vegetables Archives : Page 2 of 6 : Soni's Food

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Cakes for #SuperBowl

03 | 02 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

I must thank our local Trader Joe’s for making my life so easy with their precut ready-to-use veggies and various other products, that, I get inspired to cook just because part of it is already taken care of. I make my soups,stews and pasta sauce using their precut mix of onion, carrot and celery. Peeled garlic is such a time saver!I also love their cauliflower/broccoli rice and use it to make various dishes like the one I have for you today.

My Cauliflower Cakes are ridiculously easy and packed with flavors from the garam masala, cumin and ginger. They’re my spin on the traditional Aloo Tikki (a ubiquitous street food across northern India) by using cauliflower and it works beautifully in this recipe. Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables and I love that it can be used in a myriad of dishes and tastes delicious every single time.These days we see cauliflower being substituted for grain in many recipes right from pizza to rice and I think that its a great vegetable that enhances the flavor of any dish. These cakes are a healthier alternative for those watching their carb intake and sure to please your vegan and vegetarian guests, so make a big batch!

I like to serve these with green chutney but you could use your favorite condiment. The chutney is a mix of cilantro, garlic, little water and salt. I usually add some mustard oil at the end, but its purely optional. These beauties are your perfect appetizers for the Super Bowl and can be made ahead and frozen too. Just pan-fry with a little drizzle of oil until golden on both sides and serve.Enjoy!

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Cakes-Makes 12 cakes

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Ingredients

Cauliflower Rice- 3 cups
Large Potatoes-2
Crushed Ginger-1 tsp
Garam Masala-1 tsp
Ground Cumin-1 tsp
Salt
Oil to pan fry

Instructions

Place the cauliflower rice in a microwave safe dish and cook on high for 5 minutes.
Let it cool a bit and either press firmly through a strainer or a muslin cloth to drain excess water.
Boil,peel and mash the potatoes.
Add the cauliflower into the potato mix along with ginger,garam masala, cumin and salt.
Make into rounds and press them to make small patties.
Heat about 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a non-stick or cast iron pan and place the patties.Drizzle some more oil all over.Cook until golden on one side before flipping gently.Add some more oil and let it develop a golden color on the other side too.
Serve with green chutney.

Easy Pea Soup

10 | 01 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Hello all and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!! Hope it fills you with love, peace, prosperity, good health and all the joys of the world. We had a great ending to 2016 with an amazing Disney Bahamas Cruise with magical skies,gorgeous blue waters and warm sunny weather.Kids had an equally great time with onboard activities that included a Pirate Party and meeting famous Disney Characters.With the copious amounts of food (and alcohol) that we consumed, it’s now time to eat healthy and light.

Magical Skies from our ship

My first recipe of 2017 is a delicious Pea Soup that I’ve been making and enjoying over the years. Pea is an under-rated vegetable but I love its versatility cut across different cuisines. I love Peas added into my Indian stews, curries and pasta, but this sweet soup is all I crave for in this cold weather. I’ve used Frozen peas here but it tastes equally good.

The sweet shallots go well with peas and fresh parsley adds a lovely lemony flavor to the soup. It’s delicious with any crusty bread of your choice or on its own. The vibrant green color is in great contrast to the snow outside (if you live in a cold area like me). I usually make a big batch and have it for two or three days in a row. So so good. Enjoy and stay warm.

Easy Pea Soup

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Ingredients

Butter-1 tbsp
Fresh or frozen peas-5 cups
Shallots-8-10 peeled and halved
Celery-1 stalk rinsed and diced
Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
chopped Fresh parsley-1/4 cup
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a deep pot heat butter and add the halved shallots.Cook for a minute.
Add celery and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until raw smell disappears 2-3 minutes.
Add parsley and stir followed by the peas.Mix well.
Add the liquids, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
Using a stick blender puree the soup or transfer in batches in a blender and puree.Be careful since it'll be very hot.
Add cream and check the seasonings.Garnish with some more fresh parsley.

Deiss® PRO Citrus Lemon Zester & Cheese Grater Review

25 | 10 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

In the world of specialized kitchen products, it’s always good to know of any gadget that makes your life easier. When you’re in the kitchen, certain recipes require you to grate cheese or chocolate or zest citrus fruits like lemon, lime and orange. You’d think that you’d have to buy different zester and grater for each, but there’s a product that lets you do it all in one and I’ve been enjoying it lately. Deiss Kitchenware is a small family owned company from Germany and they make some amazing Kitchen products that you’ll love. They sent me their beautiful zester/grater that I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a great quality kitchen tool.

Deiss Zester/grater is a beautifully packaged sturdy tool with a lovely vibrant yellow color.
It has razor sharp stainless steel blade and I love its smooth non-slip handle that makes it very comfortable to use and effortless even when grating hard cheeses.
It comes with a safety cover for your protection for when you’re trying to reach for it in your drawer.
The curved edges are perfect since they help you grate/zest upside down, so you know exactly the amount that you’ve collected.I particularly love the ribbon-like curls of freshly grated parmesan cheese instantly melting on hot pasta!
It can grate anything from hard cheeses to ginger, garlic, chocolate and vegetables!I use it everyday to grate ginger and garlic directly into the pan for my curries.Quick and easy.
Its dishwasher safe and comes with a lifetime guarantee.Deiss is offering a 15% discount on Amazon.com to all my readers in America, so if you’ve tried many zesters/graters but never used Deiss now is the time to switch.You won’t be disappointed! All you have to do is enter the code:
HJHG8YHS (please note that it expires on January 1)
It would be great as a gift this holiday season for someone that loves to cook/bake!For more information about their different products visit their website.

Disclaimer: I received Deiss Pro zester/grater from Deiss Kitchenware and all opinions are my own.

RawSpiceBar Review #ArgentineSpiceBox

10 | 10 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

On days that we’re swamped with work, kids’ activities, groceries or just plain busy and want to make a quick and easy dinner, we all reach out to our trusted spice blend in our pantry. Spice blends are a great way to amp up the taste in your grilled meats and veggies and if you’re anything like me, then you’d always be on the hunt for more exotic blends at your local stores. California based company RawSpiceBar reached out to me to review their spice blends and for a spice lover like me the flavors seemed right up my alley. I’m excited to be partnering with them.

Once a month, RawSpiceBar delivers to your door, three different globally inspired spice blends based on that month’s culinary flavor kit with detailed recipes and ideas for $8/month; 6 months for $44 and yearly subscription for $82. Subscriptions can be cancelled anytime. Each individual pack contains 3 ounces of spice blends that serves 3-4 people. They’re also great as a gift with the holidays approaching! The spice blends are free of all the salts, sugars, chemical fillers and unwanted additives generally found in pre-ground grocery store spices & seasonings, which typically lost their flavor months ago. For anyone that loves global flavors this is a great way to enjoy a unique experience in their own kitchen. It makes mealtimes more fun and you can get creative with it in many ways.

I received their Argentine Spice Box consisting of:
Dark Coffee and Chiles
Sun Dried Tomato Pizza and
Chipotle Smoked Salt
I tried the Dark Coffee and Chiles in my Coffee Chili Rubbed Grilled Beets and they were insanely delicious.I coated the beets with the spice mix along with some salt and canola oil and grilled on low for about 10-15 minutes.Beets have never tasted so good!Dark Coffee and chili is a unique combination that’s spicy and smoky (that I love) but well balanced with the slightly sweet and rich dark coffee and thanks to RawSpiceBar I’ve found a new flavor pattern to work with. I’m looking forward to trying the other two packs too!

For more information and details about their different spice blends visit their website or follow them on

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free sample of RawSpiceBar Argentine Spice Blend and all opinions are my own.

Easy Memorial Day Menu Ideas with a twist!

28 | 05 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

Its the much awaited Memorial Day weekend and I’m sure you all have plans to get together and kick off the unofficial start of summer!While you’re looking for some inspiration for your memorial day cookouts, I’ve compiled a list of some easy menu ideas.These recipes have some incredible flavors going on that will surely make your party stand out.And did I mention that they’re also super easy? Your annual barbecue will never be the same!Enjoy!