Batatyacha Kees

This is an Indian version of shredded hash browns. It makes for a good breakfast item or snack and is very popular during "upaas" (fasts).

Here's how I make it:

1 large russet or baking potato - peeled and shredded
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafotida
Green and/or red chillies per desired heat level
Roasted peanuts - coarsely ground
Salt and sugar to taste
Lemon juice
Chopped cilantro & fresh shredded coconut to garnish

I use the food processor to shred the potato.
Heat oil in a large wok. Saute cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the asafotida and chillies. Fry 2 mins. Add the shredded potatoes, stir well, cook uncovered on medium till done, about 7 - 10 mins., stirring in between. Do not let the potato shreds turn mushy. Then add the ground peanuts, salt, sugar. Mix well. Serve hot garnished with lemon juice or lemon wedges, chopped cilantro and coconut.

Spicy Baked Penne

This recipe is adapted from one of Giada De Laurentiis' cookbooks.

Here's how I make it:

1 cup uncooked penne - cook per package instructions

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped spinach

Seasonings to taste - salt, pepper, red chilli pwd/flakes, pinch of sugar, pinch of nutmeg, any Italian seasoning blend, basil, oregano, parsley

2 tbsp bread crumbs

2 tbsp shredded mozarella cheese

2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

a little butter

To prepare the sauce, heat the oil and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and stir 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and cook another few minutes until they soften slightly. Add the chopped spinach and the desired seasonings. Stir well and cook till spinach wilts.

Add the cooked pasta to this sauce while it is hot.

If you are in a hurry, like on a busy weeknight, this can be served as is, topped with some shredded cheese.

If you have more time on hand or want to make it extra special, tip the pasta with the sauce into a lightly buttered casserole. Top with a mix of the bread crumbs and cheeses. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 15 to 20 mins. until cheeses start bubbling and bread crumbs brown lightly.

Serve warm. Leftovers can be easily re-heated in the microwave and enjoyed. 

This Spicy Baked Penne goes to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night # 192.

Any kind of pasta dish usually goes down well with my daughter. For this reason, I keep the heat level fairly low in this dish. This makes it an ideal entry for the Kids Delight Holiday Special event at Spicing Your Life.

Palak Paratha

This is another of our favorite parathas. The basic idea is from Manjula's Kitchen.

For the stuffing, I fry cumin seeds in a tsp of oil till fragrant. Then I add ginger paste, chopped spinach (usually I use fresh) and other seasonings like salt, pinch of sugar, cumin pwd, coriander pwd, red chilli pwd and amchoor pwd (all per taste). I cook this mixture on medium low heat for a good 20 mins or until completely dry. Sometimes if I am in a hurry, I sprinkle a little gram flour which absorbs the excess moisture. Cool this mixture before use. To make the paratha, pinch off a ball of dough and shape it into a bowl-shape in your palm. Fill 2 tbsp spinach stuffing and close the ends of the dough by bringing them together. Gently flatten the ball. Let it rest for 5 mins before rolling out into a paratha, use a little flour to dust while rolling. Cook the paratha on a non-stick pan with a drop of oil until brown spots appear on both sides.

This Palak Paratha also goes to the Complete My Thali - Roti event at Torview. This event was started by Jagruti of Joy of Cooking.

Spring Onion & Peas Paratha

I make this kind of paratha atleast once a month. The idea for the delicious spring onions and peas stuffing is from Musical's Kitchen.

For the stuffing, I fry cumin seeds in a tsp of oil till fragrant. Then I add ginger paste and chopped spring onions (white and green parts) and saute 5 mins, then go in some frozen peas and other seasonings like salt, pinch of sugar, cumin pwd, coriander pwd, red chilli pwd and amchoor pwd (all per taste). Cook another 5 mins, mashing the peas a little along the way. Cool this mixture and use it to stuff the parathas.

When my dad visits, I always make extra spring onion - peas mixture as he loves to eat it just by itself.

For making the paratha, I roll out 2 equal circles of the regular roti dough, spread the above mix out on one circle, line the edges lightly with water, place the other circle on top and seal the edges together. Lightly press the paratha with my palm, then using a little flour, roll it out a little more. I cook the paratha on a non-stick pan with a little oil on each side until brown spots develop.

These Spring Onion & Peas Parathas go to the Complete My Thali - Roti event at Torview. This event was started by Jagruti of Joy of Cooking.

Broccoli Soup with Potato-Sesame Triangles

After the heavy Thanksgiving meal, we decided to go light the next day...with this quick Broccoli Soup and Potato-Sesame Triangles. Besides, the snow had finally melted and we were eager to get some shopping done for our Mumbai trip.

Here's how I made the Broccoli Soup:

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 cup broccoli heads

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tsp plain flour

1 cup water/vegetable broth

1/2 cup milk

Few springs of cilantro and/or few spinach leaves

Seasonings - salt, pepper, Italian seasoning (optional), pinch of sugar, lemon juice

Heat the oil and saute the onions until softened, abt 5 mins. Add the garlic and broccoli and saute 5 mins on medium low until broccoli turns bright green. Add the flour and cook 2 mins. Add the water/broth. Cover and cook for abt 15 mins. Take off heat and add the cilantro/spinach. Cool and blend. Then pour it back into the pot, add the milk and the seasonings. Simmer gently until hot.

We enjoyed this soup with Potato-Sesame Triangles that I think I had noted down from a cookbook by Nita Mehta.

4 slices of bread (I used multi-grain) - crusts removed and cut into triangles

1 cup boiled, peeled and mashed potato

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozarella and cheddar)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix the potatoes, cheese and seasonings. Spread desired amount on one side of each bread triangle. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Cook this side on a non-stick pan with a drop of oil. Press gently with back of spatula to ensure the potato mix sticks to the bread. While this side is cooking, cover the other side with the potato mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Flip over to cook the reverse side.

Enjoy warm, makes a good accompaniment to soups.

This Broccoli Soup goes to the Healing Foods - Broccoli event at Spice Mantra. This event was started by Siri.

 

Also sending this Broccoli Soup with Potato-Sesame Triangles to the Souper Event at Kahakai Kitchen.

Tiramisu

This was the dessert for our Thanksgiving dinner. The original recipe is from Kraft Foods. I would call it Faux Tiramisu, especially the kid-friendly way I made it. Nevertheless, it was so heavenly that I licked off the bowl later, something I never do.

So here's my take on it:

1 tbsp instant coffee pwd

2 tbsp hot water

1 8oz. packet of cream cheese - softened to room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 8oz tub of Cool Whip

32 - 35 Nilla wafers

For garnish - grated milk chocolate

Dissolve the coffee pwd in the hot water in a big bowl. Add the cream chese and whisk till well blended. Add the sugar and mix well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip.

Arrange half of the Nilla wafers to cover the bottom of an 8x8 square dish. Top with half of the above mix. Spread it evenly. Repeat these layers.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, I sprinkled the grated chocolate. 

Paneer Pasanda with Whole Wheat Naan

I first saw Paneer Pasanda on Wah Re Wah where the chef made pockets in large paneer triangles and stuffed them. That method did not work for me as the paneer triangles kept breaking up as I tried to stuff them. Then I saw this recipe on Sangeeta's Banaras Ka Khana - she sandwiched the stuffing between paneer triangles and also gave good step-by-step instructions. So this time I tried it her way. The sandwiched paneer stuck together beautifully and stayed stuck well.

For the stuffing, I used ground cashews, finely chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. I used a thin mixture of flour and water to bind the sandwiches.

For the gravy, I had some frozen extra dum aloo gravy, so I used that.

I served the Paneer Pasanda with Whole Wheat Naans that I learnt from Monsoon Spice. I pretty much follow her method, except for the cooking part. Since I have electric coils I am very scared to flip the pan with the naan stuck to it - what if it falls on the coil and creates a mess? So I just cook it on the pan like regular rotis. But one of these days I will muster up the courange to try cooking it her way. I also saw an interesting way of using the pressure cooker as a tandoor on Charan's Creative with Clay. I am determined to try that too.

Paneer Pasanda and Whole Wheat Naans were part of my Thanksgiving Indian menu.

Cabbage Rice

For our Thanksgiving dinner, in addition to the Stuffed Braided Bread, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Casserole that I posted before, I also cooked some Indian dishes since we had company and I was not sure how much those items would be appreciated.

This Cabbage Rice was part of the menu. The recipe is from Vaishali's Holy Cow blog. I loved it the instant I saw it there. The only change I made was to use cumin - coriander pwd and goda masala in place of garam masala. This is surely a keeper. It is very versatile, highly aromatic, healthy and tasty. I will surely make it over & over again, I will probably add some frozen green peas to it.

Everyone at the table enjoyed it...infact I had only a little leftover for this picture.

This Cabbage Rice goes to the Dish Name Start With C event at Akila's Kitchen.

I have many more recipes to post before I leave for my Mumbai trip on Tuesday. My dad would say in Marathi "Ratra kami, songa phar" (Too much to do, too less time). I already have a couple items from my Thanksgiving menu in draft, those will be coming up soon. Hopefully I can atleast cook the rest and have drafts ready before I leave. Once in Mumbai, I will certainly not be doing any cooking, I'll let my family and friends pamper me for the whole month.

Stuffed Braided Bread

Recently, inspired by various blogs I frequent, I have started baking breads. I find it very relaxing working with yeasted dough, kneading it, watching it swell, punching it etc. And the aroma of freshly baked bread is so heavenly.
I started with Pumpkin Bread that I have blogged about earlier. It has become a fall favorite in my kitchen.
I've made wonderful Zucchini Bread from Chef in You and Plain Flour and Whole Wheat Pav (Dinner Rolls) from Chef in You.
Getting a little more daring, I made Buns with Potato - Paneer Stuffing from Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen. Infact I made these for one of our Diwali potlucks where the hostess had a bread theme this year. They created a wow factor and went down very well with every one - young and not-so-young.
I have even made a Braided Bread with Mushroom stuffing from Super Yummy Recipes. Recently I saw another Braided Bread with Pizza style stuffing on Pari's Foodelicious.
I instantly decided to try it.
I had 1/2 a bottle of tomato and basil pasta sauce sitting in my fridge that needed to be finished before our upcoming Mumbai visit. So for the pizza-style stuffing for my bread, I cooked this down till thickened, it took over an hour on medium low heat. For the topping I used onions, colored peppers and shredded mozarella cheese.
For the bread recipe, I actually followed the Stuffed Buns recipe from Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen as it worked so well for me earlier.
For the stuffing, my inspiration was ofcourse Pari.
And for the idea of making a stuffed braided bread, I'd give the credit to Satya.

This Pizza style Stuffed Briaded Bread actually fit in great in my Thanksgiving menu. This year I had determined to try some of the traditional dishes cooked at this time. So instead of stuffed turkey, it was this pizza style Stuffed Braided Bread on my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner table!

This pizza style Stuffed Braided Bread also goes to Nupur's Holiday Buffet table for the BB9 event.

I also made green beans casserole - could not believe how easy it was to make - just mixed lightly steamed grean beans with mushroom soup, fried onions, seasonings - salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg, topped wth more fried onions and baked at 400F for 15 mins. - turned out so delicious and was polished off along with the bread.
Made a mashed potatoes dish also, from a recipe I had cut out long back from my newspaper. I'll leave you with a picture of these items.

Quinoa Idlis

Until this week, I had practically given up trying to make idli batter at home. After many many attempts to get my batter to ferment, I had finally concluded that this was beyond me. I had pinned the blame on my mixie. People that heard me lament about this consoled me saying that I am too calm & mild mannered, that the batter rises well only for hot headed people!

So when I tried out these quinoa idlis, I had assumed that I would fail once again. But imagine my surprise and elation when my batter actually fermented well and the idlis turned out soft and fluffy. That too on a record breaking cold day here in the Seattle area!

The basic recipe for these Quinoa Idlis is from Sumadhura. I halved the quantities of the ingredients, which yielded me about 20 idlis. The other change I made was to soak the Quinoa, Brown Rice and Udad Dal together.

Here are a few tricks I used to coax my batter to ferment (not really sure which one did the trick):

• I blended the ingredients little by little, starting with 1/2 cup and adding another 1/2 cup at a time.
• Used just 2 - 3 tbsp of water for each batch to blend.
• Pre-heated the oven at minimum temperature, then turned it off and kept the batter in it.
• Gave my batter more than the standard "overnight" time to rise. Where earlier I have thrown away batter if it had not risen when I first checked it in the morning, this time I let it sit some more. I would say it took about 15 hrs.
• When my batter had not started rising after an overnight's rest, I filled a large bowl with hot water (steaming, not boiling) and placed the vessel with the batter in it. Maybe the fermentation had already started by then, but this seemed to speed it up quite a bit.

I will definitely be trying out more idlis from now on, using all of these tricks. So if anyone out there is having a hard time with idli batters like me, do not be disheartened.

We had these healthy Quinoa - Brown Rice Idlis for Thanksgiving Day brunch with coconut chutney and sambar. Certainly worth being thankful for! As for the taste, please note that they do have a distinct quinoa flavor, ever so slight bitterness, but went down very well with hubby and me.

These Quinoa-Brown Rice Idlis go to the CWF - WG - Quinoa event at Priya's Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.

I would also like to send a couple of archived dishes for this event.

Quinoa Upma

Quinoa Soup

Before I end this post, I have a quick tip for including Quinoa in your everyday meal. For the past several months, whenever I cook plain brown rice in the pressure cooker, I add quinoa to it. For example, with 1/2 cup brown rice, I add about 1/4 cup quinoa, rinse both together under cold running water, add about 2 cups water and pressure cook it for 4 whistles. The quinoa gets well blended with the rice and picky eaters will not notice any difference in the taste.

Baked Vatana Na Ghughra

Yesterday was another 'snow day' here. As a result, both hubby and child were home. So I made these Baked Vatana Na Ghughras to go with afternoon chai.

Here's how I made them:

For the stuffing -

1.5 cups frozen peas
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt or to taste
pinch of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp green chilli paste or 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use frozen)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

For the covering - I use ready made pie crust.

To prepare the filling heat oil and saute the cumin seeds for 2 - 3 mins. Add the peas and cook uncovered for 5 mins till they soften. Add ginger paste, green chilli paste/red chilli pwd, salt & sugar to taste. Mix well and let it cook 2 more mins. Take off heat and stir in the lemon juice, cilantro and fresh coconut scrapings. Let this mixture cool before using for stuffing the ghughra.

To proceed, thaw the pie crust sheet per directions on the box. Divide into about 12 parts and roll each into a ball. With a rolling pin, flatten each ball into about 3 to 4 inch circle. Fill with 1 - 2 tbsp of the peas filling. Fold over and press the edges together to join. You can trim off excess edging with a knife or karanji-cutter. Pinch & slightly fold the edges at small intervals to get the pretty ghughra edge pattern.

Bake in a preheated 425F oven for about 15 mins, turning the ghughras over once during the baking.

Serve warm with chutney or ketchup.

This yielded 12 ghughras. I did have little peas filling left over, which tastes good just by itself too. Also, I tend to make the filling mild and serve the ghughras with spicy chutney or hot ketchup.

This Baked Vatana Na Ghughras go to the AFAM - Green Peas event at Richas Kitchen. This event was started by Priya.

Corn Bhel

Yesterday we had snow and freezing conditions here in the Seattle area. As a result, hubby came home early, in time for afternoon chai. To go with the chai, I made this Corn Bhel. It is adapted from Tarla Dalal's recipe. If u have frozen corn, it is very quick to prepare. It can be served warm or at room temperature, making it ideal for cold winter days and as well as for summer picnics. In fact, I had made it several years back for my daughter's 2nd b'day party (in July) which we celebrated at a nearby park.

Here's how I make the Corn Bhel.

3 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup onion - chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes - chopped
1/2 cup boiled potatoes - peeled and chopped
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafotida
1 serrano pepper - chopped fine or 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
2 tsp chaat masala
2 tsp salt or to taste
pinch of sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Prepared or store bought green chutney and dates-imli chutney
For garnish - sev, fresh shredded coconut, chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a large non-stick wok. Fry the cumin seeds for 2 mins. Add the asafotida, green chilli and onions. Fry on medium heat for 5 mins. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, corn, salt, sugar and chaat masala. Mix well and cook till the corn gets slightly softened, about 5 mins. Take off heat. Add the lemon juice.

To serve warm, put the corn mixture in individual bowls, top with chutneys. Garnish with sev, shredded coconut and cilantro.

To pack for a picnic, mix the chutneys, coconut and cilantro into the corn mixture. Just before eating, top with the sev.

This Corn Bhel goes to the Only Chaat event at Foodelicious.

Dhabey Ki Daal and Green Peas Pulav

This Dhabey ki Daal recipe is adapted from an old issue of Tarla Dalal's magazine. It reminded me of Dal Makhni, without the cream/butter, kinda like a low-fat version of it. It pairs very well with the simple peas pulav. Not sure if this is an actual combo-meal at any dhaba, the only dhaba I've eaten at is Preetam Da Dhaba in Dadar TT, Mumbai, that too a long time ago. But it sure makes for a great combination!

Here's how I make the Dhabey Ki Daal:

1/2 cup urad dal with skin
1/4 cup chana dal
1 can rajma beans - drained & rinsed
1 cup onions - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 cup tomatoes - finely chopped
1 tsp oil
1 serrano pepper - slit lenght wise
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd or to taste
2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp kitchen king masala
2 tbsp kasuri methi
Salt to taste
pinch of sugar
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Soak the dals in water for atleast 6 hrs and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
Heat oil and fry the chopped onions till golden brown. Add the garlic and green chilli and fry till garlic is aromatic, about 2 mins. Add the tomatoes, red chilli pwd, cumin pwd, salt and sugar. Cook on medium heat for about 7 mins. Add the cooked dals and the rajma beans. Add water to get desired consistency. Simmer for another 7 mins. Add the kasuri methi, garam masala and kitchen king masala. Adjust seasonings as desired. Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.

Like I said, I love to pair it with peas pulav. Here's how I make the peas pulav:

1 cup basmati rice - rinse 2-3 times in cold water and drain
1/2 cup onions - sliced lenghtwise
handful of cashew
1 cup frozen peas
whole masalas - 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 2 bayleaves, 4 cardamons, 1 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon, 6 balck peppers
1 serrano pepper - slit lenghtwise
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil

Heat the oil, fry the onions till golden brown, drain. Fry the cashew pieces for 2 mins, drain. If required add some more oil. Add all the whole spices and stir for 2 mins. Add the pepper and the washed rice. Fry on low heat for 2 mins. Add 2 cups of water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add salt and sugar. Lower heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10 mins till rice is partially cooked. Add the frozen peas, fried onions, cashew and lemon juice. Add a little additional water if required. Mix gently. Cover and cook another 5 mins till the rice is fully cooked and the water is absorbed.

Serve hot.

This Dhabey ki Daal and Peas Pulav combo goes to the Flavors of Punjab event at Foodelicious. This event was started by Nayna.

Walnut Diamond Cookies

I have adapted this recipe from the Dec. 2009 issue of Prevention magazine. As I was browsing thru it, this recipe instantly caught my eye - for one, it was eggless and secondly the combination of nuts, spices and sugar seemed irresistable to me. The original recipe used pecans and cinnamon, but I instantly decided to replace with walnuts and all-spice blend. I always stock both these since they are on top of my favorites list. All-spice is usually a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Here's how I make these cookies:

1/3 cup walnuts - microwave at 30 second intervals for 3 mins in all and cool
1/2 cup plain flour
2 heaped tbsp whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp all-spice powder
2 heaped tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter - at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp powdered sugar

In a clean, dry bowl, mix the plain flour, wheat flour, salt and all-spice.
In a mini food processor, chop the toasted walnuts with 3 tbsp of the flour mixture until the texture of fine crumbs is achieved.
Add this nut-flour mixture back into the flour mixture in the bowl.
In another bowl, combine the granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Beat together until well combined. This can be done either manually or with an electric hand mixer. For the quantity given above, I usually do it manually, but use an electric mixer to make a bigger batch.
Gradually add the nut-flour mixture to the butter-sugar mix. Mix well and form into a big ball.
Pat this ball down on an aluminium foil. Then using a rolling pin, roll it out till it is about 1/4 inch thick evenly. The cookie dough is not at all sticky and you should be able to easily roll it out. Also, it does not really matter if you roll it out into a square/rectangle/circle.
Then cut the rolled dough into diamond shapes or any other shape per your choice.
Place on a baking sheet (along with the foil)
Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 20 minutes or till the edges are golden brown.
Cool the cookies, sift powdered sugar lightly over them and enjoy.






This quantity yields about 1 dozen diamond-shaped cookies.

Fifteen Bean Chili

I adapted this recipe from the Vegetarian Chili Cookbook by Robin Robertson.

Here's how I made it:

1 cup dry "15-bean soup" mixed beans (this mix of 15 beans is available in most grocery stores)

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves - minced

1 cup diced tomatoes - I used canned, fresh will also work

1 tsp red chilli pwd

2 tsp cumin pwd

2 bayleaves

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

1/2  - 1 tsp finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 veggie burgers ( I used Trader Joes Masala Veggie Burger)

Soak the beans in water for 4 - 6 hrs. Cook per package directions or pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Heat the oil and saute the onions for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and saute 2 mins. Add the diced tomatoes, red chilli pwd, cumin pwd, oregano, bay leaves, cooked beans, salt, sugar and about a cup of water. Mix well and simmer for 15 mins. In the meanwhile, cook the veggie burgers per package directions, finely chop them and add to the simmering chili. Cook till desired chili consistency is achieved.

I served the chili with grilled polento (Trader Joe brand) and a side of green salad to round off the meal.

This Fifteen Bean Chili goes to the Legume Love Affair at Divya's Dil Se. This event was started by Susan The Well Seasoned Cook.

Penne Pasta in Lighter Alfredo Sauce

I usually avoided alfredo sauce due to its calorie count. Thats until I came across a Smarter Alfredo Sauce Recipe on the Kraft Foods website. I have adapted that to our taste to come up with this lighter version of alfredo sauce.

Here's how I make this pasta:

2 - 3 cups of cooked whole wheat/whole grain penne rigate

For the sauce -

2 cups vegetable broth
4 tsp plain flour
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb cheese (each wedge had 35 calories)
1 cup veggies - I use chopped broccoli and carrots
Seasonings to taste - salt, pinch of sugar, Mrs. Dash seasoning blend, garlic pwd, fresh/dried basil, fresh/dried oregano, black pepper pwd, pinch of nutmeg or all spice pwd mix (use any or all of these)

Heat the broth on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to mix it in. Add the cheese wedges. Continue whisking for about 5 mins till it breaks down and dissolves to form a sauce. It will be a pretty thin consistency at this time. Add the seasonings as desired. Add the veggies, mix well. Cook another 5 mins till veggies are semi-cooked. The sauce will have thickened considerably by now. Add the cooked pasta, mix again.

This is how it looks right after adding the pasta. Take it off heat, cover and let it sit for about 20 mins to allow the sauce to develop a creamy consistency and coat the pasta well.

This pasta reheats well so you can make it in advance. Serve with some garlic bread for a complete, satisfying meal.

This Penne Pasta in Lighter Alfredo Sauce goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 187 event at Teczcape. This event was started by Ruth.

If I have leftovers of this pasta from the previous night's dinner, I usually reheat it and pack it in a hot lunchbox for my daughter...it always does well & is polished off by her. Hence sending this to the Kids Lunchbox event at Taste Buds also.

Halloween Candy

No recipe today, just want to share these fun Halloween candies my daughter & I made over the weekend. We used Wilton Chocolate chips (orange, green & brown) and smiling pumpkin moulds. We had great fun doing these, it was pretty quick since the chocolate sets in 5 mins in the fridge. We used plastic candy bags to pour the chocolate into the moulds, so clean-up was pretty quick too.

She took a bunch of these to school today, the rest we are saving for the 31st...maybe.

Green Chutney Sandwich

Every 2 weeks or so when I buy fresh cilantro and mint, I make a small batch (abt 1/2 cup) of green chutney. It comes in very handy for quickly putting together my daughter's lunch box in the morning and she loves her Green Chutney Sandwich. I usually use whole grain or whole wheat bread, remove the crust - her preference, slather one side with the green chutney, the other side with some butter and put some slices of boiled, peeled potato or cucumber. Thats it, lunch box gets ready in a jiffy.

Here's how I make the Green Chutney:

Blend together 1 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup mint leaves, 1/2 a serrano pepper (or to taste), salt to taste, pinch of sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 to 2 tsp roasted ground peanuts (optional) with just 1 or 2 tbsp of water. This chutney can be stored in an airtight box in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Here's my Green Chutney Sandwich with some more veggies (onions, cucumber, tomato and potato) and sprinkled with fresh ground black pepper.

Palak Matki Amti

I adapted this recipe from Aayi's Kitchen. I have made it Shilpa's way many times, only I also add some jaggery, tamarind paste and goda masala. Yesterday I wanted to make it without onions & garlic, hence modified it some more.

Here's how I make it:

For tempering - 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, big pinch of asafotida, 1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1/4 cup chopped onions (if using - I omitted this yesterday)

1 tomato - chopped

1 potato - chopped (optional)

1 cup sprouted & boiled matki (moth beans) - see Note

2 cups chopped spinach

2 tsp Goda Masala

Salt to taste

2 tbsp grated jaggery

1 tsp tamarind paste

For masala paste (without onion version) - Grind together 2 tbsp coconut or 2 tbsp grated carrot, 2 tbsp gram flour, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp roasted coriander seeds, 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, 2 dry red chillies or to taste, pinch of methi seeds, 1/4 tsp clove pwd, 1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd. Use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water.

Start by making the tempering - heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, when they stop spluttering add the rest of the tempering ingredients. Then add the chopped onions and/or potatoes. Fry till lightly brown. Add the tomatoes, beans, spinach, masala paste, salt, Goda Masala and jaggery. Add water to get desired consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer till potatoes cook. Add the tamarind paste. Adjust seasonings and consistency if required.

Serve with rotis or rice.

Note - In addition to or in place of matki, you can use other beans like sprouted & cooked mung, black chana or canned red beans (drained & rinsed) etc.

Bread snacks for kids

Here are a couple of afternoon snacks I prepare for my 7 yr old daughter when she comes home from school. Both are bread-based and simple. I prepare and leave them in the warm oven before going to bring her. By the time we get back home, they are just the right temperature for her to dig into.

The first one we call Bread Boats.

Scoop out the interiors of hotdog buns/dinner rolls/burger buns. Brush or spray lightly with olive oil. Bake at 400F for 10 mins. In the meanwhile, heat some oil, saute finely chopped onions till soft, add finely chopped tomatoes and some canned beans like black beans (drained and rinsed). Add salt, red chilli pwd, cumin pwd and coriander pwd to taste. Mix well, lightly mash some of the beans and take off heat. Fill this bean mixture in the bread hollows. Dot with either butter or cheese. In the above picture I have used Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb Cheese Wedge. Bake again at 400F for 10 - 15 mins until bread crisps up.

The other after-school snack she likes are Bread Fingers.

For this, toast the bread (I use multi-grain or whole wheat) until lightly browned. Then cut into fingers. I usually remove the crust. In a separate bowl cream together 2 tsp butter, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots. Season with salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash seasoning blend, dried herbs like basil or any other seasonings per choice. Spread this evenly on the bread fingers. Bake at 400F for 10 mins until crisp.

These Bread Boats and Bread Fingers go to the Kids Finger Foods Event at Spice Your Life.

Taco Salad in a Tortilla Bowl

A couple weeks back I ate a very tasty and satisfying Taco Salad in a Tortilla Bowl at the Microsoft cafeteria. It had layers of greens, rice and veggies, topped with salsa, guacamole etc. all served in a deep fried tortilla bowl. Since I love making Mexican style dishes at home, I immediately set out to replicate this. For the rice, I borrowed the Mexican Brown Rice with veggies recipe from Kids Lunch Box. I marinated and cooked the veggies in a fajita-style sauce from this recipe from Cooking from A to Z. I baked the tortillas into bowls using the same process as I posted here. It turned out to be such a wonderful and quick meal!

So here's how it all come together:

First, brush tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas) lightly with oil (I used olive oil). Press down gently into oven safe bowls. Bake in a pre-heated 400 F oven for 10 mins till edges brown and tortilla bowls crispen.

Cool the tortilla bowls for a few minutes, then spread a layer of mixed greens/lettuce.

Layer desired quantity of the Mexican Rice over the greens. For the rice, I sauted some onions, garlic, carrots, green and red bell peppers in oil, added chopped tomatoes, handful of spinach, cooked mixture of brown rice plus quinoa, salt, sugar, red chilli pwd, cumin pwd, soy sauce, dried oregano and chopped cilantro (all per taste). Gave the whole thing a good mix till heated thru.

The fajita-style veggies go on top of the rice. For this, I cut some onions, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms into long thin strips. For the marinade, I pretty much followed the recipe linked above, the only addition I made was cumin pwd since I love its flavor. Marinated the veggies for about 2 hrs, then sauted them in a little olive oil in a wok on medium high heat for about 10 mins until just cooked.

Over the veggies go some black beans. I used canned ones, drained and rinsed.

Now just add the toppings per your choice. For myself, it was some chipotle peppers in adobo suace, mild salsa and a big dollop of guacamole (all store-bought). Hubby also had some sour cream. And kiddo had the salsa, guacamole, sour cream and some shredded Mexican cheese blend.

This Taco Salad in a Tortilla Bowl goes to the BB8 - One Dish Meal event at One Hot Stove. 

Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce

This home-made pasta sauce is loaded with veggies and herbs, then blended, making it an ideal way to sneak in many of the daily nutrients required for kids/picky eaters or any one else for that matter.

Here's how I make it:

1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 small clove garlic - minced
1 tbsp chopped green bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
2 large roma tomatoes - chopped
2 tbsp grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped spinach
handful of chopped basil leaves or 1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp sugar or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning blend
1 cup cooked pasta

The quantity I have given above is just enough for a child's lunchbox, but can be easily multiplied for a family meal. Increase cooking time as needed and add/subtract the veggies as desired.

Heat the oil and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and bell peppers. Saute another 2 - 3 mins. Add the carrots, saute 2 - 3 mins. Add the tomatoes & spinach, cook 5 mins. Add the basil leaves, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper and seasoning. Mix well and take off heat. Cool slightly and blend either smooth or you can leave it slightly chunky.

Cook the paste per package instructions, drain and mix the prepared loaded sauce with the hot paste. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy immediately or pack in a hot thermos style lunch box.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce goes to the Kids Lunch Box Treats event at Taste Buds.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce also goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 184 event at Cook, Eat. Play, Repeat. This event was started by Ruth.

Masala Roti

I adapted this recipe from Tarla Dalal's food magazine. It makes for a healthy, tasty and mess-free lunch box item for kids and adults alike.

Here's how I make it:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 heaped tbsp cup gram flour/besan
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup boiled, peeled and grated potato (or used shredded hash brown)
1/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp red chilli pwd or to taste
1/2 tsp amchur pwd
Salt & sugar to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead to a soft pliable dough. No additional oil should be required. Roll out into about 8 - 10 rotis and roast each on a hot griddle with a few drops of oil until brown spots develop on both sides.

To pack for my daughter's lunch box, I just roll them up and wrap them in a foil. She does not need any accompaniments with these rotis. But tomato ketchup, pickles, yogurt or any curry would also work with these.

These Masala Rotis go to the Kids Lunch Box Treats event at Taste Buds.

Jhatpat Chana Chaat

I adapted this chaat from Tarla Dalal's food magazine. Here's how I made it:

2 store-bought khakhras - crushed
1 cup canned garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed
1 tomato - chopped
1/2 onion - chopped
Chopped cilantro for garnish
2 - 3 tbsp yogurt - beaten till smooth
Tamarind chutney to taste
Green mint/cilantro/chilli chutney to taste
pinch of chaat masala pwd
pinch of cumin pwd

Arrange the crushed khakhras and garbanzo beans in a bowl and top with the tomatoes, onions, beaten yogurt, chutneys. Sprinkle the chaat masala, cumin pwd and chopped cilantro.

Enjoy immediately.

This Jhatpat Chana Chaat goes to the CWF - LB : Chickpeas event at Nithu's Kitchen.

This event was started by Kiran.

Dahi Chutney (Chutney with yogurt)

I usually make this on upaas/vrat days. Here's how I make it:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup frozen or fresh shredded coconut

1/2 cup yogurt

1 - 2 green chillies per heat level desired

4 - 5 sprigs of cilantro

Salt & Sugar to taste

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp lemon juice

Blend all the ingredients until smooth. No additional water is needed, unless you want to make a runnier chutney.

We had this chutney with bhajani thalipeeth for breakfast on Saturday.

This Dahi Chutney goes to the CMT - Chutney event at Joy of Cooking.