Strawberry Salsa

My mother always told us to enjoy fruits which are available during different seasons of the year. However, we have to be creative in consuming these fruits into variety of forms. Most widely fruits are consumed directly or in form of juice/ smoothie. I wanted to try something new and I thought of making some salsa out of fresh strawberries. I used similar ingredients which I used to make my Guac and result was awesome. This recipe is so handy that when impromptu parties are held, it is life saver. Do try this and leave your comments on what's your take on it.

Ingredients    

1. One pint strawberries, hulled and finely diced. 
2. 1 or 2 jalapeno (depending on your spice level), stem and deseed, finely diced
3. One small red onion, finely diced 
4. 1/2 cup fresh cilantro/ corriender, finely chopped
5. 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
6. salt to taste and pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Directions 

Toss all ingredients together until combined. Serve with your choice of chips. 

Cheesy Corn-Spinach Sandwich

For some reason I was a little nostalgic today and looking at bunch of spinach reminded me of my all time favorite cheesy corn-spinach sandwich served by cafe coffee day. This is healthy and delicious as I have used home white-sauce to get that cheesy flavor and spinach as we all are aware is one the nutritious leafy vegetable. This was one of the finest way to make sure pesky eater like my 'S' eats some healthy food. To nail this recipe, I referred recipes of Tarla Dalal, Sanjeev Kapoor and Madhura's recipe. 

Let's dive in - 

Ingredients - 

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely crushed corn kernels
• 2 cups chopped Spinach Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
• 1/2 tsp Basil Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp Maida / Plane Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheese
• Bread Slices

Directions

To make Filling

• Heat olive oil in a pan, add finely chopped onion and saute until translucent. 
• Add coarsely crushed corn kernels and cook for few minutes until corns are soft. 
• Then add spinach leaves and mix well.
• Season up with garlic powder, oregano, basil leaves, black pepper and salt to taste
• Mix and cook for 3 to 4 mts.
• Now the filling is ready.
• Take out the filling into separate bowl.

To make White Sauce

• Melt butter in a pan, add all purpose flour and roast for 3 to 4 mts.
• Add milk and combine very well, make sure there are no lumps.
• Add salt and black pepper to taste and keep stirring it occasionally until desired consistency is achieved. 

Tada - White sauce is all ready. ( you can use sauce to make alfredo sauce pasta) 

Assembling 

• Now pour white sauce into the corn-spinach filling and mix well.
• Add in cheese and fold cheese well with the filling.
• Now put generous amount of filling on a bread slice and spread that out evenly.
• Cover it with the other bread slice and apply some butter.
• Now put the sandwich with the buttered side down on the hot skillet/ Grill.
• Allow it to cook for 3 to 4 mts or until it gets deep golden color.
• If cooking on a skillet, flip it over and cook from other side as well.
• Serve hot. 

Steamed Artichoke

Every time I saw artichokes, they look so very intimidating to me that I never wanted to try them. One day S, insisted to try something new and step out of my comfort zone. He suggested that I cook spinach and artichoke dip, as it tastes delicious and he loves it. This was motivating factor to try this intimidating vegetable.
First thing I had to learn was how to use artichoke and which part to eat/ not eat. I referred various videos on internet. If you are like me who is cooking and eating for first time then do refer to the link below. It is one the simplest and very well explained videos. The best part of this video is the Roasted almond and saffron dip recipe. It is so very delicious and so flavorful. Let's get started !!!

Ingredients

4 artichokes
Pinch saffron
1 tablespoon boiling water
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Arrange the artichokes in a steamer basket set over at least 3 cups of water and steam, covered, until the leaves can be easily removed, about 1 hour. Let cool. About halfway through cooking check the water level and add more, if necessary.
In a small bowl, stir together saffron and the tablespoon of boiling water. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the almonds and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. In a food processor, grind the almonds until finely chopped. Add the saffron mixture, onion mixture, yogurt and parsley and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with the artichokes.

For complete video on this, click on the link below -
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/steamed-artichokes-with-almond-saffron-dip-recipe.html

Vada Pav

Yay!!! summer is fast approaching and it's time for all outdoor activities. I am very excited, as after so long I can step out without wearing multi-layer of clothing and be able to indulge in some outdoor activities.

Before spring bids adieu I enjoyed so much of fried food with hot mint-masala chai. One of the all time favorites is vada-pav. Till date I haven't met a single person across India who doesn't like this. I made few americans here try this delicacy and they too enjoyed it. This is one of the simplest and easiest to cook, which requires very few ingredients. So let's dig in people.

Ingredients - 

5 Medium Sized Potatoes (Boiled and Coarsely Mashed)

Few Curry Leaves

5 Cloves of Garlic

1 Inch Piece of Ginger

8 Green Chillies

Few Coriander Leaves

1/2 Tsp - Mustard Seeds

2 Tbsp of Oil

1&1/2 Cup Gram Flour

Pinch - Turmeric Powder

Pinch - Asafoetida (Hing)

Salt to taste

Pinch - Soda Bicarbonate

1 Tbsp - Cornflour

1/2 Tsp - Red Chilly Powder

5 - 6 Pav or Burger Buns

Cilantro Chutney

Dry Garlic Chutney

Tamarind-date Chutney 

Directions - 

1. Grind Chillies, Ginger, Garlic

2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan and add Mustard Seeds & wait for them to crackle

3. Add Asafoetida & Curry Leaves, Ginger, Garlic & Chilli Paste, Mashed Potatoes, Turmeric, salt (to taste) & Coriander Leaves and mix everything well and cook for some time

4. Remove the potato Filling in different bowl and let it cool

5. Heat Oil in a Pan

6. Mix Gram Flour, Cornflour, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilly Powder, Asafoetida, Salt to taste, Water, Soda Bicarbonate & Hot Oil in a bowl and mix well all the ingredients so as to to make a smooth paste (not thick paste). (There are videos online which shows the desired consistency, if you are unsure check these videos for additional guidance)

7. Make small balls of Potato fillings

8. Dip Potato balls in the smooth paste

9. Deep Fry the potato balls till golden brown

10. Cut the Pav into two halves

11. Add Coriander Chutney, dry Garlic Chutney & Tamarind-Date Chutney on both the sides of the bread

12. Place the Batata Vada in the centre of the pav & Close it with other half 

Serve Hot with Some More Coriander Chutney, dry Garlic Chutney, Tamarind-Date Chutney & Green Chillies

Suggestion:

If you want, you could add apply some butter on Pav and cook on medium flame till they turn light brown and crisp on both sides. Then follow steps 11& 12. I always prefer my vada-pav this way. This is known as Butter vada-pav in some places of India.  

Do try and let me know your feedback. 

   

Ginger-orange tofu triangles

After coming to USA i have started to experiment with food a lot and started to learn various cuisines. One of the best experiment in my opinion was ginger-orange tofu. Let's get started with it. 

Ingredients - 

1 pound firm tofu

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup oil

4 teaspoons dark sesame oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 green onions, cut into 1-inch strips

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 dried chipotle chile pepper (optional)

Directions -

1. Turn the tofu on its side, and cut it into 4 thin slices. Lay the tofu flat again, and cut the block diagonally to make 8 triangles. Without separating the pieces, place tofu on a cutting board. Cover, with a paper towel, and place a heavy skillet on top. Set aside for 30 minutes, allowing time for excess water to drain from the tofu.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, oils, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Separate the pressed tofu pieces, and arrange in a baking dish in a single layer. Cover with the marinade, and sprinkle with the green onion and cilantro. Cut the stems off the chiles, remove the seeds, and place the chiles in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Pour off some of the marinade, so the tofu is covered halfway. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, without turning, until the tofu is golden and most of the marinade has been absorbed.

guacamole

S, had asked me to prepare guac way long back. I finally surprised him last evening with guac during our snack time. S, loves food (good food) and he doesn't praise unless I nailed it perfect. When he tasted guac, he gave me a pat on my shoulder. I was on cloud nine :)

Let's get started - 

Ingredients 

•  3 Avocados - Peeled, Pitted and mashed
• 1 small lime juiced
•  Salt to taste (add little less than what usually you use) 
• 1 small onion (you could also use spring onion/ scallions/ green onion)
• 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (coriander)
• 1 large tomatoes - diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
• 2 jalapenos (depending on spice level of your choice).

Directions 

In a bowl, mash together avocados, lime juice and salt. Stir in onion tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and jalapenos. Serve immediately.  

Tip: If you have prepared this ahead, keep stones of avocadoes in gauc and keep it refrigerated to retain green color. 

Enjoy and relish this healthy snack without any guilt. 

Very soon will upload recipe of baked chips to munch with gauc. Till then goodbye. 

If you like my post please do leave a comment.