Lemon Rice Indian Style

Got your glass of wine? Got your music going?

Have you watched Today's Special?
Cook one cup of rice. I always put a bit of olive oil in the rice I am cooking.
In a small skittle add olive oil and spices. I do this to make a paste. Be careful not to overdo the spices, this will make your rice taste somewhat grainy. Plus, these spices carry a big punch. 
Spices to add: red chili powder or achar masala (how much depends on how much heat you want to your rice), curry (1/8th to 1/4 tsp - I'm still playing with this amount myself - just don't overdo), a pinch of turmeric, maybe a titch of garam masala.
Add this to the rice with the juice of 1/2 to a full lemon.
You can also add peanuts or roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. I just happened to have those left over from the last dish!

Prepare For Indian Cooking

Indian cooking can be difficult simply because we don't have the spices on hand. My first suggestion to you is to watch the movie Today's Special. This will get you in the creative mood of Indian cooking. The next thing to do is to supply your closet with the spices. Go to an Indian market or Whole Foods. Buy:
turmeric powder, garam masala,red chili powder, achar masala, cumin seeds, coriander powder, and curry powder. This will get you started and possibly be all you will need to get on with it.

Pasta Salad With Pumpkin Seeds

I found a recipe I wanted to try and lost it. I remembered it had pumpkin seeds, so I used those and made up the rest.
I'm not one on measurements because it all depends on how much you are making and what you want. That being said ...
Boil the noodles for your pasta salad. What type of noodle is up to you. After you have cooked them let them cool off. I poured some extra virgin olive oil over mine so they wouldn't stick together. Then I added the following ingredients:
roasted and salted pumpkin seeds (I threw in about 2 handfuls to start with.)
green pepper
red onion
roasted corn (from the grill - cut off of the cob after you have roasted them)
peppers (I picked from the garden and I'm not sure what kind they were exactly because I lost the tags. Does it matter anyway? I used 2 different kinds.)
fresh basil
fresh oregeno
sea salt
Italian salad dressing
(Consider more pumpkin seeds!)
You can serve this cold or heated. Feta cheese in it would be good also.

The Garden

I do not have a raised bed garden, but everything is in pots. So even if you do not have a yard you can still garden! My garden has: thyme, sweet basil, Thai basil, lemon basil, oregano, green peppers, banana peppers, black peppers, egg plant, and some other sort of pepper ... I'm not sure as I lost the label for that pot! I highly suggest you try growing at least your own herbs for cooking. I use the basil for salads as well as Italian cooking. If you use your herbs for a red sauce, you will need to use more than you think is necessary.

If you want to start small I would suggest the sweet basil and use it in your salads.

Tomato Basil Soup

This is a little different with the veggies, but it turned out nice. Thinly slice half an onion, 2 stalks of celery, lots of garlic. Sauté in olive oil. When the veggies start to turn translucent add fresh basil, oregano, salt and pepper. I cut off the thick stems of the basil, stacked the leaves, rolled them like a cigar, and then sliced it into thin strips. Maybe 5 more minutes.

In a pot hand crush a large can of Marzano tomatoes and then add your ingredients from the sauté pan. Add 1 cup of broth; I used chicken. Simmer for a few hours. When you believe it is ready add your cream. Now get this; I used fat free Land O’ Lakes half and half! I think I used a cup of this.

The husband had been roasting vegetables earlier so I also threw in the discarded stems of his asparagus. This was just to add to the stock, I took them out later.

I read a recipe that called for parmesan cheese, so I put that in. However, next time I’ll just add it to the bowl as a garnish. It really didn’t melt well. I also thickened mine. I added corn starch to some water and then thickened the soup: I like my soups thick. On my second day I actually ate this over some spaghetti noodles. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli With a Lemon Mustard Sauce

In a large mixing bowl mix: cauliflower and broccoli heads with salt, pepper, lots of garlic, and olive oil. Place the mixture on a large cookie sheet and roast the vegetables for about 25 minutes at 450 degrees. While that is cooking melt somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3rds of a stick of butter, the juice of 2 lemons, and 4 TBS of whole grain mustard ... and more garlic ... why not? When the vegetables are done put them back in the mixing bowl and pour the butter sauce over them. Transfer to a baking dish for serving. Do this 2 hours before you plan to eat as this needs to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. When you reheat to serve, do not use the microwave! Heat in the oven for about 10 minutes.
I also used some stuff I bought at Costco that is actually used for garlic bread. I used this before roasting; I mixed it in with the vegetables before roasting them. You don't have to use this stuff, but if you see it at Costco buy it; I use it for lots of things. I'll post a picture of it next week so you will know what to buy.

Butternut Squash With Cranberries and Spinach

Bake your squash for 50 minutes @ 350 degrees. I cut it in half length wise and then bake it with some water in the bottom of the pan. You can bake it cut side up or down. While your squash is baking, heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add spinach, garlic, sliced onions (I use a mandolin) and cranberries. It only takes about 5 minutes and this is done. When your squash is done cut it into cubes. Remember to take the shell off. Toss together in the skillet. Add about a TBS of butter and melt. Add sea salt. I happen to love sea salt and think I just may use it for everything. You could also add some brown sugar, but I didn't this time.