Soak all the paste ingredients for a couple of hours
Grind the paste ingredients to fine paste
Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat
When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds
When mustard seeds start sputtering, add cumin seeds
When cumin seeds start crackling, add curry leaves
Add cauliflower florets, 1/2 tsp salt and sauté for a minute
Cover and cook cauliflower for 3-4 minutes, to desired softness while making sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan… nor it gets too soggy!
Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and mix well
Add the paste, mix well and roast the paste-covered cauliflower florets on low to medium heat to remove the raw ingredient smell and excess moisture… about 3-4 minutes
Slowly add the salted yogurt to the pan. Gently and constantly stir to make sure the paste is thoroughly mixed into the yogurt
Bring the curry to boil and then turn off the heat
Garnish the curry with chopped coriander and serve hot with pongal, poori or paratha!
1 cup split green mung beans (chhilkewali moong dal)
Method:
Put a pan on medium heat and roast millet till light pink / brown in color, about 2-3 minutes
Add rice and split green mung beans to the pan and roast for another 2-3 minutes
Once roasted, take out the grains and beans in a bowl and let them cool completely
Once completely cool, grind them in a mixer / grinder to relatively coarse powder / flour. If you keep it too coarse, it will take longer to cook bhaidku but may give better texture
½ cup chopped carrot (skip to keep the recipe Jain)
½ cup green peas
½ cup corn kernels
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste
1 medium size tomato – chopped
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 kokam (if buttermilk is not sour)
Some coriander leaves
Method:
In a mixing bowl, take 1 cup of bhaidku flour. Add 2 cups of buttermilk and 2 cups of water. Mix well and soak the mixture for 15-20 minutes.
Put a pan on medium heat. Add ghee and when it melts add cumin seeds, ajwain, sesame seeds, hing and sauté for 1 minutes making sure they do not burn
Add curry leaves, chopped green chili, ginger paste and sauté for a minute. Skip adding ginger to keep the recipe Jain.
Add chopped carrots (skip for Jain recipe), capsicum, green peas, and salt. Sauté it and cook vegetables till it becomes slightly soft. If necessary, cover to fully cook the vegetables
Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add chopped tomato and sauté till it becomes soft.
Add the soaked bhaidku flour mixture, kokam and stir continuously till the mixture becomes slightly thickened and starts boiling.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook bhaidku for 15-20 minutes or till it is properly cooked.
Put 3 cups of water to boil… when it starts boiling reduce the heat to low
Add 1 tsp salt (or to taste), 1 tsp ajwain seeds, black pepper powder, ghee and mix well
Slowly add 1 cup bhaidku powder to the boiling water, constantly stirring making sure no lumps are formed
Mix well and cook bhaidku constantly stirring
Once it thickens, cover the pan and turn off the heat
Let it sit for at least 5 minutes and then enjoy hot / warm
If you are using Instant Pot,
take a pan that you can put inside the Instant Pot pan and add water, salt, ajwain seeds, black pepper powder, ghee and mix well. Slowly add 1 cup bhaidku powder to the water, constantly stirring making sure no lumps are formed
Add some water to the Instant Pot pan, put the pan with all the bhaidku ingredients in it, cover the Instant Pot and cook under pressure for 3-4 minutes.
Once cool, open the InstantPot and enjoy the bhaidku hot / warm.
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (medium size)
1 cup green peas
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, grated
1 green chili, finely chopped
2 tbsp peanut or any vegetable oil
1 tsp red chili powder
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground coriander powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp crushed kasuri methi
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Method:
Put a large heavy bottom pan on medium heat
Add 2 tbsp oil
Add chopped garlic, green chili and grated ginger and sauté for a minute
Add chopped onions and sauté for 2 minutes
Add chopped potatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, sauté for a minute and cook covered for 2-3 minutes
Add cauliflower florets, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, remaining 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and mix well and sauté for 2 minutes
Add green peas and mix well
Cook covered for 4-5 minutes till cauliflower is cooked to desired softness, regularly mixing and folding so that the curry does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a couple of tbsp water, only if necessary
In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp tomato paste with 2-3 tbsp water and mix well
Evenly pour the thinned tomato paste on the curried vegetables, gently mix and cook covered on low heat for 2 minutes
Your masala aloo gobi matter is ready! Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with your favorite Indian bread
1 tsp salt or to taste (depending on the salt level in vegetable broth)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Put a heavy bottom pot on medium heat
If using Instant Pot, put it in sauté mode
Add 2 tbsp olive oil
Add chopped garlic and sauté for a minute
Add chopped onion, potato, carrot and 1 tsp salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes
Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, dry mint and sauté for 1 minute
Add vegetable broth, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 10-15 minutes till lentils are fully cooked (regularly stirring to ensure lentils do not stick to the bottom of the pan)
If using Instant Pot, cook in a mode that cooks under pressure for 15 minutes
When done, stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice
Enjoy hot with a hearty rustic bread of your choice!
Alternatively, you can flavor the paratha with the following:
1 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
1 or 2 green chilies – crushed or finely chopped or 1 to 1.5 tsp crushed green chilies
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp rock salt (edible and food grade) (sendha namak) or to taste
2-3 tbsp ghee or oil as required for roasting the paratha
Method:
Making dough
Boil the potato(es) in a steamer or pressure cooker till they are thoroughly cooked and of a mashable consistency
When the potatoes are slightly hot, peel them and mash them in a pan or bowl
To the mash potatoes, add the amaranth flour, flavoring ingredients and kneed thoroughly. The dough should be somewhat firm
Only if necessary, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water in parts and knead to a smooth dough. The addition of water depends on the quality of flour. Make sure you don’t add too much of water.
Allow the dough to come at room temperature as it will be slightly warm due to the addition of the hot mashed potatoes
Rolling and roasting rajgira paratha
Make a small or medium sized ball from the dough. Dust it with amaranth flour
Roll to a small or medium sized paratha. While rolling add some more flour if required
Then gently lift up with a spatula and roast the paratha on medium hot tava
When one side is partly cooked (light pink in color), flip with the help of spatula. Use a non-stick pan or well seasoned pan as the paratha might stick
Apply ghee or oil on the surface
Flip again carefully using a spatula and apply ghee or oil on this side. All in all, use about 1/2 tsp ghee or oil per paratha
Flip a couple of times till the roti has become evenly golden and roasted evenly.
Similarly, make the rest of the parathas
Serve these rajgira roti hot or warm with curd or any curry such as kadhi, aloo or kaddu sabji
1 cup rice or sorghum millet, washed once and soaked in 2 cups water for 3-4 hours. Being healthier grain, we used millet
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped French beans
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp peanut oil or any other oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp sambal paste
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp soda bicarb
Method:
In an Instant Pot, cook the millet in the same water it is soaked in. Cook under pressure for 25 minutes. If using regular pressure cooker, cook for 4-5 whistles. Sorghum is hard to cook grain!
Once the cooker is depressurized, take out the millet and put aside
Put a wok on high heat and add the oil
Add the chopped onion, garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes
Add chopped French beans, carrots, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp soda bicarb and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes or to desired softness, stirring occasionally
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the millet, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sambal paste and mix well
Cook for a minute and the sambal fried millet is ready!
Add 4-5 popcorn kernels and cover the pot and wait for them to pop
When the kernels have popped, add the rest of the kernels, 1/2 tsp salt and toss them in the oil and then spread them evenly at the bottom of the pot
Put the lid back on and turn the heat off for 20-30 seconds
Turn the heat back on (medium) and as you hear the kernels pop, every once in a while shake the pot so that the un-popped kernels fall to the bottom of the pot and the lighter popped kernels move to the top
When the popcorns have stopped popping, gently remove the lid, add the remaining 2 tbsp chili oil with its spices, 1/2 tsp salt and mix well so that the chili oil and salt gets coated to the popcorns
Remove the popcorns to a wide bowl, let them cool a bit and then enjoy!
Thoroughly wash the red lentil and quinoa until the water runs clear and then soak it in separate bowls for 30 minutes
To a heated pan add the oil, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and fry on medium to medium-high heat until the onion starts to caramelized.
Add the ginger and garlic and fry for another one minutes or until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and dry spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper) and mix it well and add the fresh chopped tomatoes.
Mix it again and add the drained soaked lentils, salt and water. Give it a good stir and cover with a lid and bring it to a boil.
Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 25 minutes or until the lentil is cooked. Uncover and lightly mash the lentils using a potato masher, this will help breakdown the lentils a bit more.
Add the soaked quinoa, sweet potatoes and green beans. Increase the heat to medium and bring it into a simmer. Then cover and cook the quinoa for about 7 minutes (don’t over cook the quinoa since it will continue to cook in the hot pot).
Uncover and turn the heat to medium high and bring it to a vigorous boil. Now whisk it with the spatula for a minute, this will break down the lentils and make the dish creamy. Once the khichdi reaches to your desired consistency, add the broccoli and turn off the heat right away. Make sure not to over cook the broccoli as it will continue to cook even after the stove is turned off. If the khichdi gets too thick, you can thin it out with boiling water. DO NOT add cold water to it!
28 oz San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes or 10-12 tomatoes , finely chopped
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt or to taste
Pizza base
Trader Joe’s pizza crust
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pizza toppings
1 green capsicum sliced
1 red capsicum sliced
1 red onion sliced
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup grated cheese
Other optional ingredients are sliced olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, etc.
Method:
Spicy marinara sauce
In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat
Add 4 cloves thinly sliced garlic and 1 finely chopped onion and sauté till they become translucent, making sure not to burn them
Add tomatoes, stir well, bring to boil and then simmer on low heat for 6-7 minutes stirring regularly
Let the mix cool completely
Blend the mix to smooth sauce
Add the sauce back to the saucepan, add 1 tbsp chili flakes, 1 tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp chili powder and salt. Mix well and turn on the heat to low – medium level
Cook the sauce for 8-10 minutes stirring regularly, till it becomes thick in consistency
Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool.
Pizza base
Brush the pizza crust on both sides with extra virgin olive oil
Pizza
Preheat the oven in bake mode (with convection on) to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Evenly spread the pizza sauce on top side of the crust
Layer the vegetable toppings
Sprinkle salt and oregano
Layer the grated cheese
Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes
Take the pizza out of the oven, let it cool a bit on a cooling rack, move it to a cutting board, cut into pieces and enjoy!
Veggie Foodie 
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