Simple Lasagna

A box of No-Cook Lasagna noodles
Veggies of your choice - Spinach Mushroom onion veggie crumbles/ veggie-meatballs
Pasta Sauce (creamy vodka or garlic-pepper flavored)
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese

Sautee onions/mushrooms till they caramelize.
Steam the spinach separately with salt.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Start layering the lasagna in a 13x9 inch bake pan.
First Sauce, then noodles until they soak then a layer of veggie crumbles.
More noodle layer
Spinach and Ricotta cheese.
Noodles and sauce
Mushroom and onions.
Noodles and sauce
Remaining spinach/meatballs/Ricotta
then layer of sauce.
Then cover the entire top with grated Mozzarella cheese.
You can sprinkle pepper/Italian seasoning over the cheese.


Place the pan in the oven for an hour approx. It is done when the cheese turns brown.

Let is sit for few and then use a knife to cut it into pieces and serve the deliciousness on a plate!

Coconut-rice-chicken

Past year or so, I have been experimenting with eating chicken so as to expand my options of eating outside. But I never made chicken dishes at home. With a new development of having an american boyfriend, I got a chance to experiment it too. So we tried to incorporate chicken into desi gravy dishes - or authentic tikka dishes. Most of them tasted good, but this one was exceptionally good - hence it is the first one to be on the blog. We tried using an online recipe the first time, but second time used our own touches and it worked even better. So there we go -

Scallions (1 bunch)
Green/Red pepper (1 count)
Chicken thighs (3 count)
1 cup rice
1 cup thai coconut milk (equals to 1.75 cup)
Cinnamon sticks (2-3)
Dried Red chilli (2-3)
Garam masala (1 tsp)
cumin powder

Sautee the chicken thigh - in fact, shallow fry it with some oil, chicken masala, cumin powder, salt until it is crispy, but not fully cooked.
Keep them aside and you can use the same oil in the pan to sautee the following - cinnamon sticks, dried red chilli, scallion onions (keep the green part for garnishing later) and peppers.
Add garam masala and stir it a bit.
Add the coconut milk and rice to the pan and mix well.
Add 1/4th cup water to make up the difference (1 cup rice : 2 cups liquid)
Add salt. (careful since your chicken has salt too)
Carefully place the sauteed chicken in the pan.
Turn the heat to high until it starts to boil.
Stir it once and let it cook on medium heat - 20min approx
Sprinkle the spring onion on the top and cover it with a lid.
Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Pictures next time.

Fritos chilli/ american misal

Recently we watched an awesome recipe on Guy's Diner's and Dive-in show which made our mouths water. The next thing we knew was we were re-creating the dish in our kitchen!
Of course we added our touch to it, but it was as much tasty and became an instant hit!
Following is the recipe:

Serves 4
4 bags of fritos - corn chips twirly ones - normal flavor.
Grated cheese

To prepare Chilli:

4 chicken/ veggie Sausage - Italian or Chipotle flavor
Onion (1 chopped finely)
Diced tomato (1 can)
Red or black beans (1 can)
Regular spices (cumin/turmeric/garam masala or Pav Bhaji masala)
Cilantro - few twigs chopped finely
Lemon squeeze

Sautee spices, onion, tomato, until they are tender.
Add the beans and sausage pieces. Sautee some more.
Pour a cup of water and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Also add salt as required.
Sprinkle chopped cilantro.
Turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Squeeze some lemon when ready to serve.

Cut the upper half of the frito's bag and hold it in your palm.
Add some grated cheese on top of the chips.
Pour the beans gravy into this frito's bag and mix. (Alternatively, you can do all the mixing in a bowl)

I'll try to take pictures next time we make it :)

Chris's Carrot Cake

My friends and colleagues think that since I am a vegetarian, Carrot cake would be my favorite cake, but it was not until I ate a bite of Chris's carrot cake. Chris got these for a retirement party at work which was in some other department. But call it destiny, that there were some leftovers and she decided to bring it over in our dept since our dept is famous for foodies.
I was skeptical to try one, but just to be nice, I picked a small piece and then wondered why I dint pick up 2-3 pieces.
Wasting no time, I went to her and asked for the recipe. She gladly gave it to me in writing. I first prepared it for Pavi's Bday (cupcakes), for my brothers bday and then for Radha's Bday - all very special to me :)
And am writing it up for them and others who love baking.

1 Cup Canola Oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 small jars of baby food carrots
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts
1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 Cup Golden raisins

Mix first 5 ingredients in one bowl, add dry ingredients, add crushed pineapple and raisins last.
Grease the pan and pour the batter in it.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes in 13x9 inch cake pan (glass pan preferred), or until toothpick comes out clean.
You can also make 36 cupcakes with these measurements. Grease the cupcake-moulds well.
Refrigerate when the pan cools down.

Generally, Carrot cake is served with Cream Cheese on top, but this one will go with or without ;)

Ripe Mango Curry

Ingredients:  Tamarind, dried chilies, one ripe yellow mango, asafoetida/hing, some curry leaves, 

jaggery, sesame seeds and mustard seeds.This curry is sweet, spicy and tangy all at once. 

Sweetness from the mango, tangy sourness from the tamarind and spice from the chillies.
So first, slice and dice your mangoes, and then pluck out the soft pulpy insides into a bowl

 

Meanwhile you can begin to roast your spices on an open pan.

 Spread your sea same seeds and dried chili onto the pan and roast till it turns to a 

golden brown. 

Roasting the spices is definitive to the flavor of the dish. 

Keep an eye on the color as it turns, to make sure you don’t burn it – or the whole dish

 could be ruined!
Once the spices are nice and golden, put it into a blender and grind into a paste. 

This is where all that delicious flavor comes from! 

Remember the tamarind? This next step is where we use it. 

Remove the tamarind pulp and mush it around in a glass of warm water to 

release the flavour. 

Once the water turns into a light brown color, you can squeeze out the tamarind 

and discard it; 

we will only need its liquid flavor. Add that to your spice mix.

Your mango should be getting soft, and slowly disintegrating over the fire. 

To that lovely yellow pulp, we add some grated jaggery.

 Jaggery has a fuller sweetness than sugar, and it’s more local, which is a philosophy 

we try to follow –

 using good, clean, fresh and local products in every dish.

Now, pour in that creamy spice paste into the mango pulp.

Some red chili powder and salt to taste.

And finally, a little tadka to bring all the flavors of the dish together: 

2 teaspoons of hot oil in a pan, hot enough for the mustard seeds to burst on contact, 

and some of the hing we kept aside in the beginning.

Throw in a few curry leaves to bring out that mouth-watering aroma.

And your mango curry is ready to be plated!
Nothing goes better with this sweet and spicy curry than some beautifully steamed white rice.
Soul food for the balmy summer heat!

 

 

(Adapted from an article on yahoo website)

 

 

Fried Rice - spicy :)

The following recipe is by my bestie Divya, who loves to try out new dishes and this one is my favorite.
She admits to have followed an internet recipe but tweaked to give a homely touch -

2 cups Rice
3 tbsp Oil
100 gms Beans Finely Chopped
2 Carrot Finely Chopped
1 Onion Sliced
100 gms Cabbage Finely Chopped
2 Spring Onions Finely Chopped
2-3 Green Chilies cut lengthtwise
1 tsp Ginger Chopped Finely
1 tsp Garlic Finely Chopped

    2 Eggs

2 tbsp Soya Sauce
1/2 tp Ajinomoto
Salt & pepper to taste

How to make chinese fried rice:

YUMMY CHINESE FRIED RICE

Cook rice
Heat oil in a kadhai / large pan and stir fry all the chopped vegetables.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Take care that vegetables are not overdone, they should be crisp.
Mix salt/ajinomoto and pepper to taste.
• Take a seperate pan.. put some oil.. add two eggs and scramble it ( add salt or pepper - very little though)

Add the cooked rice and mix well. Now mix the soya sauce (I have chilli soy sauce) and or little Chinese chilli paste to it.
• and add the scrambled egg and cook the chinese fried rice for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Garnish with Spring onions.

Goadacha Sheera

1 measure of Rava (cream of wheat)
1 and 1/4 measure water
1 measure milk
(So for 1 cup rava, you need 2 and 1/4 cup of liquid)

1/2 measure (or 3/4 measure, if you like sweet) sugar
2 tablespoon ghee
5-6 almonds / cashews
1 pinch of fresh cardamom powder 
1 ripe banana, cut into pieces (optional)
 

Roast the rava in one tsp of ghee ON LOW FLAME until it is nice crisp brown color. You will have to keep stirring for a long time to prevent it from burning. Around 10-15 minutes.
Keep it aside.

In a separate pot, add one tbsp ghee, sautee the almonds/cashews, and pour the milk and water. Add sugar. Bring it to boil. Keep it on high flame.
Add cardamom powder and mix well. For one minute.

Now comes the skillful part -
Make sure the water+milk liquid is really boiling and bubbling, because that is going to cook the rava instantly.
Pour the rava mixture into the boiling liquid (in circular motion) and at the SAME time, stirring it so as to not form lumps. Also, COVER it as soon as you pour all of the rava, since it starts to splatter on your hands and face.
(You may require other person to help you pour and stir it while they cover it).
Turn the flame to low.


Keep stirring for one more minute, Now the splattering will stop, add the banana pieces mix well.
Delicious aroma tells you it is done. After one more minute turn it off. cover it with a lid for 5 minutes. Best when served with Hot Chai!

Don't be surprised if you feel like taking a nap after eating this rich delight!