Every few months I host an Indian potluck with 3 or 4 friends. Everyone prepares a different dish and we have the most delicious feast. We always have lots of basmati rice and my friend Marion taught us how to plate the rice in a cross formation to separate all the curries and sauces from running together. Genius. She also usually brings homemade naan which is yummy and helps soak up all the sauces. It is such a fun dinner party and so many great new recipes are introduced. I highly recommend it with friends who love to cook and experiment.
For one of the potlucks I made Chickpeas in Star Anise and Date Masala recommended by my sister and adapted from a Vij's cookbook. It was a great dish and a fun way to mix it up. Great flavors and a good snack in the fridge for days. I will definitely make this dish again.
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I've been saving some Stokesberry Farms chicken thighs in the freezer waiting for the right excuse to make Vij's Family Chicken Curry. It's really good and makes a ton of food but my kids wouldn't eat it so I save it for when we have guests over. My mother and father-in-law came over for dinner last week so it was a perfect excuse. She is an amazing cook so I'm always intimidated to cook for her, but this curry recipe is fantastic so I could cook with confidence. I served it with basmati rice, Roasted Curried Cauliflower and Chickpeas and Kale.
This is a great menu if you're having guests over. You could even do most of the cooking ahead of time and just reheat before the guests arrive.
A must-try curry dish!
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This summer we took the family for a weekend getaway to Vancouver BC, in part because my husband and I were dying to get back to Vij's. After our meal, we buzzed next door to Vij's sister restaurant, Rangoli, to buy cookbooks and spices. I bought his latest cookbook Vij's at Home which I used for the first time last night. I made Vij's Kitchen Staff Zucchini Soup. It was flavorful and delicious. I will definitely make it again but next time I will serve with basmati rice and curried cauliflower or a chickpea dish from Madhur Jaffrey to really complement the flavors. The soup almost tasted like a green vegetable curry which is why I'd love to serve it over rice. Delicious!
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A new rule I set for myself is that I'm not allowed to make my favorite recipes from "At Home with Madhur Jaffrey" until I try at least five new recipes from the book. Everything has been so good that it's a shame to make the same things week after week. So, I started tonight with two new recipes from her book.
I bought a beautiful piece of salmon from Wilson Fish yesterday at the Ballard farmers market. There are several salmon recipes in the cookbook that sound delicious but the easiest sounding one was the Grilled Masala Salmon. I went with that. My fillet was 1.25lbs so I doubled the spices and used extra lemon juice in the sauce. It turned out delicious - perfectly cooked, perfectly flavored.
I also made her recipe for Carrots with Cilantro using red carrots from the farmers market. Delicious and easy.
We're addicted to rice in my house so I went looking for a recipe for coconut basmati rice. I settled on Bobby Flay's Coconut-Cashew Basmati Rice Salad, although I skipped the cashews and the coconut flakes. It paired perfectly with the salmon and carrots.
I also roasted some broccoli, adding garlic slices toward the end, and finishing with a squeeze of lime juice.
Great recipes to try if the flavors interest you. Time to get Madhur's cookbook if you don't already have it!
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On Thursday night I cooked up a vegan smorgasbord. There was so much food that we called in last minute dinner guests to come join us. We didn't mention that it was a vegan meal, but no one even noticed. Everyone gobbled it up.
These are vegan dishes I've mentioned before, that I now make on a regular basis. I mixed it up the other night by cooking three veggies instead of one, adding my own cauliflower dish into the Madhur Jaffrey mix. Lots of different flavors from nutritious ingredients and spices that all compliment each other so well. You can get zucchini, cauliflower, and cilantro at the farmers market these days. You'll never miss meat or dairy with a vegan smorgasbord like this!
Vegan Smorgasbord
Rice Pilaf with Almonds & Raisins
Pan Grilled Zucchini
Red Lentils with Ginger
Swiss Chard with Ginger & Garlic (I threw in some diced onion too
Roasted Curried Cauliflower (I used half the curry)
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If I haven't already convinced you to buy "At Home with Madhur Jaffrey" here is one more reason... Swiss Chard with Ginger & Garlic. Super easy. Great flavor.
I served this with leftovers from the night before:
Rice Pilaf with Almonds & Raisins
Pan Grilled Zucchini
Red Lentils with Ginger
I chopped up the leftover zucchini and tossed it with the rice. Reheated the rice and the lentils on the stove and sauteed the Swiss Chard. A delicious vegan dinner in 10 minutes.
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Here are two of my vegan dinners courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey (recipes I previously blogged about here). Basically the same dinner, served slightly different. I couldn't resist showing both pictures.
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Friday night I made three new dishes from my new fave cookbook "At Home with Madhur Jaffrey" and WOW! - what a meal! It was such a flavorful dinner that everyone had huge second helpings. This entire meal was 100% Vegan and 100% delicious. We all commented that you don't miss meat or dairy when you're eating food that's this good. Can't wait to try more from Madhur Jaffrey.
The three dishes I made from her cookbook on Friday were:
Rice Pilaf with Almonds & Raisins
Pan Grilled Zucchini
Red Lentils with Ginger
All three were great and complimented each other well. The red lentils with ginger were the star of the show. I also made grilled asparagus and broccolini which couldn't be easier. Toss both with olive oil, salt and pepper. I like to toss the broccolini with a few red pepper flakes as well. Throw on a hot grill for 3-10 minutes (depending on thickness) and you have a delicious veggie course in minutes. I especially love when the broccolini gets a little charred on the grill. It makes for some great flavor.
Eating vegan doesn't have to feel like you're depriving yourself. It all depends what you put together. Try it once a week and see what you think!
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My friend Ali recommended the cookbook "At Home with Madhur Jaffrey". She raved about the author, her cookbooks, and her recipes. After hearing more of the details and recipes from this book specifically, I was convinced I needed it. Upon receiving the book I went through every recipe and dog eared the ones I wanted to make. Never have I owned a cookbook with so many dog eared pages. Hooray - something new and exciting. So now that I've gone through Gwyneth's book and tested a ton of recipes, I'm moving on to Madhur's book. First order of business was trying out a vegan night.
Last night I made Madhur's Spicy Chickpeas with Potatoes and her Basic Basmati Rice. I served these two dishes with grilled asparagus and Ali's Spinach Salad with Fennel & Apples (I always make enough dressing to serve this two nights in a row).
This was such a fantastic dinner. If eating vegan is this easy then why wouldn't I lean into it more?! I would be happy eating a meal like this any night of the week. My husband said the same thing. Packed with flavor, colors, textures, and spice. Loved this meal. I'm off to eat leftovers now and couldn't be more excited. Ciao for now!
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