This is my second post from garden to kitchen to table! As I had mentioned in my previous post, we have quite a few veggies growing in our backyard. So today's recipe is stuffed green peppers or bharwan simla mirch. In India green peppers are often called as Simla Mirch or Capsicum.  Our first couple of peppers went bad while they were growing so we plucked them little early, so the size of peppers is not that big. Yet the size was perfect for stuffed peppers. In US it is impossible to get small green peppers, hence I decided to make this 'Bharwan Simla Mirch' with potato filling. We had some 8/9 small peppers, these are really small, almost size of Jalapeno.  If you have decent sized peppers then this recipe will give you the idea for masala stuffing and you might want to adjust the quantity of ingredients accordingly.  Let's get starated! Ingredients 8 small green peppers 1 medium sized potato, boiled, peeled and mashed  1/2 small onion finely chopped Few frozen an...

I came across a very funny joke the other day. It showed one cat working on laptop with caption "done studying all day looking for recipes" and in second picture the same cat was saying "don't know what to cook for dinner, I'll just make "Khichadi" Now khichadi is a staple food in any Indian home, when one can't think of what to make for dinner, khichadi is always a go to meal as it is wholesome and filling and moreover easy to prepare.  So basically I was in the same mode that day when I made these open semolina sandwiches. I was thinking really hard what to cook for dinner and suddenly these open toast sandwiches came to my mind. It's pretty easy to make and you can add whatever veggies you have.  Ingredients 1 cup semolina/rava 3/4 cup plain yogurt + more if required 1 medium onion finely diced 1 small or 1/2 if big, green pepper diced 1 small tomato finely chopped 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro 3-4 green chilies finely chopped Salt as per tas...

This post is all about garden to kitchen to pan. We have planted good amount of veggies this year. Our regulars are cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, chili peppers, indian bitter melon(which is called as Karela) etc. This year we also planted  beets, carrots, radishes, amaranth....and the list goes on....                                                          Growing up I never had beetroot greens, though we use to eat actual beetroot in variety of ways, just boiled or in salads, raita or even parathas. Did a bit of research about beetroot greens and found out that they are actually packed with nutrients, rich in vitamins and antioxidants and zero cholestrol and fat.  The greens that were growing looked so fresh and crisp, I had to try using them in one of my recipes. I decided to make it same way as any greens and it came out pretty go...

Vangyache kaap or crispy eggplant is one of my favorite dish. Growing up my mom use to make them a lot and we use to gobble them like crazy. I have this thing with ketchup, which I passed it on to my kids I think, we love Ketchup with everything 😀😀 and this crispy eggplant is one of them. Let's  get started! Ingredients 1 large eggplant 1/3 cup besan/chickpea flour 3 tbsp rice flour 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp coriander powder 1/4 tsp dry mango powder salt as per taste Oil as required for shallow frying Method Wash and dry eggplant. Cut into thin circles around 1/4 inch. We need it nice and thin for crispy texture. Arrange all the cut circles on a cooling rack and sprinkle salt on both sides, let it stand for 10 minutes. This step is very important, salt will draw water out and also some of eggplants bitterness along with it.  In the mean time start making the spice rub, in a plate mix together chickpea flour, rice flour, chili powder, cumin powder, cor...

Let me share you a short story behind this recipe. We were visiting Williamsburg, VA and were looking for a place for quick bite. We ended up going to "Aromas", it was a small cafe but food was delicious! The great part was it had good amount of vegetarian options. I ate this wrap there and all the flavors just blended so well in my mouth that I thought of  making this recipe at home.  Let's get started! Ingredients 8 wheat tortillas 1/3 cup Quinoa  1 tsp olive oil 1 small zucchini cubed into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 green pepper cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 red pepper cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 small jalapeño deseeded finely diced 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp paprika 1 cup cooked black beans Favorite hot sauce as required Favorite jarred salsa  2 garlic cloves minced Salt as per taste 1 avocado pitted and sliced Sour Cream as needed Method Cook quinoa according to the package instructions and keep aside. Next saute zucchini, green pepper, red pepper, m...

Hummus is popular in Middle Eastern as well as Mediterranean cuisines. It has gained a lot of popularity and though you can easily get ready to eat hummus in stores, homemade hummus always tastes best. It is pretty simple and easy to make Hummus. Once you know the basic recipe you can tweak it using different things like I did in this particular recipe of 'Roasted Red Pepper Hummus' So lets get started! Ingredients 1 can chickpeas 15 oz 1 small roasted red pepper(skin and seeds removed) 1/3 cup tahini  1/4 tsp cumin powder 1 garlic clove peeled 2-3 tbsp water Juice of half lime salt as per taste pinch of paprika 1/4th cup olive oil + more to drizzle on hummus Crushed red pepper flakes to garnish  Method Drain canned chickpeas and wash them nicely. In a food processor add garlic clove and pulse it to mince a bit. Next add chickpeas, tahini, roasted red pepper, cumin powder, paprika, 2 tbsp water and salt. Be careful not to use too much of salt as canned chickpeas alre...