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The past few years, we’ve seen Cauliflower being sold as the new superfood. Amazing Pizza bases and what not. Some days though, I just want wholesome, crisp veggies with a kick. Enter tandoori cauliflower. I started making this in the traditional oven/grill, a couple of years ago. This time I tried it in the air fryer. Both results are equally delicious! Tips: For best results, use thicker yogurt and lightly roasted fennel, sesame. From past posts, I often use a variation of TCRG** spice mix (powdered turmeric, coriander red chili, garam masala). Spice level can be adjusted to make it kid-friendly. To make it a complete meal, I made quinoa pulao in the IP and a batch of easy cooling Tzatziki, as a side. Makes for a great patio meal. (In the colder weather, I’ve made Tahini on the side, too) Let me know how you like it and don’t forget to tag #theflavorstation #crispy#creative#aromatic#plantbasedrecipes#fusionfood#healthyfood#instantpot#airfryer #easycooking#highprotein#vegetarian#vegetarianrecipes Ingredients Tandoori Cauliflower Marinade 2 cups cauliflower florets 2 cups yogurt 1 Tbsp oil TCRG spice mix 1 TBSP diced garlic 1 Tbsp each of fennel, sesame seeds salt to taste Tzatziki 4 cups Yogurt 1 large lemon (juice) 1 Tbsp powdered garlic 1/4 cup sliced cucumber 1 cup chopped parsley/cilantro salt to taste Quinoa Pulao 1 cup each: red, white quinoa 1 cup rice Turmeric (optional) salt to taste Recipe In a mixing bowl, whisk yogurt and mix all the marinade seasoning. Add caulifower florets, coat well. Roast the quinoa, rice on Saute mode in the IP. Then add water, turmeric and salt. 10 mins manual, NPR. In the meantime, like the air fryer with parchment paper to prevent drips, place the marinated florets in. Set air fryer for 15 mins at 370F. Flip midway. For the Tzatziki, whisk yogurt in a mixing bowl, and mix the other ingredients, as listed above. Enjoy the platter with a side of thick-cut tomato and red onion!

Pav Bhaji is the oxygen to thousands of Bombay commuters. It's very special to my heart since I grew up eating the famous one in Bombay, across Azad Maidan, getting to VT railway station (Victoria Terminus). For those who care, “Bombay Pav Bhaji” is a mix of certain veggies. For this one, I am a purist, no fusion for me. I feel a certain loyalty to Pav Bhaji, hence the recipe below is focused on being authentic. I‘ve used the IP to steam veggies and made the rest on the stovetop. You could do it all in one too. I find that I can prepare the tomato gravy in the time the IP takes to cook and cool veggies so time-wise both methods are about the same, for me. The best pav bhaji is made from the best ripe tomatoes, mild onions, and authentic, ‘Kashmiri’ red chillies. The Bombay-style pav goes best, in the spirit of purism. You could use vegan butter if you want to do dairy-free. Street food at its best! I hope you like it as much as we do. Do tag #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #instantpot #instantpotrecipes #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan #veganrecipes Ingredients Bhaji 1/2 medium cauliflower 5-6 med white/gold potatoes 7-8 red ripe tomatoes 2 cups frozen green peas 1/2 green capsicum 1/2 bulb garlic 1/2 red onion 1 stick butter (classic/vegan) 3 TBSP red chili powder 3 TBSP pav bhaji masala 2 Tbsp coriander powder Salt to taste Sides/topping 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 lime, sliced fistful chopped cilantro 1 tsp butter Pav Indian Pav/white bun, toasted with butter of your choice, on an omelette pan. Note that the pics below are without any filters. Meaning the red is truly bright red, as seen. This is purely the redness of tomatoes and Kashmiri red chillies. Recipe Peel potatoes and slice into half Boil/steam cauliflower florets, peas and potatoes in the classic pressure cooker or in the IP (12 mins, NPR) Slice tomatoes and puree, keep aside Crush the boiled veggies and keep aside Slice green capsicum, garlic and onion very finely. In a heavy pan, heat the butter, and sauté finely chopped veggies Add powdered spices Add tomato puree Let it simmer until sauce is bright red Add crushed veggies Let it simmer and become thick Toast Pav with butter Enjoy bhaji with sides and Pav!

Happy Father’s Day you’ll! The kiddos were having a healthy ‘debate’ on what they‘d make for their Dad and I looked at both, shaking my head. The older one had a brainwave - why not ask the man himself. The pick was something spicy. So kids looked at me for help. I looked at the tray in the fridge and said vegetable Kolhapuri, with Paneer! On a pizza!! Veg. Kolhapuri is typically available in restaurants in Bombay and Pune along with paratha or naan. I‘m told nobody in the actual city of Kolhapur has actually ever eaten this 😊. It doesn’t matter, us urban-ites have no qualms about eating good food, regardless of the city it is supposedly named after. I‘ve used whole Kashmiri red chilies with cauliflower, potatoes, green peas and colored capsicum (Bell peppers). These are the traditional vegetables I’ve seen used in the Kolhapuri entree. I used a locally-sourced Pizza base; you’re welcome to make your own. I made the Kolhapuri gravy as pizza sauce for the base. And lightly sautéed veggies in kolhapuri dry masala (any brand will do) to coat the veggies before they get put as toppings This turned out awesome. Try it and tag #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes Ingredients Kolhapuri sauce either from a pack or DIY below each of powdered spices below (in TBSP) + 1/4 cup oil onion (2) garlic (2) coriander (3) cumin (3) dry coconut (4) sesame seed (1) Red chili powder -Kashmiri (3) cinnamon (1) black pepper (1) Cloves (1/2) cornstarch (3) sugar (1) pinch of saffron Toppings 2 cups cubed Paneer 1 Cubed Capsicum (green and red) 2 cups Caulifower florets 1 potatoe, peeled sliced 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed 1/2 red onion cubed 2 whole red dry chilies fistful chopped cilantro dry Kolhapuri masala (any brand) cumin seeds Oil to saute salt to taste Base Pizza base (white or wheat) Canola oil to brush Recipe Sauce In a mixing bowl, slowly hand mix all the sauce ingredients including the oil Add 1 cup of water and mix until it comes to a smooth consistency Coat Toppings In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds and dry Kolhapuri masala. Let it crackle, sizzle. Add potatoes, salt and lightly sauté till coated. Taste salt level and adjust. Add cauliflower florets and repeat Add the other veggies, sauté, coat Add the Paneer cubes, let everything be coated with the dry masala. Set aside. Assemble Pizza Preheat oven to 450F Brush the pizza base lightly with oil. Spread the sauce in circles Add the toppings, add whole red chilies and spray with oil (optional) Reduce temp to 425F Heat pizza for 8-10 mins or until crisp Top with cilantro Cut a slice and enjoy!

I will start by saying that the concept of a bagel sandwich is appealing; however I‘m not a fan of hard/dry chewy bagels. So the husband gets bagelwich once every light year. Yummy fresh, soft bagels from PCC market, cream cheese (vegan or classic) from QFC, and then zhoug, hummus, vegan pesto from trader joe‘s, veggies from everywhere. Because some days it’s all about the #quickfix! Pic shows Bagel-wich with ‘fixed’ veggie cream cheese, #traderjoe zhoug, hummus, pesto and jalapeño cheddar bagel, everything bagel from #pcc markets Toasted in the air fryer. #theflavorstation#crispy#creative#aromatic#plantbasedrecipes#fusionfood#healthyfood#airfryer#easycooking#highprotein#vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan Ingredients Bagels 2 Tbsp Zhoug 2 Tbsp Hummus 2 Tbsp Cream cheese (classic or vegan) 2 Tbsp Pesto (classic or vegan) 1 Tomato 1 cup baby spinach 1 Tsp EVOO 1 Tsp dried parsley 1 Tsp each garlic, onion powders 1 Tsp seasoning (Herb de Provence/oregano) salt to taste optional tomato powder Recipe In a mixing bowl, take cream cheese, garlic powder, your favorite seasoning like Herb De Provence, olive oil, dried parsley, dried onion, dried tomato, salt and mix - “veggie herbed cream cheese“ In a bowl, take equal quantities of pesto, zhoug mix -“ Green sauce” Slice bagel and toast in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350F Slice tomatoes and baby spinach Apply the cream cheese from step 1 to one side of the bagel, generously Apply hummus and green sauce from step 2 on the other side of the bagel. Layer veggies and eat while still warm!

So kids are craving Pineapple fried rice, like the one we get at their fav Thai place in town. I‘m out of curry paste and thanks to COVID, not going to the store to get it. Enter DIY Thai curry paste, can be used for yellow curries, Thai fried rice or as a marinade for tofu satay! This is made with all common pantry ingredients. Try it and don’t forget to tag #theflavorstation Pinepapple fried rice recipe and pics using this paste, coming soon! As always, food I love is #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #instantpot #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan Ingredients - 1 TBSP each of Crushed garlic crushed ginger Honey soy sauce oil (high heat) turmeric crushed red chili flakes Frozen lemongrass (optional) coriander powder crushed coriander seeds Cinnamon powder plus a pinch of nutmeg, salt Recipe Take a mixing bowl Add the ingredients Mix well Use as a base for Thai curry (Recipe coming soon)

For folks who like a little indulgence with little effort, try this instant, no cook, Saffron Rose Mango Kulfi. Kulfi is a kind of frozen Indian ice-cream that is egg-free, light and dairy-based. Kulfi is a big hit with the family! This was a spur-of-the-moment creation and turned out great. My motivation to make this was to reuse some leftover whipped cream and to make space in the freezer by using up the frozen mango pulp. When I get good, juicy mangoes, I make pulp and freeze. Occasionally, I also get the canned mango pulp from the store, my favorite kind is the Alphonso mango. Last week I had some leftover mango pulp and about a quarter pint of whipping cream that was expiring soon. You could use any kind of mango pulp. Due to the warm weather, I used some cooling rose water. Great combination with the saffron and rose. So whip it up, add the saffron and nuts. Freeze and eat a day later! Try the recipe and tag #theflavorstation, drop me line if you like it or have questions! #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #easycooking #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #eggfree Ready to freeze: Ingredients 1/4 pint Heavy whipping cream 14oz mango pulp (frozen/canned/fresh) 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp edible rose water 2/3 pinches saffron 1Tbsp warm milk 2 Tbsp crushed nuts: pistachio, walnuts Recipe In a mixing bowl, add the sugar and whipping cream, whisk until frothy and light. Add saffron in the warm milk. Set aside. Add the mango pulp, rose water, whisk it in. Add some nuts, a pinch saffron, mix well. Pour it in a air tight container. Top with nuts, saffron milk. Freeze for a day. Cut a slice, enjoy!

Tonight was a throw in pot, soup night. I had a quarter of a pumpkin cubed, and one lonely red capsicum (bell pepper), and a bunch of fresh basil. All of these needed to be used up, so I decided to try something new and easy to make. Something with crisp flavors on a crisp cool evening. Comfort food, with a kick from the habaneros for the grown-ups and a milder, creamier version for the kids. Win win. #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #instantpot #instantpotrecipes #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan #veganfood #veganrecipes Tips I use butternut squash and pumpkin interchangeably. Based on store availability. Capsicum is another name for Bell Pepper spice mix includes powdered forms of Turmeric, Coriander-Cumin, Red chili, Garam Masala ** This soup has a good kick to it. Last step below has a variation to make it kid-friendly, which is creamier and heartier too. Ingredients 3 cups pumpkin, cubed 1 red capsicum, cubed 2 Tsp chopped habanero 1 Tbsp garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp ginger, crushed 1 Tbsp fenugreek seeds 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves 1 cube frozen basil like Dorot 1 Tbsp spice mix (TCRG)** salt to taste 1 Tbsp red bell pepper, basil for garnish 4oz cream/coconut milk/mango (optional)*** Recipe Start IP in sauté mode. All of sautéing should take about 7-8 mins, at most. Warm up oil, sauté garlic, habanero till golden Add ginger, fenugreek seeds. Sauté. Add the capsicum, orange squash. Sauté. Add the spice mix, frozen & fresh basil Sauté. Add a spoonful of water to de-glaze. Let the spices get roasted a bit. Now add 4-5 cups water, salt. If doing PIP, add the stand and washed lentils. Manual mode, High Pressure, 12 mins. After that NPR/cool down for 12 mins and then release pressure (QPR) Use an Immersion blender to get it to a soup consistency. I like some texture Garnish with fresh basil, cubed mango. Serve warm. Flavorful with good heat. This is spicy - for a kid friendly variation***, add cream/coconut milk at the end, stir. Kid Version

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers in the world. A lot of us will be pampered today. Brunches, baked goods et all. Carb coma! For tonight’s dinner, why not try something quick, light and gluten-free? May I suggest the kids and Dads try to make this to continue the pampering? The 16 minute, gluten-free dinner. Japanese/sawa millet (Samo) with crushed peanuts made in the IP, side of air-fried potato wedges. Yes, avocado goes with everything! The sides are optional. #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #instantpot #airfryer #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #glutenfree #fastingfood Ingredients 1 cup samo (a.k.a sawa millet) 3 cups yogurt 3 cups water 1 1/2 cup roasted peanut powder 1/2 cup crushed peanuts 1 med potato 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 Tbsp curry leaves 2 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) 1 Tbsp crushed green chilies Salt to taste Parsley, crushed chilies, peanuts to garnish Recipe Soak samo (a.k.a sawa millet) in water for 5 mins. Keep aside. Peel, cube the potatoes, very thin slices. whisk yogurt in a mixing bowl. Keep ready. Turn on IP in sauté mode, add ghee Once the oil is warm, add cumin Next add green chilies and leaves Let them all crackle, cover with lid Add potatoes and roast. Add salt Now add the samo that was kept aside earlier, 3 cups water and salt to taste IP - Manual mode for 6 mins, low pressure QPR, change mode to sauté. Add peanut powder, stir Add whisked yogurt, stir quickly. Serve with a side of veggies, avocado garnish with parsley, red chili flakes

Very early, before quinoa became the thing it is, I had bought a pack of red quinoa from Trader Joe’s, our fav was black bean corn quinoa. One evening, I was bored and needed some variety. At the time, stores sold veg. burgers that were either made of black beans or garden veggie. It occurred to me that the texture of quinoa and protein content were great for a burger party. But it being the end of the week, I was low on ingredients. So started to look for a way to “bind”. A look at the freezer showed TJ’s frozenedamame and the fridge had some shredded mozzarella , also from Trader Joe’s. Bingo. At the time I used stovetop since the IP was not invented then. Of course, since then I’ve made these burgers frequently. So easy to use an IP cycle to cook quinoa. Edamame can be done PIP. In this case, I gave edamame a quick boil on the stovetop so I can purée it while quinoa is cooking, saves time. Try this egg-free, meatless burger And #theflavorstation to let me know how it turned out. It happens to be gluten free too! #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #airfryer #instantpot #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan #glutenfree #eggfree #traderjoes #traderjoesfinds #airfryer Ingredients 1 cups cooked quinoa 1 cup shredded cheese 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1 Tbsp lime juice Fistful Cilantro seasoning/spices at hand Salt to taste Tip Substitute mozzarella cheese with vegan cheese to make vegan burgers. Recipe In a wide bowl, keep the uncooked ingredients ready Start quinoa in IP, Manual, 5 mins, QPR Grind the edmame to a puree, add to bowl Sprinkle herbs, oil to the mixing bowl As soon as the quinoa is cooked, pour the hot quinoa over, in the mixing bowl. Now mix it all so the cheese melts, squeeze lime juice Take some flour in both hands, roll the patties Place it on a greased omelette pan Flip and cook till dark brown OR use airfryer at 350F, 8 mins, flip midway Serve as a slider or by itself with ketchup!

It is 80F outside, bright and sunny. After a bunch of yard time, the kids want dessert and I want a cool drink. Combine the two! Cake shake has been a longtime “play date favorite”. I make it when the kiddos have friends over, and it’s always a huge hit. The idea here is to freeze your fav kind of cake and throw it in a milkshake. The best cake shakes are made with cake that has a more brownie-like texture. Chocolate cake works best (without any frosting or filling), though I have tried cake shakes with yellow cake too. The less creamy the cake, the better. For icecream, I always use eggfree, gelatin-free, real sugar icecream. The less ingredients listed on the pack, the better. For milk, I used whole milk + 1%, in half quantities. The “fuller” the milk, the better. Vita mix bender is a recent addition to the kitchen; I have made this cake shake with the classic Oster bender too, turned out great. You just need a blender with sharp blades. This time we have frozen egg-free chocolate cake from all the baking done during COVID lockdown. Using aluminium-free baking ingredients from #traderjoes Cake, icecream and toppings - you can never go wrong with that! Try it and #theflavorstation, let me know how you like it. Ingredients 4 scoops vanilla ice-cream 6 -7 scoops frozen chocolate cake 3 cups milk 1 scoop vanilla ice-cream for topping Topping: sprinkles, Oreo crumbs (optional) Recipe Let the vanilla icecream box sit for a min. Take a metal scoop, rinse with hot water. Put 4 scoops icecream in a blender Put half the cake, half the milk Blend, quick speed changes Put the rest of the milk and cake. Repeat. Shake should have a creamy, pourable texture. Pour in a tall glass. Top with one scoop of ice-cream Add sprinkles, serve with a tall spoon

I am a huge fan of lemon cake. It is Spring time and Meyer lemons are in season, so a lot of bakeries typically have lemon goods, around this time. I am the first one to go grab lemon cup cakes from this local, farmer co-op run grocery store in the neighborhood. But recently, they stopped selling these, to focus on more quarantine goods, which makes sense. Now, it is super hard to find the right kind of lemon cake. Too tart, nah. Too sugary, nah. I still miss the lemon cakes so decided to try baking some. The outcome was a super light, lemon cake, that's golden brown on the outside and lemony on the inside. Tips This one is egg-free but doesn't have to be. The combination of tangy yogurt, vinegar, oil makes it moist, light and fluffy. If you like yours to be less golden brown on the outside, and more like the bakery style lemon cake, reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. For topping, I used some powdered sugar and berries. For the berries to stick I spread a mild peach jam in the center. Pick a jam is low in sweetness and mild in tartness, to pair well with this cake. Use Meyer lemons, juice and zest. For zest, can use 1.5x of recipe for extra zing Use tangier yogurt to enhance the lemon flavors. However, if you prefer higher protein, use Greek yogurt instead. Can be basked in conventional oven or air fryer. I've used a 6 inch round pan. #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #airfryer #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #eggfreebaking #traderjoes #traderjoefinds Ingredients 1 1/2 cups APF (all purpose flour / maida) 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 cup tangy yogurt 1/2 cup oil 1 cup sugar 2 Tbsp white vinegar 2 Tsp baking powder lemon zest from 1.5 med lemon 1/2 Tsp salt Zest should look like this (no white layer): Recipe Preheat conventional oven to 350 F (or a couple of mins in Air Fryer) Prepare cake pan, by greasing/spraying. Set aside. Whisk the yogurt and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add oil, continue to mix Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar and whisk again Sieve the remaining ingredients and fold them all in, until the batter is smooth Smooth batter, pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 mins, check for clean toothpick in the center. Cool cake completely (10-15 mins) and then work on toppings. Sieve powdered sugar, spread a light layer of jam in the center, add berries

Fancy a Mexican dinner? I have made Pico de gallo, Guacamole, for enchilada platters and other Mexican dinners. But this was my first attempt making roasted salsa from scratch, since going to Trader Joe's was off-limits in quarantine. This is a very popular salsa in Mexican food, and the recipe below is a modification of Danielle's recipe. Who is Danielle? She is my colleague, of Hispanic origin. She inherited a salsa recipe from her mother, shared it with us, at work. I tweaked the recipe to suit my palate. It is heavy on tomatillos (a.k.a Mexican husk tomato) which are available in most American and Hispanic grocery stores, especially fresh crop in the Spring. They are sold in green leaf 'wrappers', in the produce section. On the fresh tomatoes, the red and juicier, the better. The canned tomatoes - I only found Italian brands since supply is short due to Covid, but found a way to tone down the Italian tangy-ness**. I like the heat, so you will see a good amount of peppers here, feel free to tone it down, to suit your levels. I had half a pack of #traderjoes black bean chips and some of the veggie flax seed chips, paired really well with this salsa. Because of the warm weather, served with a side of cool yogurt. #theflavorstation #crispy #creative #aromatic #plantbasedrecipes #fusionfood #healthyfood #instantpot #airfryer #easycooking #highprotein #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #vegan #traderjoefinds Ingredients 2 med yellow/white onions 2 Tbsp minced garlic 2 med fresh tomatoes 1 Tbsp oil 6-7 Tomatillos 4 Habaneros 2 Serrano peppers 4 Jalapenos (some green, some red) 14 oz can of crushed/diced tomatoes 1 cup chopped cilantro 1 Tbsp Sugar Salt to taste Recipe wash and cube the onions, tomatoes, and tomatillos. Keep aside. Chop the peppers, de-seed if you like less heat. Use gloves to prevent eye burn later. Take a large heavy bottom pan and warm up the oil Saute the garlic and the onions. Add some of the cilantro. Roast. Next, add tomatillos, peppers and roast. Add the fresh tomatoes, and let the whole thing roast slowly on low/med heat Add canned tomatoes. I added sugar and salt here since mine were too tangy** Roast for about an hour. Grab a book and a cup of coffee :) When everything is soft, but still has texture, put it in a food processor Short, quick pulses. Do not overgrind. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with chips, and/or guacomole.