Chapili Kabab (with ground lamb)

Here is a dish which can be a your main protein dish or as a side dish, as you wish. Chapili Kabab is very popular in the northern states and is made with mutton, beef or in some cases even ground chicken.

It's a basic recipe with all spices mixed in and made a patties. You can even use it as your burger patty, with your keto bread and pair it with green chutney and enjoy.

It's a protein dish so, I won't give you the nutritional facts. 

Lamb is a perfect protein filler for your keto or LcHF diet, a spicy dish at that!

All the ingredients what I have used to suit my taste, just adjust everything to your taste.

Add a dollop of sour cream on the side or spiced hung yogurt with grilled veggies for a complete meal.

Ingredients -

1 lb ground lamb

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 eggs beaten

1 medium onion chopped small

1 medium tomato chopped small

3-4 green chillies chopped (optional, to taste)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cracked coriander seeds

1 tsp chili powder (to taste)

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Mint leaves chopped

Coriander leaves chopped

Coconut oil or ghee to shallow fry

Method -

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Shape as small cutlets or flat rounds and shallow fry in coconut oil or ghee.

Serve hot with chutney as an appetizer or as a side dish to your meal.

Enjoy!

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Cod and zoodles with Pesto

Pesto is an easy accompaniment, to have in the fridge, to be a life savoir when you have no options to think or less energy to make anything grand. For me it's the easiest thing to just grab and make, and not to think twice.

Pesto mainly is made of 5 ingredients, basil, garlic, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil. You can add more or different ingredients and make Walnut pesto, tomato pesto, pistachio pesto, spinach pesto, and so on....

I like regular plain pesto and when I cannot make it on my own, the Costco brand, is my go to. Whenever I can find tomato pesto, I have to always keep that too. By the way, the Costco tomato pesto has almonds, so totally low carb friendly, keto friendly. Pesto itself is low carb or keto friendly of mademof right ingredients.

So here is a dish I make atleast once a week. Zoodles I make more than once, and fish I make 2-3 times a week, but a dish like this, I make once or when I think I don't have much time. 

After I started my diet or low carb eating, I always keep individually frozen measured fish fillets at home. I am lucky that my grocery store does that for me, but surely you can do that yourself and save yourself time on weekdays. There won't be a meal prep and you can cook fresh food whenever you want to. A tip to heathy eating😝. I sometimes portion out even cut up chicken breast or even ground chicken and freeze so that, I just grab a bag and cook when needed.

 

Zucchini, also known as courgette is one of the best veggie you can have with the lowest calories and carbs possible. It tastes good, stuffed, baked, as fries, as zoodles and whatever you make with it! It's full of healthy nutrients, has good amount of Potassium and a tiny amount of protein. 

Zoodles - I have a spiralizer to make zoodles, you can also use mandolin or even regular peeler to make strips if not noodle shaped. 

I like to cook my zucchini till it dries out otherwise I feel it's mushy and watery.

Ingredients -

Cod 4oz fillet 

Zucchini 1-2, made into zoodles

1 tbsp basil pesto

1 tbsp tomato pesto (optional, if not using this then you can increase the amount of basil pesto)

Pinch of salt

Red chili flakes (optional)

Chopped garlic (optional)

Chopped 1 tbsp onion (optional)

2 tbsp butter

Fresh basil or a pinch of dried basil

Method of preparation - 

Heat 1 tbsp butter and cook the fish, lightly salted on both sides. Once done cooking, smear pesto on both sides and let it cool for 30secs on each side. Remove from heat and save.

Heat pan with 1 tbsp butter and add chopped garlic (and onion).

Add the zoodles and a pinch of salt and let it cool down a little.

Add the basil pesto and tomato pesto and mix well.

Add red pepper flakes and fresh or dry basil (or even Italian seasoning).

Let the zoodles cook down so that there is no water left. Zoodles will still be intact and have slight crunch.

Remove into a dish, top with more fresh basil and your cooked fish.

Enjoy as full meal on busy week days.

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Quinoa and Rice in a quick Chinese fried rice / Quinoa with lots of Veggies

Again the days have come and gone, more like months have come and gone...and the year is quickly passing by. Though we are still not totally out of the clutches of winter in some parts, in other parts spring has already been showing its beauty. I continue to clicks lots of pictures of flowers as I so fascinated by all the different types of flowers nature has in store! I hope everyone out there is getting to enjoy a bit of the new spring and taking full advantage of it by planting new plants. I haven't started to plant here as yet but I sure to plan on getting on that job soon. Other than that life has been normal as always. Kids and their activities takes up most of the time and I find so less time to myself. The very less time I get, I just feel like relaxing...that's the reason I started spending so less time on the blog. I keep telling myself that I should do more...but...that just keeps hanging. :)

Well no worries, that's how life is I guess and I should just keep going on with it!

The reason I make this dish very so often is to finish any leftover rice. But then there are times when I make it to have as a side dish. Though noodles are kids favorite, I think my favorite has always been the fried rice. While trying to make it healthier whenever I feel like eating it, I started making it with quinoa. But then there come days when there is some left over rice and some left over quinoa. That's when I decide to combine both of them to make  this fried rice. 

Since rice and quinoa blend together very nicely, you cannot really tell which is which. :) That helps with kids!

This dish can be made completely with quinoa or completely with rice. I just like to add lots of vegetables and egg to make it more nutritious. You can add some cooked chicken or shrimp to make it more exotic too :).  Or omit the egg to make a wholesome vegetarian dish. Add some lima beans and sprouts to make even more delicious. Well these are just a few ways in which you can adapt this dish. Its more like a pantry dish where you can put what ever is there in your pantry to make it your type of dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (cooked and cooled)

1/2 cup rice (leftover rice or cooked and cooled)

3 garlic cloves, chopped small

2 green chilies, chopped small

1/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup chopped beans

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (you can use a mix of colored pepper if you wish)

1/2 cup of broccoli florets

1/2 onion, chopped

2 eggs, scrambled with pinch of salt and pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tbsp oil (can be substituted with sesame oil)

salt to taste

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Chopped scallions for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok or pan to medium hight heat.

Add the chopped garlic and green chili and sauté for 10 seconds. Add the onions and saute for another 10-20 seconds.

Add the carrots, peas, bell pepper and beans and cook for a minute or two with a sprinkle of salt.

Add the broccoli florets, with a pinch of salt and saute for another 15 seconds.

Add the cooled rice and quinoa, along with the scrambled egg. Saute on high heat to mix well. Add the soy sauce and mix well again.

Garnish with chopped scallions or green onions.

Serve hot. Enjoy!!!

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Gongura Mutton / Sorrel leaves with Lamb or Goat

This post has been sitting in my drafts for a long time...well to say actually lots of recipes are sitting in my drafts for a long time and the corresponding pictures in my pictures folder - resting! They both are not able to get together at all! I am sure the drafts are longing for the pictures and the pictures are longing for their drafts. Hopefully I will be able to bring both of them together soon! :)

Can't believe its 1st of Feb already and maybe that's the reason for all the lovey dovey mushiness going on! Its in the atmosphere, the commercially made atmosphere that is!!!
Well I don't mind it though! Atleast people get one day or one month, which ever the case maybe to declare their undying love or care for their better half or their future better half! I think its a good idea - we may not have time in our every day life and so Valentine's day reminds us to tell that some special person that 'We love them and we care for them'. I hope everyone will 'make use' of this day to it extreme! :) We shall talk about that later!

Gongura being a very popular for us Andhaites and I am sure many of you have heard about the numerous preparations with it. Here is one more popular dish called Gongura mutton. This can be made with lamb or goat, which ever you like or which ever is available at the time! A big bunch of sorrel leaves and some simple spices make this dish very delicious and yummy!
Though it takes a little long time to cook, the meat cooks, becomes tender and delectable! All the spices marinate with the meat and make a good gravy which can be eaten with rice or with rotis.

Ingredients:

1 lb mutton (bite sized pieces)
1 big bunch of gongura leaves (about 1/2 lb of leaves only)

2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp gasalu kobari paste, poppy seeds (gus gus) and coconut paste ( 1 1/2 tbsp coconut powder and 1/2 tbsp gus gus , made into paste with some water) (This is optional)
2-3 tsp of chilli powder (you may add more if you want it more spicy....I used plenty more)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method:

Chop the gongura leaves, add them to a empty pot, add about 1/4 cup of water, cover it and put it on medium heat. When they are half way cooked through, add some salt and chilli powder. Let it cook fully through, which means, it becomes completely soft and mushy. Use the back of the spoon or spatula to mash it up even more. If you like it totally smooth, just process it using a hand blender or food processor. When cooked it will be about 1 cup of cooked gongura leaves.

In another pot, add the oil and saute the onions until they are translucent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another minute.
Add the chopped mutton and some salt. Let this cook for about 6-7 minutes. Add the tomato and keep cooking for another 5 minutes.
Now add the gasalu kobari paste, turmeric, chilli powder and keep cooking for another 15-20 minutes, until its cooked through. If they isn't enough water in the mutton, add some.
When the mutton is cooked through, add the mushy gongura leaves, some extra water, garam masala and coriander leaves. Let this cook for another 10 minutes, until the curry thickens to required consistency.
Serve it along side hot steamy rice or some hot rotis.
If you like the sour taste of gongura leaves and like a spicy gravy, I am sure you will like this.
Enjoy!!!

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Pan Fried Masala Fried Fish Fillet

Well December is already here, which means few birthdays in our family and holidays for sure! Which also means lots and lots of cooking. I am hoping I can make some new dishes using some real easy ingredients! I will be sharing them with you guys so stay tuned! Dishes which will be easy to put together in time for busy days!
I am hooked on to Pinterest these days. There are some real cool stuff DIY stuff in there. if you haven't checked it out as yet, be sure to do it! Also knitting and crochet, one of passions, I have been looking at stuff and wish I could do all that I see. Which is like impossible but no wrong in wishing so right! :)
I am going to start on another knitting project, this time on the loom, a big project too, so lets see how it goes!

So with the first birthday in our home..here is what I cooked. Simple and easy to put together for sure. Delicious to eat too! Dish of the day was - Pan fried Masala Fried Fish on a bed of Vegetable pulao with a side of Onion Raita. :) wow big name!! :)


Ingredients:

4 Fish fillets (I used Tilapia, can use any white fish fillets)

Masala:

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp gus gus / khus khus / gasagasalu / white poppy seeds
2 tsp dried coconut powder or flakes
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera / cumin powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp of oil for 2 fillets of fish.

Method:

Grind the masala into a smooth paste with very less water.
Rub the masala over the fish fillet, more like patting it on the fillet.
Let it marinate for about 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
Heat oil in a large pan and fry the fillets till they are cooked on both sides by flipping them once or twice, on medium low heat for about 5-7 minutes, till the masala also gets fried to brown in color.
Serve with Rice of your choice.
Enjoy!!!

** I made a simple rice cooker pulao to go with it. Ground all the dry masala and sauteed with the vegetables of choice, only till they are half cooked. Substituted 1 cup of rice for the rice with coconut milk. Some coriander leaves and mint leaves to go with it. Everything goes into the rice cooker to cook.
Another method: Simple Rice Cooker Pulao

** Onion raita

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Chicken sausage fry - Indian Ishstyle

Reminder: Please remember to send in your Kid friendly dishes to Kid's Delight - What Kids love...for Summer! ENDS July 15th!


This dish might be a new one many of you guys...as not many might know that we do get chicken sausage and that too without any casings (which is usually pork casing).


Not many stores carry this tho! We have to look around to see where this is available. I get mine from Trader Joe's. Not all sausages in Trader Joe's are like that tho. So if you don't eat pork, carefully read the package to see if the sausage you are taking is 100% chicken with no casings.


This recipe is actually from my Mom. She used to make this as a snack for us after coming from school. This slowly became our breakfast when we started cooking for ourselves. This being, kinda spicy and something which has protein, made for a good heavy morning breakfast which will kept us full til lunch time. 
The addition of Maggi hot and spicy sauce gives it a yummy and spicy taste to it, but the addition of regular ketchup balances it out! If you want it more spicy, add some chili powder. But you can surely customize it to how ever you like it!

For 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 chicken sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsp maggi hot and spicy ketchup
1 tbsp regular ketchup
1/2 tsp oil
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

1 Hot dog bun or sandwich bread


Method:

Cut the sausage into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and onion and saute till translucent.
Add the sausage and saute till they turn brown.
Add both the ketchups and mix well.
If you leave it long, the ketchup will dry up, so remove immediately! Garnish with coriander leaves.
Heat the bun or toast it.
Serve the sausage spread on the bun, hot.
Enjoy!!!

Hop over to the other marathoner's kitchens to see whats cooking!

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Huevos Rancheros with an Indian twist

Reminder: Please remember to send in your Kid friendly dishes to Kid's Delight - What Kids love...for Summer! ENDS July 15th! 

Huevos Rancheros is a Mexican dish which is served as breakfast. Its mostly served on a warm tortilla which is like a roti, topped with sauteed onions and tomatoes, which is then again topped with eggs.

When I first time had it, topped with spicy sauce, it was just wonderful. Once a few months ago I saw clicks of a Naan pizza topped with paneer tikka...this led to me making this, which is so much easier and fun to eat in the mornings, more like a Sunday brunch item. I just made the curry as spicy like we Indians like it, with onions and tomatoes.

The eggs I put on it a little on the runny side, if you like your eggs to be well done, just cook it to well done and then top it on the Naan.
I used Trader Joe's Naan as my base, so that this thing will be ready in very less time. This is the easiest it can get, but if you want to try with freshly made naan , go ahead.
You can also make it vegetarian by topping it with veggies instead of eggs, or go a step further and top it with chicken or mutton! I am sure everything will come out tasty!

Ingredients:

1 naan
2 eggs
1 small onion chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 green chili
salt to taste
1/4 tsp chilli powder
pinch of turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp oil
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Chopped green onions for garnish

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions, green chillies.
When the onions are translucent, add the ginger and tomato, and cook till the tomato is soft.
Add the salt, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well till combined.

At this time, heat the naan according to package instructions (which may need pre-heating the oven, which you should do before cooking everything, you can put in the naan later)

In a different pan, break open the eggs and fry till they are done. You can flip them and cook or leave them sunny side up. You can also fully cook them or leave them a little runny.

When the Naan heats up, top it with the tomato mixture and then the eggs. Garnish with cilantro leaves and green onions.

Serve hot. This can be eaten at breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!!!

Hop over to the other marathoner's kitchens to see whats cooking!

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Simple Omelet Sandwich ~ Second week of BM #16

Reminder: Please remember to send in your Kid friendly dishes to Kid's Delight - What Kids love...for Summer! ENDS July 15th!

Can't believe second week of the BM has started so soon. 7 days have gone by so fast and now for the first time I am going to do the second week of the marathon too! Wow I cant believe my self that I am going to do it continuously!  I am happy too and sad too!
As after this again I would have slow down in blogging for a few months as my In-Laws will be here and I might to be able to post as much. I am going to try to post from time to time, because this will be my only let out and I don't want to loose touch with you guys!

Anyways coming back to my post for the 1st day of Blogging Marathon #16, as usual, its a very simple dish! As I was thinking which one to post first, I thought what better than to post with something which I eat 70% of the days. Well this will be different when my In-Laws will be here as there will be more different kinds of  Upmas, Idlis and Dosas as breakfast on the menu, which I totally love, but will still miss eating my cereals and Omelet sandwich as breakfast every morning.

I believe in having some kind of protein in the morning (though it doesn't always happen so) and this I think has a perfect balance of everything.
So coming to the Omelet, it can be made many different ways, like an Indian Spicy Omelet, omelet with meat, veggies or cheese or both or just as simple as fried eggs, sprinkled with salt and pepper.

My everyday sandwich has a simply fried egg topped with tomatoes and green bell peppers. I like to eat it this way with tomato and bell pepper, but if you prefer any different veggies as topping, go ahead and try it with that.

Ingredients:

To make one Sandwich

2 slices bread
few drops of oil
1 egg
few slices tomato and green bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Toast the slices of bread.
Heat oil in a skillet.
Break open the egg in the skillet and fry till it browns on one side and then flip over.
Brown then other side too. Salt and pepper to taste.
Top one slice of bread with the fried egg or omelet.
Top the omelet with sliced tomatoes and green bell pepper.
Close with the other slice of bread.
Serve hot with your daily morning coffee or iced coffee in my case and fruit on the side.
Enjoy!!!

Hop over to the other marathoner's kitchens to see whats cooking!

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Instant Egg rice (with Dhaniyalu podi or coriander lentil powder)

If I ask my little one what should I make for lunch, he will reply Peas rice....little does he know that egg also goes into it and its more like an Egg rice instead of a Peas rice.
He doesn't mind eating it everyday, only I do get bored of making it everyday! I guess he just likes the taste of what goes into it!
He will say I don't like onions..don't feed me onions, but then he sees that rice and say..thats fine, just feed me the onions, I like the onions in peas rice.
Well here is his version of 'peas rice' and my version of 'Instant Egg rice' :) Both being same!
All you need to have is the Dhaniyalu podi (which we use as idli or dosa podi too) on hand and if you have some leftover rice, its very quick to make.
Comes in handy when you are pressed for time and want something to do done very quick! For adult version, add some chopped green chilies and spike the chili powder! :)


Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice
1 egg
1/4 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
small piece of onion, chopped

1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
pinch of turmeric
pinch of chilli powder
1-2 tsp dhaniyalu podi / coriander lentil powder
1 tsp of oil
salt to oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a kadai.
Add the egg and scramble it well.
Add the onions and saute for a minute.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute it well.
Add the peas and some salt and cook for couple of minutes till they are cooked.
Now add the rice along with all the powders (turmeric, chilli powder, and the dhaniyalu podi). Mix everything up well. Add salt to taste.
GArnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 13

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Quick Egg and Green onion Rice

Eggs are very common in my house. I use them almost everyday. There might be a day or two when I may not use them but my fridge is always stocked with eggs. Though we don't eat more than 1 per person per day, I think having one per/day is good for your health.
Egg burji and hard boiled egg dishes are a favorite of my old son and my husband. My younger one prefers them little lesser than the older one. For this reason, for him its mostly burji or mixed up in rice type of dishes, where he won't know its presence in a dish.

Here is a dish where the protein 'egg' is mixed with rice and green onion otherwise known as the greens of the scallions. This dish doesn't have any masalas in it. You are welcome to add some and make it how your prefer it. Rice is sauteed with ginger garlic paste, salt and bit of pepper for taste.
This rice is better when eaten warm or hot, so remember to pack it as a hot pack lunch.

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked rice
1 egg
few chopped green scallion leaves
1/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp of oil
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
pepper to taste


Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add the egg. Scramble it on medium heat till its cooked.
Add the onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute.
Add the rice along with some salt and pepper. Toss them all together.
Cover and cook for another couple of minutes before adding the green onions.
Serve hot or warm.
Enjoy!!!


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 13

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Mexican Tortilla Soup

For the last and final day of the marathon, here is my another favorite 'Mexican (Chicken) Tortilla soup'

Another hearty and wholesome soup which can be called a full meal. Made with chicken and black beans, topped with crispy tortilla chips, this one is a sure hit in the winters.
Add or minus more veggies, add a avocado and its just becomes more healthy...nothing can go wrong with that.

Not a very difficult soup to create and you can always use fresh marinated chicken in place of shredded chicken, just make the cooking more more, till the chicken gets cooked.
You can always delete the chicken and add a variety of beans to make it a vegetarian soup. :)


Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Anaheim,  jalapeno chili, chopped up
4 cups chicken broth or veggie broth for vegetarians
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can, diced tomatoes, or 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1 can of black beans
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (optional, can add a variety of beans instead)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
Chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp lime juice
Few broken pieces of tortilla chips or freshly made chips out of corn tortilla

Method:

Heat oil in a pot.
Add the onion and garlic. Cook till translucent.
Add the chopped chili, tomato paste and diced tomatoes.
Add the broth and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 -20 minutes.
Add the cumin powder, coriander powder and chili powder.
Add salt and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add the shredded chicken along with black beans. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Before serving add in the lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves.
Serve topped with sour cream, some Monterrey cheese and the crispy tortilla chips.
Enjoy!!!

Jump on here to see what's cooking on the final day of the marathon in my fellow blogger's kitchen.

Sending this to Srivalli's Soups and Salad's Mela.

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Chicken Chilli Soup ~ Blogging Marathon # 9

Hi everyone...how are the Deepavali preparations going on?...I am sure everyone is trying out new recipes or remaking their old ones and are going to enjoy them in full swing!....

With Diwali just around the corner, here I am starting on a another Blogging marathon, started by Srivalli....which I have always enjoyed and looked forward to do....
It so fun to see so many new recipes made by my friends and give me opportunity to learn new ones too....

This time I choose the theme as 'Soups and Salads'. As I love soups and salads, I couldn't think of a much better theme to do this time around. I am going to start with a soup and end with a soup with all the others in between....Keep a look out on all the wonderful easy salad recipes I am going to post.

I love any kind of soups, but I love soups which are hearty and can be called a 'full meal'. Just have the soup and you will be all set! All my soups this time are going  to fall into this category 'Hearty Soups'. :) So sit back and enjoy!

My first soup for this marathon is 'Chicken Chili Soup'. I used Chicken as the protein here, but you could always make it vegetarian by substituting it with beans like cannelloni or white or black beans or red kidney beans, chick peas / garbanzo or even a mix of all the beans. It will be just as heart and comforting with a piece of warm baguette or french bread on the side...what do you say??
It can also be made with a mix of ground chicken and beans.
I adapted this from a book of soups I have in my collection.

This soup freezes well, so make a whole big pot and freeze it in smaller containers, which can be taken to work or had as a quick weekday dinner, that's what I did! And since I like it spicy, I made it spicy, but keep it in mind when adding the chili powder or paprika.

Increase the ingredients accordingly if you are planning to make a big pot. Take note of the seasonings, cos you may or may not have to double them.
Don't get overwhelmed with the number of ingredients....its just pretty simple to make with the ingredients in your pantry.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground chicken breast

(any kind of beans or even a mix of beans can be used to make it vegetarian)

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped small
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped small
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes (14oz can, this can be replaced by 2-3 chopped tomatoes)
1 cup chicken stock, or water can also be used (but using stock makes it flavorful)
1/8 tsp ground cumin powder
1/8 tsp ground coriander powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste
chopped coriander / cilantro leaves for garnish
chopped scallion for garnish
sour cream to serve with

Method:

Heat oil in a saucepan.
Add the ground chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook until its almost cooked. Break it down into smaller chunks using the wooden spoon if necessary.
Add in the onion, celery, red and green bell pepper and garlic.
Continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes till they are soft.
Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and the stock.
Add the coriander, cumin, chili, sweet paprika and oregano.
Mix well to combine and bring it to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
Adjust seasoning at this point, and let it simmer it for another 5-10 minutes, depending on the consistency you require.
Add in the chopped coriander / cilantro leaves.
Garnish with chopped scallion or green onions.
Serve hot, topped with sour cream. Enjoy with a warm crispy bread on the side for a hearty warming meal.
Enjoy!!!

Jump over here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking up!

Sending this also to Srivalli's Soups and Salads Mela.

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Semi-Homemade ~ Quick Panini - A visual treat! :)

I am a totally sandwich girl...I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just gather a few things and whip up a sandwich and I am done...Oh how much I would love if whole of my family also would eat it so :)....but thats Ok...I try to make one for myself almost for every lunch....either a sandwich, soup or salad...I don't mind eating it over and over again.

I used to love Chicken Frontega sandwich from Panera bread. I used to make sure I ate that at least once in a while. Now that there is no Panera close by, I tried to make it on my own, and this came out perfect, with out much effort.

No effort cos, I used pre-cooked chicken wings from Costco to use make this. Just peeled off all the meaty part to put in my sandwich.
You can surely make a vegetarian version of it, like I sometimes do, with veggies like zucchini, tomato etc.,. I am sure you will like it for.

The main thing, I check to be sure of having is panini bread or any crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. Combine all these and you have your sandwich ready in a jiffy! Fresh Basil surely gives it a divine smell!!

Ingredients:

Panini bread or any crusty bread

Pre-cooked chicken pieces (or get fresh and cook it :))
(use zucchini, or cucumber, asparagus or just tomatoes for a veggie delight!)

Few slices of tomato
Shredded mozzarella or sliced
few pieces sliced red onions or yellow onions
fresh basil leaves

Method:

Arrange all the ingredients on the bread and toast it on a panini grill till the cheese melts.
If you don't have a grill, toast it on a pan, on both sides, by placing a heavy pan on top of it.
Add a bit of seasoning like Italian or just oregano for a extra punch in flavor.
Serve warm....Enjoy!!!

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Vankaya Endu royalu Koora / Eggplant with dried shrimp

People think making non-veg dishes is a big deal and require lots of effort and not to mention lots of ingredients too.

Well I agree, at times I do become one of them, when I don't feel like cooking...:)

But seriously if we want to make any non-veg dishes our way, I mean Indian way, then we do require lots of ingredients, which in turn becomes our masala and so on...

Well I assure that, tho there are dishes which require lots of ingredients, there are a few dishes which we can make using the minimal amount of ingredients, one of which is when we make use of dried fish or dried shrimp.

The dried shrimp or fish imparts a lot of flavor to the dish, that very little of any other ingredients have to be added into it. A little addition of dried fish or shrimp goes a long way.

I am a big fan of dried shrimp and fish. I may not like or eat all kinds but, there are some which I absolutely like.

The dried shrimp I used here are a little bigger variety which can be found in any of the Asian stores in USA.

Another misconception is that there is lots of smell when we cook this, but I don't think so. The ones we get in India do give lots of smell, but the ones we get here, don't smell too much.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried shrimp, soaked in water for 1/2 hour

about 10 baby eggplants, chopped ( you can use any variety)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 small onion, chopped

Seasoning:

salt as required (remember to add less, as the dried shrimp or fish is already salty)

1/2 tbsp oil

pinch of turmeric

1 1/2 to 1 tbsp of chilli powder

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Soak the dried shrimp for about 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add the chopped onion and saute for about a minute.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute.

Add the dried shrimp and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped eggplant and mix well.

Cover and let cook until soft.

Season with salt, turmeric and chili powder as per your requirement.

At the end, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with Rice or chapathi.

Enjoy!!!

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Crispy Chicken drumettes

I always wanted to fry chicken at home....by fry I mean deep fry. I don't do it much and so it always tempting when I see recipes for fried chicken. And yes, my kids love it, so I had to make it some time right!

I have made oven baked tenders before, the more healthier way you would say but surely frying chicken has a unique taste and surely is much yummier than oven baked chicken.

I decided to try it and tried to keep it below 5 ingredients for simplicity and easiness. For this reason I counted the seasoning and frying which is salt - pepper and oil under one ingredient.

It very simple to make...I made it plain, but you could more seasoning and also more spice to it if you would like it! :)

Ingredients:

8- 10 Chicken drumettes, washed  (skinned, if required)

garlic - onion powder (you can use a mix or mix them yourselves)

buttermilk, 1 cup yogurt with 1 cup water

1-2 cups panko bread crumbs

Seasoning and frying

salt, pepper as required

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Make buttermilk of yogurt, with salt and pepper along with required amount of water. It shouldn't be too thin, neither too thick.

Wash the drumettes and soak in the buttermilk for about an hour.

After an hour, take the drumettes out and lay them on a cookie sheet. (Do not throw away the buttermilk as yet, if you are going to roll it twice)

Sprinkle onion - garlic powder on both sides.

Roll in the panko bread crumbs until coated.

(You can again dip into buttermilk and roll them in the crumbs one more time to give a crispier crust. Alternatively, you can roll it in APF or maida once and second in the bread crumbs. Instead of second dipping into buttermilk, you can use beaten egg.)

Deep / shallow fry in oil, until brown on all sides and cooked inside. It takes about 6-8 minutes.

Serve hot with any dipping sauce or eat it plain.

Enjoy!!!

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