Monday, November 17, 2014

Spinach Corn in White sauce



These days I make a pot meal dinner so that its easier to clean up and quicker to make as well. Also since we avoid rice at night, most often, I have to look at other options like a filling salad with pasta, quinoa, or bake something as simple as a spinach corn in white sauce. Apart from spinach and corn there is another variation with all crunchy vegetables also. But for now this is what we have.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 3

Ingredients

Spinach - 2 bunches
Sweet Corn - 1 cup (fresh / frozen)
Onion - 1, sliced / chopped
Garlic  - 4 pearls
Maida - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Oregano - 2 tsp
Sweet Paprika powder - 1/2 tsp
Basil and parsley - 1 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil / Butter - 1/2 tbsp
Low fat cheese (Use cheddar / cheese cubes / mozzarella cheese) - 3 tbsp

Procedure

1. Pre- heat the oven to 150 C.
2. Wash and chop the spinach leaves(make sure you don't use the stem part) finely
3. If using fresh sweet corn boil it separately with a pinch of salt and set aside.
4. Take a pan, add a tsp of oil / butter, saute the onions and garlic.
5. When the onions are slightly soft but not brown, add the chopped spinach and cook for 2 minutes till the raw small goes.
6. Add the boiled sweet corn and a pinch of salt and continue to cook for 2 minutes on a medium - low flame till the mixture is dry..
7. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil / butter in another pan, add the maida and saute for a minute.
8. Add the milk slowly and keep stirring without lumps.
9. Allow to cook on a very low flame till it reaches a saucy consistency stirring continuously.
10. Add all the spices and let the flavours blend for 2 minutes while stirring often.
11. When the sauce is ready, mix it into the spinach corn mixture and combine well.
12. Adjust salt to taste
13. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the spinach and corn and set to bake for 20 minutes / till the cheese browns on the top.
14. Serve each portion with the cheese on top.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Pineapple Kesari



I have  seen a lot of people who don't like to eat pineapple. It often gives you a prickly feeling on the tongue. Nevertheless, this Pineapple Kesari is made with fresh pineapple pieces, pineapple juice and a drop of pineapple essence which could be skipped.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients

Sooji / Rava - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Pineapple pieces - 1/4 cup
Pineapple juice - Made from fresh pineapple - 4 tbsp
Cashew - 2 tbsp, chopped
Pineapple Essence - 2 drops (Optional)
Ghee - 2 tsp
Yellow Colour - 2 drops

Procedure

1. Boil three cups of water in a vessel
2. Heat the ghee in a pan, and roast the sooji / rava till slightly brown and aromatic.
3. Pour the boiling water into the roasted rava
4. Continue cooking on a medium flame till the mixture thickens slightly and the rava is cooked.
5. Add the sugar and the mixture will become loose again. continue stirring without lumps and allow the mixture to thicken.
6. When the mixture in just coming together, add in the colour, pineapple pieces, pineapple juice and essence.
7. Finally roast the cashews in 1/2 tsp of ghee and add it to the pineapple kesari.
8. Grease a pan / deep plate with ghee.
9. Pour the prepared kesari into the tray / plate and flatten with a bottom greased bowl into a uniform layer.
10. Allow to cool completely before cutting it into pieces.
11. You can choose to keep it as a large mass and spoon out quantities too, but I prefer to keep in in bite size pieces for easy handling.

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad



This salad has become our dinner these days. All of us including my daughter have a bowl of this salad and dinner is sorted.

This takes just about 15 minutes to put together and is really filling.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes
Serves : 3

Ingredients

Whole wheat Penne / Shell Pasta - 3 handfuls (I use just about any kind of pasta)
Onion - 1 big, chopped into cubes
Cherry tomatoes / thick portion of regular tomatoes - 1/4 cup
Cucumber - 1 medium chopped into cubes
Carrot - 1 medium, chopped into cubes / Baby carrots, boiled slightly with salt
Baby Corn - 5, chopped into 1" rounds
Sweet Corn - 1/4 cup, boiled (Fresh / Frozen)
Aubergines / Big eggplant / Big brinjal - 1/2, sliced into thin discs
Colored Peppers - Chopped into cubes (I use red, yellow, orange and green)
Olives (pitted / sliced green / black) - 1/4 cup
Oregano - 1 tbsp (i use dried)
Parsley - 1tbsp (Dried / fresh)
Feta Cheese - 2" cube grated finely. If using the frozen feta, refresh it by adding it into hot water for 5 minutes.
Salt - to taste
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C
2. Take two baking trays, line with foil, lay the aubergine discs and colored peppers on the trays, drizzle with oil and set to grill for 10 minutes at 200 C
3. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables.
4. Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt for 9 minutes. Drain and set aside in a wide bowl.
5. When the aubergines and peppers are done, take them from the oven
6. Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy this lovely and filling pasta salad.


Note :

You could  go ahead and add broccoli, zucchini and any other vegetable.