BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is a fool proof recipe for the Pizza base. It comes out perfect every time and Pizza nights have become a regular in our home for a family or a friends night. I use Instant Yeast and there is no resting time required for this yeast. However, I do rest the dough for a half hour and this makes it soft and easy to work with. 

I Grilled some chicken breast and used Store bought BBQ sauce. My favorite is the Devil's Spit BBQ sauce and it's delicious. However, any BBQ sauce of your choice will work well here.

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust:

All Purpose Flour - 2 Cups

Instant Yeast - 1 Envelope  Flieschmann's Pizza Crust Instant Dry Yeast

Sugar - 1 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Water - 2/3 Cup Warm 

Toppings:

Chicken Breast Cut into Cubes - 3/4 Cup

BBQ Sauce - 1 Cup

Red Onion - 1/2 

Black Olives - 1/2 Cup

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 Cup

Mix the Yeast, Sugar and Salt in warm water and leave it for 2 min. Add to the Flour with oil and mix well. The dough will be slightly sticky. Cover and rest in a warm place for 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, cut some chicken breast into small cubes and sauté with some salt and pepper. Add a Tbsp of the BBQ sauce and sauté will cooked through.

Chop the Red Onion into Cubes.

Once the dough has rested for 1/2 hour, preheat the oven to 425F.

Use some dry flour and roll the dough into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick round base. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes until the base is cooked 1/2 way through. This is the secret to baking a perfect pizza base.

Remove and add spread the BBQ sauce on the base and top with chicken, olives, red onions and bake again for 4 min. Remove and top with the shredded cheese and bake again for 4 min.

Remove and let it rest for a minute before slicing it. Serve hot.

Baken Eggplant Casserole

Eggplant is a tricky vegetable and most people have a love/hate relationship with it. I am non-committal with this veggie and I neither like or dislike it, but this is certainly a dish that masks it beautifully. The Marinara and the Cheese brings out the fleshy and meaty texture without the actual taste of the eggplant that people seem to dislike.

The big eggplants work best for the dish as they are soft and cook quickly.

Pair this with a bowl of Mac and Cheese or a Salad and it's a hearty dish for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
Large Eggplant - 1
Marinara Sauce - 1 Cup
Shredded Cheese - 1/2 Cup
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Slice the Eggplant into thin 1/2 inch rounds. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
If you are not a fan, I suggest you peel the eggplant and then continue with the recipe. After a few minutes, wash and set aside.

Heat up a flat pan on medium heat and drizzle some oil and place the slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook till it starts to brown. Turn and cook on the other side for a couple more minutes. The eggplants do not need to cook completely through.

In a baking dish, add a couple Tbsp of Marinara on the bottom. Layer the eggplant slices and top with more marinara. Spread into a thin layer and sprinkle some cheese. I had a mixed Shredded Cheese of Pepper Jack and Mozzarella.
Repeat until all the eggplant slices are done.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the dish is cooked through. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with Crusty Bread and a Salad or something hearty like Mac and Cheese.

Mini Pizzas with Naan/Pita/Arabic Bread

This is my dinner routine on most days. Go into the kitchen half an hour before we eat. Find what's in the pantry and think of a quick 15 to 20 minute dish with the available ingredients. 

Here' what I had - Pita Bread, Mushrooms and some shredded cheese. What do you make with those? Pizza! It's better to use Sautéed Vegetables since these will bake in no time.

If you have some Marinara sauce, it works. Else some sautéed tomatoes, any Tomato sauce or Ketchup, Pizza Sauce will work here.

Ingredients:
Naan/Pita/Arabic Bread - 1 per person. 2 if you are realllly hungry.
Sautéed Vegetables - Mushrooms, Red Bell Peppers or any other veggies of your choice
Pizza Sauce/Marinara Sauce - 1/4 Cup per mini Pizza
Shredded Cheese - 3 Tbsp per Pizza

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Spread the Pizza Sauce on the base, top with veggies and sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for about 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted through.

Remove, top with some cilantro and serve hot.

Corn and Oozy Cheesy Rolls

Ingredients:
Crescent Roll Tin - 1
Grated Cheese - 1 Cup
Marinara Sauce - 1 Cup
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 3
Dried Herbs - 1 Tsp
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 Tsp

Open the tin and spread the 8 triangles onto a flat surface. Add 1 tbsp marinara sauce and 1/5 tbsp cheese onto each triangle. Rolls into a circle and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Melt the butter and add the herbs, chili flakes and crushed garlic. Brush on top of the rolls.

Pre-heat oven to 375 and bake for 1o to 12 min until golden on top.

Serve hot as a side.

Mac and Cheese

My little darling wrote his first story. He made up a story about Tom & Jerry, and wrote it for me. It was simple and sweet. I was really thrilled and impressed with it, and decided to make him one of his favorite meals. I asked him to pick a dish, and to my surprise he chose Mac & cheese. Now, this is not one of the dishes he often eats, but it was his choice, so I had to make it. I had none of the ingredients that are needed to make the dish, but I did not want to disappoint him either. So I had to improvise. I had some egg noodles, American cheese singles and bread crumbs. I took a gamble and went with these, but the result was a really flavorful dish, and we did not miss any of the fancy cheeses or the macaroni.

 

Macaroni/ Egg noodles - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp
Flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 3/4 cup
Any grated Cheese - 3/4 cup (I used 3 American cheese singles)
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp

Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package (Usually in a pot of boiling salted water for 8 to 12 min). In a pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk well and cook this golden brown, and the raw smell is gone. Heat the milk in the microwave, and stir slowly into the flour and butter mixture. Whisk really well, in order to avoid any lumps. When the mixture is well incorporated, add the cheese, garlic powder and pepper. Mix well, till the cheese melts and add the pasta. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with some milk. Pour into an  oven safe dish, and top with the bread crumbs. Spray with some cooking spray or drizzle some oil on top, to help with the browning. Bake in a pre-heated 425F oven for 10 to 15 min, until the bread crumbs are golden brown on top. Serve hot.

Farinata - Chickpea flour cake

It's an Italian dish made with chickpea flour. I of course Indianized it. I was not really sure if this would work, so went with minimal toppings. Feel free to use any toppings that you would use on a pizza.

Chickpea flour/Besan - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Green chutney - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1
Red pepper - 1
Mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup

Mix the chickpea flour, water, salt and cumin seeds. Whisk well and let it rest. I did not do this step, so I don't know how much of a difference it makes.
Heat a skilled or a non-stick pan. A skillet is traditionally used for this. Drizzle some olive oil, and pour the batter into the pan. Cook till crisp at the bottom, and turn once. Cook till the other side is cooked through.
Spread some green chutney, and veggies of your choice and cheese.
Pop under a broiler or in a 400F pre-heated oven, till the cheese melts.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Eggplant Parmesan

American Eggplant Large - 1

Marinara sauce - 1 1/2 cups

Mozzarella/Goat cheese - Few slices

Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 2

Milk - 4 tbsp

Seasoned Italian Bread crumbs - 1 cup

Mustard - 1 tbsp

Salt and pepper - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash and slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch discs. In a bowl, break the eggs and add the milk, mustard salt and pepper and whisk until well incorporated. In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and some pepper.

Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture, and then in the crumbs. Remove and set aside. Complete this step with all the slices. on a griddle, drizzle some oil, and fry the slices in a single layer, turning once half way. Cook till crisp on both sides.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F and places the slices on a baking sheet and bake for another 10 min.

On another sheet, place one slice, top with some marinara sauce. Top with another slice and repeat the process for 3 to 4 slices. Top with some mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some parmesan too.

Place in the oven until the cheese melts. I used 1 tbsp crumbled goat cheese for each of the stacks.

When the cheese melts, remove from the oven.

Serve with pasta or a salad.

Tomato baath/Upma

Sooji/Rawa - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Green Chili - 4
Tomatoes - 3
Potato - 1 big
Ginger - 1 inch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin and mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig'
Cashews broken - 3 to 4
Salt - to taste
Water - 3 cups

Chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger and green chilis. Peel and dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces.
In a pan, heat the oil and splutter the cumin and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and cashews.
Add the onions, chilis, ginger and saute till the onions are soft. Add the potatoes and stir fry till half done. Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook till soft and pour the water. When he water starts to boil, reduce heat and stir in the sooji slowly, stirring all the time, to avoid any lumps. Close and turn off the heat in a couple minutes.
Serve with chutney or sambar.

Ravioli with cilantro and basil pesto

Ravioli is available in most grocery stores, and is an ingredient that works great store bought. Just boil them like the regular pasta and serve with a sauce of your choice. I made pesto with cilantro and basil. Although pesto calls for a lot of olive oil, I omit this step. So this could also work as a chutney.

Frozen Spinach and artichoke Ravioli - 1 pack

Cilantro - 1 bunch

Basil - 1 handful leaves

Green chili - 1

Black pepper - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Pinenuts/Peanuts/Almonds - 1/4 cup

Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp

Lemon - 1 tsp

Garlic cloves - 2

Blend all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender with a little water, to a smooth paste.

Boil a large pot of water and salt generously. When the water starts to boil, add the ravioli and cook till tender. Drain and add to the pesto.

Serve topped with some Parmesan cheese. I topped mine with some hot sauce.

Creamy Chicken pasta

I made this pasta with left over butter chicken that I had in my fridge. It is an easy way to use up any leftover creamy gravy. It looks like something you put a lot of effort into, without actually doing it. Comes together in minutes and any kind of a creamy gravy works here.

Left over butter chicken  - 1 cup
Pasta/Egg noodles (Dry) - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Baby spinach leaves - 1 cup
Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp
Black pepper  - 1 tbsp

In a medium pot cook egg noodles in boiling salted water. When pasta is 3 minutes away from being cooked, add in the frozen peas. Cook until vegetables and noodles are tender. Drain and reserve some of the pasta water to dilute the sauce.
In a pan, combine the gravy, pasta, peas and spinach. Dilute with the pasta water.
Cook till the spinach is wilted and the sauce is thick.
Top with the Parmesan cheese and black pepper.
Link to my Butter chicken recipe : Butter Chicken

Mock Carrot Pasta

I came up with this dish while I was peeling a carrot. The peel looked just like a flat noodle. I peeled the entire carrot into thin strips and they looked just like pasta. So I decided to try making a pasta dish with the peeled carrots as the pasta. The dish looked just like any other pasta dish, and it tasted good too. But being just carrots, we were satisfied, but ended up hungry in a couple of hours. So it would work well as a side dish, or as an additional entrée.

Carrots (Large) - 6

Onion - 1

Garlic Cloves - 3

Ginger - 1 inch

Red chilis/Red pepper flakes - 3 to 4

Peanuts - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Black Pepper - 1 tsp

Chopped Cilantro - to garnish

Oil - 1 tsp

Peel the carrots and continue to peel, to get thin strips that look like flat noodles.

Thinly slice the onions and chop the ginger and garlic.

In a non-stick pan, heat the oil and add the red chilis, ginger and garlic.

When they are lightly brown add the onions and cook till they are wilted.

Add the carrots and stir fry till the carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the peanuts and cilantro.

Serve hot.

Ground Turkey and pesto flatbread

I had some left over turkey from a party at a friend's place and some Arabic bread in my refrigerator.

This is what I can up with:




















Ingredients:

Prepared Ground turkey - 1 lb
Pesto or Coriander chutney - 1 cup
Arabic bread, flatbread, pita or naan - 3
Red onion - 1
Salt and pepper - to taste
Raita  - optional

Prepare the turkey anyway you like. (Fry some onions, add ginger garlic paste, masalas, turkey and make a dry and crumbly preparation)
On the flatbread, spoon some pesto or coriander chutney. Sprinkle the turkey, red onions, salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375F and cook for 6 to 8 min until the edges are crisp.
Drizzle with raita and serve.

Spinach and mushroom pizza

My first post on this blog was a pizza. Here's another - Mushroom and spinach pizza with fresh mozzarella. The fresh cheese makes all the difference here. It tastes Delicious.

Pizza Dough: Refer to my Broccoli and Bell pepper pizza

Toppings: Frozen spinach - 1/2 Box

Sliced Button Mushrooms - 1/2 lb

Red onion sliced - 1 small

Marinara or pizza sauce - 1/2 cup

Fresh mozzarella - 1 ball

Black pepper, Red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese  - for topping

Spread the dough on a pizza stone or an aluminium foil.

Spread the marinara sauce on the dough.

Top with the mushrooms, onions, thawed spinach and the sliced fresh mozzarella.

Sprinkle with the black and red pepper and the parmesan cheese.

Bake in a pre heated 400F oven for 12 to 15 min until the crust is golden brown.

Broccoli and pepper pizza

I love pizza, I mean who doesn't? Hubby dear swears that he has an aversion to cheese, but can't resist a good slice of the pie. Now the pizza that we get from any pizzeria is loaded with cheese and calories, and I feel guilty after just a small slice. So to satisfy my cravings, I make it at home. This time I tried to incorporate some thing healthy too, broccoli. I have tried making the base with just whole wheat flour, but that resulted in a pizza that was dense and totally disappointing. So, I found that the best way to make it is with half whole wheat and half all purpose flour.

Method:

All purpose flour: 1 cup

Whole wheat flour: 1 cup

Yeast: 1 packet

salt: 1 tsp

Sugar: 1 tbsp

warm water: to dissolve the yeast

vegetables: your choice

pizza sauce: 3/4 cup (I used store bought marinara sauce)

part skim mozzarella cheese: 1 cup

Base:

In a bowl, add warm water and the yeast, salt and sugar.

Set aside and leave it till the yeast starts to froth.

Now add the flours and knead well.

Spray some olive oil spray in a bowl, and keep the dough in it, covered for about an hour.

The dough should have doubled. Now punch the dough and roll it out.

Toppings:

I had broccoli, onions,peppers and tomatoes.

Spread some pizza sauce on the base, add the vegetables and top it with cheese.

Bake it in a 400F preheated oven for about 22 min.
Don't mind the shape tho :)