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!

Read More...

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!

Read More...

Turkish Spinach and Feta Cheese "Shortcut" Gozleme

For Day2 of Blogging Marathon, I decided to make Gozleme and the cheese I used is "Feta". Gozleme is a Turkish pastry with savory vegetarian or meat filling all made from scratch!I find making the pastry from scratch a bit tedious so I follow this "shortcut method" that was taught to me in a Turkish Cooking Class -- Using Tortilla instead of the pastry. You should check out the YouTube Videos of Turkish women making this the authentic way. Its quite fascinating!

To make the Tortilla as soft as the hand-rolled pastry it will have to be "dipped in milk and oil mixture" and then cooked on the stove-top for a minute or two until the tops are slightly browned. While nothing can beat the taste of food made from scratch, the dipping in the "milk-oil mixture" step ensures that there isn't a remarkable difference in texture between the made-from-scratch and shortcut version.I have eaten both versions and love them both without bias! :) Note: With all the pepper and red pepper flakes this is NOT spicy, at-least not for me.Next time I will think of adding some hot peppers in the filling.

A few of my favorite Turkish Recipes: Muhellebi(Milk And Flour Pudding With Walnuts), Turkish "Spinach and feta cheese" Borek, Kisir(Turkish Tabbouleh)

Ingredients(For 2 Servings, 2 Tortillas per person):

• 4 Whole Grain Tortilla (I used Santa Fe)
• 5 Cups Packed Chopped Spinach
• 8 Tbsp Greek Crumbled Feta Cheese (I used Athinos)
• 3 Mini Peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• More Oil for cooking the Tortilla

For Dipping the Tortilla(s):

• 1/2 Cup Skimmed Milk
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil

Procedure:

• Wash the spinach in several changes of cold water. Completely dry it of moisture and finely chop it. Set aside.

• In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the chopped onions along with cumin seeds, red pepper flakes and cracked pepper.

• Once the onions brown, add the chopped mini peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped spinach to the pan.

• Wilt the spinach for a couple of minutes. Add salt as needed and more cracked pepper if needed.

• Pour the milk and oil for dipping in a deep dish. Dip "one side" of the Tortilla in this milk-oil mixture.

• Add the spinach filling to the other side of the tortilla. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of crumbled Feta Cheese on the top of the spinach mixture and fold it in half.

• Transfer the tortilla to a non-stick skillet and drizzle a tsp of olive oil to the sides. Cook for a minute per side and transfer to serving plates.

• Cut the Tortilla into wedges and the "shortcut" Gozleme is ready to be consumed.

Enjoy!

Read More...

My Gargantuan "post-workout" breakfast: Cheesy Eggs +

Okay, before you let your jaw drop, I have to tell you that I eat "this much" ONLY after an intense 1-hour workout session. I come back from the gym with a dinosaur-like appetite that only subsides after I eat "this much". So my post-workout breakfast consists of

1. Fluffy omelet and cheese on a whole-wheat burger bun with POM/Orange juice to flush it down
2. A handful of Special K "red berries" cereal, sliced banana in a cup of warm skimmed milk
3. A mug of steaming plain green tea.

This keeps me full for a good 4-5 hours except making me thirsty for water of-course!Do you doubt?? Don't! The protein in the eggs, fiber in the banana and dried berries keep me full. This is my first entry for the 6th edition of week-long Blogging Marathon for the category "7 ways to use up an ingredient". My star ingredient is going to be "Cheese" cause I cook with them often and is well liked by one and all in the family. :). Today I chose the most common cheese "Cheddar" which is a staple in my fridge.

While everyone knows how to whip up an egg omelet, I will show my version anyway. I prefer mine soft, fluffy and barely set.Runny, jiggly eggs are not my style but my hubby assures me they are heavenly.Well, I don't know about that but I am working on getting over the aversion to jiggly eggs..

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Slice Yellow or White "Cheddar" Singles 
• 1 Tbsp Skimmed Milk
• 1 Tsp Melted Butter
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil
• A few Grinds of Cracked Pepper
• Salt as needed
• 1 Whole-Wheat Burger Bun

Procedure:

• Add the Olive Oil and butter to the pan and give it a swirl.

• Whisk the egg whites and egg yolk along with milk, salt and pepper.

• Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pan and reduce the flame to low.  Keep stirring the egg mixture in circles.

• Once the egg mixture starts thickening let it cook "undisturbed" for a minute or so.

• Pull the spatula inwards and tilt the pan slightly so the runny portions flow over and cook for a minute.

• Once the omelet is not jiggly, fold and add the cheese single.

• Transfer the egg right-away to the bottom portion of the burger and top it with tomato slices.

• Top it with the remaining portion of the bun and enjoy it warm with Orange Juice or POM Juice.

Enjoy! 

• The second portion of my breakfast-

Now I am ready to go about my business for the day without worrying about hunger pangs for the next 4-5 hours.

Read More...

Sloppy Joe With Ground Turkey, Black Bean, Dill Pickle and Hot Cherry Peppers

Hello Peeps, how are you?I am doing okay, thank you! Sorry for going "AWOL" on you. I have been extremely busy dealing with other issues in my life..So had to put my blog/blogging in the back burner for a bit. But no worries, I am back and I plan to avoid going away for long periods of time. Has it really been 3+ weeks since I did my last post? Hmm, time does fly real quick, doesn't it? I wish that there were at-least 2 extra hours in a day cause that will really help a chaotic person like me to instill some structure in my life..Ahh, a person can only hope, yes?

Anyways, this post was originally intended to be up on Father's day, in honor of the dads in my life(my dad,my son's dad, my nephew's dad...) but it would have been so inappropriate.Are you wondering why? While everything about "Sloppy Joe" screams man-food, it would have been inappropriate to honor the orderly and systematic dad(s) with such a sloppy dish. So I waited one more day to post this. Silly me. I know. But its so worth getting your fingers and face messy with this awesome dish. My version of "Sloppy Joe" has Sour Dill Pickle, Hot Cherry Peppers and Dark brown sugar amongst others things to give you a flavor explosion the minute it hits your mouth. Ooh, La, La!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Lean Ground Turkey
• 2/3 Cup Canned/Cooked Black Bean
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Small Green Bell Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar or less
• 1/4 Cup Italian Sauce (Any brand- Prego or Ragu)
• 1/2 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper (Optional)
• 1 Kosher Dill Pickle Spear (I used Mt.Olive Brand)
• 2 Hot Cherry Peppers in Vinegar Brine (B& G Brand)
• 1 Tbsp Hot/Tabasco Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt as needed

Procedure:

• Heat Olive Oil in a pan and brown the chopped onions. Once it is lightly browned, add the ground meat and stir until it becomes crumbly, for about 2-3 minutes.

• Throw in the chopped Green bell pepper, cracked black pepper, Tabasco sauce. Stir to incorporate.

• Pour the Italian sauce soon-after along with brown sugar and salt for taste.Stir to incorporate. Lid the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.

• Chop the Dill Pickle and Hot& Sour Cherry Peppers.

• Add the drained black beans, the chopped up dill and hot&sour cherry peppers.

• Cook for 3-4 more minutes without the lid and its good to eat.

• Serve it with store-bought or homemade hamburger or slider buns along with some Kettle fried Potato chips.

Makes 2-3 Small Servings.

Note: Ground Turkey may be substituted with Ground Pork, Beef or Chicken or a combo of meats.Your call!

Enjoy!

Read More...