Mushrooms are used in various cuisines as it tends to give a meaty texture to the dish and are generally considered a low-calorie food. Personally, I prefer using portobello mushrooms (great for stuffing or grilling) and button mushrooms (works for cooking, frying or baking). Mushrooms are good in gravies and add its own flavor to the dish.
Bell peppers, also known as sweet pepper/capsicum are produced in different colors with the most common being green, red, yellow and orange. Green peppers are less sweet and work well for frying or baking when compared to other colored peppers (especially with red peppers being the sweetest).
Green peas is one of the frozen veggies that I can't do without..don't ask me why but it so happens that every time I am almost done with one packet, I always have another stashed up somewhere in the freezer. I add them when making pulao/fried rice, gravies, pasta dishes and everything else that I can think of. My affinity towards it began when I delivered my little one and was back home from the hospital, getting pampered by my aunt who was visiting us for a week and she made me some cheesy peas (in a bowl, take some frozen peas, add a slice or 2 of your favorite vegan cheese..although cheddar cheese works best, 1-2 tsp milk of choice, some salt and pepper and microwave until the cheese melts, mix well and enjoy)....yum!! It looked so simple but tasted really good. Peas are starchy but high in fiber and proteins. Fresh peas tend to be sweeter and are served boiled or steamed with some butter, salt and pepper and work as a great side dish.
I like to cook with a lot of veggies and balance out the carbs and proteins being consumed in our daily diet. I am not a fan of rice-based dishes (too bad...my hubby can't do without it), so I try to come up with alternatives and its fun because you get to explore so many different ingredients with infinite possibilities. Certain veggies pair well together and I think mushrooms and peas are a perfect combo with bell peppers adding extra flavor to this dish.
Ingredients:
10 oz whole button mushrooms, each cut into 4
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3 small cinnamon sticks
3-4 cloves
1-2 bay leaves (optional)
1-2 green chillies, cut lengthwise (optional)
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
3/4 - 1 tsp garam masala powder
10-12 almonds + 1 1/2 tbsp roasted split dalia, ground into a paste
1 1/2 tsp kasoori methi, crushed (optional, but highly recommended)
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp oil
Method:
Clean the mushrooms (washing the mushrooms is generally not advisable as it tends to retain more moisture, so wipe it clean with a wet cloth until all the dirt and impurities are gone) and cut each of them into 4 chunks.
In a pan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tsp oil, mushrooms and black pepper powder and fry until they are slightly done. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp oil, diced green bell pepper and black pepper powder, fry until they are slightly done and set aside.
I like to fry the mushrooms and bell pepper separately, so that the flavors don't mix together and tend to stay slightly crisp compared to getting softer when frying them along with other ingredients when preparing the curry.
In a deep pan, on medium high,heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil, add cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds. After it starts to splutter, add onions and green chillies. Allow the onions to fry until slightly translucent. Now, add ginger-garlic paste and fry for few minutes until the raw smell is gone.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook until it gets pulpy. Add chilli powder and garam masala powder and cook until the raw smell is gone. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups water and mix well. Allow it to boil for few minutes.
Grind the almonds and roasted split dalia to a fine paste and set aside.
To the boiling gravy, add the mushrooms, green pepper and peas. Cook for few minutes and then add the ground almond-dalia paste.
Add the crushed kasoori methi and mix well. If you want to add extra tang to your curry, squeeze some fresh lemon juice or add dry mango powder (aka amchur powder).
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rotis.
Makes 3-4 servings.
During my weekly shopping at the asian market, I wanted to pick some good beets, mainly for my daughter to try it out (especially after her Dr. told me about her low haemoglobin level). I don't normally buy beets in a bunch, but decided to do so this time. For a long time, I was debating about whether the beet leaves were edible or not. After googling a bit, I found out that they were perfectly edible and can be cooked like any other greens. Typically, I like adding greens to vegetable bake or mostly in pasta. So, I made spaghetti with beet leaves along with grilled artichokes (from a jar) and red bell pepper. The beet leaves didn't seem to have any sort of distinct flavor but was more like any other greens you would normally cook with. If you are not in the mood for pasta, pick your favorite greens and sauté them in olive oil with chopped/sliced onions, minced garlic, crushed red peppers (adds a little extra heat, optional), salt and black pepper. For an extra crunch, add some crushed roasted peanuts. Either way, more greens to add to your list of veggies :).
Ingredients:
12 oz organic dry whole wheat spaghetti
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
5-6 nos. grilled artichoke halves, roughly chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
2 cups of loosely packed beet leaves, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp tofutti cream cheese (optional)
Salt, to taste
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 - 1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
Method:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add enough salt to the water and cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Typically, I like to start cooking the pasta as I am sauteeing the veggies, so I drain the pasta and directly add them to the veggies. The pasta gets coated well and also stays soft ...the last thing you want is the pasta drying out on you, do ya???
In a large sauté pan, heat evoo, add crushed red pepper, garlic and onions. Sauté until the onions are translucent.
Add beat leaves and cook until it slightly wilts. Now, add the red bell pepper and artichokes and cook for few minutes.
After the veggies get cooked well, add the spaghetti and toss them well with tongs or wooden spatulas. Add italian seasoning, cream cheese and salt and stir to coat the spaghetti and veggies.
Cook for few minutes and add nutritional yeast and toss again. Serve hot.
Makes 3-4 servings.
On second thoughts, I should probably rename it as "no fuss peas curry". Every now and then, my lazy bones start acting up and I have moments when I want to eat something quick, healthy and tasty but don't really want to go through the trouble of chopping any veggies (well, maybe just for garnishing or sometimes, I wind up gently twisting them and pinch some off to use...yep, that's how lazy I get at times...I suppose it has more to do with your mood as well). Anyway, its quick and easy, especially, if you have all the ingredients in your pantry, you can prepare a tasty dish that can be served with rice or any indian bread of your choice.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup french fried onions, crushed
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup diced/crushed tomatoes (I prefer crushed)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/3 cup lukewarm unsweetened original almond milk (mixed with 1 1/4 tsp cornstarch)
1 tsp kasoori methi leaves, crushed
1/2 tbsp oil
Method:
In a deep pan, heat oil. Add fried onions and sauté for 1-2 mins.
Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell is gone. Add crushed tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and fry until the flavors blend well together.
Add water and salt and cook for few minutes. Allow it to boil until the raw smell fades away. Now, add the peas and cook until they are soft but slightly firm.
Add the almond milk and cornstarch mix (a trick I learnt from my aunt who originally uses evaporated milk and cornstarch, so altered it a bit) to get a creamy texture (you can use cashew paste or coconut milk creamer as a substitute) and stir well until it is mixed evenly. Add the crushed kasoori methi leaves and mix again. When it starts to boil, turn the stove off. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.
