Spice Up Your Bean Salad!

Another one of India's popular street foods that I love is Bhel Puri. It has everything under the sun like spices, vegetables, lentils, nuts and puffed rice. Alas we're not in India and the only time I really enjoy eating this savory snack is whenever we got out to eat. I would love to make it at home, but we don't always have the ingredients. At a recent family party, my mom tasted this yummy bhel puri that was made with bean salad. Hm, there's a thought! When my mom got home, she told me all about the snack and we got busy in the kitchen. I love the way her mind works! We found this delicious bean salad called Cowboy Caviar at Costco which was perfect for our version. It added a lot of flavor and color to the dish.

Heehaw!! I'm ready for seconds!

 Ingredients: 
- 1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
- 2 Plum Tomatoes, chopped finely
- 15 oz of Cowboy Caviar*
- 7 oz of Spicy Mamra (Unflavored Puffed Rice)

Although Cowboy Caviar has tomatoes and onions already in it, we added more for flavor and texture. 

Procedure:
In a big bowl, toss together the chopped onion, tomatoes and Cowboy Caviar. Then add the spicy mamra and mix well. The bhel puri is ready to be served and it's enough for 5 to 6 people, depending on the size of the bowl.


***Quick Tips:

Cowboy Caviar is a bean salad made by Meninno Brothers Gourmet Foods and is available at Costco. It's "Sweet with a Texas Twist"! It's made with black and white beans, vegetables, herbs and spices.

Cool Down with Summer "Beets"

Attending a wedding in Atlanta in the peak of summer is tough, especially when it's outdoors. I sweat as though I was working out for 2 hours. What a feeling! Nevertheless, it was my friend's wedding and I wanted to be there for him. I bore the heat in good spirits and returned home to Jersey where the weather was a bit cooler. Since I've been back, the weather has been temperamental; hot one day and rainy the next day.
Don't get me wrong, I like sunny weather, but not when it's humid and/or sticky. What better way to cool down in the summer than with dishes made from yogurt like raitas. With so many varieties to choose from, sometimes it's tough to pick just one. One of my favorites is with beetroot. The creamy, slightly sweet flavor of the beetroot raita goes well with seasoned rice, Indian flatbreads and/or chips. All this talk of food is making me hungry. Well, let's start cooking...here's the recipe.

Interesting Fact: Beet root is also used as a dye.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Beet root, peeled and grated
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• ½ cup Low Fat Sour Cream
• 2 to 3 Green Chilies, cut lengthwise
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Whole Cumin seeds 
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 7 Curry leaves, optional

Procedure:

In a microwaveable bowl, add grated beet root and mix in salt. Then sprinkle a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Microwave it for 5 minutes or until cooked and then set aside. Add yogurt and sour cream to the cooked beet root and mix well. In a small saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Once you feel the heat on your palm, add mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves. When the mustard and cumin start to splutter, turn off the heat and transfer the contents into the beet root and yogurt mixture. Mix well. The beet root raita is now ready to be served. Enjoy!!

***Quick Tips:
Also check out Seasoned Beet root rice with carrots and peas. It's very tasty. We even added French's fried onions for a crunchy texture.