Cracked Wheat (Daliya) Khichdi

Here is a hearty and filling quick fix meal. This is a good alternative to the traditional rice Khichdi, if you are looking for a way to reduce the amount of rice and have more fiber in your diet. My family love this dish and this is my go to meal when I am pressed for time. Try this and I am sure this would be your go to meal in no time on busy days.
Ingredients:
1 cup Broken wheat /Dalia
1/2 cup Red lentils (Masoor dhal) and 1/2 cup split moong dhal
2-3 green chillies, chopped
1 Onion ,chopped
1 Carrot , finely chopped
1/2 beans,finely chopped
1 cup Green peas
1 teaspoon cumin  seeds
1/2teaspoon  Asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
2 tablespoon Tamarind pulp/1 big tomato
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
4 tablespoon clarified butter +1 tablespoon more
4 and 1/2 cups water or as required

Method:

Heat clarified butter in a pressure cooker , add Asafoetida and cumin seeds. Add curry leaves and onion sauté for a minute.
Add carrots,beans and green peas and sauté for another five minutes.
Add broken wheat and both  dhals  , mix well. Add  water and bring it to boil. Add turmeric powder, tamarind pulp/tomato and salt.
Cover the lid and cook till four whistles , open when all the steam is realesed by itself.
Drizzle with a tablespoon of clarified butter .Serve hot with curd /yogurt and pickle.

Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

As the name suggests this is an easy pasta dish that can be put together in no time. I had a couple of bottles of roasted red peppers that was using up my pantry space I was looking for a way to use them and that is when Jai told me about the delicious pasta with roasted red pepper sauce he had a few days back. In no time I found this recipe and we had this for dinner tonight. I am planning to store more roasted red peppers for when my family have an urge for more of this delicious dish.
Recipe source:The pioneer woman
Ingredients
12 ounces, weight Pasta Of Your Choice
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced
3 to 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 to 2 tsp chilli paste optional
1 jar (15.5 Ounces) Roasted Red Peppers, Drained And Roughly Chopped
1 cup Vegetable Or Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
 Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (more To Taste)
1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)
 Finely Minced Parsley

Method:
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)
Heat the other 2 tablespoon butter back to the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet. Add the broth, chilli paste, salt, and pepper, and stir until heated. Splash in the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add Parmesan and parsley/basil, then stir it together to coat the pasta.
Serve in bowls with extra Parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley on top.

Mexican Pizza

Here is my version of  a delicious Mexican pizza. Try this once and I am sure you will make this often. This can be a filling lunch,dinner or any time snack.
Ingredients
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 oz) can no-sodium black beans, drained
2 tomatoes chopped fine
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thinly
4 oz mushroom, sliced thinly/4 oz soy granules
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Sliced avocado and cilantro for topping
Lime juice
Method:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil and arrange tortillas in a single layer. Bake 5-6 minutes or until browned slightly.
While tortillas bake, heat remaining oil in a skillet and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes break down to a mushy consistency. At this stage add paprika and cumin powder I sometimes even add chicken masala powder in place of cumin and paprika, add the soy granules now if you are using them saute for another 2 minutes. Now add beans and partially mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
Remove tortilla pizzas from oven and top each with bean mixture, spreading evenly. Top with cheese. Distribute veggies evenly. Bake until cheese has melted and crust turns crispy and lightly browned, approximately 10-15 minutes. Serve with cilantro and avocado. Lime juice really brightens up the dish.

Coconut Kofta

If you are in a mood for some creamy and delicious curry to go with your Indian breads or rice, here is one of my go to recipes. There are different varieties of kofta, made with meat, fish, paneer and a variety of vegetables. But being a vegetarian, this is one version of kofta that I often make.
For Koftas
2 cups grated Coconut
3 tbs Chickpea flour
4 Green Chillies, minced
1/2 cup cilantro minced
1/8 to 1/4 cup Mint leaves, minced (optional)
1/2 medium Onion, grated
1/2 tbs Ginger paste
1/2 tbsGarlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground Garam Masala
Salt to taste

For Gravy:
Tomato paste-2 tsp
Milk-1/4 cup
Ghee-1 tbs
Heavy cream-1tbs (optional)
Kasuri methi-1/4tsp
Cilantro-1/4tsp
For paste:
 Onion-1
 Chilli-2
 Ginger-1tsp, grated
 Cinnamon-1 stick
 Clove-1
 Cumin -1tsp
 Garlic cloves-2
 Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Method:
Grind the coconut coarsely and mix it with all the other  kofta ingredients. Form the mixture into round balls and deep fry to a golden color . Kofta quantity is actually a little more than needed for the curry as I love having a few koftas to taste test :)
Heat a pan, add about a table spoon of ghee or oil and saute all the ingredients for paste till onion turns translucent. Make a paste of this sauted ingredients using about a cup of water. Mix it with tomato paste, milk,ghee,kasuri methi and salt and cook for 4 -5 minutes.When the gravy reaches desired consistency add cilantro and heavy cream.Add the koftas to the gravy before serving .Serve hot.

Mexican -Style Pasta (Fideo Seco)

Since the beginning of fall I am in the mood for spicy food. So in order  to satisfy my craving I wanted to make something really, really spicy yet easy to make. Then I remembered this Mexican style pasta which I hadn't made for a while. Previously I used to make it from scratch, but this time around, I tweaked it a bit to make it even easier to make on a working day. On the final count, I think it tasted even better than how I used to make it earlier and I couldn't help sharing it with you all.

Ingredients:

8 oz. spaghetti,broken

1 jar good quality pasta sauce with onion and garlic

1/2 cup  white onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth/vegetable broth

2 tablespoons chipotle chile plus 1-2 tbs adobo sauce (optional)

3 tbs vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup feta cheese or  queso fresco

1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

1 ripe Hass avocado

Method: 

Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute the noodles, stirring constantly (to prevent the noodles from burning), until the noodles turn a deep golden brown. Add  onion, garlic, and  chilies; continue to saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the tomatao sauce  it is going to sizzle cook until the puree thickens and darkens,5 to 6 minutes Slowly pour in the chicken broth and bay leaves .  Stir to combine; season lightly with pepper.  (You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.) Cook stirring occasionally  for 10 to 12 minutes till pasta is done.Serve with cream ,cheese and avocado on top.

Kappa Puzhukku

Kappa (kasava/tapioca), is something that brings about nostalgic memories of Kerala for most Malayalees.
So whenever I miss a piece of Kerala, I pick this out at the supermarket, but most of the time I pick up the frozen ones as these are easier to work with. There are different ways of cooking Kappa, but this one is the preparation that we make most often.
Ingredients:
 Kappa (tapioca) - 500gm
 Grated coconut - 1 to 2 cups ( If you love more coconut add 2 cups)
 Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
 Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp
 Green chillies - 3 to 4
 Garlic-2 cloves
 Small onions - 1
 Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
 Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
 Coconut oil - 1 table spoon
 Salt
Method:
 Cut the tapioca into small pieces. Bring a big pot of water to a boil.. Add tapioca pieces and close with a lid. When the tapioca is 3/4th done, drain the water. Dissolve 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder in 1/4 cup of ware and pour into the tapioca Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes,
 Grind coconut, 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder, cumin seeds,garlic and chillies in a grinder for 10-15 seconds. add this to the tapioca. Cover and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes. Mix with a spoon.
 Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Fry thinly sliced onion and curry leaves . Add this into the tapioca and mix well.
 Recipe source: Paakam
Ingredients for onion chamanthi
Shallots-1cup
Red chilli-6
Tamarind-1 tsp
Coconut oil-1tsp
Salt to taste
Curd-2tbs
Method:
Crush onion and chillis in a mortar or a food processor. Add salt and mix. Keep half of this aside
Add tamarind to one half of onion- chilli mix, add coconut oil and mix well. One chammanthi is ready.To the other portion add curd and mix you have another delicious chamanthi ready.

Vegetarian Yakisoba

Noodles are something that is loved all over the world, East or West. There are so many varieties of noodles, both in Eastern and Western cuisine. I love to try out noodles in any form, wherever it comes from. Among the Japanese noodles that I have tried out, this is my favorite.
Recipe source:Food.com
Ingredients:
8 ounces soba noodles
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp sambal paste or 2 teaspoons other hot chili paste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onions,sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 big carrot, peeled and julienned
1/4 head cabbage, cored and shredded
4 scallion tops, chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1 tsp ginger paste
Method:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.Cook the soba noodles in the boiling water for about 2 minutes or until they are al dente.(cooking any longer will cause the noodles to clump together.).
Drain the noodles, rinse lightly with cold water and drain again. (This is important so the noodles won't stick.).
Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili paste, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
When hot, add the onions, garlic,ginger and carrots, saute for about a minute now add cabbage. Cook stirring frequently, until the vegetables  are mostly tender
Add the soba noodles and the soy sauce mixture and cook just long enough to reheat the noodles and thoroughly coat them in the sauce.
Serve garnished with the chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Almost a decade ago, when I was not into the internet in a big way, the primary sources of good recipes for me used to be my mother, my grand-mother or MIL. Other than these direct sources, I also used to collect recipes from TV shows or magazines.I used to note down the ones that I found good in a notebook and used to refer to those when I wanted to make it again. This recipe of Kashmiri Dum aloo is one such recipe that I had in my recipe book. All of us used to like this dish quite a lot and it was a good one to serve for a dinner or to take to a potluck, as it is quite an eye-pleaser. I used to make it quite often during those days.
How the times have changed! Now a days I rarely ever need to refer a book for recipes. It is all just a click away. With so many wonderful new things to try out from around the globe, I hardly ever made this dish in the last many years. By chance I was flipping through my recipe book the other day and since I had some nice Idaho baby potatoes with me, wanted to try it out. And as always it turned out to be wonderful both in taste and in presentation.

Ingredients:
For Aloo:
Medium potatoes - 5-6 numbers
Raisins - 1 tbs
Cashews - 1tbs, powdered coarsely
Cream - 1 tbs
Salt - to taste

For Gravy:
Tomatoes pureed and strained -3
Capsicum finely chopped - 1
Onions chopped into strips - 1
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamoms -2
Cloves - 3
Peppercones - 3
Cinnamon piece - 1/2 inch
Ba:y leaf -1
Kasoori methi-1 tsp
Water -1 1/2 cups
Cream -2 tbs
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 tbsp
Refined oil - 2 tbs
Salt - to taste

Onion Paste:
Onions - 2, medium
Ginger piece - 1/2 inch.
Red Kashmiri Chillies  or  Paprika - 4-5
Mint leaves - 8-10
Cloves and garlic - 5 (optional)

Method:
For Aloo:
Peel and boil potatoes till they are half done. Cool and core with a potato scoop. Mix raisins, potato scooping, cashew, cream and salt. Stuff this mix into the potato hollows and keep them aside.

For Gravy:
Heat oil, add onions and stir-fry till brown. Drain and keep aside. Stir-fry capsicum till done, drain and keep aside. Add whole spices to the oil, allow to splutter and then add the onion paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, masalas and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add water, sugar,kasoori methi, salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.Add the cream and give a nice stir
Now put the potatoes in a casserole and pour the gravy over them. Sprinkle the stir-fried onions and capsicum over this and cover with aluminium foil. Bake in the oven at 200 degree C for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Garlic Naan

Most of the Indian breads I have tried making at home. But naan was an exception. But this is a favorite of Aishwarya. Whenever we go out to an Indian restaurant, she would have this for sure. So one day she challenged (tricked ?? ) me to making naan.
This turned out to be soft and fluffy and retained its softness even after a few hours. I already made it couple of times and am sure would be making many more times.

Ingredients
1 tbs active yeast
1 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk, scalded but cooled to warm
4 ounces melted butter, plus 2 ounces
6 cups flour or as needed
16 cloves of garlic
Cilantro optional
Nigella seeds optional

Method:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and 4 ounces of butter. Slowly add 5 cups flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.
Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
knead the dough again for a minute
Preheat the oven with baking tray to 500 degrees F .Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and shape them into balls.Roll out each ball into triangle, ovals or your favorite shape about 1 cm thick. If desired, top with nigella seeds or minced garlic and cilantro.I used only garlic.Slightly press it into the dough.Transfer the rolled out dough into the baking tray and bake for 4 to 5 minutes.Then after that broil for 1 minute.
Take naan out and brush with butter and serve hot.

Dukbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)

Aishwarya has friends from different nationalities. Whenever her friends comes over, I serve only mildly spicy dishes  thinking that they won't be able to tolerate spicy food as well as we do. So it was a surprise to me when Aishwarya's Korean friend wanted to try out the Indian pickle. At first I refused, thinking that it would be too hot for her, but she insisted on having it and ate it without any issue. Then she told me that some of their Korean food was even spicier.This made me wanting to try some such hot dishes.
This is one such dish I tried out.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Sticky Rice Cake Sticks,
2 Cups of Cabbage
1/2 Onion
1/2 Carrot
2 King mushroom
2 Green Onion
5 Garlic
2 1/2 Cups Water(if you prefer less sauce add 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
1 Tbsp Pepper Powder
 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
 Sesame Seeds  and green onion to garnish (optional)
Method:
Sock the rice sticks for a minimum of 1 hour.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan.Saute garlic and onion for a few seconds,add rest of the vegetables.Add water and rest of the ingredients and cook stirring occasionally till the sauce gets almost dried up.Serve hot by garnishing with green onion and sesame seeds.

Spinach and Ricotta Vegetarian Meatballs

As I was out of action for the last few days sick, Jai was the chef of the house. He was managing the show with omelette and simple stir-fries. As I have got well now, I am getting so many requests from Aishwarya and Jai for their favorite foods.
This spinach ricotta veggie balls with spaghetti was what Aishwarya wanted. This is the vegetarian version of spaghetti and meatballs. Try this and and if you love Italian cuisine as we do, this would be a winner for you.
Ingredients:
Veggie balls
1 Cup ricotta cheese
1 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 1/2-2 Cups Italian breadcrumbs (plus some for rolling)
4 Eggs
1/2 medium sized onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 or 2 jalapeno
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper
Olive oil and butter
cilantro

Sauce:
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt and pepper
1tbs of red pepper flakes (opt.)
1 pound pasta ( whole grain spaghetti.)
Method:
Cook onion ,garlic,jalapeno along with butter and olive oil.When the onion turns translucent add coriander powder,cumin powder,curry powder,turmeric and cilantro, cook this for another minute till the powders are cooked.Remove from heat and let it cool.
Mean while chop the spinach and stir it in with the cheeses.If possible use a fine grater to grate the Parmesan so it kind of melts into the veggie balls.
Mix this all together  along with the cooked and cooled onion mix and add eggs and enough bread crumbs to pull it together. About 1 1/2 Cups should be enough but if you used very large eggs you might need an extra 1/2 Cup. Stir this all together but try to keep the mixture nice and light. Make a ball using about a heaping tablespoon of the mixture. Make sure it holds together, but try not to press it together too much. Then roll the ball in some extra breadcrumbs and add it to a baking sheet lined with foil.
You can either bake this or pan fry it. If you want to pan fry, just add a bit of oil to a large skillet and add the veggie balls over medium high heat. Cook and turn until all the balls are lightly browned all around.If you’re baking them, which is also delicious, then add all the balls to the baking sheet and drizzle on a bit of oil over each one.You should end up with about 30 veggie balls.Bake them at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so.They should be nice and golden brown when you pull them out!

For the sauce.
In a medium-large pot, heat oil and then all your diced onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, then add diced tomatoes,followed by oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes and as it gets thick, add a bit more water to keep it saucy. The tomatoes will break down a bit after a few minutes.If you like a smooth sauce you can puree the sauce.Taste it and adjust it to your liking.When you’re about ready to serve this dish, add the veggie balls straight into the sauce.
Then serve the sauce and veggie balls over some cooked pasta.

Kaw Soi Dok -Burmese Noodle Salad

What I love about California other than the wonderful climate is the fact that its a melting pot of different cultures. Because of this I am able to get authentic recipes from all around the globe. A few days back a friend of my friend shared this recipe from her native Myanmar. This is the first time I am trying Burmese cuisine, though Myanmar is a neighboring country of India.
This noodle salad tastes good either hot or cold.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion sliced and fried in oil till crispy
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 cloves of garlic
1 cube taste maker or  (1 tsp dried shrimps, pounded into floss)
1 limes, quartered
2 tbs tamarind pulp or to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tbs red chilli paste(sambal paste)or dried chilli flakes
2 tbs soysauce or fish sauce
4 hard boiled eggs
shredded cabbage,sliced deep fried tofu,scallion and bean sprouts (optional)
Method:
 Boil  fresh  or dried Chinese noodles as per instruction.Heat oil add the crushed garlic cloves  along with turmeric.Add the noodles along with all the sauces and mix well. Add a teaspoon of crispy onions,some sliced boiled eggs and cilantro.  Finally sprinkle chilli flakes and squeeze some lime juice, and mix well. It should be salty, sour and spicy. To add more zing you can add shredded cabbage,sliced  deep fried tofu,scallion and bean sprouts.

Jeera Rice

The party season is on. Though the Thanksgiving  is over, the party schedule still remains hectic - with both hosting and participating. I have already started planning the dishes for Christmas and New Year. I know a lot of you out there would be like me, who loves planning ahead.
Jeera rice is a rice dish that I always include in most of my lunch or dinner parties. One reason is that this goes well with any of the Indian curry preparations. Another reason is that it is an easy, yet deliciously flavorful rice preparation.
Recipe source: Vah Re Vah
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice (pre soaked  for 30 minutes)
1tbs butter or ghee
1/4 cup cilantro
2 green chilli
1 tsp jeera (cumin)
1/8 cup mint (optional)
1 pinch saffron (optional)
to taste salt
1 and 1/2 cup water
Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.Add cumin and once they splutter,add green chilli , mint and cilantro and saute for a minute. Add water  and  add presoaked rice along with saffron and salt. Pressure cook this for 5 minutes after steam comes and you put the weight on at low heat. Serve this with raita and curry of your choice.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes 'N Vegetarian Gravy

Even though thanksgiving is a few days away, we had already had a few "advance" thanksgiving get-togethers from this weekend. Mashed potatoes with gravy is part and parcel of a typical thanksgiving meal. Whenever I gets invited to a traditional thanksgiving meal (even  the advance thanksgiving dinners), I typically offer to make the vegetarian gravy so that the hostess would have one less dish to take care of. For yesterday's get together, I made the mashed potatoes as well. One thing I noticed about this gravy  is that its equally loved by both vegetarians and non vegetarians,so I always make it a point to make enough to meet the demand.  It feels great that something you have made is in so much of demand. After all, the proof of the pudding is in eating!
Usually I make the plain mashed potatoes. But this time around, when I came across this recipe, I thought of trying this out as it sounded different and delicious. And it turned out to be such a crowd pleaser.
Recipe source:Foodnetwork and Food.com
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 ounces grated Parmesan
Method:
Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

Vegetarian Gravy

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 tbs flour
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp to 2 tbs cornstarch( as required for your desired thickness)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
Method:
Heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and saute the onion for 2 minutes along with the garlic. Add the flour  and saute for 5 more minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and cornstarch, stirring to mix the cornstarch well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently to make sure no clumps are formed.
Add  soy sauce and reduce heat. Cook for one more minute, stirring.

Popeye Pie

We mothers know how difficult it is to make our little ones have some veggies. When Aishwarya was small, Popeye was a big help in getting some greens into her mouth. She used to love that program so much that she used to eat spinach with no complaints. And thanks to that, she still continues to love spinach in whatever form. So when I came across this recipe  with her childhood hero's name, and with spinach as the main ingredient, I never had a second thought in trying this out. And guess what, this turned out to be quite a hit.

Ingredients:
20 oz. spinach, chopped (I used frozen)
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 tbs. butter, melted
1 large onions (about 3 cups), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
4oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2eggs, lightly beaten
4 oz. cottage cheese
1/2 lb. phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
Method:
Saute onions in 2 tbsp.olive oil until lightly golden. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. If using frozen spinach, squeeze as much moisture out of thawed spinach as possible and then separate the clumps. Stir in spinach and all herbs and spices into the onions and cook out all remaining moisture. Remove the spinach mixture from the heat and taste it. It should taste spicy but the salt should be on the lower side as the feta cheese will add additional saltiness.
Once the mixture cools slightly, stir in the eggs and cheeses. Line one 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and  combine remaining oil and butter. Lightly brush the bottom of  the foil-lined pan with fat mixture. Cut the phyllo sheets to fit your pan and layer 1/2 of the sheets into the pan, brushing every 3rd layer with the oil/butter mix.  Put the spinach mixture and  press firmly into a solid layer. Top with remaining phyllo sheets, again brushing every 3rd layer with butter and oil.  Place pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove pie from freezer and (cut only through the top layer of phyllo, dividing the pan into 6 sections). I forgot this step when baking this but, this will make it easier to make clean cuts later.
Bake the  pie at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until top layer of phyllo is browned.
If you want you can freeze the pie  and  bake without thawing at 350 for 60-90 minutes.

Anda Paratha - Egg-Stuffed Indian Flatbread

If you don't have enough time to make an elaborate meal, yet want to make sure your family gets their daily dose of proteins, carbs and veggies, this is the dish for you. This is also ideal if  you want to sneak in some veggies into your kids diet. With Aishwarya, my problem is that though she doesn't mind having most of the veggies,she doesn't like to have eggs in most typical forms. So this is one of the ways I can get some of the goodness of the eggs into her.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour  -  2 cups
Eggs - 4 nos
Fresh Cilantro, diced - 3 tbsp
Green chilli peppers, diced - 4-5 nos
Fresh spinach - 1/4 cup, optional
Ajwain (carom seed) - 1/2 tsp
Mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup, optional
Chaat masala - 1/4 tsp, optional
Salt - to taste
Butter - as required

Method:
Mix the wheat flour with 1 egg, ajwain, salt, green-chilli and 1 tbsp of cilantro. Add 1/2 a cup of water to this and mix it well. Form it into a dough with the consistency of the usual roti/chapatti dough, by adding additional water as may be required. Let it rest for at least 15 mts.
Beat the remaining 3 eggs along with the spinach and a bit of salt in a bowl. Take a golf ball sized dough and roll it out as thin as possible into a disc shape. Put this roti on a heated tawa (pan). Now take about 3 tbsp of egg mix and spread it over the entire top of the roti. Sprinkle cilantro and cheese over the eggs. Now fold the paratha from 3 sides to form a triangle. Flip the paratha over and roast by applying butter on both sides till done.
Sprinkle a pinch of chat masala and serve it hot. You may serve it with a dollop of yogurt or with some ketchup or mint chutney.

Pizza Quesadilla 'N Guacamole

Ever since the school reopened, my daughter returns home hungry for something to eat. From this year she is in middle school and has longer hours to spent at the school. Plus, she also has PE to do. I guess all this is making her hungrier by the time school ends. So I need to have something to feed her when she is back from school and this is one such dish which is easy to make yet is well liked.
Pizza Quesadilla
Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
8 ounces of shredded mozzarella /provolone cheese
1 16-ounce jar of pizza sauce
 Method:
Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add one tortilla and cook until soft, about 15 to 30 seconds.Turn this over and brush tortilla with a thin layer of pizza sauce (so thin that if you turned it over, none would drip).Now spread  1/4 cup or little more of cheese mixture on one half, fold in half, and cook on both sides until cheese melts  and tortilla is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Repeat with  remaining tortillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4, serve with a little bowl of pizza dipping sauce.

Guacamole
Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tsp  cayenne pepper/2 green chillies sliced
1tbs olive oil

Method:
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper and olive oil . Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Zucchini Pizza

It is summer-time and whenever I go out for grocery and produce shopping, I find zucchini in abundance (though here in the bay area I find it year round ). I love eating Zucchini by itself, but wanted to try out some variations. So the last time Aishwarya wanted a pizza, I thought of trying this out as the topping so that I could put some veggies also into her. The result turned out to be a keeper.
Ingredients:
2 large zucchinis
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup feta cheese
sea salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
pizza dough(used the same recipe used for this bread)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Grate the zucchinis and press out the water from zucchini using your hand.Soak up any extra water with paper towels. Mix the zucchini with the mozzarella feta and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.In another bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning or seasoning of your choice and garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Work the pizza dough into whatever shape your heart desires. Spread the ricotta cheese on top and then top with the zucchini mixture. Add some red pepper flakes if you like . Reduce oven temperature to 450 and bake pizza for about 11 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden and the cheese has started to bubble.

Three Cheese Quesadilla with Kiwi Salsa

Typically, I make Mexican food at least once in a week or so. Quesadilla and salsa are couple of the regulars that we have. But when I was looking at the Mexican dishes I had blogged so far, I was surprised to note that I hadn't put Quesadilla yet; may be I thought of it as something too simple to put together. But I am  here with this post today hoping that there would be someone somewhere who can benefit from this post.
Though I stick to the same quesadilla recipe whenever I make it (as this is how we in our household likes it), I always try to make a different dip to go with it based on what is available in the market or in my pantry. Some of the our favorites are guacamole, tomato salsa, mango salsa and pineapple salsa.I hope to post all these different dips some other day. The kiwi salsa I have here today is light, refreshing and has a bit of kick and goes well with the cheese quesadilla. 

 Ingredients:
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2/ cup shredded provolone cheese
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 onion sliced
6 wheat /flour tortillas
Method:
Mix all the ingredients except tortillas and keep aside.Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add one tortilla and cook until soft, about 15 to 30 seconds.Turn this over add  1/4 cup or little more of cheese mixture on one half, fold in half, and cook on both sides until cheese melts  and tortilla is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Repeat with  remaining tortillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4.Serve with salsa or any other dip.


Recipe Source for salsa:All recipes
Ingredients
6 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Salt to taste
Method:
Mix kiwi, onion, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt and curry powder together in bowl. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Black Pepper Ghee Rice

Last few days I had been feeling under the weather with some bad cold and fever. I was having a bad appetite and was in no mood to cook. So when Jay asked me what I would like to have for lunch, I remembered seeing this recipe at Radhika's blog that looked appealing - definitely for someone in my condition. I did ask Jay to make some little modifications as I wanted it more spicy and zesty. It did turn out good and gave me some relief from my sore throat and perked-up my taste-buds.
Recipe adapted from:Tickling Palates
Ingredients:
Basmati rice/Jasmine rice – 1 cup
Black pepper corn – 1 tbs
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Shallots – 10 to 15
Garlic cloves – 10 to 12
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Ghee – 2 to 3 tbs
Method:
Cook 1 cup of rice and set it aside. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry the pepper corns at low to medium heat till they are crisp.Set this aside and do the same with the cumin. Once both pepper and cumin cools, powder them fine.Add the remaining ghee to the kadai and sauté finely sliced shallots and garlic till they almost turn golden color. Now add the turmeric powder saute for a few seconds,add salt, ground powders and the cooked rice and mix well  till all the rice is well coated. Serve hot and with love. As per Radhika  you can do this in oil too but since pepper is a heat provider to our body, using ghee acts as a coolant and it is also appetizing at the same time.