 One of my family's favorites. Perfect dessert or breakfast treat during blueberry season in NJ. Ingredients:
For the Pastry: 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour ¾ tsp salt 1 tsp sugar ½ cup butter, softened 1 large egg 1 tbsp milk For the Filling: 6 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 ½ cups milk ½ cup sour cream 1 ½ tsps. Vanilla 1 pint blueberries Confectioners’ sugar Directions: Pastry Dough:
To serve, top tart with remaining blueberries and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar
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 My family loves Paneer... me not so much. This dish works for the whole family, greens for me and paneer for them. Easy to make and full of flavor. This recipe yields 3 to 4 servings. Ingredients:
For Paneer– 8oz of cubed paneer 1 tbsp veg oil( I used grape seed oil) ¼ tsp of ground cumin, salt, turmeric, garam masala 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper For Saag– 2 tbsp of Veg oil 2/3 cup onions, diced ½ tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1/2 tsp garlic paste 5 oz baby spinach(approx. 4 large handfuls) 4 stems of swiss chard(remove stems and finely chop, julienne the leaves and set aside with spinach) ½ tsp of turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala ¼ tsp cayenne 1/4 cup water Salt to taste Directions: Heat a large thick bottom pan. Coat the paneer with all the spices and the oil. Place the paneer in the heated pan. Cook the paneer until lightly brown(be gentle with it while turning over). Remove the paneer and set aside. Add 2 tbsps of oil to the pan, add onions and cumin seeds. Season with salt. Once the onions start to soften, add chopped stems of swiss chard, sauté for 2 min on medium heat. Add ginger and all the spices. When the onions become translucent, add the water, spinach and julienned swiss chard leaves. Stir and let cook until soft and wilted. Using a handheld blender(stick blender), blend the greens until pureed but still have some texture. Add the paneer back to the pan, cover and simmer over low heat until warmed through. Squeeze lemon on before serving(optional). Serve with naan bread/roti or rice.  Some days are soup days. I wanted to jazz up the soup with some fresh herbs from my garden and add some anti inflammatory qualities. Ingredients -
2 tbsp Oil, I use grapeseed oil 1 ¼ Cup Celery, peeled and diced 1 ¼ Cup Carrots, peeled and diced 1 ¼ Cup Sweet Onion, diced 3 cloves Garlic, finely minced 1 tbsp Fresh minced Rosemary leaves 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves 1 tsp Dried Oregano 1/2 to 1 tsp Turmeric 1/4 tsp Cayenne 1 Chicken breast 4 Chicken thighs 8 cups Chicken Stock 2 cups Water 1 1/2 Cup Pearl Couscous 3 Cups Baby spinach leaves 2 tbsp Lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste Directions – On medium heat, add oil, celery, carrots and onions to a large pot. Sauté until unions are translucent. Add 1 tsp of salt, minced garlic, cook for a couple of minutes. Stir the vegetables around every so often to keep them from burning. Add herbs, stir until incorporated. Add Chicken to the pot, cook for 5 minutes flipping the chicken after a couple of minutes. Add the liquid to the pot. Cover and cook until it comes to a simmer. At this point you can add the pearl couscous to the pot. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pot, shred it and put it back in the pot along with spinach. This is good time to add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer until couscous is done. Add lemon and serve.  What started as clean out fridge soup, has become our family favorite. It's healthy, hearty and full of flavor. Serve it with some crusty sour dough and enjoy! Ingredients - 8 cups Vegetable Stock 2 cups Water, if needed 2 tbsp Oil, I use grapeseed oil 1 ¼ Cup Celery, peeled and diced 1 ¼ Cup Carrots, peeled and diced 1 ¼ Cup Sweet Onion, diced 1 tbsp Tomato paste 1 tsp dry thyme 1 tsp dry oregano 2 Cups Potatoes, Yukon or Idaho diced 2 Cups Sweet potatoes, I use Indian variety, they have a firm texture and are not as sweet 2 leeks Thinly sliced and rinsed, white and light green parts only 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced 3 cups Shaved Brussels sprouts 1 bunch Kale, washed and torn into pieces 2 cups Cooked beans, I use Cannellini beans 1 14.5 oz can Roasted diced tomatoes 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper 2 tbsp Lemon juice Salt and black pepper to taste Directions – On medium heat, add oil, celery, carrots and onions to a large pot. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add 1 tsp of salt, minced garlic and leeks. Cook until leeks are soft. Stir the vegetables around every so often to keep them from burning. Add paste, stir until incorporated. Add dry thyme, oregano and the potatoes. Stir the vegetables around, add the stock at this time. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, kale, beans, tomatoes, fresh thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper. If needed, add water and salt to taste. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, Finally, add the lemon juice. Cover and let sit for a few hours I find that the soup tastes even better the next day. If I can't plan ahead, I try to make it at least 5 hours prior to serving. Serve with shaved Parmesan and some crusty bread.  Sevings: 8 Ingredients: 3 tbsp grape seed oil or any other light oil 5 large potatoes 1 medium size cauliflower 5 plum tomatoes, chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 bell pepper, finely chopped 2 serrano peppers, minced 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 packet of frozen baby peas 3 or 4 tbsp pav bhaji spice(see below) 1 tsp of cumin powder 2 tsp of coriander powder ½ tsp turmeric ½ tsp or more of cayenne pepper Juice of 1 lemon ¼ cup chopped cilantro Salt to taste Butter For Garnish: Lime or lemon slices Finely chopped red onions Chopped cilantro Directions: Boil potatoes in salted water, cut cauliflower into large florets and steam using salted water. Once the potatoes are cooked thru, peel and cut in large chucks and set aside. Remove steamed cauliflower and roughly chop and add to potatoes. Heat a large wide pot on medium heat. Add oil, butter, onions, bell pepper, serrano peppers and garlic. Stir to keep the veggies from burning. Season with a little salt. Once the onions and peppers are soft, add the paste and the tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes break down. At this point stir in turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot and stir until all the veggies have the spice coating. Lower heat and sprinkle 2 tbsp of the Pav Bhaji spice over the veggies. Using a potato masher, start mashing everything in the pot. Make sure the veggies don’t burn. Take a break from mashing and stir. Taste and if needed add more pav bhaji spice. Mash until everything is well blended. Add the juice of one lemon, peas and chopped cilantro. Mix it all in. Make ahead a few hours and reheat before serving. Serve on a plate topped with some of the chopped red onion, cilantro, wedge of lime and bread that has been toasted in a pan with butter. Note – Pav Baji spice mix, instead of making your own, combine equal parts Badshah brand and MDH brand of spices. Pics of the spice boxes below
 Sometimes winging it and making something your own works out. My son wanted asked me to make Chicken Marsala, I had most of the ingredients, so I winged it. Turned out well. He loved it. Ingredients
Directions: Line cutting board with plastic wrap, put the chicken breasts on the cutting board. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Take the top layer of plastic wrap off, season the chicken with a little salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Put flour in a shallow dish, season salt, pepper and a little bit of the parsley. Stir with a fork to distribute evenly.
 This is a variation of Chole - a north Indian chickpea dish that is available in most restaurants. This recipe serves 8. Ingredients:
Directions: Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions, cumin seeds and a pinch of salt. Stir until onions start to soften and cumin seeds start to slightly darken. Add garlic, ground, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne. Stir until fragrant. Add chickpeas, a little water and salt. Mix well to ensure that the chickpeas are coated with the spices. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and a little more water to ensure that the spices aren’t sticking to the bottom. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, stir and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste, if more salt needed, this is a good time to add it. Stir in ½ the cilantro and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add the rest of the cilantro right before serving. I served it on top of Jasmine rice. Enjoy!  This was a big hit with my family and friends. It is sweet, smoky, spicy and tangy. This recipe makes 4 servings. Ingredients:
Directions: Heat oil in a large cast iron pan or non stick pan on high heat. Add corn kernels, season to taste with salt, let corn lightly char on one side before tossing to heat the other side. Toss corn, stir, and repeat on second side. Continue tossing until you have the desired results. Place corn in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise, cheese, scallions, garlic cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice and cayenne. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and more cayenne pepper, if needed. Gently fold the dressing in the corn until well combined, transfer to serving dish, top with a little cheese and paprika. Serve immediately. Note: You can grill the corn instead of cooking on stove top.  Modified recipe from bon appetit. Makes 4 servings Ingredients:
½ cup finely chopped cilantro, reserve a few leaves for plating 1 Jalapeno pepper, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced ¼ cup olive oil 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon honey ¼ teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more for drizzling 2 pounds skin-on Halibut 1 ½ pints of cherry and grape tomatoes (yellow and red) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 300°. Mix the first 10 ingredients in a small bowl, salt to taste. Place the fish in a baking tray (such as cookie sheet) lined with foil for easy cleanup. Cut the larger tomatoes in half and leave the small ones whole and scatter around the fish(not on the fish). Salt and pepper the fish and tomatoes. Spread 2/3 of the paste along the surface of the fish and on the tomatoes. Bake the fish until cooked and tomatoes are soft. About 30 minutes, could be less. (depends on your oven). To serve, spoon the rest of the paste on to the tray, drizzle a little vinegar and gently mix it in with the tomatoes and juices. To plate the fish, break off a large piece, place it on the pate, spoon the tomatoes and roasting juices over and around the fish. Top with cilantro leaves  Made these for my husband on the day before his Knee surgery. They were a big hit, light and fluffy. Will be making them again. Ingredients:
Directions:In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and gently stir it in to the ricotta mixture with a wooden spoon until just combined. In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes. |
AuthorHome cook who loves to entertain and play with recipes Archives
April 2018
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