Pasta in cream & spinach sauce

Recently, my friend Roma announced an event about “Your Babies favorite food”…..I wanted to participate, so I started to think……there are many dishes but I zeroed down on this one.

I first tried this recipe when my daughter was 3 and son was 1 year old (and I was a 4 year old mother)….I loved this recipe because it requires minimum efforts & ingredients. I remember, I used to be so exhausted all the time that I would not even look through those elaborate recipes….I was always on a lookout for simple and easy recipes.

Hope all the tired mothers will like this one…..So here goes….

Ingredients

Pasta (any shape but preferably the whole wheat variety): 2 cups

Spinach (washed, dried & roughly chopped): 1 cup

Fresh cream: 1 cup

Garlic (finely chopped): 2 tbsp

Chicken (optional): 1/2 cup

Cheese (grated): 2-3 cubes

Oil: 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Water

METHOD

• Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the pack.
• In a pan heat oil and add the garlic.
• When the garlic turns slightly brown, add the chopped spinach & cover with a lid.
• Add some water and let the spinach cook for a couple of minutes.
• (At this point one can add boiled corn or chicken)
• Once the spinach is cooked, add the cream.
• Add the pasta. Stir properly & add the grated cheese.
• Add black pepper & salt.
• Serve hot.

Enjoy!!!

Babycorn Satay

Hi All!

I recently read this recipe on Sanjeev Kapoor’s website & tried it.

As I have mentioned earlier also, I don’t like spending too much time in the kitchen, and this recipe fits my criteria. It is easy, non-fussy and most of the ingredients are readily available in the kitchen.

 

Ingredients:

• Babycorn- 12
• Oil- for frying
• Satay Sticks-12

For the Marinade:

• Soy sauce- 1 teaspoon
• Honey- 1/2 teaspoon
• Ginger-Garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
• Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon
• Chili flakes- 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt- to taste

Method:

• Blanche the Babycorn.
• In a bowl, add soy sauce, honey, ginger-garlic paste & mix well.
• Add lemon juice, chili flakes & salt.
• Add the Babycorn & set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
• Thread the Babycorn to the satay sticks and place on a griddle plate/tawa.
• Pour some excess marinade on the Babycorn & cook.
• Serve hot with chutney/sauce with grilled vegetables.

 

Enjoy!!!

Paneer Tetrizani

• Tetrizani is originally an Italian dish. But this particular recipe is a fusion, I have twisted it a bit to suite my typical Indian taste buds.

Paneer Tetrizani is arranged in three layers, first comes the sauce, then a layer of spaghetti and then a layer of stir fried vegetables, topped with cheese.

To make Paneer Tetrizani, you will need…

For the Tomato sauce:

• Tomato Puree: 2 cups.
• Onions:  2-3 nos.
• Garlic: 1 table spoon chopped finely.
• Red chilly powder: 1 tspn
• Sugar: 1/2 tspn
• Salt to Taste
• Oil: 2 tspn

For the Stir fried vegetables:

• Paneer: 1cup, cut in cubes & half fried.
• Yellow & red bell peppers: 1 cup.
• Capsicum: 1 cup.
• Baby corn: 1 cup.
• Mushrooms: 1 cup.
• Tomato ketchup: 2-3 tblspn
• Manchurian or Schezwan sauce: 2-3 tblspn.
• Oil: 2 tsp.
• Salt to taste
• Cheese: as much as you like!
• Italian mixed herbs.
• Black pepper powder.

Method:

1. Boil the spaghetti and keep aside.
2. To make the sauce, heat a pan and add oil.
3. Add the chopped garlic and onions. Fry till the onion changes its colour.
4. Add the tomato puree.
5. Add the red chilly powder,sugar and salt. Let it cook for 5 minutes, and set aside.
6. In another pan, heat oil and add all the vegetables,mushrooms,and paneer. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the sauce and salt. Keep stirr frying till the vegetables are half cooked.
8. In a baking dish, put a layer of the tomato sauce, then a layer of spaghetti, then a layer of vegetables.
9. Sprinkle some Italian mixed herbs,black pepper powder and top it up with a layer of grated cheese.
10. Bake it in a microwave for 5 minutes on Microwave High or till the cheese melts.
11. Serve it hot with Garlic Bread.

I suggest….

• I have used spaghetti in this recipe, but there is no written rule…you can experiment with different pastas.
• For non-vegetarian lovers, Paneer can be replaced with boiled chicken or sausages.

Khaandvi

Consider this, it is 4 in the evening, you feel hungry and want to grab a bite….but feeling too lazy to go out and get something. You are bored of the regular “fries” and namkeens….You feel you’ll whip up something but not in a mood to cook something elaborate!

or

You get a phone call from your relatives that they might just “drop-in” for tea…you look around and curse yourself for not stocking up enough on the chips and namkeens to go with the tea….

Here is an option if you are caught in the situations I have mentioned above or similiar ones…

• 

Khaandvi is a traditional Gujrati snack, made from gram flour and curd. Although, in Maharashtra the same snack is known as “Suralichya Vadya”. This dish is almost oil-free…I say “almost” because oil is only used for tampering, if you are on a strict diet or something of that sort, this dish can be ideal for your evening cravings.

I am a complete foodie but I don’t like to spend most of my time in the kitchen, therefore I am always on a look out for recipes which are the “quick-fix” sorts. I learnt to make Khaandvi from my friend Gauri,who apparently is a very very good cook. I really like Khaandvi because it is very easy to make but it looks pretty intricate and I always get compliments, little do people know that it is one of the easiest dishes to make.

Here is the method to make Khaandvi.

You will need:

• Besan (Gram flour): 1 cup
• Buttermilk: 2 cups
• Ginger & green chilly paste: 1 tablespoon
• Hing: 1 pinch
• Haldi (Turmeric): 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Grated Coconut: for garnishing

For Tampering:

• Oil: 1 tspn
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients expect the grated coconut in a mixing bowl.
2. Whip lightly so that there are no lumps left.
3. In a heated kadhai,pour this batter. DO NOT ADD OIL.
4. Keep stirring constantly, the batter will start getting thicker.
5. You can be sure that it is cooked when the batter changes its colour.
6. Pour the batter on the cooking platform or a plate and spread it immediately.
7. Spread it like a thin layer.
8. Let it cool for a minute.
9. Now cut lengthwise strips and roll them.
10. Lastly, heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and tamper.
11. Garnish with grated coconut.

I suggest:

• DO NOT GREASE THE PLATE OR KITCHEN PLATFORM BEFORE SPREADING THE KHAANDVI BATTER ON IT.
• Lumps do tend to form when you are cooking the batter,constant stirring will help get rid of the lumps.
• Try and make the rolls as firm as you can, so that they do not open up while tampering or serving.

HAPPY COOKING!

Eggs and Cheese

Eggs and Cheese

This egg recipe is one of my favorite because it doesn’t take too long to make this one and it is ideal for the morning rush hour.

 

 

You will need:

• Eggs: 6 nos
• Onions: 2-3 medium sized, cut lengthwise
• Cheese: As much as you like!
• Salt
• Chilly Flakes
• Italian seasoning
• Black pepper powder.

Method:

• Hard boil the eggs, cut lengthwise.
• In a pan, fry the onions till they turn golden brown, sprinkle some salt on the onions.
• In a baking dish, make a layer of these fried onions.
• Arrange the eggs on the layer of onions.
• Add seasoning. Salt, Black pepper powder, and a pinch of Italian seasoning.
• Layer it with cheese.
• Bake in a microwave oven for 3 minutes on 60% or till the cheese melts.
• Serve hot with toasts.

Sunny Feast

This is my first recipe and I am really really excited.

Although, I am not very fond of eggs, my husband and kids love it. So this one is specially dedicated to them. This dish was named  ”sunny feast” by my husband-Kshitij. I usually make this dish on  a lazy Sunday morning for breakfast and serve it with toast and some milkshake-these days its generally, Mango Milkshake.

 

To make SUNNY FEAST you will need:

• Eggs- 6 nos, separated.
• Onion- 3-4 medium sized,chopped finely
• Tomatoes- 3-4 medium sized,chopped finely
• Green Chillies- Depending on your taste
• Garam Masala- 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil- 2-3 Tbsp

This is how it will look when it is baked!

 

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, and add the finely chopped onion and green chillies.
2. when the onions turn light pink,add the tomatoes and keep stir frying.
3. Let the tomatoes cook for a minute,then add the garam masala and salt. Keep stirring.
4. In a baking dish, put this onion-tomato masala to make a layer.
5. Make sections in it with a spoon,in such a manner that the egg yolks will sit in those sections.
6. Gently place the yolks.
7. Now pour the egg whites over,like a layer. Avoid putting it on the yolks.
8. Sprinkle little salt, black pepper powder on it.
9. Bake it in the microwave for 10 minutes on 60%.
10. Serve hot with toasts and butter.

Food Fact:

• Eggs add Protein to ones diet and also has several other nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12,  iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.