Is it because the holidays are over and the doldrums have set in that I have the urge to develop more recipes for you ?  I love summer for the roasted veggies on the grill. But why not use the oven to roast them in winter? So I roasted a mixture of veggies that I've stewed before during other winter months.  The roasting not only deepened the flavors, but kept the okra from becoming (there is no nice way to say this) slimy. You may use hot or mild peppers, seeding them is optional. Great with...
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Having returned from Italy last month, I wanted to concoct a fusion of Punjabi and Italian cuisine. In Punjab, farina is used mainly in a sweet pudding called soojee prashad (the recipe is in my book) But I decided to make something savory using the spinach which we have in abundance from our organic CSA. Most polenta is made with coarse corn meal, but can also be made with farina, which is an Italian word by the way. You could add sliced, cooked sausages to the sauce. I like Morningstar Farm...
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Had a great time teaching three legume recipes on Sunday in Central Jersey. The hostess is a Taoist and vegan who invited 25 friends who wanted to learn more about cooking vegetarian meals. I made the Sweet and Sour Chickpeas, and Red Lentils with Fenugreek and Squash/Pumpkin from my book, along with a brand new recipe for white lentils which I'll share here. The group was amazed at the difference in taste among the recipes and how good they were! But anyone familiar with the range of dishes ...
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The village Punjabi cook doesn’t waste a thing, nor does she use many spices. When I saw a beautiful bunch of beets with bright green leaves and almost neon red stems, I planned to make three dishes—a roasted beet sald with walnuts and goat cheese with the beets, a mixed stir-fry with the leaves and, because I had a container of cooked black lentil thawing on the counter, a mahan dee daal with beet stems. Well, it was fabulous!

Black Lentils with Beet Stems

Yield: 6-8 servings

1 cup whole bl...
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This is the one of (God willing) many opportunities to share my recipes with you. I wish to start off the year with two healthy recipes from my book Menus and Memories from Punjab: Meals to Nourish Body and Soul because they are really hearty -- stick to the ribs, yet low in fat and delicious! Lentils and bread are the base of the Punjabi diet. Punjabis don’t feel they have eaten a meal unless it has bread. This one is so simple, just flour and water -- but wait ‘til you taste them!

Yellow...
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