Three Bean Salad

This is a quick snack if you have canned beans in your pantry. I have tried it with 3 different beans. This can be tried with other beans too.
Ingredients:
Garbanzo beans - 1 can
Red kidney beans - 1 can
Pinto beans - 1 can
Onion - 1 medium sized (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 1-2 (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 3-4 (slit lengthwise)
Lemon juice - 1-2 tbp
Grated carrot (optional)
Cilantro for garnishing
Oil for seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp (according to taste)
salt as per the taste

Procedure:

Put oil in a wok and put mustard and jeera seeds and let them splatter. Then add chopped onions and green chillies and fry till golden brown. Then add all dry powders and stir for 2 mins. Then add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5-10 mins stirring in between. Drain all 3 beans, run under cold water and add them to the onion tomatoes mixture. Cook for 5-10 mins covered stirring in between. Once done add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro and grated carrot.
Enjoy this as an evening snack!

Sundal

Ingredients:
Boiled/Garbanzo beans-1 cup
Red chillies-3
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Coconut flakes-2 tbsp
Asafoetida-Few puffs
Curry leaves
Salt-As needed

Procedure:
1.In a pan of little vegetable or canola or sunflower oil, add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, salt,asafoetida.
2.Mix the boiled channa after switching off the stove. Add the coconut flakes and mix.Garnish with a some cilantro.

Brussel Sprouts Salad

Sounds unappetizing? Are you in for a big surprise or what!

Until less than a week back, I had never tasted Brussels sprouts. They were just some small little cabbage looking mundane things. I am surprised it took me soo long to try them out. Eons back, my dad had to spend a whole year or so in Germany. My vegetarian teetotaller dad had more than his share of trouble finding food (& water) there. He says what worked best for him was walking into a restaurant and asking the chef to cook a little bit of every kind of vegetable he had on hand and serve it with bread and butter. I remember him describe small little tender cabbages that used to be oh so tasty. Now that I think of it, I think those tiny cabbages he so enjoyed were in fact Brussels sprouts!

Last week, I discovered Brussels sprouts while in CA. My very health conscious friend forced me into trying just a bite of her salad while I was busy wharfing down a pizza. It was like an epiphany. It was delicious, sweet and salty at the same time. Yummy. I then looked for recipes on the web that will help me recreate what I had tasted. The recipe I came up with is based on http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html

It may sound weird, but take my word for it. It is delicious.

For two people you'll need:
- About 20 fresh small tight looking Brussels sprouts.
- Good olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- Balsamic vinegar
- (Sea) salt
- Pepper
- Walnuts (or pecans, or pine nuts)
- Croutons (optional)
- Chopped Boiled egg (optional. Supposed to be very good with this)


- Heat oven to 400F.
- Start on the caramelized onions. Slice onions leastwise. Add about a tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add onions. Make sure to alter the heat so that the onions brown but not burn. They'll take a while. Keep an eye on them.
- Cut the Brussels sprouts lengthwise into halves. Discard the tough stems. In a bowl combine the chopped sprouts with some olive oil (1tbsp?), salt and pepper. Place sprouts flat side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 mins and then broil for 2. Times vary from oven to oven. Make sure its not overcooked. Will taste terrible if overcooked. They should be tender, but still have a bite.
- Once done, toss the Brussels sprouts and the onions together with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and a handful of toasted walnuts. Grate some parmesan reggiano on top. And viola. A tasty side!

Carrot salad to freshen up your meal ...

The first recipe is a simple one but maybe the simplicity appeals ?
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients:
5-6 carrots
1 -2 serrano peppers (or similar)
juice of 1 lemon
cilantro (coriander leaves) chopped.
1 tsp oil to sputter mustard seeds (1 tsp)
salt to taste

Method:
Grate carrots (I like the coarser grater so that the grated pieces are dry and separate. A fine grater separates the juice a lot more and brings out the sweetness. If you do grate it finely you can add a little more lemon juice and green chillies to compensate for the sweetness)

Add finely chopped green chillies, cilantro, salt and mix with the lemon juice.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka ladle (or the smallest cooking vessel you can find) and sputter mustard seeds and mix with the carrot. A flavorful oil would be great( like sesame oil) but most of these oils do not handle the heat well. I now use canola/peanut oil. If you are not super calorie conscious you can add a little more of a flavorful oil (sesame, olive or even mustard oil if you like its pungent taste) directly to the carrot salad.

The salad is a good complement to sambhar, rasam and a "kizhangu" curry. (example potato fry).