Spaghetti Squash Coconut Sevai

First of, thanks to all my Facebook friends who drooled and went gaga over this dish - that is my best motivation to keep trying new recipes and blogging them

I have worked with Spaghetti squash in the past, but once to bake it and one other time to make a halwa, all well before I started writing this blog. However, this unbelievable gem of a veggie went off my radar for a long time. This was one of the easiest recipe decisions to make in so far as keeping the preparation simple yet tasteful.
The trick is to allow the squash to shine and be the hero of the dish and not overpower it with too many spices. Add a tsp of coconut oil and  fresh grated coconut enhanced the taste of the squash and made for a delectable meal. Without further ado here goes

My sweet husband putting in the muscle to unstring the squash

And voila

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized squash cut down the middle vertically and spaghetti unstrung from the sides and into a bowl
• 1/2 cup of fresh frozen grated coconut thawed
• 2 Tbsp roasted cashews
• 2-3 finely chopped green chilies (ours were homegrown)
• 1/tsp of mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric
• 1tsp of urad dal
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1tsp of coconut oil
• pinch of asafetida
• 1/3 cup of water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp juice of freshly squeezed lemon
• Cilantro for garnish

Method

1. Splutter mustards, urad and hing in the said amount of olive oil
2. Add the chilies and allow them to cook for 30 secs 
3. Add the squash noodles
4. Add the the water and keep closed for about 3 minutes and allow it to cook until al-dente
5. Open and allow the water to evaporate. 
6. Add salt and coconut  and cashews and turn them in to the squash
7. Once cooked, transfer to a serving dish squeeze the lemon and.garnish with cilantro and serve hot

Ginger Sesame Watercress Soup

The first legit snow day. Kids are home today and tomorrow has been declared a holiday already. Outside 10 inches of snow waits to be shoveled and my Canadian man has geared up to shovel, since the man who blows snow for us has just undergone a knee replacement surgery. And, it had to be the heaviest snow!  So my older daughter gears up too, to help. She is excited to be out as is the little one heavy snow makes good snow people . So booted and jacketed from top to toe, the three head out each on their personal pursuits. I am at home trying to get my valentine's project for my kiddos, esp the little one finished - this is a big deal in our house and for some reason the kids have always been into it, the girls especially. And I try to draw energy from their enthusiasm and end up making Nutella cookies with my daughter's help yesterday.

Three hours and some later, I poke my head through the garage door to enquire about lunch and in unison they demand something warm and yummy.  I rifle through the fridge to see what I can rustle up at short notice. Like a scanner that beeps when it spots things, so to my eyes zoned in on the half used tofu, spring onions begging to be eaten before they go rotten, baby carrots and a big whopping piece of ginger. Pulling these out from the fridge I sprint downstairs to my other fridge to see what else catches my fancy and voila watercress.
I sprint back up, go to the pantry and get down some TJ vegetable stock. At this point I feel like I was on one of those cooking shows where they assign you one ingredient and you had to race to come up with some ideas around it.

I place my big pot on the stove, threw in some olive oil to sauté the veggies and then just like the last few clicks of a rubric's cube, things fell in place so naturally and believe you me, I have never heard my hubby rave so much about anything quite as much as he did about the soup. He also insisted I blog it right away so that I would archive the recipe for keeps.

RECIPE
For 6 hearty portions
Can be made in 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1medium bunch of watercress (as sold in whole foods)
• 6-8 baby carrots slit in 4 
• Half pack of extra firm tofu  cubed (Trader Joe brand)
• 1carton of vegetable broth (Trader Joe brand)
• 4 stalks of spring onions finely chopped
• 2 inches long and as thick of a ginger piece chopped roughly
• 1tbsp of sesame seeds (white or brown)
• 1tsp of olive oil

For the flavoring

• 1 heaped tbs of peanut butter
• 1tbs stir fry Szechuan sauce
• 1 tbs Sriracha sauce
• 1 cup of water

Method

1. In a pot, add olive oil and the sesame seeds. 
2. When they start turning golden, add the veggies and stir in high heat for a minute before lowering to a simmer
3. In a blender, add the chopped ginger to half the carton of veggie stock and blend smooth
4. Add to the pot and allow the veggies to cook in the ginger broth. Add also the rest of the broth. 
5. In the same blender, add the water, and all the flavoring ingredients and blend until smooth.
6. Now add this to the boiling soup
7. Allow the whole soup to boil for 2-4 minutes before taking off the flame.
8. Serve hot

I guarantee you that this will be a super hit plus it is such a quick recipe.

I have another wonderful preparation to share with you next time - until then stay warm or cool as the case may be.

Baked Zucchini Noodles with Pistachios and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ever since I learned how, I have been making these and absolutely LOVE it  and make it at least once in 2 weeks - It is healthy, guilt free and what's more so tasty - dress it up with your favorite nut, some of your favorite cheese and if you want sauce and you've got yourself a wholesome no carb meal

For making these you need the sharp julienne peeler which will strip you zucchini into thin noodles - be mindful, these instruments are viciously sharp so please use caution while using it

How many zucchini's you use depends on how many people you are making for - I used 3-4 for  4 of us - While stripping, stop when you come to the seedy part of the vegetable. By then it will start breaking anyhow.

Instructions
Strip, arrange in a baking dish; crumble cheese, sun dried tomatoes and toss in some walnuts, some pepper - Do not salt now or it will become watery … salt before eating.

I broiled for 15 -18 minutes or until the cheese has melted - BTW, I used some goat cheese. SO GOOD!

Enjoy and repeat :)

Macaroni with Spinach sauce

Today I made a resolve to get back to blogging, if only for the sake of writing, an exercise like all others, that needs to be kept up, if I don't want to stagnate…which is pretty much what I've been doing in this department. And that calls for time-managements and less over-committing of my time to other far less useless pursuits - by this i mean my recent addiction to angry birds friends - an online game that is exciting because you are playing against somebody, but also stressful because each time your high score is beaten, you want to up it and in this way end up spending good time that is better spent writing about how I waste it :)

Oh well, like a writer's block, I have suffered from a blogger block - We grew so many veggies in our garden this past summer and I have cooked like the dickens but somehow have not felt enthused to sit and blog them or crop my pictures. Did I mention to you among other things, I have also started working at the market, selling crepes, aka masala dosas. This has been a awesome outlet for me and I get to do this with my older kiddos, an icing on the cake!

And I have been traveling to exotic Espana :) The most wonderful experience with the dance and the spanish Guitar that I have fallen in love with verily-  AND...folks of all the countries I have visited in Europe and elsewhere, including the US where I live, I have never seen cleaner public restroom anywhere but Spain. Impeccable until you read the Madrid airport of course  - Even the Spanish cannot keep up with the world's dump in their busiest airport!  I am not about to make this a travelogue but I would like to share some pictures with you all, assuming of course, that I still have an audience out there who is interested in reading what I have to write. Oh God, please be there :)

In any case, we returned home only to fall right back into parental duties of driving, cooking, baking for school events, cooking cleaning etc… not my idea of fun - the US way of life - sigh - especially because I know better lives can be gotten (in some ways) back in my home country. But that's a topic for an entirely separate lament.  What I meant to say is I've literally had no time to recover from jet lag, what with the whole house sniffling -cos t'is the season for the sniffles, being fall and all.

Another hurried dinner day before I have to run my girls to their music dance and whatever else class. Thinking on my feet and thinking simple is becoming second nature to me, in so far as daily dinners are concerned. This is not to say they are not made with love or with an element of the exotic. Like on election day when i said - ok it's going to be macaroni and…. went racing down to the basement where our old fridge houses additional supplies of milk veggies and miscellaneous. Saw a box of fresh spinach and quickly, easy as abc it struck me to me a sort of spinach pesto to go with the mundane macaroni.

So I got the garlic, the spinach, a red chili or two, and a fistful of pine nuts. But to make it more wholesome, I added a can of campbell's mushroom soup and a 1/2 cup of milk - brought it all to boil and then ground them into a fine sauce. I then threw the macaroni into it and added some grated parmesan to the plate as I served it out. A simple healthy and delicious meal. The kids enjoyed it and I had it all made in less than 20 minutes. Now this is what I call a win-win situation :)

I am going to try this out with other veggies and will keep you posted as I make them

Will be back with a a spanish recipe and some pictures soon.

Paneer Parathas

The kids are home. It is the summer vacation - One is sick, the other volunteering and the third chilling with me! I am on FB and checking out my updates as I hear "amma, what's for dinner" queries brewing in the background. I lay my eyes on some mouth watering paneer parathas that our blogger friend Divya or ChefinYou has posted. She is a versatile chef and has many interesting tips on her page, as I did find out clicking on to her blog. I was making karela subzi anyway and I thought this would make a great combo! It does not take beyond 15 minutes for prep time (she was not kidding) and beyond 20 to make about 10 of these delightful parathas. My kids, mother-in-law and hubby loved it. Will be blogging the Karela subzi next.

For about 10 partathas

Ingredients

2 cups of chakki atta (stone ground wheat flour)

11/4 cups of warm water

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of oil

(I used my mixer to make the dough)

For the stuffing

1 cup of cubed paneer

3 green chilies finely chopped

1tbsp of fresh cilantro

Method

I did as Divya suggested

I Soaked store bought paneer in hot water, drain after a few minutes and proceeded to crumble it 

Knead or use mixer to make the dough soft, yet firm 

Keep covered until you get the paneer crumbled, salted, and chilies and cilantro added

Make lemon sized balls of the dough

Roll out into rounds bigger than your palm, as Divya puts it

Make a smaller ball of the paneer and place in the center of the rolled out dough

Fold the dough over the paneer ball and pinch out any extra dough

Dust the rolling area with flour and roll out the paratha to the size of a tea saucer

Heat pan and add a smidgen of butter

Place the paratha on the melting butter and cook - repeat on both sides and with each

Serve hot with sides of your choice - In my case I made some incredibly tasty Bitter gourd masala subzi - heavenly!!!

Sneak peak of next post

Enjoy and thanks Divya :)

I will leave you also with this wonderful declaration made by my little one

Brussel Sprouts and Peanut Stir Fry

Sometimes, we can underestimate the quantity a certain vegetable can shrink to when steamed/cooked - Such shrinkage happened with the Brussel Sprouts that made the other day - Not enough to feed 2 adults and two perpetually hungry teens - So I did the next best thing - got creative and decided to boil some peanuts and bung it in. Could've well created the best combo ever with the baby cabbages. Enjoy this simple and simply delicious curry by itlsef or with some rasam or even chapatis.

Ingredients

• Brussel Sprouts
• 1 cup of  raw peanuts boiled
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds
• 2 red chilies
• 2tsp of olive/sesame oil
• cheese optional

Method

1. Dice into 4 and steam brussel sprouts for about 10 minutes
2. Boil peanuts simultaneously
3. In a frying pan, add the oil and splutter the sesame and red chilies
4. Add the sprouts and the peanuts along with some salt
5. Sprinkle a tsp of water and keep closed and cook for a couple of minutes
6. Serve as is or as side
7. As an Entree this could be served with freshly grated Cheddar  (extra Sharp) and /or Mozzarella melted or plain

Enjoy the goodness of this curry with the greatest relish

Marmalade with Tangerines - The best evah!

Gotta have the spoon shot!

What does one do when you have a child in Orchestra in school. They sell stuff to sponsor trips and they make money of their parents primarily - This is how I got suckered into getting 2 BIG crates of oranges and tangerines all the way from Florida. They tasted like nectar, that's for sure and truth to tell, it did not take much arm twisting for me to agree to buy grapefruits, navel oranges, tangerines and oh-so fresh strawberries. I made strawberry coulis, and jam and I ventured for the first time to make some marmalade. The oranges - I want to say about 12-14 yielded 3 16 ounce jars, two of which vanished before i could say Jack Robinson (an old expression of my dad - which I still use often if only to keep him in my thoughts on a daily basis.

So easy to make and so delicious you've got to try this and feel the rush and the power of making your very own, homemade, marmalade -

Ingredients

• 12-14 good sized tangerines, pitted (see how to below)
• 1 cup of White Sugar
• 1cup of sugar in the raw
• 3/4 -1  cup of orange blossom honey
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1tsp orange essence

Method

1. Wash tangerines thoroughly and dab dry with paper towel or kitchen towel
2. Soak in the honey for about 30 minutes
3. Peel them in such a way that you get some big pieces that can then later be cut
4. Cut the orange sideways to reveal the wheel. For pitting it, I took a blunt knife and simply ferreted out the seeds
5. Chop the tangerines slices roughly. 
6. Strain the juice and keep separate
7. In a large 5 or 6 quart pot, add the sugars and the juice and allow it to thin 
8. Once it gets a syrupy consistency, add the tangerine pieces and honey and the rinds
9. Allow this to simmer for about 20-40 minutes or until you see the jam thickening to the preferred consistency. This would be the time to grate the nutmeg into the pot and stir
10. 
    
11. Cool and store in Jars. (you can see how to sterilize the jars here)

The best orange peeler by tupperware, almost as old as my hubby! 

Combos that are da bomb with this delicious marmalade are - yogurt (Mama Mia) hot toast, english muffins (Mama Mia) Hot butter and marmalade over croissants (Mama Mia) and over crumpets -

For the well-adjusted Indian, this is a super combo with dosais and better yet with adais!
Enjoy until the next recipe!

Sweet Potato and Hazelnut Soup

Mama Mia - Looking for a gourmet soup to put together for a wonderful evening together with friends, here is a fabulous soup - The hazelnuts gives this soup a creamy and delicious finish and for sweet potato lovers like me, this was a match made in heaven. 

Ingredients

• 5-6 medium sized sweet potatoes washed and steamed
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup hazle nuts
• 2-3 green chilies (optional)
• 1tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan
2. Add the green chilies and the onions and sautee until onions are golden
3. Mash the sweet potatoes and add to the pan
4. In a pan, roast the hazelnuts for a minute, no more
5. Add to the curry and stir in
6. Add salt and cilantro and stir like a dry curry for a couple of minutes
7. Now add the water and cook until the water boils
8. Remove fro  flame
9. Cool a bit and grind

I stuck a tortilla for the picture, but actually served it with delicious olive bread (a house favorite) from Trader Joe's

Enjoy

Garnish with cilantro and olive oil or as desired

Cheers, Until next time - this will go to Avant Garde Cookies soup de mois!

Apple-Cauliflower Soup

Listlessness. Exhaustion. Insomnia. Hence Inertia. This pretty much sums up the way I've been feeling for the past several weeks. I am not able to get myself to blog as often as I'd like to even if have made numerous delicacies and photographed some if not all of them. Give me some motivation guys - tell me something in your comments that makes me want to come back. I thank all the wonderful souls who have stopped by to comment on my blog - you are the reason I feel responsible to be consistent (to the best possible) with my recipes. 

Did I tell you that we got snowed in like the dickens and had no electricity or water (yes primitive living conditions in the most advanced nation - simply because we are on a well)  - Cold frigid nights, melting snow for water - need I say more - We have resolved to invest in a genie this year. 

Getting to recipe, this soup was conceived of a cauliflower waiting to be cooked and an apple, the last of the lot. I decided I would put them together and make this delicious soup (for the soul) and that's exactly what I did - My littlest one LOVES soups and she devoured it verily!

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower hear 
• 1/2 onion (optional)
• 1stalk of celery
• 1 apple (I only buy Pink Lady apples)
• 1 can of evaporated milk (optional can be subbed with water)
• 1pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1tsp of freshly ground all spice
• 1-2 tsp of olive oil

For garnishing since this is a rather mild soup

• 1 jalapeño (optional) or freshly ground pepper kernels, cilantro
• roasted almonds or cashews or freshly grated parmesan

Method

1. Cut cauliflower into florets
2. dice onions and apples and cook in olive oil.
3. Add the evaporated milk and let it all cook together
4. Add salt and remove from flame
5. Grind into a smooth soup 
6. Add the spices 
7. Pour back into pan and let it cook some more

Serve hot with recommended garnish

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

This wonderful dish is at once light, delicious and awfully simple to make. It can be light based on what you choose to stuff the zucchini with - If you are thinking mozzarella, cream cheese,  meat, or some other high calorie stuffing, think again - We had this dish at a local restaurant and even as we were eating it, I had resolved to make it. This falls under the gourmet category and certainly has the WOW factor when it comes to impressing your family, friends or a very special person in your life. So go ahead and give it a try - takes all of 30 minutes to make and the end result is most "appointing" - used as an antonym to disappointing :)

Ingredients

• 2- 3 medium sized fresh Zucchinis
• 1/3 cup of greek yogurt (I recommend Fage)
• 3 tbps of mascarpone ( entirely optional) Can be substituted with more greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp of Miscuglio (a fine blend of italian herbs and spices)
• Tomato Sauce - We made ours with diced tomatoes, garlic and some red chilies and italian herbs
• 2/3 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese for topping before baking
• Olive oil for brushing
• Bread crumbs for sprinkling

Method

1. Set oven to 400
2. On the slicer side of the grater, make long thin strips of the Zucchini 
3. Arrange on a baking pan and gently brush with olive oil and bake for about 10 minutes
4. In the meanwhile, prepare your baking dish
5. Add the tomato sauce to the bottom of the dish and keep
6. In a bowl, mix the yogurt and the mascarpone together along with the Muscuglio. 
7. Remove Zucchini from oven and let cool for a few minutes (else the yogurt will get liquify in the heat)
8. Once cooled,  add a tsp of he yogurt mix to one end of the strip and roll the zucchini as shown in the pictures
9. Once all of them are made
10. Place gingerly on the tomato sauce in baking dish
11. Top with the smallest amount of break crumbs
12. Add the grated cheese over the rolls
13. Bake again at 400 for about 15 minutes 

Serve HOT :)