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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sweet Crepes


We're visiting SF right now. Late nights with friends followed by a lazy weekend morning. Brunch being redefined as bLunch (since we sat down to eat it closer to 1pm!) Crepes and a quick Fritatta were the stars on this sleepy Sunday morning bLunch. :)

Crepes and Nutella with blueberries. Enough said. Onto the recipe. :)


Makes about 20 crepes and takes about 40 minutes
2.5 cups flour
3 eggs (For vegan option use flax seeds instead. 1 tbsp powdered flax seed whisked with 3 tbsp water per egg)
Pinch of salt
1.5 cups milk (For vegan option use almond milk)
0.5 cups H2o
1 tbsp butter, melted (For vegan option, use coconut oil)
1/2 cup orange liqueur
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp sugar

Mix all the liquids together and beat the eggs in.
Add the salt, sugar and mix well
Start adding the flour and whisk into the liquid mixture a little at a time until all the flour is combined
Let the batter stand atleast a half hour before making the crepes

Use a little butter in a non stick pan and pour a little batter (~5 tbsp) to make a very thin crepe. Twirl the pan around to spread the batter. cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown spots appear.


Serve with a combination of:
Chocolate spreads
Whipped cream
Diced fruit (stawberries, berries)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Coconut Rice



(Thanks Ahmed, for the picture!) :)
Vinay loves coconut rice! This recipe is a variation on an Indian dish. It hails from the Southern states in India where coconut is plentiful. We upped it a notch and use coconut milk to cook the rice for that extra coconutty goodness. This dish pairs well with a curry, fish or chicken entree
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups water
2 cups coconut milk (lite is fine)
1 cup shredded coconut
3 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp curry leaves (optional)
3 tbsp roasted peanuts

Cook rice with water and coconut milk in a rice cooker or a medium heavy pot until rice is done.
Heat 3 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add the cumin , curry leaves, peanuts and saute for 1 minute
Add the shredded coconut and saute 1 minute
Add the cooked rice and mix well
Garnish with cilantro

Persian Raisin Cookies (or Nan-e keshmeshy)

These are my favorites! They are the first Iranian sweets that I learned how to make and they have been perfected many times:) They are light, crisp and the sweetness is just right!

From New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij
Makes: about 50-60 cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups raisins (I used currants)
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour


DIRECTIONS:


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread out wax paper on a cookie sheet.


2. In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, vanilla, and sugar; then add the eggs. Mix well until creamy.

3. Add raisins and mix well.

4. Fold in the flour until a soft dough forms.

5. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter on the wax paper, leaving about 2 inches between each spoonful. I flatten them out a little bit with the spoon to make sure that they bake thinly.

6. Place the cookie sheet in the center of the oven and bake about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. If you see that the sides are getting dark, take them out of the oven.

7. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool. Gently lift the cookies off the wax paper.

You can also add a little bit of lemon or almond extract to the dough, or lemon zest. I've also tried making them with dried cranberries and they turned out really delicious. You could also add nuts if you like. The nice thing is you can really make it with whatever you like! But the traditional way of doing it is like the recipe.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mashed Cauliflowers (with Potato)



I love potatoes. (Who doesnt?) It's the ultimate comfort food and you cant go wrong with it- boiled, baked, fried, roasted, sauteed- anything works!

Last evening we had a head of cauliflower at home that was almost past it's shelf life. But my stomach called for potatoes. Hmm, what to do? So I came up with this concoction- telling myself it's more nutritous than just potatoes. The ricotta cheese (also almost past its shelf life in my fridge) adds some much needed protein to this dish.

Serves 4

2 medium potatoes, peeled and washed
2 cups of cauliflower florets, cut and washed
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
Salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped

Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in salted water for about 20 minutes or until very soft
Mash and whip the potatoes with the cheese, garlic powder, tumeric, salt and black pepper until creamy(Use a hand blender or mixer to do this)
If you like a more creamy texture, add some milk and whip at this point.
Before serving mix in the spring onions.

Simple Arabiatta Sauce

I love arabiatta sauce. It's so easy to make and combines some of my favorite ingredients. Fresh, ripe roma tomatoes goes a long way in bringing this together. The sauce is very versatile- it goes well with penne, spaghetti, ravioli or your favorite pasta!

Serves 2

2 medium roma tomatoes- fresh and ripe (Crushed canned tomatoes- 2 cups will work just as well. If you can find it, use canned San Marzano tomatoes- they are without doubt the best sauce tomatoes in the world!)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
1/3 Yellow or Orange pepper, diced
1/4 cup chianti (Or other full bodied red wine)
Salt to taste
Fresh black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp of good olive oil on medium heat
Add the red chili flakes and garlic, saute on medium low until fragrant
Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down
Add the pepper, basil, the wine and season with salt

Stir in the hot pasta and season with fresh cracked pepper and garnish with pecorino or shaved parmesan cheese

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Split Pea & Ginger Soup

The sniffles brought out the creative genius in me. :) I was looking for a 2-in-1 hearty soup that could:
1. Battle a cold
2. Fill my (bottomless) stomach

I think I achieved just that with this hearty soup.

1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups carrots, chopped
*2 inch stick fresh ginger, chopped
*4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup green split peas, washed
4 cups vegetable stock (Click on the link for a home made stock recipe)
*1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cilantro
*2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste

Boil the split peas in about 4 cups of water until cooked. (I use a rice cooker and about 2 cups of water to do this)

Saute the onions, ginger and garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil for a couple minutes.
Add the spices and stir for a couple minutes
Add the tomatoes and carrots, saute for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat
Add in the cooked split peas and mix well.
Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
Heat the stock in a pot and mix in the puree
Add salt to taste
Stir in the cilantro and heat through
Stir in the lemon juice.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt or feta cheese and some *fresh cracked black pepper.

*Natural cold-fighting super foods!

Homemade Stock concentrate

My (only- (a story for another blog post)) friend Ash, tried out the Spicy Thai soup I'd made when he visited us with a long lasting cold. He had a couple comments which I incorporated into the recipe and also mentioned that we should try making our own stock. In my mind stock was always something you slaved over- bringing meat and bones to a boil and having to wait hours until you had something flavorful. And then what would you do with it? My freezer barely has enough space to contain left overs, nuts, spices and the myriad sweet nothings (read ice cream)!

But it got me thinking. Here I am, a pseudo vegetarian- trying to come up with healthy easy recipes for vegetarian cooking! Why couldn't I come up with a good vegetarian stock on my own? A concentrated version that would lend itself to being frozen perhaps?

Voila! I give you- vegetable stock cubes. Well they become cubes once you freeze them. And they should stay good in the freezer for about 3 months.

5 oz zucchini (or your favorite flavorful vegetable, mushroom anything!)
4 oz carrot, chopped
2 oz red pepper, chopped
2 oz green pepper, chopped
2 oz sun-dried tomatoes (or tomato paste)

3 oz red onion
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 oz ginger, minced

1 oz mint, chopped (or basil, rosemary or any fresh herb whose flavor you fancy)
1 oz cilantro, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric
4 oz kosher salt

In a saute pan heat 2 tbsp of good quality extra virgin olive oil
Add the cumin and coriander seeds and roast on medium low heat for a couple minutes
Add the onions, garlic, ginger and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes
Mix in the turmeric and salt
Add the vegetables (except tomato) and saute about 5 minutes

In a dry food processor, mince the herbs
Add the tomatoes/paste and process a couple seconds until combined
Add the vegetable mix and process until smooth

Freeze this in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer cubes to a zip lock bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

To use: 1 cube for 1 cup of water. Add salt as necessary.

Uses: Soups, Risottos, Curries ... any recipe that calls for broth.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Simple Spaghetti

This is a simple yet sophisticated version of my favorite pasta dish. Growing up, I have fond memories of a bowl of hot spaghetti with just butter and salt/pepper.

Use the freshest ingredients you can find for this- it really does make a difference when the dish is so simple.

Half package of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to instructions on packet
1/2 cup pasta water
1 tsp red pepper flakes
5 large cloves garlic, chopped finely
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
Salt and Fresh cracker pepper, to taste
1 cup basil, chopped finely
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, good quality

Heat the oil on low-medium heat and toss in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for about 5 minutes until the oil is fragrant and garlic is slightly browned. Be careful not to over brown the garlic or the oil will be bitter.

Turn off the heat and pour the oil into the spaghetti. Add the pasta water, salt, lemon juice, basil, zest and pepper. Toss until well coated. Serve with a dusting of freshly grated/shaved parmesan cheese (For vegan option, use nutritional yeast)

You can also add some chopped sun dried tomatoes and roasted pine nuts to the pasta just before serving.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Frittata



Makes 6 servings and takes about 30 minutes including prep time.

I love eggs for breakfast. But these days I rarely get to eat them! Weekday mornings are too hurried. And weekends? Well, lets just say I get to bed by 3am so a 'breakfast' is never in the cards!

This recipe will make for the star in a lovely brunch served up with fresh bread and smashed potatoes in a skillet. Or simple crepes! Yumm-O!

10 large eggs
1 medium red onion, chopped fine
2 medium potatoes, very thinly sliced
1 serrano pepper or 1/2 jalapeno or 1 thai chili minced
1/2 large green pepper, chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup spinach, frozen is ok
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
A couple large pinches of flour (about 1/2 tbsp)
3 tbsp milk

3/4 cup mozzarella or feta or parmesan cheese (reduced fat/fat free is ok)

Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup basil (cilantro or parsley will work fine too!), roughly chopped

Saute the onions and potatoes on medium heat in 1 tbsp of olive oil until almost done
Add the chili, garlic, cumin and peppers. Saute for a few minutes until soft.
Squeeze excess water from spinach and add to the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with salt to taste.
Add the flour and milk and whisk for about 3 minutes. (Doing this makes a nice fluffy omelet!)
Immediately pour into the saute pan and turn heat to medium-low
Cook for about 5 minutes and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs flows to the sides
Turn on the broiler to medium high and place the plan under the flame for about 2 minutes or until egg is almost set.
Remove from broiler and add the cheese evenly across the frittata
Place under broiler again for about 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown
Garnish with chopped herbs, black pepper. Cut into slices and serve.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Paneer Kebabs


Paneer is basically cottage cheese. It is made by adding lemon or vinegar to boiled milk. The curds are then seperated and 'hung' to dry.

In the summer I make these kebabs pretty often for camping trips or barbecues. It's a hit among even the most staunch NON vegetarians! :-) They taste best if cooked over a wood/charcoal fire but you can do it on the stove as well!

Firm paneer, about 4 cups
Yogurt, 2 cups
Ginger paste, 1 tbsp
Garlic paste, 2 tbsp
Tikka Masala or Garam Masala, 2 tbsp
Chili powder, 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander powder, 2 tbsp
Cumin powder, 1 tbsp
Kosher or other coarse grain salt, to taste
Lemons- about 2, cut into wedges

Add all the spices to the yogurt in a bowl and whisk until combined
Cut the paneer into 1 inch thick slices and poke each slice with a fork a couple times
Dip each slice into the yogurt mixture and place in a container
Pour the remaining yogurt over the paneer slices and marinate over night

Skewer the kebabs (with other vegetables like peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini) and cook over fire/barbeque for a couple minutes on each side or until browned.

Or ...

Place a grill pan on the stove and bring to medium heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray and place the paneer pieces on the pan. Cook for a couple minutes on either side.

Or ...

Cook in a pre heated (375F) toaster oven for 10-15 minutes and then broil for a couple minutes until browned

Serve with mint-cilantro chutney, yogurt dips and lemon wedges.

Peanut Tomato Chutney

I first tasted this in Bangalore at a friends place. This chutney goes well with bread or dosas!

1 cup roasted peanuts
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium/big onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 dried red chili (or 1 hot Thai chili, sliced)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt
Juice of one lemon
H2o
Toasted sesame oil, 1 tbsp

In a hot pan, add the toasted sesame oil and heat
Add the onions and stir until lightly brown
Add the split chili, peanuts and the garlic, stir for a couple minutes
Add the spices, salt and stir for about 2 minutes
Add the tomatoes, stir and cook until soft

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth; to mimic the consistency of peanut butter add about a half cup of water. Mix in the juice of one lemon.

Nutty Carrot Pudding

There's nothing crazy about this pudding, unless you think, "Boy, it's crazy that something so tasty is so easy to make!"

A dutch oven or a heavy pot will go a long way in making this even easier!

2 lbs carrots, washed, peeled and grated
4 cups milk, reduced fat is ok (For vegan option, use almond milk)
2 cups ricotta cheese, reduced fat is ok (For vegan option, use coconut CREAM)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 cloves, ground
2 tbsp honey or cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup toasted, slivered almonds or pine nuts
1 tbsp butter (optional)
2 tbsp rose water (optional)
2 tbsp toasted coconut (optional)

Put the heavy pot on the stove, add the milk and bring to a medium heat.
Add the carrots, honey and salt, stir.
Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes
Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes or until liquid has reduced by 60%
Add the ricotta and mix well. Cook uncovered on medium low heat until the mixture is almost dry (but still moist and sticky) (About 20 minutes)
Turn off the heat and add the cardomom, clove, nuts, butter and rose water. Mix well.

Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream and some honey and nuts drizzled on top!