I live in a beautiful little town in central North Carolina. One thing I love about my town is its rich and diverse community. I especially love how our town embraces and celebrates the culture and  traditions of its diverse population.

Just the other day,  my adopted hometown had its 17th annual Cary Diwali celebration.   According to the town website, the celebration  is a sensory experience, and included” music, dance, and theater performances, a handicraft bazaar, Indian food vendors, sponsor booths, an exhibition of Indian art and culture, activities for children, yoga demonstrations, and so much more.”

Also known as The Festival of Lights, Diwali is the most widely celebrated religious and cultural event in India. Traditionally, lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humanity. Diwali also marks the victory of good over evil, light over dark, and the beginning of the New Year.

As in many cultural celebrations, food plays a large role in Diwali. Some households spend many days preparing food to share with family and friends.

In that time-honored tradition, several of my fellow bloggers are graciously allowing me to share these 11 delicious Diwali ready dishes with my At Meme’s Table family.

Special Thanks to:

• Jazzmine, at Dash of Jazz   , for sharing her recipe for  Dark Chocolate Chai Baked Oatmeal ;
• Editor, Allison Sidhu and her wonderful team over at Foodal for sharing the recipes for Indian Lassi , Pineapple Coconut Smoothie and Vegan Sweet Potato Pilaw;
• Gabriel, at One Clever Chef, for sharing his beautiful Curried Acorn Squash Soup.
• PEPPER ON PIZZA’s, talented and super-generous chef, Sujata Shukla for sharing three awesome recipes;  Red Kidney Bean Curry, Matar ki Tehri and Matar ka Nimona.
• Blogger Rachel Phipps  for sharing an easy and delicious  recipe for Indian Spiced Potatoes.
• Sandie at Simply Happy Foodie for her family friendly Crock Pot Curry Lentils.
• And, Josh and Katie, the creative duo behind The Delightful Vegans, for their recipe for Vegan Palak Paneer;

Covering everything from breakfast to dinner, these dishes are perfect for sharing with your friends and family during Diwali or anytime.

1. Dark Chocolate Chai Baked Oatmeal 

This delicious Dark Chocolate Chai Baked Oatmeal comes to us from Jazzmine over at www.DashofJazz.com.

Start your day of celebration with this decadent dish.  “The flavors in play–dark chocolate, chai spice, and nutty almond–make for an indulgent breakfast experience that you can easily meal prep in about 30 minutes for the whole week. You simply mix all the ingredients up in a bowl, spread into a pan, and bake.”

It’s simple and delicious!

2. Indian Lassi

 

Nina-Kristin Isensee’s cool and creamy Indian Lassi is “infused with aromatic herbs and spices, it will refresh your senses, and quickly become one of your favorites. Besides its cooling effect, lassi is the perfect beverage to temper the effects of a hot and spicy meal”

To make your Indian Lassi vegan, just replace the yogurt with an alternative made of soy, almond, or coconut, and mix with sparkling water or a milk replacement. Honey, if indicated in the recipe, can be replaced with maple syrup or Coconut Nectar.

3.  Curried Acorn Squash Soup

This beautiful Curried Acorn Squash Soup has it all!  “This easy and healthy curried acorn squash cream soup is the perfect fall comfort food. Sweet and spicy, creamy and savory, this simple potage is also vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegetarian, flourless, nut-free and sugar-free.”

4.  Red Kidney Beans Curry

According to blogger and chef,  Sujata Shukla, Rajma Masala or “Rajma Chawal (Red beans masala curry with rice) is a popular dish in North India, specially in the Punjab and in New Delhi. And of course in festival time when the extended family gathers tougher for a meal.”

This delicious and authentic curry is destined to become one of my family favorites!

5. Matar ki Tehri

Matar ki Tehri is a fragrant traditional rice dish from Eastern Uttar Pradesh in India – made with seasonal Green peas cooked with Basmati rice and subtly spiced.  For a vegan version, of Sujata’s delicious  one pot recipe, simply “substitute a mild flavoured vegetable oil (olive oil or sunflower oil) for the Ghee, and reduce the quantity of oil to 1 tablespoon.”

 

6.  Matar ka Nimona

Sujata’s Matar ka Nimona is vibrantly beautiful and delicious. Originating from Eastern Uttar Pradesh, seasonal green peas go into this delicious Mutter ka Nimona, a regular part of a winter meal in Awadhi cuisine.

Matar ka Nimona, a spiced curry from green peas ground into paste and cooked in onion and tomato gravy curry is deeply fragrant and delicious!

7.  Indian Spiced Potatoes

Indian Spiced Potatoes or Masala Na Pepeta as they would more accurately be known is a “quick, easy delicious and spicy side dish that can be made out of store cupboard ingredients as either an accompaniment for an Indian feast.” Or, as a simple lunch topped with a bit of vegan yogurt “to balance out the spice”

8. Crock Pot Curry Lentils

“This Crock Pot Curry Lentils recipe has such a burst of flavor, it is perfect over rice, with naan bread, or even on a bed of spinach! It’s a very forgiving recipe as far as spice is concerned. If you don’t have one of the spices called for, it will still taste great!”

9. Vegan Palak Paneer

In this Vegan Palak Paneer, marinated tofu takes the place of the traditional dairy cheese. It is colorful, delicious, flavorful and easy to make!!

10.  Vegan Sweet Potato Pilaw

Nina Isensee’s quick and aromatic Vegan Sweet Potato Pilaw (also known as pilau, or pilaf), is ready to eat in about half an hour. It’s wonderful combination of rice, vegetables and spices will keep you coming back for more!

11.  Pineapple and Coconut Smoothie

This Pineapple and Coconut Smoothie is”richly flavored, satisfying, and refreshing but here’s the surprise…

It’s unbelievably healthy!”

Unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, it is “similar to a spicy pina colada, this smoothie makes an excellent poolside beverage, a mid-afternoon energizer, or This smoothie is richly flavored, satisfying, and refreshing.a quick breakfast drink on busy days.”