Bangon Aloo: Eggplant with potatoes

Oh yum! - copied from fatfree, with gratitude! the only change I've made is to specify soy yogurt.

3/4 lb. eggplant
1/2 lb. potatoes
1/3 cup sliced onion
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp roasted and crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp grated ginger root
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp soy yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar
1-2 green chilis, chopped
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Wash the eggplant. Cut it into quarters lengthwise, then, holding the pieces
together, cut them across into 1/2 inch chunks. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly
and don't peel them. Cut into quarters and cut quarters twice so you get 12
bite size pieces from each tater. Very slowly dryfry onion until it turns
light brown (slowly carmelizing the onions)Add cumin and coriander seeds, stir
for a minute, then add ginger, half garlic, chili powder, tumeric and cook
over very high heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water as necessary
to keep the spice paste from sticking. Spices should deepen in color, this
should not take more than two minutes. Add eggplant, yogurt, sugar, and green
chilis. Mix all togetherand cook 2-3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of water, lower
heat and and simmer 15 minutes, with lid firmly on. Add taters, peppers, and
tomatoes. Make sure lid is very tight, simmer another 10 minutes, checking
occassionally so it is not burning or sticking.. If too dry, add a bit more
water. Lastly, add cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice, cook 1 more minute,
gently stir to mix, then turn off heat.

Aloo Paratha

Recipe and directions are from Manjula's Kitchen - she has a whole collection of the most wonderful videos, too!

(for 6 parathas)

1-cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
Canola oil

POTATO (ALOO) FILLING
1-1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon chopped green pepper
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder (optional)

Also needed
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for rolling
Oil to cook

Method

Dough

1. Mix flour, salt and water together to make soft dough (if the dough is hard add a little more water). I like mixing the dough by hand.
2. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly greased surface to make smooth and pliable dough.
3. Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes.

Filling

1. Boil 2 medium potatoes with 2 cups of water. After the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Let the potatoes cook until they are tender.
2. Once tender, remove them from the water and let them cool down. Note: Do not cool the potatoes under running water because the potatoes will become too soft.
3. After the potatoes are cold enough to handle, peel the skin off and mash the potatoes.
4. Mix green chilies, cilantro, cumin seeds and salt to the mashed potatoes.

Making paratha

1. Divide the dough and potato mixture into 6 equal parts. The potato balls should be about 1 1/2 times larger than the dough balls.
2. Roll the dough into 3 inch diameter circles. Place the potato balls in the center. Seal by pulling the edges of the rolled dough together to
3. make a ball. Proceed to make all six balls.
4. Let them settle for 3 to 4 minutes before rolling them.
5. Heat the skillet on medium high. Note: An iron skillet works best. To check if the skillet is hot enough, sprinkle a couple of drops of water
6. on it. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.
7. To make it easier to roll the balls, first roll them in dry whole-wheat flour.
8. Lightly press the ball on the sealed side and keep it on the topside when rolling. Roll the ball light handed in to 6-inch circles. Whenever the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly sprinkle dry whole-wheat flour on both sides of the semi-rolled paratha.
9. Place the paratha over the skillet. After a few seconds you will see the
10. paratha change color and puff in different places.
11. Then flip the paratha over. You should see some golden-brown spots on the topside. After a few seconds, spread 1 teaspoon of oil on the paratha. Again, flip the paratha and lightly press the puffed areas with a spatula.
12. Flip again and press with the spatula making sure the paratha is golden-brown on both sides.
13. Cool the parathas on a wire rack so they don't get soggy.
14. Parathas can be kept outside for up to 2 days wrapped in aluminum foil or in a covered container. For later use, parathas can be refrigerated for 5-6 days or freezed (wrapped in aluminum foil) for a month. Re-heat on a skillet or toaster oven.

Variations

Try substituting chopped cilantro with a 1/4 cup of finely chopped mint leaves. You can use a variety of herbs in this recipe. Make sure to remove
all excess water when adding your choice of fresh herbs.

Serving Suggestions

1. Parathas can be served with tomato chutney, plain yogurt, any gravy subji, or spicy pickle.
2. Make it like a Mexican Quesadilla by topping it with cheese and sliced tomatoes, then folding it in half.

Sweet potato salad

Copied from The Slow Cook, an omni blog with some interesting and delicious recipes.

Or, you can treat sweet potatoes as a salad ingredient, as in this recipe. For 10 servings, peel 3 pounds of sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes, toss with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on one or two baking sheets. Bake in a 350-degree oven until just tender (I poke them with a metal trussing skewer to test for doneness).

While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the dressing. Whisk together 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Set aside.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked through, remove from the oven to cool. Meanwhile, toast 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, the toasted pecans, 1/2 cup chopped scallions, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup golden raisins and 1/4 cup dark raisins. Stir in enough dressing to coat lightly.

The salad can be made ahead and refrigerated. Serve at room temp.

Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from Gourmet, January 2002 and copied from

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/spicy-sweet-potato-wedges-plus-five-etceteras/

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min
Servings: Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes (the latter will make them quite spicy, so using according to your preferences)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds medium sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Coarsely grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and red pepper flakes in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Stir together spices and salt.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1-inch wedges.

Toss wedges with oil and spices in a large roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 20 minutes. Turn wedges over with a spatula and roast until tender and slightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Aloo Saag (Indian curried spinach and potatoes)

This is a definite favorite! When I'm not feeling well (I have colitis) aloo saag goes down easy with no difficult-to-digest beans, tofu, or other bits.

1 lb. fresh spinach leaves, washed well (or frozen if you must)
2 cups 1/3"-dice potato (about 6 new potatoes or 2 medium baking potatoes: be aware that russets will tend to break down, unlike new potatoes - you may want to slightly undercook or wait until the end before gently folding them into the spinach mix)
4-6 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more as needed
1 tsp. garam masala
3 Tbsps. plain soy milk, plus more as needed
crushed red pepper to taste

serves 2 as main dish, 4-6 as a side
time 20-30 minutes

1 Wash the spinach leaves well and drain. Toss them in a pot along with a 1/2 cup of water. Heat on high for a few minutes, stirring, until the water starts to steam and the bottom leaves begin to wilt (if you're using frozen spinach, cook in microwave for 4-5 minutes). Give it a good stir, cover, lower heat, and cook for about 7 minutes, until just tender. Drain (don't worry about getting out all the water.) Puree until smooth in a blender or food processor.

2 Meanwhile, toss the diced potatoes in a pot with water to cover, and bring to a boil. Add a ½ tsp. of salt. Cook the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

3 Heat up a couple tablespoons of oil in a good-sized, non-stick sauté pan. Saute garlic and onion over medium heat. Stir in the turmeric and cook a minute or two more.

4 Toss in the spinach puree and potatoes and stir well. Add the milk, salt, garam masala and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper to taste. Bring to a low bubble, and cook a few minutes more to let the flavors meld. If the mixture looks too dry, add a little more milk. Enjoy!

-- adapted from www.digsmagazine.com

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/veggies/aloo.shtml