Assorted Vegetable Biryani

Overview

Dears.. I hope you'all weren't thinking that I have become extinct. After All, how long could I have stayed dormant, not wielding my wand to churn up a batter, or toss up an assortment while working on my drink. That said, my present stay at my parents' place in India kept me from exhaustive research on the seasonal vegetables that I find hard to locate in the U.S of A. But I am glad, my dear mother cooked everything that I cannot find in US. While my extinction, I was having loads of fun :-)

This Assorted Vegetable Biryani  is a delight on the dinner/lunch table, a complete meal in itself.

Ingredients:

• A bowl of boiled white or brown rice preferably, that has been boiled in salty water.
• A bowl of small cauliflower florets thoroughly washed.
• Two diced red-peppers(capsicum) 
• 2 medium sized onions, diced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger.
• 250 g paneer(cottage cheese) cut in small cubes.
• Two diced tomatoes and 4 tbsp puree as well.
• 2-4 green chillies, diced along length
• Seeds from 2 crushed cardomoms.
• 1 cinnamon stick, 2-3 bay leaves, spearmint cloves
• 2 tsp cumin seeds.
• Tandoori chicken masala/paneer tikka masala (any brand will do the trick)
• Chopped green coriander
• 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder.
• 1-2 tsp salt or as per taste.
• cooking oil 
• 1 tbsp desi ghee

Recipe:

1. In a large pan, heat up oil and fry the cauliflower florets till golden brown and crisp.Set them aside.You can use a conventional oven and just bake them instead, to reduce the oil consumption.
2. In the same pan, reduce the oil and add the dry spices such as bay leaves,spearmint cloves, cinnamon sticks, add diced onion and grated ginger. Saute till golden brown.
3. In a small bowl, soak the coriander powder,red chilli powder and salt in 3 tbsp water. 
4. Give the mixture in point 3, around 30 seconds to settle down and then add it to the sauteed onions.
5. Add the diced red peppers and cook for a few mins till the are softer.
6. Add the tomatoes and puree and cook for around 5 mins till the mixture becomes consistent in gravy.
7. Now add 2 tbsp Tandoori chicken masala/Paneer tikka Masala and cook for another 5 mins.
8. Finally add the Paneer cubes, diced green chillies and garnish with cilantro leaves(coriander leaves) , toss and turn a bit, and keep covered.

Flavoring the Rice:

To flavor the boiled rice, all you got to do is.. heat desi ghee in  small pan and add the crushed cardamoms and cumin seeds. Spread this "tadka" evenly over rice and add fried cauliflower florets. Toss gently to mix the rice evenly.Its all done!!

Presentation:

In a large bowl, place a layer of rice in bottom and cover it with the assorted vegetable mixture we cooked in the pan. Run alternate layers of rice and mixture. You can play with vegetables in here.. like string beans, peas , mushrooms and what not.. My co-workers did not leave a scope to take a decent picture..!! Enjoy :-)

Apple Banana Strawberry Parfait

Overview:

Its a healthy, breakfast or dessert !! Simplest to make, uses fresh fruit , granola, nuts and yogurt.

I prefer having it as a snack very often.

Ingredients:

• Low fat ,  flavored greek yogurt. I used the strawberry flavor.
• Flavored Granola ( I used Vanilla, there are more like apple-cinnamon, almond-cinnamon etc.)
• Fresh Strawberries
• Fresh Apples, peeled and diced
• Bananas cut in small chunks
• Sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp butter/Margarine

Recipe:

1. Wash a handful of strawberries and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp butter in a skillet and add rest of the strawberries to it. Add half cup sugar and cook the mixture for around 5-7 minutes till the strawberries 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 some fresh cut strawberries in it. Stir gently and let the mixture cool.
5. In a margarita/martini glass, first spread a layer of granola followed by a layer of bananas and then apples.
6. Place a layer of strawberry mixture on it and spread a layer of granola again.
7. Smoothen the yogurt in a separate bowl and put around 4-5 tbsp of yogurt in the glass. 
8. Tap the glass gently on the counter-top so that the yogurt settles down a bit, dispersed generously in between the fruits and granola layers. Add more yogurt if necessary to make a decent proportion for the glass.
9. Top it up with fresh cut strawberries .

Presentation:

As you can see, its a proportion dish, so play with flavors, fruits and nuts too. Just add what you think will taste and look good. Sprinkle nuts and crunchy granola just before serving, it tastes awesome.

FYI, the serving glass will make a lot of difference to the aesthetic aspect !!

Daal Makhani

Overview:

So, I just happened to run into a cooking enthusiast in the Indian grocery store today. A charming woman looking for ingredients to prepare "Daal Makhani" , a regular favorite at any Indian Restaurant but a rare food in a regular Indian family. Well, on account of health factors. But I never realized how delectable it could be for someone who isn't habitual of daals ! Clearing a myth, Daal Makhaani can be made as a healthier "protein rich" version too, considering the fact that it has daal(beans) which are carb and proteins as well.

Cooking Time: 30 mins, excluding overnight soaking of the beans.

Ingredients:

You will need,

• Kidney beans ( 1 cup)
• Whole Urad daal (1 cup)
• 2X2 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
• 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 diced tomatoes/ or 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 diced onion
• garam masala (a pinch), I use "Shan foods"
• chopped green chillies( not necessary..!)
• salt as per taste
• turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
• cumin seeds
• 1 tsp asafoetida powder
• 2 tbsp fat-free half-and-half

Recipe:

1. Soak the mentioned quantities of washed kidney beans and whole Urad beans in lukewarm water overnight. Its better to soak them separately.
2. In a steam pressure cooker / or crock pot, boil the mentioned quantities of beans in 4 equivalent cups of water along with salt, diced ginger and green chillies, let go atleast 5-6 whistles. This process make take a while in a crock pot. Keep checking the mixture in between. The best results will be when the mixture turns smooth and beans are soft/ completely moistened. Set this mixture aside.
3. In a separate pan, heat 3 tbsp oil/butter/margarine on high flame and  add the cumin seeds and asafoetida powder. Let them pop for a while and then add chopped garlic.
4. Fry until golden brown and then add onion and fry until golden pink. Add chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt on them so that they become soft and mushy. You can use tomato puree instead to save this process.
5. Now add turmeric powder and mix well. Add a pinch of garam masala and mix again. This blend is to be added into your crock pot mixture.
6. Add this spice blend into the crock pot mixture or steam boiled mixture and stir well. By this time you can distinctly smell the aromas of spice blends.
7. In the end, add 2 tbsp of fat-free half-and-half and stir.

Presentation:

You can dash a little cream or half and half in the serving bowl and even garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped ginger. Enjoy with Rice or Naan.

This pic is for reference, its not mine !! ;-)

The Variety Burrito

Overview:

hola amigos !!

In US, there is absolutely no need for making efforts to find authentic and delicious Mexican food, almost everyone will have the names of the restaurants and joints on the tip of their tongues ! So, what is a burrito entree doing here? Nothing much, I just focused on vegetarianism and kept a watch on calories while still keeping the Mexican spice alive ! The fondness for Mexican food shouldn't drive anyone to dine outside more than once a week. Lets be creative because it is super easy  !

Cooking time : 50 mins, serves 2-3

Ingredients:

You will need, 

• Large size burrito bases. Prefer wheat rather than flour.
• 500g Red Kidney Beans, or Black Kidney Beans soaked overnight in lukewarm water
• Red and green Peppers(cut in half and diced along length)
• boiled corn kernels, approx 100 g
• 2 big onions cut in half and diced along length
• 2 big tomatoes finely chopped.
• 1 cup fresh cilantro/coriander leaves finely chopped
• Low fat Sour cream
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Some shredded Mozzarella cheese (Low fat)
• blend of shredded Low fat Mexican cheese(Pack is readily available in stores, comprises of : Mozzarella  Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby)
• Red Taco Sauce, I use Ortega's. ( medium spicy)
• Green Enchilada Sauce 
• Diced green chillies soaked in vinegar for 3-5 hours
• Boiled Mexican Rice( I prefer Brown)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil

Recipe:

1. Boil the soaked beans in a little extra water along with salt per taste, till tender and soft. Keep the water intact and mix the beans gently to turn the mixture smooth. Add 2 slices of pepper jack cheese and mix well. Now the mixture will be smooth and creamy.
2. Heat the olive oil in an old skillet, that has been used over 2 years.. I suggest this because I personally like the smoky flavor in sauteed vegetables which can only come if your skillet has cooked around 1000 meals !!
3. Add peppers and onions and saute till golden brown and look smoking :-) You can even distinctly smell the aromas of smoked pepper and onions.
4. Sprinkle a little salt and add the boiled corn and diced green chillies soaked in vinegar. Toss gently and set aside.
5. Add the cilantro to chopped tomatoes.
6. Take a separate flat pan and heat it. Cook the burrito base on the pan for 30 seconds approximately on both sides, till the sides look well cooked. This process doesn't need any oil.
7. Lay the cooked burrito in a Platter and place 2-3 tbsp of boiled brown rice and run generous amount of the bean mixture along length of the burrito.
8. Now place the sauteed vegetables along length followed by tomatoes and cilantro.
9. Toss small lumps of sour cream at two or three places along the length.
10. Pour 2 tbsp of red and green sauces generously along the length over the existing filling.
11. Sprinkle some fresh Mozzarella and Mexican cheese blend over it aesthetically. Its done! 

Presentation:

After filling, just close the burrito as shown in image and if needed use a tooth pick to hold it together. You could also place one end of the burrito in a foil to make it easy to hold. Serve with fresh cut lettuce, chips and salsa.

Mantener cocinar!!

Keep Cooking :-)

Mushroom-Peas gravy (North Indian style)

Overview:

Mushrooms, although very rich source of proteins(being in the secondary mycelium state when consumed) are not very likable among most of us. It might be because of their bland and raw taste which is more acquired than loved. I like mushrooms, and my experimental advents into finding out the best way to cook them made me draw the following conclusions. Mushrooms taste awesome in black pepper,yogurt and cream and also if cooked along with cashew and raisins, they give a peculiar nice aroma and taste. So, this one is a gravy where I cooked mushrooms in raisins and cashews. I will also discuss, how to make the same in black pepper in the same recipe, but I do not have a picture for it :-(

Ingredients:

You will need,

• Regular box of mushrooms, about 1.1 pound(500 grams).
• 1 cup washed green peas
• Half cup golden raisins
• 1/4th cup cashew-nuts
• Bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 regular onion, 2X2 inch piece ginger, 5 garlic cloves and 2-3 green chillies blended together
• 2 tbsp cooking oil( olive oil is healthier)
• salt 
• hunts tomato puree or diced tomato can
• 2tbsp dhaniya powder, 1tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp shan garam masala mixed together in 4-5 tbsp water.

Recipe:

1. Wash mushrooms and dice them into quarters. Do not dice very small pieces because they loose a lot of water and become almost minced otherwise. That reduces the aesthetic factor of the delicacy. 
2. Wash green peas and set aside. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on high flame and add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
3. Now add the blend of onion-ginger-garlic-green chillies and saute till golden brown. This should not take more than 2 mins.
4. Add the mixture of Dhaniya powder,turmeric,red-chilli powder,garam masala to the cooker and stir well.
5. Now add salt as per taste. Stir the mixture well and now add the diced mushrooms and green peas together. Saute for a while so that the spice blend is evenly mixed in the vegetables.
6. Now add the raisins and the cashews. Mix well for a minute.
7. Now add 2/3rd can of the tomato puree/diced tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes and then close the lid of the cooker.
8. Let go off just one whistle and turn off the heat. The mushrooms are done !!

Recipe with black pepper:

Just don't add raisins and Instead of adding turmeric and red-chilli powder just add 1 tsp of black pepper powder and add half cup of yogurt before adding tomatoes. After the whistle goes off, garnish generously with cream and mix well before serving !! (which means .. everything is same as above.. except in step 4, instead of turmeric and red-chilli powder, add 1 tsp crushed( or powdered) black pepper and after stirring it for a minute, add half cup of yogurt. and in step 6, do not add raisins .. )

Presentation:

Garnish with green chillies and cilantro! Serve Hot !

Cucumber Sandwich

Overview:

It is just your regular cucumber sandwich , made out of whole wheat bread, stuffed with cucumber, tomatoes  onion or lettuce/romaine in a little unconventional way. A breakfast or lunch ,easy to prepare, much better on health count and a tasty and healthy getaway from oats once in a while :-)

Ingredients:

You will need,

• wheat bread
• cucumber slices
• finely chopped tomatoes
• finely chopped onion
• finely chopped lettuce/romaine as you prefer
• black pepper
• salt
• any pasta sauce, or even regular ketchup will do
• fresh mozzarella cheese
• For a meat sandwich, one can use baked chicken or even turkey left after thanksgiving ;-)

Recipe:

1. Toast two bread slices. I prefer toasting the bread first because later with all the filling the sandwich becomes all soggy inside.
2. On the bread slice, spread ketchup or your favorite pasta sauce.( can have flavors of Parmesan garlic etc.) Top up with tomatoes, onions, cucumber slices and lettuce/romaine generously.
3. Sprinkle some salt and black pepper powder on it evenly.
4. Garnish with fresh mozzarella cheese and cover the sandwich with the other slice of bread.
5. Microwave the sandwich at high power for 15 seconds, cut in halves.

Presentation:

Cut in even halves and serve with fresh fruit or salad. I once made an additional filling of baked rosemary chicken to be put into it. All you have to do is , flavor chicken with rosemary herb, salt-pepper for 15-20 mins and bake it at 400 degree F(205 degree C) and splash some lemon juice on it after baking. Fill it in along with veggies :-)

You can use the left-over thanksgiving Turkey too !!

Remi's Ratatouille ..

Overview : 

So, my project of this year was this gorgeous dish, rather presentation. I am sure many cooking enthusiasts who have watched this movie  "Ratatouille" must have fallen in love with the rat "Remy" and must have definitely fantasized preparing Ratatouille and savoring it just like "Anton Ego". I fantasized too and read about it. It didn't seem to be a tough job after all, considering also the fact that I go gaga over French/Italian food. But the presentation they showed in the movie was so elegant that I could not help giving it a try..

So, I made a fully vegetarian presentation, with vegetables like yellow squash, Italian eggplant, zucchini and red bell pepper. Here it goes..

Cooking time: 50 minutes, excluding dicing vegetables. Serves 2-3 

Ingredients :

• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves (Grated)
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Italian Eggplant
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small yellow squash
• 1 long red bell pepper
• Fresh or dried Thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Mozzarella cheese and little  tomme de chevre cheese

Recipe : 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F or 190 degree Celsius.
2. In a large/longish baking tray(approx) 10 inches in length (regular corelle dish) , spread the tomato puree evenly. Add salt and pepper generously over the puree and add the grated garlic and chopped onion. Mix 1 tbsp olive oil and stir the sauce. Sprinkle chopped parsley if you have, but its not necessary.
3. Sprinkle some Mozzarella and  tomme de chevre cheese over it.
4. Now slice all the vegetables in the cross-section across width, into thin slices.. The slice should be half a centimeter thin.
5. Arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a little edge of each flat surface is visible. Do that by alternating vegetables.
6. Spread the remaining olive oil over vegetables and season them evenly with salt,pepper and dried thyme leaves.
7. Sprinkle some fresh mozzarella finally and cover the dish with a parchment paper that is cut in exact size as that of top of the baking dish. Paper should be put and cut in such a way that, it covers the vegetables exactly and doesn't sag inside them.
8. Now put the dish in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes. Do not over-bake, otherwise the vegetables can burn and flavor may be spoiled. La Ratatouille is ready for presentation !!

Presentation:

Serve in a platter with any way you like. Its a presentation dish, so you can be very creative with it. I like the movie presentation. But it can be served with Rice/Pasta as well. I personally feel it tastes awesome with rice..!!

Chicken Do-Pyaaza

Overview :

A very aromatic, North - Indian style chicken curry. Its famously called as Chicken "Do-Pyaaza" because of the technique of marination of chicken. Its kept in onion-ginger-garlic paste twice(one time in marination and other while cooking) and hence called "Do-Pyaaza". "Do" is Hindi for "twice". It is actually a Mughal legacy.

Cooking Time : 30 mins including pre-cooking preparation.

Marination :  6-7 hours. Plan your cooking accordingly. The chicken needs to be marinated for this much time atleast.

Ingredients :

• 4 lbs ( roughly 2 kilogram) of  your choice of  boneless chicken 

• 2 big onion, one big piece of ginger and 7-8 cloves of garlic, few green chillies blended together.

• flavor spices : 3 big black cardamom(badi elaichi), 2 Bay leaves(tej-patra), 2 small Cinnamon sticks(Dalchini), salt to taste

• dry spices : 4 tbsp coriander powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder

• 2 tbsp cooking oil.
• MDH Chicken curry masala for additional fragrance.
• salt as per taste
• 3 tbsp tomato puree

Recipe : 

1. Wash chicken properly and cut into smaller chunks, say 3X3 inches.
2. In a bowl, take half of the blended onion-ginger-garlic mixture and add 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 2 tsp chicken curry masala. Add 2 tsp salt and mix well. Now add all the chicken pieces and mix gently. Set aside for 7 hours. So you have to plan the cooking accordingly.
3. Heat oil in a large vessel with cover or a pressure cooker on high flame and add all the flavor spices like black cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks etc.  Now add the rest of the onion-ginger-garlic paste and saute until dark brown.
4. Lower the flame to medium and add the rest of the spices like 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste and 1 tsp chicken curry masala to the sauteed mixture. Stir evenly and add the tomato puree.
5. Now add all the marinated chicken and keep the flame on medium low. Add 3-4 tbsp water and cook covered for around 15 minutes, till the chicken has completely cooked. It may take additional 10 minutes to cook it completely.
6. If using a pressure cooker, let go just 1 or 2 whistles and then turn the heat off. By this time you will definitely come to know how aromatic this particular recipe is.

Presentation:

Serve hot garnished with cilantro leaves and green chillies. Enjoy with rice or chapatis.

Asian Shrimp Fried Rice

Overview :

Another quick, easy and tasty Asian recipe using shrimps, red and green bell peppers,onions and scallions.

The best things about Asian cuisine is that a regular flavor is obtained with a little spices. Its a game of sauces actually. 

Cooking Time : 30-40 mins including pre-cooking preparations, Serves 3-4

Ingredients :

• 3 cups plain boiled rice ( preferably brown rice).  Authentic Asian recipes use more brown rice than white.
• 3 grated garlic cloves
• 1 cup finely chopped red pepper.
• 1 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 bundle finely chopped scallions
• 15-20 washed medium sized shrimps
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp red-chilli garlic sauce
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp lemon juice for final acidity.
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tbsp sugar

Recipe : 

1. Heat the cooking oil in a medium/large skillet over high flame and add the grated garlic. Saute until golden brown.
2. Add all the chopped vegetables and stir-fry gently. Add salt and 1 tbsp sugar generously all over the vegetables.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and keep covered for a minute.
4. Now add the mentioned amount of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic sauce to veggies. Stir gently. You will notice that the color of the gravy has changed to a darker brown.
5. Now add the lemon juice and the washed shrimps. Stir gently. The shrimps will loose some water. That is a normal thing to happen. Reduce the flame to medium low and cook opened.
6. Now stir well one last time. There will be a little gravy left in the vegetables.

Presentation :

Mix the vegetable-shrimp gravy with brown rice and serve hot. You can even make a presentation with rice by any contrasting way you like :-) . For spicier gravy, add more red-chilli garlic sauce or add some chopped green chillies as well. 

Spanish Frittata

Overview:

My apologies for the delayed advent into writing about another eggitarian delicacy I prepared last month itself. The Spanish Frittata or most conveniently described as the baked Spanish Omelette. Making use of limited vegetables like potatoes, onions,mushrooms, tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, French Goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, Some fresh parsley and basil and a little spices like salt and black pepper.

Cooking Time : 40 mins including pre-cooking preparations and baking.

Ingredients :

• 8X1/4 inch aluminium pie pan.
• 4 large white eggs
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin Olive oil
• salt and crushed/powdered Black pepper
• 1 thinly sliced red pepper and yellow pepper
• one thinly sliced Potato
• one big onion thinly sliced
• half cup thinly sliced mushrooms
• one thinly sliced small tomato
• fresh Parsley and basil leaves (chopped)
• Fresh French Goat cheese and shredded Mozzarella cheese

Recipe :

1. Beat all the eggs in a large bowl and add salt and crushed black pepper to them.
2. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil on high flame and stir fry all the sliced vegetables, namely potatoes, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms and onions. Saute till they are medium glazed with a grilled appearance. Using an old skillet does the trick of giving that charcoals glazed look and flavor to the veggies. Turn off the flame, Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the veggies and mix finely diced tomatoes at the end. Keep covered.
3. Preheat the oven at 380 degrees F or 194 degree Celsius approximately. In the pie pan, pour the egg batter and add all the vegetable mixture to it. Cut 0.5X0.5 inch cubes of the goat cheese(around 10 cubes) and place at various places in the batter inside the pie pan.
4. Now sprinkle chopped parsley and basil all over the batter and garnish it with good amount of fresh Mozzarella cheese.
5. Very carefully , place the pie pan inside the oven and bake for around 20 mins. Keep on checking in between to make sure that the texture looks okay and not burnt. That has to be done because eggs cook very fast, and you would not want the awesome flavors of cheese and eggs to just be covered by a burnt stench ;)
6. Result will look something like this ;) . You will be able to smell the aromas of the eggs baked in those herbs and cheese by now. Its all done !!

Serving and Presentation :

Carefully cut a piece and serve with salad and bread sticks  I made a sauce by mixing mayonnaise and parmesan-romano sauce with lemon juice and garlic, and made a little presentation of my own !!

Omelette du fromage

Overview:

Easy to make and probably a snooty french breakfast ;) I bet, after you prepare this once , almost everyone having it would feel sitting in Paris :)

Well, its always good to have a change in the regular omelette breakfast for us Indians. With flavors of parmesan and smooth creamy french goat cheese,  dried thyme, basil, rosemary and fresh parsley leaves,  omelette du fromage (fromage : french for cheese) makes a filling and tasty and aromatic breakfast. Prepare it or savor it with butter, some crisp bread.

Cooking Time : 15 - 20 mins including dicing peppers and onions. Serves 4

Ingredients :

• 5 large white eggs
• grated Parmesan cheese, mixed with some freshly grated Mozzarella cheese.
• finely chopped onion, red , green and yellow pepper.
• finely chopped fresh parsley leaves.
• dried thyme,basil, rosemary leaves(these can be obtained from any dried seasoning mix)
• salt as per taste ( 1 teaspoon roughly)
• fat free cooking spray or 1 tbsp butter ( as you please)
• fresh french goat cheese( I use "President" french goat cheese. Its smooth creamy, mostly used for salad blends)

Recipe:

1. Beat the eggs nicely in a large bowl along with salt. Set aside.
2. Mix the grated cheese (parmesan and mozzarella  with some seasoning mix of thyme, rosemary and basil. This will help spread the aroma of these herbs into the inner layer of the omelette along with the cheese. With every bite, you'll be able to distinctly taste the cheese and relish the aroma of these herbs :)
3. Cut the goat cheese into small cubes of a little less than an inch. I recommend setting aside atleast 4-5 cubes for each omelette you prepare.
4. Heat a medium-small skillet on high flame and spread some cooking spray on it. You can also use butter to fetch the authentic french taste, but I suggest going easy on calories because we would be adding nice amount of cheese as well.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and keep that for another 2 mins. Now pour 1/4 th of egg batter in the pan and let it set. 
6. When the top of omelette is just a little moist, sprinkle the mixture of grated cheese we prepared evenly over the omelette so that no area is left that isn't sprinkled with a little cheese mix. Garnish with some red, green and yellow peppers. 
7. Keep the flame on medium low to low and now add the small cubes of goat cheese at all places evenly over the omelette.
8. Sprinkle some more dried seasoning mix of thyme,rosemary and basil  to increase the aroma. The goat cheese and vegetables will release a very little amount of water. Let it evaporate for a while and then put the freshly chopped parsley over the omelette. Now fold the omelette into half. This will be easy to do as the omelette must have cooked thoroughly by this time under low flame.
9. Let the omelette set for around 45 seconds In this interval, all the water lost by the vegetables will almost dry up keeping the inside of the omelette soft, mushy and moist by the melted cheese. By this time you will be able to smell the aroma of all the cheese along with the seasoning of rosemary, thyme,basil and fresh parsley filling up the kitchen. This means we are done !!

Presentation:

Serve in a platter garnished with fresh parsley, along with freshly baked crisp bread and butter....

Or... just the plain omelette. It tastes and smells like something you can find in a high end restaurant, but its just at the counter of your very own kitchen ! Bon Apettit !!

PS: I did not cut the vegetables very finely so my omelette broke in between. That's why I suggested "finely chopped everything" :)
The pic on the left is the perfect outcome !

Saag-blend with rice( eastern-UP saagpaitha)

Overview:

Green veggies have been my weakness since like forever.. well actually may be from the time I began to like the greens.. Let me strike an analogy.. Its like a child loving candies but despising them as he or she grows old.. and loving something he or she despised as a child..  seriously, how many of you like those sugary candies that much now.. and how many of you have started to like the greens, ones you despised when you were kids..

Anyway, so this one is also a recipe that runs in the family from my mother's side I suppose. Makes use of greens like Spinach, Methi (oregano) and Dill. Its extremely healthy.. look for yourself.. other than the fat from desi ghee, rest all is I guess Iron and chlorophyll from the greens. And as far as the taste is concerned, I am a huge fan of it !! So trust me, its good. Even my 2 year old daughter likes it :)

Serves :4 , Cooking time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 400-500 grams fresh Spinach leaves
• 400 grams fresh methi(Oregano leaves)
• 200 grams fresh dill leaves (Soya saaag)
• 5-6 cloves of chopped garlic
• 3X3 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
• 5 green chillies(chopped)
• salt as per taste
• black lentils (100 grams : urad chilka split)  
• 2 tsp desi ghee
• turmeric and red chilli powder (1 tsp each)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera)
• 1 tsp hing 

Recipe:

1. Clean all the greens thoroughly(separate leaves), wash them separately and chop them. Set aside.
2. Wash the lentils. Put approx 1 cup water in a steam pressure cooker. Add lentils and salt and turmeric.
3. Add the chopped greens that we set aside earlier.
4. Add chopped green chillies and chopped ginger .
5. Cook on high flame and let go atleast 4 whistles off.
6. Turn off heat and let the lentils and greens cook in the steam.
7. In a separate skillet, add desi ghee and heat on high flame. Add cumin seeds, hing powder and chopped garlic. Saute till garlic is reddish brown and crisp in texture.
8. Now add red chilli powder and turn the heat off. Add this tadka to the saag in the steam cooker.

Presentation:

Serve hot in a bowl along with freshly boiled rice or chapatis. I personally like it with rice, that is the UP style. 

PS: I have heard "Amitabh Bachhan" mentioning this in an interview as one of his favorite dishes in childhood times.

Chicken Biryani (North Indian style)

Overview:

To all my non-vegetarian friends searching for delectable and healthy Non-vegetarian cuisine, this one is easy , requires comfortable preparations and of course, is a delight for eyes and taste buds!!

A biryani, traditionally has to be spicy, with aromas from green chillies and cardamoms whether it is non-vegetarian or vegetarian. These two things will give the best flavor to it. The rice has to be Basmati/Tilakchandan because they give the best Rice-Aromas. In North-Indian cooking the biryani's are given a distinct aroma of cardamoms by a special technique of flavoring the rice. I learned it from my mom who in turn learned it from her father.This method was used by the chefs of "Nawaabs" at that time.. well atleast that is what my mom told me :)

Cooking Time : 50 mins (excluding Marination and Baking) , serves 4-5

Ingredients:

You will need

• Boneless Chicken Meat of your choice cut into 2X2 inch chunks.
• 1 cup Yogurt (Dahi) : With water  drained.
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2X2 inch peice of ginger (chopped)
• 2-3 garlic cloves(chopped)
• Spices : Tandoori chicken masala(3 tbsp), Red chilli powder( 2 tsp), salt, Dhaniya Powder(2 tbsp), 2-3 cloves(laung), 2 bay leaves(tej-patra)
• tomato puree( one cup)
• green chillies diced into halves
• chopped coriander(Cilantro)
• lemon juice
• crushed black pepper
• 3-4 cups of boiled rice.
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera) 
• 3 cardamoms(break opened)

Marination:

For marination, drain water from yogurt by keeping it in a seive/peice of cloth for around 2 hours. Collect a cup of water drained yogurt. you might need around 3 cups of standard yogurt for this purpose. Now in a bowl mix some salt, red chilli powder, 2 tbsp Tandoori chicken masala and a little crushed black pepper.

Now add all the chicken in the bowl, mix well and set aside with a cover. The chicken needs to be marinated for around 10 hours, so its best to do it first thing in morning if you are planning for dinner, or a day before if you are planning a lunch.

Baking:

Bake the marinated chicken for around 35 minutes at 450 degree Fahrenheit or around 232 degree Celsius.

After baking separate the chicken in a bowl and splash some lemon juice evenly over it.

Recipe for chicken:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the cloves(laung), and bay leaves to it. Now add onion, garlic and "half" of the chopped ginger and saute for a few minutes until the onions turn golden brown.
2. Now add the spices like Dhaniya powder, 1 tbsp tandoori chicken masala to it and stir well. Add the baked chicken to this and mix well. Cook for a minute with a lid on.
3. Now add the tomato puree and cook covered for 2 minutes. Add salt if necessary.
4. Simmer for a few minutes and add chopped green chillies and coriander.

Flavoring the Rice:

The rice should be freshly boiled. Now, flavoring the rice is extremely important to give the Biryani its authentic aroma and even taste. This is a very common method practiced in North Indian culture as I mentioned earlier too. Just heat 2 tsp oil/desi ghee in a large spoon or small skillet and add the mentioned quantity of jeera and cardamoms to it. Make sure, you break open cardamoms so that few seeds get into the   ghee. I recommend ghee instead of oil for a better taste and aroma, but if some of you are really picky about the ghee fat, you can replace that by oil. Fry for 5-6 seconds and add this to rice. Mix well so that all of rice gets the aroma from cardamoms.

Presentation:

In a large serving bowl, make a layer of flavored rice and run a layer of chicken gravy on it. Run alternate layers of rice and chicken till you reach the top of bowl. Decorate with green chillies diced in halves and cilantro, serve hot !!

Farfalle Pasta in sauteed peppers, onions,eggplant and mushrooms with rosemary chicken

Overview:

The Farfalle pasta is yet another ingredient that will add an aesthetic look to your food. Pasta is not a very healthy meal altogether, but when blended with vegetables or your choice of meat, it can be a delight for eyes and taste buds and will keep a good score on health factor as well. So, this mix and match came up in my mind just a couple of days back and I started cooking it in my head even before actually trying it for real.. !

Italian food mostly makes use of vegetables like onion, garlic,peppers,eggplant,tomatoes and mushrooms. Sometimes greener ones like romaine lettuce etc. but for this recipe I have used the ones I mentioned first.

Cooking time : 50-60 mins , serves 3-4

I really hope someone would try this recipe someday and let me know if they liked it :). It feels like "Julie and Julia" playing around. But thankfully, I am not obsessed with the cooking :)

Ingredients:

You will need :

• Farfalle pasta (one cup)
• Diced mushrooms(around 5-6) and 1 small diced eggplant(around half a cup)
• 1 Diced pepper each of your choice : Red, green, yellow
• 2 Diced onions
• Tomato puree
• Parmesan-romano pasta sauce(available at stores)
• grated Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese
• Italian Bruschetta dressing
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp Margarine/butter
• 7 garlic cloves (grated)
• boneless chicken thighs (2)
• Italian seasoning with dried Thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil.
• crushed black pepper
• lemon juice
• some red wine

Recipe:

1. In a pan, boil pasta along with some salt, drain it and set aside.
2. Wash chicken and cut in small pieces(1 x 1 inch). Sprinkle some salt, crushed black pepper and Italian seasoning over the chicken and set aside for 15 mins. Preheat the oven at 420 degree F or 215 degree Celsius.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add a tsp of grated garlic. Saute for a few seconds and add all the chopped vegetables like onions, mushrooms, peppers and eggplant. Saute or stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables start loosing water. Add salt as per taste and cook covered for a minute.
4. Now add 2 tbsp of Italian Bruschetta dressing and saute well.
5. Cook open until the water starts drying up. Pour some red wine over the vegetables(around 2 tbsp) and then sprinkle Italian seasoning all over the mixture and set aside covered so that it doesn't loose heat and gravy.
6. Now in the preheated oven, bake the chicken for around 6-7 minutes. After that take out the chicken, drain the fat lost by it and pour some lemon juice over it. Set it aside.
7. Now add together the pasta and vegetable mixture and mix well without disrupting the shapes of individual ingredients.
8. In a separate skillet, heat some margarine/butter and add the rest of grated garlic. Saute until light brown and then add tomato puree. Heat for a minute and then add the Parmesan-Romano pasta sauce. Heat this mixture well. This will be the sauce for our pasta salad made in step 7.

Serving/Presentation :

In a platter, serve the pasta salad of "step 7" and top up with the baked rosemary chicken. Now pour some pasta sauce over it centrally and sprinkle the grated Parmesan,Mozzarella and Ricotta cheese. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning at the end to increase the rosemary aroma. Serve hot.

** For Vegetarians :Just Don't add chicken !!! ;)

Roasted Minced Eggplant with tomatoes (Baingan Bhartha)

Overview:

Among most of the North-Indian, central and western Indian cuisine, this is my favorite dish. I am a sucker for eggplants. Like, such a big fan that I can eat eggplants in any form, shapes, sizes and cuisines. Someday, I am going to learn to make authentic "Eggplant Parmesan" and I'll share the recipe too. But for today, its an Indian thingy !!

The characteristic of this dish which really stands out is that it has a really nice smoky flavor because of the roasting process. If its there, then you are in a for a real good eating time.

Cooking time : 60 mins including pre-cooking preparations and roasting the eggplant.

Ingredients:

You will need :

• 2 big eggplants 
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes finely chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves (chopped)
• half cup finely chopped ginger
• coriander powder (2 tbsp)
• red chilli powder (1 tsp)
• salt as per taste
• Zafrani Garam masala (from shan foods)
• cooking oil (2 tbsp)
• 3 chopped green chillies
• chopped cilantro(coriander) leaves

Roasting the eggplants:

Roast eggplant on flame directly. In case of  metallic plate burners/glass lid heaters use a grill stand to cover the burner and roast eggplant over it. It might take some more time in the later process.The roasting process should be slow so that the smoky flavor resides in the eggplant without actually burning it. Try using eggplants with thinner skins, they have juicier pulp and it makes the roasting process faster. The roasting should be done evenly all over the surface and you'll know when its done. The eggplant will loose water and become soft throughout and the skin will start to crack in many places.

Set the eggplants aside in a large bowl to cool down. After cooling, peel the skin off and mash the eggplants together into a large soft lump. 

PS: This process will look gross, but you will get over it soon ;)

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl take mentioned amount of coriander powder, red chilli powder, 1 tsp  garam masala, salt as per taste and add water in it to make a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet on high flame.
3. Add the chopped onion, garlic and half the amount of ginger to be used into the oil. Saute till golden brown.
4. Now add the masala paste we made in step 1 to the skillet. Saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Now add the mashed eggplants and stir nicely. Cook covered for around 5 mins on medium flame.
6. Add the diced tomatoes, green chillies and rest of ginger and stir evenly. Again cook covered for around 5 mins on high flame. If needed, add more salt.
7. You can add some tomato puree or amchur to give a more tangy taste to the eggplant. In some time you can whiff the roasty smell :)
8. Cook until the eggplant mixture turns brownish in color. This means that the eggplant is thoroughly cooked and even somewhat extra-roasted. This almost does it !

Serving/Presentation Instruction:

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with chapaties/paranthas.

Steamed Eggs

Overview:

Extremely easy and quick to make given its a feast worth waiting for.. Well, I don't really want to brag about it but could not help saying all that because this delicacy is something I make for lunch/dinner when I really don't have anything left to cook at home and everyone wants to eat "something nice". 

My husband's friends stopped by the other day and I had no idea what to offer for dinner, that would look nice to serve and quick to make.. so with simple daal-chaval I thought of adding "Steamed eggs" on the serving tray so that nobody goes disappointed from the house of a "born-chef" !! :)

Now Eggs cook very easily in just a little steam, just like you can poach the eggs in boiling water. 

The process has to be gradual , and trust me.. the result looks beautiful.

Cooking Time : 20 mins, serves 4-5

Ingredients :

• 4 White eggs
• 2 chopped onions
• some finely chopped ginger
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• Spices: 2 tbsp Dhaniya (coriander) powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 0.5 tsp haldi(turmeric), 0.5 tsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• chopped coriander(cilantro) and green chillies for garnishing.
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add onions and ginger to it. Fry until golden pink.
2. Now add all the spices and mix well.
3. Now add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle salt all over the mixture. Add a little tomato puree to increase acidity. otherwise, just add 3 tbsp water.
4. break open all the 4 eggs over the mixture. Yes, just break open the egg and empty it out in the skillet over the mixture.. that is exactly what you have to do !!
5. After adding all the eggs, put flame on medium heat and sprinkle salt and garam masala over the recently added eggs to even out the taste. Just make sure you do not add excessive salt.
6. Cook covered for 5 mins. Open the lid and with a spatula gently tap on the eggs to see if they are still mushy.
7. Cook (covered) for a longer time if eggs are mushy. Eventually they will become firm throughout. That is because, We added water and tomatoes drained enough water to generate steam which cooked the eggs. So, we are all done !!

Presentation :

Serve in bowl garnished with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves and chillies. Can be eaten with Chapaties/Rice.

** So, You can play with the ingredients and spices used. This is a recipe with Indian spices, but I am thinking of making it "Italian" !!! 

Shrimp Salad

Overview:

All I can say about this is "quick" , "easy", "healthy" and "tasty".

Shrimps take very less time to cook. They must not be overcooked because then they become a little harder to chew as they loose excessive water. The best cooking result for fresh shrimps is mild toss and turn. That is why they should be added at the end.

Cooking time : 10 mins

Ingredients :

You will need : 

• Fresh Shrimps (Peeled and washed)
• 4 grated garlic cloves
• Salad blend of your choice. I personally like Romaine lettuce and carrots. But a little flavorful veggies like onion, peppers, green peas etc. will be an added advantage.
• Italian bruschetta dressing
• 1000 Island dressing
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt 
• fresh lemon juice

Recipe :

1. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and saute grated garlic in it till golden brown.
2. Now add shrimps, sprinkle salt over them and gently toss and turn for around 30 seconds on medium flame.
3. Add some lemon juice and Italian bruschetta dressing over shrimps and turn the heat off so that the water lost by shrimps stays as a sauce dressing for salad.
4. Let the thick gravy cool down a bit.

Presentation :

Set the salad blend in a bowl and evenly spread the shrimp gravy over it. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese  and dress with 1000 Island dressing or Catalina dressing for a sweeter taste. Bingo !! healthy and tasty meal is ready..!!

Pasta shells in Parmesan-Romano-tomato sauce

Overview:

Just my love for Italian food compelled me to do yet another experiment with beautiful pasta shells. I prefer using shells rather than spaghetti or noodles etc. because I love the way they look. They give a classy appearance to the simplest sauce, which is what we are going to see here.On the calorie count, this is more of a kids meal or athlete meal because it is high on carb and protein. Some fat too, but wait till you look at it! I bet you would want to dig in a couple of scoops at least :D

Ingredients : 

• Pasta shells
• 2-3 garlic cloves (grated)
• Italian Bruschetta dressing
• Italian seasoning with dried oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil.
• Ranch
• salt as per taste
• Parmesan Romano sauce(available at grocery stores)
• two big tomatoes (finely diced)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.

Recipe:

1. Boil pasta shells in saline water, drain them and set them aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute the grated garlic in it till golden-light brown.
3. Now add the diced tomatoes and sprinkle little salt over them so that they can loose water and become mushy.
4. Cook covered for 3 minutes on medium-high and now add around 3 tbsp of Italian Bruschetta dressing.
5. Cook covered for another couple of mins medium-high and then add 3 tbsp of Parmesan-Romano sauce.
6. Cook covered on simmer for another 2 mins and add 1 tbsp ranch to thicken the gravy.
7. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the gravy while cooking it on simmer flame.
8. Finally sprinkle some shredded Parmesan cheese and three times the same amount of shredded Mozzarella cheese and stir gravy.

Presentation/Serving:

In a platter, serve pasta shells and pour gravy evenly over them. Sprinkle some more Mozzarella cheese and serve hot.

Indian Pav - Bhaji

Overview:

Whenever Pav-bhaji comes to my mind, I am reminded of my Hostel/College days. Since I studied in Nagpur (Maharashtra, India), I got a chance to taste few authentic marathi delicacies and my good luck that the people who gave me that chance were generous enough to share their secret recipes too !

So this one comes from my very favorite "Kanta" tai, one of the cooks at my hostel. Although there was this particular stall in the nearby market who made the best bhaji ever in the whole town. I remember it was Rs 15 a plate, with 2 pavs and a bowl of bhaji.. sufficient for our "petite appetite" :D

Cooking time : 30 mins excluding the roasting of Pavs, serves 5-6

Ingredients: 

You will need :

• Florets from one large cauliflower(washed thoroughly)
• 1 bowl of fresh green peas (approx 200 gm)
• 2 small carrots (diced in smaller pieces)
• 3 -4 Potatoes (medium size skin peeled)
• MDH Pav bhaji masala
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (grated)
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 3 tomatoes (chopped)
• salt to taste
• butter
• chopped coriander leaves and chopped green chillies
• 2 tbsp oil

Recipe:

1. In a steam-cooker, put cauliflower florets, green peas, carrots and potatoes with some water. Cook at high pressure for 15-20 mins. so, let go approximately 4-5 whistles.
2. In a separate large skillet heat oil and add the grated garlic to it. saute until golden brown and then add the diced onions. 
3. saute the mixture until onions are golden pink and then add diced tomatoes. Cook covered until the tomatoes become soft and mushy. Add salt to taste and then add 2-3 tbsp Pav bhaji masala.
4. mix well and add chopped green chillies.
5. Now mix all the boiled vegetables with a large spatula. Mix well till the point they appear to be blended well. This will take around 15 mins of hard labor and the outcome should be more like a vegetable paste.
6. Now add the mix we made in the skillet to the blended vegetable paste and add a full glass of water. Heat the mixture on high flame and add more salt and pav bhaji masala as per the taste requirement. The bhaji is done.!!

Serving/Presentation Instruction:

Serve in a bowl garnished with chopped coriander topped with a tsp butter, alongside freshly roasted pav.

Pavs are available in Indian grocery stores and can be roasted in oven without oil too.

** Sorry about the hardly presentable picture. Actually I cooked for 2 cricket teams so made in bulk :)

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 !