Breakfast Casserole

Eggs - 6
Skim milk - 1/4 cup
Red Pepper - 1
Broccoli florets- 1/2 cup
Mushrooms - 3
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Red chili flakes - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup (Optional)

Finely chop the vegetables of your choice and saute on low heat until soft. In a bowl, beat the eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Add the veggies, and mix well. Wash the cottage cheese and strain the curds. Add to the batter and mix. At this point, add any additional cheese or toppings of your choice.  Pour the egg mixture into an oven proof dish. Pre-heat the oven to 400F and bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is firm. Remove, cool and cut into 6 servings. This dish be stored in the refrigerator. Just reheat one portion in the microwave for about 40 seconds. 

Cilantro Hummus

Cooked chickpeas - 2 cups
Green Chilis/Jalapenos - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Lemon Juice - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - as required

Blend all the ingredients above with required amount of water until smooth and creamy. Drizzle with some olive oil and serve as a dip or a spread.

Roasted chicken with Brussel Sprouts

Chicken Breasts - 3
Marinade for Chicken:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Grated Ginger and Garlic - 1 1/2 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Brussel Sprouts - 1 lb
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Marinate the chicken breasts in the marinade for 2 hrs. The easiest way to marinate meat is to add the meat and the spices to a large ziploc bag, seal and mix in the bag. Toss the brussel sprouts with salt, pepper and oil. Pre-heat oven to 400F and spread the chicken and vegetables on a baking tray covered with silver foil. Use a non-stick spray or some oil to prevent them from sticking. Bake for 35 to 40 min, until the chicken and the vegetables are cooked through. Check on them and turn them midway, to ensure even cooking.The star in the dish are the sprouts. They are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Baking brings out the best flavor from these mis-judged vegetables.

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich

Roasted veggies are the key to this flavorful sandwich. Roasting them in the oven is time consuming and grilling them on an indoor grill is an easier and quicker option. The only downside would be cleaning the grill after the job's done. However, I think this sandwich is worth the trouble. I used eggplant, Zucchini and red peppers. Any creamy spread or a pesto would work here. Fresh mozzarella and basil would would be a welcome addition, but I didn't have either of them on hand. You can add them to elevate the taste and texture.

Mini loaves/crusty bread rolls - 2

Creamy cheese spread - 2 tbsp

Pesto/Green chutney - 4 tbsp

Small eggplant - 1

Zucchini - 1

Red/Yellow Pepper - 1

Red Onion - 1

Tomato - 1

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Thinly slice the vegetables and toss them with salt, pepper and oil. Pre-heat the grill and grill the veggie until they are tender. Alternately, roast them in a pre-heated 400F oven for 30 to 40 min. Slit the rolls and grill them. Spread the cream cheese and pesto on each half of the grilled rolls. Layer the vegetables and top with mozzarella cheese or some crumbles feta cheese. Serve with dill pickles and chips.

Pear Orange and Mango preserve

This is such an easy recipe. It tastes so much better than the store bought jam, and it tastes really fresh. You can use any fruit you have on hand to make the fruit preserve. Apples, berries, peaches,plums. I had a couple pears, oranges and some mango pieces. It takes very little effort, and yields a lot of preserve too.

Pears/Apples - 2
Oranges - 3
Mango - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1
Sugar - 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Peel and finely chop the fruits. I chopped them using a food processor. You can use a mixie, but they should not be too smooth.The fruit needs to have some texture. In a pan, add the fruit pulp, sugar, 1/2 cup water and a cinnamon stick. Cook on a medium flame, until it thickens and the fruit is cooked. It takes about 30 to 40 min. I used 1 cup sugar, but you can use more if you like it sweeter. When you are happy with the consistency, remove and cool. Store in a air tight jar.

Shredded Mixed Veg Fry

I love my new food processor, and this is one of my favorite dishes to make using the processor. The cabbage and the carrots are shredded really thin. The best part is, greens like spinach, parsley or cilantro are chopped really fine, without turning into a mush. 

Onion - 1 small

Green chilis - 5 to 6 (More if you like heat)

Ginger - 1 inch

Garlic cloves - 4 

Cabbage - 1/2 head

Carrots - 3 medium

Capsicum - 1

Spinach leaves - 3 cups

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Shred all the vegetables in a food processor or with hand. In a pan, heat the oil and splutter the cumin seeds.

Add the sliced onions, green chilis, garlic and ginger. When the onions are soft, add all the other shredded vegetables, and fry till soft. Add salt, and fry till the veggies are cooked through. 

This dish tastes good as a stuffing for wraps, sandwiches or with rotis.

Pumpkin Halwa

What do you do with the pumpkin you carved after Halloween is done? Cook it of course. I shredded the pumpkin, without having a dish in mind. This being my first time cooking a pumpkin, I had 3 dishes in mind. Pumpkin pie, soup or halwa. The obvious choice was a halwa, since I dislike both the pie and the soup. The halwa was delicious, and nobody would guess it was made of pumpkin. I assume this is a pretty healthy Indian sweet, considering that the 75% of the dish was pumpkin.

Shredded/Grated pumpkin - 6 cups
Brown/White sugar - 1 cup (More if you like it sweet)
Condensed milk - 1/2cup
Milk - 1 cup
Cardamom - 5 pods
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Broken cashews - 1/4 cup

In a heavy bottom pan, melt 2 tbsp ghee and add the grated pumpkin. I used the food processor to shred the pumpkin. Cook on low flame, until the pumpkin is soft and reduces in volume. Add the sugar, milk and condensed milk. Stir and cook on low flame, until the mixture thickens and reduces considerably. 

Fry the cashews in the remaining ghee. Add the smashed cardamom and the cashews and ghee to the pan.Cook till the halwa is thick and starts forming a ball. It will not stick to the pan anymore.

Remove onto a greased plate and cool. Form the halwa into any shape of your choice.

This is our summer beach pumpkin.

Baked Perogies

I used store bought frozen perogies. Ravioli and perogies are great from the frozen isle. They are usually boiled, baked or fried and served in different variations. They can be served with pesto, sauces, or just sauteed with some butter and veggies. I baked them, to add some texture and served them with sauteed peppers and olives. Although I made these for dinner, they will make great appetizers.

Frozen Perogies - 12 (Any filling of your choice)
Onion - 1 small
Garlic cloves - 2
Sweet red peppers - 2 small
Jalapeno - 1
Olives - 10 to 12
Salt - to taste
lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Pre-heat the oven to 400F and line the frozen perogies on a baking sheet. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, turning them half way through. They will puff up and turn golden brown.
Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces and slice the olives.
In a pan, heat the oil, and add the chopped veggies. Cook till soft and add the olives, salt, pepper and lemon.
Arrange the perogies in a serving dish, and top with the sauteed veggies.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Mysore Pak

My mom makes crazy good Mysore Pak. This is her recipe, and it uses a lot less ghee than many other versions out there. They are really soft and melt in your mouth. I am not a fan of sweets, but I must admit these taste divine. This sweet needs a lot of ghee, and skimping on it will change the taste and texture. We made these for diwali, and shared them with friends and family. 

Gram Flour/Besan - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup

Dry fry the besan until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside. In a vessel, melt the ghee and set aside.

In a pan, add the sugar and 1/4 cup water. When the sugar melts and come to a boil, check if it reaches a 1 string consistency. Slowly add the besan and mix well. Stir well without any lumps and keep stirring.

Add the ghee 1 tbsp at a time, while stirring. When the ghee is done, the mixture will start to leave the sides of the pan, and will start to bubble. 

Grease a shallow bowl or plate and remove the mixture into the greased plate.

Smooth the surface and cool.

When the mixture cools a bit, cut into squares and cool completely.

Remove and store in an air tight container.

Bhel Upma (Sauteed puffed rice)

Bhel/Puffed Rice - 5 cups
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 4
Potato - 1 small
Mixed vegetables - 2 cups (Carrot/Corn/Peas/Beans)
Ginger - 1 inch
Lemon - 1/2
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cilantro - few sprigs
Cumin + Mustard seeds - 1 tsp each

Finely chop the onions and green chilis. Dice the vegetables and potato into bite sized pieces. I used chopped frozen veggies. In a pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard and cumin seeds. Add the onions, green chilis, peanuts and finely chopped ginger. When the onions are soft, add the rest of the vegetables and fry till cooked through. 

In a large colander or bowl, add the bhel and fill with water. Let it soak for a few minutes. Squeeze and set aside.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the bhel and salt. Mix well and saute for a couple minutes.

 Squeeze the lemon, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Bell Pepper Masala

What do you do when you open the refrigerator and all you find is 2 bell peppers, a big tomato and a bag of spinach? Green rice and bell pepper gravy of course. I did not any onions either, but nobody knew the difference. I pureed the tomato with some coconut, a few peanuts and some poppy seeds. It's a very simple and a quick meal. Perfect for last minute guests who drop in without notice. They would think you slogged in the kitchen for hours. 

Bell Pepper masala:

Bell Peppers (Green/Red) - 2

Tomatoes - 2 small

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Coconut powder/grated - 3 tbsp

Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp (optional)

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Dice the bell peppers into 1 inch pieces. In a pan, add the oil and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the bell peppers and fry till soft. In a smaller pan, dry fry the poppy seeds, coconut and peanuts. Powder these in a mixie jar. To the same jar, add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, garam masala and the tomatoes. Puree them and add to the pan with the bell peppers. Cook till the gravy is cooked through and it thickens. Serve with rice or rotis.

The recipe for the green rice is from my blog. I just skipped the onions and added 1/2 cup frozen peas.