Tomatoes Rellenos - Recipe

(Tomatoes are used as container for delicious Spanish stuffing)

Preparation time: 20 min

Refrigeration time: 1.5 hr

Serves -6

Ingredients:

Small tomatoes -12

Hard boiled eggs-6

Garlic mayonnaise-8tbsp

Chopped parsley-1.5tbsp

White break cumbs-1tbsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

-Cut out the core of Tomatoes with a sharp knife and make a ‘+’ on other end.  Put these tomatoes in a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, remove and plunge into a bowl of iced or very cold water to stop the tomatoes from cooking and going mushy.  Slice the top off the tomatoes and just enough of their bases remove the rounded ends so that they will sit squarely on the plate.  Remove the seeds and insides, either with a teaspoon or small sharp knife.

-Mesh the eggs with the mayonnaise, salt, pepper and parsley.  Stuff the tomatoes, firmly pressing the filling down.  Replace the lids at the jaunty angle.  If keeping for serving later, brush them with olive oil and black pepper to prevent them from drying out. Cover with cling film and keep.  Refrigerate for 1 hour and then slice with a sharp carving knife into rings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

 pic courtesy:http://whilehewasout.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/tomates_rellenos-02.jpg

Lasagna with meat sauce: Recipe

(It’s mouthwatering non veg. recipe for meat lovers)

Ingredients:

1. Ground mutton: 500 gm

2. Bulk Pork sausage – 125gm

3. Tomato sauce: 20 gm

4. Minced garlic cloves- 2tsp

5. Italian seasoning-tsp

6. Salt -1tsp

7. Pepper ½ tsp

8. Eggs-03

9. Fresh parsley minced 3tbsp

10. Curd (Cottage cheese) -3 cups

11. Ricotta Cheese – 20 gm

12. Grated parmesan cheese – ½ cup

13. Lasagna noodles (Cooked and drained)-10

14. Sliced provolone cheese-06

15. Shredded mozzarella cheese -3 cups

Preparation:

-In a skillet, cook mutton and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain;

-Add next seven ingredients. Simmer, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally

-Combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta and parmesan in a bow.

-Spread One cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9x2 in backing dish.  Layer with 3 noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups of cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of mozzarella, three noodles, c ups of meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup of mozzarella

-Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella.

- Cover and bake at 3785 degree F for 50 minutes.  Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer.

-Let it stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

 pic courtesy:http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipeimages/beef-mushroom-lasagna-large-60207.jpg

Hummus – Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Serve: 5 to 6

Ingredients

Soaked Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana) - 250 gm

Lemon Juice: 2-3 tbsp

Tahini 02tbsp

Crushed garlic- 02 cloves

Salt to taste

Olive oil 3 tbsp

Preparation:

-Combine all ingredients in blender.  Add ¼ cup of water.

-Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

-Place in serving bowl and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus

-Add a small amount (1-2 tbsps) of olive oil in the well.

Serve immediately with fresh pita bread, lavash or falafel.  Cover and refrigerate.

 pic courtesy:http://www.culicurious.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Southwestern-Hummus-Recipe-2.jpg

Cheesy Pasta: Recipe

(It is hot favourite of teens as well as many others)

Ingredients

-One Packet Penne

-Red capsicum and yellow capsicum – one each

-Corn flour or plain flour (Maida) - 2tsp

-Cheese Cub -1

-Dried oregano and dried thyme-1 tsp

-Dry red chili (Paprika)

-Sweet Cornboiled-1 Cob

-Salt and black pepper powder to taste

-Broccoli- three florets

-Butter-1tbsp

-Big cloves of grated garlic-4

-Milk 2 cups.

Preparation:

For White Sauce

-Heat Butter in a pan.  Add grated garlic and sauté for a minute

-Once it is done, add the corn flour and sauté for a brief while

-Add Milk and stir it continuously to avoid lumps

-Once the mixture starts thickening, add oregano, thyme, salt, pepper powder and red chili flakes.

-Add grated cheese.

-Keep this sauce aside.

For the Vegetables:

-Boil peppers sweet corns and broccoli together with little salt.

-Don’t over boil the vegetables.  It should be crunchy.

For the Pasta and to serve:

-Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the packet

-Put the sauce back on flame

-Add all the boiled vegetables and the boiled pasta

-At the time of serving you can add more cheese

-Serve hot.

 pic courtesy:http://www.greenstraightup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/broccoli-butternut-squash-eggplant-tomato.jpg

Pomegranate-Cherry Punch – Drinks recipe

(This lovely pink-red punch is very delicious and easy to make)
Ingredients:

Frozen Cherries -1 cup

Yogurt -1/2 cup

Honey- 1 tbsp

Lemon juice-1 tsp

A pinch of cinnamon

A pinch of salt

Ice crushed – 2 cups

Recipe: Blend all the ingredients together in a blender and serve chilled.

 pic courtesy:http://api.ning.com/files/zogvUtrhf2v4Ly5ozbuDtcI8D-oUInTiBong8ern7HgLVJPz9Ae2dms9MQCH3uQjhJeQSs6pWsRBRJMf293HS60fMp9URlaD/sangria_5.jpg

Russian Borscht- Recipe

(This Russian cuisine has great nutritional value and taste)

Ingredients:

Three cups of Chicken stock (for non Vegs.)  or plain water ( for Vegs.)

1 Cabbage

4 Potatoes

2 Beetroots

2 Carrots

Tomato paste

1 Small onion

5 Garlic bubblets

Parsley or dill

A cup of sour cream

Cut chicken or pork meat

 Recipe:  This soup requires extensive cooking.  Boil water/chicken stock for almost an hour along with peeled raw beetroots

 After boiling, take out beetroot and cut it into thick strips.  Put it back in the pan and boil the same for half an hour.   While it is being boiled, add diced potato.  Meanwhile, cut the carrot and fry it to later add into borsch.  Do the same with sliced onion.  Later, add tomato paste and stir it for some time.  Garlic is to be added in the fried onion-tomato mixture.

 Add nicely chopped cabbage into the borsch pan.  Potato should be boiled properly.  Chicken or pork meat to be added should be soft and tender. Add fried onion and carrot to it and mix everything.

 Leave the pan uncovered.  It is cooked and is ready to be served.  While serving borsch it is vital to have sour cream kept in a separate bowl.

 pic courtesy:http://img.jspace.com/enjoy-the-delicious-borscht--f-84544.jpg

Tomato chicken with brown rice –Recipe

(It is a perfect family mean and wonderful serve for guests also. Tomato chicken with brown rice is a beautiful combine of spices and tangy tomatoes.)
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 large chopped onion

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 slice fresh ginger root.

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (chopped)

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 bay leaves

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

6 skinless chicken thighs

1 tin can (14 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes crushed.

Recipe:

1. Place onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process into a paste.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion paste and sauté, stirring continuously, for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves bay leaves and nutmeg.  Saute, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes

2.  Place chicken pieces in skillet and stir them around with a spice mixture until they are well coated.  Saute for another 4 minutes and then pour in the tomatoes with liquid and stir.   Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until the oil has separated from the liquid.  Stir occasionally.

3. Serve with brown rice

 pic courtesy:http://www.daringgourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Machboos-2-sm_edited.jpg

Recipe: Strawberry –Banana Mountain shake.

(An easy to make  and delicious drink)

Ingredients:

2 large bananas

2 cup fresh strawberries

1 brick of vanilla ice cream

1 cup Yogurt

1 cup milk

4 tsp honey

½ tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup ice- crushed.

 Recipe:

-Blend all the ingredients together until smooth, except the vanilla ice in cream and cinnamon.

-Serve topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a pinch of cinnamon powder.

 pic courtesy:http://www.ivoryandcrescent.com/images/SmoothieStrawberryBanana.jpg

Recipe: Zucchini and cashew pasta

(With strips of zucchini and tossed raw cashews, this veg. pasta makes an interesting starter for party)

 Ingredients:

For Pasta:

1 packet of pasta of choice

4 large zucchinis

2 cups of fresh green peas

½ cup of finely chopped red bell peppers

½ cup of finely chopped yellow bell peppers

1 peeled and finely chopped carrot

1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in quartered pieces

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

1 cup of raw cashews (soaked for two hours and rinsed thoroughly)

¾ cup water

½ teaspoon coconut nectar

1 clove of roughly chopped garlic

¼ cup of lemon juice

Method:

- Add the pasta, salt and a couple of drop of oil  in a saucepan containing boiling water.  Boil till it is tender

-In a large bowl, peel one cm wide strips of zucchinis so that it resembles pencil shavings.  You can do so using a vegetable peeler.  Add peas, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, basil, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Toss all these ingredients well into a salad and set aside.

-Prepare the sauce by using a blender on high speed to mix cashews, water coconut nectar, and garlic and lemon juice into a smooth paste.  Add salt to teaste.

- Lay out the pasta in a serving dish.  Add a layer of Zucchini salad on it.   Put a layer of sauce over the salad.

-Garnish with the grated Parmesan cheese. It should be served with garlic bread.

 pic courtesy:http://theeightytwentyrule.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/photo-2.jpg