Baked Shell Pasta

On a cool chilly night nothing is more comforting as hot and yummy food and to add to it my baked pasta shells are healthy and comfortable dish that you can enjoy in less than 30 mins while you sit with a cozy blanket wrapped around you enjoying a good movie and glass of wine on the side.



Ingredients:

1 cup large shell shaped pasta
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 tbsp part skim grated mozzarella cheese
1 tsp chopped coriander or basil leaves
garlic salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp corn


Method:

Pre- heat the oven to 400 degree F. Boil the pasta shells with salt till they are al dente. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp marinara sauce to the shells along with corn, garlic salt and pepper. Now take a baking dish and add 2-3 table spoons of shell mixture to the bottom of the dish. Now add some of the remaining marinara sauce over the shell mixture. Add grated mozarella cheese and chopped coriander or basil leaves. Repeat the layering process with shell mixture followed by marinara sauce, mozarella cheese and basil leaves. Cover the top with the remaining mozarella cheese. Bake it in the oven for 15 mins till you get a golden brown color to the top layer of the cheese. Serve hot.

Tip:
Add some bread crumbs along with the mozarella cheese to get a crusty baked topping over the shell pasta. Yummmmmmmmm

Haare Chane ki Sabji with Brown Rice

Green channa is very easily available in the northern parts of India and also in the MP region not so much in Mumbai.... and to get green channe in US where I stay was a blessing ..... and to top it I got these sprouted green channa which I love and anything sprouts is healthy and nutritious for you right...and to add to the healthy diet I serve the sprouted green channe ki sabji with brown rice. Brown rice has a nutty texture and requires more chewing than regualr white rice and tastes incredible with this recipe.


Ingredients:

1 cup sprouted green channa
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 tomatoes chopped
3 green chilies chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tsp ginger grated
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp lemon juice
coriander leaves for garnish

1 cup brown rice
water to boil the rice
salt to taste

Method:
In a heavy bottom pan add brown rice along with salt and water and let it cook for roughly around 35 mins, so that the rice is cooked. Keep adding water to the pot as brown rice takes longer and more water to cook than regular rice. Drain the rice and let it stand for 5-7 mins.

In a pressure cooker, add oil to the cooker and add onions and let it cook for 5 mins. Now add ginger, garlic, green chilies and tomatoes to the cooker and let it cook till the tomatoes have soften and have released all their juices. Now add salt, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilie powder to the cooker and let the dry masala mix well with onions and tomatoes. Now add the sprouted green chana to the cooker and let it brown and cook a bit with the masala.

Now add the vegetable stock and 1 cup of water to the cooker, stir well. Put the lid to the cooker and pressure cook the sprouted haare channe for 15 mins on a medium flame.

Serve hot with boiled brown rice.

Mixed Kadai Vegetables

I was pretty bored with the regular veggies that I normally make and needed to try something different and I was going through my blog to see what else I can make for a side that I have not eaten before and can be made in no time; that's when the idea of Kadai vegetable clicked. The recipe is very simple, includes tofu as well as paneer, and loads of other veggies like carrot, onion,potatoes, peas and taste sinfully awesome. To add more flavor and taste to the veggies, I havae baked the vegetables in the oven with little bit of salt and olive oil for around 15- 20 mins, and this adds so much flavor and bite to the veggies.


Ingredients:

1 large onion thinly sliced
1 medium sized potatoes
1 carrot thinly sliced
1/2 cup extra firm tofu sliced
1/2 cup paneer sliced
1/2 cup peas
1 can of crushed tomatoes or 4-5 tomatoes blended into a puree
1 bay leaf
1 clove
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried red chilies
1 tsp dried coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
2-3 green chilies
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1 table spoon dried fenugreek leaves
1 table spoon coriander leaves (chopped)
1 table spoon lemon juice
salt to taste
2 table spoons olive oil or cooking oil

Method:

Take a baking sheet and line all the vegetables (onion, potatoes, carrot, tofu,paneer)on the sheet. Add olive oil and salt to the vegetables and mix well. Bake the vegetables in the oven at 400 degree F for 15- 20 minutes till the veggies are half cooked and they have a slight color to it.

In a large wok or kadai, heat oil and add bay leaf, clove, and cinnamon to it. Now add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chilies to the pan and let it cook till the oil is fragrant with all the flavors. Add ginger and garlic to the pan along with the tomatoes and let it cook for 10 mins. Add turmeric, red chili powder and salt to the wok. Remove the veggies from the oven and transfer all the veggies to the wok, add peas to the pan as well and mix all the ingredients well and let it cook till all the vegetables are cooked.

Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves to the wok, mix well and serve hot with parantha or roti.

Yummy Nutrela

Nutrela are high protein soya chunks which can be used in a variety of ways and is delicious in each and every recipe it is tried and tested in. Nutrela is also available in minced form and can be used to make soya cutlets as well. I make this very yummy nutrela dish with loads of tomatoes, add some peas to it and it really makes a great combination.


Ingredients:

1 cup nutrela chunks/ mini nuggets
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
4-5 tomatoes (blended into a puree)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp grated ginger
4-5 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp amchur powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
2-3 table spoon chopped coriander leaves (for garnish)
1 table spoon Olive oil or any cooking oil
Salt to taste


Method:

• Take the soya chunks in a bowl and add enough water to cover them completely. Microwave in the oven for around 7-8 mins. Remove from the microwave and let the soya chunks rest in the warm water for another 5 mins. Wash the soya chunks thoroughly under running water pressing in between your palms. Drain the water completely from the soya chunks and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions to it. Now add ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies and sauté them together for 2 – 3 mins.
• Add the tomato puree to the pan and mix well. Add turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and jeera powder to the onions and tomatoes and mix them well. Add the drained nutrela to the masala and let it simmer for another 5 – 7 mins.
• Now add the amchur powder to the nutrela and mix well. Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve yummy yummy nutrela with hot hot rotis………

I am sending this recipe to Ruth from Ruth Kitchen Experiments and to Meeta from Whats for Lunch Honey

Mixed Lentils Idlis

Idli is not only a South Indian favorite but is loved by one and all. It can be eaten as a snack or as breakfast, but to tell you the truth I make them during lunch and dinner time as well. Idli is usually prepared from a batter of Rice and Lentils which is fermented overnight, but this recipe has no rice in it and is prepared with 3 different types of lentils and you can let it ferment for a couple of hours and it is ready to be steamed.

It’s a quick and easy dish which is rich in proteins and when paired with coconut chutney and sambar it tastes awesome!

Ingredients:
½ cup urad dal
½ green moong dal
½ tovar dal
Salt to taste
Vegetable or cooking oil to grease the idli moulds.



Method:

• Mix urad, tovar and moong dal in a bowl and wash them thoroughly. Soak the dals (lentils) for couple of hours.
• Grind the lentils together to get a thick paste (adding small amounts of water). Add salt to the batter and add enough water to get pourable consistency.
• Grease the idli molds with oil and keep aside. Add salt to the batter and pour enough batter in each mould to fill it 3/4 full.
• Put 2 cups of water in a large vessel and heat. Put the Idli tray into the vessel and steam for 20 minutes.
• Check the Idlis by poking with a toothpick. If it comes out clean they are done.
• Remove the idlis from the vessel and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. It helps in removing the idlis from their molds easily.
• Serve hot with sambar and yummy coconut chutney.

I am sending this recipe as an entry for the event My Legume Love Affair hosted by Nourish me and The Well Seasoned Cook.

Mixed Sprouts Stew

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in water or other water-based liquid, typically by simmering, and that are then served without being drained. Sprouts stew is a healthy dish which has a lot of flavor to it and can be eaten with rice, roti or bread. I have taken a little help from the store in this as the sprouts were brought from the store but never the less they can be prepared at home. This dish is very simple and easy to make and pumps up the protein in your diet and is a welcoming change to the regular dal that we eat on an everyday basis.
Ingredients:
1 cup store bought sprouts (Mixed Sprouts)
1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
2 medium sized tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilly powder
2 -3 cups Vegetable stock or water.
Salt to taste
1 table spoon olive oil


Making the sprouts:

Soak the mix of dals overnight with lots of water.Next day morning, drain all the water, cover the dal with lid and keep them in warm place.

In 1 ½ to 2 days, the sprouts will be ready. Keep them in the refrigerator and use as required.

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom vessel and add jeera to it. Now add the chopped onions to the vessel and stir it. Add cumin powder to the onions and let it sauté for 3- 4 mins till the onions are translucent in color.
• Add the chopped tomatoes to vessel and mix with the onions. Add salt as it helps release the moisture from the tomatoes. Sauté for another 5 mins.
• Add turmeric and chilly powder along with the sprouts and mix all the ingredients well. Let the sprouts simmer with the onions and tomatoes on a medium to low flame.
• Add vegetable stock or water to the sprouts and mix well. Vegetable stock adds more flavor to the stew, but if you don’t have stock you can add water as well. Add more water / vegetable stock if you want your stew to be a bit thinner in consistency.
• Bring the sprout mix to a boil and simmer and allow the stew to cook for 10 – 15 mins on a medium flame till the sprouts are cooked.
• Adjust the seasoning of the stew and serve hot.

I am sending this recipe as an entry for the event My Legume Love Affair hosted by Nourish me and The Well Seasoned Cook.

A Perfect Meal

A perfect meal or a soul satisfying meal is definitely the one that makes you feel that you have eaten whole heartedly and have enjoyed each and every bite of food that you put in your mouth and I have got just the perfect recipes to attain that level of satisfaction.

Kadai Paneer:

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer (cottage cheese) - cut into triangles.
2 whole red chilies
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 tsp red chilly powder
2-3 spoons of chopped coriander leaves.
2 tsps Olive oil or any cooking oil
4-5 tomatoes roughly chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add broken whole red chilies, coriander seeds, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon to it.
• Once the oil is fragrant add the sliced onion to the pan and sauté for 2 mins. Add the chilly powder to the pan and continue cooking. Add the ginger and garlic paste to the pan along with kasuri methi.
• Add the tomatoes to the pan. Add salt at this time as it would help the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. Let it simmer for 15 – 20 mins on a medium flame.
• Add the paneer pieces to the pan and cook till the paneer is blended well with the masala.
• Add lemon juice to the paneer and garnish with coriander leaves.

Dal Tadka:

Tuvar dal is probably one of the most commonly used dals in Indian households. This recipe is definitely a twist to the tuvar dal that we normally make and it tastes yum with boiled rice.

Ingredients:

1 katori tuvar dal
2 whole red chilles
4-5 kadi patta
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp lemon juice
2-3 spoons of chopped coriander
1 spoon oil (for tadka)

Method:

• Wash the dal thoroughly. In a pressure cooker add sufficient water to the dal and add salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles.
• In a separate pan, add oil and let it simmer till the oil gets hot. Add the whole red chilies, rai, jeera and kadi patta to the pan. Once the jeera sizzles add garlic and ginger paste to it and sauté for 2 mins.
• Now add red chilly powder to it and mix well.
• Add the prepared tadka to the pressure cooked dal. Now add lemon juice to the dal and garnish with chopped coriander.

Tip: To add more flavor to the dal, prepare a separate tadka with 1 spoonful of desi ghee and let it simmer. Now add the jeera to the pan and add some red chilly powder and add prepared tadka to the dal and quickly close the lid to capture the aroma.

I am sending the recipe of Kadai Paneer to Siri Dee for the coriander event Herb Mania

Peas Pulav

One of the quickest and the easiest recipes which I love to make is matter wale pulav or pea’s pulav. This recipe is so simple to make and it gets ready in around 20 mins.



Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice or any long grain rice
½ cup peas (green matar)
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1 tsp jeera
2 tomatoes finely chopped.
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
1 table spoon cooking oil
2 cups of water or vegetable stock.

Method:
• Take a pan and add oil to it. Add bay leaf and jeera to the pan, once it sizzles add the sliced onions and sauté till the onion gets a light brown color.
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt, chilly powder, turmeric and peas to the pan and sauté for another 2 mins.
• Now add the rice to the pan and mix all the ingredients well. Add water or vegetable stock to the pan and mix well. Adding vegetable stock helps in adding flavor to the pulav.
• Simmer the gas to medium-low and put a lid on to the pan. Let it cook for 15 -20 mins or till the time the pulav is cooked.
• Serve hot with acchar or curd.

Tip: You can also add vegetables like carrot, cauliflower or edamame to make a vegetable pulav.

Red and White cabbage with Methi leaves:

Cabbage or patta gobi can be prepared in a variety of ways to add more flavor to the vegetable in itself and making patta gobi with some methi leaves was a great idea given to me by my sister in law sometime back. It’s a great dish with loads of nutritive value to it. Methi adds a lot of flavor to the dish and it tastes quite different and yum as well.

Ingredients:

2 cup finely shredded while cabbage
½ cup finely shredded red cabbage
½ cup thinly sliced carrot
½ cup finely chopped onions
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 potato chopped ( bite size pieces)
½ methi leaves
1 tsp rai (black mustard seeds)
1 tsp methi danna
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3-4 green chilies finely chopped
1 tsp amchur powder
Salt to taste
1 table spoon Olive Oil or any cooking oil
2 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped) for garnish



Recipe:
• Shred the red and white cabbage, wash well under water and keep aside. Also thinly slice the carrot and keep aside.
• In a pan, add the oil and let it heat well. Add rai and methi to the oil and let them sizzle. Add the green chillies and methi leaves to the pan and sauté them for 2 mins. Now add the finely chopped potatoes and sauté them in the pan with methi for another 2 minutes.
• Add the onions, carrots, red and white cabbage to the pan and sauté them well. Add the tomatoes and all the dried masala’s (i.e. turmeric powder, chilly powder, amchur powder and salt) to the pan and mix all the ingredients well.
• Cover the pan with the lid and let the cabbage cook for around 20 mins or till the time the potatoes are properly cooked.
• Garnish the dish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or parantha.

Rajma ( Red Beans Curry).

A very simple dish which is so easy to make as well; Rajma or Red Beans curry is one of my all time favorites and I can eat rajma with chawal at any time during the day and night. It’s rich in protein and fiber as well so all in all we have a win-win situation with this lovely dish. And to add to the success, rajma tastes absolutely awesome the next day.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 cup rajma (soaked overnight)
½ onions finely chopped
3-4 tomatoes (blended into a puree)
3-4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp jeera
3-4 green chilies (finely chopped)
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sukhi kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 table spoons coriander leaves (finely chopped) for garnish
Salt to taste
1 table spoon Olive oil or any cooking oil




Recipe:
• Soak the rajma overnight in a bowl. Discard the water and fill in fresh water. Add salt and pressure cook the rajma for 20 mins on a medium flame. Do not drain the water after the rajma is pressure cooked as it could be used to prepare the curry.
• In a separate pan, heat the oil and add jeera to the pan. Once jeera sizzles add garlic and green chilies and let it sauté for a minute till garlic turns slightly golden brown.
• Add onions to the pan and sauté the onions till they get a nice golden color.
• Once the onions change color add the tomato puree to it. Sauté for a min and let it simmer on a low flame for 15 – 20 mins or till the oil starts to separate from the sides.
• Add kasuri methi, dhania powder, turmeric, chilly powder and salt ( remember that we have already added some salt while boiling the rajma as well)
• Mix all the ingredients well. Add the tadka to rajma (along with the water) and stir all the ingredients well.
• Pressure cook the rajma again for around 10 – 15 mins as this helps to blend all the masalas and the rajma well.
• Garnish the rajma with coriander leaves and serve with boiled or jeera rice.

Tip: You can also blend the onions, garlic, tomatoes and green chilies together in a blender and then add to the oil to sauté the mixture.