by Currylicious | Jul 18, 2017 | CUT THROAT KITCHEN ON FOOD NETWORK
I am so excited to write a post again and talk about my experience filming for Cut Throat Kitchen in Hollywood Studios, LA. Alton Brown is my all time favorite and I am so excited to finally meet him and my fellow competitors in the show.
As you all know, Cut Throat Kitchen is not just a food show. It involves a lot of strategic moves and planning every move wisely so I dont get eliminated.
I will definitely say that it is going to be such a different experience than cut throat kitchen. I arrive in LA to film the episode :
http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/cutthroat-kitchen/episodes/how-does-that-crab-ya#episode-tunein
As you all know I am a big Foodie and so trying to eat at one of the yummiest places and trying to relax before the show tomorrow. And not to forget, I had the chance to meet some great personalities like Mr Pen and Teller in this trip and to tour Hollywood studios.
I am so excited and nervous at the same time not knowing what I am getting into but trying my best to relax now so :
Please tune in tomorrow at 9 pm on Food Network to watch me on Cut Throat Kitchen with none other than my favorite Alton Brown!!!!
I will be posting in detail talking about my experience filming and being in the show so dont forget to tune back in to by blog again…
Until then…..loads of love from my kitchen to yours – please visit my blog tomorrow to get a recipe of my vegetarian version of crab cake which is delicious!!!!
by Currylicious | Feb 26, 2014 | Recipes

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Cous Cous- 1 cup
Cayenne Pepper- 1 teaspoon
Chopped Green Beans- 1/4 cup
ChoppedYellow Squash- 1/2 cup
Green Peas- 1/4cup
Chopped Carrots- 1/4 cup
Onion- 1
Tomato- 1
Jalapeno- 1(optional for heat)
Fresh garlic- 3 cloves
Salt to taste
Garlic powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Curry powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Preparation
This recipe takes less than 10 minutes if you have all the vegetables chopped and ready. So if you are pressed for time or want to make a quick dinner all you need is to chop the veggies ahead of time or you can buy the chopped frozen vegetables from the supermarket. You can thrown in pretty much any veggie and improvise this recipe.
Firstly chop onion, tomato, jalapeno, green beans, carrots about 1/2 an inch and try to chop them evenly so they cook evenly.

Take a non stick saute pan and keep it on low flame. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and then add cumin seeds. Wait for the cumin seeds to get toasted and splutter. Now add the chopped onion, tomato, jalapeno and vegetables along with salt to taste, garlic powder and curry powder. Mix well and saute for about 2 -3 minutes.

Now add 1 cup of whole wheat CousCous and 1 1/2 cups of water.

Mix well and keep covered for about 5 more minutes till couscous absorbs all the water. Fluff cooked CouCous with a fork and serve with Tzatziki on the side.

I also make a chilled Raita with onions, cucumbers and green chillies to be served along with this salad.
Enjoy!
by Currylicious | Jul 11, 2012 | Nandini's Food Court

Last weekend, I was at this brunch place in Montclair, New Jersey- Absolutely fabulous and I was thrilled to see their Vegan and Vegetarian selections on the menu.
After pondering over an extensive menu:) and the indecisive person that I am esp when it comes to food- I decided to try their Vegetarian Chickpea burger with baked Sweet Potato Fries. I must tell you this that during my stay at Double Tree in L A prior to filming Master Chef, I happened to order their Vegetarian burger made of chickpeas and it was falling apart/ crumbling to say the least and dry!!!!
This one that I tried at Montclair was phenomenal!!!! Moist, crisp, dense and came with onion, tomato, sprouts:) and pickle!
OK now, I was also thinking of coming up with a bunch of dishes with Tempeh and have been experimenting in my kitchen. Suddenly, after we finish brunch, I run across the street to WHOLE FOODS and my husband thinks I have lost it as always 🙂 I grab an organic slab of 5 GRAIN TEMPEH. Now many of you may wonder what TEMPEH is?

TEMPEH is made of natural culturing process with organic grains like soybeans, brown rice, millet, barley, rye, apple cider vinegar and tempeh culture (typically Rhisopus oligosporus)LOL (thats my inner Microbiologist speaking out). It is low in calories and a great substitute to meat due to its HIGH PROTEIN content. Tempeh originated in Indonesia and has a distinctive nutty taste and nougat-like textured.
The thing about TEMPEH I have learnt over the past few months is that it easily absorbs the flavors of the other foods with which it is cooked making it adaptable to many types of dishes. I tried substituting TEMPEH with the Indian Cottage Cheese that I use in my traditional Curry and it turned out delicious!!!
According to my research- the soy protein in tempeh tends to lower cholesterol levels, while consuming protein from animal sources tends to raise them, since they also include saturated fat and cholesterol.
I can go on and on about health benefits and effect of TEMPEH on cholesterol ………After 3 days of trips to the park with kids, I decided to take a break today and cook up something with the Tempeh that I had picked at Whole Foods. I decide to make an awesome burger with TEMPEH. I love beets and so decided to use a beet sauce and bake some squash chips to go with my burger. The key is to season my tempeh with a bunch of my toasted spices and to use a binding agent !! The binding agent that I used in this case was CHICK PEAS and it turned out beautiful. I could use potatoes but chose to give Chick peas a shot! I use olive oil and use fresh GRAY SQUASH from my Farmers Market to bake some chips to go with my TEMPEH burger:)


