Gujarati Tindora - Ivy gourd

Tindora is eaten all over India. Growing up in a Gujarati household we ate tindora quite often. It is one of my favorite vegetables but its not always easy to find. I was craving a traditional Guju meal so I bought some the other day and decided to cook it. This is my mother's recipe, its a simple and easy dish to make which can be accompanied with dal, rice and possibly roti.

Another good thing to know is that it is has many nutrients and its great for diabetics due to its low glycemic index.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
approx. 1 lb of Tindora
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp dhana-jeeru (mix of coriander and cumin powder, I like more masala you can put less)
red chili powder to taste
salt to taste
pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 tbsp olive oil
coriander (optional as a garnish)

Cut tindora into halves or quarters. Heat oil on medium heat, add the hing. When the hing starts to sizzle add in the tindora. Add 1/4 cup of water, turmeric, dhana-jeeru, salt and red chili powder and allow tindora to simmer on low-medium heat with a cover. Periodically check to see if the tindora are tender if not add more water, cook until tender.

Low Sugar "Peach Cobbler" Parfait

A quick and low sugar dessert that I made up one night. I decided to enter it in the original recipe round-up.

Servings: approx. 2

Ingredients:
2 peaches
whipping cream or cool whip
graham cracker crumbs (granola or cereal)
butter peacan ice cream (no sugar added)
splenda to taste (I used 1 tbsp of baking splenda)
1 cap of lemon juice
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon


In a blender, blend peaches, butter pecan ice cream, splenda, lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
If you are using whipping cream, use mixer until whipping cream has peaks. Layer the peach mixture on the bottom of the glass. Add graham cracker crumbs, whipping cream and another layer of peach mixture. Alternate as much as you like.