Carrot Halva (Gajar Halva)

The Carrot Halva (page 447) took me all day to make... mostly waiting. I've made several of these milk puddings but I never find them to be pudding like. They are very soupy rather than thick. I cooked this one for 4 hours and still the texture was like soup (actually, many of my soups are thicker than this)... So what to do? Well, it still tasted good, so we ate it.

Tagine of Fava Beans, Artichoke Hearts and Eggplant (224)

Today I made the Tagine of Fava Beans, Artichoke Hearts and Eggplant recipe (page 58). It was as close to the recipe as I could get since I had to make a few substitutions. I have not been able to find fresh organic fava beans so I substituted Lima beans. We don't eat eggplant because it is not recommended for people who might have gall or kidney stones according to Ayurveda so I substituted parsnips. Everything else was done according to the instructions. It came out very good and very delicious. Two thumbs up!

Parsley-Cashew Chutney

The Parsley-Cashew Chutney (page 521) is another non-fruit and non-cooked chutney. But that is all is has in common with the previous posted chutney (Mint, Cilantro and Tomato). This chutney is sweet and creamy and delish. It has parsley and cashews of course, but also ginger and yogurt. It will be a favorite in our house.

Mint, Cilantro and Tomato Chutney

The Mint, Cilantro and Tomato Chutney (page 521) is different from most chutneys because it is not fruit and it is not cooked. It reminds me of salsa and only takes minutes to prepare. The little bit of heat it has is from the ginger and the mint adds a refreshing zip.

Cardamom Tea Cake (Kardemummakaka)

I decided to make the Cardamom Tea Cake (page 397) recipe as cupcakes instead of a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake. This is done purely for the convenience of sharing with others. I love the taste of cardamom and I love afternoon tea so I was sure this was going to be prefect for me. The topping for the cake was a streusel made with sugar, flour and butter. They were outstanding.

Vegetable Kugel

The Vegetable Kugel (page 142) recipe made the whole house smell wonderful. It is hard to tell from the photo but the kugel is made of potatoes and veggies mixed together. Then it is baked at 400 degrees for an hour and a half until it gets a crispy brown crust all over. Even the bottom is brown and crunchy. This is a very nice way to eat potatoes with vegetables.

Ranch House Pozole Chili

The Ranch House Pozole Chili (page 167) recipe is a very hearty stew type of chili. I could not find the type of pozole Miriam's recipe calls for. She says that the "pozole must be soaked overnight." I got on the Internet and found out that pozole is another name for hominy corn. So that's what I used. Next time I'll try the Mexican grocery store. Other than that, this recipe came together very nicely and tasted wonderful. Definitely a lunch menu chili.

Mango Salsa

The Mango Salsa (page 507) was just so pretty that I had to take a picture of it. I enjoy looking at food as much as eating it. This is super good and only takes 5 minutes to make.

Bocoles (Fresh Corn Pancakes)

The Bocoles (page 87) is an adaptation of an Aztec dish. These pancakes are about 3 inches across so they are a little larger than Miriam suggested. I'm mentioning this because I made 1/2 the recipe and ended up with 6 pancakes. They are really good tasting and it was easy to eat two. It was very easy to make. Just put everything in the food processor and then fry on a griddle. I have an cast iron griddle that is great for flat breads and pancakes and it work just fine for these thick corn pancakes too.

Dim Sum Turnip Fritters (Luobo Gao)

The Dim Sum Turnip Fritters (page 139) recipe is from China and it is a vegetarian version of a fish cake. If you say... it is not possible for turnips to mimic fish cakes. Not so; by reason of steaming and deep frying. On the other hand, by reason of it being delicious, it was enjoyed by all.

Spring Rolls & Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

The Spring Rolls (page 284) recipe and the Sweet-and-Sour Sauce (page 514) were actually very fun to make. I picked the tofu stuffing for the spring rolls and I used the eggless premade wrappers. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to invite more people over to eat them. I had too many spring rolls and not enough taste testers.

Red Beans and Rice & Date Chutney

Red Beans and Rice (page 197) and the Date Chutney (page 517) are the two recipes I tried today. The red beans and rice recipe is a simple and delicious way to eat kidney beans. The recipe doesn't sound flashy but it really tastes great. I made the date chutney to go along with the bean and rice dish because I love homemade, fresh chutneys. I could eat a different one everyday. Chutneys help to ensure all six tastes are present in a meal. Miriam says that "chutneys usually contain three or four tastes" and that the English translated them into "spicy preserved fruits in vinegar." Fresh chutneys bear no resemblance to their jarred counterparts. An important note here is that Ayurveda recommends lemon juice rather than vinegar.

Falafel, Taratoor Sauce & Tahini (Sesame Butter)

Today I made a couple of recipes. I started with the Falafel (page 194) recipe. Then I went to make the Taratoor Sauce (page 512) but I found I had no tahini in the house so... I had to make my own. Fortunately for me, Miriam gives the Tahini recipe (page 512) right next to the taratoor sauce recipe. I added a little Greek yogurt to the sauce because I wanted it thicker. Everything tasted good but it is a lot of preparation to make falafels. First, you must "soak beans overnight" then "cook for 2 1/2 hours" then "soak the bulgar for at least an hour" and finally "allow falafels to dry in the sun for an hour" before cooking them. Whew!

Bulgar and Toasted Noodles with Four Fresh Herbs

The Bulgar and Toasted Noodles with Four Fresh Herbs (page 312) is a lovely salad which is probably more appropriate for Pitta season (July-October) rather than the Kapha season (March-June) which it is now. But I wanted some fresh herbs and this salad is loaded with mint, cilantro, parley and dill. I used pistachios since I didn't have almonds. This recipe reminded me of the Bulgar with Vermicelli recipe (page 158) which I made a few months ago but with a summer twist. The cinnamon in the dressing adds a delightful surprise.

Tofu or Seitan with Bean Thread Noodles and Vegetables

In the Tofu or Seitan with Bean Thread Noodles and Vegetables (page 213), I decided to use seitan and I also substituted zucchini for the green beans. This is really fast recipe to make, under 30 minutes. You have your protein, your grain and your veggies all together in a super fast and super delicious meal. John and I both ate heaping platefuls... it was outstanding.

Coconut Cake with Apricot or Date Frosting & Hung Yogurt

Today I made the Coconut Cake with Apricot or Date Frosting (page 390) and the Hung Yogurt (page 534) recipes. I decided on the date frosting, which uses the sweetness of the dates as the main sweetener. The recipe said you could use either cream cheese or hung yogurt for the frosting. I've never made a yogurt frosting before today. The way you make hung yogurt is just to hang the yogurt... so nothing to it except time. I hung it over a bowl in some cheese cloth early in the morning and frosted the cupcakes late that day. The yogurt frosting has a nice sweetness with a tart background. I also enjoyed the coconut cupcakes without frosting. The texture of these cupcakes were really light for eggless baking.

Thai Stock & Sizzling Rice Soup

I used the Thai Stock (page 220) as the vegetable stock for the Sizzling Rice Soup (page 229). The Thai Stock is very easy to make and has a little kick because of the diakon radish. The Sizzling Rice Soup is a performance piece which is prepared at the dinner table. The rice must be made about 4 hours in advance. You cook it, then dry it, then fry it and lastly you toss it into the waiting soup stock and listen for the sizzle. It is very tasty even though the ingredients sound simple. The rice puffs up in the hot oil but stays crunchy in the soup. It would be a great party recipe and it is said to have made the Emperor Chien Lung very happy.

Crispy Tofu with Cashew Sauce & Sambal

The two recipes today are Crispy Tofu with Cashew Sauce (page 294) and the Sambal (page 515) which is the name of the cashew sauce. This is also the 200th recipe I've cooked from Heaven's Banquet. It feels like a huge milestone... 200 recipes in six months...Yippee! But back to tofu... if you like tofu, you are going to love this recipe. We ate it for lunch and dipped the tofu into the cashew sauce. The sauce reminds me of the peanut sauce you can get at a Thai restaurant but made with cashews. It's very nice but rich, a little goes a long way.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Almonds & Sweet Red Pepper Puree

The Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Almonds (page 238) and Sweet Red Pepper Puree (page 513) made a terrific tasting soup. It's another easy cream soup to make as long as you don't mind the blender mess. Since you have all the elements going at once, it really doesn't take very long but it tastes like it took all day to cook. The red pepper puree was the big taste bud surprise on this soup. Definitely, include it with this wonderful soup recipe.

Moors and Christians

The Moors and Christians recipe (page 192) are black beans served over white rice and garnished with a lemon wedge. This is another wonderful way to eat beans and rice, which is my vegetarian staple. I will definitely be making this dish often.

Polenta Con Vegetali

The Polenta Con Vegetali (page 165) is a good way to combine cornmeal with vegetables. Miriam's recipe called for eggplant (which we do not eat) so I came up with my own vegetable medley. I used broccoli, green beans and carrots. I still made stripes with the veggies to cover the polenta. I also added a little grated cheese to the top. Yum!

White Cake with Buttercream Frosting

The White Cake with Buttercream Frosting (page 385) is a basic two layer cake with frosting. The photo is 1 of the 22 cupcakes I made instead of a layer cake. I will be sending the cupcakes to work with John tomorrow for people at the office. I found the recipe to be too sweet for me but I'm hoping other people will enjoy it.

Swedish Rye Bread

The Swedish Rye Bread (page 328) recipe is yet another recipe that worked in the bread maker. Miriam has you cut three diagonal slits in the top of the loaf before baking. Next time I will do that in the bread maker because the top of the loaf split a little. This is a heavier bread than the other breads that I've made but the taste was excellent.

Tortilla Soup

The Tortilla Soup (page 227) recipe was a little southwestern in taste without being too spicy. I bought blue corn chips to use in the soup which made the soup color a bit gray. Yellow corn tortillas would have had a nicer color. Anyway, the soup tasted great and was very easy to make.