Category: recipes

Tonight we stayed in and grilled up some salmon for dinner, along with some steamed asparagus and baked potatoes. Our menu seemed a little dull, so I decided to jazz it up a bit with some salsa for the salmon. I imagine this would also taste great on grilled chicken.

Tomato, Basil and Mandarin Orange Salsa
Adjust amounts to taste. I didn’t measure when I made this, so these are approximations.

1 large tomato
1 mandarin orange
10 chopped basil leaves
1 T finely diced onion
1 T white wine vinegar
1/2 t kosher salt

Cut and de-seed the tomato, then dice. Peel the orange. Using a serrated knife, thinly slice off the pith (the white, thread-like stuff attached to the inside of the peel). Then dice, cutting between the sections. Combine the tomato and orange with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes. You can whiz it in a food processor a bit if you don’t want it so chunky. Serve on grilled salmon or chicken. This would also taste good on bruschetta!

We got the coolest Christmas present from Tanuj and Claire—a big basket of all kinds of Indian spices. They’re the pre-mixed kind that come in a box. Monday night I made my basic Channa Masala recipe, but substituted the box spices for my own blend. Yum! This was so easy to make. You could follow the recipe on the back of the box if you want to measure things out in grams or you can follow my basic combination:

Quick & Easy Channa Masala
double if you want to serve as a main course or want leftovers
(Who are we kidding? Of course you want leftovers!)

•one small onion, chopped
•1 1/2 T chana masala spice mix
•one can diced tomatoes
•one can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
•one baking potato, peeled and chopped

Saute the onions in a little olive oil until they start to brown around the edges. Add the spices and stir them for a minute until they smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes, chick peas and potato. Bring to a boil and then turn to low and simmer until potato is tender.

For a really quick meal, microwave the potato first!

We’re busy getting ready for my parents’ visit. The basement is finished! All that is left for us to do before they get here is set up the bed. Last night we cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed the carpet. It’s amazing how easy new bathrooms are to clean! It’s also amazing how you can vacuum a carpet over and over and still find bits of construction stuff. I think we are going to have to vacuum one more time before M can go downstairs and play.

Nancy requested the Curried Lentils and Spinach recipe. This originally came from somewhere on the Internet, but I modified it beyond recognition. I guess it’s fair to call it a Kundhi original now. Teresa, if you liked the Saag at House of India, you are going to LOVE this!

1-1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t cayenne
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced (or more if you like garlic!)
1 lb bag of lentils, picked through and rinsed
1 10-oz pkg chopped spinach, thawed
6 cups of water (or chicken/veggie stock)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

Sauté the onion in a little oil until it starts to get brown around the edges. Add the garlic and sauté another two minutes. Combine with all of the other ingredients except the tomatoes in your crock pot. Cook until lentils are tender. Stir in can of tomatoes and serve with plain yogurt if you like. (I’d like some yogurt, but can’t have it yet. Soon I hope!)

This makes a lot, but freezes really well.

Why do we call them hamburgers when they are made out of beef, not ham? Oh, that’s why. One of the things I’ve been really craving in my beefless state is a hamburger. T and I have planned a few times for me to try beef on a Friday night. That way, if it doesn’t sit well with M, I won’t be home alone all day with a screaming baby. Friday nights come and go and I never seem to have one. I guess once I’m faced with the reality that I can try some beef, I get cold feet. Do I really want this? Is it worth the risk? And what if M is fine? Will I feel silly for eliminating beef from my diet for the past few months? Then I hear the little volcanic sounds her tummy makes in my head and just can’t do it. So, last night I made some turkey burgers.

I’ve never been a fan of turkey burgers, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I used my mom’s burger recipe. (I think it is hers. If not, I have a made up childhood memory of making burgers this way.)

• ground turkey (not ground turkey breast)
• ketchup
• mustard
• dried minced onion
• garlic powder
• worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper

I think the worcestershire sauce was the key to making these taste like regular burgers. Even T said it was hard to tell they were turkey. We grilled them on our indoor grill, and our house smelled a little like a BBQ when we were finished, but it was worth it! We even had fresh slices of ripe tomatoes and a side of fries. I can’t wait to have the leftovers tonight!