JL’s response: “If I have kids I will make this for them.”

PJ said: “I could eat this all night.”

KN said “I don’t like that.” Then he tasted it and changed his mind.

Vegetarian Corn Dog Soup

6-8 Russet potatoes cubed

2 large stalks celery minced

1 tablespoon vegetarian chicken soup mix

2 cans creamed corn

1 can whole corn

4 Tofu dogs, sliced

1-2 drops liquid smoke (optional)

1 pint half & half, not too cold

Boil the potatoes and celery until done. Drain off most of the water and add the chicken soup mix. Turn off the heat. Add corn and mix well, then add tofu dogs and liquid smoke. Add room temp (or slightly cooler) half & half and you have soup! Perfect with corn bread.

1) Fenugreek and fennel are not the same thing.

2) Fenugreek is a very flexible and wonderful spice.

The powder form is the strongest smelling component in curry powder which is a British invention: a standardized and always-ready imitation of some Indian spice mixes. I find myself only using curry powder when I want something quick, such as seasoning for my ramen noodles. The individual spices are made so much more flavorful by roasting them whole, and/or by mixing preground powders to taste.

I started out roasting whole methi seed in curries, at about the same time I add cumin seed (another typical component in curry powder) and it definitely enhances the flavor. Then I bought some frozen and dried methi leaves at the Indian grocer and that was where I bailed from the learning curve for several weeks.

But then these two recipes popped up on one of my favorite Indian cooking blogs and I tried the first one; fully intend to try the second.

I learned from this recipe that methi greens taste very much like spinach though more bitter unless tempered with softening flavors. Closer actually to collard greens. I added milk and yoghurt to take the edge off. For obvious reasons (it’s green and looks/tastes like spinach) this gravy was NOT a hit with the kids, so I served tomato soup to them, alongside fried chickpea/gram flour dumplings or kadhi pakoda for us all.

Fenugreek Leaves Gravy (Menthya Soppina Saru)

I can’t wait to try:

Egg Curry with Dried Fenugreek (Kasoori Methi)

By the way, I love the recipes at aayisrecipes.com. Shilpa’s instructions always work for me and I am a total amateur; often having no idea how a recipe is “supposed” to taste!

1 lb seitan, cut in small cubes

1/4 cup vegetarian chicken-flavored consommé

2&1/4 cups water

2 cups macaroni noodles

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups green or red peppers, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 lb (8 oz) Velveeta cheese

Sauté seitan, onions, peppers and chili pwdr in oil. Boil macaroni separately until done. Reduce heat to medium stir in sautéed ingredients. Add tomatoes and Velveeta and melt throughout, stirring frequently.

I didn’t measure my ingredients, so these are guesses and your sausage can be made with or without all or some of these ingredients, to taste. I wish there was a such thing as a vegetarian sausage casing but after doing a web search, such a thing doesn’t appear to exist. Still, this mix could make good patties. One web hit I read suggested letting it get cold before trying to form the patties. Gotta try dat.

Vegetarian Sausage from TVP or Seitan

makes approximate equivalent of 1 pound crumbled sausage

Mince or food process the following, then sauté in a medium hot pan:

• 1/2 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• small wedge of ginger

When onions are clear, add any of the following, or a creative mix, and cook until whole seeds soften:

• 1/2 tsp ground fennel
• 1/2 tsp whole coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp whole mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin
• red pepper seeds if you like it spicy

Mix the following together and add to the sautéd ingredients:

• 1 cup TVP or ground dry seitan (I food processed some leftover seitan that had not been stored in liquid)
• 2 egg whites or 2 teaspoons powdered egg white
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Allow to simmer until ingredients reach a thick sticky consistency and wala! you’ve got totally realistic sausage substitute! For real!

Minty Rice with Tuna, Cashews and Raisins

2 cups cooked rice (any kind)

1/4 cup mint chutney

1 6 oz can tuna

1/2 cup raisins (golden are nice, regular ones work too)

1/2 cup cashews (slivered almonds would work too)

Make your rice and while it is still steaming hot, mix all ingredients and serve immediately.

Like lasagna, this is a layered dish with a starchy flat thing, a tomato based sauce and cheese. But it consists of Mexican ingredients, including tortillas (or polenta if you want to be more Italian).

Whatever it is, it’s goo–oood.

Mexican Lasagna? Italian Quesadillas?

9-10 corn tortillas (a tube of sliced polenta would work too)

1 cup shredded mixed cheeses

1 10 oz can cream of celery soup

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried cilantro or similar amount chopped fresh cilantro

15 oz jar salsa

leftover veggies, pureed

1/2 cup olives, chopped (optional)

any of the following:

• 2 6-oz cans of tuna
• similar amount refried beans
• similar amount of chicken substitute
• similar amount of textured vegetable protein, sauteed with the onions and garlic

Sauté onions, garlic and cilantro in oil. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together except tortillas. (Sneaking those pureed leftover vegetables in, is a stroke of genius which was passed onto me through a series of moms ending with my friend Malkie, who also gave me the idea for polenta.)

In a glass lasagna pan, start layering with sauce, then tortillas, then sauce, cheese, tortillas. End with cheese.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes, covering with foil for the first 20 minutes to protect the cheese from overbrowning.

Serve with sour cream and Spanish Rice (out of a box, of course)

Oddly enough, they don’t much like spaghetti or lasagna, but they love this fusion of the two. I found this in a web search and expanded on it to improve the quality, even when using store-bought sauce.

It is technically a frittata but my kids couldn’t remember that name, so I made it into a bake. Because I am the mom.

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

serves 4 (plus leftovers for lunch the next day)

1/2 pound spaghetti, angel hair is nice

2 Tbsp butter flavored margarine

Garlic salt to taste

6 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms or olives as desired

3 Tbsp butter flavored margarine

1 cup canned spaghetti sauce

1 cup grated cheese: mozzerella or colby jack

1/2 cup paneer or feta (optional)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

Cook the spaghetti, then drain and coat the noodles with the 2 Tbsp butter and garlic salt to taste. Set aside and allow to cool.

Preheat broiler or set oven on highest setting.

You can skip this step if you need to keep it simple or have a well-flavored spaghetti sauce: Sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms in a frying or sauce pan, then add sauce and olives. Allow to simmer while getting the spaghetti bake ready.

Beat 6 eggs in a large bowl then mix in the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Drop the cooled noodles into the egg mixture and coat thoroughly. While stirring, season with Italian seasonings.

In an oven-proof skillet or baking pan that can tolerate stove-top heat (I use a cast iron skillet), sizzle 3 Tbsp butter on high heat. Spread half of the egg-coated pasta on the bottom of the pan and shake the pan to keep the pasta from sticking. Quickly reduce heat to medium.

Spread the spaghetti sauce over the noodles, leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over the sauce then top with the rest of the noodles. Allow to set over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Place the whole pan in the hot-hot oven for about 1 minute with the top aimed toward the heat source, as closely as possible. Don’t go any longer or it will get too crisp.

Allow to cool for about five minutes and then cut in pie wedges to serve.

At this point, I can only hope that keeping the fragrances of Indian spices alive in our home, and that PJ’s and my enjoyment of Indian food will keep the kids connected until they mature and become more adventurous eaters.

Then maybe Indian food will even have a nostalgic resonance for them which would be no small feat considering the fact that I am not an Indian Ma.

Meanwhile. I am developing a few guaranteed hits that I can whip up quickly between school and bedtime. In fact I am even creating a category for the guaranteed hits. It’s called Guaranteed Hits. (So creative!) This is one is one of a handful I have developed so far. I got the skeletal recipe off a rather generic company site and then made it my own.

Tuna Alfredo

serves 4 (plus leftovers for lunch the next day)

32 oz Alfredo sauce (bought or homemade, I bought)

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

any of/or a creative mix of the following:

• 1/2 bell pepper chopped
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
• 1 cup frozen or canned peas and carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped olives
• 1/2 cup mushrooms

6 oz can of tuna

Sauté the onions and garlic and mushrooms in a deep pan, then add the sauce, vegetables and tuna and heat up on the stove or in the microwave, stirring often.

Serve over baked potatoes or noodles.

See recipe on Sailu’s blog

I often transcribe recipes that I lift from other blogs (always giving credit) because I need more clarity in the process or must make a change that will make the meal more palatable for my tender-tongued family. But aside from not using any chili pepper (which would only improve it), this recipe stands perfectly well on its own, and the pictures are better on Sailu’s blog.

I was afraid to go with 1 inch chunks of okra because as an okra novice, I wasn’t sure I would cook it well enough, but next time I will probably go for it, as the dish can simmer long enough to finish cooking the okra after all items are combined.

Dang it was good, and better yet THE KIDS LIKED IT. You could have knocked me over with a feather when they kept spooning their vegetables into their mouths. Maybe it was the (tiny bit of) sugar!

2 cups shredded potatoes or frozen hash browns
1/2 cup melted margarine
12 oz can of tuna
1/2 cup minced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
1 can cream of anything soup
2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven at 350F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan or casserole with non-stick
cooking spray.

Combine soup, margarine, salt, pepper, onions and cheese.

Gently mix in the potatoes and pour into prepared pan or dish.

Bake uncovered at 350F for 35 minutes.