Guacamole Sandwich

Looking for a delicious lunch idea - Try this ever so simple Guacamole Sandwich!

Ingredients:

Guacamole ingredients:
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 green chilli, cut into small pieces
A little cilantro, cut finely
Dash of fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp crushed garlic (optional)
Salt and Black Pepper

Alfalfa sprouts (store bought)
Amul cheese (or any other cheese of your choice)
Bombay sandwich chutney (store bought)
Italian bread, pan toasted with butter on both sides
Sunflower seeds (optional)


1. Combine all the ingredients under Guacamole ingredients and gently toss together in a bowl.
2. Assemble the sandwich now - Toasted bread, add the chutney, the cheese, guacamole mixture, sprouts, and sunflower seeds (for that extra crunch)

Enjoy!
 

Yogurt Garlic Sauce Pita Pizza

This sauce is inspired by the Toum Garlic Sauce that primarily uses oil. I used yogurt to make it a little more healthy and filling.

Ingredients:
1 Pita
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Italian Seasonings
Pickle (optional)

Garlic Sauce:
2 cups full fat yogurt (or you can use greek yogurt )
1 cup olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed and made into a paste
Little lemon juice
Salt/Black pepper

This sauce needs some preparation ahead of time. Put the yogurt in a muslin cloth and let the yogurt hang so that all the water comes out. You want the sauce to be thick but also not so thick that you cannot beat it. Leave it hung atleast for 4 hours.

Now take the yogurt out in a bowl. Add the garlic and mix well. Now add olive oil to the yogurt in a slow stream as you constantly beat the yogurt in circles to mix.  Continue until the entire olive oil is emulsified slowly into the yogurt. Add salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice.

Now you are ready to build the pizza. Heat the pita with some butter on a pan until soft.  Preheat oven to 400F. Toast the pita so that its a somewhat crispy.  Take out, smother the garlic sauce on the pita. Add shredded cheese on it. Sprinkle Italian Seasonings. And toast again until crispy.  Your delicious Pita Pizza is ready.

Note: Save the extra sauce as a dip for chips or kabobs! 

Margarita Grilled Chicken

Margarita Grilled Chicken is my favorite dish when I go to Chillis. I found this recipe online but made some changes to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Tenderloins
Margarita mix
Tequila
1/4 cup Black Beans (canned beans drained)
Handful of Green beans (cooked in boiling water, drained)
Chipotle Seasoning
Cheese
Salt and Black Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

1. Marinate chicken in a ziploc bag with 1/8 cup margarita mix and 1tbsp tequila. Marinate for atleast 2 hours.
2. Heat griddle When hot, add oil, add the chicken. Add some chipotle seasoning, salt, pepper garlic and onion powder. Flip after 3 to 4 minutes. Grill until no longer pink on the inside. (Since I am using tenderloins, they cook really fast. If you use chicken breasts, make sure they are pounded for tender results)
3. When cooked, add a little cheese over the chicken.
4. Add the black beans and green beans in the same pan. Season a little and keep the pan moving to coat the seasoning.

Serve hot. Makes 1 serving. 

Pasta-E-Fagioli Soup

Ingredients and Method:

Butter and Olive Oil
1 garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can red kidney beans or cannelini beans (drain them and rinse them in clean water)
2 carrots, cut into pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into pieces
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne
1/8 tsp cumin powder (optional)
Dash of Italian seasoning
2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken broth) and 1 cup of water
1/2 cup elbow macaroni, cooked as per box instructions.
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley

Prep: Precook the carrots and celery in microwave (about 5 to 8 minutes)

1. Heat butter in a stock pot. When melted, add garlic and roast for a few minutes.
2. Add some olive oil and add the onions. Sautee until translucent.
3. Add tomato paste, mix well and sautee for a few minutes.
4. Add a little water (you can use the water reserved from cooking the vegetables above) and let cook.
5. Add the Italian seasonings, cayenne or chilli powder, drained kidney beans and stir for a minute or two.
6. Add the vegetables. Add the chicken broth and let it come to a boil for a good 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Add the cooked macaroni. Simmer the soup covered for 10 minutes or so. If you want the soup watery, add the 1 cup of water before simmering.
8. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well. 

For other soup recipes visit the masterpage at http://slurpnburp-mithu.blogspot.com/2013/02/soup-recipes.html







 

BBQ Mac N Cheese

Nothing more delicious than BBQ and cheese pasta.....

Ingredients:

1.5 cups wheat or white macaroni
3 chicken tenderloins
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Mozarella CHeese
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Mexican Four cheese blend
About 1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
Store bought Fish Fry Mix (for dredging the chicken)
1 beaten egg
2 small cloves of garlic
1 medium finely chopped red onion (red onion is a MUST!)
Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
Panko bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs

1. Chicken:
Wash and pat dry chicken. Pound the chicken to flatten the pieces. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasonings. Dip the chicken in egg wash followed by the fish fry. Keep all chicken ready. Heat oil in a stainless steel pan.  Add the chicken and cook on low/medium heat on both sides.  Cook chicken till white in the center. Remove and set aside.

2. In the same pan, heat some butter and olive oil. Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. You may have to add some milk to scrape off the pan.  When garlic turns aromatic, add finely chopped red onions. When onions turn translucent, add the milk and chicken stock and stir. Let come to a bit of a boil. Add salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and stir.  Add both the cheeses and blend well.  Add the bbq sauce either 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup depending on your taste.  Mix well and add the pasta to the pan.  Toss well.

3. Heat the oven to 350F.  Pour the pasta in a 8 inch circle pan.  Sprinkle some panko crumbs followed by Mexican Four Cheese blend on the pasta.  Bake until cheese melts. Serve hot.

Grilled Chicken Wrap in Spinach Chapati/Wrap

Interested in killing two birds with one stone - Make a Palak Chapati or Spinach Tortilla.  A great option especially for little kids who are not veggie fans. You can use this palak chapati in various ways - Plain with pickle, as a base for pizza, or as a wrap or even as a flatbread depending on your choice. Here I stuffed the Spinach Chapati with grilled chicken and roasted vegetables - onions and yellow peppers; top it off with feta cheese or shredded four cheese; avocado and mayonnaise. I marinated the chicken in olive oil, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and chipotle seasoning.

Ingredients and Method:

1 cup whole wheat flour
3 handfuls of spinach leaves
1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/4 tsp ginger paste
1 small green chilli
Lime juice

Tempering:
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
Dash of hing or asofoetida
1/4 tsp of coriander powder
1/4 tso of cumin powder

1. Blanche the spinach. I pressure cooked it. Let cool completely. Squeeze out all the water from the spinach. Reserve the water - you can use this for cooking.
2. In a blender, make a paste of the cooked spinach, green chilli, garlic, and ginger paste.  Add a a few drops of lime juice.  Do not add any water. It should be a thick paste. Add a pinch of salt.
3. Take flour in a pan. Pour the paste on the top. 
4. To this we will add the tempering - heat oil, when hot add the cumin seeds, when they sputter add the hing and pinch of coriander and cumin powder and turmeric powder. Pour over the flour and spinach.
5. Now knead the dough using a little water at a time and oil towards the end to work it all together in a pliable dough. Set aside for a few minutes.

Make parathas (folded with oil in layers) or chapati.

Sizzling Chicken and Cheese in Broccoli Cream Sauce

Ingredients and Method:

There are five parts to this dish:
1. Potatoes
2. Chicken and cheese
3. Rice
4. Vegetables
5. Sauce

1. Potatoes (For recipe click: http://slurpnburp-mithu.blogspot.com/#!/2012/01/skillet-rosemary-potatoes.html)

2. Make the sauce:  For a quick sauce, I used the Cream of Broccoli soup.  Heat butter in a pan. Add half of the cream of broccoli soup. Add 1/4 cup milk and stir vigorously until no lumps are formed.  Add 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp soy sauce, black pepper, and cajun seasoning. Stir until well incorporated.

3. Use about a cup or two of leftover white or brown rice. Heat butter in a pan. Add the rice. Add salt and black pepper, garlic powder and set aside.

4. Boil the veggies in a stockpot until tender. Drain. Heat butter in a pan. Add the vegetables. Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsely.

5. I used four chicken tenderloins. You can use two chicken breasts. Butterfly cut the chicken and wrap with saran wrap. Pound the chicken down. For details visit http://slurpnburp-mithu.blogspot.com/2011/03/kickin-chickin.html#!/2011/03/how-to_02.html
Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.  Add butter to the pan. Add the chicken. Cook covered for 3 minutes. Flip and cook covered again for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken one more time and cook uncovered. Run a knife in the middle to see if the chicken is white in the inside.

5. Now lets put everything together. Heat skillet really hot. Rub butter all over the skillet.  Add the potatoes, chicken, and rice and veggies as shown. Pour the half the sauce over the chicken. And add cheese on the top. Cover with a lid so the cheese will melt. Serve hot. (Remaidner of the sauce can be used as a side)

Chicken n Veggies Tettrazini

Traditionally, a tettrazini uses some kind of white meat with a base of onions, carrots, and mushrooms in a butter cream sauce with peas. I made a healthier version using more veggies and skipped the heavy cream using just full fat milk.

Ingredients:

Noodles:
2 cups wide egg noodles

Vegetables:
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced broccoli
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms
1/4 diced red pepper
1/4 diced green pepper
Salt, Black Pepper, Dried Thyme

Chicken: (Skip this step if you opting for a veggie recipe)
2 small Chicken tenderloins.

Sauce:
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup chicken or veg stock

1/2 cup whole milk

Salt, Black Pepper, Dry Italian seasonings, garlic powder

Optional: Hot sauce or Red pepper flakes 
Shredded Mexican Four cheese

Method:

1. The Noodles:

Add noodles in boiling water.  Add some salt and olive oil to the pot. Noodles should be completely submerged under water. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes. When tender, drain the noodles in a colander (take all the water out). Run cold water on the noodles in the colander.  Drizzle some olive oil and toss. Set aside.

2. The Vegetables

Heat olive oil in a flat bottom skillet.  Add the onions and garlic.  Sautee till translucent.  Add the rest of the vegetables to the pan, add the seasonings (salt/pepper/thyme) and cook until tender.  Remove from pan and set aside.

3. The Chicken:

Heat butter or oil in the same pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes each side. Set aside. When cool, cut into small bite size pieces.

4. The Sauce:

In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter.  Pour the wine and using a spatula loosen up the chicken dripping left on the pan. Add another 1 tbsp of butter.  When melted, add 1 tbsp all purpose flour. Turn the heat down and using a spatula whisk vigorously.  There should be no lumps in the flour. Add the stock and the milk and mix well. Turn the heat to medium. Add a dash of salt, pepper, italian seasonings, garlic powder, and hot sauce or red pepper flakes. Keep whisking with a spatula. The mixture will reduce and thicken up. Add the cooked noodles and the chicken pieces. Mix well.

5. Putting it all together:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take an ovenproof dish. Butter the bottom of the pan. Pour the noodles mixture onto the pan. Top the pan with shredded cheese - I used Mexican Four Blend. You can use that or just shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve hot!

Pasta Spanaki Olio

Method and Ingredients:

1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup crushed tomatotes
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1 clove of garlic
8 to 10 basil leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
Handful of black olives, chopped coarsely
Feta cheese
Dash of Parmesan cheese
Dash of Salt/Black Pepper

1. Heat olive oil. Add chopped garlic and sautee. Add onions and sautee.  When onions are translucent, add spinach.
2.  Add chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.  Mix well and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the basil leaves, dash of parmesan cheese, chopped olives, salt, and black pepper and let cook for another 5 minutes stirring intermittently.  Keep the sauce a little watery but not too watery. Allow the water to evaporate in the pan. 
4.  Add feta cheese.  Serve over pasta. 

Mediterranean Pizza

The first time I had Za'atar bread in Dubai, I fell in love with it. Za'atar spice is a blend of some dried herbs (oregano, thyme, savory), salt, sesame seeds and sumac (another key ingredient to Middle Eastern cuisine).  I was cursing myself for not bringing back some of the spice to the US until my recent trip to a Middle Eastern grocery store - where I found the Za'atar spice.  My happiness knew no bounds. So it was certainly the right time to make some Za'atar pizza. Ofcourse, credit goes to my husband for making this uber delicious homemade veggie loaded delight! Enjoy!

Method and Ingredients: 

Stone baked pizza crust (I used the Culinary Circle brand)

1/2 cucumber, cubed

1 medium tomato, cubed

1/2 cup feta cheese

3/4 cup eggplant, diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup red onions, cut lengthwise

Fresh basil

Zaatar powder

Dash of Italian seasonings

Dash of paprika

1 tsp honey

1 tsp vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven in the lower rack. Preheat the grill to 450F. And let the pizza stone heat up for a atleast 1/2 hour.

2. Heat oil in a flat bottom skillet. Add the eggplant and let sautee on medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add the onions and continue sauteeing for 3 minutes. (this is just to cook the eggplant slightly before adding to pizza) Add salt, black pepper, italian seasonigs, paprika, and a little harissa sauce (optional). Toss well.

3. Using a fork, gently rake the pizza base.  Drizzle olive oil over the base.  Now, sprinkle some zaatar powder all over.

4.  Once the pizza stone is hot, start assembling the pizza. Spread the eggplant and onion mixture over the pizza.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 

5. In a bowl, mix the cucumber and tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil, some honey, vinegar, salt and pepper.

6. Towards the very end, add the tomatoes and cucumber mixture on the pizza.

7. Sprinkle feta cheese and some basil leaves. Let bake for another 5 minutes or so to melt the cheese a bit.

Serve hot.



Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in Homemade Pasta Sauce

Not a big meatball eater, so cooking meatballs equals challenge! - Thank  God I had Avanti on skype kind of telling me what to do. By the way, I never knew making pasta sauce at home was so easy and it tastes way better than the store bought ones. And I didnt even use fresh tomatoes. I really was itching to make something different like Ginger Sesame Meatballs or Tandoori Paneer Meatballs but I wanted to start with the basic today and build some confidence in the future meatball escapades. I looked at several recipes online for the tomato sauce and meatballs. Finally ended up looking at the back of my pasta sauce bottle for ingredients, asked my cousin Avanti for tips of meatball prep, and made the pasta like my cousin Karishma does. I tagged the dish as an appetizer as well, because, one could make bite size ones with toothpicks on them and serve with pasta sauce as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely chopped

4 cups crushed tomatoes

Couple handfuls of fresh basil, chopped

White cooking wine, 1 cup

Salt/Black pepper/Pinch of sugar

Italian seasonings

Shredded parmesan cheese

Meatballs:

2 chicken breasts, cubed and chopped (about 4 cups cubed)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

Breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup

1 egg

Parmesan cheese, 3/4 cup

Dash of oregano and Italian seasonings

Season with salt and black pepper

Whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained in a colander

Method:

Sauce:

1. Heat oil. Add the garlic, onions, and carrots.  Let cook for 10 minutes on low flame until translucent and tender.

2. Add the tomatoes and mix well.  Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Keep sauteeing as the water evaporates. I actually added a little bit of water and some wine.  Add basil and Italian seasonings. Cover and let simmer for another 30 minutes.  The sugar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes, but add it sparingly. I would also add some red chilli flakes if you like it a bit spicy.

3. Add parmesan cheese (a little over 1/4 cup) and stir vigorously. Let cook for another few minutes. Set aside.

Meatballs:

1. Start out by sauteeing the cut onions in some oil. Add some oregano, salt, black pepper, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, and garlic. After sauteeing for about 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, set aside.

2. My hubby does not like preminced store bought meat. So I mince my chicken breast at home in a food pro. After washing, patting dry, seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, and cutting the chicken in big cubes, process the chicken meat in a food processor on pulse setting one or two times. Do not overpulse as you want a rough texture to the balls.

3. Add the sauteed onions to the food processor. Run the food processor once. Now add the parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs and process the meat slowly.  Remember to not overprocess the meat to a mush.  If you are not sure if you should add more breadcrumbs, test it out - try to make a meatball on your had out of the meat, if it starts sticking then you need more breadcrumbs to hold the meat together. Do not add too much at once.

4. Once you have reached the right consistency, make equal sizes meat balls (I got about 20).  Heat oil in a flat bottom skillet. Place them one by one on the skillet and let brown on medium heat. Flip and sear the other side. (Total time: 10 minutes) 

5. Once the meatballs are seared, place them in a oiled oven safe pan.  Pour the sauce you made earlier over the top. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and check for doneness. Bake more if you think the meat appears raw. Keep checking once in a while to make sure the oven temperature is okay and that meatballs are not burning at the bottom.

Pasta:

You can either serve the pasta as is with the sauce and meatballs or do the following - in a skillet, heat butter, add the cooked and drained pasta and toss. Now add some salt and black pepper followed by some parmesan cheese.  Toss well.

Assemble it all together:

Start with the pasta on the bottom. Add the meatballs on the top and pour the sauce on the meatballs. Enjoy!

Polenta Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Stuffing stuff is so stuffy!!! But its fun to stuff stuff with stuff that you just bought and stuff! So here is a dish that made from poblano peppers that I stuffed with stuff I found from my local grocery store - the stuff is called Quick Cooking Polenta, a dish that is made from ground cornmeal.  Stuff yourself ;)

4 Poblano peppers
1/2 cup Quick Cooking Polenta (available in your local grocery stores)
Garlic cloves, 2 to 4
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
16 oz can of corn kernels
1/2 crushed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (canned)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Handful of parsley sprigs, chopped finely
1/2 cup full fat milk (lower % will also work)
2 cups of hot water ( you may not need it all)
1/2 cup Queso Fresco cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Wash and pat dry the poblano peppers. With a sharp knife, cut open the pepper leaving the sides intact.  Deseed and devein the pepper.  Follow the step with all of them. Wash your hands. Preheat the oven at 350F.  Oil an oven safe baking dish, and place the peppers on it. Oil the peppers with your hands. When the oven is ready, insert the dish with the peppers. Let cook for five minutes. Turn the peppers and let cook for another five minutes.  The skin of the peppers should appear slighly burnt.  Remove the peppers and keep aside and cover until ready to use for stuffing. When cool, remove/peel the outer skin of the peppers.

Heat butter in a saucepan. Add 2 to 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic and let brown slightly. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onion.  Cook until translucent.  Drain the can of corn of any water. Add the corn, stir and let cook for a few minutes.  Add the polenta and toss well.  Add salt, black pepper, tomato sauce, the chipotle pepper with some adobo sauce, and chopped parsley.  Add half o the hot water.  Keep stirring and cook the polenta on medium flame. it will start clumping up and sticking to the sides, so keep working the spatula and add milk as it thickens.  Use the remainder of the water if necessary taking care that no clumps are formed.  This process should take about 5 to 8 minutes.  Add the parmesan cheese and keep stirring as it melts and binds the polenta.  You do not want the polenta to be too thick or too watery. 

Preheat the oven to 350F again.  Right before you are ready to stuff the peppers, crumple the queso fresco cheese and add to the sauce pan and give it a quick stir.  Now make equal parts of the stuffing, and stuff the peppers with the mixture as shown. 

Line them on a baking sheet/dish, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot.

As the polenta sits, it starts clumping up so this dish must be consumed hot. I never cooked or worked with polenta before, so I am sure I will have more versions of this recipe.  I based this recipe on Food Network's recipe that I found online.

Four-Cheese Ravioli with Beans in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 large onion chopped
2 to 4 garlic pods, chopped
1 15oz can of black beans
Italian seasonings
Salt and Black Pepper
Pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese

1. Boil water in a big stock pot. Add salt and olive oil. When water comes to a rolling boil, add 3 cups of store bought ravioli of your choice. If your stock pot is small, cook the ravioli in batches. Overcrowding the pot will result in mushy and uncooked ravioli. Follow the packet for cooking instructions. Drain the ravioli reserving the water to make the sauce.  Run cold water on the ravioli in a colander and drizzle some more oil and toss. Set aside.
2. In a flat bottom pan, heat olive oil and butter. Add 2 to 4 medium garlic pods, chopped. Sautee for couple minutes.  Add 1/2 of large onion, chopped. Sautee until translucent without burning the onion.  Add 1 cup of white wine and stir. 
3.  Add 2 cups of tomato sauce to the pan and stir.  Add about 2 cups of the reserved liquid used for boiling the ravioli and stir.  Add a dash of Italian seasonings.  Season with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of sugar to reduce the tartness of the sauce.  Cover and let the sauce simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Rinse black beans from the can by running cold water in a colander with beans in it.  Add the beans.  Cover and let the beans cook in the sauce covered for another 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Uncover and add the ravioli. Toss gently. Adjust seasonings. Top it off with some freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. 

Cheese Melt Bread

Ingredients and Method:

White or Wheat Kaiser Roll
Butter or Margarine
Paprika or Cayenne powder (very little)
Garlic powder (very little)
Krafts Three Cheese Blend - Shredded Romano, Asiago, and  Parmesan Cheese (Depends on your taste)

Cut bread into halves.  Heat butter or margarine in a pan and allow to melt. Turn the heat low.  Sprinkle garlic powder and paprika or cayenne onto the pan and stir right away to prevent the powder from burning.  Have the breads ready to go and put them face down.  Using your hands, move them around the pan so that garlic/paprika/butter is soaked in.  Turn the heat to medium.  Flip the bread and toast the other side.  Remove from pan.

Preheat the toaster oven at 350 or 400F for a few minutes. Sprinkle cheese blend onto the bread and place them face up in the toaster oven. Keep an eye until the cheese melts. Sprinkle Italian seasonings on top if you wish.

Serve with soup or enjoy as an appetizer.

Chick-n-Asparagus Casserole

2 cups Egg Noodles
2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 to 4 serrano peppers
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 of 10 oz can Cream of Corn
1 10oz can of Cream of Celery Soup
2/3 cup cooked chicken (Skip chicken for a vegetarian recipe)
2/3 cup black beans, canned
Dash of garlic powder and parsley
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp All purpose flour (if needed)
1 bunch of Asparagus, washed, patted dry, and stemmed
Shredded cheese, Mexican blend preferred
Fried onions (optional)

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and serrano peppers and sautee until onions turn brown.  Add the tomato sauce and mix. Let the mixture cook and reduce a bit (3 to 4 minutes).  Add the cream of celery soup and stir well. Let it come to a boil stirring frequently.  Now add the cooked chicken, black beans, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, and parsley.  Continue cooking for a few minutes and let cool a little bit.  If the mix appears watery, then add 2 tbsps of all purpose flour to the pot and stir constantly to mix it in. Make sure there are no lumps.  This will thicken the mixture a little.

In a flat pan, heat some olive oil or butter and lay the asparaugs flat.  Add some salt and black pepper.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not cover and cook and do not overcook as this will go on the casserole and cook some more in the oven.

Cook the egg noodles as per packet instructions (about 5 minutes for 2 cups of noodles). Drain the noodles and drizzle some olive oil. Toss and set aside. 

Preheat the over at 350F.  Grease a round 8 inch baking pan.  Add the noodles in the pan.  Pour the prepared mixture over the noodles.  Sprinkle cheese generously on the top so that all the noodles are covered.  Now line the asparagus as shown.  Sprinkle some fried onions on the top (optional). Bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot. Keep hot sauce handy !!

Chicken Wrap with Queso Fresco

This recipe utilizes Queso Fresco or Fresh Cheese in Spanish. This cheese is typically used as a topping on salads or meals or as a dip, etc since it crumbles real well. But, I wanted to see what it did when exposed to heat.  I melted it in my wrap and it was really tasty. Yummy in my tummy!

1 or 2 large tortilla wrap
1 standard size chicken breast, butterfly cut it (which means cut through the width of the chicken)
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup corn
1 jalapeno pepper
Dash of Garlic powder
Taco seasoning spice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Queso Fresco
Garnish: Cilantro, Diced tomatoes, Diced Red onion, Lettuce

Wash and pat dry the chicken. Butterfly cut it so that now you have 2 flat chicken breasts.  Season it with salt and black pepper.  Heat oil in a flat skillet.   When real hot, add the chicken breast.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Flip both the breast pieces and cook for another 3 minutes.  Check for doneness - the meat should be white on the inside. Keep the heat on high, sprinkle some taco seasoning and using a flat spatula give some pressure to the chicken so as to sear it. Flip, sprinkle some more seasoning and sear for another minute.  Remove from heat.  (always check for doneness before eating).  In the same pan, throw the beans, corn, jalapeno or serrano pepper (finely chopped), garlic powder, and some more taco seasoning.  If you want your wrap spicy, you may add some cayenne or chilli powder. Make sure the veggies are blended well.  Add some queso fresco - using your finger just crumble the cheese in the pan (how much depends on your taste but atleast 2 tbsps).  Allow the cheese to melt a little.  Remove from heat. Cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces. 

Heat the tortilla in a microwave or on a pan.  Do not overheat, just a few seconds until it softens up.  Put the filling in.  Add lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and onions. 

Enjoy!

Mushroom n Cheese Puffs

1 frozen Pillsbury or Great Value Pizza Dough box
4 cups of mushrooms, chopped
1 cup finely julienned onions
Spices: 1/4 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder
Salt to taste
Shredded cheese (Mexican four cheese)
One egg beaten

Filling: First lets make the filling.  Heat some oil. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them sputter. Now add the onions and stir till they are slightly browned.  Now add the mushrooms and give a stir. Add all the spices including salt.  Cook on medium heat till the mushrooms wilt all the way.  Let the filling cool down just a little bit. 

Cover: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Thaw the pizza dough.  Roll it out and run a rolling pin over to make it a little thinner. Keep the original shape intact, however, w hich will be a rectangle.  Cut the rectangle into half (now you will have two sheets).  Fill each sheet with the filling and add cheese.  Now fold it like a hot pocket or a karanji (Indian desert) or a samosa - whatever floats your boat.   

Get an ovensafe baking pan.  Line it up with foil.  Spray baking oil or brush regular oil on the pan and brush some on the puffs.  Slide the puffs onto the pan (oil side down first).  Once on the pan, brush the top side of the puffs with the egg wash (this will give the pastry a nice golden color, skip if you are not a egg eater!) 
Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the side (brushing some oil if necessary).  Bake for another 10 minutes.  Let the color of the pastry guide you!

Pasta al Formaggio

This is a very basic pasta dish that I make at home. However, this is special to me because it is inspired by my cousin Karishma's Chikun Guniya Pasta, that she named after me. I hope you never find out what that means - but her pasta was yum. I tried many times to recreate that taste but I failed. So, I just made this recipe up. Maybe she'd approve!?

Ingredients:
7oz Whole grain spaghetti
3 tbsp margarine
1 cup onion, sliced lengthwise
1 cup green pepper, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded
1/8 cup Italian dressing, lite
1/4tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Italian seasonings
Salt
Cajun seasoning or Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

Method:
Cook the pasta according to package directions. I made about half of the 13oz box of spaghetti. Make sure you add some oil and salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta. Drain the pasta and toss the pasta around holding a paper towel in your hand. This soaks up any extra leftover water. Drizzle some oil and salt to taste and set aside.

Add margarine in a heated pan and when it melts add the onions. Sautee till translucent. Now add the green peppers and sautee till they are soft.  Add the Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasonings, and some salt. You can add some cayenne pepper if you like some heat to your pasta. Now add the tomatoes and sautee well. Dont let the tomatoes overcook. Now, add the shredded cheese and stir as the cheese melts and coats the veggies. Throw in the pasta and toss so that the sauce coats the pasta. Add some cheese on the top if you wish.

- Add the pasta a little at a time to make sure that you have enough sauce to coat the pasta.
- Add the seasonings to pasta when it is sitting in the colander because this allows you to use your hands to coat the seasonings (Wash your hands before you do this though ;) )