Be A.W.E.D with Chile Relleno May 10, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 AWED is a great concept and kicking it off with Mexican food is even better…Kudos to DK for coming up with the idea. Mexico is only ONE latitude apart from India in the world map , and no wonder a lot of the ingredients we use in Indian food are also part of the Mexican cuisine. For example, tamarind or tamarindo, coconut (did you know that there is coconut candy similar to the coconut burfi?), cumin, cilantro or coriander leaves……. My contribution to AWED is a Chile Relleno with a Chipotle Black Bean sauce that G and I made a few months ago. We make this for our friends and they absolutely love it….Enjoy!

 

Ricotta Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Pie April 22, 2008

Before leaving for my three week vacation to India, I had to finish this fat free ricotta cheese I’d bought with the intentions of making cheesecake. I knew I didn’t have enough time to finish the cheesecake and so decided to use the Ricotta for a dinner entree. I found this 0 Trans Fat pie crust in Safeway and thought of making a savory pie for dinner.

What You Need

For the Pie

1. 1 Pie Crust
2. 1 Small Tub Fat Free Ricotta cheese
3. 1 Cup Eggbeaters
4. 1/2 a packet Frozen Spinach, thawed and excess water drained
5. 1/2 a packet Frozen Artichok, thawed
6. Chili flakes to taste
7. 1-2 tsp Lime juice
8. Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce:

- 3 ChoppedTomatoes - 1 Fire roasted red bell pepper, chopped - 1/4 Can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - salt to taste

How its done

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix the pie ingredients 2 through 8.
3. Prepare the pie crust as per instructions on the package and the put the mixture from step 1 and bake for about 20- 30 minutes till you see it browning on top.
4. While its baking, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped tomatoes to it. Once the tomatoes are semi-cooked, add the fire roasted bell pepper and the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes till the flavors meld. Turn off heat and blend with a hand blender.

Cheese and pastry- it has to be good….it was really good with the spicy sauce!!

Savory Bread Pudding February 23, 2008

When one thinks of bread pudding, the sweet cinnamony twin of my dish comes to mind. I like my muffins, pancakes and waffles for brunch and sometimes, dinner..but a savory bread pudding is an anytime meal! It can be a great brunch for a lazy weekend or a one dish dinner. 

What you need

• 4-5 Slices of whole grain bread (I used Trader Joe’s Sprouted grain bread)
• 2 Cups of non-fat milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped olives
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 1 Tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup of 2% mixed shredded cheese
• 1/2 Cup of shaved parmesan cheese

How its done

1. Dice the onions and the bell peppers- the bell pepper dices can be a bit chunky
2. Heat a fry pan and add the olive oil to it. When the oil heats up, add the onions and saute till transparent, add the chopped bell peppers and season lightly with salt and pepper (I say slightly because you will be adding olives and the cheeses that have salt in them- a pinch should be enough), till the peppers are half cooked. Add the olives and turn off the heat. Set aside and let cool.
3. Shred the slices of bread in a bowl. Add the milk. Since this recipe doesn’t have egg, take care that the milk is just enough to really moisten the bread. Too much milk will make the pudding soggy.
4. Add the shredded cheese and the cooled vegetable mixture and mix well.
5. Cover and let sit in the fridge for about 3-4 hours (or overnight, if making for brunch).
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
7. Spray a baking dish with butter flavored spray or regular cooking oil and put the bread mixture in the dish. Top with the parmesan cheese and bake for about 35-40 minutes till you see a crust form on the sides and the cheese is all melty. Switch of the heat and let cool.

Serve warm with your favorite TV series!

This is my contribution to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle for February:

Black Bean and Vegetable Grilled Sandwich February 12, 2008

           Ever so often, we like to have a toasted or grilled sandwich for dinner. Its a break from the routine of rice or chapati. For me, the challenge is always to find ways of getting more protein in our predominantly vegetarian diet. So, what would add some protein and not just be veggies and cheese? Well, I could make something with black beans, edamame, chickpeas, lentils….but they need to be in a form conducive to be situated between two slices of bread and not fall apart…hmmmm…I’d bought a can of Trader Joe’s Fat Free Refried Beans with Jalapenos, maybe I could use that to come up with some kind of a patty….

What You Need 

•  1/2 a Can of Trader Joe’s Fat Free Refried Beans with Jalapeno peppers(or any other kind of refried beans you prefer)
• 1 Cup of Edamame
• 1/2 Cup of grated or finely diced carrots
• 3 Tbsps of chopped cilantro
• 1/2 Tsp of Cumin powder
• 1/2 Tsp of Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs plus a cup for coating
• 2 Lite Cheddar cheese sticks
• 4 slices of bread (a Whole Wheat or sprouted grain bread-no white bread, please)
• Cooking oil spray

For Topping

• 1 Onion, cut in half moons
• 1 Green bell pepper, also cut in half moons
• 1 1/2 Tsps of Olive Oil (or any olive oil based dipping oil you have at hand)
• salt and pepper to taste

How its done 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
2. Chop the cheese sticks into small cubes (about 3-a-piece)
3. Take a 1 gallon ziplock bag and put the chopped onion and bell pepper to it. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Seal the bag and squish the bag around so all the vegetables are coated in the oil and salt. Set aside till the oven is hot. 
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the onion-pepper mix so its in one layer and pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes, till the onions and pepper are well grilled and browning.
5. While thats roasting, lets make the rest of the sandwich. Take a mixing bowl and mix the first 6 ingredients till it all holds together in a ball.
6. Divide the mixture into two and shape into patties. Stuff the patties with the cheese cubes and ensure that they are well covered with the bean mix.
7. Coat the patties with some breadcrumbs.
8. Heat a non-stick fry pan and spray some cooking spray on it (I use Misto which allows me to use my cooking oil)
9. Put one patty on the hot pan and let it set. DO NOT MOVE THE PATTY-this will ensure a crisp crust is formed. after about 5 minutes flip to the other side and again, DO NOT MOVE IT.
10. Repeat with the other patty.
11. Spray the pan again with olive oil (or butter, if you prefer) and grill the slices of bread. 
12. Now, we’re ready to assemble- place one grilled slice on a place, place the patty on it and then top it with the oven roasted onion-pepper and close it with another grilled slice. Hold together with a toothpick.

A filling high protein vegetarian sandwich which has almost all of the food pyramid in it- some oil, dairy, vegetables and whole grain! Enjoy!

  

Chile Rellenos with Chipotle Black Bean Sauce January 11, 2008

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G and I cooked dinner together last night and what a meal it turned out to be! It was a gourmet meal at home. We evolved the dish as we started making it.

What You Need

For the Rellenos

 

• 4 Banana Peppers

 

• 1 cup of frozen corn, bean, edamame mix (Soycatash)

 

• A Dash of Cumin Powder

 

• A Dash of Coriander Powder

 

•  A Dash of Garlic powder

 

• Lemon juice

 

• Salt and pepper to taste

 

• Goat Cheese

 

• Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella

 

• 1 Frozen pastry sheet, thawed per instructions ( optional)

 

For the Sauce

(this is a lot of sauce so you can freeze the excess and use it as pizza sauce, base for a chicken dish or for a vegetable wrap)

• 1 Can Refried Beans with jalapenos (I used the fat free kind)

 

• 1/2 a Can of Chipotle Peppers in adobo sauce

 

• 2 Cups of Tomato puree

 

• 1 Teaspoon Cumin powder

 

• 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander powder

 

• Salt and pepper

 

• 2 Teaspoon of Tamarind Extract

 

How its done

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

 

2.Defrost the vegetables in a microwave and mix the spices, lemon juice, salt and peper and keep aside

 

3.Prepare the banana peppers by making a slit along the length of the peppers and remove the seeds and the veins inside

 

4.Stuff the peppers- layering thus: First a bed of goat cheese at the bottom, then the vegetables, topping with the mozzarella cheese.

 

5. Now, roll your pastry sheet so you get 4 squares big enough to wrap around the banana peppers

 

6. Wrap the banana peppers with the pastry sheet and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet

 

7.Bake for 20-30 minutes, till the pastry in golden brown

 

8.When the Rellenos are baking, prepare the sauce. Blend the refried beans, tomato puree, chipotle peppers and transfer to a saucepan.

 

9.Add the spices, tamarind, salt and peper to taste and bring to a boil and then simmer- all for about 20 minutes.

 

The relllenos with sauce were absolutely delicious. The vegetables and cheese inside were light, warm and bubbly, and the sauce tastes smokey, tangy- a perfect combination. We made a simple side salad with greens tossed in balsamic vinegarette, topped with goat chese and the almonds or the left over vegetables from the stuffing.