Healthy and Delicious Cooking

My daughter, Layla, is a wonderful cook. She bakes her own bread, cooks dinner practically every night, and test her recipes until achieving perfection. For some unfathomable reason, she stresses and frets over making Indian food. This makes no sense, especially considering the fact that it is half her heritage. On returning from India she purchased a good curry paste and curry powder, not knowing which was better. Then she attempted to prepare a curry with her usual fears and trepidations. Layla, this is for you. It is fast and easy, and you need not panic anymore. Both curry paste or powder can be used, and the quality is what counts. I use Bolts Curry Powder and Patel pastes , of which there are many different types. The key to a good curry is to take the time between each step, so that the vegetables can sweat, the spices shed their raw flavor, and the meats simmer on a low flame until soft and succulent. Take it nice and easy and be sure to BREATHE. meat in marinade...

All you guacamole lovers, I am one of you!  Those bright flavors mingling with creamy avocado tastes  rich and decadent, and is actually good for you. It is packed with anti-oxidants and omega-3-fatty acids, boosting our immune system and preventing heart disease and strokes. And that is probably why it is the most over produced dip of our times, and we have gotten into a bit of a rut. Let me offer an Indian twist to this Mexican classic, just for a change. It is spicy and cooling, quick and easy, and still South of the border, just the Indian border. RECIPE Serves 4-6 1 large avocado, cubed Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup coriander, chopped salt 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon garlic minced 1 small onion minced 1 teaspoon curry powder 2-4 green chilies 1/2 red onion. chopped In a bowl, mix the avocado with the lime, coriander and salt. Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. Be sure to cover immediately, and wait until the seeds s...

Holidays are wonderful but they can be bittersweet We share good times, and a bounty of food, with friends and family, and we toast those whose absence weigh heavily. This Thanksgiving my son and daughter-in-law, rightfully, stayed with our family in Rochester, to give thanks and to celebrate Jareds' father-in-law, Tonys', miraculous recovery from adversity. I had to prepare far less food without Jared at the table, and he begged for leftovers to be frozen and shipped. With a house full of kids for the entire weekend, there was barely a crumb left in the cupboard. So much for leftovers! Then much to our surprise, Jared and Sonia came for a week in December, and I planned a Thanksgiving recreation. It didn't happen. The week was packed with events, a continuous stream of family and friends, and then they were gone. But surprises are a plenty, and lo and behold, Jared (sadly without Sonia), returned to welcome in the New Year with his New York family. This time I was deter...

How wonderful to reconnect with old friends, after a long absence, and all because of Cauliflower! I had no idea that this vegetable had such a "cult following", but after I posted a couple of cauliflower blogs, both strangers and friends responded with calls for more. My friend, Bob, from Chicago, was one of those people.A few years had passed since we last spoke. Both of us, along with our partners, Skyped for over an hour, catching up on times gone by. Let that be a lesson to us all. If an embarrassingly long period of time has passed, don't ponder or procrastinate.  Reach out and retrieve your friends. Life happens, time rushes by. It happens to all of us, but it is no excuse for abandoning good friendships. Bob saw a woman at Patel grocery store , with a cart loaded with cauliflower. He surmised that she was going to prepare Alu Gobi, a classic Indian dish of cauliflower and potatoes. I have been making Madhur Jaffreys' version for years, and it remains a fami...

The theme this year was an Indian Thanksgiving (Indian-American, not Native American), and I revamped all the side dishes with an Indian spiced twist. My Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken marinade was doubled for a 12 pound turkey. We seated 14, had 2 main dishes, 7 sides, 3 desserts, and the bar was hopping. I always moan at having made far too much food, and I, actually, forgot to serve one of them. The Creamed Corn with Garam Masala Butter remained on the stove, and, when discovered later that evening, was devoured with spoons, right out of the pot, by the late-nighters. The house rang with youthful laughter and noise, for the rest of the weekend, during which time, all the left-overs were consumed. By Sunday evening, the kids were gone, the house was sadly quiet again, and the fridge was bare. Thanks for the memories. RECIPE Serves 8 4 pounds frozen corn 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons) 2 tablespoons garam masala* salt  to tas...

Many, many moons ago, a young and beautiful couple traveled the oceans from a land of coconut trees,paddy fields, mangoes and tea estates. A land that is braced by the Arabian Sea and studded with backwater canals. Glorious seafood was plentiful, and the Hindu, Muslim and Catholic communities of the region, prepare a variety of delicious dishes. I am a product of that young couple, and originate from Kerala, that lovely state in the South West corner of India. As such, I crave a good fish curry pretty often. In Kerala this fish would probably be wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over a fire, but a simple marinade and a few minutes in the oven can produce similar results.Accompany the creamy sauce with steamed brown rice and a side dish of Roasted Cauliflower. At the risk of repeating myself, it is "Healthy and Delicious". Enjoy! RECIPE Serves 4-6 1 2 lb. whole fish , scaled, gutted (use whatever looks good at the market)* 1 cup cilantro, chopped 2 tablespoo...

I served this with Roast Chicken, but it is a quick and healthy side dish that can accompany a variety of main courses. Both mustard seeds and cumin boost your immune system to ward of  cold and flu, and cumin has, for centuries, been used in India, as a digestive. Simple, delicious and healthy too? Who could ask for anything more? RECIPE (SERVES 4) 1 pound green beans 2 teaspoons canola oil 2 teaspoons mustard seeds 2 teaspoons cumin seeds salt and pepper to taste Trim ends of beans and cut into 2" lengths. Heat the oil in a skillet, and add the mustard seeds. Immediately place a cover on the pan, keeping the heat at a medium flame. You will hear the mustard seeds popping and hitting the top of the lid. The minutes the sound ends lift the lid and add the cumin seed for 20 seconds, stiirring to coat with oil. Now, add the beans, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cover, lower flame and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the beans are done.

I think my husband is addicted to Chicken Curry. It must have begun  in London, where as a wild teenage boy (well before our acquaintance) he had his first taste of Indian food. As a result, I am constantly on a quest for a new recipe. I was getting stuck in a rut with Chilli Chicken (previous blog), and my mothers' Kerala Chicken Curry. Both are delicious and family faves, but the cook was getting bored. Cardamom Chicken Curry is easy to prepare.A marinade and slow cooking over a low flame, produces a rich, fragrant curry to be enjoyed with simple, boiled white rice, (brown for the compulsively health conscious). I served it with a saute of Pumpkin and Potatoes, and a new family favorite was born. RECIPE SERVES 2-4 2 whole chicken legs 1/2 cup yoghurt 1 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 teaspoon turmeric 6 pods of green cardamom, crushed 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 cinnamon  stick 1 medium onion, minced 1 clove garlic minced 1 serrano chili minced  1 inch piece gin...

My mother makes this chicken dish smothered with lots of onions and spices.It is rich and decadent, and has always been  a favorite of mine. While raising my family "Chili Chicken" was constantly requested by my kids. I made the dish with Chicken Wings, and we ate it with a Cabbage tossed with Mustard Seeds, and lots of hot Whole Wheat Breads called Chapatis. Last night my husband, Michael, asked if I could prepare it, and I realized that it was the first time that I was cooking the dish for only 2 people. My mind traveled through time, from dining with my parents and my brother while growing up, to having meals with my children and their father, to the present, where its just the 2 of us at the table. Throughout, this dish continues to delight. Life keeps changing and those around our dining table evolve, but if we share past pleasures we can spread the joy for years and generations to come. Thanks, Mom! RECIPE SERVES 2 2 tablespoons canola oil 6 chicken wings 2 l...