Saturday, June 14, 2008

Fish curry with steamed rice.


I have always been a huge fish fan and being someone who has been born and brought up in Bombay, salt water fish has always taken preference over fresh water fish. Of which. Pomfret tops the list followed by Kingfish, Bombay duck and Prawns.I enjoy fish in any form like curries, fried fish or rice Pulaos..Just great!! I love my curry with simple steamed rice.
Here's a simple fish recipe from my mommy's kitchen.Enjoy!!

2 medium sized pomfrets or any other fish of your choice cut into cubes or slices.
1 tsp turmeric powder
juice of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt & pepper and marinade the fish for at least 15 minutes. keep aside.

Gravy:

1 thai chilli slit in the center
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ginger minced
1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp EVOO
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds followed by chilli,garlic & ginger. Saute for about 10 seconds followed by adding the onion.Leave it for about 2-3 minutes till onion is translucent.add tomatoes and all the spices. Season with salt and pepper and add about 3 cups of water and fish. Let it come to a boil. Simmer and cover it for another 6-7 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Chicken tikka and vegetables on skewers!!


1 lb chicken breast cut into about 1"cubes

Marinade:
2/3 cup yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
½ pickled jalapeno( optional)
Juice of 2 lemons

Spices:
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Garam masala powder( available at Indian grocery stores)
1/2 tsp cumin powder


1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for making the marinade creamy

Mix all the above ingredients together and salt as per taste. Add the chicken. For the recipe to be more colorful, add cubed red and green peppers, mushrooms and red onions.
Its best when its marinated overnight but in a hurry one hour is fine too.
On individual skewers arrange the chicken and the vegetables. Spray some PAM and grill.

Can be eaten with a fresh and crunchy salad or wrapped in low carb tortillas.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Sausage and pepper frittata!


Plz excuse my photo quality!

What do you do when you want to make two yummy dishes both at the same time. Well what else combine both of them together! I saw these recipes on Dani’s site, Sausage and pepper subs and frittata. I found them so yummy that i decided to marry the two and the result.....Fantastico!!!!

Ingredients:
6 links of chicken sausages
1 cup of mixed colored peppers
1 large onion cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes
4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites
1 tbsp EVOO
Preperation:
Mix together the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
Brown the sausages in EVOO and cook them well
In the same pan remove the links and add the onions, garlic, cook for about 2 minutes
Add the peppers and let them cook followed by tomato sauce, oregano and red chilli flakes.
Add the browned sausages and mix well. Follow this by adding the eggs and just when about to set transfer to a preheated oven at 350 F for about 15 to 20 minutes
Add some cheddar cheese if you wish to!
Serve and enjoy!!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Veggie Pita pockets.


I had mentioned a few days back that I am here on an internship in India and also mentioned about my brother being my best food buddy. I mean really I guess its all about Biology. We have almost the same choices when it comes to food tastes, picky veggies and our eating joints.He always enjoys whenever I try something in the kitchen.And not to forget we always feel hungry at the same time esp. when it comes to the evening snack.

That brings me to the point: Todays recipe was just the same situation where we were hungry and hoped to have something hearty and fun to cook.

These veggie pockets are made right from scratch and the pita pockets included, It was truly fun making them.I made them out of 100% whole wheat flour which made them super healthy.I'll be posting the recipe soon.The best part is one can play with the veggies and try various combination as per ones taste.

2 whole wheat pita pockets halved
1 cup kidney beans seasoned with some fat free vinaigrette( I used Balsamic)
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 cup mixed peppers( red, yellow and green)
1 cup baby spinach
2 low fat American cheese slices cut into half triangles
Cilantro chutney
Pizza Sauce
1 tomato cut into thin slices
1 medium onion finely chopped

Cut the pita bread into halves, I made 1 set Indian style and 1 set Italian.

Italian:

Spread the pizza sauce on the inside, line with cheese and then start stuffing.

1)Spinach
2)Broccoli
3)peppers
4)onion

Spray with non stick spray and keep aside.

Indian:

Spread the Cilantro chutney on both sides. Start by layering the cheese and then the tomato slices. Stuff with:

1) Spinach
2) onion
3) beans

Spray with non stick spray.



In a preheated oven at 350 F bake them for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Ready to eat!

Cilantro chutney( Dip)


1 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp peanuts( salted or unsalted; if using salted adjust the salt accordingly)
½ jalapeno seeds removed
Salt and whole peppers about 1 tsp
Grind all the ingredients in a mini food processor and add about ¼ cup of water to thin it
To make it more tangy add sliced mangoes and if desired add some sugar to make it sweet.

This is one of the best chutneys. Spread it on a slice of bread and add tomato slices, cucumber and onion slices. We have a healthy sandwich to eat!

Asparagus stuffed Chicken breast!


Asparagus is one vegetable which I have read a lot about and seen a lot but never really tried. Recently I finally tried it and decided to start slow and incorporate it in a main dish and I was so happy I did it coz it was really nice.

4 chicken breast pound thin.
4 stems asparagus steamed
1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin and steamed
1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced thin and steamed
2/3 cup goat cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp EVOO

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Start by pounding the chicken breast thin and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Cook the veggies by steaming them al dente.If the asparagus spears are too long divide them into two halves.

Place the halved asparagus, pepper and about a tbsp of goat cheese, roll and tie it with a kitchen twine.

Bake in the oven on a pan with non stick cooking spray for about 30- 40 minutes.

Serve it with a white sauce, this is actually just a rue but I made it with whole wheat flour with the remaining goat cheese,about 2 tbsp of dry white wine and red chilli flakes.

The Asparagus on top of the chicken is my mom's addition.It was sauted with S & P with garlic.

Since this was my first try with asparagus I would be glad to hear about any suggestions!

Happy Eating.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Quick Veggie noodles!!

No meal can be quicker than throwing all the ingredients of a well balanced meal in the same pan. This recipe is a quick,delicious and satisfying meal.I was in a mood for a complete veggie meal and that explains the addition of tofu.



8 0z extra firm tofu drained and dried
1 green pepper sliced
1 orange pepper sliced
1 medium sized onion cut into half moons
4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 cup mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce( low sodium)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp sambal olek
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
8 oz whole wheat noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles as per package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sambal olek. Divide the sauce in two parts.Use the first half to marinate the tofu and keep for about 10 minutes. Lightly saute the tofu on a pan sprayed with non stick spray.

In a large wok, add the oil garlic, onion and cook until onion is soft. Add the pepper and mushroom and cook until done but still crisp.Add the tofu and cook for about a minute or so. Add the remaining sauce mixture, honey ,salt and pepper. Add the noodles and mix well.

Top with toasted sesame seeds and dried red chilli flakes.