Breakfast Hash

I have several Brunch recipes on the blog with Eggs. This is a quick, simple and not such a pretty but delicious one pot meal.

Ingredients:
Red Potatoes - 3
Bell Pepper - 1
Red Onion - 1/2
Salt - To Taste
Red Chili Flakes - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper - 1 Tsp
Garlic - 4 Cloves Crused
Oil - 1 tbsp
Spring Onion - 1
Eggs - 3

Cube the potatoes, onion and bell pepper into 1 inch pieces. Boil the potatoes till tender. Don not peel.
In a pan, heat the oil, add the garlic, chili flakes and sauté for 10 seconds. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté till half done. Add the potatoes and the salt, black pepper and red chili. Sauté till the potatoes are golden brown at the edges. Move the hash to the sides and make a well in the middle.
Add a little more oil, break the eggs in the center. Season with salt and pepper and scramble them.

Mix everything and top with chopped Spring Onion. Sprinkle some cheese on top if you desire and drizzle some Sriracha.

Paneer/Chicken Enchiladas

A good dish for a nice dinner with friends. It's one of those dishes, that works good served by itself. A side salad and my quick nachos from my earlier post would make this a complete and impressive meal. I made this for my friends who were visiting this weekend, and they were really impressed.

I got store bought enchilada sauce, but it tasted really bad, so I made it from scratch. The re fried beans however taste really good from the can. Taco bell's re fried beans work really well here.

Update: I made this dish again with paneer instead of chicken. It tasted really good too. Just substitute the chicken with panner. The rest of the process is the same.

Chicken Filling:
Ground chicken/Paneer - 1 pound
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Taco seasoning - 1 pack
Salt - to taste
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - few sprigs
Oil - 1 tbsp

In a pan, add the oil and fry the chopped onions and green chilis. When soft ad the chicken/Paneer and fry till slightly browned. Add the taco seasoning, cumin powder, salt, red chili powder and fry till done. Add the chopped cilantro and keep aside.

Enchilada sauce:
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chicken stock/Water - 1/2 cup

Simmer all the ingredients together until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Re fried beans - 1 Can
Flour tortillas - 6
Onion - 1 chopped
Cilantro - small bunch - chopped
Sharp cheddar cheese - 1 pack grated

Heat the tortillas on a pan until heated through. lay them on a chopping board and spoon 2 tbsp of re fried beans on each of the tortillas and spread evenly. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the chicken/Paneer filling on each of the tortillas and top with onions, cilantro and some cheese.
Roll the tortillas and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spoon the sauce on the tortillas and cover evenly. Spread the grated cheese on top and bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 15 to 20 min.
The tortillas will start to get crisp at the ends and the cheese will be melted and bubbly.
Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.

It is well worth the effort as this is a really tasty dish.

Spinach Rice

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Spinach leaves - 4 to 5 cups (Tightly packed)
Green chilis - 4
Salt - to taste
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
(Whole masalas - 2 Cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 star anise)
Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cilantro/Mint leaves - handful
Saunf/Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups

Puree half the spinach leaves and finely chop the rest of the spinach, mint and coriander leaves.
Wash the rice and soak in the water for 10 to 15 min.
In a pan with a tight lid, heat the oil and splutter the saunf.
Add the whole masalas, followed by the sliced onions and chilis.
Fry till soft and add the chopped leaves and ginger garlic paste.
Fry till fragrant and add the pureed spinach. Add the rice with the water and check for salt.
Turn up the heat and when the water starts boiling, close the lid and reduce the flame to really low.
Cook for about 20 to 30 min, until a nice aroma fills the kitchen.
Open and check for doneness of the rice.

Serve with raita or side of your choice.

Stir-fry bread

I learnt this dish from my aunt. She made it for us a long time back, and I remember we thought it was very fancy back then. She would fry the sliced bread in some ghee, for taste and texture. I used crusty bread here, hence avoided this step. Trust me, this is a great carb fix.

French baguette/Any crusty bread - 1/2 loaf
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Heat the oil in a pan.
Bell pepper - 1
Tomato - 1
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup - 1/4 cup
Hot sauce - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Break the bread into bite sized pieces. Slice the onions, garlic, green chilis and capsicum.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, and green chilis. Add the capsicum and fry till soft.
Slit the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds. Add to the pan, and add the hot sauce, soy sauce, ketchup and salt. Add the bread pieces and mix till the bread is coated well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

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.

Tortilla crusted Chicken with roasted red pepper sauce

This dish is inspired from the prevention magazine. It's a light and protein packed meal. The sauce compliments the chicken well.

Crushed tortilla chips - 1 cup
Chicken breasts - 2
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2

Sauce:
Roasted red peppers - 2 whole
Salt and black pepper powder - to taste
Cream - 2 tbsp
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Basil - few leaves
Garlic clove - 1

Clean and pat dry the chicken breasts. Break the eggs and mix them with some salt and black pepper.
Crush the tortilla chips with hand, or place them in a bag an run a roller over the bag. Mix in  the red chili powder, garlic powder and some salt with the crushed chips. Keep in mind the chips are salty too.
Spray a baking pan with some non-stick cooking spray or spread a few drops of oil. Dip the breasts in the eggs, and then into the crushed chips. Place on the baking pan.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F and cook for about 20 min, until they are cooked through. Turn midway.
Remove and let them rest for a few min, then slice them.

Roasted red pepper sauce:
Blend all the ingredients for the sauce. I used store bought roasted peppers. Alternately, roast the red peppers  under the broiler until charred. Peel and use here.

Serve the chicken over the sauce.

Cracked Wheat with Veggies

Ingredients:

Cracked Wheat - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic cloves - 3
Peanuts - a handful
Carrots - 2
Broccoli florets - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Green chili's - 4
Green Bell Pepper - 1 small
Salt - to taste

Cut the carrots into 1/2 inch rounds and slice the onions and chili's. Mince the ginger and garlic.
In a pan, heat the oil. Splutter the mustard seeds, add the peanuts, ginger and garlic.
Add the chopped onions and green chili's.
Fry for a couple minutes and add the carrots, bell pepper and broccoli.
Cook till soft, and add the salt. Add the water.
When the water starts boiling, add the cracked wheat slowly.
Stir and reduce the heat. Close lid and turn off after 5 min.
Open the lid and fluff with a fork.
Garnish with cilantro.