Chef In Making
Recipes With a Twist
Suji Kheer
Aug 5th
By Amanat Khullar
This morning I had an urge to eat something sweet. I wanted to keep it quick, healthy and ofcourse “YUMMY” to satisfy my cravings.First thought that popped in my mind was kheer. Since calorie amount can be a bit scary in rice kheer, I decided to use suji instead of rice and 1% milk instead of whole milk.If you are not familiar with Suji (semolina), it is a nutritious Indian wheat granulated but not pulverized. It has a lot of health benefits but the one I remember is that my mother used to give me suji halwa with warm More >
White Chocolate and Craisins Haystacks
Nov 26th
White Chocolate Craisins Haystacks
Here is a super simple and delicious holiday treat that as the name suggests looks like a ‘Haystack’. I have seen recipes with lot of different ingredients but I liked the one with pretzels and peanuts the best. It could be because that these two are also my personal favorites when I need something to munch on. Peanuts are a good source of protein and Pretzels, a relatively low fat and low calorie snack, add subtle saltiness to the delicate white chocolate treat. I decided to add some craisins in the mix as well. They need no baking More >
Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich
Nov 12th
Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich
Here is an easy to put together lunch-ready in less than 5 minutes and can be prepared ahead and packed to go. It is a no brainer if you have some Pesto on hand. I usually prepare a big batch of Pesto and keep some frozen. The sandwich when combined with a healthy side qualifies for the ’400 calories or less’ lunch category.You need:
2 slices of bread, I used white bread 1 tbsp Basil Pesto 1/2 medium tomato 1/2 tbsp butter (I used I can’t believe its not Butter spread) salt and pepper to taste
1. Spread Pesto More >
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Eggless)
Oct 30th
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
This one is for my father-in-law. He loves cookies but not the fact that most of them are loaded with sugar, refined flour and fats. As I stumbled upon this recipe, I remembered him and thought of giving it a try.I am not sure if I should categorize these as cookies or not. Contrary to most cookies recipes, these do not contain any added sugar, flour, eggs or even butter or oil. The only most indulgent ingredient I added is ‘white chocolate chips’. Although the powerhouse Banana – Oatmeal – Raisin combination make perfect breakfast, I know I will More >
Baked Turkey Seekh Kebabs
Sep 9th
Turkey Seekh Kebab
This is a description of seekh kebab from Wikipedia:“Traditionally Seekh Kebabs are made with minced meat and spices and grilled on skewers. It is cooked in a Tandoor – (clay oven that can reach higher temperatures than our traditional ovens) and is often served with chutneys or mint sauce. It is often included in tandoori sampler platters, which contain a variety of tandoor cooked dishes.” But this is quite different from what I remember from my childhood. My dad used to bring home uncooked sausage shaped ‘seekh kebabs’ made of chicken or goat meat. My mom would shallow fry More >
Methi Malai Paneer
Aug 26th
Methi Malai Paneer
This one is for mom. While growing up paneer based dishes used to be a staple in our house and I cannot even remember how many different kinds my mom, grandmother and my aunts could make! (I grew up in a large family and shared about 12-13 wonderful years under one roof with my parents, brother, grandparents, aunts and uncles, great grandmother and most adorable cousins.Few weeks ago we had planned a dinner with our friends and I don’t know from where I started thinking about this indulgent paneer dish my mom used to make. I thought of More >
Creamy Pesto Macaroni
Aug 18th
Creamy Pesto Macaroni
I wanted to try making it ever since I noticed my son liked a ‘Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta’ from a local Italian restaurant. That inspired me try making Basil Pesto Sauce and this is what I made first using the Pesto sauce. This is not a perfectly low calorie dish. I can say it might be lighter than what I have looked online for an easy Alfredo or white sauce. It makes a creamy, indulgent and very flavorful pasta (thanks to the Basil Pesto) that I think everyone should enjoy once in a while. I used elbow macaroni as my More >
Presto Basil Pesto (Nut Free)
Aug 10th
Basil Pesto
Pesto, an aromatic herb sauce or paste, originated in Northern Italy and is used very commonly in Italian cooking. Traditionally it is made with toasted pine nuts but there are nut free variations as well. Every now and then I have tried different pesto based dishes and always amazed how this fragrant and flavorful perks up otherwise plain pasta or chicken recipes. However, it wasn’t until I noticed that my son liked a Pesto Chicken Fettuccine dish from a local Italian restaurant that I decided to give it a try in my every day cooking.I read this recipe in More >
Brown Lentils and Collard Greens Soup
Jul 26th
Brown Lentils and Collard Greens Soup
This post is long overdue. Last few days it was little hard to keep up with things. Even though it is getting late at night, I decided today I will make an effort to get back on track .I made this soup few weeks ago as I experimented with these two ingredients: Brown Lentils and Collard Greens. I had tried both of them in separate recipes and my son enjoyed them all. This time I wanted to make something with both greens and lentils with a mild flavor that my son will enjoy as well. It More >
Curried Eggs
Jul 14th
By Heidemarie Swanepoel
Curried Eggs
Today I really did not feel like just a sandwich for a quick lunch. It’s raining, and cold, and I wanted to warm up from the inside. Curry is always just the thing for me. This one is quick and easy.Ingredients:
2 eggs 1 chicken breast 1 small onion ½ – 1 cup boiling water Salt and pepper to taste ½ teaspoon strong curry powder (or to taste) 1 tablespoon cornflour
1. Bring the eggs to the boil in boiling water. Boil till they are a softish hard boiled egg (approximately 7 minutes, depending on your altitude).
2. In the meantime, More >
