Channa Dal with Chachinda

This is channa dal with snake gourd. There is okra with tamarind and capsicum gravy in the background.

Kumbh Matar Masala

I made mushroom curry with peas, shown here with Gujarati ridge gourd gravy and ivy gourd.

Kovakkai Curry

I made this curry with ivy gourd (tindora).

Green Beans Do Pyaza

Green beans do pyaza, with methi kura pappu in the background.

Methi Kura Pappu

I made methi kura pappu.

Andhra Okra Fry

I made okra fry, shown here with ridge gourd pepper kootu and Suriname pumpkin curry.

Ridge Gourd Pepper Kootu

I made ridge gourd pepper kootu.

Batch Cooking: Quinoa and Beans, Four Meals

When I got back from a trip I was too tired to put a lot of effort into making meals. I just set some beans and chickpeas to soak, and the next day I pressure-cooked them and also cooked a bit of quinoa, then put both in the fridge for later. With these ingredients I made four different meals:

• Nachos (dinner)
• Taco salad (dinner)
• Quinoa parsley salad (lunch)
• Bean stew (dinner)

Together with berrry salad (lunch) and cucumber with feta (lunch), this gave me three days of variation and enough food for the rest of the week. Of course I used other ingredients: kale, tomatoes, tortilla chips, lettuce, sweet peppers, feta, blueberries…but it all fit in one over-the-shoulder shopping bag. Just start with some versatile ingredients and it’s easy to come up with half a dozen different dishes with minimal effort if you have a few things in the pantry, fridge and garden (pasta, corn kernels, olives, spices, cheese) as well. Aside from the taco salad and nachos, there weren’t similarities in flavour, either.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

I made this taco salad with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, corn kernels, chopped sweet pepper, olives, lettuce, and quinoa with taco seasoning. Many of the ingredients are the same as those used in the nachos, but there are more vegetables and less cheese and chips in the salad, making it a healthier alternative.

Pasta Kale Stew with Legumes

To make this dish I first cooked blackeyed beans, kidney beans and chickpeas. I added water, vegetable stock, a base of softened onions and garlic simmered with tomatoes, nutritional yeast, and a stalk of fresh rosemary. Carrots, brown mushrooms, pasta and kale rounded out the dish. As it cooled, the starch from the pasta and a few smashed chickpeas thickened the soup into stew.