Plus this stir fried veggie loaded noodles is quick and easy to make, packed with tons of veggies and proteins and belly warming.

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You can easily use other proteins and veggies based on what you have in your fridge. Here are some substitutes to try:

• Tofu, paneer, tempeh or 2 scrambled eggs in lieu of the seitan
• Peanuts for the cashews
• Zucchini, squash, red or green bellpeppers, snow peas, red onions, asparagus and mushrooms. The possibilities are for real endless here.

For the noodles, I used whole wheat linguine but you can also opt for more authentic Chinese noodles, Hakka noodles or soba noodles.

Serve hot and be sure to scrape up the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.

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Adapted moderately from The Kitchn’s Easiest Chicken Chow Mein.

Not all Indian cooking takes forever. In fact, most Indian cooking doesn’t take forever. But this paneer bhurji is particularly fast and satisfying weeknight Indian main dish. It calls for ingredients you most likely have on hand – peas, a tomato, onions and a dash of milk – plus basic Indian spices of garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric. And of course, paneer.

I must admit that I used fresh paneer which I made over the weekend prior. Don’t hate me for that. I’ve not gone Martha Stewart. It’s just that t’s actually super easy. But I’ve also made it with store bought Amul paneer and it’s really good with that too.

If you decide that you want to make your own paneer, here are the basic steps:  bring about a half gallon of whole milk to a high simmer around 200 degrees (the milk will look foamy although I use this infrared thermometer) then add 1/4 cup lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes so the curds separate. Then strain it through a cheese cloth collecting the liquid – or whey – in a pot. Squeeze the curds in the cheesecloth to remove any extra whey. Pat the curds into the shape of a block then wrap the cheesecloth around the block. Put it between two plates and place in fridge with a heavy object on top of it.

This is the curds separating after I added the lemon juice…

And this is the fresh paneer after the whey was strained out…

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Whey has a buttery, milky golden taste to it. Imagine drinking the remnants of a can of condensed milk, sneaking the last bit of heavy whipping cream, licking up the browned left behind bits of browning butter….all things I’ve never (ever) done but (imagine) would be delicious. I used all of my whey in this soup which means we enjoyed every last bit of paneer making quite a few times.

This is an oldy but goody from May 2011. The last time I made these, we dunked them in a zaatar sumac spiked yogurt dip. This time around, they disappeared so quickly from the counter that there was no time or need for a sauce.

You can find the recipe and original post here.

There’s not a lot of culinary genius behind this idea for Red Bell Pepper and Black Bean Tacos. Except that was easy. Tasted good. Surya loved them. Healthy. These Red Bell Pepper and Black Bean Tacos are genius! They are easy, delicious, healthy and (maybe) will even win over your toddler.

Hard shelled tacos are sanctioned snacking in Surya’s mind. It’s the crunch factor of the hard shell that does it for her. So, I’ve been squeezing healthy and tasty meals between a shell for her to chow down on. We’re all winning.

Except Surya is apparently not so into my food photography.

This Sunday’s variety included red bell peppers and black beans but we also did a “build your own” taco bar the other weekend with beans, avocado and onions. I’m sure there are a million and one variations. And we haven’t contemplated a desi version yet (though now I’m thinking of these Indian burritos).

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Eating cold lunches is almost like not eating lunch at all. At least to me. But I do have my limits and slaving away over a hot stove on a hot day is not within them. When I snuck out of yard work early this weekend, I knew I had to come up with something good for lunch. Delicious yet easy and no slaving over a stove. These Avocado Tomato Melts were the answer – blistered avocado wedges, runny warm tomato slices and melty cheese layered onto bread that’s crunchy on the ends and soft in the middle with leftover huevos rancheros beans. Plus a cold glass of Jaljeera Juice, or Spicy Lemonade as I explained to Surya.

Together, they did the trick. Jaljeera Powder is a blend of Dry Mango Powder, Cumin Powder, Black Salt, Black Pepper Powder, Dry Ginger Powder, Mint Leave Powder, Ajowan Powder, Gooseberry Powder, Citric Acid (Acidulant), Refined Palmolein Oil & Asafoetida. To make this unsweetened version of desi lemonade, fill a pitcher with cold water, ice and lemon juice then stir in a few heaping teaspoons to taste.  Enjoy cold!

Holy hot avocados. Until this summer, I hated avocados (and guacamole). After a taste of my friend Christina‘s guac (just to be polite) this summer, I’ve converted.  Especially when they are hot. I toss cubed handfuls into eggs with cheddar cheese (green eggs no ham) and into stir fries. The few friends I’ve shared this discovery with have all had the same response: “What happens to the avocado? Does it melt?” Nope. It gets nice and soft and even richer in taste. And it imparts that richness to the rest of the dish. So yes, holy hot avocados.

After a relaxing child-free, spa-filled weekend at the Lodge at Woodloch with Christina [A lovely surprise present for each of us from our husbands], I came home armed with recipe ideas and creative juices flowing. We watched a cooking demo using fresh ingredients with natural medicinal properties like shitake mushrooms, asparagus, watercress and leeks. Nathanial Whitmore, a herbalist from Hawley, Pennsylvania, was on hand to explain to explain fascinating details like how shitake mushrooms have natural immune boosting properties.

The best take away from the entire weekend was this easy recipe for a soba noodle stir-fry sauce. And a discovery that Hoisin sauce is not non-vegetarian after all (read the label though just to be sure). It’s a perfect blend of salty and sweet and pairs really well with nutty sesame oil. This has become my go-to weeknight meal – especialy since all of the sauce ingredients are always stocked in my fridge.

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Kale chips have been everywhere. Every magazine and food blogger seems have to have shared a method, recipe and variation.  With each article and post, I rolled my eyes a little. Because we already love kale in my house. In my head I was thinking “I don’t need to transform it into a faux potato chip to get my family to eat it.”

We eat it with pasta loaded with veggie sausage and garlicky breadcrumbs.  We chop it and up toss into yellow lentils.  We warm up with a bowl of chewy bean and vegetable stone soup with bits of kale.  So why waste any of my kale making into crispy chips?

Because it gets really crunchy. And it has a deep, light flavor scored with the sesame seed oil I splashed over it and sesame seeds sprinkled on top with kosher salt. And and and it’s healthy for you.

I topped off a bowl of these Sesame Garlic Soba Noodles with a thick layer of Crispy Sesame Kale from Vegan YumYum.

Two huge events have happened in my life within the last week.  First, I snuck away to have a baby.  Our beautiful baby girl, Surya, arrived last Thursday and we have been completely preoccupied with loving on her ever since.  Second, I’ve turned over my kitchen to my mother for the next three weeks.  Fortunately, I put my -pre-delivery “nesting” instincts to good use and wrote up a few posts before Surya arrived, so hopefully you won’t even notice that I’m gone.

Have you ever tried to describe the taste of a bean?  I’ve been asking around, and my 8 year old niece came up with the best answers so far.  Her first was “beany” and her second was “nothing.”  After giving this question some thought [yes, I’ve actually been sitting around thinking about this question, asking people their thoughts and searching on the internet for an appropriate description], I think her second response is close to accurate.  Is it true that beans and lentils have no taste on their own and are just conduits for the spices and flavors they are cooked with?  Or do they have a flavor by themselves and, if so, what flavor is that?

When I think of beans and lentils, I think of tastes like buttery, salty and savory, nutty and creamy.  But a bowl of unseasoned lentils is like a mouthful of chalk.