What do you do with all the left over turkey after your Thanksgiving dinner?

Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday. I have a huge spread with a mix of both Indian and American dishes. I cook almost all of them, except turkey and a couple others. The kitchen is filled with the aroma of mulled cider, cookies, the masalas and of course, the turkey. It is always hard to stay away from constantly tasting them; so by the time we sit at the table for dinner I am already in a state of food intoxication. But, I don't give up that easily. I just continue eating.

So, after all the turkey one has had at the dinner table and then a couple more turkey sandwiches, what do you do if more of the turkey is still left over? Here's a recipe that will tranfer you to a whole new world. Try it from Vidya's Kitchen.

Cauliflower and green pepper in exotic spices

I prepared this dish for lunch and it tasted so good; I decided to re-post the recipe.

I recently read that cauliflower is one of those cruciferous vegetables that helps in flushing out the toxins from the body just like broccoli. I had dismissed cauliflower as one of those starchy vegetables that we can do without. Now I use it quite often.

If you can afford organic cauliflower, use them for this recipe. The organic ones are smaller in size but taste better.

1 cup, cauliflower florets

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium-sized red onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. ginger-garlic diced and mashed
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. garam masala powder
2 Tbssp. chopped coriander
2 Tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

Steam cook cauliflower with 1 tsp. of turmeric powder for 8 minutes. Remove from stove and drain excess water.

Take a pan. Add a Tbsp. of oil. Sputter the cumin seeds first, add the onions and chillies. Sauté for a couple

minutes.

Add the 2nd Tbsp. of oil, green chillies and garlic-ginger paste. Mix, then add the green pepper and half-cooked cauliflower. Sauté all the vegetables until the cauliflower browns a little.

Finally add the tomatoes, cayenne pepper, garam masala and salt to taste. Add half the chopped coriander. Cook for about 10 minutes. Garnish with the remaining coriander. Serve warm.

Serve with plain basmati rice or Indian breads.

To the Indian palette bland food is uninteresting. With a little kick and a twist, an ordinary appetizer can be turned to something fantastic.

Here is a quick and tasty peanut appetizer for your next party. There are several ways to prepare spicy peanuts, here's just one of them. Peanuts don't have to be consumed with any kind of spice but serving plain peanuts at a party is like having peanuts in a sports bar while watching a game. That's a different mood for a different time. Spiced peanuts at a party can be served as one of many appetizers. A decorative platter with a heap of spiced peanuts add color and taste without much effort. Try it from Vidya Swamy's kitchen.

Bisibela Baath - a specialty from the state of Karnataka, India

This is one of my favorite southern Indian dishes, and the best part is I am making it for lunch today. Even though it may not look it, it's an exotic blend of flavorful spices and tastes great. You can try it too from vidyaswamy's kitchen.