WHAT DO I MAKE...

Creamy dumplings aka Lazeez Malai Kofta

2013-02-11T18:52:00.001-08:00

Its been an eternity since I last posted the results of any culinary efforts here. The entree for dinner tonight turned out so lip-smackingly good that I had to share the recipe with you all. Sorry for the long hiatus post baby and Sasha's toddler years. I am hoping that I will be able to post more interesting recipes here from now on.

That said, here is the recipe of the creamy dumplings that mom-in-law made for dinner tonight. That's right, the comeback post does not feature my cooking but that of the master chef in the house.

DUMPLINGS/KOFTA BALLS
Ingredients:
1 medium sized squash
1 big potato
cashews handful
handful raisins
1/4 c gram flour/besan
turmeric, salt, red chili powder - as per taste

Method:
Boil squash and potato. Smash and mix with gram flour and salt, turmeric and chili powder. Cut cashews roughly into chunks as big as the raisins. Mix them along with the raisins in rest of the ingredients. With your hands, make 1 inch balls with the mixture and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside

CREAM GRAVY
Ingredients:
2 big tomatoes
1 big onion
2 medium sized green chilis
handful cashews
1/4 c cilantro
1 tbsn ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsn grated coconut

Sauteing:
1 tbsn oil
1 tsp curry powder/garam masala
salt and turmeric to taste

Garnishing:
1/4 c Cilantro
1/4 c Fresh whipped cream

Method:

Cut tomato and onions into big chunks and boil them. In a blender, add the boiled onions and tomatoes and rest of the ingredients (except those for sauteing and garnishing) and blend to a fine paste. In a saute pan, add mustard seeds. When the seeds sputter, add 1 tsp garam masala (curry powder) and immediately add the blended paste. Cook at low heat till the oil separates from the gravy. Add the dumplings and switch off the heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve with fresh cream.

VHD - 2/12 Recipe Round Up

2012-06-15T06:30:00.002-07:00

A BIG thank you to all our readers and friends for contributing to the Valentine's Heart Drive! We apologize for the unfortunate delay in publishing some of your posts but here's a final(lly!!) Recipe Round Up from the drive.

Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake

Honey Wheat Bread with Oats

Arachu Vitta Kaara Kozhambu

Hyderabadi Biryani

Vanilla Berry Rosette Cake

Eggless Red Velvet Heart Cake

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Dal Makhani

Sprinkles Cake

Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza

Poondu Kozhambu

Bell Pepper Fajitas and Guacamole

VHD 2/12 - Bell Pepper Fajitas and Guacamole (From Shilpa)

2012-05-23T05:23:00.001-07:00

Bell pepper Fajitas and guacamole

Guacamole: Mash 2 avocados with a fork. Then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on it. Then add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro. Add salt and a little bit of jeera pwd.

Bell pepper mix for fajitas: In some olive oil , add onions that have been chopped lengthwise and some chopped garlic Then add half each of red, orange and yellow bell pepper. Cook nicely and then add store bought fajita mix powder. Garnish with cilanto and serve with tortillas and other fixins!

VHD 2/12 - Poondu Kozhambu (From Shilpa)

2012-05-23T05:20:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to our next guest contributor - Shilpa Sarang - from Denver, Colorado.

Poondu Kozhambu

Ingredients:
10-12 cloves of whole peeled garlic
Medium sized onion (preferably red) chopped lengthwise
Juice extracted from a ping pong ball sized tamarind
curry leaves
Mustard 1 tsp
jeera 1tsp
Salt
chilli pwd (as per taste)
haldi pwd 1/2 tsp
dhania pwd 1/2 tsp

Method:
In some gingelly oil, splutter the mustard and jeera seeds. Then add curry leaves, onions and garlic. Fry for a bit till onions are tender and garlic has browned. Then add the tamarind extract, salt and haldi powder and boil till the raw smell of the tamarind goes and the liquid has reduced to half its quantity. Finally add the chilli pwd and dhania pwd and let it boil for a couple more minutes. Then its ready to serve.

Valentine's Heart Drive ... THANK YOU!!!

2012-03-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

A quick thank you to all our guests that sent us their contributions. I have been down with the flu and Niti has been busy with some sudden changes at work. So, sorry if you don't see your post(s) here, we promise to put them up along with a Round Up very soon. Stay tuned!

VHD 2/12 - Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza

2012-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza

Trader Joe's 100% Whole Wheat pizza dough - 1/2 the quantity i.e. 8oz

Fresh asparagus - about 10, I used the top 4"

Frozen broccoli - about 10 florets, thawed

Sun dried tomatoes - 3 T

Basil pesto - 4 T

Cheese - 1/4 C or less of any low-fat variety. I might try nutritional yeast flakes as a substitute next time!
Suggestions for other substitutes are welcome :)

Preheat the oven at 350 F.

Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle some cornmeal over, this helps easy removal of the pizza post baking. Place the dough on the sheet and roll it out, use some flour if required. If you are using your "clean" hand/fingers, rub some EVOO before you start. I rolled it out to about 6-7" but for next time, I might try close to 9-10" because when you bake, it rises/puffs up really well.

Once you've rolled your dough out, brush some EVOO all over including the ends. I used about 1T of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Arrange the vegetables (leaving about 1" all along the corner) as per your choice, crush some salt & pepper over and also grate the cheese over the pizza. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I put it back in for another 5 minutes at 375 F. The baked asparagus and tomatoes along with the cheese provide that delicious crunch! You can also sprinkle some pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese before serving.

VHD - 2/12 Sprinkles Cake (from Maha)

2012-02-27T10:32:00.001-08:00

Another guest baker - Maha Ramani - shares her V-day baking adventure. Maha lives in Baltimore, MD and here are some of the pictures of her valentine cake! Thank you, Maha.

VHD 2/12 - Dal Makhani - made easy and healthy too! (From Hema)

2012-02-24T13:09:00.002-08:00

Here's another post from Hema.

Dal Makhani is a crowd pleaser yet there are so many varieties of this Indian delicacy. I wanted to surprise my hubby with something different today and remembered having urad dal (black lentils) in my pantry, so that was a start. I managed to keep it heart healthy by cutting down on the usage of butter and cream, but making sure the taste was intact.

As always Google came to my rescue and I have tried so many versions. To name a few:

Adding “dals" (lentils) to a onion + tomato + ginger gravy
Slow cook the lentils in onion and tomato and let it turn into a gravy

But this particular recipe claimed to be from the chefs at Oberoi and I thought that should be great! So here we go with my version. I call it made easy since it’s a simple 3 step process

Cook the dals
Cook the gravy
Mix the 2

A few tips before you start:

The dals soaking calls for overnight or at least 6 hours. I made it simple by letting the dals heat in water in the microwave. And then let it soak for 30mins
Use a small pressure cooker, that way you can cook the dals in this, just add the gravy later ans let it simmer
If you run out of “cream”, just melt 1 tbsp butter and add about 1 oz. of whole milk and stir for about 2mins on low-medium
I prefer fresh tomatoes to tomato puree but that’s a personal choice

Dal Makhani – made easy and healthy too!
Adapted from A Life (Time) of Cooking
Serves about 4 cups

Ingredients:
1. Urad dal (black lentils) : Rajma (red kidney beans): Chana Dal (bengal gram dal) in the ratio 3:1:1. I used about 150 gms : 50gms : 50gms for the serving size of 4 cups
2. Tomatoes – 2 big
3. Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
4. Garlic cloves – 3 cloves
5. Heavy cream – 1 oz (you can also use 1 extra tbsp of cream to garnish while serving)
6. Jeera (cumin seeds) – 3 tbsp
7. Fenugreek seeds – 1/4th tbsp (Note: please stick to a very small amount given their bitter taste)
8. Garam masala – 1 tbsp
9. Chill powder – 1 tbsp
10. Green chilies – 2 small ones
11. Fresh ginger – 15 (very thin julienne)
12. Oil – 1 tbsp
13. Salt – to taste
14. Sugar – 2 tbsp

15. Coriander – 3-4 tbsp, finely chopped

Preparation method:

1. Wash all the lentils, soak them in water and microwave for about 3mins. Let it soak for another 30mins.
2. Meanwhile in a kadai - heat oil, add jeera, fenugreek and once they splutter add tomatoes
(chopped into small pieces), ginger garlic paste and cook for a few minutes on high.
3. Add about a cup of water and let it simmer for about 10mins with the lid on. Mash it with the ladle on and off
4. Pressure cook the lentils along with the garlic cloves for about 2-3 whistles
5. Once its ready to open, mash it a little, add the tomato gravy, green chilies, fresh ginger, chili powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and give it a good mix
6. Add the cream and mix it well. Let it cook on low-medium for just 10mins
7. Add the coriander and mix it on last time before serving
8. Garnish with a dash of cream, few coriander leaves and serve it with tandoori rotis (or whole wheat Indian breads of your choice to make it more heart healthy)

VHD - 2/12 Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

2012-02-21T10:25:00.005-08:00

This one was fun making, it's always fun to use up leftover vegetables and clear the refrigerator! Also, this dish is packed with the goodness of fresh vegetables and couscous, considered to be one of the healthiest grains-based products.

Ingredients:
Top coat:
Potatoes - 4, medium
Butter - 1-2 T
Hot milk - 1/4-1/2 T

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cut the potatoes in half and add them to the boiling water and cook till soft. Drain, remove the peel and put the potatoes back in the pot. On medium heat, mash the potatoes well. Add the butter and milk and continue to mash till all lumps are gone! Add some salt, pepper and some dried basil. I also added a pinch of turmeric powder for some color. You could also add some spring onion greens and chives.

Filling:
Onions - 1/4 of a big onion, finely chopped
Tomato - 1/2 of a medium, finely chopped (you can be generous here, I am using leftover veggies remember!)
Vegetables - I used a mixture of cabbage, turnip, scallions, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, carrot and peas - all finely chopped, you could use frozen vegetables too!
Couscous - 1 cup, fine grain - heat 1 cup of water in a small non stick pan, add 1 t butter, some salt and bring it to a boil. Add the couscous, turn off heat and cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff it up so the grain are not sticking to each other and set aside. You could use flavored couscous too.

to give you an idea of the amount of vegetables I used ..

In a non stick pan heat 2 T of butter and saute the onions (till brown), tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add all the vegetables, some vegetable stock, basil, oregano. Mix, cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked. Uncover, make some space in the center, add 1 T of butter and flour, whisk to form a roux and mix in the vegetables. After a few minutes, add the couscous and mix well. Put the lid back on, turn off heat and let it sit for a few minutes.

In the mean time, preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Prepare your baking dish. I just went ahead and greased the dish (2 Qt.). Add the filling and press it down and pack it. Now add the mashed potatoes and spread it with a fork to give a nice top coat.

Bake for 15-20 minutes till the potatoes look nice and brown!

VHD 2/12 - Eggless Red Velvet "heart" Cake (From Archana)

2012-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here's another guest contribution, from Archana. Archana lives in Singapore and we are glad she found time to share some pictures amidst her busy schedule settling down in a new city and managing her two little kids. Thank you, Archana.

Eggless Red Velvet "heart" Cake
Adapted from: Heritage Red Velvet Cake by Heather @ Sprinkle Bakes
Icing: orange flavored cream cheese and heavy cream icing

right out of the oven!

VHD 2/12 - Vanilla Berry Rosette Cake

2012-02-16T21:25:00.002-08:00

After a lot of debating I finally decided that my V-Day cake would have rosettes on it! I picked the blue velvet cake I made for M's birthday and changed that to a vanilla cake. I also folded in some berries in the end so it wouldn't be a plain cake. As for the frosting, well read on, this baking/decorating project was a true learning experience!

the two little hearts in the center were cut out from pink fondant using a cookie cutter

Vanilla Berry Cake

Cake proportions adapted from Paula Deen's Blue Velvet Cake

Butter - 1 stick or 1/2 C

Sugar - 1 C

Applesauce - 1/4 C (I substituted 1 egg with 1/4 C of applesauce)

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/4 C

Salt - 1/2 t

Buttermilk - 1/2 C

Clear vanilla extract - 1/2 t (non clear version should work too!)

Baking soda - 1/2 t

Apple cider vinegar - 1/2 T (regular vinegar should work too!)

Chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen - 1/2 C

Preheat your oven at 350 deg F. Grease one 8x3 baking pan with PAM for Baking.

In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. On the side, sift flour and salt together and set aside. Add the applesauce to the creamed butter, give it a quick mix for a few seconds. Now add the flour mix and buttermilk, alternating between the two. When this is done, add the vanilla. In a small bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda (you will see a quick foam!) and add it to the cake batter and hand mix with a spatula. Finally, fold in the berries.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, shake it to level the batter and bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I got a super soft and moist cake. A few comparisons to the "egg" version: the eggless version took a little longer to bake. Also, eggless version (1.5" tall) did not rise as much as the egg version (3" tall). Remove the cake and let it cool on a wire rack for a good 15-20 minutes and then flip it over and let it cool completely.

compare with the "egg" version of the same recipe

Rose Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese - 8oz at room temperature, I used the Philadelphia 1/3rd Fat

Butter - 4oz or 1 stick at room temperature

Pure cane confectioner's sugar - 2-3 C

Vanilla - 1/2 t

Rose extract/essence - 1/4 t and then add another 1/4 t depending on your taste

Pink Wilton Gel color and a toothpick for adding color to the frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter just till the blend well. Add the sugar 1 C or 3/4 C at a time. If you are using a stand mixer, then use the paddle attachment on the lowest setting. When done, remove and add the vanilla and rose and give it a quick (do not over mix) mix with a spatula. Finally, add the color, 1/4th of a tiny dot a time (the gel color is quite strong), again give it a quick mix to check the color.

iPhone click!

Now, for those DOs, DON'Ts and for some whining and cribbing. All you expert bakers and decorators reading this post, please feel free to share your tips and suggestions!

Even though I was very careful about not over mixing the frosting, I was left with a bit of a runny frosting. I quickly bagged it with a Wilton 1M tip and threw it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. I also transferred the remaining frosting into a Pyrex bowl and put it in the freezer till I had to replace the piping bag. My options were either to do the rosettes on the cake in installments (freezing the icing and refrigerating the cake after each installment) or skip decorating! I had to go with the former :)) The rosettes were not as firm as I wanted them to look, they became flat very soon. Again, I could not pipe rosettes on the sides and edges (they would flow down and out of shape). So, I ended up icing that part alone. But I still enjoyed piping those rosettes :)

Excuse the lengthy post but here are some notes-to-self:

As best as possible, avoid using cream cheese frosting while decorating - rosettes, ruffles, stars etc.
I read somewhere that both the cheese and butter should be just at room temperature and not too gooey, my cream cheese might have been a bit too soft.
A few other tips I came across - beat the cheese and sugar first and then follow it with the butter, avoid butter altogether, always use full fat cream cheese, do not use too much sugar, do not over mix and do not over mix!!
Another point to be noted with eggless and/or butter cakes, they become hard and dense when you keep them in the refrigerator. Of course, I couldn't leave it out for too long because of the cream cheese frosting. If you have to refrigerate (you probably have to if there are leftovers!) then pull it out 30-60 minutes before serving.

It was definitely not a smooth sail this time! Nevertheless, it was a deliciously fun adventure AND it got an expert chef/connoisseur's (thanks Nalini) seal of approval so there was the icing on my cake!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Valentine's Day! I mentioned this on my FB status and I have to say this again, the V-Day Doodle was that perfect little message/story Google could have created, love it :)

VHD 2/12 - Hyderabadi Biryani (From Hema)

2012-02-15T23:39:00.001-08:00

Our guest contributor, Hema sent another interesting recipe for Hyderabadi biryani that definitely qualifies as a heart healthy recipe for all the fresh vegetables and potent spices it has. Take a look at the recipe below.

Another way to win your sweetheart would be a BIRIYANI, a no-brainer! Sunday morning and hubby's like "I feel like eating Biriyani". Luckily, I had all the spices in my pantry and researched a few recipes online. I added a few extra spices on my own and came up with the Biriyani paste which I guess is the 'secret to success'. Enjoy!!!!!

Hyderabadi Biriyani
Inspired by Hyderabadi Kitchen's RECIPE

Ingredients:

. Basmati rice - 2-3 cups (this depends on the ratio of “rice to veggies” that you like)
. Jeera seeds – 2 tbsp
·   Sliced onions – 2
·   Carrot and peas – 2-3 cups
·   Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
·   Coriander leaves – for the garnish
·   Mint coriander paste – (with a little water grind 2 cups of mint leaves and 1 cup of coriander leaves into a fine paste)
· Yoghurt – 1 cup (whole milk yoghurt works better and if you use Greek yoghurt even better)
· Few strands of saffron (soaked in about 2 tbsp of warm water)
· Cashews – 10-12nos.
·   Salt to taste
·   Oil – 7-8 tbsp
·   Ghee – 4 tbsp

Biriyani Paste
·   Ajwain – 2 tbsp
·   Cinnamon – 1 stick (about 1-2 inches)
·   Fennel seeds – 2 tbsp
·   Cloves – 4
·   Cardamom – 4
·   Bay leaves – 5
· Shah Jeera – 2 tbsp ( the regular jeera in your pantry should do the trick as well)
·   Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
·   Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
·   Garam masala – 1 tbsp
·   Turmeric power – 2 tbsp
·    Chilli powder – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and soak basmati rice in water (rice to water; 1:1.25 ratio), add 5 cardamoms, 5 cloves into the water and mix it. Microwave this for about 3 mins and leave it aside for about 10mins.
2. Remove the cardamoms, cloves and pressure cook for 1 whistle (you can always leave the cardamoms and cloves if you’d like).

3. In 2 tbsp oil roast (on low) ajwain, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, shah jeera, coriander seeds, grated coconut .
4. After a few minutes add garam masala, turmeric power, chilli powder; mix it and immediately remove it from heat and let it cool. Add a little water and grind into a fine paste.
5. In a kadhai heat the oil, ghee, add jeera seeds and once it splutters add the onions, cashews, ginger garlic paste and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add carrot and peas and cook for a few more minutes.
7. Now add the Biriyani paste and cook on medium for about 5 mins.
8. It’s time to add the mint coriander paste and give it a good mix.
9. After about 2 mins add the yoghurt and cook on low for about another 5 mins.
10. Add salt to taste, saffron and mix well (I usually add the salt & saffron at this stage and is easier to mix once you add the rice).
11. Let the mixture sit for about a minute before you start adding rice.
12. Make sure to add one small serving of rice at a time, fold it with the veggies and continue this process until all the rice is added. (Note: Fold the rice in instead of just mixing it. This keeps the texture of rice intact)
13. Finally add the coriander leaves give it one last mix and its ready to serve. You can also garnish a little more coriander leaves, roasted cashews, deep fried onion rings.

Serve with raita or mirch ka salan on the side. Don't forget to add that yummy spicy pickle on the side as well!

VHD 2/12 - Arachu Vitta Kaara Kozhambu (From Hema)

2012-02-15T23:14:00.001-08:00

Here's our first guest post for the Valentine's Heart Drive. We are pleased to introduce our readers to our guest contributor, Hema Srinivasan, who lives in LA and is passionate about all things FOOD! Here is the post in her own words.

When Anuja asked me to contribute towards the Valentine's Heart Drive, Italian was the first cuisine that came to mind. But then I thought, why not Indian. In fact South Indian, only because there is no other better way to win my sweetheart's attention! Heart healthy was sure an option, but I'd say its safe to take this exception, cause it sure was worth it :)

So, my first contribution here is a Arachu Vitta Kaara Kozhambu (spicy stew made with a ground paste). As a foodie, I have always loved South Indian cuisine in particular and kaara kozhambu has always been a top favorite. I researched online quite a bit and also took recipes from a friend. I am yet to make that 'Perfect' Kuzhambu in my books, but safe to say this recipe is sure on its way there. After a 8hr flight across the coast it was a treat for my husband and I guess it did win his HEART!

Arachu Vitta Kaara Kozhambu
Inspired by Kaara Kozhambu featured on Samai
Makes about 4 cups

1.       Onion - 1 big sized
2.      Tomato – 1 big sized
3.      Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
4.      Green Chili – a few
5.      Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
6.      Tamarind -1 medium ball
7.      Mustard seeds and Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
8.      Curry leaves – about 10
9.      Sugar (or) Jaggery – to taste
10.   Salt - to taste
11.    Oil - as required (Sesame oil is preferred)- I’d make it on the slightly oilier side, given it’s a Kuzhambu and that way you can store it for a few days.

The ‘Magic’ paste :)

1.       Dry Red Chilies – 4-5
2.      Coriander seeds - 1 ½ tbsp
3.      Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
4.      Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbsp
5.      Peppercorn - 1/4 tbsp
6.      Toor dal (thuvaram paruppu)- 1/4 tbsp
7.      Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) - a pinch
8.      Curry leaves - 10
9.      Coconut - 1 tbsp

Note: I tried to stick to the proportions for this paste to make sure the taste came out just right.

Recipe:
1.       Cut onion, green chili, tomato into small pieces.
2.      Soak tamarind in water for 15 minutes. After that extract a cup of tamarind juice from it.
3.      Roast all ingredients for the ‘Magic' paste in 1 tsp of oil, allow it to cool, add some water and grind it into a fine paste.
4.      Heat about 4tsp of oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and urad dal, once it splutters add curry leaves, onion and green chili, fry till they are golden brown.
5.      Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes away. Add tomato and mash it with the spatula.
6.      Add turmeric powder, Magic paste from Step 3 and fry it for a few minutes.
7.      Add tamarind juice, 1 cup of water, salt and sugar (or jaggery) to it.
8.      Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium.
9.      Cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 10 minutes until the stew becomes thick.

Serve it with hot rice, a splash of ghee and a curry on the side would be great. I tried it with okra roast but am guessing urulai (potato) roast would be a perfect marriage!

Jalapeno-Corn Dip for Game Day!

2012-02-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Not quite the hearty contribution to our "drive" here but Super Bowl was begging for some attention. We were going to a friend's house and I decided to make a quick dip. After a quick scan, I figured I would do something with the sole can of corn in my pantry!

Jalapeno-Corn Dip
Inspired by Kevin's Hot Corn Dip

Corn - 1 can
Red onion - 1/4th of a big onion, finely chopped
Bell pepper - red or green or a combo - 1/4th of a big pepper, finely chopped
Jalapeno - 1/2 of a big pepper (or 1 for a borderline spicy dip) - finely chopped
Green onions/scallions - 3, chopped, whites and greens
Garlic - 3 pods, finely chopped
Mayo - 1/4 cup
Cheese - 1/4 cup monterey jack + 1/4 cup mexican blend - that was the original plan but I ended up using mexican blend for the entire 1/2 cup since we couldn't find monterey jack!
Panko breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup
Butter - 2 T

In a non stick pan, heat 1 T butter and saute the corn with a sprinkle of salt and pepper till all the water evaporates and the corn turns golden brown. Remove it in a baking dish. In the same pan, heat 1 T of butter and saute garlic, onions and the bell pepper. When these are done, throw in the scallion and jalapeno. Add these vegetables to the corn.

Let it cool a little bit. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F in the mean time. Also, in a dry bowl, mix the 1/4 cup of mexican blend and panko. Now, add the mayo and jack cheese to the corn/veg and give it a quick mix. Sprinkle the cheese+panko over the top and bake for 20 minutes or till the cheese starts to sizzle and brown.

For a darker/roasted top, switch the oven to BROIL mode and broil the dip for a minute or two but make sure to keep an eye on the dip!!!

VHD 2/12 - Honey Wheat Bread with Oats

2012-02-05T01:52:00.001-08:00

With easy access to a zillion Indian stores and restaurants in the Bay Area, I hardly make rotis at home and that means my atta (whole wheat flour) is sitting idle and I had to find an alternate use for it. I have tried wheat cupcakes before and I must say I am not a big fan of those! So, I decided to bake my own bread at home :)

Recipe adapted from: Krissy's Honey Oat Wheat Bread

Makes one 8.5x4.5x2.5 loaf

Ingredients:

Active dry yeast - 1 packet

Warm water - 1/4 C (110 deg F)

Honey - 1/4 C

Unsalted butter - 2 T, melted

Milk - 1 C (I used 2%)

Whole wheat flour/atta - 3 C

Rolled oats - 3/4 C

Salt - 1.5 t

Add the water to the stand mixer bowl and mix in the yeast and let it rise for 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, milk and honey. Now, add the flour, oats and salt and mix on medium speed till the dough comes together. I used the stirrer attachment and then switched to the hook attachment right before adding the dry ingredients. Place the ball of dough in a big greased mixing bowl and let it rise in the oven (turned off) for close to a 2 hours.

Prepare a loaf pan - grease and line it with parchment paper making sure to leave some paper hanging outside the pan.

a lazy click using my 3GS!

Remove the dough and using a rolling pin roll it to a 9x12 (roughly) rectangle. Now, starting from a 9" side roll up the sheet of dough into a log and place it in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a clean, dry towel and let the dough rise again for close to 2 hours. I just left this on the counter top. About 15-20mins before time, preheat your oven at 350 deg F., heat 1 T of honey in the microwave (10-20 seconds) and brush coat the top of the loaf. Now sprinkle 1-2 T of rolled oats over and bake for 45 minutes.

Notes:

The bread was a bit dense for me. I am sure it will be better toasted and with butter or jelly but I know whole wheat breads don't necessarily have to be dense and dry. I am not sure if that happened because I used 3 cups of wheat flour instead of 2 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of bread flour. I remember my dough was not too sticky (which is good as per recipe) but it didn't rise to double the amount even though the yeast was activated right. I found this LINK with a whole bunch of tips so I am probably going to try this recipe again for a softer loaf :)

VHD 2/12 - Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake

2012-02-03T09:53:00.001-08:00

Considered as one of nature's super foods, cranberries are known for a wide range of health benefits. This would be my first time working with these nutritious berries. Our friends Hema & Madhu visited us in January and I wanted to bake a welcome cake for their daughter --- 4-month-old baby Maya! Of course, Maya was certainly not eating the cake but I created an opportunity for us to include some hearty antioxidants in our diet and also created the perfect excuse to pile on those sugary calories :)

The first thing that came to mind was the frozen cranberry sauce from our Thanksgiving dinner and thus began the quest! I initially thought of making this Cranberry-Swirl Quick Bread I found on The New York Times' website. But then I figured this recipe may not have enough butter and eggs to make it moist and cakey so I decided to go ahead with a coffee cake recipe (excuse my ignorance but I always thought coffee was a key ingredient in coffee cakes, well, you learn something new everyday!!) which looked exactly like the picture I had in mind :) I also dug up a simple glaze to go on top. As always, I was nervous about using eggs - I hate it when cakes have a strong eggy smell and taste! - but I was very happy with the taste and consistency of this cake :)

Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
Inspired by kingarthurflour's Cranberry-Almond Coffee Cake
Source: inspired2cook

Ingredients
Butter - 1 stick or 1/2 c
Sugar - 1 c
Eggs - 2
Buttermilk - 1 c
Orange zest - 1/2 - 1 T (or any other flavoring but orange zest adds a wonderful flavor to the cake!)
Baking powder - 1 t
Baking soda - 1 t
All purpose flour - 2 c
Salt - 1/2 t
Cranberry sauce - 1 c (if you are using frozen then make sure to put it out ahead of time)

Preheat your oven at 350 deg F. Grease and prepare a 8" round pan and set aside.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter till smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and orange zest. Now, very slowly mix the buttermilk, do not over-mix as it might curdle the mixture. Yes, it happened to me the first time! The next step is to add (continue using the stand mixer) the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour.

Pour half the batter into the baking pan, level and then spread 1/2 the amount of cranberry sauce. Repeat the process with the remaining cake batter and sauce. Bake for 55 minutes. Remove and cool in pan for 10 minutes over a wire rack. Place a parchment paper on the wire rack and flip the cake out of the pan and cool for another 5 minutes.

Orange Sugar glaze
Inspired by evilshenanigans

Butter - 2 T, melted
Powdered sugar - 1 c
Orange juice - 1 T
Vanilla - 1/2 t
Water - 2-4 T

WHISK together ingredients 1-4 and 2 T of water in a bowl. Add more water if required! You need a thick yet pourable mixture. Pour this over a very warm or cool cake. Top it with grated nuts and dried fruits if you like!

Notes:

I substituted the lemon juice in the original glaze recipe with the orange juice. I beat the glaze with a spoon, big mistake! I should have whisked it, whisking takes care of all the fine little lumps and results in a smooth glaze.
Also, the glaze I prepared was quite runny, I am not sure if this was because of not whisking. So, note to self, next time start with 1 T of water next time and then add more if required and of course whisk, whisk, whisk!!!

Valentine's Heart Drive!

2012-02-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Keeping fit and thinking about keeping fit are two very different things. How many times have you thought about rehashing your lifestyle to include some exercise and healthy eating habits? How many times have you actually started and have had a relapse? I believe that our resolutions fail because we get too rigid too fast. Instead of going full steam on a workout on day one, what if we try starting with a 5 minute simple routine and slowly ramp it up at our own pace? What if, instead of going vegetarian or fat free all of a sudden, we start with small changes to our diet, eliminating one objection item at a time? Food for thought (for once on this blog)!

In celebration of Valentine's, we at whatdoimake have decided to post heart healthy recipes this month. Of course, there will be those cookies and cakes being baked in the oven for that special Valentine dinner. But while we overdose on all the 'love' that one night, let's compensate by adding the 'heart' part to rest of our meals this month.

(Image courtesy Microsoft Office)

To help us with our drive, we would also like to invite those special recipes from our readers, the ones that you are so proud of and the ones that are reserved for days of purging after holiday eating! And not just the healthy recipes, we would also love to hear about what you will be making for your Valentine's special meal this year. Send us your recipes and we will feature them on our blog this month!

Asparagus Soup revisited & Feta Marinara Pasta

2012-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

We realized today that our blog crossed 10,000 page visits...yayy us! I had to write a post to celebrate that! Although to be fair to us, we installed the counter only recently. So, the actual number of page visits is higher than that. Nevertheless, a milestone achieved and a reason to celebrate! Before I get to my recipes, I want to (quickly) take this opportunity to thank all our readers for visiting our blog and sharing your views and feedback with us. We love to hear from you and hope to have your continued support as we aim for loftier goals! Thank you, readers!

Asparagus Soup

One of my favorite soups, and I made it today after a very long time! Here is the RECIPE. I made a slight modification to the original recipe and added a jalapeno pepper to give it that spicy kick. I used half a jalapeno that was deseeded, deveined and chopped. I added it to the pan along with the onions.

Feta Cheese Pasta
The inspiration to mix feta cheese and tomatoes came from Zoom Yummy, thank you Petra :)

Ingredients:
Marinara sauce - I use Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara Sauce, cheapest marinara that also tastes good!
Garlic pods - sliced thin, I didn't use too many since the sauce already has garlic
Feta cheese - 4oz, I used the reduced fat organic from Trader Joe's
Fresh basil leaves - finely chopped

Heat some butter and roast the garlic slices and add the bottle of sauce, if you want to rinse the bottle and add go ahead the sauce thickens quite a bit, you can atleast 1/2 cup of water. Add the feta cheese and let it boil for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat. The cheese does not exactly melt but it does break down a little bit and thicken the sauce. I tried to mash the cheese in the sauce but not too much since I wanted to keep the grainy look and texture. Finally, stir in the basil leaves. Cook 1lb of any pasta of your choice. Mix the two or serve them separate.

Spinach-Mushroom & Tofu Pie

2012-01-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

Recipe adapted from my brain...yes, I take all the credit for this recipe ;) ;) I wanted to make an eggless pie and I just went with - what I thought was - a sensible combination of ingredients in my refrigerator!

The basic ingredient - 1 pie crust. Leave it out to thaw for about 30 minutes. The crust is usually folded in the box so make sure it is completely thawed before you try to open it. If the crust is even partially thawed, you run the risk of breaking it. Of course, you can always press and paste it together but it's better to keep it in one single piece!

Filling - heat some EVOO, saute mushrooms, grated garlic and salt. When the mushrooms are done, remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute some onion (till translucent), spinach (till they wilt) and some crumbled tofu (till all the water evaporates). I also added some crushed pepper and finely chopped fresh basil and thyme.

Grated cheese - I used about 1/2 cup of manchego Mitica from Whole Foods. Any cheese with a sharp taste should be good here. So, flavored cheeses should be good.

Topping - freshly chopped green onions, fresh basil and sliced tomato

Prepare a pie pan with the crust. Spread the filling, 1/2 the amount of cheese, top with the tomato slices, green onions, basil and the remaining cheese. Preheat the oven at 350 deg F and bake for 15-20 minutes or till the crust turns golden brown. If you like a bit of roasted look on top, broil on high for a minute or two but make sure to keep an eye on the pie!!

As for the quantities, you want enough vegetables+tofu to fill up half the pie pan. A friend suggests using cottage cheese as a binding agent, so you could use that instead of tofu, tofu is not exactly a binding agent here but I think tofu might clash with the cheese.

Vegetable Fajitas and Cilantro Rice

2012-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

Here comes our maiden Mexican dish in this blog! I have been wanting to make Mexican at home for a very long time but somehow ended up focusing on baking and "cooking" other cuisines. To help me remember, I made sure to add the Mexican ingredients to my grocery list this time. Of course, I was not going to wait for too long once I bought them so, a Tex-Mex mainstay for our dinner tonight .... vegetable fajitas served with cilantro rice.

A few things I learned about fajitas (fə-hee-tə) ....while the credit for the concept and recipe goes to the Mexicans, the name fajita is said to have been coined by the Americans, the original Mexican term for grilled skirt steak is arracheras. Well, the true fajitas are supposed to be made from skirt steak!

Now, back to our vegetarian version....

Vegetables:
Red onion - 1/4, cut into thin long strips
Green capsicum - 1/2 of a big, cut into thin long strips
Mushrooms - 4 medium, sliced
Garlic - 3 pods, thinly sliced

Marinade:
In a small bowl add 1/4 cup of EVOO and whisk in 2-3 tsp of red chili powder (I used a combination of regular Indian red chili powder and the Mexican polvo de chile). Pour the marinade over the vegetables and marinate it for 20 minutes or longer if possible. I kept mine for over an hour.

About 10 minutes before serving, heat a non stick pan and pour the marinated vegetables and saute till the vegetables are 75% cooked and the mix starts to sizzle. Serve with corn tortillas wrapped and heated in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Cilantro Rice:
I used DK's recipe on Chef In You

White rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 3/4th lemon
Cilantro - finely chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp

Soak the rice in water for about 10 minutes. In a non stick pan, heat the oil, drain the water out and add the rice and sugar to the pan. When you begin to smell the aroma, add the lemon juice, mix well and add 2 cups of water, bring it to a quick boil and cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. You can turn the heat off, remove lid, fluff up the rice and mix in the cilantro. Thank you DK!

Other accompaniments: salsa verde or the tomatillo sauce (I used the one from Trader Joe's), Mexican shredded cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, finely chopped lettuce, re-fried beans, sour cream, fresh avocados sliced and topped with salt/pepper/lemon juice or guacamole.

Sweet & Savory Wheels

2012-01-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of those nights when I wanted to try something not-so-healthy for dinner. I wanted something uber cheesy, followed by something uber sweet. Of course, a trip to a fast food restaurant would have been an easy solution to all my cravings, but in a hypocritical way, I wanted to make this 'something' healthy!

We settled for those puff pastry spinach and cheese rolls, the recipe for which is on the puff pastry box. Now since I had to 'own' the recipe, I followed the directions on the box loosely, as to include the spinach and cheese, but added a slew of other ingredients as well. Final result: yummy savory rolls!

For the sweet rolls, I used the other pastry sheet from the box (used one for the savory rolls), and added raspberry sauce and sour cream. I baked both the sweet and savory wheels together. So, my dessert cooled off while I devoured the piping hot spinach rolls. I have to add that a dash of whipped cream goes beyond-great with the sweet rolls; the combo is just divine!

Savory Rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 Onion, finely diced

1/4 C Spinach, cooked and drained

1/2 C Mix of cheese, shredded; I used Jalapeno pepper, Roasted Gouda

1/4 C Sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp Pesto sauce

1 tbsp Dijon mayonnaise

Salt as you like; I had a salty cheese so skipped salt

1 tbsp Chat masala (its a mix of tangy spices)

1 Puff pastry sheet, thawed

1 Egg

1 tbsp Water

1 clove Garlic, minced

Method:

Make an egg wash by beating egg and water together. In a bowl, mix onion, garlic, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and chat masala (and salt, if using). Brush the pastry sheet with egg wash. Follow this by brushing pesto sauce and Dijon mayonnaise in strips, i.e., when you unfold the pastry sheet, apply pesto on one section, then mayonnaise on second and pesto again on third. Sprinkle cheese mix and add spinach on top. Roll the sheet so that pesto section gets rolled on top of mayo section, i.e., roll horizontally to get all three sections included in one roll when you cut it. Cut into slices, thin or thick as you like. I cut them thin to get crispy wheels. Lay them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake for 15-20 mins at 400 deg F in a preheated oven.

Sweet Rolls

Ingredients:

4 tbsp sour cream

8 tbsp thickened raspberry sauce or jam

egg wash as above

1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed

Method:

Unfold the thawed pastry sheet. Brush with egg wash and follow with the raspberry sauce and sour cream. Roll and cut into wheels. Lay on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake for 15-20 mins in a preheated oven at 400 deg F.

Banana-Nut Muffin

2012-01-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

I made this muffin a while ago with ripe bananas and walnuts. The recipe was adapted from a sweet pea chef. The only change I made, I used 3 instead of 4 bananas. Thanks Lacey! Here are some pictures.

17 bean & barley soup

2012-01-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

A hearty, healthy and protein packed soup perfect for the low temps!

17 bean & barley soup

Ingredients:

Trader Joes' 17 Bean & Barley Mix - 2 cups

Vegetable stock - 4 cups

Onion - 1, chopped, fine to medium

Garlic - 3 pods, chopped and crushed a bit

Tomato - 1/2 (I used 1/2 a tomato cos I ran out of tomatoes and later on added a tiny bit of tomato ketchup for the tang. It didn't harm my soup in anyway but for next time I'd go with 2 medium, RIPE tomatoes!)

Cinnamon - 2 sticks of 2" each

Bay leaves - 2, medium

Fresh thyme - 1 bunch, about 5-6 sprigs (I added a "bunch" so it will be easier to remove later)

Tofu - 6-10, 2" cubes (you could use other methods to thicken the soup or you can skip this step if you prefer a clear soup!)

Salt to taste

Butter or EVOO - 3 tbsp

Vegetables:

Cauliflower - 1 cup, tiny florets

Potato - 1 medium, chopped to small chunks

Capsicum - 1, chopped, fine to medium

Carrots and celery are some other options

Prepare the beans as per instructions on the bag. I soaked the beans overnight and rinsed it a few times and set it aside.

In a large stock pot, heat the oil/butter, add cinnamon, bay leaves followed by the garlic and onion. When the onions are done add the tomatoes, saute well and add all the vegetables. Add some salt and saute till the vegetables are a bit soft. Now add the stock and thyme followed by the bean mix. Mix well, cover and let it cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Check for salt and tang (I added the ketchup at this stage!) and cover and cook on low for another 15-20 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes for the beans to cook and absorb all the flavors. I also pulled out the cinnamon sticks out at this stage since I don't like a very strong taste of cinnamon. In a blender add the tofu chunks and about 4 tbsp of the boiling soup (just the liquid) and make a fine paste. Add about 2-3 tbsp of this paste, mix well and let it boil for a few more minutes. You can always add more paste if required later. Pull the bay leaves and the thyme bunch out, garnish with some cilantro and serve hot with some toasted bread!

Exciting new tool!

2012-01-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Look where we got featured! At dinnertool! This is a new service that has just been launched and we were selected to be in the 'friends' list! :-) Hopefully, we will get featured in one of their front page recipes too soon!

Creamy-Pesto Pasta

2012-01-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

For this year's holiday dinner, I decided to stick to a pasta dish for the main course and I wanted something filling yet not too heavy. Nalini suggested a creamy-pesto pasta with roasted corn and grape tomatoes. Her sauce made a yummy base, she prepares a roux and adds some home made pesto to it. The whole milk and home-made pesto give it a rich taste and texture and needless to say, the pasta was a BIG HIT at the party!

This week I wanted to recreate that pasta but did not have time to make the sauce from scratch. I came across a recipe that used mayonnaise for a creamy pink sauce. Well, absolutely no comparisons to Nalini's original home made version but this definitely makes for a quick-fix creamy pesto sauce!

Creamy-Pesto Pasta with Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Mayonnaise - 2-3 tbsp, I used a light mayo

Pesto - 2 tbsp, I used Costco's

Warm 2% milk - 1/4 cup or less

Add the above according to your preference. Add more milk if you like a more saucy pasta!

Grape tomatoes - 1/2 cup

Frozen artichokes - 1/2 cup, thawed or microwaved and chopped

Capsicum - 1/4 cup, chopped to 1" strips

Frozen peas - 1/4 cup

Garlic - 2 pods

EVOO - 2 tbsp

Pasta - 1 lb, I used a combination of some leftover farfalle and radiatori

Cook the pasta as per instructions on the box.

Mix the mayo and pesto, for the quantity go with you taste buds! I also added some warm milk to thin it out a little bit.

Heat the oil in a pan and grate the garlic pods into it, add the tomatoes, mix and cover. They should pop/burst in a few minutes, when they look a bit roasted add the capsicum and peas, after about 30 seconds mix in the pasta and finally add the artichokes, mix well and take it out in your serving dish. Now pour the pesto sauce over and mix. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and I also used some dried basil!