White Chocolate Craisins Haystacks

You need:

2 cups white chocolate chips OR 12 oz white chocolate coarsely chopped (I used Hershey’s)

1 1/4 cups thin pretzel sticks, broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil paper
2. Melt the white chocolate as per package instructions. For two cups of chocolate chips, I microwave for 1 minute and then additional 15-20 seconds in 5 second intervals.
The chocolate chips may maintain their shape so try to run a spoon and stop when it spreads creamy. You have to be very careful that it does not get over heated.
3.Add peanuts, cranberries and pretzels, stirring until well coated.

White Chocolate Craisins Haystacks-mix

4.Drop by spoonful onto the cookie sheet and sprinkle some colored sugar crystals or sprinkles.
Once cool, store the haystacks in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for several weeks.

You can try different variations: Stir in 1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds or pistachios instead of Craisins.

White Chocolate Craisins Haystacks

White Chocolate and Craisins Haystacks is a post from: Chef

Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich

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 on one slice and butter on the other.
2. Slice the tomato and arrange it on bread with Pesto
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste
4. Cover and cut the sandwich diagonally

Serve with a side like a cup of fruit or small garden salad.

Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich is a post from: Chef

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

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 not feel guilty if I had one for dessert!

You need:

3 ripe bananas (mine were sort of overripe)
2 cups fast cooking Oatmeal (I used Quaker’s 1 minute oats)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Craisins (Cranberry Raisins)
1/3 cup Shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips / or chopped Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Mash the bananas with a fork and add Vanilla

Banana Oatmeal Cookies-Prepare Batter

3. Add oats and rest of the ingredients

Banana Oatmeal Cookies-shape

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Mine came out soft and perfectly sweet. Bake a little longer if you prefer
slightly crunchy. Enjoy warm cookies with a cup of coffee!

I will make them again next week for my father-in-law. This time I plan to
replace the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts – make them more healthier!

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Eggless) is a post from: Chef

Turkey Seekh Kebab

“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 them in a pan and we would either wrap them in rolls or make a kebab-egg sandwich.

Now my version is totally different from the above two. I make Turkey meatballs for my son quite often and that inspired me to make these baked turkey seekh kebabs. I followed a similar recipe but with added spices (although I had to adjust salt a bit as my first version came out little salty) and the meat is shaped as sausages around wooden skewers. This recipe not only uses lean ground Turkey meat but the meat is also baked and not fried (as compared to another similar kebab like Shami Kebab and my mom’s seekh kabebs)

You need:
1 lb ground Turkey meat (lean)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp garlic spread seasoning
1 egg
1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
3 tbsp Shan Seekh Kabab Mix (available at Indian stores)
few wooden skewers, soaked in water for about 10 minutes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well
3. Grease your palms with Olive oil and shape the dough as sausages around the presoaked wooden skewers

Turkey Seekh Kebab-prepare

Serve hot as appetizers with mint chutney/and or Yogurt-cucumber dip.

They make a quick and healthy meal when added to a sandwich or a wrap. The night I made these, I made a simple pita sandwich for dinner: Split pita bread in half and stuff with kebabs, mint chutney and vinegar pickled onions.

Turkey Seekh Kebab Pita Sandwich

Baked Turkey Seekh Kebabs is a post from: Chef

Methi Malai Paneer

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 giving it a try, trying to remember the flavors and ingredients.

The paneer came out very flavorful and fragrant (thanks to Kasoori methi) and I think was very close to what my mom used to make. Next day I called my mom to confirm the recipe and to my surprise I was pretty close- only my version had a little extra step – she never used any onions and I did. I liked the flavor of lightly browned onions. Last week I made it again and wrote down the recipe (I did use onions again!)

You need:

3 tbsp oil (I used Canola)
1 1/2 medium/1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves, I used MDH brand Kasoori Methi)
3/4 + 1/4 cup whipping cream
1 lb paneer (Indian cottage cheese), cubed – for this dish I bought the paneer form an Indian store but you can make the cottage cheese at home as well
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp MDH Kitchen King Masala
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 Water
2 tbsp Maggie Hot n Sweet Chili Sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of Asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wide wok or Karahi
2. Add Asafoetida, followed by garlic and onions
3. Cook on medium heat until onions are slightly brown, stirring every couple of minutes
4. Add tomatoes, and continue cooking on medium heat until tomatoes are soft and onions and tomatoes mixture start leaving the sides of the wok/karahi leaving oil on the sides.
5. Add salt, turmeric, MDH Kitchen King Masala, Kasoori Methi and saute for couple of seconds.
6. Add 3/4 cup cream and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add water and milk and bring it to boil. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
8. Till this point the sauce is almost cooked and is very mild. At this point I took out some for my son and added few cubes of Paneer for him separately. Since he liked his version, I amalso tagging this post as ‘Toddler Friendly’
9. Take out few table spoons of sauce in a cup, Add Maggie Hot n Sweet Chili sauce and mix well. Put it back in the Karahi and mix well. This is optional – only if you like mild hot and sweet flavor. If you don’t have this chili sauce on hand you can also try regular ketchup with 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp red chilies.
10. Add paneer cubes, stir in 1/4 cup cream and simmer on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the paneer as the cubes will start breaking
11. Sprinkle the garam masala and chopped cilantro

Serve hot with Naans or Roti (Indian Flatbreads)

Note: You can adjust water / milk quantities as per your liking. This recipe makes a medium consistency curry –not too dry and not too watery either

Total Preparation Time : Approximately 30 minutes

Methi Malai Paneer is a post from: Chef

Creamy Pesto Macaroni

You need:

1/2 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Butter
1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cube (about 1 tbsp) Basil Pesto (I froze the Pesto I made in an ice cube tray!)
1/4 cup cream
1 cup milk
1 cup water (reserved after boiling pasta)
3-4 florets broccoli (optional)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil pasta as per package instructions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup water. (I added the broccoli florets along with pasta so they get really tender by the time the pasta gets cooked. This is a good trick when you want to sneak in some vegetables)
2. Heat butter in a medium sauce pan, add flour and stir briskly using a wire whisk.
3. Add garlic and saute for few seconds.
4. Add cream and Parmesan cheese and blend well until creamy.
5. Add milk, water and salt and bring it to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in Pesto Sauce, and then macaroni and cook for another couple of minutes. (Before adding in pasta, I mashed the broccoli with a fork and as you can see in the picture it blended nicely with the slightly green sauce)
7. Cook few more minutes if you want to thicken the sauce more, however it does thicken a bit as it cools down anyways.
8. Serve hot and garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Sprinkle some black pepper to add a little kick.
Black pepper can be mixed in when cooking the sauce as well but to keep the recipe ‘toddler friendly’ I preferred adding it while serving it for adults!

Enjoy! And yes, my son did enjoy his dinner very much so I am happily tagging this recipe is ‘Toddler Friendly’.

Creamy Pesto Macaroni

Tip: Stir in grilled chicken towards the end of the cooking to make it ‘Creamy Pesto Chicken pasta!’. Serve as is to the little ones and with a side of garden salad and sour dough bread for yourself.

Creamy Pesto Macaroni is a post from: Chef

Basil Pesto

I read this recipe in Woman’s day magazine and immediately wanted to try it. However, my busy schedule did not really permit me until last weekend. Ironically, it takes less than 5 minutes to make it. The only thing you need to plan for his having fresh basil leaves on hand that was the hard part for me. If you are growing them in your backyard or in a container on your windowsill you are in luck and you don’t need to wait like me to buy couple of ‘live plants’ from the grocery store and make it as soon as I bought it to preserver freshness!

You need:

Basil Pesto-Basil,Garlic and Cheese

2 cups fresh basil leaves (firmly packed)
6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
3-4 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (for making it my ‘toddler friendly’ I did not add any)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
dash of lemon juice (optional)

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the oil. Pulse until a thick paste is formed.

Basil, Garlic and Cheese- in Magic Bullet

3. Transfer to an airtight container and press plastic wrap directly onto Pesto to prevent browning. Cover with lid.
Mine came out little runny as you can see in the picture. I had little less than 2 cups of Basil leaves, After refrigerating, I removed the extra oil later. Next time I just have to make sure I have ‘firmly packed’ two cups as the recipe calls for.
You can refrigerate up to 4 days and freeze up to 3 months.

I absolutely loved this tip in Woman’s Day magazine: divide the leftovers into an ice cube tray, seal it tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Since Pesto has a very concentrated flavor, you will not use more than a cube or two at any time (unless coating large quantities of meat!). Later pop out a cube, defrost in microwave and use it in:

1. Soups: Minestrone, Lentil, vegetable or chicken soup
2. Add to pasta sauces – Marinara, Alfredo
3. Coat fish/chicken, grill
4. Spread on sandwiches
5. Mix with cream cheese and serve as a spread for crackers

Basil Pesto-Freeze

I would say sky is the limit…and this is the just the beginning of my adventures with Pesto! Obediently, I saved one serving and froze the rest for later. I also found out that there are variations with Spinach, mint, cilantro, almonds and so on – so I guess there is more experimenting to do as well.

Presto Basil Pesto (Nut Free) is a post from: Chef

Brown Lentils and Collard Greens Soup

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 made a great nutritious low calorie soup for us and since my son enjoyed it couple of days in a row (with rice and butter), I am happily tagging this recipe as ‘Toddler Friendly’.

You need:
1 red onion, onions
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 bay leaf
3 large cloves garlic
1 carrot, chopped
1 small zucchini , chopped
1 cup brown lentils
1.5 cups collard greens, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp salt / or to taste
A pinch of nutmeg powder
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp clove powder

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot or a pressure cooker
2. Add bay leaf and garlic and fry for few seconds.
3. Add onions, fry on low for about 5 minutes.
4. Add carrots and zucchini and cook for few minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, cumin powder, salt, nutmeg, clove powder and turmeric powder and cook for couple of minutes.
6. Add brown lentils, collard greens and about 6 cups water and pressure cook for about 15 minutes.
7. If not using pressure cooker then cook for about 40-50 minutes on low-medium heat until brown lentils are cooked and vegetables are tender.
8. Adjust water and seasonings as per taste
9. Add lemon juice and oregano.

Brown Lentils and Collard Greens Soup

Serve hot! Its tastes great with toasted sourdough bread and makes a wholesome quick lunch – add some rice to the soup, lunch packed in less than 5 minutes

Brown Lentils and Collard Greens Soup is a post from: Chef

Curried Eggs

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, fry the chopped onion and the diced chicken in a little oil. Add the salt, pepper and curry powder. Fry for about 6 minutes. Add the water, and bring to the boil. Add the cornflour, and thicken the gravy.

3. Once the eggs are boiled, cool them under running water for a minute. Peel them carefully, and cut in half lengthwise.

4. Add them to the curry, and serve hot with rice or flat bread.

Curried Eggs is a post from: Chef

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding

You need:

1 Strawberry Cake (Eggless)
2 cans Evaporated Milk
1 banana
10-12 fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup whipped cream topping (or more as desired)
4-5 tbsp Nesquik Strawberry Milk Flavor/Strawberry flavor Carnation Instant breakfast
1 package instant Vanilla pudding (I used Jello)

Directions:
1. Prepare Cake as per directions. Let it cool (Or use a store bought cake, try to get one with little less sugar)
2. Prepare Vanilla pudding as per directions
3. Slice the cake and set first layer in a large white dish.

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Cake Layer

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Evaporated milk

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Add fresh strawberries and banana

I did not want to use too much whipped cream topping. So I just added few small dollops. This way I could cut extra calories as well. Although I do think, it would have been great if I had spread one full layer of the whipped cream topping. May be next time!

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding (Eggless) is a post from: Chef