Mushroom Peas Pulav

Every one now is aware of the nutritional benefits of mushrooms. Growing up ina traditional south indian family, I've never tasted mushrooms. Shrooms were in my diet only after moving to the west. still i don't use it frequrntly as my husband and son don't like it.

But my little one loves mushrooms and has been in my grocery list all the time. I had this carton of nice fresh looking button mushrooms and wanted to make an one pot meal for this weekend. My husband is away and I have some left over potato for my son.
Isn't this is the perfect time to make shroom pulav?

I would like to share a tip that I learnt from one of the popular web shows about mushrooms. To prevent them from wilting during cooking, steeple them in hot water. They reatin their original shape and cook well too.

I love coconut and added some coconut milk to this pulav, but ifyou are not a fan of coconut, you don'y have to use it.

This is what I used:

1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked in a little water for about 30 mins.
1/2 cartom mushrooms sliced inti 1/4 '' thick slices
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 medium onion
1tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom pods
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
1/2 star anise
Coriander powder, pulav or garam masala powder according to your spice threshold
Oil 3 tbsp
salt to taste

To steep mushroom.:

2 cups of water
salt a pinch
2 tsp lime juice.

• In a pan boil water, add salt and lime juice and turn off the heat.
• add the mushrooms, cover and let it steep for 10 15 mins.
• Drain shrooms, do not throw away the water. we can use it to cook rice.
• In a pan add oil. When hot add the cinnamon,bay leaf cloves, anise, cumin and cardamom. Saute till  you get a nice aroma.
• Add the onions and fry till golden.
• Add the GG paste and saute for a few seconds till nice aroma comes.
• Add the mushrooms and peas and fry for 10 mins.
• Now add the rice and fry for 5 -10  mins till it changes light color.
• Now add all the spice powders.
• In the water that we reserved, add half a cup.
• In the other half cup of water add the coconut milk powder & whisk.
• Add the coconut milk to the rice.
• Check for salt and spices.
• Let the rice come to a boil. Now cover turn the leat down a little and cook till the rice is done. It takes about 10 - 15 mins.
• Fluff the rice, simmer and cover the rice for another 5 mins. Just make sure there is enough moisture and don't let the rice stick to your pan.
• Turn off the fire.

Serve with raita or any side. I made carrot pachadi to go with this pulav.

Can you see those mushrooms all sepaarte and juicy! The left overs are for my lunch tomorrow..:))

Carrot Thayir Pachadi/ Carrot Raita

This is such a no brainner pachadi to go with any rice or rotis. It is nice, refreshing and will balance the firey curries any time of the day.

2 carrots, peeled and grated ( use the smallest grater hole)
2 green chillies
1 tsp grated ginger
1 cup Plain Yogurt
2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
salt to taste

1 tsp Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch Hing.

Mix the grated carrot, yogurt, salt and cilantro in a bowl.
Add salt according to taste.
In a pan add oil. When hot add the mustard seeds and hing.
After the pop add the green chillies and ginger.
Add this tadka to the carrot yogurt mix.
Serve with rice.

I am sending this to side-dish-showdown and Healing foods - carrots and veggieplatter

Shiva's Dancing

I love to read.... I wish i had more time, so I can read! I was gobsmacked by the public library services when I moved to the west 7 yrs ago. It's just unbelievable!
I am glad that my kids love to read too.
Anyways I thought I will share some of the books I read or reading. I would also welcome to hear from you all about your recent interesting reads!

Bharti Kirchner is an excellent author and I read tow of her books, Shiva's Dancing and Sharmila's book. i just couldn't put the book down.

Shiva's Dancing about an indain Girl who was abducted by bandits in a small village of rajsthan and how her life changed after that. She  was kidnapped on her childhood wedding day. She then meets her childhood husband 28 yrs later and finds her true love.

Sharmila's book is about an American Indian girl who is coming to India for an arranged marriage and is torn between 2 cultures.
I am so happy that I read these books and can't wait to try her latest book "Darjeeling".

Happy reading!

Mango Cardamom Cake

Mango and cardamom are like made for each other. They are a perfect combo in any desert. I wanted to try this in a cake and was inspired by a newspaper cutting that i saved from 6yrs before. It's not a cake from the scratch, but its a quickie and tastes soo good.

So this is what I used plus mango pulp, cardamom and sliced almonds, bought from Indian store.

The important thing is to use a cake mix with pudding added in it. Pilsbury and Betty crocker have pudding added, but not Duncan & Hines. The package says to use 1 stick of butter, 3 eggs, preheat oven to 350F which I followed. it calls for 1 1/4 cup water. I used 1/2 cup of mango pulp and 1/4 cup of water.  I used 4 cardamom and powdered them. Add this to the mixture , dgarnish with sliced almonds and bake as per pack instructions.

if you want you could use some whipped topping as frosting, but we ate it plain and enjoy the mango flavor... Yum yum.....!

I am dedicating this cake to Priya ( yallapantula) who was my first blog friend who has supported me a lot. Thanks a lot priya!

Try this and you won't regret one bit!

BTW this is my 50th post..Yay....!

Tortillas de Patatas, Spanish Potato Omelettes

 

 

This is a very famous Spanish breakfast food. It is also sometimes served as a tapas. Basically, tortillas de patatas is a potato omelette. There are many variants for this dish, and almost every Spanish home has its own favourite way of preparing tortilla. Some of the many additions to the base ingredients include: green peppers, chorizo, courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms, or diced ham. These variations are still known as Tortilla de patatas. A peculiar variant is tortilla paisana that in addition to the potatoes and egg includes red pepper, and peas.

 

I made it with only potatoes. You'll see from the picture that mine didn't come out as a perfect round tortilla. My skillet was way too big for the amount of egg and potato that I added. But it still tasted delicioso!

 

What I used:

 

1 medium sized potato
1 small onion
3 large eggs
Salt
Pepper to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil

 

Method:

 

• Wash and peel the potato.
• Cut in very small dice.
• Dice the onions.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.
• In a skillet, add the olive oil and fry the onions till soft.
• Add the potatoes and cook them on medium heat till they are half done.
• Add salt and pepper to the eggs and pour it over the potato onion.
• Cook till the eggs are done and gently flip over to the other side.
• Cook till they are brown for a minute or two.
• Serve with olives or pickles.

 

My family doesn't like olives or pickles, so I served the standard American way with ketchup :-)

I am sending this to Priya's (yallapantula) A.W.E.D Spain.

 

Hope you disfrutar de esta comida!
(enjoy this meal!)

Eggplant Rice/ Katharikkai sadham

My love towards egg plant continues with this recipe of eggplant rice. it's simple and very tasty one pot meal. Serve it with raota or papad.

What you'll need

1 japanese egg plant ( this is what i had)
1 samll onion
1 cup basmati rice
1 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal

For the masala powder

1 tsp oil
1 clove
1inch cinnamon stick
1/2 star anise
1/4 tsp mace
1 1/2 tbsp corainder seeds
1 tbsp channa dal
1tbsp peanuts
1 tbsp coconut

Method:

• Wash and drain the rice  for 20 mins.
• Cut the egg plants in small dice, smaller the better
• Salt the egg plant and sprinkle turmeric powder and set aside for 20 mins. this will remove any bitterness in the eggplant and helps in faster cooking
• Slice the onions.
• In a pan add the ghee and fry the rice for 5 mins till it's fragrant. This will give you individual grains once cooked.
• Cook the rice with 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water depending on how cooked you want.
• Let the rice cool thoroughly.
• In a pan add 1 tsp oil and roast all the ingredients for the masala and the 1 tsp of garam masala. Let it cool and grind coarsely and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add 2 tbsp oil. Once it's hot add the mustard seed and let them pop. Then add the urad dal and fry till golden.
• Add the onions and fry till they are done. add the eggplants, salt to your taste.
• Remember that you already salted the egg plants
• cover the pan and cook them till soft with minimal stirring.
• Once they are done, uncover and add the ground masala powder.
• Cook till there is no moisture in the eggplant. Turn off the fire.
• Add the cooled rice and toss every thing together.
• Serve hot with raita.

The left overs are very good too..., if any left.

This will serve 2 people.

Sin Sangria Alcohol/No Alcohol Sangria

Why should the non alcohol drinkers be deprived of this all time favorite summer drink?
So ejoy this Non alcohol sangria.

"Sangre" means blood. Of course all medics will know that! One of the many broken spanish words that we've used a million times during residency!..Phew.. It's over!

Sangria is a very famous summer time drink in spain known for its bright blood red color. Traditionally it is made with red wine, fruits and few other things. It is served chilled  and is very refreshing.

I tried to make a similar one without alcohol. So you and the kids can enjoy this summer cooler.

What you need:

Crangrape juice 3/4 cup

Orange Juice 1/4 cup

Lemon/ lime soda to fill up to 1 cup

1/4 '' circular orange and lime slices

Mix the Grape and OJ. add the fruit slices and keep in the fridge. The fruits will absorb all the flavors of the mixed juices.

When you are about serve, add the soda and mix.

People who have tasted the real sangria should try this and let me know your comments please! Does this get a thumbs up or down.

I am sending this to Priya's AWED spain.

Have a cool weekend!

Mango Salsa

I've always like mango salsa more than the regular salsa. Costco carries an excellent one. Here, where I live Costco doesn't have a store. :((

So I tried to make it from scratch, Thanks to mriganayni!

So this is all what you need

1 ripe mango chopped into small pieces

1 onion
1 small tomato diced

1-2 cups orange juice

2 green chilli

Lots of cilantro

 salt to taste.

Mix all the chopped ingredients and there you go... Mango salsa is ready to tickle your taste buds!

The original recipe calls for lemon juice. But I forgot to add it, but it still tasted pretty good!

Spicy Pineapple Curry

That was fun with the guessing game. Priya you nailed it!

In Tamil nadu pineapple is used to makr rasam, keasari or juice. I don't remember eating asa curry. but in Konkani cooking and srilankan cooking pineapple is frequently used.
My very good friend from Boston gave me this recipe. In fact her husband cooked the same dish for an event hosted just by men to feed 15 -20 people.


What you need:

Pineapple chunks 1 small can
1 can crushed pineapple
green chilli 3
ginger 1 inch
1 small onion
grated coconut 3-4 tbsp
1 tsp red chilli powder
oil 3 tbsp
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera/cumin
1 tsp urad dal
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 cup water or to consistency.

1. Heat Oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they pop add the jeera, urad dal and curry leaves.
2. After they turn golden, add the chopped onions and saute for a few mins
3. This grows abdundantly in the tropics. Used widely in south asian cuisine. Can be spiked too with other flavors...
4. add the green chilli and ginger and fry for few mins.
5. add the pineapple chunks and crushed, red chilli powder, salt to taste, water. Cover and cook for 5- 10 mins.
6. The juice in the crushed pineapple should be enough to give you a gravy, but if it's too thick add some water.
7. add the grated coconut, turn of the stove and serve with rice or rotis.

Guess That ingredient

This recipe was given to me by a very good friend of mine in Boston.

See if you can guess it correct! The only clue is it grows abundantly in the tropics.

Vegetable Dum Biriyani

Hyderabadi dum biriyani is extremely famous for its unique method of cooking and the orchestra of flavors blended in it.
"Dum" is a slow-cooking method dating back to early sixteenth century Dum cooking was introduced to India by Mughal. Handi is the cookware used for Dum cooking. Dumpukht is derived from Persian meaning 'air-cooked' or 'baked'.

The mughals traditionally made it with lamb, but as always there is a vegeterian method available.

I don't have any of those fancy equipment mentioned there, but do have an oven.

The list and the method may seem exhaustive, but let me tell you the results are well worth it.
It is exotic and you may win anybody's heart in a jiffy with this flavorful dish.

This is what you need:

For the Rice:

1 cup basmati rice
1 3/4 cup water

For the vegetable sauce:

1 1/2 cup chopped vegetables (I used beans, carrots, cauliflowers, potatoes, and peas)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garam masala
Salt to taste

To Grind:

1 tsp. cashews
1/4 tsp. khus khus (soak cashews and khus khus in a little water for 20 mins.)
1 garlic pod
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 green chilli

For the Gravy:

2 cardomom pods
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. cumin seeds
3 tbsp. oil and salt to taste.

For layering:

1 cup chopped cilantro and mint
Fried onions
Sliced almonds
1 pinch saffron strands soaked in 3 tsp. warm milk

Now let's get cookin'!!!

Wash and soak the rice in little water.
Soak the cashews and khus khus in a little water and keep aside.
Soak the saffron in warm milk and keep aside.
In a bowl, add the chopped vegetables.
Add the yogurt, coriander, cumin, chilli powder, garam masala, and a pinch of salt and toss in with the veggies.
Let it marinate and soak up the flavors for 20 mins.
Cook the rice and set aside.
Grind cashew, khus khus, 1 garlic pod, chilli, and tomatoes to a fine paste.

In a pan, add oil. When it's hot, add the cumin seeds and let it crackle.

Add the cardomom, star anise, bay leaf, and cinnamon powder and fry for a few secs.
Add the ground paste from Step 8.
Let it simmer till the raw smell goes and the oil separates.

Add the marinated veggies.

Add salt according to taste.

Check for heat and if you need more kick, add more spices of your choice.

Cover the pan and let the veggies cook. Add a little bit of water and cook. Remember not to overcook the veggies!

Once the veggies are done, turn off the heat.

Now comes the fun part!!!

Preheat the oven at 375°F.
Grease a baking dish.
Put a layer of rice at the bottom.
Sprinkle the saffron and milk on top of the rice.
Next layer, add the chopped cilantro and mint.
Next layer, add the vegetable sauce.

Repeat the layers with rice till your dish is full.

For the topmost layer, spread fried onions and sliced almonds.
For a royal touch, add a few spoons of ghee on the topmost layer.

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 mins.

OMG, the whole house smells so wonderful when you make this biriyani! We all couldn't wait to dig in. It was hard to wait, take pics before we eat!

For my fellow biriyani lovers, please try this dish and see the smile on your face and your loved ones face.

Serve with raita or any of your side!

Easy Cheesy Vegetable Bake

I tasted this vegetable dish first time at my SIL's place in chennai. You can also call it vegetable Augratin, yeah.. that's what it is! It's very kid friendly as it has lots of cheese and vegetables in it. They can just eat it or as a side with roti's. I served it with garlic bread ( pepperidge farm.. they are awesome) and my son said" very good Amma"! It made my day! My little one also ate it without a whimp as I coarsely pureed it for her.

You don't need any measurements. Yes, I always say that as I throw in lots of things just be eyeballing it.

1- 1/2  cup Vegetables ( Cauliflower small florets, cubed carrots, diced beand, frozen corn and peas)
 Grated Cheese ( I used Montery Jack)
Bread crumbs

For the white sauce:

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk
 salt to taste

Method: Please don't stop reading as it may look like a lot of steps.

• Boil all the vegetables till they are soft. If you want a crunch don't fully cook them.
• Drain all excess water and set aside
• In a pan, melt butter. When it nice and bubbly add the flour and whisk. Constantly whisk it till its golden and cooked. The raw small has to go.
• Now add milk, whisking  as you to do. Keep fire on low.
• the sauce will start to thicken.
• add salt, pepper according to taste
• If the sauce is too thick add more milk till it's like dosa batter.
• remove from fire.
• Add this sauce to the vegetables.
• Throw some cheese and toss the  vegetables till everything is coated white.
• Pre heat oven to 350F
• Grease a baking pan and spread the veggie cheese mix into it.
• Top it with more grated cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake for 25- 30 mins till the cheese melts and all bubbly.

• to get a crunch I broiled it on low for 5 mins.
• Remove from the oven.
• Indulge into the cheesy goodness.

This is what is called easy peasy cheesy...

The bread crumbs give a nice crunch on the outside.

Mutter Panner

This post has been sitting in my draft for a while now. never got the time to edit and play with it.

My son calls it 'peas and cheese curry" which is literally what mutter paneer is. It's a perfect combo with chapathi or poori.

What You need:

1 medium sized onion

3 medium sized tomatoes
1 cup frozen thawed peas
1/3 cup paneer cubed (  don't even bother to measure it, more the merrier)

1tsp Khus Khus or poppy seeds

1 tbsp broken cashews
1 tsp cumin powder
1tsp coriander powder

1tsp redchilli powder

1tsp garam masala powder
3 tbsp oil
2 whole cardamom with skin

1 tsp cumin seeds

water1/4 cup

Cilantro for garnishing

salt ot taste.

Method

• Soak khus khus and cashews for 30 mins to an hours in water.
• Slice the onions and dice the tomatoes
• In a  pan add 1 tbsp oil. When heated fry the sliced onions for 5- 10 mins till they are light brown. This is a key step as carmalized onions bring out the best flavor in the gravy.
• Now add the tomatoes and fry well for 5 mins.
• Turn off the heat and let it cool.
• Transfer this to a blender and puree the fried onion and tomato mixture with the soaked cashew and khus khus to a fine paste.
• Take a deep pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and fry 2 cardomon with the skin, a tsp of cumin and let it crackle.
• Crefully add the tomato onion gravy as it may splash and splutter all over. That's why I suggest a deep pan.
• Fry till the oil separates from the gravy ot for about 10 mins. As it is frying add the powders and salt according to your taste.
• after 10 mins, add the thawerd peas and cook covered for 5 mins.
• If the gravy is too thick add some water.
• Add the cubed panner and let it simmer covered for 5- 7 mins.

Muttar Paneer is ready for the GI tract! haha.. that's the doc in me:))

Serve hot garnished with cilantro.

Please leave your comments, as usual.

Chilled Spicy Avocado Soup

 

 

Avocado is a fruit packed with nutrition, which is also very tasty! I did not grow up eating avocado. But once I tasted it, just fell in low with the versatility pf this fruit/ vegetable. I could be used in guacamole, which every one knows. But did you knw it can be used in smoothies, cakes and desserts too!

Here is a spicy chilled soup for the hot summer.
It is pretty hot and humid in Virginia right now and this cool soup will be refreshing!
It's very easy to make and tastes delicious.

 

Get Ready

 

• 1 small avocado
• 1/2 small cucumber
• 1 green chilli
• 1 in. ginger peeled
• 1/2 cup Plain yogurt
• 2 tsp. of lemon juice
• A handful of cilantro
• Salt to taste
• Paprika to garnish (optional)

 

 

Go

 

 

• Peel and pit the avocado.
• Chop the cucumber and take out the seeds.
• In a blender, add the flesh of the avocado, cucumber, green chilli, ginger, cilantro, salt, 2 tsp. of lemon juice, and blend till creamy.
• If the soup is too thick, add water or plain yogurt according to the consistency you want.
• Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and serve!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                      Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am sending this recipe to Veggie/Fruit of the Month.

 

Shrikand

Shrikand is a popular West Indian desert made with Yogurt. It is very creamy and served cold and balances the heat from the curries. Yogurt is strianed to remove all the whey water and the creamy part is used to make this wonderful dessert.

One could use either home made yogurt or store brought fat free yogurt and strain it or for a quick fix use greek style yogurt. Greek yogurts are generaaly much creamier than the fat free one.
 I made the saffron, pistachios and almond one. One could use any seasonal fruit puree to make it more special and colorful.

You need these to make Shrikand:

Fat free yogurt 1 cup
Powdered sugar 1/2 to 3/4th cup depending on how sweet you want
warm milk 1 tbsp
saffron threads a pinch
pistachios chopped 2 tbsp
sliced almonds  2 tbsp

How I did it:

• Put yogurt ina cheese cloth or muslin. Twist gently and tie a knot at the top.

• Hang it from a faucet or leave it on a strainer with a bowl underneath for 4-6 hrs. If you don't it to be sour, keep it in the refrigerator.

• Discard the whey water.

• Soak the saffron in warm milf and rub it with your finger. This is infuse all the flavor of fragrance and give you a beaytiful orange color.

• Add powdered sugar to the strained yogurt and mix well.

• Add the infused saffron to the yougurt and mix well till creamy.

• Add the chopped nuts and reserve some for garnishing.

• Serve chilled.

I made this for fathers day and my family enjoyed it.

Please give your valuble comments.

Spaghetti With Veggie Balls

Yes! That's exactly what I said!

Spaghetti With veggie Balls.

Many people would have heard about Spaghetti with meatballs or "cloudy with a chance of meat balls". My dear carnivorous friends, what can I say.. Try this and you won't miss the meat at all!

This is what you need:

Spaghetti, of course... duh!

Marinara sauce- I used a store bought one. But if you are readsy to put more effort, please go ahead and make your own!

For the Veggie balls:

(No measurements used.)
One samll potato boiled and peeled
2 hand full of peas boiled
1 hand full of grated carrots
bread crumbs, I used Panko, a japanese style bread crumb as a binder for the balls
Cayenne chilli powder according to taste
 salt acc to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

1. mash the potato, peas and carrots. Add salt and spices according to taste. Add the panko/ bread crumbs and mix well. Shape them into balls and fry in oil till golden brown. set aside.

2. Heat the marinara sauce in a pan and cook for 2-3 mins.

3. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions.

4. To serve, serve spaghetti on a plate, add the marinara sauce. add 3-4 veggie balls and top with more sauce.

5. Slurp up... and it's really good!

6. I served it as dinner with texas toast and carrot and coriander soup. ( Recipie to follow soon).

Carrot and Cilantro Soup

This is a nutritious soup which can be enjoyed all round the year. I was inspired by This to make my version of this delish!

You don't even have to think to make this. ( serves 2-3)

All you need is

1/2 red onion chopped

2-3 carrots, washed, peeled and cut into big chunks

1 small potao

lots of cilantro

water/ vegetable broth

 salt and pepper.

In a pan, add oil saute Onions till golden.add the carrot and potato and saute for 2- 3 mins. Add the cilantro, water, salt and pepper and pressure cook for 2- 3 whistles.

When cool, puree them either smooth or a bit chunkier .

Serve hot!

I cooked some baby star pasta and added the  soup and gave my 18 month old daughter who loved it too.

Thank You mriganayani!

Aaloo Palak

I had some left over spinach from a bag bought last week. Making kootu is not enough for all 4 of us. So I made aloo palak. An easy and satisfying dish which could be served with rotis or steamed rice. I am sure the recipie could have taken more spinach. But, I was in no mood to go grocery shopping mid week.

The spices i have used are mild, compared to Indian standards. If you are up to some heat adjust the spices accordingly.

Ingredients:

1/2  of a large russet potato, peeled & cubed.
1 clove of garlic
3 small tomatoes
1 cup spinach
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala.
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp oil.
water 1/3 cup as needed

Method.

1. Wash the potatoes and cook separately till soft, but not too mushy.

2. Boil a pan of water, add the  spinach and cook for 2 mins. drain the water , let it cool. make into a puree and keep aside.

3. Add oil in a pan. when it is hot add the cumin seeds and let it crackle.

4. Add the onions and garlic and saute till they are brown. it takes about 10 mins.

5. Add the tomatoes and saute till they are mushy.

6. Add all the spice powders and salt to taste and fry till the oil separates on the top.

7. Now add the potatoes and pureed spinach , a little water and let it simmer for 10 mins.

8. Serve hot with rice, roti's or chappathi's.

Adding a little bit of heavy cream or plain yogurt will make this dish much richer.

Tasty Vegeterian Tacos

It was Taco Night and that too on a weekday! I am not talking about eating out. It was in my own kitchen having the taco night. It was so easy to put together and yet so tasty to your palates.

All you need is some planning ahead to shop for the right ingredients to stock your pantry. And there you have complete weeknight meal.

Things you need:

Taco shells (1 box, I used the Old El Paso crunchy Taco shells)

For the filling:

Refried beans 1 can

1 tsp. cumin powder

2 tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. lemon juice or according to taste
A little water
Shredded lettuce 1 bag
Montery jack Cheese 1 pkt

Low fat sour cream 1 small container

Salsa-store bought 1 bottle

Cilantro lots chopped

red onion 1/2 chopped-divide in 2

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Arrange the taco shells on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes. This will keep them crisp and helps to hold the filling.
2. In a pan, add 2 tbsp. oil and saute half of the chopped onions (you can add green chillies if you like your tacos spicy.).
3. Add the refried beans and mix well.
4. Add 1 tsp. of cumin powder and stir well.
5. If the mix is too thick, add a little water and let it cook for 2 minutes.
6. Turn the heat off and add lemon juice according to taste.
7. Arrange the fillings from lettuce to red onions in a bowl and set up the taco bar (You may add chopped bell peppers, guacamole, or anything you like to bite into your taco.).

To serve:

Spoon in the refried beans inside the taco shell. Top it with salsa, shredded lettuce, onions, cheese and sour cream and dive in....

How easy is this to put together!

Vegetable Pad Thai

This is a dsih that I've longed to eat! I used to drool when all my friends ordered thai food during residency. I never ate coz I knew there is a hidden fish or oyster sauce in that dish.
I have looked around for a pad thai recipie and found a couple pure vegeterian one. I modified it a little and came up with this one.

Of course, my thai friends may totally poo poo this version. But it's always better to start somewhere huh..?

What I used:

Thai rice noodles 1 pack
red onion 1/2 sliced
3-4 green chillies sliced
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1/4 cup shredded cabbage. ( did not have chinese cabbage)
1/4 cup snap peas
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1 egg
2-3 sprigs of green onions/ scallions
lots of cilantro
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts coarsely crushed
3 tbsp oil

Pad thai sauce

4 tbsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chilli sauce
3 tbsp jaggery ( i did not have brown sugar)
3/4 cup water.

Method:

1. Cook noodles according to packet instructions ( I used 1/2 of the noodles)

2. drain water and keep noodles aside.

3. Heat oil on high in a wok, if you have one. I did not have a wok so used a large saucepan. add the onion, garlic and green chillies and saute till theyare shinyand a anice aroma comes.

4. add the cabbage, snap peas and bean sprouts andsaute. add only a little salt as the soy sauce has some salt in it.

5. cook till the veggies are done, but crunchy too.

6. Push the vegetables to the side of the sauce pan.

7. add oil to the same pan and crack an egg. scramble it in the same sauce pan.

8. add half of the pad thai sauceand rice noodles.

9. gently toss them all around, making sure not to break up all the noodles.

10. add the remaining pad thai sauce and mix.

11. turn off the fire.

12.transfer to a platter. garnish with coarsely crushed peanuts, green onions and cilantro and serve.

My notes:

you can increase the chillies or the tanginess depending on your taste. you could also add some shredded carrots if you wanto !

Let me know if you have any other recipie for the same. Please do not forget to leave some comments!
:))

Potato Rosemary Roast

Rosemary is not an herb that is used in Indian cooking. I 've heard about it a lot from all the cooking channels, but have never used it myself.
 Turns out, Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family. It has a lot of antioxidants and protects from stroke and Alzhimer's.
If it's good, then I have to try it out. Lot of the recipies used rosemary with oven roasted potatoes. Not much was out there for skillet ot tava based.

This is my desi version of rosemary potato roast-- desi style.

Well, this is a standard potato roast with less oil done by my mom.

What I used

1 large Russet potato
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
Rosemary sprigs 2 , leaves torn apart and chopped roughly. ( you can use dried rosemary too)
oil 2 tbsp.

Method:

1. Wash and peel the potato. You can leave the skin if you want to it will taste good too.

2.Dice potato.

3. Add salt to your taste, curry powder or whatever powder you have except talcum powder!

4. let it sit on the counter for 20 to 30 mins. This step is important because it cuts down on the oil you use to roast the potato.

5. Heat oil in a pan ( non stick preferred remember less oil..:))) and splutter whatever tadka / thalippu you want to use.

6. Add the marinated potato with the water given off by the salt.

7.Reduce the flame and cover the pan. Cook for 5 mins.

8. Add the rosemary leaves. At this point you can add garlic powder or any other spices that you remember would be good to add.

9.Cover and cook till potatoes are soft.

10. Uncover  and let the potoes roast on low fire till crisp.

11. Keep your nose up in the air so you can sniff all the nice aroma let off by the rosemary.

I made this today for lunch with lemon rasam.

Can you see the crispy potatoes and the rosemary..It was truly good!
Enjoy and let me know your comments please!

Cilantro Celery Thogayal

I pretty much eat most vegetables. However, when it comes to celery, I keep my distance. I never buy it or try one from the huge veggie platters served at work parties.
My lovely neighbor who does not know about my love for celery gave me a bunch the other day. She says"I picked some from  farmers market and though you might like some".

You shud have seen the look on my face! But of course, I said" Oh, Thank you! How sweet of you.. blah.. blah..."

The poor old bunch was sitting in my fridge and stared at me like the money with googly eyes! Kept saying, pick me, pick me and use me! Of course my good friend Google helped me find this celery thokku from vegetable concoctions.
I was then inspired to make my celery thogayal.

People who stayed a mile away from Celery will be drawn to the wonderful taste of this thogayal. The spices made the taste of celery so subtle that I enjoyed it a lot.
I waanted to share this mouth watering recipie with you all.

As always the measurements can be modified according to your taste.

Cilantro Celery Thogayal.

Celery diced 1 cup
Cilantro chopped 1 cup
1 green chilli ( mine was a ripe one)
1 small piece of ginger
tamarind paste 2 tbsp
Hing a pinch

for tempering
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal

Method:

1. Wash the celery pretty well. It is notorious to hide all that dirt inside

2. Heat oil in a pan. add the celery and cilantro and saute for 4- 5 mins. set aside.

3. In the same pan saute the green chilli and ginger for a few mins.

4. Grind the cilantro, celery, ginger, tamatind paste, hing and green chilli. add salt according to taste.

5. Heat oil in a pan. add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the urad dal and fry till golden.

6. Add the ground mix and keep sauteing till the oil separates from the sides. This usually takes < 10 mins.

7. Why are you still reading this? Have a plate full of steaming rice, kootu and enjoy as I did!

Cauliflower in Yogurt sauce.. A twist from the routine

Aren't you bored of doing the same aloo, cauliflower and peas curry?

I am! I googled and found out dahiwale cauliflower by mriganayani. Her recipie looked awesome, but looked too spicy to my taste buds.

I know you may be thinking " enna! cauliflower morkozhamba?. but trust me if you spike it it tastes awesome."

So I modified it to my taste and came up with this.

It was not out of the extraordinary, but definitely one that I will make again!

What you need: ( an estimate, you can add or subtract what you want)

1/2 cauliflower cut into florets of your wish
2 cups yogurt
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 tomato chopped
2 inch ginger chopped
2 green chillies  cut in length( mine looked red)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Hing 1/4 tsp

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the cauli florets. Boil water and dunk the florets in them. cover with lid. turn off the stove. let it stand for few minutes and drain the water.

2. In a bowl take the yogurt and add, coriander, cumin, turmeric, hing and garam masal powder, green chillies and ginger. mix well, add salt to taste.

3. In a pan heat oil. splutter mustard seeds and jeera.

4. Add the onions and fry till tender.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till mushy.

6. Add the yougurt mix , reduce the heat and simmer till the oil separates.

7. Add the cauliflower and a little water.

8. Cook covered for a few mins till the sauce thickens. Garnish with cilantro if you have. I didm't have it:((

9. Serve hot with chappathis.

Note: You can do the same with potatoes and peas too. I didn't know that dahiwale aloo was such a famous comfort food in the north!

Enjoy this weekend!

Veggie Nuggets.. Leave the chicken alone!

Evening snack should be a easy one to make and not taking your whole time between, tennis lessons, nap times etc etc. This is a very easy and no brainer recipie for veggie nuggets.

Why should all the vegeterian kids look dazed when their friend are always gobbling chicken nuggets.
I am sure you don't even want to look at the oil in which they are fried in most of the fast food restaraunts.

You can get a much better tasting nugget at home with less oil.

You can basically add any vegetable you want in this recipie. No fuss about measurements! It all depends on your taste.

This is what I used.:

1/2 Russet potato
2 handfull of frozen mixed vegetables ( peas, corn, carrot and some beans)

1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Textured vegetable protein a hand full
salt to taste


For the batter:

5 tsp cornfloour
2 tsp all purpose flour
water to consistency
alt to taste

Corn flakes Coarsely  Powdered.

Method:

1. Wash the potato and cut into chunks. Nuke it ina bowl of water till soft. Drain water, let the potatoes cool and peel them. nash them well with a fork.

2. Cook all the frozen vegetables separately. soak the vegetable protein in hot water and drain the water after 15 mins. squeeze all the water again by pressing in your palm.

3.add them to the potato and mash lightly.

4.Add all the spices and salt to taste.

5. Mix cornflour, APF with water to thick batter thickness adding water little by little.

6. add salt to taste to the batter., Keep it ina bowl

7. Take the powdered corn flakes ina bowl.

8. Make small balls from the potato mixture and shape into a nugget or whatever shape you want.

9. Dunk them in the batter and then roll them in the corn flakes.

10. Keep them on a plate and place in the fridge for 30 mins. This helps them to keep their shape when fried.

11. After 30 mins take the nuggis out.

12. Heat oil in a skillet and shallow fry the nuggets till golden brown on both sides.

13. Serve hot with Ketchup.

Your little ones and of course you will love this.

I made 25 nuggets and I had more potato mixture left. I saved it so i can make potato sandwich for lunch box the next day.
It tasted like aloo tikki with vegetables.

Caramel Crispy Crunch

What a busy week this one was! My parents are here from India and my MIL left for India.
We also had project night at school and I was one proud mom!

So I made this as a special treat to my son. I ate this at work place when a co worker made for staff appreciation day. the original recipie is f rom ricekrispie treat website.

It's so quick and kidz would love it...

very easy to make with these

1 bag Kraft caramels, wrapper removed
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp water
6 cups cocoa puffs cereal
1 cup cashews
1 cup white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips ( equally divided )

Method

1.Add the caramel , water and margarine in a large microwave safe bowl. Control yourself or just give in to pop couple of caramels, choco chips etc etc inside your gullet! You know what i did, right?

2. Nuke for 3 mins, checking every minute till the caramel melts.

3.Mix the cocoa puffs, cashews and half of the choc chips in a bowl.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the molten caramel mixture.

5. Spread the mixture into a 9 x13 greased pan. Let it stand for about 2 mins. Sprinkle the remaining choc chip mixture over this and press evenly into the pan.

Doesn't it look gorgeous!

6. Cut into 2" squares when cool.

7. What are you waiting for, do enjoy this tasty treat!

Enjoy this weekend!