The Four Layer Bake

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“The undercover agent

Hides Mr Green,

A world of vegetables

Cloaked in cheese.

This bake of four

Layered with treats,

Confuses the senses

Each bite a feast.”

 Ingredients

1 cup White Sauce- see recipe here:

http://29calories.blogspot.com/2011/02/macaroni-bake.html)

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

½ red onion, sliced lengthwise

1 green chili, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon mixed herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme)

½ green pepper, chopped

½ cup chopped mushrooms

¼ cup green peas

¼ cup corn kernels

½ potato, boiled, peeled and cut in cubes

½ cup red kidney beans, boiled and mashed.

1 cup macaroni or shell pasta, cooked al dente and cooled

½ cup grated cheese (I use Gouda but you can use others)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix the pasta and white sauce and keep aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add the onions, garlic and chili and sauté till onions turn brown and transparent. Add the tomatoes, mixed herbs, salt and pepper and cook on medium flame till tomatoes turn tender and the oil starts to separate. Mix in the kidney beans and stir for a few minutes. (If you’re a carnivore, you can add some minced meat to this as well) Remove from heat and keep aside.

Heat 1-tablespoon oil in a separate pan. Add the peppers, mushrooms, corn, peas and potatoes (and any other vegetables you wish to add). Sprinkle some salt and pepper and sauté on high flame till all the vegetables are well coated with the oil and start to turn brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Grease a baking dish. Add the Pasta. Layer with the tomato mixture, followed by the sautéed vegetables and finally the cheese. Bake at 200 degree C for about 15 minutes. Serve hot with soup and toast.

Lentil Pasta

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“Indian pizzas

Are loved by many,

But a curried pasta

May sound uncanny?

Desi at heart

But an Italian poser,

Our home-made dal chawal

Just had a makeover.“

Ingredients

For Pasta

1 cup pasta- fusilli or penne

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups water

For Sauce

1 cup chana dal (split chick peas/lentils)

1 tomato, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 cup spinach leaves, washed, de-stemmed and chopped

1 teaspoon chopped onions

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ginger, chopped

1 green chili, sliced

2 teaspoons chana masala  (indian chick pea seasoning)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon oregano flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups of water

Salt to taste

Bring to boil the water with oil and salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and keep aside in a wet cloth.

For the sauce- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce, except the dry spices and oil, in a pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes- or approximately 8-10 whistles. Once the steam has settled, open the cooker and ensure the lentils are soft and fully cooked. (You can also cook the lentils in a regular pot, although it can take anywhere between 30-45 minutes to cook depending on the hardness of water)

Stir in the dry spices and oil and cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes till no excess water remains. Remove from heat.

Stir the lentil sauce into the pasta, sprinkle some chopped onions and serve hot!

Brown rice pulao

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“Soak, stir, cook

A snap 3-step dish,

A meal by itself

Without meat of fish.

Rice only rice

The taste is in the style,

So hesitate not

If it’s brown not white”

Ingredients

1½ cup brown rice

1 flower of broccoli, chopped

½ red pepper, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

½ cup peas

1 potato, boiled, skinned and chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 small tomato, diced

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon kitchen king (a pre-packed mixed spice by MDH brand)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

6 bay leaves

6 cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the bay leaves, cumin, cloves and sauté for a while. Stir in the onions and cook till brown. Now add the tomatotes, mix well and stir till the tomatoes are cooked, turn pasty and the oil begins to separate. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In a rice cooker, add the brown rice, 3 cups of water, all the chopped vegetables, all the dry spices and the onion tomato paste made earlier. Cook till the rice is tender and all the water has dried up.  Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with Raita (Indian spiced yogurt).

Simplicity redefined, yeah?

Pepper Paneer

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“Ready in minutes

This dish in colorful dye,

Is my answer to bidding

Scrambled eggs goodbye.

And judging from my paunch

It can be breakfast or lunch,

It’s as easy as addictive

And that’s not just a hunch”

Ingredients

Fresh paneer made from 1 litre milk (recipe provided here)

½ green pepper, cut

½ yellow pepper, cut

½ cup green peas

2 teaspoons onions, chopped

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon dry coriander powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

¼ teaspoon dry mango powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and stir till they begin to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on high flame for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat, sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and serve immediately. Tastes lovely with Kulchas or Paranthas (Indian breads).

Wholewheat Paneer Momos with Curried Tomato & Jalapeno Chutney

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“Flavors that manipulate

In a bite size dish,

Makes people swerve

And grant your every wish.

The cheese and spice

Brings out the goss,

The senses alight

And he proclaims you the boss!”

Ingredients

For the Filling

1 cup fresh homemade paneer (see below)

½ cup spring onions, chopped

2 teaspoons chat masala

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon fresh coriander, chopped

1 green chili, chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

 Salt to taste

For the Momo covers

1 cup wheat flour (atta)

1 teaspoon oil

½ cup warm water

(alternatively use ready made dumpling covers)

For the Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 green chili, chopped

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tablespoon garlic ginger paste

2 tablespoons onions, chopped

2 tablespoons curry powder

Fresh coriander, chopped

Salt to taste

To make Paneer: Boil 1 litre of full cream milk. Once boiled, remove from heat and add 3 tablespoons of vinegar or lime juice while stirring constantly. The milk will curdle and the water will separate. Drain, and use the fresh Paneer. (The separated water is actually quite nutritious and can be refrigerated to use later i.e. to cook lentils, curries, make roti dough etc)

Mix all the ingredients for the filling and keep aside.

Blend the tomatoes in a blender to make a puree. Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions, chilies, cumin, fennel and ginger garlic paste and sauté on high flame for a minute. Stir in the jalapenos and stir for another minute. Add the tomatoes, curry powder, salt and mix well. Cover on medium flame till the tomatoes are cooked and turn darker. Remove cover and sauté for approx 10 minutes on medium flame till the oil starts to separate. (Don’t be in a rush while cooking this as the sauce will taste raw & bland if the tomatoes are not cooked properly). Sprinkle with fresh coriander. Keep aside to cool.

Knead a soft dough out of the ingredients for the momo covers. Keep aside for 15 mins. Roll out 2 inch rounds from the dough to make the momo covers (makes around 15).  Take a cover in the palm of your hand, and put a teaspoon of the paneer filling in the center. Roll up like a bag or potli. Grease the momos slightly and steam till the dough is completely cooked.

Server the hot momos over the sauce. A side of steamed vegetables completes the meal.

Mushroom Toasties

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“Speckled with green

And shades of caramel,

These bite size delights

Are in one word, swell.

My granny thinks it hip

To eat them mid-day,

Serve, savor, steal

Just have it your way.”

  

Ingredients

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

2 tablespoon onions, finely chopped

¼ cup peas (or corn)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (you can use the eggless version as well)

4 slices of brown sandwich bread

1/2 cup grated Gouda cheese (you can use any cheese but gouda works wonders)

¼ teaspoon ginger powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Some freshly chopped parsley

Heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the onions and sauté on medium flame till they turn transparent. Add mushrooms, peas, ginger powder, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and cover for 2-3 minutes on low heat till the mushrooms become dark and tender. Sauté on high flame to remove all the remaining liquid and remove from heat once done. Keep aside to cool.

Take a slice of bread and spread a little mayonnaise on it.  Cut it into 4 squares. Add one teaspoon of mushroom mixture and some grated cheese on each square. Do this with all the bread pieces. Put the squares in an oven tray and grill for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C.

Sprinkle some parsley and oregano on top before serving. Tastes fantastic with English mustard.

Mushroom Matar (Peas)

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“Opposites attract they say,

Shrooms are a dull sight,

But peas are a dash of cheer

On a day not so bright.

Colors of the earth

I mix the green with brown,

This dish depicts a smile,

Tangled with a frown.”

Ingredients

1 cup diced buttons mushrooms

½ cup boiled peas

½ onion, chopped

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons light olive oil

1 green chili, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon dry mango powder

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the ginger, chili and onions and sauté for a few minutes on high flame. Once the onions become transparent, add the peas and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and the remaining spices. Mix well, cover, and cook on low flame till the mushrooms become darker, tender and begin to leave water. Remove cover and cook on high flame till all the liquid is dry. Top with some freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with Indian bread (roti).

Black-eyed Peas (Lobhia) with Tomato Stir-fry

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“When god created beans

He took fame and taste,

Put it in a red cover

And sealed a Kidney bean’s fate.

This colorless pale cousin

In anger, asked “Why!”,

So Kidney took him on

And gave him a black eye.

Thus was born,

A bean not so fame,

Tasteless? perhaps,

But a taste that you can tame.”

  

Ingredients

1 cup black eyed peas, boiled with garlic & ginger

1 cup chopped tomatoes

½ cup chopped onions

1 green pepper, cut lengthwise

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chat masala

½ teaspoon garam masala

Pinch of paprika

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and stir till onions begin to turn transparent. Stir in the green pepper and sauté for a few seconds on high flame. Add the tomatoes, salt, paprika, garam masala and chat masala. Reduce to medium flame, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or till the tomatoes are tender. Sauté on high flame for a few minutes till all the liquid is dry, the tomatoes become pasty and the oil starts to separate from the mixture. Sprinkle some basil and remove from heat.

Put the black-eyed peas on a plate. Top with 2 spoons of the tomato stir-fry. Garnish with fresh mint. Can be eaten on it’s own of with bread or brown rice.

CousCous with Vegetables

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“I thought to myself

It’s time to change,

Remodel regular beings

Into something strange.

 So I took a tomato plump

And browned it with it's friends,

Simmers of creativity concluded

This oh-so irresistible blend.”

Ingredients

1 tomato, chopped

½ red onion, sliced lengthwise

¼ cup boiled corn

¼ cup fresh peas

1 tablespoon oilive oil

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon chat masala

1 cup couscous

1 teaspoon butter

1 tablespoon yogurt

Salt to taste

Add 1 cup boiling water to the couscous. Let it stand for a minute till it soaks all the water and puffs up. Mix in the butter and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and sauté till they are transparent and start browning. Now add the tomatoes and mix well. Cook on medium heat till the tomatoes turn pasty. Add the corn, peas, chat masala, garam masala and salt. Cover and cook for 2 minutes on medium flame. Remove from heat.

Serve the vegetables with couscous and top it with a dollop of yogurt and a squeeze of lime. Sprinkle some oregano or fresh parsley before serving.

Simple and wholesome!

Macaroni Bake

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“In elementary school

We learn our A,B,C’s,

In cooking school

It starts with mac and cheese.

But if you no young ‘un have

This is what it takes,

To turn that devious dish

Into a greener bake.“

Ingredients

For the white sauce

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

Salt to taste

For the bake

½ tablespoon butter

1 cup macaroni, boiled

½ cup chopped mushrooms

½ cup mix of frozen peas, corn, beans and carrots

¼ teaspoon oregano flakes

2 tablespoons grated cheese

¼ teaspoon crushed dried red pepper

2 tablespoon chopped onions

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

White sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend 2 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter and add salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes so it does not form any lumps. Slowly add 1 cup of milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking slowly over low flame, until smooth and thickened.

Melt ½ tablespoon of butter in another pan. Add the onions and sauté till they become transparent. Now add the mushrooms, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, along with 2 teaspoons of water. Cover on low heat and let it simmer till the mushrooms are cooked. Add the frozen veggie mix and toss. Make sure any remaining liquid is dried off before removing it from the heat.

Mix the macaroni, the mushrooms and the white sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and grill in an oven at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes, or till it begins to brown on the top. Serve hot with bread rolls and salad.

Rajma (Kidney Beans) Kebabs

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“A day of work

A couple of beers,

Hunger strikes

In the center sphere.

Soft and rare,

A snack mean

Who could’ve known

It’s plan ol’ kidney beans”

Ingredients

For the patties

1 cup kidney beans, boiled and mashed

½ cup potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 green chili finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)

¼ teaspoon chana masala

¼ teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon corn starch

½ cup breadcrumbs

Salt to taste

Others

Oil to fry

½ teaspoon chat masala

Fresh coriander to garnish

Mix all the ingredients for the patties in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Keep aside for 5-7 minutes. Make 8 round patties of 2 inches each. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry till they are golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle chat masala on top, and garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve with mint chutney and salad.

Aloo Tikki Burgers

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“Jack and Jill

Went up the hill,

To fetch a pail of water,

At the top they found

A potato burger mount

And became vegetarian after”

Ingredients

For the Tikkis

3 boiled potatoes, peeled and mashed

1 teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)

½ cup breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon coriander powder

¼ cup chopped onions

2 green chilies, finely chopped

1 pinch cumin powder

1 tablespoon oil

Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

For the Mint Chutney

1 cup cleaned mint leaves (pudina)

½ cup coriander leaves

 ½ teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

For the Burgers

1/2 cup oil to shallow fry the tikkis

1 teaspoon butter to toast the buns

4 lettuce leaves

4 tomato and onion slices

4 cheese slices (optional)

4 Burger buns

Tikkis

Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté till they are golden brown. Add all other ingredients for the tikkis, except the breadcrumbs and fresh coriander. Mix well on low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep aside to cool.

Once cooled, mix the coriander and the breadcrumbs into the mixture, and make 8 patties of 2 inches each. Heat oil in a pan, and shallow fry the patties till golden brown on both sides.

Mint chutney

Add all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blend. Add some water (not too much) if it’s too dry, but make sure it remains pasty and not watery. Remove and keep in the refrigerator to cool.

Buns

Heat the butter in a pan. Cut the burger buns into 2 halves and lightly toast each halve both sides. Do this for all 4 buns.

Putting it all together

Put some mint chutney on one half of the burger bun, topped with a lettuce leaf, a slice of onion, a slice of tomato, a slice of cheese and the potato tikki. You can leave the cheese out if you want it to be healthier- it tastes just as good without it. Put the other half of the bun on top and your veggie burger is ready!

Serve with a glass of cold coffee.

Udon Stir Fry

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“In goes the white and slippery

With a garden of greens,

Out comes a tantalizing dish

Healthy by all means.

Made to befriend a soup

A rule to which they abide,

I remove them from their comfort zone,

And present them stir-fried”

 

Ingredients

2 packets Japanese Udon Noodles

2 tablespoon light olive oil

2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

½ teaspoon fish oil

2 teaspoon  soya sauce

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup of mixed green and red peppers

Salt to taste

Chill flakes

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add vegetables, soya sauce, vinegar and fish oil (skip the fish oil and add some sesame oil instead for a veg version). Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes on medium flame till vegetables are slightly tender. Do not overcook the vegetables or they will turn into a mash. Add the noodles, salt and chilli flakes and cover for another 1 minute on low flame so the noodles absorb the flavors. Remove cover, sauté on high flame for 2 minutes till any liquid is dry, and serve hot.