Vegetable soup for the soul

Ingredients:
1/2 cauliflower
6 carrots
2 tomatoes
1 cup peas
1 tbsp black pepper powder
1 tsp butter
Handful of cilantro chopped
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut and wash the vegetables except tomatoes and peas. Cook everything in water along with peas and tomatoes with some salt. Allow it to cool, then grind everything until smooth and strain. Boil further and add butter. Keep stirring until it comes to boil.
Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro. Add pepper to taste.

Mango pepper salad

Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes cut julienne
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red onion
1 cup snap peas
1 bunch of green onions
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 green chilies slit
1 tbsp ginger juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
Handful of pine nuts
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut the vegetables and mangoes into thin strips, add slit green chilies, pine nuts, cilantro, ginger and lime juices, and salt. Toss everything nicely. Serve chilled.

Chia dessert

Ingredients:
2 cups almond, soy or regular milk
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chia seeds

Method:
Add chia seeds and brown sugar to the milk, stir well and let it soak for 24 hours.
Stir once so it does not stick together. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Overnight oats

Ingredients:
1 ladle layer of oats
1tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp almond, soy or plain milk
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp honey
1 banana (or any other desired fruit)
1 tbsp walnuts nicely chopped

Method:
Cover and soak overnight. Eat as breakfast or dinner.

Tomato gotsu

Ingredient;
2 medium size onion
5 tomatoes
4 green chilli
1/2 tsp fennel powder
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp Urdu dhal
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro
6 curry leaves
Pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp cooking oil
Method
Put oil in the pan and add mustard,Urdu dhal and curry leaves then add the onion
and green chilli, and curry leaves sauté for a while when the onion turns transparent put the turmeric and fennel powder sauté for a while then add the diced tomatoes,add salt sauté for a while then put 1/2 cup of water,keep stirring till the water evoke rates.sprinkle enjoy with roti,adai

Coconut jello

Coconut jello ingredients:
1 pack frozen shredded young coconut
2 packs green ALSA gelatin mix (found in Asian stores - read instructions on how to cook on the package)
1 can condensed milk
2 cans nestle cream
1/2 pack of green tapioca (smallest size)
1 pack of pandan leaves 

Method for cooking tapioca:
Boil water with pandan leaves and sugar. When water is at its boiling stage, pour the tapioca and set the heat to medium. Continue to stir so that the tapioca doesn't stick together. When cooked, drain it while running cold water so the tapioca won't stick. Let it cool down for about 5 minutes.

Method for cooking the gelatin:
Boil water with pandan leaves. When water is boiling, pour in the gelatin mix and stir. Keep boiling for 5 minutes and then pour into a flat container so you can easily slice it to squares when it forms.

Putting everything together. Rinse the coconut with water and drain. Mix everything together (condensed milk, nestle cream, tapioca, gelatin, coconut). Serve chilled.

Quinoa adai

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup millet (bajra)
1 cup green mung dal
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup urad dal
5 red chilies
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch piece ginger
1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
A few curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak all the dals for an hour and grind with cumin, red chilies, ginger, cilantro, curry leaves and salt.
Set aside to ferment for and hour before making into pancake-like adais.
Serve hot with tomato chutney.

Ginger chutney

Ingredients:

1 cup cut ginger

1 cup crushed jaggery

1 lemon-sized tamarind

1 tsp fenugreek

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of turmeric powder
11 red chillies

1/4 tsp fennel seeds (somph)

A few curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

Fry red chilies, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds. Once fried add the cut ginger and sauté for a few minutes.

Blend the above mixture along with turmeric, tamarind and jaggery.

Fry mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, then add the blended mixture and salt to taste. Sauté for a few minutes until the water evaporates.
Serve hot as an accompaniment.

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Methi paneer kulcha

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour

1 packet paneer

1 bunch methi (fenugreek) leaves

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp oil

Olive oil spray

Salt to taste

Method:

Make chapati dough with salt and chili powder and set aside.

In a pan, add oil and scramble paneer and methi with red chili powder, jeera powder, and black pepper powder. Sauté until cooked with salt. 

Make round balls of the dough and roll into round, flat chapatis. Fill with paneer and methi mix, fold it in and roll until it looks like a long cigar. Then take one end and roll it into a circular shape and close the other end. Lightly flatten and roll on top to make a small round.

Put on flat pan and spray olive oil on both sides of the chapati. Cook on both sides until golden in color and remove from pan.

Serve with ketchup, chili sauce or by itself.

Thai eggplant curry

Ingredients:
2 Japanese eggplant cubed (can use other kinds)
1 large onion cubed into large pieces
1 green chili slit open
1 tbsp fresh ginger finely chopped
1 tsp red chili flakes
2 tbsp peanut butter (can use peanut, cashew or almond butter)
1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp peanut oil (can use sesame or other kinds of oil)
1 tbsp of sugar
Salt to taste
Handful of cilantro chopped

Method:
Heat up the oil in a wok. Add the diced onions, green chili, ginger, turmeric, red chili flakes and saute until onion turns golden. Add peanut butter paste and soy sauce. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add a little water and the cubed eggplant. Cover and simmer. Stir occasionally. When eggplant is tender add the coconut milk, salt to taste and 1 tbsp sugar, if sweetness is desired. Simmer for 10 minutes until the curry comes together. Garnish with chopped cilantro on top and serve with rice.