Bottle gourd...Ghiya Raita

1. Boil the peeled and chopped dudhi pieces on a gas stove or in a microwave.
2. Drain the water and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the yogurt, add salt and sugar to taste.
4. Heat oil for tempering, add mustard and cumin seeds.
5. When they pop, add turmeric, asafoetida, chilies and curry leaves.
6. Pour this mixture over the boiled dudhi-yogurt mix.
7. Mix well, garnish with coriander and serve with rotis or rice.

Chickpea salad with Tahini

Take 200 g cooked chickpeas, add  30 g pistachios, 1 mashed garlic clove ,lemon juice and 2 tablespoon chopped parsley.

Then make the seasoning mixing 2 tablespoon tahina with 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper and pour the seasoning over your chickpeas.

Sprinkle with paprika, mix well and let everything rest for about 15 minutes into your refrigerator.

If you prefer you can season the salad with extra virgin olive oil only.

Beans Salad

Take one can of white bean, one can of kidney bean and one can of pinto bean and season them with the juice of one lemon (a big one), 5 tsp of sugar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

To this three bean salad add half onion, chopped, 3 tbsp of corn from a can, 1 chopped cucumber, 150g feta cheese and 3 chopped tomatoes without seed.

If you like you can add chopped parsley as in Greek salad. Can add corn to give it more colour.

Olive Relish..Pickle

Mix 200 g olives with 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp parsley, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and bay leaves…let rest for 3 days in the fridge, covered

Pickled Eggs Starter....

1 dozen pickled eggs, cut in half *
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 green onion (green only), minced finely
salt and pepper to taste

Place all of the eggs yolks into a boil and mash finely with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Place the mix into a plastic bag and snip the corner with a pair of scissors. Use this bag to pipe the egg mixture into the cavity of egg boiled egg. 

*The pickled eggs are nothing more than boiled eggs which have been peeled and soaked in pickled beet juice. Refrigerate for 24 hours to achieve a fully colored egg white. If you leave them to soak longer, it’s ok but you may risk having the egg yolks staining with the red color too.

Pasta salad

Salad ingredients

3 tb fine chopped onion

2/3 cup broccoli cut small bout the size of nickels

2 1/2 cups tri-colored noodles

1/4 cup red bell pepper cut into strips and then about in 3rds (1/2 inch long)

2/3 cup cubed mozzerella lil smaller than a dice. I made cubes out of a block of cheese I had, but if you have string cheese, I bet this would be a really easy thing to cube too.

1/2 avacado diced same size as cheese

4 slices of turkey bacon microwaved till crisp and then cut into small peices

1/2 can of black olives cut up



Salad dressing ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/4 tblspn fresh chopped basil

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

2 tsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of apple cider viniger

2 tblspn basalmic vinigarette



Mix dressing together then pour over salad.

Toss

Let chill at least 30 minutes b4 serving.

Meat roll ups...

Ingredients
- 1 package of cream cheese (can use low fat....it is just as yummy)
- 3 2oz packages of Buddig -Beef, Corn Beef, Pastrami, or Ham. 
- 1 jar of pickles about 24 oz size

-Whip cream cream so it is very spreadable. It is easier if it is room temp. If it doesn't whip, microwave it for just a few seconds at a time until you can whip it, OR add a tablespoon of milk or water and then whip.
-If using small or baby pickles, your pickles are probably ready to use. If using big pickles or spears, slice so that they are about the thickness of your middle finger.
-After all pickles are cut, and cream cheese is ready, open bags of meat. 
-On a cutting board, use a butter knife to spread the whipped cream cheese on one slice of meat at a time. 
-After the meat is spread evenly with cream cheese, place a pickle on one end, and roll it up. 
-Trim ends.
-Repeat until all ingredients are done. 
-The pickle roll ups can be sliced into as small of pieces as you would like. 
-Can be served with toothpicks.
-Refrigerate till ready to serve.
-The different meats provide quite different taste combinations.

Shepherds Pie...Recipe

1 lb ground organic beef /chicken(you may need to add butter if using a leaner meat)
1 medium organic onion, chopped 
1 clove organic garlic, finely minced
1 tsp organic thyme, fresh or dried
3 tbs organic ketchup
about 1 tbs organic flour
1 lb bag frozen organic mixed veggies or whatever frozen veggies you have on hand
1/2 cup organic beef or chicken broth 
salt and pepper
1/2 cup organic parmesan 
organic mashed potatoes 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sauté ground meat in a skillet until cooked through. Break up meat as much as you can, making sure there are no big chunks

2. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. (Here’s where you may need to add a little fat if you’re using a super lean meat.)

3. Add thyme, ketchup, flour, frozen veggies (straight from the freezer), and up to a 1/2 cup of broth or water. Cook until liquid thickens and pulls all the ingredients together. If everyone takes salt and pepper, season now (otherwise wait until you serve so you can skip for the little ones).

4. Put the meat & veg mixture in a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Top with grated cheese and some black pepper. Bake until cheese is melted and mashed potatoes start to brown.

Adjustments for using already cooked meat

• Sauté onion and garlic in 2 tbs of butter as your first step
• While the onions and garlic cook, mince leftover meat (use the food processor)
• Add meat to onions and garlic—you may need to add some fat and/or broth if your meat is lean
  Resume at step 3 above

Tuna Toast

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 slices bread (you want a sturdy bread that won’t disintegrate upon soaking)
1 7oz. tin tuna
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
butter
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon honey
finishing salt or sea salt 

METHOD:

1. Combine egg, evaporated milk, water and sugar
2. Butter both slices of bread
3. Combine tuna, parmesan cheese and mayonnaise.
4. Season tuna mixture with salt and pepper to taste
5. Spread each slice (on buttered side) with about 1 tbsp tuna mixture per side 
6.Pair both slices to form the sandwich.
7. Preheat a small frying pan or skillet over medium heat and melt 1 – 2 teaspoons of butter
8. Dip both sides of sandwich in egg & milk mixture (about 8 seconds per side – use a spatula to help you turn the sandwich, it keeps it from breaking!)
9. Transfer sandwich to pan. Cook about 90 seconds per side – it’s ready to turn when heated side is crisp and has lovely dark brown streaks running through.
10. Transfer sandwich to plate and drizzle top with 1 tsp of honey
11. Sprinkle with a slight dash of finishing sat or sea salt  
12. Slice diagonally.

Cabbage Dumplings recipe....

Ingredients :
1/2 of a medium cabbage, chopped finely
1 cup idli rava
1 cup grated coconut
5 to 6 roasted red chillies
1 marble sized tamarind
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp hing
Salt

Method :

Soak idli rava in water for 15 minutes. [The water should just cover the top].

Grind grated coconut, red chillies, turmeric powder and tamarind, with very little water - just enough to get a smooth paste. Drain any extra water from the idli rava, add to the above and grind again. Do not add too much water. The batter should be thick.

Add salt and hing and mix well. Add chopped cabbage into the batter [only as much cabbage as the batter can accommodate]. Shape into balls.
Grease the steamer basket lightly. Place undis atleast half an inch apart as they will slightly increase in size. Steam undis for 25 minutes, or till toothpick inserted comes out clean. [You can even use an idli stand to steam].

To serve - In a bowl, pour some coconut oil, mix a pinch of hing. Pour on top of the undi.