruit. Kiwi fruit is another tasty and lovely addition. Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 Grapefruit 1 Blood Orange 1 Navel or other Orange 2 Mandarins/Tangerines 2 Sweet Limes 1/2 cup pitted Dates 1 small bunch Cilantro 1/2 cup shelled, r...

This lovely and delicious salad is fabulous in large communal bowls or individual containers; layer the colorful ingredients in glass bowls or jars so you can feast the eyes as well as the palate!   NOTES: If freshly cooked beans are not an option, use a 15 ounce can black/pinto beans, rinsed and drained. You may use a vinaigrette or Italian dressing instead of the Chipotle dressing given below. Salsa maybe homemade or purchased. Here are a few options for preparing at home:  Salsa I ,  Salsa II  or Salsa Roja . Vegenaise is vegan eggless mayonaise; you can use purchased or homemade. Add the avocado just before serving. 4-6 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS: CHIPOTLE DRESSING ½ cup Vegenaise 1 clove Garlic, finely mashed 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed Lime juice (about 1 medium lime) 1-2 Chipotle Chiles in adobo sauce 1 tsp Adobo sauce (from chipotles chiles) 1 tsp Maple syrup or Agave nectar ½ tsp ground Cumin ½ tsp...

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...

Irresistible and treat-filled Waldorf Salad has so many colorful and favorite components – crisp apples, juicy grapes, tangy 'cheese', and sweet crisp walnuts – all topped with a delicious balsamic dressing! I love this type of salad which makes a filling meal - perfect for a lovely lunch to linger over with company or by oneself. NOTES: The cheese and walnuts maybe prepared at home ahead of time or purchased. 4 servings INGREDIENTS: Dressing 2-3 Tbsp olive oil  1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic, mashed 1/2 tsp sugar or Maple Syrup to taste 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1/4 tsp salt, to taste Salad 1 block (14-16 oz) Extra-firm Tofu, diced or coarsely chopped 1 Apple, diced 1/2 cup seedless red grapes, quartered 1/2 cup celery,  diced 6-7 cups Spinach OR mixed Baby Salad Greens 1/2 cup toasted/glazed walnuts 1/4 cup crumbled Vegan Gorgonzola cheese METHOD: Dressing: whisk mus...

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...