Author Archives: Sala @ Veggie Belly

Orange Mulled Wine

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My sister gave me two gorgeous pouches of mulling spices from England. They’ve been sitting in my pantry all year waiting to be used. I thought serving mulled wine at thanksgiving would be warm and festive.

Ingredients

Red wine – 1 bottle, I used Merlot
Orange juice – 2 cups
Orange zest – 1 tbsp
Water – 1 cup
Mulling spice – 1 bundle, scroll down for recipe
Sugar – 1/2 cup

Heat a large pot on the stove. Pour in all the ingredients except the wine. Bring to a light boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Pour in the wine. Heat on low for another 4 minutes. Don’t let the wine boil. Serve with some orange slices.

Make your own mulling spice

Cinnamon – 2 sticks
Cloves – 10
Nutmeg – 2 pinches
Allspice – 4 berries, optional

Slightly crush the cinnamon using a rolling pin. Mix in the other ingredients. Tie this into a bundle using muslin or cheese cloth. Alternatively, just add the spices to the wine and strain before serving. This will make enough mulling spice to use with 1 bottle of wine.

Thanksgiving Appetizer – Semolina or Rava Cutlets

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Ingredients

Semolina or Farina or Cream of wheat – 1 cup
Milk – 3 cups
Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Green chilli – 1, for less heat, use crushed red pepper
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
American cheese singles – 3 slices, cut into small pieces
Cilantro – 2 tbsp finely chopped
Corn starch – 4 tbsp
Flour – 4 tbsp
Bread crumbs
Vegetable oil – for frying, plus 2 tbsp
Salt

Heat 2 tbsps oil in a large non stick pan. Add the cumin seeds and finely chopped chilli. When the cumin is fragrant, add the chopped onion and sweat till translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute on medium for about 4 minutes.

Slowly add the semolina to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes. Don’t let the semolina brown. Add the milk to the semolina 1/2 cup at a time. Stir well each time and let the semolina thicken. Let the semolina cook in the milk on medium heat.

Depending on the coarseness of your semolina, it should be done in 7 to 15 minutes. Mine was coarse and took 15 minutes. Finer semolina will cook sooner. The end result must be a tight dough like consistency (slightly thicker than polenta). If you can easily stir the semolina it is too loose and needs to cook more and tighten up.

Add the cilantro and cheese in the end and turn off heat. Taste the mixture, add salt accordingly and mix well. Cool the mixture completely. Once cool, refrigerate it for 2 hours (or freeze at this point for later use).

Take some of the mixture and roll it into a ball using your hands. Now flatten the ball slightly to form a cutlet. Repeat with the rest.

In a bowl, mix together the corn starch and flour. Add some water to make a slightly thick batter. Place the bread crumbs on a plate next to the batter. Heat oil for shallow frying.

Dip the cutlets in the flour batter. Place them in the plate with breadcrumbs and coat well. Shallow fry in hot oil till crisp and golden on the outside. Don’t crowd the cutlets in the pan while frying, otherwise they will get soggy.

Drain well on several layers of paper towels. Serve with ketchup.

Pumpkin Pie

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I used this recipe by Martha Stewart and the pumpkin pie turned out great. I made a few changes to Martha’s pumpkin pie recipe – I used store bought frozen pie crust instead of making my own, and I used all spice instead of ground ginger.The pie was soft, cinnamon scented, with just the right amount of sweetness.

I’m having trouble holding on to the pie till thanksgiving; my husband has already eaten a slice and is asking for more!

Thanksgiving Side Dish – Wine and Thyme Mushrooms

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I’ve been making this recipe for years. I absolutely love it! I first saw this on Micheal Chiarello’s ‘Easy Entertaining’ and have been making different versions since. The wine makes all the difference here, so don’t leave it out.

Ingredients

Button Mushrooms – 2 packets
Garlic – 1 tbsp, minced
Fresh Thyme – 4 sprigs
White Wine – couple of splashes
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large flat non stick pan. Arrange the mushrooms in the pan, cap side down. Cook on medium-high till the mushrooms caps are golden, about 5 minutes. Don’t move the mushrooms around; if you do they wont caramelize.

When the mushroom caps are golden add the garlic and thyme. Toss and let it cook 30 seconds. Then add the wine and cook on high till the wine evaporates. Turn off heat and add salt and pepper.

Minty Veggie Kebabs with Creamy Cucumber Raita and How YOU can help me plan Thanksgiving

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This started out as a home made veggie burger. I was originally going to use mashed potatoes, morningstar crumbles, olives, water chestnuts, and parsley. But then my recipe changed its course, as my recipes often do. The potatoes and morningstar veggie crumbles got a big dose of fresh chopped mint, cumin, ginger, garlic and some liquid smoke for that just-off-the-grill kebab taste. The kebabs were great with the creamy raita.

This recipe is now a contender for my Thanksgiving menu. But I have so many ideas I cant decide what to make for Thanksgiving! So I want YOU to tell me what to put on this years thanksgiving table. Scroll to the bottom of this post for details!

Ingredients for Kebabs

Baking potato – 1
Morningstar Veggie Crumbles – 1/2 cup (or re hydrated TVP)
Red bell pepper – 1 pepper
Sweet corn – 1/2 can
Onion – 1
Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Paprika – 1 tsp. For more heat use chili powder or chopped fresh green chilies.
Liquid smoke – 1 tbsp
Mint – 10 sprigs
Egg – 1
Salt – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Bamboo Skewers – 8

Pre heat oven to 400. Finely chop the red bell peppers, onion and mint. Wrap the potato tightly in a paper towel and microwave on high for 6-7 minutes. If using TVP, rehydrate it in boiling water or stock. Soak the skewers in hot water for at least 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add cumin. When the cumin is fragrant, about 30 seconds, add chopped onion and saute till lightly brown. Now add the ginger garlic paste. Saute on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin powder, coriander, garam masala and paprika. Saute on medium for 2 minutes. Then add the morningstar crumbles (or TVP), chopped bell pepper and sweet corn (drain well if using canned corn). Cook for 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are sauteing, remove the potato from the microwave. When it is cool enough to handle, peel the skin and cut the potato into cubes. Now turn off the heat from the skillet and let the mixture cool a few minutes. Add the potato, egg, mint, liquid smoke and salt. Mash the potatoes and stir the mixture well.

Take a big handful of the mixture and press it tightly onto a skewer to form a kebab. Place on an oiled cookie sheet. If the kebab mixture is not tight enough at this point, you could add 2 tbsp of bread crumbs or flour.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with creamy cucumber raita and lemon wedges.

Ingredients for Creamy Cucumber Raita

This sauce is in between a Raita and a Tzatziki. ‘Hanging’ low fat yogurt in a cheese cloth is the best way to make it creamy. As a short cut, use Greek yogurt.

Low fat yogurt – 1 32oz container

English cucumber – 1, peeled and chopped
Mint – 8 sprigs, leaves removed and finely chopped
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Paprika – 1/2 tsp

Place a strainer over a bowl. Cover the the strainer with 2 layers of cheese cloth (fold cheese cloth to get 2 layers). Pour the yogurt into the cheese cloth lined strainer. Let some of the liquid from the yogurt strain into the bowl. See picture below.

Then, pick up the sides of the cheese cloth and tie into a bundle. Place the bundle back on the strainer. Place the bowl with strainer and yogurt bundle in the fridge for about 2 hours. All the liquid in the yogurt will drip down to the bowl and you will have a thick, creamy yogurt.

To this yogurt, add the cucumber, mint, paprika and salt. Mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

YOU tell me what to put on the Thanksgiving table!

I have so many recipes in mind for thanksgiving, I cant decide what to make! Help me by choosing from the list below. Select what sounds good to you and click vote! Once you click vote, you can see the current results. Poll closes Tuesday the 25th at 11pm EST.

Chose atleast one dish from each category – appetizer, side, entree, dessert.

I’ll make the dishes that get the most votes and post them on my blog the day before thanksgiving.

Whole wheat Flat bread with Pesto and Beech Mushroom

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I went on a spur of the moment trip to Atlanta last week to see my friend M. In the 21 hours I was there, we managed to have three and a half delicious meals, a couple of drinks, broke M’s phone and got her car towed. Trying to retrieve M’s car from the towing lot at 4am was quite an adventure. The second most memorable part of the trip was the lunch we had at Cafe Intermezzo. For starters, M and I shared a fabulous wild mushroom flat bread. Ever since, Ive been wanting to recreate the dish at home. I used whole wheat flour and some wheat germ in my flat bread. I made a version of this food network recipe by Kathleen Daeleman. I topped it with some beech mushrooms I bought at the Asian store. Also known as Buna Shimeji or Bunapi, these Japanese mushrooms grow on beech trees – hence the name. For a little mushroom, these guys pack a lot of flavor. Baby bellas, white button mushrooms or shitake will all make great substitutes.

Ingredients

For the dough (if you don’t want to make your own, just use store bought pizza dough)

Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cup
Wheat germ – 1-2 tbsp, optional
Active dry yeast – 1 packet (8.75 grams)
Fresh Rosemary or thyme – 2 tsp finely chopped
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Water at room temperature – 1/2 cup
Hot water – 1/4 cup

For topping

Pesto – 4 tbsp
Red bell pepper – 1, cut into thin strips
Beech mushroom – 1 cluster. Substitute with white button, baby bella or shitake mushrooms
Garlic – 2 cloves minced
Salt
Pepper

Place the yeast and sugar in a bowl and add 1/4 cup hot water. Water temperature must be 110 to 115 F. Stir to dissolve. In a few minutes, the water will turn frothy like the picture above. To the yeast, add all remaining dough ingredients except the oil. Knead lightly to form a dough. Brush the dough with olive oil, cover and keep in a warm place for about one hour. I live in a cold climate, so I turn on my space heater to 80 degrees F and place the dough near it. In about an hour the dough would have doubled in size.

Place the dough on a clean work surface and knead it well for about 5 to 7 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Form each half into a long rectangle either using your hands or a rolling pin. Dust some flour on the dough if it is too sticky while rolling. Place the dough rectangles on a cookie sheet.

Pre heat oven to 400. Cut off the base from the beech mushroom cluster and separate the individual mushrooms. If using a different variety of mushroom, slice into pieces.

Spread pesto on the dough rectangles. Then sprinkle minced garlic over the pesto. Arrange the mushrooms and red pepper strips on top. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake flat bread in the oven for 12-15 minutes or untill the bread is lightly golden.

Some Tasty Variations

Try these toppings: caramelized onions, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus or pine nuts.
Sprinkle some cheese over the flat bread and then arrange the vegetables on top of the cheese(mozzarella, parmesan, fontina or brie will be great).
For a dessert flat bread, top with grilled pineapples and chocolate.
For a shortcut, use store bought pizza dough.

Zesty Rosemary Baby Potatoes

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When I saw these beautiful baby potatoes at the market, I decided to bring them home and make roasted potatoes. I always roast them with some garlic, olive oil and either rosemary or thyme. This time I decided to add some lemon zest to kick up the regular roast potatoes. The zest brightens up the dish and pairs surprisingly well with potatoes. As a bonus, you’ll have delicious, lemony smelling fingers :)

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes – about 25 (the ones I used were quite small)
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Rosemary – 1/2 sprig (or thyme 1-2 sprigs)
Garlic – 3 cloves
Salt
Pepper
Lemon – 1

Pre heat oven to 400. Take a rosemary sprig and pull half the leaves from the stalk. Cut each baby potato in half. If your potatoes are larger, quarter them.

In an oven proof dish, combine the potatoes, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of your potatoes. Check the potatoes half way through, stir them with a wooden spoon and return to oven. Check doneness using a fork.

Zest the lemon, taking care not to zest the bitter white part. When potatoes are done, sprinkle the lemon zest over the hot potatoes, stir to combine and serve.

Masala Popcorn for Election Night

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When I was growing up in India, we went to Madras a lot. Like every big city, Madras has great food and spectacular restaurants. But the highlight for me was a street vendor selling masala popcorn. The popcorn machine and cart was (still is) outside the Nilgiris grocery store on Radhakrishnan Road. The popcorn machine constantly gurgled freshly popped corn, yellow from the turmeric and spices. While my mother shopped at Nilgiris, I would buy a dozen bags of Suri’s masala popcorn and pack it into the car. By the time we reached home I would have eaten half my popcorn stash. My tongue would be numb from all that coriander and turmeric, but I relished the salty, spicy goodness so much, I even ate the unpopped kernels. Till this day, I am obsessed about Suris popcorn. Every time I am in Madras, I will buy that wonderful, warm, freshly popped corn that smells of cumin and coriander. I couldn’t think of a better snack than this for election night. I know I’m a week late in posting this, but I was so caught up in election fever, I forgot to publish this post!

There are two ways to make this recipe – in the microwave or on the stove. I used the microwave method, because its quicker and that meant less time away from CNN on election night! But I prefer the stove top method; it is much more flavorful and tastes closer to Suri’s masala popcorn. Here are both methods:

Microwave Method

1 bag unpopped microwave popcorn, I used Orville Redenbacher Simply Salted
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Paprika – 1/8 – 1/4 tsp

With a sharp knife, make a very tiny slit along the side fold of the popcorn bag. See the picture below. The slit must be near the middle of the length of the popcorn bag because this is where all the corn kernels are sitting. Dont make the slit any wider than the tip of your knife. Now, using a butter knife, carefully add all the spices into the popcorn bag through the slit.

Microwave the popcorn according to the instructions. About half way through, quickly shake the bag so that the spices are distributed evenly. Return to the microwave and finish popping. Be extremely cautious when taking the popcorn out of the microwave and while opening it. The slit on the side will be hot and steamy.

Stove Top Method

Popping corn (not the microwaveable kind) – 1/3 cup unpopped
Canola oil – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Paprika – 1/8 – 1/4 tsp
Popcorn Salt

Place a heavy bottomed vessel with a lid on the stove. Heat the oil in the vessel. Add the popping corn and all spices (except salt) to the pot. Turn heat to medium/medium high and put the lid on the pot. When you hear the corn popping, turn down heat just a little. If you need to vent steam, crack the lid open a little.

The paprika will burn easily, so watch the popcorn at all times. When the popcorn is done, sprinkle salt on top while still hot. If you don’t have popcorn salt, make your own by grinding regular salt to a fine powder using a blender.

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