Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 medium Butternut Squash peeled and cubed
1 medium onion diced
2 large cloves garlic minced
1/2 inch ginger minced
1 green chili
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
oil
salt
pepper

Recipe

Take the butternut squash pieces in a baking sheet, drizzle oil on top, season lightly with salt and pepper.

Roast for an hour or until soft.Keep aside.

In a pan, add 1 Tbsp oil. Once hot add cumin seeds and let splutter.

Add onions and saute till translucent.

Add ginger, garlic and green chilli. Saute for 30 seconds.

Add Garam masala and roasted butternut squash pieces and puree.

Add milk as needed to get the desired consistency while pureeing.

Simmer for 5 minutes. Add cilantro.

Add more salt per taste.

Serve hot.

Italian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (carrots,peas,lima beans,corn etc)
1 medium Zucchini cut into bite size pieces
1 medium tomato cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion chopped
2 Handfuls of Farfalle pasta(any pasta would do)
1/2 gallon water
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to drizzle on top
Parmesan/Romano cheese or mix of both for garnishing.
Chopped Parsley for garnishing.

Recipe

Add all vegetables,pasta,tomato paste in the water.
Cover and Cook on medium high till all vegetables are boiled thoroughly and the water reduces to a soupy consistency.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
Add Italian seasoning to taste
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top
Transfer to a bowl and garnish with desired amount of the Parmesan/Romano cheese and  chopped parsley.
Serve with fresh Garlic bread.

Spinach moong daal

Spinach Moong daal

Ingredients

3 cups of finely chopped spinach
1/2 cup of yellow moong daal
2 table spoons of sambhar powder
1/2 table spoon of tamarind paste
salt to taste
1/2 tea spoon of mustard seeds
1/2 tea spoon of cumin seeds
Pinch of hing
1 dry red chilli
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 table spoons of olive/canola/vegetable oil

Recipe

Heat a pan.
Add oil and warm it up.
Add mustard and cumin seeds. let them splutter.
Add red chillies,curry leaves and hing.
Add the finely chopped Spinach.
Saute till all the water evaporates from Spinach.
Once Spinach looks done, add the turmeric powder and Sambhar powder.
Saute for a minute.
Now add the cooked moong daal into the spinach mixture. (pressure cook moong daal for 3 whistles)
Take tamarind paste and add some water to thin it down.Fresh tamarind can also be used instead of paste. Take a lemon ball size tamarind. Let it soak for couple of minutes in water and squeeze the pulp out.
Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 4-5 mins.
Serve hot with Rice/Phulka/chapathi.