Easy Pesto Pasta

I LOVE Pesto pasta.  In fact, I love all pasta, but I make the pesto kind when I'm tired of plain old pasta with tomato sauce.  It's easy and takes very little time because all you have to do is blend!



Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts

1 cup basil (one small package)

1/2 bag of fresh spinach

1/3 package tofu

salt and pepper to taste



Blend all ingredients, toss with pasta and enjoy!

Mysore Tomato Saaru (Rasam)

Tomato saaru, as it is known in Mysore, the part of India where my parents come from, is a light, spicy soup that is traditionally eaten with rice.  In other parts of India it is called rasam, and can also be treated like a hot drink.  I grew up eating this almost every day of my childhood, and it is still my comfort food! Best of all, it can be made in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal
1 tomato
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp rasam powder (found in your local Indian store)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafetida (heeng)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste (I add about 1 tsp)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1.  Cook toor dal, along with 6-7 cups of water, turmeric, salt, and 1 tbsp oil in a pot or pressure cooker until almost fully cooked.
2.  Chop the tomato and add to the dal.
3. Cook on medium high heat until at a slow roling boil.
4.  Add tamarind concentrate and rasam powder.
5.  Cook another 5 minutes, until the tomato is cooked.
6.  In a separate small saucepan, heat the remaining oil and add mustard and cumin seeds as well as the asafetida.
7.  When the mustard seeds start to pop and the cumin sizzles, remove from heat and add to the liquid.
8.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice and ghee.

Roasted Beet Salad With Goat Cheese

This salad is so good it can be a meal itself! And if I'm saying that, it's really something- because with my 'healthy' appetite, salad is usually a precursor to a bigger main course. But I find myself satisfied with just this salad, and perhaps a piece of good bread. Great for a weekday meal because it's so quick!

Ingredients:

1 bag pre-washed Mixed Greens
3-4 medium beets
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans
1 small can mandarin oranges (optional)
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Any kind of balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Peel and chop the beets into wedges.
3. Arrange on a baking sheet or baking pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
4. Roast the beets in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
5. Test with a fork- you should easily be able to stick a fork into them and they should be browned on the outside but still tender on the inside.
6. Toss beets with mixed greens, nuts, and crumbled goat cheese.
7. Arrange mandarin orange slices on top (optional)
8. Add dressing as desired.

Enjoy!

Total prep time: 20 minutes

Garlic Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

This recipe is a variation of "Green Beans Amandine". With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I'd post some veg-friendly side dishes for any upcoming family gatherings. This is also really quick and easy to prepare, which makes it perfect for a side for your weeknight dinner. I usually serve it as a side to pasta.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (I like to get the packaged kind which is already trimmed, as it's a huge time saver!)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
half a fresh lemon
2 tbsp slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Turn on the skillet to medium high.
2. Once the skillet is hot, add the slivered almonds and toast lightly until golden.
3. Remove the almonds from the skillet and place to the side.
4. Add olive oil to the skillet.
5. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the skillet.
6. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the green beans.
7. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add 1/4 cup of water to the green beans and cover for 5 minutes to allow green beans to cook down slightly.
9. Uncover and season with salt and pepper.
10. Once green beans are cooked (should be tender but still firm- if they are crunchy they are not yet done)
11. Add in toasted almonds, add a few squirts of lemon juice, and serve!

Toddler friendly option: Overcook the beans until they are no longer firm, and leave out the almonds!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Serves 3

The Well-stocked Pantry

So this is not a recipe per se, but I often get asked how I manage to make meals every day without having to repeatedly go to the grocery store for specialized ingredients. The secret is not necessarily having amazing culinary abilities, but rather, having a well-stocked pantry and fridge with diverse ingredients that will enable you to whip up a meal at very short notice. Here is a list of things I like to have on hand:

Staples:
Dried brown lentils
Toor dal (split pigeon peas)
Moong Daal (split mung beans)
Brown rice
Basmati rice
Corn meal
Chapati flour
All-purpose flour
Walnuts
Almonds
Raisins
Potatoes

Canned, Bottled and Jarred goods:
Canned whole tomatoes
Canned beans (different kinds- black beans, kidney beans, canellini beans)
Salsa
Pasta Sauce
Whole wheat pasta
Regular pasta
Soy sauce
Canned Coconut milk
Thai Curry paste (red or green)
Canola oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Honey

Spices, Herbs, etc:
Onions
Garlic
Ginger (fresh if you use it regularly, powdered or paste if only occasionally)
Cumin
Red chili powder
Turmeric
Asafetida (Heeng)
Garam Masala
Rasam powder
Mustard seeds
Whole dried red chilis
Dried Oregano
Dried Rosemary
Sesame seeds
Salt
Black Pepper
Sugar
Whole and ground cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Saffron

Weekly Grocery items:
Plain Yogurt
Cheese (Shredded or block)
Eggs
Frozen Broccoli
Frozen Spinach
Frozen Corn
Other Frozen veggies (Note: I do buy fresh veggies often, but in order to use them up, it really requires meal planning. If you're not very good at planning meals, then frozen work just as well and last much longer)

So I know this sounds like a lot of stuff, but if you're just getting started at maintaining a well-stocked pantry, it really isn't. You'll find that many of these ingredients can stay good for years and last you just that long, particularly if you buy in bulk. I just replaced my red chili stash after 2 years and it was just $5 or so up front!

You'll find that simply having these items on hand will save you from a last-minute trip to the grocery store more than once- saving both time, and money!