Paneer Butter Masala

Well what should I say about this recipe. Every time I make this paneer, people have loved it and asked me about the recipe. It is very simple to cook and perfect to impress your guests. :)

Paneer Butter Masala 

Ingredients

Paneer - cut into small pieces

Onion - 1 medium, chopped

Tomato Paste - 1 Tbsp

Tomato Sauce - 1 Tbsp ( I used Maggi Hot & Sweet)

Cream - 2-3 Tbsp 

Milk - 3/4 Cup

Kastoori Methi - 1 Tbsp

Garam Masala - 1 Tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 Tbsp

Ginger/Garlic Paste - 1 Tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Heat oil in a pan and add onion to it, fry until onion is cooked.

Add ginger garlic paste, cook for a minute and add red chilli powder, coriander powder and half garam masala. 

Add tomato paste & tomato sauce and cook for a minute. To this add kastoori methi. Now add milk, reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pan and let it cook  for 5-7 minutes. 

Add paneer cubes and cream to this. Cook for 10 minutes. Now add salt, remaining garam masala and mix well. Serve hot! 

Note: You can replace it with yogurt if you want to reduce the calories. It tastes pretty good with yogurt, there is a minor difference in the texture. Make sure the yogurt is not very watery.

Chicken Enchiladas

My husband and I are crazy for chicken enchiladas. They are easy to cook, tastes so good and you can take them along to work the next day. My husband's cousin sister made these on the fourth of July last year and I have been making these since then. 

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Breast: 3-4 pieces

Frozen Corn - 1/2 cup

Red bell pepper - 1, chopped

Jalapeno Pepper - 1, chopped

Garlic - 2-3 cloves, minced

Onion - 1 chopped

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Wheat Tortillas 

Cream Cheese - 2 Tbsp

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce - 1 Can

Mexican Cheese - for garnishing 

Heat oven to 350F. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken breast and cook in oven until done. (It normally takes 20-25 minutes)

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and onion. After onion gets cooked, add chopped jalapeno, corn and bell pepper. Saute until all vegetables get cooked. 

Add some water to cream cheese to make a smooth paste. Remove vegetables from heat and add cream cheese paste to it. Add some cheese if you want, I skipped it. 

Bake until cheese is melted and tortillas get warm and bubbly (15-20 minutes)

Besan Ladoo

A day before Karvachauth after coming back from work I realized I don't have any mithai (Indian sweets) and I was feeling too lazy to go to an Indian store to buy. So I thought of making some at home. Thanks to Sanjeev Kapoor's easy recipe, it didn't take me very long and I could adjust sugar and ghee which you can't do in the mithai you get from outside. The shape of my ladoos is not round, I didn't have enough patience to let the mixture cool down so I can roll them in round shape but the taste was very good, I promise! :)
 

Besan Ka Ladoo

Ingredients: 

Besan - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/3 cup 
Powdered Sugar - 1/3 cup
Almonds - 5-6 crushed, few more for decorating ladoos

Heat ghee in a kadai. Add gram flour and roast on low heat till a nice aroma is given out - it took me 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool down for 1-2 minutes. 

Add crushed almonds and mix. Allow the mixture to cool slightly more before adding powdered sugar. Add sugar and mix. 

Let the mixture settle down for 5-10 minutes and then roll into even sized ladoos. Add one almond in the center of each ladoo for decoration. 

Note: The original recipe asked for 1/2 cup ghee and 1/2 cup sugar, I didn't want to make them too sweet so I added less sugar and made them with less ghee. 

Chicken Methi

I was browsing through Sanjeev Kapoor's website for some chicken recipes and found this one. I tried it and it has become our favorite chicken dish. Whenever we cook chicken, it has to be Chicken Methi. It is easy, delicious and not very time consuming. You don't even need to marinade the chicken before hand so perfect for an impromptu cooking. 

Chicken Methi (Chicken cooked with sun dried fenugreek leaves)

Chicken - 750 grams
Onion chopped - 3 medium
Ginger grated - 2 inch piece
Green chillies chopped - 3-4
Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish
Oil - 2 tbsp
Bay Leaves - 2-3
Green Cardamom - 4-5 
Black Cardamom - 2
Colves - 2-3
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Black Peppercorns - 4-5
Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Yogurt beaten - 1 cup
Kasturi Methi (Dry Fenugreek leaves) - 2 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

Wash chicken and cut into medium sized pieces. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaves, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns. Sauté until cardamoms start to crackle. Add onions and cook until they turn soft. 

Add ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and chopped green chillies. Saute for a minute. 

Add chicken pieces and yogurt and cook on high heat for 7-8 minutes. Add kastoori methi and 1 cup water. 

Cover pan and cook on low heat until chicken gets cooked. 

Add garam masala powder, salt and mix properly. 

Serve hot with rice or roti! 

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Spinach

My husband and I are big fans of Quartino's mushroom risotto. We have been there so many times and whenever I eat their risotto, I used to tell myself 'someday I will make it at home.' The day finally came yesterday. :) It is not difficult but you need a lot of patience. You can't pour full stock into rice and let it cook, you have to patiently add half cup of stock at a time, let it absorb and add another half cup. The taste and satisfaction you get after eating it is totally worth the effort. The recipe is adapted from Cooking Light. 

Mushroom Risotto

Chicken Stock/Broth - 4 cups
Onion - 1 medium
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh thyme chopped - 1 tsp
Garlic cloves minced - 4-5
Cremini mushrooms sliced - 3/4 cup
Shittake mushrooms  sliced- 3/4 cup
Arborio rice uncooked - 1 cup
Dry sherry or Madeira wine - 1/3 cup
Spinach Leaves - 3 cups
Fresh Asiago cheese grated - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan, keep warm over low heat. Do not boil.
Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil, onion, thyme and garlic. Cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in mushrooms; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, cook 1 minute stirring constantly. 

Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. 

Stir in 1 cup stock, cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).

Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. 

Serve hot! I served it with garlic bread, typical Quartino style. :)


Notes:

- The original recipe has baby spinach but I used regular spinach leaves
- You can use parmesan cheese, I read that in reviews. It was my first time so I wanted to use ingredients as mentioned in the recipe.

Cheddar Corn Muffins

This is the second version of corn muffins that I have tried and the more I try the more I love them. They are perfect for breakfast and brunch, I don't mind eating it in the evening with a cup of tea/coffee. What a delight! :) This has been adapted by Cooking Light. 

Cheddar Corn Muffins

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Yellow Cornmeal - 3/4 cup
Sharp Cheddar Cheese - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Ground Cumin - 3/4 tsp 
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Jalapeño Pepper - 1-2 seeded and minced (Depending on how much spice and flavor you like, I used 2)
Yogurt - 1 cup (mixed with 1/4 cup water)
Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
1 Egg - Beaten

Preheat Oven to 375 F and coat muffin pan with a cooking spray or oil. 

In a large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients (through salt) with a whisk. Stir in jalapeño and make a well in the center of the mixture. 

In a separate bowl, add yogurt, water, canola oil and egg, stirring well with a whisk.

Add wet mixture to the dry mixture just until moist. Do not over mix. 

Place the mixture in the prepared muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

It is a quick, easy and healthy side dish. All you need is fresh broccoli and you are all set. 

Broccoli Florets 
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 tsp chopped
Parmesan Cheese - 1 tbsp
1 Lemon

Heat oven to 425 F. 

Toss broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. 

Pour broccoli on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until it gets cooked and turns slightly brown. 

To this add lemon juice and sprinkle cheese and your broccoli is ready. 

Chicken Florentine Pasta

The moment I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine, I was dying to try it because it looked so delicious and was one of their 40 minutes meal. Result - My husband and I loved it and I now have another recipe for the quick weeknight dinners. I wanted to serve garlic bread as a side dish but in order to make our dinner healthy, I tried 'Oven Roasted Broccoli' and it was a huge success! 

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Chicken Breast - 2/3 pieces skinless
Penne Pasta - 8 Ounces uncooked
Canola Oil - 2 tbsp
All Purpose Flour - 3 tbsp
Fresh Garlic - 1-2 tsp chopped
Milk - 1 cup 
Low fat Chicken Broth - 1 cup
Spinach leaves - 3 cups
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Red chili flakes - 1/2 tsp
Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup grated

Heat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken breast and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked. Cut in small chunks. 

Cook pasta according to packages instructions. Drain well and keep warm. 

Heat oil in a non stick pan and add flour and garlic to it. Cook until garlic turn browns and keep stirring continuously. Add milk and broth to the pan and stir with a whisk. Turn the heat to simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Add salt, pepper, oregano and red chili flakes and mix well. 

To this mixture add spinach and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add chicken pieces and pasta and mix well. Serve hot! 

Ginger Tea

Do you guys agree with me that there is nothing like adrak wali chai (ginger tea) in this world? Whenever I am swamped with work or want to enjoy the cloudy weather, need a reason to take a break and chit chat with friends, when in office or at home or just like that, I can have a cup of ginger tea anytime and every time. :) I know most of you know how to make ginger tea so you may feel why I am posting this recipe. Actually I just made a cup of tea for myself and felt like posting it on my blog! 

Ginger Tea

Water - 1 cup

Ginger - 1 inch piece grated (depends on how much flavor you like)

Tea - 3/4 teaspoon

Sugar - to taste

Boil water with ginger in a pan. Let it boil until you get the perfect aroma of ginger. 

Add sugar, tea and bring to boil. Add milk, bring it to boil. 

Reduce heat and let it simmer 1-2 minutes. Strain the tea and serve hot!

PS: This recipe is dedicated to my friends - Shilpi, Reema, Richa & Ankita.. I miss you and our tea breaks. :)

Burrito Bowl

I tried Burrito Bowl yesterday because I was busy at work and didn't get time to cook. It is a Mexican modification to our traditional rajmah rice which makes it a little different but super tasty. 

Burrito Bowl

Black Beans - 1 Can 

Basmati Rice - 1 cup cooked

Chicken Breast - 1

Tomato - 1 chopped

Onion - 1 chopped

Cucumber - 1 chopped

Jalapeño - 1 chopped

Spring Onion - 1 chopped

Garlic - 1 clove chopped

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Fresh cilantro (Dhaniya) - chopped

Green chilli - 1 chopped

Avocado - 1 cut into small pieces

Lemon - 1

Red Chilli Powder - to taste

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Toss cooked rice with  half lemon juice, little salt and cilantro.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When it begins to change color, add chopped garlic, green chilli, and half onion. When onion becomes golden, add half tomatoes. Add little salt, red chilli powder and coriander powder to this mixture. 

Marinade chicken breast with lemon juice, garlic paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, and salt. Season the chicken with oregano and cumin powder. Cook in oven at 350 F for 30-40 minutes or until cooked. Chop cooked chicken into small pieces.

Now, in a bowl add remaining chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, spring onion and toss with lemon juice. This is our salsa mixture. You can buy salsa from a superstore and use that instead.

Assembly: In a bowl, add rice in the bottom. To this add cooked black beans, chicken, salsa mixture, and avocado. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: Vegetarians can skip chicken, it tastes pretty good even without it and I personally prefer that. You can also add cheese and sour cream to this. Add Tabasco sauce to make it more spicy.

Lemon Rice

Whenever there are some left over rice, I always try to make different rice recipes the following day. This  afternoon I tried lemon rice and it actually was pretty simple to cook and good to taste. I am a big fan of South Indian food so this was a perfect lunch for me. :)

Lemon Rice

Rice - 1 cup

Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoons

Curry leaves - 7-8 leaves

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal) - 1 tablespoon

Split Bengal gram (chana dal) - 1 tablespoon

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Asafoetida - a pinch

Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana) - 1/2 teaspoon

Whole red chillies - 5-6 broken

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida, broken red chillies, black gram, bengal gram, and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the grams turn light brown.

Add peanuts and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and turmeric powder. Stir fry for a minute, add cooked rice, salt and lemon juice.

Mix well and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Note: You can garnish with scraped coconut, I don't like the taste of coconut so I skipped it. 

Teriyaki Salmon with Stir-Fried Vegetables

I am a fish person and after moving to the US, salmon has topped the list of my 'favorite foods.' It is healthy, tastes good and you can try it in different styles, it always tastes good.  This Saturday I tried Teriyaki Salmon, it was easy to cook and perfect for the weekend!

Teriyaki Salmon 

Salmon - 1 strip (depends on how much you want to eat)

Teriyaki sauce - 2-3 tablespoons depending on the quantity of fish

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Pepper - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 teaspoon

Lemon - 1 squeezed

Oregano - to garnish the fish

Mix teriyaki sauce with ginger-garlic paste, oil, lemon juice, red chilli powder & salt. Marinade fish in this mixture for 30 minutes. 

Heat oven to 400 F and add a little oil on the surface of the oven tray. Transfer fish to this tray, add the marinade mixture on the top and grill for 15 minutes. 

Remove fish, sprinkle oregano and grill it again for 5 minutes. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked which normally depends on the thickness of the fish. 

Serve warm with stir-fried vegetables.

Stir-Fried Vegetables

Totally depends on which veggies you want to eat. I added used beans, broccoli, baby corns, carrots, red bell pepper, spinach, water chestnuts and peas. Steam veggies until cooked. When cooked, add the same marinade mixture that we used for salmon. It will add an Asian flavor to the veggies. Adjust salt and serve hot! 

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom masala is one of my favorite food. It has slightly more spices and masala than other vegetables and tastes better with that. It looks good, tastes good and is easy to cook so a perfect option if you have guests coming over. :)

Mushroom Masala

Mushrooms - 500 gm

Peas - 1 cup

Onion - 1 medium chopped

Tomato - 1 medium chopped

Green chillies - 2 chopped

Ginger - garlic paste - 2-3 teaspoons

Oil - as required

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dried Fenugreek leaves (kastoori methi) - 1 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Slice mushrooms and heat in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.  

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and add green chillies. Stir-fry for few seconds and add chopped onion. When onion becomes translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the mixture reduces to a pulp.

Add coriander powder, red chilli pwder, garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves. Cook for a minute and add mushrooms & peas to this mixture.

Cook on low heat until mushrooms and peas are tender. It generally takes 15-20 minutes. 

Serve hot with roti.

Ravioli Salad

I tried this recipe when we went on a family picnic but everyone loved it so much that I made it again last week for dinner. It is an easy and quick recipe and is perfect for the weeknight lunch/dinner. I used Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli from Costco, feel free to use any kind of ravioli that you like. 

Ravioli Salad

Ravioli - 1 lb (cooked and drained well)
Grape tomatoes - 1 Cup (Cut in half)
Basil - 1/4 Cup (Chopped)
Black olives - 1/4 Cup
1 small bunch basil, torn
Feta Cheese for garnish
Dressing: 

Olive oil - 1/4 Cup
White Vinegar - 2 Tbsp
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing - 2 Tbsp 
Salt - To Taste
Pepper - 1 Tsp

Cook Ravioli according to packaged instructions. Drain and place ravioili's in a single layer for cooling. 

Combine all ingredients for dressing and mix well with a whisk. 

All Ravioili's in a bowl and add tomatoes and olives. Pour dressing just enough to coat. 

Gently toss the ingredients and garnish with basil and feta cheese. 

Note: You can garnish this salad with toasted pine nuts as well.  

Low Fat Banana Bread

First question I asked myself before making this bread was how to make it 'low-fat.' So I used canola oil or extra virgin olive oil instead of butter in a small quantity, low-fat yogurt and whole wheat flour. I can at least enjoy this bread without any guilt. ;) The best thing about this bread is that you don't need your electric mixer. :) You just need to mix all ingredients together and your batter is ready. It sounds pretty easy right?

Banana Bread

Egg - 1 (If using only egg whites, use 2 eggs)

Whole wheat flour (Aata) - 3/4 cup

All purpose flour(Maida) - 3/4 cup

Banana - 2 mashed

Low-fat yogurt - 1/2 cup

Canola Oil - 1/4 cup

Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon

Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon

Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon

Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease the loaf pan with oil.

In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas with baking soda and yogurt. Let this mixture sit until you prepare other ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla.

Take another bowl and mix all flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.

Now combine banana mixture to the oil mixture and add it to the flour mixture. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. 

Pour this mixture in the prepared pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean your banana bread is ready! 

Remove it from oven and allow it to cool.

Note: You can add chocolate chips to the mixture right before pouring your batter in the pan.

Corn Muffins with Jalapeno and Broccoli

I tried these muffins last week, they were super easy to bake and taste really good. They are perfect for a breakfast or brunch.

Corn Muffins

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Corn Meal - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 2 teaspoon

Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon

Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon

Ground Cumin - 3/4 teaspoon

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Jalapeno pepper - 1 seeded and minced

Broccoli - 1/2 cup minced

Buttermilk - 1  1/4 cup (or 1 cup Yogurt and 1/4 cup water)

Canola Oil - 1/4 cup

Egg - 1 beaten

Preheat oven to 375 F and add cooking spray or oil to the muffin pan.

Sift flour and then add cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, cumin, salt, salt and sugar. Stir with a whisk.

Add jalapeno and broccoli. Then add beaten egg with buttermilk and oil.

Stir until all ingredients are mixed well and the mixture becomes moist.

Divide batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I love blueberries and I was dying to try these muffins. I was waiting for the perfect recipe which is not very time-consuming and is healthy as well. I don't like to use all-purpose flour so I try my best to substitute that with the whole-wheat flour. I finally baked them this morning and I can't tell you how happy I am. Baking makes me super happy and is a perfect getaway from all anxieties. :)

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Baking Powder - 3 teaspoons

Sugar - 1/3 cup (You can substitute it with honey)

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Egg - 1 (or 2 Egg Whites)

Vanilla Essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Milk - 1 cup

Oil - 2 tablespoons (I used canola oil, feel free to use olive oil or vegetable use)

Fresh Blueberries - 1 cup

Preheat oven to 400 F and cooking spray to the muffin pan

Sift whole wheat flour with a sifter or use a wired whisk. Add baking powder, sugar and salt to the flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, vanilla and oil and stir them using a whisk for 2-3 minutes.

Add flour mixture to the egg mixture with a spoon and stir well until the mixture becomes moist.

Gently stir in blueberries.

Divide batter among the muffins cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove from pan and serve warm.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

My mom is an amazing cook and she is famous among her friends to bake this cake. I tweaked her version and used some of the whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. This is a very safe baking option especially if you are scared of baking or have had some bad experiences. You don't need an electric mixer for this cake, all you have to do is mix the ingredients well with a whisk and you are all set. 

EGG LESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup yogurt

1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1/2 cup Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

2 tbsp drinking chocolate

1 tsp vanilla essence

Milk (as needed, I generally add around 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease the baking pan with oil.

Mix sugar and yogurt in a bowl and keep it as is until you prepare other ingredients.

In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Add oil to yogurt and sugar and whisk to form a smooth mixture.  

Start adding dry into the wet ingredients with little milk at a time and  stir until all ingredients are moistened.  Add essence to this mixture and stir gently. 

Pour this mixture in the prepared pan. Bake for about 50-55 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in the center of the bread, if it comes out clean your cake is ready. 

Note: You can also add nuts or chocolate chips to this cake.