Goat Cheese and Roasted Bell Pepper Panini on Sourdough Bread

I am in love with Trader Joe's 99% fat free whole wheat sourdough bread. Its been a staple in my kitchen for the last month. It tastes yummy and toasts really well. It makes an interesting base for sandwiches and tastes even better for breakfast with butter and orange marmalade. I whipped up this quick sandwich on a weekday when I had all the ingredients at hand and felt like eating a panini. It was a very tasty and quick dinner.

Ingredients:

1. Sourdough bread slices
2. Goat cheese
3. Pesto
4. Roasted bell peppers (I get a jar of this from Trader Joe's)
5. Sun dried tomatoes
6. Fresh basil leaves
7. Freshly ground pepper powder
8. Olive oil
9. Salt

Directions:

1. Take two slices of sourdough bread. Layer one with the goat cheese and other with the pesto.
2. Layer the sun dried tomatoes, roasted bell pepper and basil leaves.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper as needed and sandwich the two slices of bread.
4. Brush on both external sides with olive oil and grill in a panini press.
5. Cut the sandwich into two halves if it is too big and enjoy with soup or a salad.

Leftovers Heaven - Fodni Chi Chappati and Fodni Cha Bhat

Leftovers are ingredients for a whole range of yummy dishes and some so good that you deliberately keep food aside to enjoy them in a new form the next day. Two of my favorite leftover dishes are fodni chi chappati (translated as tadka chappati) and fodni cha bhat (translated as fodni cha bhat). As a kid, I would avidly wait for there to be leftover chappati and rice so that mom could make these dishes the next day. I was always advised not to eat them as fresh food is more nutritious and that made these dishes all the more inviting:D. My eagerness to eat these made me try them with fresh ingredients instead of leftovers the next day and trust me they do taste better with leftovers. I was watching a Khana Khazaana episode dedicated to reusing leftovers and there were some lovely recipes like spinach rice, rice fritters which I am definitely going to try the next time if I can have enough of these two:). I have also made curd rice with tadka, pulihora and tamarind rice with leftovers before and they taste good too. Chappati is really a luxury for me today. I make it sometimes but most times I bring it from outside. So to save it for this dish is hard sometimes and I don't get to make it as often. I now really admire the effort my mom took to fresh food especially the chappatis on the dinner table and that too with 3 kids. Whew! These women of the older generations really were super women. On that thought, here are the recipes -

Fodni Chi Chappati:

Ingredients:

1. 4 or 5 stale chappatis - cut into small 1/2 inch size pieces, if possible do this by hand instead of a knife
2. Yellow onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
3. Curry leaves - 10
4. Fresh corriander - 2 cupes finely chopped
5. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
6. Oil - 1 tsp
7. Turmeric - 1 pinch
8. Green chillies - 1 finely chopped
9. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
11. Jeera - 1 tsp
12. Salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil and add mustard, jeera and turmeric.
2. Once the mustard seed sputter, add the green chillies and curry leaves.
3. After a min, add the onion and saute till well done
4. Add the chappati, chilli powder and salt and cook till well done and the chappati start becoming a little crisp.
5. Add the coriander and lemon juice and mix well. Take the pan off the gas.

Fodni Cha Bhaat:

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups leftover rice
2. Oil - 1 tsp
3. Mustard - 1 tsp
4. Jeera - 1 tsp
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Hing - 1/4 tsp
7. Onion - 1 medium, chopped
8. Green capsicum - 1, cubed
9. Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
10. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Corriander - 1 cup, chopped
12. Lemon juice - 2 tsps
13. Salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard, jeera, turmeric and hing.
2. Once the mustard seed sputter, add the green chillies.
3. After a min, add the onions until they are not totally cooked and slightly underdone.
4. Add capsicum and saute for 2 mins.
5. Add the rice, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and let the rice steam and get cooked thoroughly for a few mins.
6. Add the corriander and lemon juice and the dish is ready.

Note: When cooking with stale food, it is always important to make sure the dish is heated and cooked well.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Feb is the month of anniversary and Valentine's day celebrations and gives me an excuse to cook special stuff. I have been planning to re-create this roasted butternut squash dish we had a while ago while on holiday in Maui at this restaurant called 'Penne Pasta' . It is half a butternut squash loaded with butter, sage and slivered almonds and oven roasted till it is soft and delicious. Mine turned out to be close to it except I could not get myself to add as much butter. This dish holds very romantic memories of the good time we had in Maui. Incidentally, if you look at the cavity in the squash, its a heart shape:)

Ingredients:

1. Butternut squash - 1/2 sliced down the middle
2. Butter - 1.5 tbsps
3. Salt
4. Fresh black pepper - 1/2 tsp
5. Red chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
6. Fresh sage - 4/5 leaves, chopped into ribbons
7. Slivered almonds - 1/2 cup

Directions:

1. Smother the butternut squash with 1 tbsp melted butter, salt, pepper and stick it in the over at 350 F. I had to bake it for almost 45 mins to get it soft but the bake time might vary depending on the oven. Use a fork to check the done-ness frequently after 30 mins have elapsed.
2. Toast the slivered almonds either in a pan or an oven until golden brown.
3. Take 1/4 tbsp of butter and sautee the chopped sage leave for 5 mins.
4. Top the bakes butternut squash with chilli flakes, toasted slivered almonds, sage leaves and the remaining butter while its still hot and enjoy.

Note: You may use parsley to flavor instead of sage if you are averse to its smell.

We re-did another dining experience by celebrating Valentine's day at Tigelleria which we discovered on our anniversary 2 years ago. We ordered a pear stuffed ravioli with walnut sauce, a cheese platter, a very pretentious salad and pesto fusili pasta. The dessert was pistaschio pannacotta which was served with a heart shaped spoon. A very satisfactory meal indeed!

Paneer Methi Matar Malai and Til Wale Baingan

I have been in an extremely creative mode with cooking lately and these two dishes were what I conjured up for dinner in 30 mins. The recipe for Paneer Methi Matar Malai was based on numerous recipes online that I modified to be healthier and the baingan was a healthier version of Begun Bhaja with sesame. Both were unique in flavors and yummy with the rotis.

Recipe for Paneer Methi Matar Malai:I read several recipes for methi matar malai which called for cream. I just used low fat milk instead and some flour paste for thickening and it works just as well.

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
3. Cloves - 2
4. Cardamom - 2
5. Green chilli - 1, finely chopped
6. White onion - 1, finely chopped
7. Ginger paste - 1 tsp
8. Garlic paste - 1 tsp
9. Frozen methi - 1 block/cube
10. Frozen peas - 1 cup
11. Milk - 1 cup
12. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
13. Jeera dhania powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Garam masala - 1 pinch
15. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
16. Salt
17. Paneer - 10 small cubes, deep fried, pan friend or fresh
18. All purpose flour or maida - 1 tsp, mix in water to make a paste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and green chilli. Roast until you can smell the spices.
2. Add finely chopped onions and saute until well done and slightly browned.
3. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and saute until the paste is well mixed into the onions and well cooked.
4. Thaw the methi, microwave for 2 minutes and then add to the onions.
5. Mix and cook for 10 minutes until the methi is thoroughly cooked.
6. Add the salt, red chilli powder, jeera dhania powder, garam masala and mix well.
7. Add the peas, milk, sugar and flour paste and bring the liquid to a boil.
8. Add paneer at the end and heat till it softens.

Recipe for Til Wale Baingan: Brinjals usually absorb a lot of oil. The key to this recipe is to use very little oil and cook it in a non stick skillet with a lid so that the brinjals are well done.

Ingredients:

1. Brinjals - 6/7 small ones, cut into discs
2. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
3. Turmeric - 1 1/2 tsp (yes thats a lot but it adds to the flavor)
4. Ginger paste - 1 tsp
5. Garlic paste - 1 tsp
6. Til/Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
7. Salt
8. Corriander - handful, finely chopped
9. Lemon juice - 1 tsp
10. Oil - 1 tsp
11. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
12. Jeera - 1 tsp
13. Hing - 1/4 tsp

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds, jeera and hing.
2. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add the brinjal slices, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, ginger paste, garlic paste and mix them all together.
3. Cook on high flame for 5 minutes until the brinjal start roasting and then top with a lid. Allow the brinjals to cook well and become soft.
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan until golden brown.
5. Once the brinjals cook thoroughly, add the sesame seeds, corriander and lemon juice and mix together.

2011 - The first thing I tasted, a very chocolaty brownie and a protein filled dish

2011 - The first thing I tasted, a very chocolaty brownie and a TamBhram soul food

Happy new year all! What was the first thing you ate/drank in 2011. I started mine with champagne at 12:00AM and a very well done mocha in the morning. We had an excellent brunch at Hobbee's with my hubby gobbling down a poached egg on english muffin with country hash browns and me devouring the usual scrambled tofu and rye toast. A very satisfactory start to the year indeed.

I also made these yummy chocolate brownies (baked in a muffin pan to get the crisp edge on each one) from this recipe. The only modification I made was to reduce the sugar a little. We had this for dessert with vanilla ice cream and it was a chocolate lover's delight.

Next up is a dish which is tam-bhram soul food. In combination with rasam and rice, this makes a protein rich healthy meal if made the low fat way.

Ingredients:

1. Chana dal - 1 cup
2. Toor dal - 1 cup
3. Dried red chillies - 7/8
4. Hing - 1/4 tsp
5. Haldi - 1/4 tsp
6. Beans - 2 cups, chopped into 1/2 inch size
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Oil - 1 tsp
9. Curry leaves - 5/6
10. Salt
11. Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Directions -

1. Soak the chana dal and toor dal for 2-3 hours
2. Grind the chana dal and toor dal with half the red chillies, salt and hing with very little water.
3. Cook the beans and the ground dal mixture for 2 whistles in the cooker. The dal mixture can also be steamed in idly pans or cooked in the microwave for a few minutes.
4. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, haldi, curry leaves. One the mustard seeds break open, add the beans.
5. Break the cooked dal mixture into small pieces and add to the beans.
6. Add salt and saute until the beans and dal come together and are well cooked.
7. Top with lemon juice and enjoy with rasam and rice for an authentic Tamilian meal:)

Christmas, Presents, Tree, Cake and Cheese Fondue

A cold day, the christmas tree all lit up and decorated by the fireplace, presents all wrapped and ready to be opened below the tree, a cake baking in the oven spreading the aroma of vanilla in the kitchen, a warm throw, 'A Christmas Story' playing on TV - that just about describes the best and the most perfect Christmas morning I have ever had. My christmas present from my hubby this year was a Cuisinart electric fondue maker and I tried the most basic fondue recipe right away with great enthusiasm. The outcome was a delectable cheese fondue which my hubby and I devoured in no time. Who would ever imagine that two people could consume so much cheese in less than 20 mins! Here is the recipe with a promise of many more fondue recipes to come.

Ingredients:

1. Aged Gruyere cheese - 0.5 lbs, grated
2. Emmental (swiss) cheese - 0.5 lbs, grated
3. White wine - 1 1/2 cups (any dry wine should do. I looked for a cooking white wine and got a Chablis)
4. Lemon juices - 1tsp
5. Black pepper - 1 tsp
6. Crushed red pepper - 1/2 tsp
7. Papprika - 1/2 tsp
8. Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
9. Nutmeg - 1 pinch
10. Celery, green peppers, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sourdough bread as accompaniments

Directions:

1. Add the wine, lemon juice and garlic to the fondue maker and cook till the wine starts simmering
2. Add the cheese a little at a time until it melts.
3. Add the black pepper, crushed red pepper, paprika, and nutmeg and mix into the cheese thoroughly.
4. Cook till the cheese starts gently bubbling and then turn down the heat/setting.
5. Dip the veggies/bread and enjoy the fondue. Be careful not to burn your tongue.

Alu Methi Matar

Hot alu methi matar with chappati and dahi is a very satisfactory easy meal on lazy winter days. This sabji is easy to make, healthy and a good travel dish if you want to carry food with you. Here goes the recipe -

Ingredients:

1. Red potatoes - 6 potatoes, roughly 3 inches in length
2. Frozen methi - 1 cube
3. Frozen peas - 1cup
4. Oil - 1 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Jeera - 1 tsp
7. Dried red chillies - 3/4
8. Sambhar masala - 1 1/2 tsp
9. Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Haldi powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Salt
12. Hing - 1/4 tsp
13. Lemon

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes into cubes along with the skip and cook in microwave for 7-8 mins until the potatoes are cooked a little but not mushy.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, jeera, haldi, hing and red chillies. Let the mustard seeds pop.
3. Defrost the methi by microwaving for 1 min and add to the pan.
4. Sautee until the methi is cooked.
5. Add the potatoes, salt, chilli powder, sambhar masala and cook on high flame for 5-10 mins and then leave it on low flame until the potatoes have a crust.
6. Add the peas and cook for 2 mins.
7. Garnish with lemon juice and serve hot.

Rosemary Potatoes

The rosemary plant in my garden is overflowing from the pot and I simply had to put it to good use. What better than to bake the classic combination of rosemary and potatoes! My kitchen was smelling like heaven when I popped them out of the oven. This makes an excellent side dish to go with any Italian salad or pasta.


Ingredients:

1. Red skinned potatoes - 2, washed and cut into any desired french-fry-like shape
2. Rosemary - 1/2 cup finely chopped
3. Salt
4. Coarsely crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp
5. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Directions:

1. Toss the potatoes with the rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil.
   
2. Spread thinly on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for 20 minutes
3. Turn the oven to broil and broil on each side for 5-7 minutes or until the potatoes turn brown.
4. Let it cool for 5 mins and you are done!
   

Instant Mango Pickle / Ambyacha Loncha

This is a very simple and easy mango pickle that my mom used to make during summers when the raw mangoes were plentiful. It needs very few basic ingredients but the flavor of the mango makes up for everything and gives it a unique taste. It is best when enjoyed with ghee and rice.

Ingredients:

1. Raw mango - 1 cut into small cubes
2. Red chilli powder - 4 tsps (Try the one that is made for pickles specifically)
3. Salt - 1 tsp
4. Oil - 2 tsps
5. Mustard seeds - 2 tsps
6. Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
7. Hing - 1/2 tsp
8. Haldi - 1/4th tsp
   
9. Lemon juice - 2 tsps

Directions:

1. Mix the mango pieces, salt, red chilli powder.
2. Heat oil and add mustard, green chillies, hing and haldi. Heat it until all the mustard seeds have spluttered but not burnt.
3. Add the oil mixture to the mango along with the lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and let it sit for an hour. You will see the mangoes releasing a lot of juices.
   
4. This pickle is best stored in the fridge after a day of sitting outside.