Recipe: Oven Baked Chana Pulao

I love a good pulao. It’s basically a mixed rice dish with whatever you want in it and this one takes pulao to even higher heights with it’s set it and forget method in the oven and frozen vegetables. This is my favorite type of meal because the only thing you really have to do is chop an onion which I know is a big ask for some people but for me personally, is a 30 second task. This dish is super flavorful, very filling on its own and can easily can scaled up for a crowd plus it’s vegan! Feel free to add whatever types of vegetables you like or have on hand and play around with the spices.

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Recipe: Kalasouna

This is an extremely pleasant cheese pie that is made even better with addition in chopped onions. In the future I would definitely whip the feta for an even and soft texture. I have never actually eaten one of these before and saw pictures online of both square and round versions, I eventually opted for the round but you should follow your heart. This is a great snack or light lunch if paired with a soup or salad that’s not too much work and can be made ahead of time.

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Recipe: Enfrijoladas

For my first attempt I didn’t quite get the sauce as smooth as I wanted it but it still came out really delicious. This isn’t authentic at all, and I can’t get many of the leaves, seasonings, chilies, and exact cheeses here in Estonia but I like to think it’s got the spirit of enfrijoladas. In an ideal world you would soak beans from scratch and cook them in a big pot yourself but I often can’t get dried black beans here either, just the cooked one. I might try a different bean or different fillings in the future but it’s always good to get a baseline for your food first I think.

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Recipe: Carrot-Chickpea Schnitzel

I was actually inspired to make this because they have a very similar item at our supermarket and I kind of fell in love with it. Who doesn’t like a good cutlet? Especially one that has a nice crispy outside and a soft, spiced inside. This is pretty easy to make and you and freeze these cutlets before coating for a pretty quick future meal. I almost always have chickpeas and carrots on hand which makes this a good candidate for a pantry meal. You can make this vegan by coating it with a mixture of cornflour and flour + water or you can simply use egg and flour for the coating and it will be vegetarian. Both are great!

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Recipe: Vegetable Kadai

Technically I did not make these in a kadai which is a rounded bottom pot that is about halfway between a wok and a skillet with high sides but if you have a wok or a kadai it would be even better. This is a really great recipe that makes really delicious, unctuous vegetables in a thick creamy gravy. It’s great over rice or with most types of roti, naan, or other forms of bread. I topped mine with yogurt but feel free to use cream or coconut cream if you’re feeling luscious.

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Recipe: Sformato

This recipe contains celeriac and arugula but a regular sformato is basically half way between a spinach quiche and a spinach souffle so feel free to replace the celeriac with other root vegetables you like and the arugula with spinach or other greens to taste the idea is easy enough. This froze really well and like many egg dishes is very stable in the fridge for a few days and perfect for a make ahead breakfast or dinner if you want to really impress someone.

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Recipe: Chipotle and Bean Chili

This is a super simple but really hearty chili that can be made with very minimal prep. This can also easily be adapted for any diet. It can be made vegan using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and it can be gluten-free by substituting potato starch instead of flour. This is a fairly spicy chili so you might want to serve it with cream, cheese, or some bread but it’s not so hot you can’t just eat it as it is. If you want a thicker chili you can mash a portion of the beans before you put them in the pot as well.

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Recipe: Vada Pav Burger

This burger is basically inspired by vada pav which is a kind of dreamy street food that is carbs (potatoes) on carbs (bread) with spicy chilies. You can use whatever bun you like, traditionally it’s made in something more like a parker house roll. You can also pick and choose your own toppings though I kept it really simple and went for cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a ketchup-mayo mix for a sauce but feel free to experiment!

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