A dessert with puffed rice called 'Aval'

This dessert is called Aval Kesari, a no frills, no drills kind of a dessert.

In India, it is made as offering for prayers. Follow the steps in my recipe, start to finish it should take about 20 minutes.

Take a look at the recipe here from Swamyskitchen.com.

Shredded Brussel Sprouts baked with Olive Oil, garlic and Parmesan Reggiano cheese

This is one of the best recipes for making brussel sprouts delicious. Serves as a great side dish to Italian pastas or meat dishes.

Check out the recipe at swamyskitchen.com.

Aloo Mattar Gobi Paneer (Potato Peas Cauliflower cheese) in an exotic, aromatic, mildly spiced red sauce

This is today's side dish for my home-made bread called chappathi, along with raita.

The ingredients consist of organic Indian cheese, one small potato, some cauliflower shreds (2 Tbsps), and half a cup of green peas.

For spices and flavor, you would need cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, cumin seeds, red chilie powder, garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, salt, yogurt, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and of course salt.

You'll find the recipe at swamyskitchen.com. Enjoy!

Mixed vegetables from Swamy's home

Kootu is a Tamil word which means 'add' i.e. vegetable added with lentils which form the dish, made of vegetables and lentils and are semi-solid in consistency, i.e., less aqueous than sambhar, but more so than dry curries. (translation from Wiki.)
This is a tasty preparation with some saambar powder and a fresh mixed of coriander seeds, chana dhal and red chillies, toasted then powdered.

Check out the full recipe at Swamy's Kitchen online.

Give your Thanksgiving leftovers an exciting flavorful make over

I have watched this dish being prepared but of course, never tasted it. It's a routine in many homes year after year, so it's got to be good. 

Since the Thanksgiving  turkey is already cooked, you would just need to add flavor. The recipe below is for about 2 cups of turkey meat.

Ingredients:

• A mix of vegetables such as peppers and spinach will work well
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric^
• 1 tsp. red dry chilli powder^
• 2 tsp. coriander powder^
• 2 tsp. cumin powder^
• 2 tsp. garam masala^
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp. coriander leaves

Method:
Take a wok^ or a flat skillet. Heat the skillet on stove for a few seconds. Add oil. Add the garlic and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes. Now add the turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin powders.

Sauté for a couple minutes. Add tomatoes and the vegetables. Add half cup of water. Cover the wok with a lid. Let everything cook for about 10 more minutes or until the vegetables are done. Add some garam masala.

The entire mix should form a gravy like consistency. Now add your turkey meat. Let it cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt for taste. You may sprinkle some coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or puris.

Warm Pumpkin Soup for cool autumn nights

Pumpkin soups are absolutely satisfying and can replace any other dinner alternatives. There are several variations of this recipe. What I have here is one of the simplest.

Just 8 ingredients in 30 minutes can produce a meal. Check it out on swamyskitchen.com.

Tomato Pickle - South Indian style

Taste this simple, spicy tomato pickle from Swamy's kitchen.

A great spread for sandwiches, tomato rice dishes, or as a tasty condiment for Dosa, Idli, Adai, or Indian breads.

Lentil Flour Burfi for Lord Krishna's birthday

A simple and quick dessert for Krishna's birthday.

Gokulashtami/Krishna Jayanthi was supposed to be yesterday but I could celebrate it only today.

I tried this Lentil flour burfi for the first time. This is only a trial version as I am preparing to make a larger quantity for another occasion.

Results: Although it tastes good, it needed to be less like halwa and more like Mysore pah or maybe somewhere in between. So, I placed the tray inside the refrigerator for an hour. The consistency turned out perfect.

Try this recipe from swamyskitchen.com.

Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola cheese

Beets are definitely not a favorite vegetable of mine. They most often taste like chemicals and I believe their thin layer of skin absorb the smells as well. The best way to get rid of the taste and smell is to use a strong, flavorful ingredient like garlic while roasting in an oven or cooking them over stove.

Test this easy recipe, a flavorful dish of beets with Gorgonzola cheese. Here's a list of some of the nutritional benefits of beets.

1. A natural aphrodisiac used by the Romans.
2. High in Potassium, magnesium, fibre, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine and folic acid.
3. Removes toxins from the body.
4. Good for mind health.
5. Lowers blood pressure.

Tomato rice, flavorful, fluffy and mildly-spiced

This is a vegan dish in which spice and other ingredients may be altered very easily to suit your taste. The proportions I have in my recipe are for a mild to medium-hot palette. If you want just a hint of flavor, cut back the chillie to 1 or completely omit them.

Here's the recipe from swamyskitchen.com.