Back home in Tempe, Az, there is an absolutely awesome vegetarian Indian restaurant called Udupi Cafe. I LOVE their food. I didn't even realize it was vegetarian the first time I ate there. I guarantee you wont miss meat when you delve into their delicious mounds of curried veggies and potatoes. One of my favorite dishes there is a variant of dosa, or a rice and lentil pancake that can be eaten on its own, smothered in butter, or filled with all kinds of sweet or spicy goodness.

Here is some basic instruction on how make the dosa and my favorite variation: Masala Dosa. This information listed below was copied directly from Wikipedia.

Basic PreparationA mixture of Rice and Urad dal that has been soaked in water is ground finely to form a batter. The proportion of rice to lentils is basically 2:1 or 3:1. The batter is allowed to sit overnight and ferment. Sometimes a little Fenugreek seeds are added to the Rice-dal mixture. Rice can be uncooked or parboiled. The mixture of urad dal (black lentils) and rice can be replaced with highly refined wheat flour to make amaida dosa, or semolina for a rava dosa.

A thin layer of the batter is then ladled onto a hot tava (griddle) greased with oil or ghee (clarified butter). It is spread out evenly with the base of a ladle or bowl to form a pancake. It is flipped to heat both crusts and removed from the griddle when the crust becomes dry. A dosa is served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap.


Masala dosa

Masala dosa as served in Kuala LumpurMalaysiaMasala dosa showing potatomasala fillingA masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. It wraps the dosa around an onion and potato curry or sabji.[clarification needed] It is listed at number 49 on World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.[16]

Before it was invented, plain dosa was served with potato curry (liquified potato palya) without onions in a separate cup. During a shortage of potatoes,[citation needed] a method was created in which potato was mashed and sautéed with onions with other spices. This was then placed inside the dosa instead of in a separate cup to hide the onions, which are not eaten by orthodox Hindus and Jains.[citation needed] This came to be known as "masala dosa", from the sautéeing of spices (masala) during the preparation of the potato palya.[citation needed]


Like most traditional dishes each recipe is a bit different depending on the region, family, or even the individual family member you get the recipe from. This is why I have not included a step by step recipe. I'm sure you can find them somewhere on the web but in keeping with tradition I like to just gather the ingredients and make it from scratch each time till I find a variation I like. So happy experimenting!! If you have a particular version you enjoy, please feel free to submit the recipe!

 
This is the recipe I am making for Valentines dinner tonight. I haven't tried it yet but it looks delicious. For added flavor, soak the chicken in a salt brine with an Italian or Mediterranean herb mix. Brine the chicken in 1 gallon of water with 3/4cups salt and whatever herbs or spices you wish to impart their flavor to the meat. This will result in a moist, tender, flavorful bird. Brine your meats whenever possible. Its amazing. Trust me. If you brine your turkey you will never have a dry thanksgiving dinner again.

Serves 6 

1 Roasting chicken
3 tblspn Vegetable oil or butter
1/2 c Blanched, slivered almonds
3/4 c Raw long-grain white rice
1/2 c Dry white wine
1 1/4 c Water
Salt
1 tspn Ground cinnamon
1 pinch Granulated sugar
1/2 c Currants (or Golden Raisins)
Melted butter or veg. oil

Wash and dry the whole chicken, reserving the liver, and set aside. In a
medium saucepan, heat the oil or butter and sauté the almonds and
liver, then remove with a slotted spoon. Chop the liver and set
aside with the nuts. Add the rice to the fat in the pan and sauté
over medium heat, stirring constantly, then pour in the wine, water,
salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, or until
the rice is almost tender. Stir in the almonds, liver, and currants
and remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon the stuffing into the large cavity of the chicken and close
tightly with skewers. Truss the chicken and brush the surface
lightly with melted butter or oil. Set in a baking pan, breast side
up, and bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until tender, in moderate oven (350
F), turning with 2 wooden spoons every 20 minutes and basting
frequently with drippings. Remove the stuffing from the cavity and
transfer to the center of a warm platter. Carve the chicken and
arrange around the stuffing. Serve warm.

Note: For a popular mainland version, substitute pine nuts, nutmeg,
and a little chopped celery and parsley, and soaked bread for the
almonds, cinnamon, and rice.

If you dont like liver, or shudder at the thought of eating organ meat then just sauté the almonds in butter and follow the recipe from there. If you do not like to eat stuffing that is cooked inside the bird then make the rice and set it aside. When cooking the chicken unstuffed, reduce baking time by 15 minutes. Chopped Greek style olives can also be added to the rice or used as a tasty garnish. If you aren't big into cooking with wine you can use olive juice, water, or chicken stock. A cheap cooking wine would be fine as well, it has a much lower alcohol content, so it cooks off faster.
 
Found this one on Pinterest, tried it and fell in love. There are so many variations you make on it! Found it at http://pinterest.com/pin/271834527478095501/

No-Bake Energy Bites
1 cup oatmeal 
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) 
1/3 cup honey 
1 cup coconut flakes 
1/2 cup ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 
1 tsp vanilla 


Mix ingredients together and form into bars or roll into bars.

Any ingredient can be substituted except the oatmeal and peanut. The peanut butter can, however be substituted for Nutella or other nut butters. Try mixing in chopped nuts and/or dried fruit for an added boost of energy. If your mixture seems too wet you can add more oatmeal. If your mixture is too dry you can either add more peanut butter or more honey. Chunky peanut butter can also be used and adds a nice crunch. Add a pinch of kosher or sea salt for a sweet and salty treat. So experiment and enjoy!
 
3/4 cup grapefruit peel (½ grapefruit)
3/4 cup orange peel (1 orange)
1/3 cup lemon peel (1 lemon)
1 quart cold water
Pulp of 1 grapefruit
Pulp of 4 medium-sized oranges
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups boiling water
3 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. 
Wash and peel fruit. Cut peel into thin strips. Add cold water and simmer in a covered pan until tender (about 30 minutes). Drain.

Remove seeds and membrane from peeled fruit. Cut fruit into small pieces.

To make marmalade. Add boiling water to peel and fruit. Add sugar and boil rapidly to 9 degrees above the boiling point of water (about 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to 1/4-inch from top. Seal and process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

This recipe yields 3 or 4 half-pint jars.

 
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009

Prep Time:30 min
Inactive Prep Time:10 min
Cook Time:1 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Serves:10 to 12 servings


Ingredients

16 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened, plus 1 tablespoon
16 ounces cake flour, plus 2 tablespoons
16 ounces sugar
9 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F.

Coat a 10-inch aluminum tube pan or 2 (9 by 5-inch) loaf pans with 1 tablespoon of butter and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour.

Cream together the remaining 16 ounces of butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes on medium speed, using the paddle attachment. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer running at the lowest speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Again, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. This will take approximately 3 minutes and the mixture may look curdled. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour in 3 installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. After the final addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat for 30 seconds on medium speed until almost smooth.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan(s), dividing evenly if using 2 pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The crust will be golden brown and will spring back when pressed, but the crack around the center will appear moist.

Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan(s) and cool on the rack. Store the cake on the rack covered with a tea towel for up to 3 days.

On the episode where Alton uses this recipe he mentions that regular american butter will result in a more rough texture. European style butter will produce a cake that is more smooth.
 
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:5 min
Inactive Prep Time:30 min
Cook Time:20 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup prepared mayonnaise
1/4 cup malt vinegar
2 garlic cloves, mashed into a paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground coarse black pepper
6 russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup canola oil


Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, mustard, and tarragon and salt and pepper, to taste, in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cook the over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, let cool and cut each potato lengthwise into 8 slices.

Heat a grill to high. Brush the potatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste, and grill until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve with the aioli alongside.
 
Picture
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2007

Prep Time:30 min
Inactive Prep Time: -- 
Cook Time:10 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves:8 hot dogs




Ingredients

For the guacamole:

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 large jalapeno, finely diced
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Grilled Tomato-Chipotle Salsa:

4 plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo puree
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion

For the hot dogs:

8 kosher beef or turkey or chicken hot dogs
8 hot dog buns, split 3/4 of the way through
1 1/2 cups grated white Cheddar
8 pickled jalapenos, thinly sliced
Fried blue corn tortilla chips, coarsely crumbled


Directions

For the guacamole:

Combine the avocados, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, oil and cilantro in a bowl and gently mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Grilled Tomato-Chipotle Salsa:

Heat the grill to high. Brush tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill until charred on all sides. Remove from the grill, slice the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and coarsely chop.

Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, vinegar, chipotle puree and onion in a small bowl, add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

For the hot dogs:

Preheat the grill to high. Grill hot dogs until golden brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove to a plate. Place buns on the grill cut side down and grill until lightly golden brown, about 20 seconds. Place hot dogs in the buns, top with cheese, jalapeno, guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips.

 
Recipe courtesy Nick Suarez as seen on Bobby Flay's Grilling show on Food Network

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time:--
Cook Time:35 min
Level:Intermediate
Serves:4 servings

Ingredients
  • 3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small lardons
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 ears corn, kernels removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 4 hot dogs (recommended: Boar's Head natural casing)
  • 1 tablespoon piri-piri hot sauce (recommended: Mazi)
  • 4 potato buns (recommended: Martin's)
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (recommended: Kewpie)
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1/4 cup grated Cotija cheese
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 lime, quartered
Directions-

Bacon:

Saute the lardons in a frying pan over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Reserve the bacon lardons for garnish and reserve bacon fat for cooking the onions.

Caramelized onions:

Put the onions into the bacon fat, season with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to draw out moisture and cook gently over medium heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Reserve.

Corn:

Put 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a hot pan over medium heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add the corn kernels 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Saute over high heat until the corn starts to caramelize, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon cilantro. Reserve for later.

Hot dogs:

Heat a grill to high. Put the hot dogs on the grill and sear until slightly charred. Brush lightly with hot sauce while still on the grill. Meanwhile, brush the inside of the buns with melted butter and arrange, butter side down, on the grill. Grill until lightly golden brown, about 30 seconds.

Assembly:

Thinly spread the mayonnaise and mustard on each bun. Put the hot dogs into the buns and sprinkle with a tablespoon of caramelized onions. Top with a tablespoon of lardons and 2 tablespoons of corn mixture. Sprinkle each with 1/2 tablespoon of Cotija cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Squeeze a little lime on each hot dog and serve.

Notes: A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.
 
Picture
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time:--
Cook Time:45 min
Level:Easy
Serves:8 servings



Ingredients
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
  • 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate
DirectionsPreheat the oven to 375 degrees F.



Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

 
Picture
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2003

Prep Time:10 min
Inactive Prep Time:--
Cook Time:40 min
Level:Intermediate
Serves:6 to 8 servings






Ingredients
  • 3 to 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, approximately 2, seeded and quartered
  • Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
DirectionsHeat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the quartered squash onto a half sheet pan, brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the white pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is soft and tender.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a 6-quart pot. Add the broth, honey and ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth*. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with the remaining salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.


This one a is particular favorite of mine and is an absolute must in autumn. This recipe can be made with pretty much any squash, I would recommend trying it with pumpkin. My variation on this is to include a bit of rosemary, sage and thyme (preferably fresh) to the soup. This gives it a wonderful savory flavor. A little brown sugar is also a nice touch.