Spring is still few weeks away, until then let us treat ourselves with hot soups while we can. Tortilla soup is a perfect soul soothing soup for cold winter. It is hot and spicy, though you can adjust the spiciness according to your taste. This soup tastes even better with all the toppings. I made this soup for dinner yesterday and everyone liked it, I paired it with Mexican style pizza. Ingredients 1/2 cup diced white onion 1/3 cup diced green pepper 1/3 cup red pepper 1 Jalapeno diced(deseeded if you don't want spicy) 2 garlic cloves minced 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 3/4 cup canned black beans(1/2 mashed) 3/4 cup canned diced tomato chili style 1 tsp canola oil 1 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp oregano  Few dashes hot sauce 3 14.5 oz can vegetarian vegetable broth Salt as per taste Toppings Cilantro chopped Diced Avocado Corn/Multigrain Chips Sour Cream(optional) Method Heat oil in a pot, add diced onion and garlic. Saute until transluce...

I was skeptical to try wild rice first, not sure how it will taste. I never had just the wild rice before, first few times I tried ready to make rice packets you get in grocery stores and I liked the texture, though there was not much of wild rice in it. But finally I got wild rice packet from store and tried making this wild rice salad and it turned out really great. Hope that you will like it too.  Ingredients 1/2 cup wild rice uncooked 1 small zucchini cut into 1/2 inch thick slices 1/2 red bell pepper deseeded 1/2 green bell pepper deseeded Couple of broccoli florets Red wine Vinaigrette(recipe follows) For Vinaigrette 3 tbs red wine vinegar 1 tsp dijon mustard 1 tbs honey Approximately 6 tbs olive oil Salt and pepper as per taste Method Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Drain and keep aside. To grill veggies preheat gas grill or barbecue grill. Grill all the veggies until nicely charred. Let the veggies cool. Prepare vinaigre...

Green rice is an authentic Mexican rice dish. So I thought why not make it with Indian flavors. Though the main flavor comes from cilantro, I added spinach leaves for more deep green color. It's a jazzed up rice recipe with wonderful flavors. And by using rice cooker this recipe come together in minutes. Just prepare and combine everything and let the rice cooker do the job.   Ingredients(Serves 4) 1 cup cilantro 1/2 cup spinach leaves(I use it only for it's deep green color, otherwise it is totally optional) 2 garlic cloves 1 inch ginger 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 cup shredded cabbage 1/2 cup frozen green peas 5-6 cashews roughly chopped 1 cup uncooked rice 4 pepper corns 2 bay leaves 1 tsp garam masala 1 tbs oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 tsp cumin seeds Pinch of turmeric and Asafoetida Salt as per taste Method Grind together cilantro, spinach, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. Keep aside. Wash uncooked rice and keep aside. Meanwhile heat oil in a thick ...

I had some leftover rajma(prepared with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spices) from the other day in the fridge and nobody wanted to eat rajma with rice/roti again so thought of turning this prepared rajma into paratha. And they turned out pretty good. It was a nice variety in Paratha. Paratha itself is a wholesome meal. And this protein packed rajma paratha will satisfy your taste bud and will keep you full at the same time. Make it either for breakfast/brunch/lunch or even dinner, no matter what time of day you eat, it will surely please everyone at your home. It is a very basic and simple recipe. Serve it with cool cucumber raita or just plain old yogurt. Ingredients 2 cups leftover rajma Whole wheat flour as needed 2 tbs chopped cilantro Salt as required Oil as required  Method With a masher mash the leftover rajma into a smooth paste(make sure each and every kidney beans are mashed). Add chopped cilantro plus little bit of salt. Remember our rajma is alread...

Dhansak is a popular parsi dish traditionally prepared with meat and mixed lentils along with vegetables and spices. But I tried making it with just veggies and it came out perfect. When all the lentils and veggies are cooked along with spices you get a deliciously good bowl of dal. The consistency of dhansak should be thick. Serve it with rice and you will have a warm and healthy meal. This was my second time making dhansak. The first time, I made dhansak masala at home from sratch but recently I found ready made packet of dhansak masala at store and it made my life easier. You can find many recipes for dhansak masala online but this ready made masala is one easy way to go :). I used pressure cooker to cook dhansak. Ingredients(Serves 4 if served with rice) 1 cup mixed lentils(toor, moong, masoor, chana) in equal amount 1 carrot washed peeled and diced 3/4 cup washed, peeled and diced pumpkin 1 small potato peeled and diced 1 onion(1/2 thinly sliced and 1/2 choppe...

I brought these rolls from store today hoping to make some kind of sandwich. Wasn't sure what kind yet so I started looking in the refrigerator. Had few fresh veggies on hand and also some jarred ones so I mixed and matched a few and came up with this Mediterranean idea. Well I wasn't entirely sure what should I name this sandwich but since it had most of the veggies that goes in Mediterranean salad I thought why not? And since avocado is my favorite, added that too to make it extra special. Ingredients 2 Rolls 1/2 Cucumber Sliced 1/2 Tomato Sliced 1/2 Small Onion Sliced thinly 1/2 Roasted Red Bell Pepper(I used jarred) 10 Kalamata Olives Pitted and Sliced 1/2 Avocado sliced 2 Green Leaf Lettuce 3 Tbs Mayonnaise For Red Wine Vinaigrette 2 Tsp red wine vinegar 1/2 Tsp Dijon mustard 4 Tsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 Tsp honey Salt and Pepper for taste Method The method is actually pretty straight forward. Keep all your veggies ready.  ...

A textured vegetable protein, made from soy flour comes in variety of shapes and sizes. The one I got from store this time are called mini soya chunks. They are manufactured by different brands but my favorite brand is Ruchi's Nutrella. As you get it by the name these chunks are mini, the regular size is little too big for this curry. That's the reason I got these mini one's, they were perfect in my gravy. It is a great substitute for chicken as it has the same texture like chicken when cooked. My husband and kids are meat eaters but they loved this curry as much as I did. I have used Everest brand chicken masala to get an authentic chicken curry taste. And before I forget, I have a different technique to cook soya chunks than mentioned on the packet so please follow it and I promise you will not regret it! Ingredients 1 1/4 mini soya chunks 1 1/4 cup milk or more as required 2 tbs oil 2 green cardamom 1 inch of cinnamon stick 2-3 cloves 1 large onion cho...