Broccoli-Cauliflower Kootu

This was based on the Cauliflower Kootu of Alemalu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt in Healthy South Indian Cooking. I wanted something quick-ish and tasty, and remembered that I had some frozen homemade cooked masoor dal (red lentils), as well as the remainder of some frozen broccoli-&-cauliflower. I cooked them with some spices for this Kootu. The only thing was, I wasn't sure how much spice to add, and may have added a little too much. Otherwise, it was simple yet excellent. 

Broccoli Poriyal 

(Stir-fried South Indian Broccoli with Coconut)

This was based on Broccoli with Coconut Poriyal from Healthy South Indian Cooking by Alemalu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt. Rather than using chopped broccoli, I thought I'd experiment by using "broccoli slaw," instead. I'd seen it at the supermarket, and it looked handy: shredded broccoli, with some shredded carrot and red cabbage, as well. It did take longer to cook to get to the level of "doneness" I prefer, but in the end, it was awesome! 

Punjabi Dal Fry, 

with Masoor Dal (Red Lentils), 

Tomatoes, Broccoli, & Cauliflower

This recipe was from Vegan Richa, and made in the Instant Pot (not sponsored). The tomatoes were leftover from a can, and the broccoli and cauliflower were frozen and defrosted, before I added them. Everything went together in the IP, which I set to cook extra (longer than the recipe) (to make sure the lentils were very well-cooked). The end result would have fit nicely into a 7-cup container, but I also put some in 2 smaller containers for the freezer. Instead of adding lemon juice directly, I squeezed fresh lemon juice over the portion of dal I was eating. This dal was good with toast (including as a sandwich), as well as over cooked potatoes. Yummy! 

Vegan Richa, Punjabi Dal Fry Recipe

Spaghetti, Broccoli, & Carrots, with Eggplant

This was a simple combination of Spaghetti, Broccoli, & Carrots, with leftover Baba Ghanoush/Ghanouj (Middle Eastern eggplant spread) mixed in. This is from a few weeks ago, but I seem to remember the veggies had already been steamed? Or were they the ends = remainder of grated veggies which couldn't be grated for safety reasons? (No need to waste!) Either way, the small bits were cooked in the water with the spaghetti, with the Baba Ghanouj added at the end. 

Broccoli-Potato Pancakes

My grandma used to make this for me, although it didn't look exactly the same. She also called them "warm potato pancakes," as the potatoes are already cooked (vs "cold potato pancakes," in which grated raw potatoes are used).

I left out the egg she would've used , as it didn't seem necessary this time to bind the veggies together. I steamed cubed potatoes and frozen broccoli, and then mashed them together, added some salt, and left it in the fridge overnight. The next day, I mixed in some onion powder and rice flour, and fried the pancakes in oil (but not too much, so it wouldn't be too rich). Even with so few seasonings, they were a little sweet and a little spiced. Yum! 

One trick she used, was to fry some chopped onions in oil, and then fry the pancakes in that same oil. She did this, rather than add onions directly to the veggies. It was a more subtle onion flavor, that way. I didn't do that this time, but perhaps another time!

Baked Broccoli & Cauliflower Fritters or Pakora Sandwich

This is a Throwback to June. The fritters/pakore were made to go along with Punjabi Kadhi. I finished the Kadhi, but still had some pakore left. What to do? Make a sandwich! I put some Harissa (Moroccan chili sauce) on toast, followed by the pakore, with sev (crunchy chickpea noodles) sprinkled on. Yogurt and sorbet (not pictured) accompanied the sandwich. 

Vegan Richa Website, Baked Broccoli Fritters with Spiced Yogurt - Pakore Waali Vegan Punjabi Kadhi

Baked Broccoli & Cauliflower Fritters

with Spiced Yogurt 

(Pakore Waali Punjabi Kadhi)

This recipe is from Vegan Richa. First, I made the Kadhi (spiced yogurt). The original recipe is vegan and calls for vegan yogurt for the Kadhi, but I must confess that I'm not a vegan, and so I used regular whole-milk yogurt. The Kadhi was very simple to make, yet smelled so yummy. Due to my own error it was too salty, but I ate it anyway, it was so good. 

Recipes for Kadhi call for mixing chickpea flour with yogurt, and cooking it. Unfortunately, it's too heavy for me to eat that way, and so I haven't made Kadhi in several years. I decided to try Kadhi again, this time adding some leftover Hummus (see recent post) instead of the chickpea flour. (This might help explain how I managed to oversalt the dish.) The smell reminded me of Kadhi from years past, so I think it worked well.

I made the Pakoras (fritters) separately, using frozen broccoli & cauliflower, that I defrosted in the microwave first. Once the Pakoras were baked, I just added some to the Kadhi for the meal. Mmm, I have extra Pakoras! which will make a nice, light meal themselves.

Vegan Richa Website, Baked Broccoli Fritters with Spiced Yogurt -- Pakore Waali Vegan Punjabi Kadhi

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower & Broccoli

I don't know much about Thai cooking (except how to eat the finished product), so I decided to start out by using a vegetarian red curry paste from the supermarket. Instead of putting the curry together using the method on the jar, I followed instructions from similar recipes in Nancie McDermott's Real Vegetarian Thai. It worked out very well, and I enjoyed it with rice. Since I have to be careful what I eat, I hadn't eaten Thai food in years until recently, and I missed it. Now I don't have to miss it anymore, yay!

Potato & Broccoli Samosas in Egg Roll Wrappers

Samosas, with a filling of seasoned mashed potato and broccoli, in a shell of 1/2 an egg roll wrapper, folded. To help seal the edges, I used a flour & water thin paste. I pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, in oil. If you use a vegan egg roll wrapper, this is vegan.

Potato & Broccoli Samosas in Egg Roll Wrappers

Samosas, with a filling of seasoned mashed potato and broccoli, in a shell of 1/2 an egg roll wrapper, folded. To help seal the edges, I used a flour & water thin paste. I pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, in oil. If you use a vegan egg roll wrapper, this is vegan.