Vegetable Korma

This recipe is just bursting with flavor and nutrition. What could anyone want more than to eat their vegetables and like them too! You can make this in a pressure cooker or a covered pot. It takes a little longer in the latter. I made it in a pot/pan as I think it gives more flavor.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup cauliflower cut in small pieces
   
2. 1 cup diced carrots
3. 1 cup diced potatoes 
4. 1 cup green beans cut in small pieces
5. 1 cup peas
6. 1 cup small pieces of paneer, fried (I used the store bought paneer and fry it at home)
7. 1/2 cup tomato sauce
8. 1/2 tsp ginger paste
9. 1/2 tsp garlic paste
10. 2 tsp fresh cilantro paste
11. salt and red chilli to taste
12. 1/2 tsp haldi
    
13. 1/2 tsp garam masala
14. pinch of kesar (saffron) in a small amount of hot milk
15. 2 tbsp ghee
16. 1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)
17. 1 tsp cashews
18. 1 tsp lemon juice
19. Some cut cilantro to garnish

Process

1. Add ghee to a large pot. Once it is hot, add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry a little bit and add the cilantro paste. Fry the mixture. Add a little bit of the milk and and keep frying the paste. Add all the milk and make it into a nice paste.
2. Add all the vegetables, tomato sauce, all the spices, the kesar in milk, and cashews. I added the paneer after about 20 mins of cooking as I did not want it to dissolve in all the veggies.
3. Add about 1 or 1 1/2 cup of water, depending on how much of a curry you want.
4. Cover the pan and cook until all the vegetables are cooked. 
5. Once all is cooked add some cut cilantro to garnish.

This vegetable korma can be eaten with rice or naan. The flavor of this vegetable is amazing!!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is by far one of my favorite soups. It is flavorful and since I don't eat broccoli in any other way, I feel this way would be the best way for me to eat it. (And the other motivation was that broccoli was so cheap in the veggie store that one day!). I could buy this soup store made, but I like my food with less fat so I like cooking at home.

Ingredients

1. 1.5 cup broccoli (I used fresh and frozen the next time)
2. 1 cup grated carrots (you can replace some carrots with any other veggie, I have used zucchini)
3. 1 small onion - chopped
4. salt and black pepper to taste
5. 1/2 tsp nutmeg
6. 1-2 tbsp oil
7. 2 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)
8. 2 tbsp butter
9. 2 cups milk (I use 2%)
10. 1 cup cheddar cheese

Process

1. Defrost or chop the broccoli. In either case it should be steamed (not cooked to mush).  
2. In a kadhai or pan, add 1-2 tbsp oil. When it is heated, add chopped onion and saute until golden. Set aside when cooked.
3. In another pan, add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp maida. Cook a little bit and add 1 cup of warm milk and stir so no lumps form. Add the 2nd cup of milk also and cook.
4. Cook the grated carrots in pressure cooker for 5 mins so they are soft. Add most of them to the milk/maida thickner. 
5. Add the steamed broccoli and the remaining of the carrots and use a hand blender to gently blend the vegetables. Add 1 cup of water - it will make it easier. I don't make a paste, I like some thick pieces of veggies in the soup.  
6. Add the broccoli carrot blend to the milk. 
7. Add salt and black pepper to taste. I also add about 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. 
8. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese and stir well.
9. Add 1-2 cups of water to give the consistency you want of the soup.
10. Cook the soup for about 20 minutes

The result is quite good! I always eat a fresh bowl of the soup and then end of freezing half of it as all this makes about 6-7 servings! The good thing is that you can add more cheese if you wish - I keep it low, so I get the taste and texture and not so much fat!

Paalak Paneer

Spinach is a powerhouse of iron and I am short on it so I love to add spinach wherever I can. Paalak paneer is an easy and tasty dish to make that is good with roti, naan or even rice. I like my food with less spices and this one rules!

Ingredients

1. 1.5 cup spinach (I used frozen)
2. 1 cup paneer cubed
3. salt and pepper to taste
4. 1/4 tsp turmeric
5. 1/2 tsp garlic and ginger paste each
6. 1/3 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
7. 2 tsp maida (all purpose flour)

Process

1. Defrost the spinach and gently grind them in the blender. Don't make a paste, it will not taste good.
2. Finely chop the onions. 
3. In a kadhai, add the oil. When it is heated, add the ginger and garlic. When it is a little roasted, add the chopped onions. Fry until nice and golden. 
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until it is all a thick paste. 
5. Add the ground spinach. Add salt, pepper and turmeric.
6. Mix the two tablespoons maida in about 1/2 cup water and add to the spinach in kadhai.
7. Let it cook for about 20 mins. It will splatter, so make sure the kadhai is covered.
8. Add two teaspoons of sour cream to the spinach and mix well.  
9. Cook for another few minutes

Make sure to add a little ghee (or more!) when paalak paneer is served!

Raw Banana

This is a tasty dish of raw bananas. It does not need a lot of spices and the peels are high in fiber while the banana gives the carbs.

Ingredients:

1. Raw bananas - 2 (serves about 4 people)
2. Salt and chilli powder - to taste
3. 1 tbsp oil
4. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
5. 1 tsp corriander powder
6. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
7. 1/2 tsp khataai (dried mango powder)
8. 1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)

Process:

1. Wash bananas, boil the bananas in the pressure cooker (5 mins under pressure); peel the bananas and cut both the peel and banana in small edible pieces.
2. In a kadhai add the oil and add the jeera and dhaniya powder. When it is fried add the chilli powder and turmeric powder to cook the spices.
3. Add the cut banana and peels; add salt, red chilli and haldi (if needed). If you like you can also add little garam masala to give more spicy taste. Stir until the pieces look nice and roasted.
   

I enjoy this as a snack with tea or as part of dinner with parantha!

Upmaa

This is a south Indian dish that I love for breakfast. I keep it simple - as usual.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Sooji 
2. 2.5 cups water
3. 1 tsp mixed chana and urad daal
4. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
5. 1 tbsp oil 
6. 1 small chopped or sliced onion
7. 1 tsp salt - or according to taste
8. 1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
9. chilli - according to taste
10. 1 tsp lemon juice
11. some curry leaves
12. 2 tbsp peanuts (optional)
13. 1/3 cup peas (optional)

Process:

1. In a medium size pan, add the oil and when it is hot add the daal mixture and mustard seeds.
2. When the sputtering begins, add the curry leaves and onions; fry until transparent.
3. Add the sooji and roast till little cooked. (it does not have to get brown or red).
4. Add the water (carefully! as it will splatter out).
5. Add the salt, chilli and haldi. Stir well. Add the peas and peanuts at this time if you are using them.
6. Make sure to cover the pan and lower the heat or there will be splattering everywhere. Stir occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. All this takes about 5-7 mins.
7. Add the lemon juice when the consistency of the upmaa is thick. 
8. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let it sit for a few minutes to cook in the steam.

It is better to have little extra water so that the upma cooks properly and tastes better! It can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack.  If you like little crispy stuff with it - try potato chips! Or try with little tomato chutney or lemon pickle...

Limeade

I get a lot of limes in Florida....not so many lemons for some strange reason. So when Florida gives you limes - you make limeade :-)

Very easy to make...

Ingredients:

1. 10-12 limes
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 cup water
4. 1 tsp dried mint

Process:

1. Squeeze the lime juice out (I used my citrus juicer!) - I got 1 cup lime juice from the 12 limes (some were a little drier than others)
   
2. In a pot, heat up a cup of water with one cup of sugar. Add dry mint here to flavor the syrup (mint is optional)
3. Add the lime juice to the sugar syrup when cool.
   
4. Add with enough water when ready to drink! You can adjust how much water you want to add depending on the sweetness you desire.

Since I made sooo much of the limeade concentrate - I froze a lot of it in my ice cube tray.  I will be taking one cube and adding one cup of water to make the limeade! No ice required!!

Mixed Vegetable Curry

Hmm...so I had the curry left over from the dum aaloo, so I decided to defrost it today and add a medley of vegetables to it.

Ingredients:

1. 2 carrots
2. 1 capsicum
3. 1/2 cauliflower
4. 2 small potatoes
5. a bunch of green beans
6. 1/2 cup frozen peas
7. 1/2 cup paneer
8. 1 1/2 cup of the curry (from dum aloo recipe)
9. salt, pepper for taste
10. 2-3 tbsp oil

Process:

1. Chopped all the vegetables in small pieces. Try to cut them in equal sizes so it looks good.
2. In a pan, add 2-3 tbsp oil, I added the vegetables in order of which they will cook. (I cut vegetable as the other one is cooking - time management.) The longest time for cooking is carrots, so I cut and cook it first in the frying pan. I don't cook it all the way as I am going to add the other vegetables one by one. So...add carrots, then potatoes, green beans (I added mine later as I had some frozen one), then cauliflower, peas and finally paneer. Add these within 5-7 minutes of each cooking. By the time I added the paneer, everything else is quite cooked. I did not add any water yet.
3. Added quarter cup water to make sure all is well cooked. Cooking vegetables without water gives them a nice flavor and does not mush them up.
4. Once all seems cooked/tender, add the curry and cook for 15-20 mins.
   
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy with naan or rice!!
(I would have had pictures but they all got deleted!!)

Cooked Sprouted Moong

Sprouted moong is one of the most tasty lentils. Until I had started sprouting, I would not have known. I can eat it raw, I can eat it as part of salad or cook them lightly and make a nice spicy snack.

Ingredients:

1. Sprouting: This is easy - take a cup of dry, whole moong daal and wash with water. In a glass jar, add the moong and add 2-3 cups of water. Let it soak for about 8 hrs. After 8 hrs, rinse with water and keep it upside down in a jar covered with a mesh or cheesecloth. (This upside down way helps to avoid the gross build up at the bottom of the jar). Wash the lentils after 8 hrs or so and leave it upside down. It takes about 2 days for the sprouting to occur. I keep the lentils for upto one week in the fridge. The sprouts grow much slower in the fridge. 
2. 1 medium onion - diced
3. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
4. 1/2 tsp garlic
5. 1/2 tsp ginger
6. 1 green chilli - diced (hotness of chilli - up to you!)
7. 1 small tomato - diced
8. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. 1 tsp lemon juice
11. Few sprigs of cilantro to garnish - cut into small pieces

Process:

1. In a frying pan, add the oil and add the ginger, garlic paste. Fry until brown. Add the green chilli and fry.
2. Add the diced onion and fry until brownish.
3. Once onion is cooked, add the moon sprouts. Add salt, pepper and turmeric powder. Stir well and add 2-3 tsp water, cover the pan and cook for about 10-15 mins.
4. Cook until you moong is soft. Uncover the pan, and heat on high heat to evaporate the water.
5. Add the diced tomato and cook uncovered to keep the lentils dry. 
6. Add lemon juice to give it a nice tang.
7. Top it off with chopped cilantro before eating! 

Warm moong lentil is great to eat, but cool is also not bad at all. Its really tasty just like this...you can also eat with rice. Yum!

Dum Aaloo (Whole Potatoes)

I have made dum aaloo (whole potatoes in gravy) before, but I wanted to see if I can make it again in a different way this time. So I hunted for recipe online and found a good one by Tarla Dalaal. It required a lot of spices!! I don't think I have ever made anything like this before. It was exciting for me to try this recipe out - and it turned out quite well. This is the first time I felt that something tasted like it would in an Indian restaurant!!

There were also a lot of dry whole spices (which I had hardly ever used in curry! I use the powdered one)

Ingredients:
(For 4 servings - some of the spices shown)

1. 14 Small baby potatoes
2. 3 tbsp oil
3. 2 medium onions
4. 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
5. 1/2 tsp crushed ginger
6. 2-3 green chilli (hotness is on you!)
7. 1 tsp cumin seeds
8. few cloves
9. 2-3 small pieces of cinnamon
10. 1/2 tsp anise seeds
11. 1/2 tsp black peppercorn
12. 2-3 tbsp cashews
13. Salt, pepper to taste
14. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
15. 1 can tomato puree
16. 2 tsp sour cream (I don't usually use cream - but that is what was in the original recipe)
17. 1/2 tsp sugar

The gravy turned out to be quite a lot - so I have frozen half of it.

Process:

1. Wash the potatoes and poke some holes using a fork. Soak in salted water for 20-30 mins.
2. While they are soaking you can make the curry.
3. Cut the onion into small or medium pieces. Add all the ingredients through and blend them in the blender.
4. Add 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the blended mixture to the pan and fry until the oil separates out.
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
6. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 15 mins or to make a nice curry. 
7. Add the 1/2 tsp sugar. 
8. Add the 2 tsp sour cream and mix the gravy.  
   
   
   
9. Remove the potatoes and dry them. I broiled the potatoes for 10 mins or so, but the skin was becoming a little burned, so I took them out and fried them in hot oil. To make it easy for people to eat, I took a knife and made some shallow cuts on the skin so it could be cut with a spoon without the potato flying out of the curry.
10. Add the potatoes to the curry and cook for a few minutes (or not...because everything is cooked). 
    
11. Top it off with the cilantro garnish and serve hot.

I served it with naan and rice.  The taste of the dum aaloo was quite amazing! I am going to try this out with vegetable kofta or paneer, especially since I have half the gravy in the freezer!

Cauliflower (rasaydaar - with water)

The most common way of making cauliflower is as a dry vegetable serving, which has no water or gravy.  This one described below, has water in it so it provides for a just a different way to cook the cauliflower.  This recipe does require a little time as there is some frying involved, but the result is the tastiest vegetable of all!

Ingredients (this serves about 5 people)

1. One small head cauliflower 
2. One large potato
3. Small piece of ginger or ginger paste
4. One large tomato diced (optional)
5. Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped to small pieces
6. One third or half cup oil
7. Half tsp cumin seeds
8. One tsp coriander powder
9. 3/4 tsp garam masala
10. Half tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
11. One tsp amchur (dry mango powder) or 1 tsp lemon juice
12. Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. Cut the cauliflower into medium pieces (don't make it too small or leave too large)
2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1cm wedges.
3. Wash the potatoes and cauliflower with water and drain the water.
4. Take a large pan and pour about 1/5 th cup of oil. Heat the oil and when it is hot, add the potatoes and fry them until they are reddish in color. (Note: the oil can be more - it will just make the vegetable more rich!)
5. Remove the potatoes and keep them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
6. In the same pan, add one fourth cup of oil and add the cauliflower. Fry these until they are reddish. Try not to overcook them. They should retain their shape and be firm.
7. Remove the cauliflower and keep on a paper towel to remove excess oil. 
8. Note: you can fry the cauliflower and pototoes together, but potatoes fry faster than cauliflower so you have to remove them individually (which is what I do and save myself some time)
9. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of oil; add half tsp of cumin seeds; 1 tsp of coriander powder and let it get brown.
10. Ones the spices are brown, add the ginger pieces or paste and fry it to give a little brown color. (If you want you can also add small pieces of green peppers if you can handle the hotness!)
11. Add about 3 cups of water, add the cauliflower and pototoes to the pan.
12. Add salt and red chilli to your taste, add the turmeric powder and garam masala.
13. Add the diced tomatoes at this time if you want to. This gives a nice red color to the vegetable in addition to the taste.
14. Boil the mix for about 10 mins. The cauliflower is already cooked when frying, so you should not need to boil for too long. Add more water if needed - as much as you want.
15. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the amchur powder or lemon juice. 
16. When ready to serve: make sure it is hot (although cool is yummy too!), and add the chopped cilantro to garnish.

The vegetable is best enjoyed with paranthas!! And of course you can keep in the fridge and enjoy for 2-3 more days, if you have any left over! 

Cabbage and Peas

Another nice vegetable which if cooked right can be really tasty and flavorful. The nice thing about cabbage is that other vegetables can be added in small quantities to give it more taste, flavor or color.  I add some peas, small pieces of potatoes or grated carrots.  Top it off with cilantro and it tastes awesome!!

Ingredients (serves 4)

1. One small cabbage
2. One third cup of peas, small pieces of potato or/and grated carrots
3. Few sprigs of cilantro chopped in small pieces
4. 2-3 tsp of oil
5. Half tsp cumin seeds
6. Half tsp of turmeric powder (haldi)
7. Salt and red pepper to taste
8. Half tsp garam masala

Process

1. Cut the cabbage in nice long strands (for a good appearance)
2. Wash the cabbage and drain the water.
3. In a large wok add 2-3 tsp of oil; add the cumin until it is brown.
4. Add the cabbage to the cumin in the wok.
5. Add the salt, pepper and turmeric powder.
6. Add the peas or potatoes or carrots at this point.
7. Mix everything and cook on low heat. I try to cook it without any water, the cabbage has enough water in it to cook, but if you want you can add little water as the cabbage is getting cooked.
8. Stir occasionally until the cabbage is to your suitable tender level - some people like it very soft, I like it little firm and brown. It is still cooked but has a different flavor.
9. Once done, garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve.

I enjoy the cabbage as it is (like a snack) or with yogurt, or with rice or parantha.

Vegetable Lasagna

This is not an Indian dish, but it one of my favorites of the Italian dishes. Of course I make the vegetarian kind.  I have never tried the white lasagna - one day.....

Ingredients

1. 8 lasagna noodles
2. 2 cups pasta sauce
3. 1/2 or more onion diced
4. 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic (I bought the chopped-bottled one)
5. 2-3 cups of mixed vegetables (I had bell peppers, carrots, broccoli and spinach)
6. 1 cup ricotta cheese
7. 1 egg
8. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
9. 2 cups mozzarella cheese
10. 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Process

1. Break the lasagna into half pieces - I made my lasagna in a medium size pan so I wanted to make sure it fit in that pan.  Boil to cook the lasagna in boiling water. When cooked, wash with cold water.
2. Cut all the vegetables in small pieces and steam them.
3. Dice the onion.
4. In a frying pan pour the oil, add the garlic and onion. Saute them until slightly brown.
5. Add the steamed vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the pasta sauce and let cook for 5-10 mins. (Add salt and pepper if you want)
7. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and 1 egg. Mix it well.
8. In a 9x9 inch baking dish pour a little bit of the sauce/vegetable mixture.
9. Spread one at a time, each lasagna noodle at the bottom of the pan.
10. Add half the ricotta mixture and spread it on the noodles. (Add mozzarella cheese if wanted - I did not - too much fat!)
11. Spread half of the remaining sauce/vegetable mixture on the ricotta cheese.
12. Repeat again with noodles, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese spreads.
13. Top it off with the mozzarella cheese.
14. I also sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top of the mozzarella.
15. Bake the lasagna for 40 mins at 375oC in the oven.
16. Take it out and let it cool.
17. Enjoy!!!

Chilli Paneer - Sapna's style

My take on chilli paneer (cheese) is a little different. I don't like all the water that is given out during the cooking of the peppers.  It just makes everything too wet for me. I tried this new recipe to give a new twist: there is no water in the end; the peppers retain their shape AND....I added a new flavor!!

I enjoy this as a snack or with rice...tasty in both cases! And best of all - it is so colorful!

Ingredients

1. 6 medium bell peppers - all colors (I am showing only the red ones in the pictures below - but I have made this using red, yellow and green bell peppers - see picture above). 6 medium peppers makes for about 4-5 servings.
2. 2 medium onions - the red ones give a great color to your dish. (I am showing yellow in this one).
3. Paneer - as much as you like; one cup cubes is what I used. (I buy the pre-made paneer/cheese from the Indian store).
4. 2 tbsp Tandoor masala.
5. 1 tbsp ginger paste.
6. 1 tbsp garlic paste.
7. 1 tbsp chilli paste or 3-4 green chilli peppers (optional).
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. 2-3 tbsp olive oil.

Process

1. Wash and cut the peppers in large 2 inch pieces.
2. Cut the onions into large 2 inch pieces.
3. Cut the paneer into small 1 inch cubes.
4. Place all the above in a large bowl; add the oil and Tandoor masala. Mix and let sit for 10 mins or so.  
5. Broil the entire mixture on high for 10-15 mins or until peppers are tender. You may need to stir the mixture under the broil so it does not burn.
6. After its all done - take it out from the broil. (Enjoy the smell!!)
7. In a large pan, add a little oil and fry the garlic paste, ginger paste and chilli peppers. 
8. Once a little brown, add all the peppers/onions/paneer mixture.  Add salt and pepper and stir for about 5 mins or so or until you are satisfied with the look and softness of the peppers/onions.
9. Enjoy it warm!! I also freeze this to enjoy at a later time (I usually end up making soooo much of it!)

Okra

This is a simple and tasty dish. It does not need a lot of spices and as any okra goes, it is high in fiber. I will post another way to cook okra later...its with onions and equally tasty!

Ingredients:

1. Okra - whatever quantity you get is fine, just add the required spices accordingly. The spices below are for about 1 lb (this serves about 4 people)
2. Salt and red pepper - to taste
3. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
4. 1 tsp ground dried fennel seeds (saunf)
5. 1/2 tsp tumeric powder

Process:

1. Wash and cut bhindi - lengthwise or round - as you wish to eat. (do not wash okra after cutting it)
2. Add 1 tsp oil to frying pan and when hot, add the cumin seeds.
3. Add the okra to the pan.
4. Add salt, red chilli and haldi and mix.  Cover and cook on low to medium heat.
5. Stir occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom.  It cooks very fast, within 10-15 mins.
6. When almost cooked (check with a spoon - the okra should cut easily), add half tsp of ground fennel (saunf) powder. Mix well.
7. Stir the okra in the uncovered pan on high heat to give it a nice roasted flavor. This will also remove any of the slippery texture.  Add little more oil at this step and stir a bit more if you want a roasted and fried type okra.

I eat the okra with parantha (a type of chapathi or naan). You can eat it as a side vegetable with any lentil soup, or with rice.

Gaajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa)

Be ready for a little hard work if you want to do this right.

Gaajar ka halwa is one of my favorite deserts! If not made properly, this dish can taste like sweetened boiled carrots. But if made with little effort (and love) this can be a very tasty and flavorful desert. Some measurements I have given here are approximates because it depends on your taste especially the sweetness.  Although I believe if you are making a desert then make it sweet - don't make it such that it seems like a desert but its not really sweet.....

One word of warning - since I find this desert a little labor intensive I make it in large quantity and freeze half of it for later.

Ingredients

1. 5 lbs carrots
2. 4-5 cups of milk (1% or 2%)
3. One 8-10 oz can condensed milk (sweetened/low fat is what I used) or 1/2 cup Khoya or 1/2 cup powder milk
4. One and half cup sugar
5. Half cup or more ghee
6. Raisins, cashews to garnish

Process

1. Wash and grate the carrots. (I love my food processor for this reason!)
2. Add the carrots to a large stir frying pan and start heating. Add the milk.
3. Cook the carrots in the milk. This requires constant stirring otherwise the milk might stick to the bottom of the pan. I love my non stick pan for that reason, no sticking at this step!
4. Keep stirring and cooking until almost all the water has evaporated.  The picture shows that the milk is still not yet evaporated. See the bubbles?
5. Once the carrots start looking a little dry, add the condensed milk (or khoya, or powder milk), which melts in the carrots to make them watery again. Keep stirring and evaporating the water.
6. Add the sugar at this point. Again, sugar will release water, so keep stirring.
7. I start adding the ghee a little bit at a time at this point. 
8. Keep stirring and adding ghee until nice and thick consistency. Taste at this point to make sure the sugar is at your "bliss point".  
9. Keep stirring (bhuno) the halwa; it will turn reddish as it is getting done. At one point the aroma of the halwa will tell you the halwa is ready. 
10. Add the garnishes now and stir in to mix.

The nice thing about this halwa is that since its cooked well it lasts a while, it can be eaten cold or warm (I prefer hot). The more ghee you add in the last steps the richer it becomes and the better it looks. But just adding ghee without the stirring (bhuning) is not going to give flavor.

It is not advisable to overcook it as the halwa becomes hard to eat.

It took me about 3 hrs to make halwa of 5 lbs carrots :-)

Hummus

This is the easiest dip to make! It can be eaten with literally anything - vegetables, crackers, pita bread etc....My recipe is more taste based than measurement based - and so one can change and make it their own based on what kind of taste they prefer.

Ingredients

1. One 16 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2. 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
3. 2-3 tsp tahini (this gives flavor - but also the calories, so it can be skipped if trying to keep a low fat diet)
4. 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
5. salt and pepper to taste

Process

1. Add everything to the food processor and press "ON" :-) 
2. Add olive oil or little water to get the right consistency and grind to a pasty consistency. 
3. I taste it at this point to see see if I need more lemon juice or salt (or garlic).
4. Garnish with olive oil and little red pepper when serving to guests....
5. Enjoy!

Here is a link from "Shape" magazine to other variations of hummus. Click this link.

Potato Stuffed Capsicum

This is a simply a tasty and flavorful way to eat capsicum - green bell pepper. Capsicums have a very strong flavor and stuffing them with potatoes only makes them better. They can be eaten as a snack as is or with parantha.

Ingredients

1. 2 medium potatoes
2. 4 small size green bell peppers
3. 1 green chili (optional)
4. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5. 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
6. 1/2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
7. Salt and pepper to taste

Process

1. Boil the potatoes (I do this in pressure cooker - you can do this in the microwave too)
2. Peel and mash the potatoes
3. In a frying pan, pour 2-3 tbsp of oil and heat it.
4. When hot - add cumin seeds, coriander powder and red chili.
5. Let it brown a bit. Add green chili to fry it little bit.
6. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
7. Add the salt and stir to mix. 
8. Keep stirring and roasting for 10 mins or so.
9. Add the amchur powder and mix well. (It is a good idea to taste the potatoes here to make sure the spices are to the right taste) 
10. Wash the capsicums and cut them in half. Remove the stem. The seeds inside can be removed or not - its up to your taste. 
11. Stuff the capsicum with as much potatoes as you can.
12. Heat a 8 or 11" flat frying pan. Spray with oil or pour a little oil to just cover the base of the pan.
13. Place the capsicums (not the potato side)  on the frying pan. 
14. Cover the pan with the lid and cook until lightly brown.
15. Flip the pepper to the other side and turn off the heat. The potato side will now be slightly roasted in the remaining heat.
16. Flip the peppers open side up to serve.