Indian food is wide ranging in variety, taste and flavor. The strong flavors in Indian recipes are derived from spices, seasonings and leafy vegetables. Indian recipes have become famous world wide and it is liked by non-Indians too. Most of the spices included in the free indian recipes are used not only for their flavor, but because it has been found out from olden days, that they contain medicinal value.

Each state in India has its own style and combination in making Indian recipes. The Indian food is renowned for its gravies, which is a tasty attraction for a newcomer. The North Indian recipes differ from South Indian recipes. In Indian cuisine, food is categorized into six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent.

The perfect combination of spices and depth of flavor in Indian recipes and with cooking techniques, has made it a gastronomic delight and it also fulfills today’s requirement for healthy eating.

Indian food recipe is a platform to share Indian recipes with the world. Indian food recipe include vegetarian recipes, non-vegetarian recipes, South Indian recipes, Gujarati recipes, Punjabi recipes and more different types of Indian recipes.

Indian recipe – Vegetarian dish: Gobi Aloo (Potato and Cauliflower curry)
1 cauliflower
2 potatoes
2 onions sliced
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
4 dried red chilies
2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
½ tsp chili powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric
2 fresh green chilies (opt)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

•    Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the cumin, dried red chilies, stirring to mix.
•    Add the onions and stir occasionally, until golden brown.
•    Add the garlic-ginger paste, chili powder, salt, turmeric and finely chopped green chilies (optional). Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
•    Add the chopped potatoes and cut small florets cauliflower to the mixture, stirring to coat the vegetables in the spice mixture.
•    Reduce the heat, add water. Cover the pan and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
•    Transfer the vegetables to warmed serving plates and serve immediately.

Indian recipes are diverse and extraordinary, based on religious beliefs, climate, culture and availability of ingredients. Indian food recipe provides a guide to the food of India and every Indian recipe will interest and inspire you.

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A great vegetarian soup recipe is not just all about preparing your appetite for a healthy vegetarian meal – it should be healthy as well. To help you come up with some of your very own vegetarian soup recipe, here are some tips.

Experiment

When it comes to vegetarian recipes, there is really no hard-and-fast rule. You just have to follow the preliminary basics and then let your imagination rule. This means that you may just have to sauté the usual garlic, onions and your choice of vegetables, add the soup stock or vegetable broth and then add whatever you like including spices. If you are preparing a cold and raw vegetarian soup recipe, then you can experiment by swapping some ingredients like watermelon for tomatoes or vice versa.

The only general rule is to basically respect your taste buds and whoever you are cooking for. It would be better though to reserve experimentation on your free days and simply use tested soup recipes on regular days when you have little time.

Be Generous with Spices

At times, a small portion of green onions, celery or carrots sauted in onions will make a big difference in taste. Other soup recipes however may need a little more than the usual herbs and spices. Try a few mixes like oregano and rosemary; pepper and lemon or pepper and lemon grass. You can also use other spices like cayenne and cumin. One tip with vegetarian soup recipe seasoning is to use an appropriate amount or mix of spices so you can cut back on salt.

Thicken the Soup

To make the soup more savory, make the texture just right – not too thin, and not too thick. Texture may of course be improved by thickening the soup. One secret of oriental cooks is that they use flour or cornstarch to thicken a vegetarian soup recipe instead of using milk. Some would suggest adding a precise number of parts of flour or cornstarch to water but sometimes you just have to make an estimate.

To put more texture or thickness to your soup, simply add a small amount of cornstarch. Simply mix a small amount of cornstarch with some warm water and then slowly pour the mixture while stirring in soup that is just about ready to be taken out of the fire.

Convert

Non-vegetarians usually add meat to make the soup tastier. However, vegetarians can substitute the meat with other ingredients. Aside from spices, pepper and green onions, you can also add a bit of soy sauce to give your soup some flavor. Beans can also add to the flavor of your vegetarian soup recipe and even supply much needed protein which others normally get from meat. Aside from beans, peas, lentils and squash are also tasty additions to vegetarian soup.

Freezing Soup

One great thing about soup is that you can prepare more than enough and freeze the rest for the next day. Just make sure that before you freeze soup, you allow it to cool completely first. Have it chilled so that you can remove excess oil before transferring it to small containers for freezing. Makes sure there is some extra space in your container after the soup has been transferred to allow the liquid to expand.

Technorati Tags: Great, Preparing, recipe, Soup, vegetarian

Sometimes a non profit event you work on will actually change your lifestyle and your eating habits. A whole new vocabulary (such as eat vegan and vegan catering) has become a part of my daily life and in January, I will attempt the 21-day vegan cleanse courtesy of PCRM.

I think one of the effects from PCRM’s non profit event is that they improved my eating habits and got me to think about what I eat. At least once a week now, I try to eat vegan (or I will admit, more often vegetarian) and to include an increased amount of tofu vegan foods.

Working on this non profit event has also caused me to look to substitutes when I cook. Why not use olive oil instead of butter when sautéing? How about vegetable broth instead of chicken stock? A lot of people think that when you eat vegan, the food will be dry, tasteless and chewy which is not the case at all.

What I have been exposed to via PCRM are delicious tofu vegan foods at funky hip vegan restaurants that also offer vegan catering. In fact for Thanksgiving and for a couple of dinner parties, I made a vegan pumpkin pie. I have also cooked a “neatloaf” – vegan meatloaf – and quite often I whip up a walnut mushroom pate that looks like chopped liver.

The Environment and a Vegan Diet

When you eat vegan, I believe you also start to take a second look at your environment and how you can possibly decrease the amount of waste produced. A diet of tofu vegan foods puts less stress on the environment because this diet requires less manufacturing.

Also, consider your wardrobe. Are there certain leather accessories that you can do without or can you switch them to fabric products? Now more than ever, designers are looking to stylish alternatives for leather, suede and fur and creating alternative fashion statements that are fun, functional and hip.

Tofu Vegan Recipe

Below is a delicious and easy tofu vegan recipe for a walnut mushroom pate. I included this recipe in Budget Bash since it is impressive to serve yet simple to make. (Hint, I keep it in the fridge and just eat it without the crackers after working out for a good source of protein.)

Walnut Mushroom Pate

3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ pound fresh sliced mushrooms
½ onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound firm tofu, mashed
½ cup walnuts
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions turn soft, about 5 minutes.

Put the mushroom mixture and tofu in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add the walnuts, salt and pepper and puree again until smooth. Chill the pate thoroughly before serving with your favorite bread or crackers.

Enjoy the mushroom pate and stay tuned for my details from my 21-day vegan cleanse. After all, you never know what effects producing a non profit event may make upon your everyday life. Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Technorati Tags: Event, Profit, recipe, Tofu, vegan

Vegan peach blueberry cobbler/crisp recipe
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