Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes and Cheese Puffs

This is a really nice snack whose recipe I picked off of the Puff Pastry sheet box and modified to make it mine.

If you haven't used store bought puff pastry sheet, this is what I mean - Puff Pastry.

So the recipe for these Cheese Puffs is here - Spinach Cheese Swirls.

I added a little bit of pepper and red chilli flakes to the cheese mixture and added some chopped sundried tomatoes to the spinach mixture. The rest is the same as given in the puffpastry.com recipe.

It's really nice to eat with some hot hot tea and takes less than 30 minutes to make. Do try!

Ginger Chicken

Hailllllllo...my first one on this blog!! Hope you all likings this!!

I got this on one of the various internet sites which I just look at when I am hungry and drool
:(( and not do anything!! :)

This is a really nice and tasty recipe...here goes..

For the masala :
1 cup curry leaves
1 big onion
2 green chillies (if not spicy..depends, i had used the big mota ones, try 1 and check)
stems of coriander leaves (around a bunch, if no stems, cheat with the leaves !)
lil water

Now comes the Koli and the rest
1 kg Chicken
2tbsp soya sauce
little bit corn flour
1tsp vinegar

For the frying
2 inch Ginger (sliced\Julian)
1tsp ginger garlic paste
Oil
Coriander leaves

Steps to prepare
1.Marinate the chicken with soya sauce, corn flour ,vinegar and little salt and keep it aside for 20 mins
2.Take a pan and heat it with oil.Once hot, add the marinated chicken and fry till it turns a golden colour
3. Add the julian sliced ginger, and fry the chicken for 3-4 mins.Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins
4.Add the masala now. Coat the chicken with the masala and cook until the masala reduces and sticks to the chicken.
5.Check salt and add appropriately
6. Garnish with coriander and be ready to dig in ;)

My Favourite Banana Walnut Cake

This is the first cake I ever learnt to bake. It is a fail-proof recipe that is bound to impress, I assure you!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup of Sugar, powder it if you're doing this by hand and not using an electric mixer.
3/4 cup Ghee, yes ghee.
3 Eggs
4 Tbsp Milk
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
1 and 1/2 cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
3 ripe mashed Bananas
1 Cup chopped Walnuts

Method:

• Beat the Eggs, white and yolks and set aside
  
• Cream the ghee and sugar, until they are blended well.
• Add flour to this mixture, a spoon at a time. In intervals add the beaten egg mixture.
• When the consistency gets too thick, add milk in intervals to make it easier to mix.
• Mix soda in a little hot water. Add this to the mixture.
• Add Vanilla essence next, followed by baking powder.
• Prepare a cake pan for baking, by first greasing the pan with butter or ghee and then sprinkling some flour.
• Preheat the oven for about 5 - 10 minutes at 350 F. (177 C)
• Mix the bananas and chopped walnuts into the cake mixture. Give it a quick mix and then pour it into the cake pan. Place cake pan into the oven.

Let it bake for about 40 -45 minutes. This depends on your oven, so after 40 minutes, when you see that the cake has risen and browned sufficiently, take a clean knife and poke it into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean without anything sticking to it, then the cake is ready.

Simple, no? Let me know what you think!

Cream of Spinach Soup

This is a wholesome, easy to make soup that is just super healthy!

Ingredients:

• About 50 leaves of Spinach or two big bowls, cleaned and dried.
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 big clove of garlic, mashed up
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms or brocolli or corn
• Some Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons of corn flour
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp of olive oil or any cooking oil.

Method:

• Heat the milk and when you can see it is almost warm add the spinach leaves.
• Cook the spinach until you see that the leaves have wilted and changed color.
• Take this mixture off the heat and bring it to room temperature.
• Now blend only the spinach leaves to form a smooth puree in the blender. Add the milk as needed. Set this aside.
  
• Take a wok/deep dish and heat the oil.
• Add the garlic and roast till they turn golden brown.
• Add the mushrooms or veggies and sautee on high heat till they are almost 80% done.
• Turn down the heat to medium temperature and add the spinach puree.
• Now add the remaining milk and mix well.
• Take the cornflour in a blow and add about half a cup of water to dissolve it completely.
• Add the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of water to the soup.
• Then add the cornflour mixture.
• Bring the soup to a boil or until it thickens to the desired consistency.
• Take it off the heat and then add salt, pepper and about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

Serve hot. Enjoy it with some salad or garlic bread.

Apple Gojju

On one of my eloquent days... to Pooh and Vaish!

i am not knowing if yuvar taste buds will like... but, for yuvar information yennyway... :)

ingreedients:
2 green apples cut into pieces (if you don't get green, use red and add tamarind paste)
3-4 dry red chillies (what they are calling byaadgi mensinkai in bengaluru)
1/2 cup coconut
solpa mustard seeds
solpa asafoetida
solpa haldi
solpa salt
solpa jaggery
solpa tamarind paste (yeef you are wanting)

how:
Put it jeera, dry red chillies, asafoetida in the pan and roast for a minute or so. Then, put it off in a blender and get off nice powder. Now, add coconut to the powder and some water and and again run the blender to get the red powder + coconut paste. Now, put it oil in the pan, add mustard seeds and haldi and then take off the cut apple pieces and add off into the pan along with some water. Let it cook for some time until the apple looks like it's cooked (prod it with a fork to tell). Now, put it the paste that you made before only and mix nicely and let it heat for a few minutes. Then, add off some salt and jaggery and heat for a few more minutes. If you're wanting more tangy flavour, put off some tamarind paste also. Then, serve off with rice when it is hot like anything. Wokay?

lou,
Shibs.

Sun-dried tomatoes au soleil!

A nice and easy pasta recipe that happened while I was experimenting!

Ingredients:
10 large pieces of sun-dried tomatoes (I bought the dry version of it; so, you have to soak it in warm water for about 30 min and then cut into pieces; keep the water that you soaked it in).
1/2 cup sliced olives
2 chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 sliced onion
A handful of basil

How to make:
Heat 3 tsp olive oil in a pan.
Add sliced onion and sautee until translucent.
Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 2-3 min
Add tomatoes and the water you used to soak the sun-dried tomatoes (1/4 cup)
Stir and let it cook for 15-20 min until the tomatoes become pulpy
Add cooked pasta and stir in the mixture
Add chopped basil and stir in
Add pepper to taste
You can also add grated parmesan (I didn't, of course!) on the top.

Palak Paneer

I think I'm turning into popeye-esque person. Here comes another Spinach recipe but this one is for Shibs, who is going to make it completely gourmet by trying it out with tofu! Good luck Shiblet!

Ingredients:
1 big bunch of spinach. (Approximately 150 leaves) Wash and clean thoroughly.
20 pieces of Paneer or Tofu
1 and 1/2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped.(To be used with palak while boiling)
2 inch of ginger, chopped
2 green chillies
1 clove of garlic finely chopped. (To be used with onion)
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 tomato chopped finely
A pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin\jeera powder
1/2 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tbsp of oil

Method:
1) First step is to make the Spinach puree. Pressure cook the spinach, coarsely chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies for about 1 whistle. Let it cool down.
2) Once the boiled spinach has cooled down, blend it to a nice fine paste in a blender and keep aside.
3) In a pan, heat the oil. Add about 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp of Cumin\Jeera. Let it splutter.
4) Now add the onion and finely chopped garlic and fry till golden brown.
5) Add the dry powders of turmeric,chilli powder, cumin and corriander, once the onion has caramelized. Fry for about 1-2 minutes.
6) Now add the chopped tomato and cook till the tomato has blended with the onions and spices and it looks like a well mashed up paste.
7) Add the palak paste and mix well. Add salt according to your taste. I added one teaspoon of salt.
8) After mixing it well add the paneer or tofu and bring the curry to a boil. That's it, it is ready.

Eat it with rotis or the peas pulao. It takes about 30 minutes to make. You can even garnish this with some fresh cream, but for weight watchers this tastes just fine without the cream.