Bombay Sandwich

Day 7 of Blogging marathon: The last day of Blogging marathon(6th edition) is all about getting paired randomly with one another participant and swapping recipes from each other's space. So I was paired with SriValli. I don't have to tell many of you who she is.For those of you who don't know, she is the blog author of the extremely popular Cooking for all seasons and Spicing You life. When it comes to blogging she is no new kid on the block. She is also the brain behind this wonderful Blogging Marathon that me and many other girls enthusiastically participate in. I was immensely happy that I got paired with SriValli. Her space has plenty of quick and easy recipe for the current theme that I am blogging about: Cheese. One recipe that caught my eye was the Bombay Sandwich and here is my adaptation of it. Instead of Butter I used "Swiss Cheese".

For those of you who are here for the first time, here are the recipes posted for BM#6:

• Day1: My gargantuan post-work breakfast with Cheesy Eggs on whole wheats Burger bun.
• Day2: Turkish "Spinach And Feta Cheese" Gozleme
• Day3: Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese "Palak Paneer"
• Day4: Baked Radiattore With Veggies and Cheese
• Day5: Sloppy Joe Tortilla Pizza
• Day6: Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

Now onto the recipe-
Ingredients:
For the Mint-Cilantro Chutney(Makes ~ 1 Cup):

• 1 Cup packed Mint
• 1 Cup Packed Cilantro
• 3-4 Tbsp Red Lentils
• 1" Ginger
• Marble sized Tamarind, cleaned and soaked in 1/4 Cup warm water
• 2-3 Hot Green Chilies
• 1-2 Dry Red Chilies
• 2 Stalks Curry Leaves
• Salt as needed
• 3 Tsp Olive Oil

For the Bombay Sandwich(For 1 Large Serving/2 Small Servings):

• 3 Slices of Pumpernickel Bread
• 4-5 thin Slices of Cucumber
• 5-6 thin Slices Boiled Potato
• 4 thin Slices Tomato
• 2 thin Slices Red Onion
• 3 Wedges(~3-4 Tbsp) Swiss Cheese (I Used Laughing Cow)
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil

Procedure:

• In a pan, heat 1-1/2 Tsp oil and add the red lentils. When it starts turning light brown add both the read and green chilies followed by the ginger and curry leaves. Once the curry leaves start turning crisp, switch off the stove. Cool this and coarsely grind in a blender.

• In the same pan, add the 1-1/2 Tsp Oil and lightly wilt the mint leaves. Takes about a minute.

• Add the Cilantro leaves and switch off the stove. Mix both the leaves and cool.

• Add the leaves to the blender that has coarsely ground lentil mixture along with salt, soaked tamarind and the water it was soaked in.

• Grind it to a fine paste. This is the Mint-Cilantro Chutney.

• Collect the things that you need to assemble the sandwich.

• Spread swiss cheese on one side of all 3 slices. Assemble the sandwich in this order:Slice with cheese side up, 3 tsp of mint-cilantro chutney, 2 slices of cucumber, 3 slices of potato, 1 slice of onion and 2 slices of tomato. Repeat the same thing in the same order one more time.

• Top it with the third slice with the cheese side down.

• In a pan, drizzle 1 tsp of oil and place the sandwich and press it down with a burger press. This step is entirely optional. Let it crisp on one side for a minute. Do not flip.

• Move it to a cutting board. Halve and serve.

Enjoy!

Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

With so many savory cheesy posts for this edition of Blogging Marathon, its time for something sweet.So here it is -- Sweet Berry and Cream Cheese Muffins. I had printed this from Bo's Bowl, a blog full of hearty recipes, ages ago..When my son said today "Mom, make me some muffins", a bulb went on in my head and I was busily flipping through my print-outs. An hour or so later I was "clicking" at these flaky tender muffins that were just out of the oven, with my son watching at them impatiently(with cute greedy eyes) from the sidelines. :). I have to tell you that the addition of cream cheese works wonders in this recipe. I could taste the sweet and mild flavor of cream cheese in every bite! A must try if you are a cream cheese addict!

Ingredients(For 6-8 Muffins):

• 1 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Strawberries
• 1/4 Cup Reduced fat Milk
• 1-1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 4 Oz/ 8 Tbsp "1/3 Less Fat" Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 1 Egg, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp Butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 Tsp Salt

Procedure:

• Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar using a hand mixer until they are thoroughly combined. To it add the egg, milk and Vanilla extract. Combine using the mixer for a minute.

• Sift the flour and baking powder. Add the salt. Add this to the wet mixture. Gently stir only till they are combined.

• Add the chopped strawberries and fold.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the 6-8 cup muffin pan with muffin/cupcake wrapper. Using an ice-cream scoop add the batter to the wells till they are 3/4th full.

• Bake on the middle rack for 22- 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.

Note: Tastes best on the same day its made. 
Enjoy!

Sloppy Joe Tortilla Pizza

Day5 of Blogging Marathon: Any leftover Sloppy Joe filling(from the other day) always gets made into a delicious "Sloppy Joe pizza" at my home which is indeed the best way to makeover this leftover. This would also be a "thin crust" pizza lover's dream! Oh, yea! Plus its a super-quick dish to put together if you have all things handy..

Ingredients:

• 4 Whole Grain 8" Tortilla (I used "Santa Fe" brand)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, as needed
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese, as needed
• 1-1/2 Cup Sloppy Joe Filling
• 4 Tbsp Chopped Green Onions

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
• Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of shredded Mozzarella cheese on each Tortilla.

• Divide the filling into 4 equal portions. Spread one portion of it on the tortilla atop the mozzarella cheese.

• Top it with a little shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese.

• Add a tbsp of chopped green onions.

• Sprinkle some more mozzarella cheese to cover it all up. Repeat the same for all the remaining tortillas.

• Bake @350F for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese melts on the top.

• Enjoy it warm with a glass of cold soda and some salad on the side.

Makes 2-4 servings

Baked Radiattore with Roasted Vegetables and Cheese

Day4 of Blogging Marathon,Category: 7 Ways to Use up an Ingredient:  Whenever I make this or this dish, I make this cheesy pasta dish to round-off a meal.It isn't a tedious process but there is a lot of cutting involved. I make a large batch(like this one) and sometimes freeze a portion of it. Comes handy when you are under a time crunch.
Cheese Used for this dish:

• Borden's 4 Cheese Mexican Blend (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, Queso Blanco)
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Uncooked Radiattore Pasta
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, cored and cubed
• 1 Green Summer Squash, sliced
• 1 Yellow Summer Squash, sliced
• 1 Japanese Eggplant, sliced
• 1 Small Head of Broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 Hot Italian Pepper (Entirely Optional) , seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1-1/4 Cups Pasta Sauce (I used Prego's Traditional HeartSmart)
• 1-1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 3/4 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 +  1/2 Tsp Salt or as needed
• Cracked Pepper for taste

Procedure:

• Clean and separate the Broccoli florets. Slice the eggplants and both the squash. Cut the green bell pepper into chunks.Add them to a bowl. Drizzle about 1-1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil along with some salt and cracked pepper.Mix with hands to evenly incorporate.

• Spread the veggies along with finely chopped hot Italian peppers(if using) on a foil-lined pizza-pan/cookie-sheet and bake @375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until they are light brown.Remove from oven and set aside.

• Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of "salted" water.Drain and add it to a bowl. Pour the pasta sauce over the top and give it a toss.

• Add the roasted vegetables and half of the mozzarella cheese to the bowl and gently combine. Check for taste. Add salt or cracked pepper as needed.

• Grease a 12X8 inch pan with little oil. Spread the pasta-veggie mixture and cover it with leftover mozzarella and the 4-cheese blend. Top it with Grated Parmesan Cheese.

• Bake @ 350 degrees F in the middle rack for about 30-40 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned.

• Serve warm with sides of choice.

Note:

• Goes really well with Orange Marmalade Chicken or Tandoori Chicken

Enjoy!

Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese "Palak Paneer"

Day3 of Blogging Marathon: While this dish may seem similar to the "Saag Paneer" post I did sometime last year, its not! There are some new ingredients involved in making this one and this is slightly more rich(ie: packed with calories) than the previous version what with using heavy cream and butter!Obviously, my hubby said he likes this version better. Well, what can I say? Heavy cream and butter makes everything better!
For those of you wondering what the difference is between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer here is a brief explanation(clearing the air of doubt, if you will)-
Saag means "Greens", Palak means "Spinach"(a subset of Saag), Paneer means "Cottage Cheese" in Hindi. While Saag Paneer can be made with "any" greens(including Spinach), Palak Paneer can be made with ONLY Spinach. Hope this helps!
 
I know there are plenty of Paneer freaks(like me)..ahem, Paneer fans out there. So here are some Paneer dishes I have posted before: 
Paneer Butter Masala, Skillet Paneer and Peas(Muttar Paneer), Paneer and Collard stuffed Mushrooms, Paneer and Vegetable Pilaf, Microwave Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

• 14 oz Nanak brand Paneer
• 6 handfuls of finely chopped Spinach
• 1-1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1-1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Medium Roma Tomato, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Oil + 3 Tbsp Butter
• 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
• Salt as needed
• 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil for frying the Paneer

For Grinding:

• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1" Ginger, peeled and chopped
• 5-6 Hot green chili
• 1/4 Cup Cashew
• 2 Medium Roma Tomatoes
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Procedure:

• Cut the Paneer in cubes and shallow fry them in batches until they are "lightly" browned. I feel non-stick pan is better for this purpose. Paneer sticks in steel pan.

• Fry the ingredients under " For grinding" in the given order in 1-1/2 Tbsp of Oil. First add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies.Once the onions are browned add the cashew and fry till they are slightly browned.

• Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they are raw no more.Cool this mixture.

• In another pan, add a tbsp of oil and 2-3 Tbsp of butter. Add all the powder and cumin seeds. Reduce the flame and fry until it starts emitting aroma(for a minute or so).

• Add the chopped tomatoes and give it a toss.

• Add the chopped Spinach and stir gently until its coated with spices.

• Grind the cooled onion-cashew mixture to a fine paste.

• Add the paste along with heavy cream and salt to the pan and gently combine.

• Throw in the fried paneer and let it cook for about 5-8 minutes.

• The resulting mixture should be in the form of a thick gravy. Switch off the stove and add a dab of butter on top(optional).

• Serve this warm and decadent dish with choice of flat-bread or steaming white rice.

Enjoy!