Varada's Kitchen and Garden

Stuffed bread or buns make an easy one dish meal. They are portable and can be easily taken along on day trips. I have a stuffed bun recipe with paneer filling  here. I make them often but today I decided to try something different. I had one leek and some broccoli in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up. So I made some dough with the newly fed wild yeast starter and stuffed it with the herbed vegetables. The results were delicious. I made the filling based on look and feel rather than a recipe. Actually the dough was mixed up based on look and feel too. I let the dough ferment overnight, shaped and stuffed it in the morning. I baked the buns in the evening. I used mostly whole wheat flour so the buns are a little dense.  After I had added the turmeric powder, some basil, crushed black pepper, some thyme and cayenne pepper powder I decided I needed something sour. I thought of adding lemon juice but settled on mango peel powder instead. A pinch of sugar and the flav

A while back my daughter asked me to make her some chocolate chip cookies. I do not make cookies often but my daughter begged so I gave in. I thought I had some left over chocolate chips but I was wrong. There were none. I did have a bar of cocoa so I decided to use it. The resulting cocoa cookies had deep crinkles that gave it a nice crunch. They were very tasty and they were the color of dark chocolate. I have made these several times. And they are always a hit. I used a 100% cocoa bar. You could use cocoa powder if you do not have access to a bar. The better the quality of the cocoa the better the cookies will taste. You will need 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup + 3 tbsp flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder or shavings 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tbsp hot water Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla and beat again. Fold in the dry

Several years ago I watched Rachel Ray put together a black bean salad on her new food show. I tried it and it was a hit in my house. Everyone loved it. My daughter was young enough to count the colors in this salad. Unfortunately, I made it too often and about a year later we grew very tired of the salad. No one liked it anymore and I took it out of my regular rotation. About 4-5 years later I made it again and we all liked it once again. I do not make this salad frequently but when I do we all love it. I don't always use the same ingredients. I mix them up a little. I usually add some greens but I ran out so I skipped them. The dressing is really simple. Salt, freshly ground black pepper and lime juice. You will need 3/4 cup dry black beans or 1 can a handful of frozen corn 30 cherry tomatoes 1 avocado 1 zucchini 1 bunch of greens either torn or cut into bite sized pieces (I skipped these today) salt and black pepper to taste juice of half a lime Soak the black bea

Everyone at home had the day off yesterday, President's day. My teenage daughter spent a good deal of the long weekend with friends. Yesterday she was going out with a friend for lunch and then to work on a project. I decided to entice her with a dish that she would simply not be able to resist. Galette is a rustic French pie. It is baked on a sheet instead of a pie dish and the edges are folded in instead of being intricately shaped. I have always wanted to try the galette. Goat cheese seems to be the recommended cheese in most recipes so I knew I was going to use that. A few months ago I found vegetarian goat cheese at Whole Foods that I love. For vegetables I knew I wanted to use heirloom tomatoes but they are available only in Spring and summer. So when I found the first of these heirloom tomatoes in the market yesterday I decided I was going to bake a galette. I got some organic zucchini at Whole Foods along with some fresh basil. I made the pastry crust at home usin

Nature is colorful whether it is flowers, birds, animals or fruit and vegetables. Color is good for us. A blooming colorful garden makes us happy. On a hot sunny day a deep green canopy of evergreens feels cool and pleasant. But did you know the same is true for colorful food? Our body needs naturally colored food. Not only does such food look appetizing but is provides us with a wide array of nutrients. How many times a week do you to cook, bake, steam or in any way prepare food that is naturally colorful? This month I am hosting Kid's Delight an event started by Srivalli of Spice your life . As part of this event I challenge you to cook dishes that are colorful and have the stamp of approval from a child. I understand this 'approval' can be subjective. My child has a mature palate and will try anything. Your child may be picky. I will accept all entries as long as they are vegetarian (eggs okay). Here are the rules. Prepare a colorful dish and blog about it betw

Bhakri is flatbread that is patted into shape rather than being rolled into shape. It can be made with a wide variety of flours. Today I made it with Bajri or Pearl millet. This is a rustic version that I served with a dry cauliflower side. This flour does not last very long. I bought it from the Indian store last week and did not get time to use it. By this week it was close to its use by date. My daughter asked me if I was making the cement poli again. But once she started on the puffed bhakri she did not complain. There are very few food that she does not like but loves to give them weird names. I think I am a picky eater compared to her. You will need 2 cups bajri flour or pearl millet flour cold water as needed Using water as needed knead the flour into a soft dough. Now using some elbow grease knead the dough until it is supple and does not crack when pressed down. This is easier to achieve with freshly ground flour. Heat a cast iron griddle pan. Divide into lemon si

Once a week for lunch I make some kind of stuffed flat bread. It is quick, tasty, filling and great as packed lunch. Parathas  are my absolute favorite on weekdays and I have a huge collection on this space. 'Not again' is how my daughter greets me when she realizes what I am up to in the morning. But she enjoys eating them. My daughter usually packs this paratha as a roll. The filling stays inside and it is easier to eat. When eating it at home she makes this huge mess on the plate, complains how messy the parathas but enjoys them just the same. Addition of potatoes makes them less messy but I prefer not to add them. You may choose to add a small boiled and mashed potato to the filling. It will help bind the filling to the dough. You will need For the dough 2 cups whole wheat flour water as needed For the filling 1 head cauliflower 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1/2 tsp. asafoetida 1 tsp. turmeric powder 1 tbsp. kalonji (onion seed) 1/2 tsp. black pe

Bhakri is flat bread that is shaped using the palm of your hand rather than a rolling pin. Bhakri was a dinner staple in my grandmother's house. My mother was not too fond of bhakri, she preferred her whole wheat poli/chapati. So we used to have bhakri only when we were visiting my grandmother in Pune. We usually had it for dinner. Bhakri is a nice variation to everyday wheat based poli. The most common bhakri is made with jowar or jwari or sorghum. But it can be made with other flours like bajri (pearl millet) or maaka (maize). With methi or fenugreek leaves available in abundance during the winter months I decided to add some methi to bhakri for some flavor. I used store bought corn flour so I added a little wheat flour to it. If you can source fresh corn flour you can skip the wheat flour. You will need 2 cups corn flour 1/2 wheat flour (skip this if you can source fresh corn flour) a handful of methi (fenugreek) leaves, chopped 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cayenne pepper