Creamy Raspberry Shots

Overview:

Now what is a Culinary corner without a "Dessert Recipe". Tickle your taste buds with one of my favorite creations !! "The Creamy Raspberry Shots". Well, Its not totally my creation but I thought of a presentation like this after watching this Dessert recipe on TV. Although, on TV they were mixing-matching various portions to create your own dessert thing.. but since I am the author of "www.healthymealsonline.blogspot.com" , I had to think of the health quotient too. We will present the Dessert in a way so that less portion is consumed and everyone could enjoy some of it without much guilt !!

Preparation Time : 15-20 mins 

Ingredients:

You will need :

• 2 Boxes of Raspberries
• 2 cups sugar
• light whipping cream
• lemon juice
• 1 tsp butter
• Vanilla essence
• fine breadcrumbs
• couple of strawberries diced into halves

Recipe : 

1. Wash a handful of raspberries and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tsp butter in a skillet and add rest of the raspberries to it. Add one cup sugar and cook the mixture for around 5-7 minutes till the raspberries have become soft and mushy.

3. Now add the lemon juice and cook again for a couple of minutes so that the acidity settles down evenly.

4. Set the mixture aside and mix the fresh raspberries in it. Stir gently and let the mixture cool.

5. Whip cream along with sugar and vanilla essence.

Serving/Presentation :

This Dessert can be very beautifully presented in a tequila shot glass or a Margarita/Martini glass.

Place a layer of fine bread crumbs at the end of the glass, top it with a layer of raspberries mixture and layer some whipped cream over it.

Run these layers again if needed (as per the size of the serving glass).

Another Presentation

Make sure that topmost layer is cream. Now place the strawberry halves diagonally and top it with a mint leaf if you want a little scent and different color to your dessert !

Spinach-Ricotta gravy

Overview:

Italian food is getting a lot on my mind these days. Most Italian gravies are very rich and creamy, but the flavor, might I say is exceptionally good. So, this gravy goes very nicely with rice/pasta but the richness and creaminess is quite under control. But one needs to have a liking for "Spinach" at least. Well, you know.. Spinach, Ricotta cheese and garlic go hand in hand. These three .. and you can have a yummy gravy, nice pasta and pizza toppings too.

Cooking time : 40 mins including pre-cooking requisites, serves 4

Ingredients : 

You will need : 

• Fresh Spinach (regular big pack from any grocery store : its around 300-400 grams)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic (Grated)
• Italian Brushchetta dressing
• Italian seasoning (with thyme,rosemary,oregano,basil)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (Extra-virgin)
• grated Ricotta cheese ( a small bowl)
• salt to taste
• green chillies
• 3 tbsp tomato puree ( for acidity)
• fat-free half and half

Recipe:

1. Blanch the washed spinach for 5 mins (Put in hot salted boiling water, covered for 5 mins)

2. Drain the spinach and grind it with green chillies

3. In a large Skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on high flame, add the garlic. Saute for a few seconds till it turns light brown.

4. Add 2 tbsp of Italian Bruschetta dressing and saute for a few seconds.

5. Now add the spinach paste,tomato puree, salt and cook covered for 5 mins on medium flame.

6. Add a little water if gravy is thicker, add salt to taste and cook covered for another 3 mins on medium flame.

7. Now add the ricotta cheese and stir the gravy gently.

8. Simmer for a minute, and sprinkle some Italian seasoning.

Serving/Presentation Instruction :

In a bowl, put some gravy and splash a little half-and-half over it. Serve hot with rice or pasta !

NOTE: If you add a little cumin seeds in oil and while adding salt add garam masala with it, add Paneer cubes instead of cheese ,remove Italian ingredients like Italian dressing and seasoning, you can call it "Palak Paneer" too :D

Now isn't it a 2-in-1 recipe ??

Chicken "Nawaabi"

Overview:

The nomenclature of this dish is not original. I, the Author did it. And that is because this Indian recipe is actually a blend of two regional Indian recipes. I thought of trying them out as a merger because I felt they had a lot in common. So, it takes ideas from "kashmiri" and "UP" style cooking.

Chicken "Nawaabi" as I like to call it, looks royal in presentation and is much better on the calorie count than many other of its chicken counterparts. I would tell a way, in which Indian non-vegetarian recipes can be made really healthy. And that would work for all the recipes which require similar ingredients. 

FYI, Author is a vegetarian :)

Preparation time: 60 mins including marination, baking and pre-cooking set-ups and serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

You will need : 

• 2 lbs ( roughly a kilogram) of  your choice of  boneless chicken 
• 1 big onion, some ginger and 5-6 cloves of garlic, green chillies.
• flavor spices : 3 big black cardamom(badi elaichi), 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 Bay leaves(tej-patra), 2 small Cinnamon sticks(Dalchini), 2-3 Cloves (laung), 2 tbsp finely grated fennel seeds (Saunf), crushed black pepper, salt to taste
• dry spices : 2.5 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, Zafrani garam Masala from Shan foods
• 1 cup plain yogurt beaten into a smooth mixture.
• 2 tbsp cooking oil.

Now Fennel seeds is a common kashmiri ingredient and onion,ginger,garlic comes from UP cooking habits. The common things in both the cuisines is that tomatoes are not used. Rest, most of the spices are similar.

Marination : 

It is particularly simple unlike regular chicken dishes. Wash chicken properly, cut into 3X3'' pieces. Sprinkle salt and crushed black pepper evenly over all pieces and lay them in a flat tray.

Set aside for 30 mins.

Baking needs:

Since here in US fresh chicken meat is available only in selected Indian grocery stores, most of us rely on frozen chicken. I always bake any type of frozen meat except seafood.

If you have fresh chicken, then you don't really need to bake. For the rest, I would suggest to do marination in the baking dish itself.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees  F(220 degree C) and bake the chicken for about 6-7 mins.

Let it cool down, drain the fat lost by the meat and separate the pieces into a bowl.

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl mix the mentioned amounts of coriander powder, red chilli powder, grated fennel seeds and 1 tsp zafrani garam masala and salt(according to taste). Add water to make a thick but smooth paste and set it aside.

2. Blend together, onion, ginger, garlic and 3 green chillies.

3. Put a large skillet* on stove top and let it heat on high flame for around 3 mins.

4. Put the blended paste of onion, ginger green chilies and garlic into the skillet and stir briskly. When the water in the paste evaporates, it takes at least 3 times lesser oil to fry.

5. Now in another smaller pan, put 2 tbsp cooking oil and heat it over high flame for a minute. Add black cardamom, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon and Cloves. Fry lightly.

6. Now add this oil to the heated paste in the large skillet and fry the whole mixture together for around 4 minutes. The mixture should turn brown by this time.

7. Now add the paste of spices we made in step 1 in the skillet. Stir briskly for around 1 minute

8. Now add baked chicken/marinated chicken to the skillet and toss and turn gently. All the mixture should be evenly covering the chicken.

9. Mix well and cook covered for 2-3 minutes on high flame. Now add the yogurt mixture to the skillet.

10. Cook covered again for 5 mins on medium flame.

11. Add a cup of hot water and cook covered for around 10 mins this time, but on medium flame. Chicken cooks very fast and it will not take much time.

12. Cook on low flame for another 5 mins. You can increase or decrease the viscosity of the gravy as per your needs. To make it thicker add more yogurt and to thinner it add water. Just make the salt content proportionate.

*Skillet should be with a cover with air vent. or a pressure cooker could be used. In case you use a pressure cooker, you have to turn off the stove just before the first whistle because chicken cooks extremely fast.

Serving Instructions:

Serve hot in a bowl garnished with cilantro and green chilies diced into halves along the length.. with rice/chapatis.

Now now.. don't tell me you all are not astonished with the amount of oil used in the dish. just 2 tbsp ..!! Isn't that great !! After-all it is healthymealsonline and I will try my best to stay coherent with that. Wait till you taste the chicken. Hope some of you will revert back with nice things to say.. 

Next up in chicken domain will be : Chicken Dopyaza and Chicken biryani (A legacy of my late grandfather)

Vermicelli

Overview:

Today in the morning, I was preparing "Vermicelli" as breakfast just as a regular chore when it occurred to me that its probably one of the easiest dish even a "Guy" could make when his girl is out of town or unable to cook. Well, guys would not want to undo the workout they did by eating some junk food outside. Making vermicelli will not only be easier, it will also be a healthy way to relax :) and that is when you really wanted to cook ;)

** Its an Indian Recipe

Preparation time : 30 mins including pre-cooking preparations. Serving two.

Ingredients:

You will need:

• 100 gm Vermicelli (Already roasted one, bambino pack available at any Indian grocery store)
• two tomatoes finely chopped( tomato puree can also be used)
• finely chopped onion : 4 tbsp
• finely chopped ginger : 1 tsp
• green chillies cut into halves along the length
• Coriander(Dhaniya) Powder : 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder(Haldi) : 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• red chilli powder : 1 tsp
• black sarson seeds
• cooking oil : 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida(Hing) : a pinch
• one small potato finely diced into small squares
• green peas :(Washed) half a cup

Recipe:

1. First heat the oil in a large skillet( one which has a lid) on high flame and hing and sarson seeds to it.

2. As soon as the seeds start to pop add the cut ginger and onion.

3. Fry till golden-pink and add the cut potatoes to it. Cook covered for a minute on medium flame now.

4  Put all the spices in a bowl (Coriander,turmeric,red chilli powder) and add water to make a smooth paste.

5. Add the paste to the skillet and mix well. Now add the green peas and cook covered for a minute on medium flame.

6. Add diced tomatoes and salt to taste and cook covered for at least 5 mins on medium flame. The tomatoes should become all mushy. If they are not then cook for more time. In case of using a puree, this step will be bypassed.

7. Now add vermicelli to the skillet and turn well with a spatula.

8. Add water so that the vermicelli are "just submerged" in it. Do not add too much water.

9. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes on medium-high flame.

10. Turn and toss gently and check if the vermicelli have become soft.

11. Turn off flame and keep covered for 5 mins.

Serving:

Garnish with cilantro and green chillies, serve hot !

Pasta Salad (with or without meat)

Overview:

What if I told you that having a colossal stylish celebrity lunch was possible in your eat-out kitchen itself ! This pasta-salad has amazing looks and is extremely easy to prepare. I bet if you had guests coming over they would be singing about your lunch everywhere they go!

Or, are you ready to pamper your beloved on his birthday? Then, this lunch along with a glass of wine and a bouquet of flowers will do the trick.. But we will go easy on a few calories this time.

Cooking time : 30-40 mins including pre-cooking preparations. Serves 7-8

Ingredients:

You will need :

• Pasta shells
• Fresh Corn about 300 grams (roughly from 3 kernels)
• 2-3 Red and Green Bell Peppers
• 3 Bundles of scallions
• Cherry tomatoes diced into halves if they are not very small.
• your choice of meat : (Cooked Shrimps, Baked Chicken or Fresh Lobster) : this is optional
• 1 cup of Mayonnaise
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• Crushed Black Pepper 
• A bunch of Dill (chopped)
• Salt to taste

Recipe :

Boil together Pasta shells and fresh corn.

Sauce :  This sauce is particularly simple to make. Although its a bit more on calorie count but a pasta salad amount that large could feed a group of 7-8 people. So gross calorie intake remains unaltered per person. You can reduce the portions used for smaller meals.

1. Mix together Mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir well.

2. Add salt to taste.

3. Add the lemon juice. Acidity brings out the flavor of vegetables and pasta.

4. Add a teaspoon of crushed black pepper and mix well. Set aside.

Pasta : 

1. Drain pasta and corn into a large salad bowl.

2. Now add all the diced vegetables like bell peppers, scallions, cherry tomatoes. If you wanted you can add finely chopped lettuce too.

3. Toss well and add the Sauce that we made earlier.

4. Add your choice of meat and toss gently.

5. Now add a lump of finely chopped Dill and stir the whole salad together.

Serving/Presentation Instruction : 

Serve in salad bowls topped couple of dill tripods ! The salad will not be very cold or very warm if served immediately. In 15 mins the whole salad will eventually come to an even temperature. I also sprinkled some grated Parmesan cheese :)

Stay tuned for the Dessert to be served with it !! Its called "Creamy Raspberry Shots"

Chinese Schezwan Curry

Overview:

The Asian cuisine is probably one of the most popular food among all age groups. Its ingredients are a variety of vegetables, sauces and meat. High on proteins and essential minerals, this cuisine can be an extremely healthy eating experience. Although I cannot vouch for the Asian restaurants on the health factor, but then if you have a known recipe and count of calories and fat in the food then cooking it for your family is worth the effort ! And trust me they will enjoy it.

Schezwan is a spicy Chinese gravy generally served with boiled and "Starch-drained" rice. Mostly a vegetarian dish, schezwan is a good source of protein from tofu, minerals and roughage from the vegetables and a little carb from the rice.

Cooking time : 40 mins including pre-cooking preparations.

Ingredients:

You will need :

• 250 g Tofu (standard pack at all grocery stores).
• Broccoli Florets (about 500 g)
• 2 diced red bell peppers
• 3 bundles of scallions (chopped).They are also called Spring onions.
• 2-3 cups of boiled rice(starch-drained)
• sugar
• salt
• Any readily available "schezwan sauce". I use "Ching's Schezwan Sauce"
• Lemon juice
• cooking oil ( you can use any :vegetable oil/olive oil )
• little cornstarch.

Recipe :

1. Cut tofu into rectangular pieces. You can also shallow fry this tofu  for better taste, but that will add a few grams of fat from oil, but the taste is worth it. Set it aside.

2. Heat some oil in a large skillet and add all the cut vegetables : scallions, diced onion, pepper and broccoli florets in it. Toss gently, just to stir fry.

3. Add some salt according to taste over the veggies. Toss again and now add around 3 tablespoons of sugar. You can replace sugar with any artificial sweetener if you are very carb conscious.

4. Cook covered for approximately 5-7 mins.

5. The veggies will strain some water. Add a litlle more hot water and around 3 tablespoons of "Schezwan Sauce"

6. Cook covered for another 5 mins. Open carefully and stir gently. 

7. Add a pinch of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water. Mix well and add it to the thin schezwan gravy. In a minute the gravy will turn thicker.

8. Add the diced (fried) Tofu to the vegetable gravy and toss or turn gently. Add the lemon juice evenly over the gravy and stir gently so that the vegetables and Tofu remain intact in the gravy.

Its almost done now !

Serving/Presentation Instruction:

Make a heap of rice in a platter. Create room to put gravy right in the middle of the heap. You can shape the heap of rice according or in contrast to the shape of the platter. I personally like contrasting the shapes of dish and platter while serving. Raise a couple of Tofu pieces in gravy and serve hot !!

Italian Shrimp gravy with rice/pasta

Whats nice than a yummy gravy with rice.. This one is a recipe I deciphered after having dinner with an Italian friend of mine. Never knew that making Italian day to day dining would be so easy.

Ingredients :
All you need is butter/margarine, 3 garlic cloves , uncooked shrimps, tomato puree, salt ,Bruschetta Italian dressings, Italian seasoning with thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil.

Recipe :
Personally I feel nothing can replace the taste that is provided by butter , but on the health factor I liked to replace butter with Margarine.
1.Heat a teaspoon of  Margarine in a skillet and fry grated garlic in it till golden brown.
2.Add thawed shrimps and toss gently, sprinkle a little salt and you just have to cook them for a minute.
3.Now add around 3 tablespoons of Bruschetta Italian salad dressing and toss shrimps again.
4.Add a cup of tomato puree or diced/squashed tomatoes and cook covered for a minute.
5.Add hot water and cook for a minute again and then add a little zesty ranch in it just to make the gravy look thicker.
6.Garnish it with Italian seasoning and decorate it with a cilantro tripod.
7.Serve hot in a bowl, alongside rice or freshly boiled pasta.


Enjoy the 15 minute meal and keep experimenting !!