SPINACH AND TOMATO BROWN RICE

SPINACH AND TOMATO BROWN RICE
Tomato rice is my favorite mixed rice variety. I make at least once a week. This time I prepared it brown rice and added some spinach to it. Brown basmati rice is also perfect for this dish. This is my grandmother’s method. We had this rice with raita and fish fry.

INGREDIENTS:
Cooked brown rice, 1 cup.
Ripe Roma tomatoes, medium-size, 3.
Red onions, medium-size, 2.
Fresh or frozen spinach, 1 cup or 1 bunch if fresh ones are used.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1teaspoon.
Green chilies, 1-2.
Chili powder, ½ teaspoon.
Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
Turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon.
Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
Fennel seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.
Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Cook the rice separately and let it cool. The rice should not be mushy. Wash the spinach leaves and cut into small pieces. Dice the onion and tomatoes and slit the green chilies into 2. Heat a pan with 2 teaspoons of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the fennel seeds and fry for 2 seconds. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. Now add the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, and green chilies and sauté for a few more minutes until everything is blended. Add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt and mix well. Cook closed under low flame for 5 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes. Add the chopped spinach leaves to this and let it wilt. Now add curry leaves, chopped cilantro, and rice and mix everything. If needed, 1 tablespoon of ghee can also be added. Serve hot with raita.

APRICOT PACHADI

APRICOT PACHADI
When the world is getting crazy with the mango season, I just brought a big bag of apricots! I simply couldn’t resist myself when I saw some fresh apricots at the supermarket. My reason was that since I love the dry ones, I am sure to like the fresh ones too. One bite into the fruit proved me that I was wrong and hubby dear was right. It is as if he seems to know that I won’t like this fruit even before I tried it. The first thought that ran in my mind as soon as I had them were that they are as sour as mangoes, and hence this recipe. The first time we had this pachadi with rice, yogurt, and rasam, which was a delicious combo. This pachadi went well with rotis too. I have used light brown sugar here. Even jaggery or plain sugar can be used. The sugar can be substituted with Splenda or any other artificial sweeteners for health freaks like me :)

INGREDIENTS:
1. Apricots, medium-sized fruits, around 10.
2. Cardamom powder, 1 teaspoon.
3. Light brown sugar, 1 to 1-1/2 cups.

PREPARATION:
The method for cutting an apricot is the same as for cutting a peach or nectarine. Go along the edges with a knife, open the fruit and remove the pit. Chop the fruit into small pieces. I have kept the skin intact, if needed, they can be peeled. Take a pot and add the apricot pieces along with 1 cup of water and the cardamom powder. Let it cook under medium flame for 10-15 minutes until the fruit gets mushy and starts to thicken. Add the light brown sugar and mix well. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off the stove. Serve the pachadi with rice, rotis or it can be used as a topping for ice-cream.

VARIATION:
I have not used tadka here. If tadka is preferred, heat a small pot with one tablespoon of oil. When the oil gets hot, add ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add 1 sprig of curry leaves, 2 red chilies and fry everything for a few seconds. Pour this over the pachadi, mix well, and enjoy.

PASTA WITH SOY GRANULES

PASTA WITH SOY GRANULES
This recipe is from a Weight Watcher’s recipe book, which I borrowed by the library. It is a very easy one and the preparation time is also less. I have stuck to the original recipe except that I have added some green bell peppers and peas. I even used a green chili for some extra heat. The vegetables can be changed according to personal preferences. Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1. Any whole wheat pasta, 1 cup. (I have used penne here).
2. Pasta sauce, 1-1/2 to 2 cups.
3. Green chili, 1.
4. Onion, medium-sized, 1.
5. Any type of veggies like carrot, cabbage, etc coming around to 1 cup when diced.
6. Garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
7. Parmesan cheese, ½ cup.
8. Soy granules, 1 cup.
9. Basil leaves, handful.
10. Salt and pepper as per taste.

PREPARATION:
To cook the soy granules, drop them in boiling water and let them cook. Drain the water and wash them twice and remove excess water from the granules. If whole nuggets are used, they should be cooked first and then cut into small pieces. Chop the onion and the vegetables finely. Dice the chili finely. Cook the pasta as per the package instructions, drain it, and let it cool. Heat a big pan with some olive oil. When the oil turns hot, add the chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes until it is tender. Then add the diced vegetables, chili, and garlic paste and sauté everything for a few more minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. Add the pasta sauce, soy granules, salt, and pepper and mix everything well. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then add the cooked pasta, parmesan cheese, the crushed basil leaves. Mix everything and switch off the stove. Serve the hot pasta with grated parmesan cheese garnished on top.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS PORIYAL

SUGAR SNAP PEAS PORIYAL
I bought a packet of sugar snap peas recently though I didn’t know how to cook them. We tried it in pastas…nah…it was too sweet for our taste, soups…still the same :( After all these experimentations, I still had some more left. I wanted to finish them off somehow, so I thought of making a poriyal of them maybe just like a cluster beans poriyal. I made it a little bit spicier and added some dried mint leaves to it since I didn’t have any fresh herbs at hand and actually this poriyal did taste very good with the mint flavor. I think I’ll be making sugar snap peas poriyal very often from now on…

I prepared this as a side dish with rotis and rice. This goes very well with rasam or curd rice. Our weekend lunch that day was rotis, dum aloo, sugar snap peas poriyal, onion raita, and brown rice.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Sugar snap peas, chopped finely, 1 cup.
2. Onion, medium-sized, 1.
3. Chili powder, 1 teaspoon.
4. Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
5. Ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon.
6. Dried mint leaves, 1 teaspoon.
7. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
8. Ural dhal, ½ teaspoon.
9. Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Wash the sugar snap peas well. Cut off the pointed ends and chop them into small pieces. Dice the onion finely. Heat some oil in a pan and when the oil turns hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the urad dhal and fry it for a few seconds until it turns golden brown. Add the diced onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion turns soft. Then add the sugar snap peas, garlic paste, chili powder, coriander powder, mint leaves, and salt and mix everything well. Cook closed under low flame for 5-10 minutes until the peas are cooked. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

ST ANTONIO’S DIP

ST ANTONIO’S DIP
This is a very interesting recipe made by my friend during our get-together. I was spending the day with her and we came back around 5:30 in the evening. By the time we reached her place, we were very ravenous, so we started preparing non-vegetarian starters. We had our full when we realized that my hubby would be joining us soon and we had not prepared any vegetarian snack for him. My friend made this dip in just 5 minutes and it was served hot with tortilla chips by the time my hubby came home :) I too tried the same dip at home and I added some jalapenos to this to give it some spiciness. This dip has very few ingredients and the taste was a combination of salsa and our regular tomato chutney.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Vidalia onion, big, 1.
2. Diced can tomatoes, 1 can.
3. Tomato sauce.
4. Jalapeños, 2.
5. Garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
6. Salt and pepper as per taste.
7. Cilantro, 1 big bunch.
8. Italian seasonings, ½ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Wash the cilantro well and remove the leaves from the stems. Dice the onion into big pieces and deseed the jalapenos and dice them finely. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the diced onions and sauté them for a few minutes until they turn translucent. Now add the garlic paste, cilantro, and the jalapeños and sauté them for a few more minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and the seasoning and let everything cook for a few more minutes until the dip reaches the desired consistency. Garnish with cilantro and serve the dip with any kind of chips or crackers.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN STRIPS

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN STRIPS AND AN AWARD
This is my friend’s recipe. I tried making a few changes and ended up completely changing the whole method. In the original method, my friend dipped the marinated chicken in eggs, rolled them in bread crumbs, and then fried them in butter. I got the wacky idea of substituting the eggs with ground flaxseed and since ground flaxseed was a healthy substitution, I thought why not to bake the chicken instead of shallow frying them in butter. My chicken did turn out pretty good. It tasted like the original version, the strips were crispy, and wow…I just made a healthy fried chicken :)

I am sending my recipe to The Potluck Chicken” hosted my dear friend Viki from http://elitefoods.blogspot.com/.

Now coming back to the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1. White meat chicken breasts, 4, medium-sized ones.
2. Ground flaxseed, 2 tablespoons.
3. Whole wheat bread crumbs, 1-1/2 cups.
4. Salt and pepper as per taste.
5. Vinegar, 1 tablespoon, (optional).

PREPARATION:
Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar to the chicken pieces and let them marinade for an hour. They can also be left overnight in the fridge to let the marinade soak in throughout the chicken. Prepare a paste with the ground flaxseed by adding ½ cup of water. It should be thick enough to coat the chicken strips. Create a work station by arranging a well-greased cookie sheet first, followed by a bowl filled with the bread crumbs, the ground flaxseed paste next, and the chicken strips after them. Take the chicken strips, dip them in the ground flaxseed paste, and then coat them with the bread crumbs. Arrange the strips on the cookie sheet leaving sufficient space between each strip. Spray all the pieces with any nonstick cooking spray and bake them at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes depending upon the thickness of the chicken strips used. Serve hot with tomato sauce or ketchup.

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
This recipe is from my dear friend. We met a few months back and have been very close since then. This stuffed cabbage rolls recipe is from her. We had a get-together last week and she prepared this for us. We cooked a lot of other dishes too like St. Antonio’s dip (I’ll post that recipe soon), Egyptian-style prawns, prawn bajjis, channa masala, vegetable briyani, dhal, baby potato fry, and brownie pudding. My dear friend had prepared these cabbage rolls twice for us since we loved it so much.

This traditional Egyptian recipe does take a lot of time and patience to prepare but the result is simply amazing. You have to try this one to see what I am saying ;)

INGREDIENTS:
1. Cabbage, 1 big head.
2. Regular rice, 2 cups. (Basmati rice does not go well with these rolls).
3. Dill leaves, 1 small bunch.
4. Tomato sauce, 2 small cans.
5. Cilantro, 1 big bunch.
6. Serrano chilies, 2.
7. Salt as per taste.

PROCEDURE:
Wash the cilantro and dill and chop them finely and keep aside. Dice the Serrano chilies finely (the seeds can be removed if you prefer a less-spicy version). Wash the whole head of the cabbage. Heat a big pot with 7-8 cups of water. When the water starts to boil, put the cabbage into the pot and blanch for 5-10 minutes. Remove it from the water and let it cool. Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the chopped herbs and the chilies and fry everything for a few seconds. Then add 1 can of tomato sauce along with salt and mix well. When the sauce starts to bubble, add 2 cups of rice and keep sautéing the rice until the rice has soaked up all the liquid and turns dry. Switch off the stove and let it cool.

Using tongs, remove the leaves of the cabbage one by one. Take one leaf and place around 1 teaspoon of the rice into the leaf. Start rolling the cabbage from the other end. The rolling should be tight. Arrange the rolls in the pot side by side without stacking them. When all the rolls have been placed in the pot, pour another can of tomato sauce with 2-3 cups of water gently over the rolls and add chopped cilantro over the top. Close the pot and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes until the rice is cooked and serve hot.

TOMATO SOUP WITH BARLEY AND PASTA

TOMATO SOUP WITH BARLEY AND PASTA
I made this soup for lunch for myself as my husband was away on a business trip. I wanted something spicy and filling in one pot. The time taken to make this soup was less than 15 minutes. I just sautéed the veggies and added the barley and whole wheat pasta in the end. It turned out pretty good. I did save some of this soup my husband and he too loved this soup.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Canned tomatoes, 1 medium-sized can.
2. Red onion, medium-size, 1.
3. Baby spinach leaves, 1 cup.
4. Fresh basil, a handful
5. Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon.
6. Chili powder, ½ teaspoon.
7. Garlic, 3 cloves.
8. Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon.
9. Barley, ¼ cup.
10. Any whole-grain pasta, ½ cup.
11. Water or broth, 4 cups.
12. Salt and pepper as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Dice the onion finely and crush the garlic cloves coarsely. Heat some oil in a pot. When the oil is hot enough, put the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes and let everything cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is blended. Add 4 cups of water along with the chili powder, seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper, and barley and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Once the barley is cooked, add the pasta to the soup and mix well. Let it cook for a few more minutes until the pasta is al-dente. Add the baby spinach leaves and mix everything well and switch off the stove. The heat from the soup will start wilting the spinach. Stir in some torn basil leaves and ladle the soups into serving bowls and serve hot with any crusty bread.

BROCCOLI STALKS PORIYAL

BROCCOLI STALKS PORIYAL
Broccoli stalks poriyal is completely new to me. Usually I used to discard the stems while making broccoli salads. I got this idea when I saw a show of Chef Jacques Pippin. He used chopped broccoli stalks while preparing risotto. I am sure it must have tasted good because this poriyal did not taste anything like broccoli at all. Even people who are not big fans of broccoli (like my hubby) are sure to like this one. I prepared this healthy poriyal to go as a side dish with rice, kozumbu, okra fry, and pappads. It was a yummy meal :)

INGREDIENTS:
1. Broccoli stalks from 3 large heads.
2. Onion, small, 1.
3. Green chilies, 1-2 depending upon spice level.
4. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
5. Urad dhal, ½ teaspoon.
6. Ginger-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon, (optional).
7. Salt as per taste.
8. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.

PREPARATION:
Remove the green part from the broccoli stalks and cut them into small bite-size pieces. Dice the onion finely and slit the green chilies into two. Heat a pan with a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the urad dhal and fry for a few seconds until it turns brown. Add the diced onions and green chilies and sauté for a few minutes until they are tender. Then add ginger-garlic paste and the cut broccoli stalks and mix everything well. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water along with salt and cook closed under low flame for 5-7 minutes until everything is cooked and turns dry. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro and serve with rice or rotis.

EGG KURMA-HEALTHIER VERSION

EGG KURMA-HEALTHIER VERSION
Egg kurma with idlis and dosas is a favorite weekend breakfast for us. I have already posted the original egg kurma recipe MIL used to make in my initial post. Sometimes when I am with my in-laws, my MIL used to make this dish for my husband on Sundays since he is a vegetarian, while there will be some non-vegetarian dish as a side dish for the rest of us carnivores. I rarely make egg kurma these days since we started cutting down on carbs and fat in our diet. Recently I tried substituting the coconut with walnuts and used egg whites instead of whole eggs and the taste and color of this kurma was similar to the original full-fat recipe. In fact, this version was also very creamy. This is a very heart-healthy dish too. Even my mom started making chicken kurma this way. For my vegetarian friends, the same method can be used for vegetable kurma.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Onion, medium-sized, 1.
2. Tomato, 1.
3. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
4. Cinnamon, 1 small stick.
5. Fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon.
6. Bay leaf, 1.
7. Egg Beaters or egg whites, 1 cup.
8. Walnuts, ¼ cup.
9. Chili powder, 2 teaspoons.
10. Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
11. Turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon.
12. Salt, as per taste.
13. Curry leaves and cilantro for seasoning.

PREPARATION:
Beat the egg whites with a fork and keep aside. Grind the walnuts into a smooth paste. A teaspoon of poppy seeds can also be added along with the walnuts while grinding. Dice the onion and tomato finely. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and fry them for 1 minute. Add the chopped onion and tomato and sauté for few minutes. Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute until everything is well blended. Add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and fry for a minute until the raw smell of the spices goes. Add walnut paste with 1-1/2 cup of water with salt and cook over a medium flame for 10 minutes. When the kurma starts to thicken, pour spoonfuls of the egg whites into the kurma. Don’t mix the gravy after the egg whites are poured into the gravy. They will start to float on the top as they cook. Cook them closed for 5 more minutes. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro and serve hot with idlis or dosas.

Variation: A spoonful of garam masala powder can also be used in place of the whole spices.