Instant mixed vegetable 'pickle'

The only reason I call it a pickle is because, I use ready made pickle spice for this. You can call it relish/chutney or whatever.
       Growing up my mom always made it and I can not remember why I don't make it that often. It is very easy to make and there is not really a recipe. This is a rough guideline.All vegetables are raw and marinated in lemon juice! How bad can it be?!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cauliflower, raw and cubed (about 1/4 inch piece)
1/4 cup chopped green beans
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup green peas
1/8 cup chopped ginger (optional)
1/8 cup fresh turmeric root (optional)
2-3 green chillies, slit length-wise. (make sure not to cut through)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tb spoon lemon pickle spice (adjust according to taste)
salt to taste

For tampering:
1 tb spoon oil
1 tea spoon mustered seeds
1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon asafoetida

Method:
Mix together all chopped vegetables,ginger,turmeric root,lemon juice, chillies,salt and pickling spice and set aside for at least 8 hours. To make the tempering, heat oil, add mustered seeds,asafoetida and turmeric powder and let this cool completely. Add cooled tempering to pickle and mix everything well. Transfer pickle in a glass jar with air-tight lid. It lasts for about a week in refrigerator.

Note:
If you don't have lemon pickle spice (lonache masala), use mixture of 1 tea spoon fenugreek seed powder,1 tea spoon cayenne pepper powder and 1 tea spoon mustered seeds powder. To make fenugreek powder, sauté 1 tea spoon fenugreek seeds in 1/2 tea spoon oil until they turn brown.Cool to room temperature and grind it with mustered seeds to get fine powder.

Orange marmalade

In all the varieties that are available in jam/jelly/preserves, orange marmalade is 'the one' for me! I don't have any favourites when it comes to store bought one, so making it myself is the only way. It is rather simple to make. Oranges have ton of pectin in them, so no need to buy any.
                  There are many varieties of oranges available in farmers market. Navels being most common of them. Cara-Cara oranges are my favourite. They are sweeter than usual oranges and don't have thick pith. A perfect choice for marmalade.However, if you don't get Cara Cara oranges, make it with regular ones, just adjust the amount of sugar!
                  The marmalade is a bread spread. You won't have a thick jam like consistency when done.

Ingredients:
2 lbs oranges (5 cups when sliced) 

1/2 cup orange zest (use zest of all the oranges)
3 cups water

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tb spoon lemon zest

2 cups sugar (adjust to taste)
small piece of cheesecloth

Method:
Wash the oranges thoroughly. Zest all the oranges. Remove both ends with thick pith (do not throw it away).Remove any pith/skin left on oranges after zesting and slice oranges into about 1/4 inch thick slices, removing seeds as you go. Stack the slices and cut into the quarters. Transfer quartered orange slices,lemon zest and orange zest, lemon juice and water into a heavy bottom stainless steel pan. In a cheesecloth, take half of end parts with thick pith and make a pouch. Throw this in the mixture along with everything else.  Bring the mixture to boil and let it boil for 7-8 minutes stirring in between. Lower the heat to medium, add sugar and keep cooking until the mixture starts to thicken . It will take about 30-35 minutes. Stir every now and then to prevent burning.
           Meanwhile, place couple of spoons in the freezer to taste if the marmalade is ready. Dip 1 cold spoon in to the hot mixture, remove from mixture and let cool for half  a minute. Draw a line with your finger on the spoon. If the mixture sets up in 2 parts and you can see the line clearly, it is ready. If not keep cooking for few more minutes.
            Remove cheesecloth pouch and throw it away.Cool the marmalade down to room temperature. Pour marmalade into clean jars and seal with the lids. It will last for about a month in the refrigerator.

Appe

Mouth watering south Indian delicacy is my favourite. Original recipe is made with just rice and urad dal. However, this recipe came from my mom and contains chana dal too. Addition of spices is totally optional and up to you..

Ingredients:
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1 cup rice
1/2 tea spoon fenugreek seeds
salt to taste
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 tb spoon minced ginger
2 tb spoons chopped cilantro

Method:
Soak together both the dals, rice and fenugreek seeds overnight or at least for 8 hours in 4 cups water. After 8 hours, remove excess water and grind everything in batches to get pourable batter. Keep the batter in a warm place to ferment for another 8 hours. Batter will be double in size.
      Just before making appe, add chili,ginger,cilantro and season with salt. Stir to combine well. You will need 'appe patra' to make these. Heat appe patra with a drop of oil in each hole. Add fermented batter until it reaches half of the sides of the hole. Cover and cook on medium heat. Once cooked, flip appe to get an even golden brown color on both sides.
     Serve with chutney and sambar!

Add chopped onion in batter just before making appe to make it even more tasty!

Vegetable pot pie

Vegetable pot pie is so easy to make and it can be made any day of the week! Choose the vegetables in season and you can make numerous variations of the basic recipe. I love to make a pot pie especially on the days when there are no sufficient vegetables available for the meal. Mix them all and you have a nice hot pot pie!
                     It really is simple to put together. You can make a crust in advance and freeze it for up to about a week. So don't scramble everything at once, just make a vegetable filling,put it in individual pot,cover with pastry and bake for about 25-30 minutes and you are done. A nice green salad on the side is definitely a plus.
                    If you don't have time to make individual pots, make one big pot or even a galette (just  a fancy term for a free form pie). A galette , is a dessert usually made with fruit filling but works just fine with this filling as well!

Galette!

Ingredients:
1 and half cups whole wheat flour
4 tb spoon butter cold,diced into cubes
2 tb thick yoghurt
1 tea spoon baking powder
1/4 tea spoon baking soda
pinch of salt
pepper to taste (optional)
1/4 cup cold water

filling-
1 medium size green bell pepper cut into cubes
2 medium size potatoes cut into cubes
1 onion chopped
1 tb spoon garlic chopped
1/2 medium size carrot cubed
1 small broccoli chopped (roughly the same size as other veggies)
2 tb spoon olive oil
2 tb spoon all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk (whole)
1-2 tb spoon parmigiano reggiano

Method:
To make pastry, add flour,salt,pepper,baking powder,baking soda into food processor and pulse a few times. Add cold butter and pulse until you get crumbly consistency. Add yoghurt and pulse again. Add cold water (1 table spoon at a time) to form a dough. Transfer the dough onto a plate and knead a few times until it comes together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep aside.
             For the filling, heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and onion and sauté until fragrant. Add carrots,bell pepper,broccoli and potato and cook everything for 3-4 minutes or just until everything starts to soften. Sprinkle all purpose flour on vegetables, stir to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk slowly and whisk everything with a whisk until slightly thickened (don't go too far with the thickening else you will end up with paste). Remove from heat ,add parmigiano reggiano cheese and stir to combine. Cool slightly before starting to build pot pie.
           To build a pot pie, put about 1/4 of a vegetable mixture into a small casserole. Divide the pastry in 4 equal size balls. Roll each ball to fit the baking pot,prick it with a fork. Place dough over filling and tuck into the edges of pot. Slit a small hole in the middle of the pot pie to allow steam to escape. Brush the dough with a mixture of 1 tb spoon oil and 1 tb spoon milk to give pie a golden brown colour. Bake in 350 F pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
           To make a galette, divide pastry in 2 equal size balls. Roll each ball to form a circle of about 1/8 inch thickness and prick it with a fork. Place half of the filling in the middle of rolled pastry and fold remaining pastry over filling (as shown in the picture). Do not cover the entire filling with pastry, keep an opening to allow steam to escape. Place galette on a baking tray, brush with oil+milk mixture and bake in 350 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

Biscotti

Holiday season brings out the 'baker' in me. A big reason for that is with so many people visiting, I can bake in big batches and don't have to worry about 1/4 cup and tablespoons measurements (which I normally use when baking for 2).
                     Biscotti is unique in the sense that it is a twice baked cookie. An added advantage is that it is vegan! Once I found this recipe, I just had to try it and am glad that I did.

Thank you for photo Evolving Tastes!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tea spoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tea spoon salt

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

1 tea spoon ground cinnamon

1/2 tea spoon ground cloves

2 tb spoon oil

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup chopped dried fruits and nuts ( cranberry, crystallized ginger,apricots,pecans and walnuts soaked in 1/3 cup orange juice,pinch of salt and 1 tb spoon sugar for at-least 48 hours)

1 tb spoon each orange and lemon zest (optional but tastes so good!)

Method:

Sieve together flour,baking powder,salt,ground cinnamon,ground cloves and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix oil and sugar and stir well until combined. Add apple sauce,orange and lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix well. Add dry mixture and knead lightly until a loose dough comes together. Add fruit and nut mixture along with the juice and knead lightly again to thoroughly combine and form a loose dough. (Do not over-work the dough). Rest the dough for 15 minutes. Pre-heat oven on 350F. Divide dough in 2 equal size balls and form a log of about 1 inch thickness (flour your hands before doing this) out of each ball. Place the logs on oiled baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch.Oven timings may vary from oven to oven ,so  keep an eye while the logs bake. Once they feel firm, remove from oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature to 300F. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch thick pieces using serrated knife. Arrange these pieces in a single layer (cut side down) and bake for 5-6 minutes. Again remove from oven, flip the pieces and bake again for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack and cool to room temperature. This will give a crunchy biscotti , if you want an extra crunch, bake for another 2-3 minutes on each side.

           Store in an air tight container at room temperature. They will last for about a week.

Note: If after adding the fruit and nut mixture along with orange juice dough is dry, add more apple sauce 1 table spoon at a time. In any case, you will not need more than 1/4 cup extra apple sauce.

Chocolate fudge cake

Chocolate is my weak point. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate and especially dark chocolate cake! This delivers on promise. I am not a fan of icing on cake , however this 'fudge' like icing is silky,smooth and not buttery but chocolaty! Perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients:

For cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tea sp baking powder
1/2 tea sp baking soda
1/4 tea sp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate melted with 1 tb sp butter and 1 tb sp water
1 tea sp instant coffee powder diluted in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 tea sp vanilla
1 tb oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar

For icing
1 oz chocolate (unsweetened)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup milk powder
1/4 tea sp vanilla extract
2 tb spoons sugar
1 tb spoon honey


Method:
Sieve together all purpose flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt and keep aside. Whisk together oil,sugar,brown sugar,yogurt and vanilla extract. Add diluted coffee and cooled melted chocolate mixture and whisk everything together. Add half of dry flour mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula. Add remaining mixture and fold again until the flour is just combined. Do not over-mix the batter, else you will end up with a tough cake. Transfer batter into a 6 inch round buttered and floured pan and bake on 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Every oven is different, so you may want to check the cake after 20-22 minutes. Once baked, cool completely before frosting.

           To make frosting, mix together chocolate,milk, and vanilla extract,sugar and melt everything together on a low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add milk powder. Whisk everything together. Add honey at the end ; it ensures that the frosting will glisten! Cool to room temperature.         Coat the entire cake with fudge frosting using knife or spatula. Cut and serve at room temperature.

Chili

Its getting colder and so my appetite for soup/stews has begun to increase. Chili fits the equation perfectly. It usually is non-vegetarian; however can easily be 'veganised'.
          Chili is basically a mixture of vegetables,beans, meats and spices stewed together for a long time. Longer you simmer chili, better it tastes! I would hardly call this as a recipe as this changes from person to person. Feel free to adjust according to your taste with veggies and beans of your choice!

Ingredients:
2 cups kidney beans (soaked overnight in plenty of water)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper,seeded and minced
1/2 carrot, cubed into bite size pieces
1 cup diced bell peppers (use different colours if available, go with green if using only 1 colour )
1 tb spoon canola oil
1 tb spoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes (or use 1 14.5 oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes)
2 cups vegetable stock/water
salt and pepper to taste
2 tb spoon chili powder ( I use McCormick, different brands taste different so use according to taste)

Method:
Cook kidney beans in pressure cooker with plenty of water with just 1 whistle (the rest of the cooking will be completed while its simmering with spices and veggies). Heat a pot on medium high heat and add oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté until translucent.Add carrots,season with salt,pepper and 1 tb spoon chili powder. Add 1/2 cup stock/water and let the mixture come to boil.Add chopped tomatoes,beans (with their cooking liquid) and remaining 1 and 1/2 cups stock/water and again bring mixture to boil. Switch heat to medium, add remaining 1 tb spoon chili powder (add more or less according to taste) ,cover pot with lid and let it simmer for at-least 20 minutes stirring in between.
            Serve with your choice of topping. Some options would be sour cream,cheddar cheese,chopped avocado,chopped cilantro or guacamole! Serve and eat hot.
     
Note: To cook beans, I usually take 2:1 ratio for water to beans. Basically beans should be completely covered in water to cook!