Just pile on the vegetables, add the herbs, toss in the rice, splashes of Tabasco and voila! Jambalaya at your table! This classic Louisiana rice dish is one that I’ve wanted to make forever but had a hard time finding a good vegetarian recipe. Finally I decided to mess around with a traditional jamabalaya recipe and make it vegetarian. I used a recipe by local Louisiana chef Amelia Durand which I found on foodnetwork.com. Though Amelia’s recipe is very meat heavy with lots of spicy sausage, ham and shrimp, boy did that jambalaya look delicious. I figured with so many good things in this dish like tomatoes, celery, carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and Tabasco sauce, it has to taste good even if I made it without the meat. I was right! This is one delicious jambalaya! Continue reading Vegetarian Jambalaya
Tag Archives: cooking zen zone
Spring Onion Pizza with Kale Leeks and Gorgonzola
A spring veggie pizza full of delicious spring green veggies that you don’t even require a salad to go with it, and the best part is that it’s easy and tastes great. I made this pizza for my daughter Anjali over the weekend as an alternative to another pizza I made with mushrooms, which Anjali absolutely does not like. Rather than have her feel left out of the pizza party, I made a spring veggie pizza with a variety of veggies that are in peak season right now such as spring onions, leeks, kale, and mache leaves. Add in salty gorgonzola cheese and a blend of parmesan and gruyere, toss in some marinated artichokes and even sundried tomatoes or olives if you like, and you have a delicious spring inspired pizza that tastes great as an appetizer or for a light lunch or dinner. This pizza is so packed with green veggies and made with whole wheat pizza dough that it feels just a little guilt free eating pizza 😋😊. Give it a try! Continue reading Spring Onion Pizza with Kale Leeks and Gorgonzola
Spring Vegetable Paella
A couple weeks ago was my eldest daughter Sridevi’s birthday, and all she wanted was to have dinner at restaurant Coqueta in San Francisco. Coqueta is a California Spanish tapas style restaurant situated on the waterfront on the Embarcadero in beautiful Pier 5 in San Francisco. This is an extremely popular place and reservations are hard to come by, but Sridevi wanted this dinner so badly that she made her own reservation over a month in advance 😀. Continue reading Spring Vegetable Paella
Spring Onion Pasta Primavera
I got this beautiful bunch of veggies in my Farm Fresh to You delivery this week and I couldn’t wait to make something delicious with them. The box had a wonderful assortment of veggies ranging from early spring onions to green onions, leeks, kale, and celery root just to name a few. Continue reading Spring Onion Pasta Primavera
Bay Leaf Cardamom Vegetable Daal
Think Asian flavors like coconut milk and Siracha combined with North Indian flavors such as bay leaves and cardamom pods, combined with South Indian flavors such as mustard seeds and cumin seeds – this is a dish that combines all these flavors into one delectable lentil stew. Ladled over steaming white rice with a squeeze of limejuice, this rather eclectic lentil daal is delicious and filling. Continue reading Bay Leaf Cardamom Vegetable Daal
Indian Masala Buns
Truth be told I had never tasted Indian masala buns until one of my dear friends made them one time when I had gone over for tea, I’m talking over a decade ago! She fondly reminisced of her Dad making them for her and her brother when she was growing up and served them nostiligically for us to have with a little butter. I can honestly say I haven’t had these buns since then. That was the first and last time I had masala buns – it’s been a long time! I don’t know why then, recently I have been craving home made bread but not just any bread – savory Indian masala buns jazzed up with onions, green chilis and spices. Continue reading Indian Masala Buns
Twins Celebrating 17 Birthday Menu
Anyone who tells you how fun it is to have twins, let me tell you speaking from one who has twins, it’s not as fun as it seems. And I should know, I have twins and an older child, and now that my older one is and adult and the twins are teens, I can honestly say that it was easier to deal with a single child than with twin teens. They can’t agree on anything – and I mean anything! They bicker non-stop. They have their own set of friends with no overlap whatsoever. They have two unique interests and hobbies. They hate that they share a birthday – I mean seriously? I tell them “You are twins! Hello! That’s what twins means, you share a birthday?” Continue reading Twins Celebrating 17 Birthday Menu
Stuffed Eggplant with Spicy Almond Meal
Stuffed eggplant is a popular Indian curry with many variations. I am mostly familiar with two versions of stuffed eggplants – one is my Mom-in-law’s recipe which involves stuffing eggplants with chickpea flour and spices, the other is a South Indian Tamil version in which eggplants are stuffed with lentils, shredded coconut and spices. In this new recipe however I thought I would stuff the eggplants with a spicy almond meal and I tell you folks, this has to be the easiest and my new favorite stuffed eggplant curry! Continue reading Stuffed Eggplant with Spicy Almond Meal
Caramelized Onion and Baby Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
Caramelized onions, cheese, and pasta? What’s not to like with this combination of flavors? Caramelized onions and gooey cheese are awesome together any way you look at it, and when stuffed inside pasta shells? They taste positively outstanding 😋👌! I’ve made stuffed pasta shells before with spinach and onions, but this time I caramelized the onions with a little garlic giving the dish a lovely sweet oniony flavor that tastes wonderful with spinach and ricotta cheese. Continue reading Caramelized Onion and Baby Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
Veggie Stuffed Chile Rellenos
Here is a recipe for the lightest most delectable and healthy chile rellenos you will ever have. I know I know, healthy and chile rellenos don’t usually go in the same sentence, but trust me here, these chile rellenos are amazingy delicious and healthy too! Continue reading Veggie Stuffed Chile Rellenos
