Since the majority of my recipes on my blog are photographed on the weekend, I already had a post planned for today. But when I picked this homegrown bounty on Saturday morning I changed my mind. We are blessed with so much amazing produce at the moment that each meal has turned into a celebration of the harvest. The eggplants are doing really well and I think I am going to have lots of them this year. In honor of this beautiful veg, I’m sharing with you a soul food recipe that we really adore.
Vegetarian
Grilled Okra
Okra is a summertime culinary pleasure and grilling turns into something super special and irresistible. It takes away all the sliminess and adds a delicious toasty flavor. Tossed with salt, pepper, and sumac okra makes a perfect finger food or a hearty side with meat instead of French fries.
This is what I making these days with my home grown okra because it is the best!
Wadi wali Lauki/ Bottlegourd cooked with Sundried lentil cakes
Bottle gourd is highly appreciated vegetables in Indian cuisine though it is not very familiar to the western world (yet!) as an edible. It is rich in minerals and high in water therefore considered extremely light on the digestive system. It is used in stir fries, curries, with lentils, in desserts, soups and a lot more. This is a super simple and homey dish, but the flavors are tremendous. We Punjabis particularly love to add wadis in it. They add a lot of flavor and make the dish enjoyably spicy.
Vegan Black Bean Burger with Mango Salsa
We eat a lot of beans but I’ve often resisted making “bean burgers”. It’s not that I don’t like them, It’s just that, most bean burgers have the texture of mush which I do not find appealing at all. A while ago I tried the bean burger recipe from the Food lab of Serious Eats. It was a win at first try! The tips given in the post gave a perfect burger that was not mushy at all. My family loved it and after that I tried it with different combination and spices. These burgers have a firm crust on the outside and still moist on the inside. They don’t fall apart when cooked and don’t squish out the back of the bun when you bite down. What more do you want? With the right ingredients, a little time, and the technique of dehydrating the cooked black beans, I perfected my recipe for vegan black bean burgers.
Sprouted Red Lentil, Quinoa Nourish Bowl
Sunshine and warmer days have returned which means less time in the kitchen and more time outside having fun with family and friends. Though I love spending time in the kitchen, I also don’t want to miss out on the sun and fun by staying indoors or spend money eating out. The only way to do this is to have simpler meals that come together fast. This Sprouted red lentil, quinoa nourish bowl meets all the requirements for a simple healthy meal. It has got protein powered lentil, whole grain, lemony kale, crunchy raw vegetables, and a herby mint chutney. It is bright, satisfying, incredibly nourishing, and super easy to make.
Pithaud with Chaunke Matar / Gram flour Cakes with Masala Peas
I have more than a dozen gluten-free flours stored in my fridge and pantry, but the bag of besan (gram flour) is the one that needs to be restocked most often. There are many, many ways you can use gram flour in your cooking. Its characteristic nutty flavor gives besan the ability to create tasty, simple dishes that stand on their own with few ingredients. Take this Pithaud recipe for example. It looks simple, right? Well, it is! The delicate golden brown crust and silky smooth interior of pithaud really shines through in this easy dish and is well complemented by simple tomato curry and seasoned sweet green peas. I made this for my friends on Yoga retreat day and they couldn’t stop talking about how good it was.
Tomato curry in a Hurry
If you’re a tomato fan, you’ll love this and if you’re not, well…maybe this will inspire you to try because it serves as a base to get imaginative. The beauty of this recipe is that it is really quick, easy and delicious curry to serve with leftover rice and veggies on busy days. To bulk it up you can add in boiled eggs, chickpeas, seared paneer, tofu, soya chunks, potatoes, whatever you fancy. The additions are endless. You can even puree it and have it as a soup.
Enjoy!
Recent Comments