"I got 99 problems but a meal ain't 1"
Self-Taught Vegan Chef :: Food Network Champion :: TV Host
Not your momma’s lentil soup – that’s for sure! I realized that I don’t cook with legumes as much as I want to. I have grown up (and still do when I go to my parents) eating a lot of legumes – Indians love them legumes! We generally use them in daals (thick soups/stews), in …
I went to Italy last month – hold up – you didn’t know?! You haven’t seen my 89485948 pics?! Haha!
I visited Italy with my family when I was 6 years old, and although it was a beautiful country then as it is now, we didn’t exactly have a ‘beautiful’ experience. We experienced quite a bit of discrimination because of the color of our skin – weird, eh? So I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth at a very young age. That being said, I was hesitant to travel to Italy this time, but figured I’d give it a shot. One of my good friends had been living in Bologna, and obviously my foodie 6th senses perked up.
Bologna is among some of the foodiest cities in Italy, next to Modena and Parma. I ate my way through Bologna and made my way down to the Amalfi Coast cities. Let me mention at this point – I did not face any discrimination. Italian thought I was either Spanish (Espanola) or Sicilian or just didn’t know, haha!
In Sorrento, we discovered a delicious store that specialized in products of Umbria. Some of Umbria’s specialties include truffles, and black truffles were in season for the summer. So obviously I had to buy some! What I really wanted to do was shave them in my mouth, but I decided to act like a civilized human being, buy a jar and leave.
Truffles are generally very strong, but these fresh truffles are very fragrant – have a subtle truffle flavor, softer texture, and are just all around delicious. I decided to make a simple orzo with these.
Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Black Truffle
1. Place water in a medium pot, spray with a bit of PAM and set over high heat to bring to a boil. Pour in orzo and allow to cook.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add in all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Whisk together. While slowly whisking, pour in the olive oil until dressing is emulsified and combined.
3. Once the orzo is al dente, strain out the water (but save it!) and place the cooked orzo directly in the bowl of dressing, add in a couple of slices of truffle, and lemon zest and toss to coat. Taste for salt.
4. Serve on its own, with toasted ciabatta, or over arugula!
Bread to me is like a blank canvas. There’s more to bread than just grilled cheese, toast, and croutons. I know avocado toasts are all the rage, but I seriously cannot justify spending $15+ at a time for one piece of bread and half an avocado. I grew up eating bread in very unique ways …
Do you have a favorite condiment? Something that stands out above the rest? I may be biased, but I think South Asians (specifically Indians, duh), have some of the BEST condiments. I’m not talking about a boring old ketchup (sorry, but ketchup doe not cut it and is always too vinegary for me), but a …
I visit my sister and brother-in-law frequently in Miami and there’s a really good food scene there. Especially the Latin American food. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for a vegetarian to indulge in all of the Latin offerings because their staples are pork, beef, and the like. I have tasted enough dishes though to pick up on …
If you go to Mumbai there are tons of street vendors selling all kinds of vegetarian deliciousness. I’m a huge fan of street feed – even though people advise me not to eat it and all that, but ya only live once, am I right? One street food classic is Vada Pav – spicy potato …
I like making dishes that combine ingredients and flavors from different cultures- usually Indian flavors with others. I think most people tend to shy away from bold ingredients, like clove, chili, and spices. So I like to make dishes that help people ease into using some of these rather strong ingredients. I think when used …
Have you ever eaten Stuffed Capsicum at an Indian restaurant? Its generally North Indian dish of roasted green bell peppers stuffed with a potato-paneer mixture and cooked in an aromatic gravy. I made a similar dish, except with a South Indian touch – no gravy, no paneer, and instead, with Cauliflower and South Indian spices. …
Perfect for autumn. Perfect for winter. Perfect for people who don’t want to spend hours boiling rice and messing up. Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf 1/2 cup basmati rice – thoroughly rinsed 3-4 tbsp dried cranberries 3-4 tbsp pecans – roughly chopped 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1 bay leaf salt black pepper 1 tbsp fresh …
Do you have seasonal farmers markets near you? Take. Advantage. Over the years, I have found some of the best produce from locally grown & organic farms. And they are quite inexpensive. I was fortunate enough to have the local farmers gather in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza right next to my condo. There was so much produce …