Recipes With a Twist
Posts tagged Quick Meal
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 son prefers it over Penne and other bigger pasta. You can use any pasta shape of your choice.
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.
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, 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.
Savoury Hurry-up Muffins
Jun 29th
Savoury Hurry Up Muffins
By Heidemarie Swanepoel
These are quick and easy muffins, with a delicious filling in the centre. I find that these muffins are also a good way of using up those little bits of left-overs that are too little to use for another meal, but too much to just throw away. I like using these little bits in crafty ways – even my boys enjoy their veggie muffins.
Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon BBQ salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Filling:1 onion
3 rashers bacon
½ – 1 sweet pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400’F.
Filling:
Chop the bacon, onion and sweet pepper. Fry in a little oil till golden brown. Drain well.
1. Beat the egg and milk well, and add the other ingredients, and mix well. The dough has a very runny consistency.
Fill the bottom third of the well greased muffin pan with the dough.
Add filling
2. Spoon in a small amount of your filling.
3. Cover with the remaining dough.
Bake in your hot oven for 10 – 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan once slightly cooled. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or once cooled down.
Ideas for fillings:
For 12 muffins you will need ½ – 1 cup filling. Here are a couple more ideas for variations.
Toddler Approved Spaghetti with Collard Greens and Broccoli
Jun 24th
Toddler Approved Spaghetti with Collard Greens and Broccoli
So what do you do if your skinny little one gets most of his carbohydrates from pasta? Well try to invent recipes that makes the same old pasta taste different with some added nutrition. Sometimes I use traditional Ragu pasta sauce with some meat or make white sauce with some cheese and Spinach. So different variations for same old pasta! This time I had little bit time on hand, so I tried to make pasta with a homemade onions, tomatoes, and vegetables sauce. This also gave me some satisfaction of putting together a meal for him with minimum possible processed ingredients.
You need:
1 cup boiled thin Spaghetti, I cut the Spaghetti into smaller pieces before boiling
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Collard greens, chopped (or any other leafy vegetable like Spinach or Mustard)
3-4 Broccoli florets, chopped
salt to taste
pinch of turmeric to make it look yellow!
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onions and saute for few minutes until onions are tender.
2. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt and cook on high for another 5 minutes.
3. Add Collard greens and Broccoli florets and cook for couple of minutes.
4. Add about three fourth cup water and bring it to boil. Simmer until vegetables are tender and a medium thick sauce is made. Adjust water if needed. Add the boiled Spaghetti and mix well.
Serve warm to the little one! My son enjoyed the colorful pasta with a very mild taste so I am happily tagging it as ‘Toddler Friendly’.
Tortellini with roasted vegetables
May 27th
Tortellini with Roasted Vegetables
Here is a great example of under 500 calorie dinner. Very easy to prepare and great on taste buds. 500 calorie dinners are part of Fitness magazine’s popular diet plan when combined with moderate exercise helps you lose weight in a healthy manner.
Tortellini pasta is anyways filling and addition of roasted vegetables adds a lot of flavor and bulk without adding too many calories.
You need:
1/2 cup boiled tortellini pasta (I used 3 cheese filling)
1/2 cup pasta sauce (about 90 calories )
3/4 cup roasted vegetables
1 tsp grated parmesan cheese
dash of Tobasco or red pepper flakes (optional)
1. Boil pasta as per package instructions
2. Add pasta sauce and heat through
3. Add roasted vegetables
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and red peppers flakes (if using)
You can also substitute any other pasta for cheese tortellini. If you have roasted vegetables on hand and are using store bought pasta sauce, this certainly qualifies for a quick meal.
Easy Turkey Meatballs
May 24th
Turkey Meatballs
It is always great to have some meatballs on hand when you are in hurry and need to put together a quick and delicious meal. You can make sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, serve with pasta and even throw in soups. I usually make lean turkey meatballs instead of fatty beef ones and make more than I need so I can freeze some for quick meals (as a full time working mom I am usually short of time!). This is very basic recipe and is great for little ones since the meatballs do not have any kind of strong flavor. Even better, all it needs is just 10 minutes of prep time. I made a batch last weekend and made some meat sauce for my 2 year old.
You need:
1 lb ground Turkey meat (lean)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic spread seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 egg
Turkey Meatballs-Mixed ingredients
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well
Turkey Meatballs-shaped
3. Grease your palms with Olive oil and make about 12 meatballs, rounded or small patties size
4. Line a baking dish with foil and thinly coat it with olive oil.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes
For the meat sauce: Cut up few pieces, simmer for few minutes in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve with pasta or rice. Since my son enjoyed the meat sauce – 2 days in a row, I am happily tagging this recipe as ‘Toddler Friendly’. They also make healthy snacks for adults and great finger food for the little ones – just cut them in small pieces and serve with ketchup.
More to follow as I put together more meals with these Turkey meatballs. Although I must say, for my ‘Indian taste buds’ I will certainly work on this recipe and add more spices. Will surely post the ‘Indian’ version soon!
Chipotle Chicken Kebabs
Apr 26th
Chipotle Chicken Kababs
Here is one flaming hot recipe. I have been trying to imitate Chipotle Mexican Grill’s chicken for quite some time. Although this may not be the exact same thing, but it comes quite close – only slightly hotter. Since I like hot food and usually am never too embarrassed of putting Tobasco/Tapatío or any other hot sauce on almost everything, I quite liked the results. Moreover, Chipotle peppers also add a smoky flavor.
1 lb boneless Chicken pieces – medium sized (I used thigh meat)
1/2 can Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce (about 3.5 oz – I did use more than this originally!)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp oil (I used Canola)
2 tsp cumin powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 medium onion, cut in large pieces
1 medium green pepper, cut in large pieces
1 medium red pepper, cut in large pieces
1. Combine everything and make a smooth marinade using in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet)
2. Make deep cuts in the meat.
3. Rub the marinade on the chicken pieces and marinate for about 1 day (I think even 3-4 hours should be sufficient, but I marinated for a day for a more intense flavor). Cover the chicken with remaining marinade – if any left
4. Set your oven to Broil mode. If using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for few minutes.
Chipotle Chicken Kababs-skewers
5. Thread the vegetables and chicken in skewers-alternating between onions, peppers and chicken.
6. Broil for about 7 minutes, flip skewers and broil the other side for another 6-7 minutes 
7. Serve hot on a bed of lettuce salad with salsa and sour cream
This chicken also tastes great with Mexican rice, pita bread or in a sandwich – I will post recipes as I try!
Quick Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice
Apr 8th
Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice
Here is a 15 minute meal that tastes great and is loaded with great stuff- assortment of vegetables, garlic and rice. This recipe is based on ‘Indian style Chinese’ food we get in local fast food/restaurants in India and I am sure is different than any traditional Chinese fried rice recipe. But these are the flavors we have grown up with and still enjoy even living thousands of miles away from India. It tastes best if you have cold leftover rice. I usually plan ahead and cook more white rice couple of days before I want to make it.
You need:
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves minced garlic
2-3 tbsp canola oil
1 lb bag frozen stir fry vegetables (or a blend of frozen or fresh baby corn, carrots, broccoli, green beans, water chestnuts, red peppers)
4-5 cups cooked white rice
In a bowl mix following:
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1.5 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp chili sauce (or more as per your preference)-the one I use is also loaded with garlic
Heat oil in a wok/karahi. Add garlic and saute for few seconds. Add onions and cook on medium-high heat until translucent. Add stir fry vegetables (no need to thaw if using frozen) and cook on high for about 5 minutes. 
Stir in the sauce mixture and cook on high for another 2 minutes. Add cooked white rice, mix well on low heat and then cook on medium high for couple of minutes (Keep stirring and if using long grain rice, it’s Ok of this may break the rice grains.
Enjoy!
An easy variation: stir in cooked grilled chicken/scrambled eggs along with the sauce mixture
Toad in the Hole
Mar 5th
By Heidemarie Swanepoel
Toad in the hole
I wanted to surprise my husband with breakfast in bed this morning, and wanted to make something quick and easy to prepare that would steal his heart. They do say: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, don’t they. Well, with this morning’s breakfast in bed, I proved them right.
Ingredients – Per person:
1 slice of bread
2 slices tomato
2 hotdogs
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
A little sugar
Directions:
Cut thick slices of tomato, and roll the slices in flour. Set aside.
Cut a shape out of the centre of the bread. Reserve the cut out shape. Use a fairly large shape – I used a heart, but you don’t see the shape so well afterwards.
Fry bread
Melt a little butter over medium to high heat in a frying pan. Once melted, fry the bread and the cut out piece on one side. Flip over when it is nicely browned. Break the egg carefully into the centre of the hole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the frying pan, and turn the heat to low. Fry till the egg is cooked – 3 – 4 minutes if you like the yolk to be soft and runny. Remove from the pan.
Return the heat to high, and quickly fry the tomato and hotdogs. As the tomatoes are frying, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and sugar. (The sugar is necessary for the acidity).
Serve with a fresh glass of orange juice.
Tangy Tomato Spinach Rice
Feb 19th
Here is a healthy dish for both kids and adults. Couple of days ago my son was not in a mood to let me do anything for dinner. I just spent 5 minutes of prep time and voila I had a healthy home cooked dinner for my son and a nice side for ourselves. Once again pasta sauce comes in handy, you save time and yet get added nutrition and taste. I made the rice very mushy for my son (Indian khichdi style) but you can reduce the water quantity by half to make them like regular rice.
You need:
1 cup rice
2 cup water
1 cup Pasta sauce (I used Ragu’s Marinara sauce)
1 cup chopped spinach (thawed)
1 tbsp butter
salt to taste
1. Melt the butter in a wide and deep pan or a medium sized pot.
2. Add pasta sauce, chopped spinach,salt and cook for couple of minutes.
3. Add rice and water and bring it to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or until rice are done.
I should mention, I topped it with a spoonful of desi ghee to add some calories for my son.
Serve as a main dish with yogurt raita or as a side.