Mexican dinner

The other day I found "Chilli's Margarita Lime chicken" sauce and I got it. I have been meaning to make this chicken but couldn't get to it till today. Today was the best day because I had all the ingredients for it and also I was craving beans...yes beans :)

So today's dinner menu is Lime cilantro rice, black beans with vegetables and Chilli's Margarita Lime Chicken

Cilantro lime Rice with Black beans with vegetables and Chilli's Margarita lime chicken

Lime C

 

Lime Cilantro rice with beans

Ingredients:
For Lime Cilantro Rice:

1. 2 cups rice
2. 1 cup cilantro chopped super fine
3. Juice from a lime
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 2 teaspoons salt
6. 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
7. 1 pod garlic minced

In a rice cooker or a pot heat the oil and fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add rice and stir. Add 3-3.5 cups of water and salt and cook till the rice is done. Mix the cilantro and lime juice and serve

For Black Beans with vegetables:

1. 1 can black beans rinsed
2. 2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
3. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 celery stack chopped fine
5. 1 medium large carrot chopped fine
6. 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped fine
7. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
8. 1 cup chicken broth
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder.

Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add all the other vegies and fry for a few minutes. Add tomatoes beans and chicken broth with all the spices and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the thicken is to your liking. Serve over cilantro lime rice or with tortilla chips

For Chilli's Margarita Lime Chicken:

1. 1 lb chicken marinated with 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper , 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
2. 1 medium small onion sliced
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1 package Chilli's Margarita lime sauce

Heat the oil and fry the chicken and onions for 5-7 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer for 3-4 minutes.Give a taste test and add salt and pepper as needed and serve with rice and beans or with warm tortillas or over tortilla chips

Achari paneer 2

I was making butter Paneer for kids and I did not want to eat it. So I saved some paneer for myself and I made some super quick achari paneer for myself. There are different ways of making achari paneer and is here is one

The recipe today I used is super fast, and it is super delicious and the fresher the spices are the fresher and better the whole dish tastes

Achari Paneer (Indian cottage cheese in Indian pickling spices)

Achari Paneer

Ingredients:

1. 4oz paneer cut in ½ inch cubes 
2. 1/3 teaspoon salt
3. 1/8 teaspoon turmeric 
4. 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 
5. 1 teaspoon olive oil
6. 1/4 teaspoon each of kalonji (onion seeds),fenugreek seeds,  fennel seeds , cumin urad dal, methi
7. 2 red chillies
8. 1 teaspoons coriander seeds 

Mix paneer, yogurt, turmeric and salt. Set aside.
In a frying pan over medium heat, dry roast nigella, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and black pepper for 1-2 minutes until seeds become a little dark.
Crush the roasted seeds using a mortar or rolling pin.  Set aside.
Add oil to the same pan, at low-medium heat. Break the red chillies into pieces and fry them.
 Add cumin and urad dal and fry for a minute. Add paneer mixture.  Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated.  Do not overcook the paneer. Turn off the heat.

Add all the dry spices and mix well.
Serve warm achari paneer .

Potato Mushroom Curry

Everyone has some curries which are their go to when they are short of time and ingredients. This is one of such curries. This is super easy to make. Add mushrooms if you have them else it just turns out to be a simple potato curry. Serve with rice or frozen roti and dinner is ready

Potato Mushroom Curry (Potatoes and Mushrooms with Indian spices)

Potato Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

1. 2 medium large potatoes peeled and cubed
2. 12 oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced
3. 1 large tomato chopped
4. 1 medium small onion chopped
5. 1/2 tablespoon oil
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder

In a pan heat the oil and add the onions and fry till they become translucent. Add potatoes and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients stir to combine and cover and cook for 10 minutes. If it gets too dry add some water and cook till potatoes are done. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Mushroom Egg Scramble

Egg scramble is one of the most easiest dishes to be made . I have been trying to make scrambled egg with different vegetables lately to increase the nutrition value + add fiber into it. Recently the kids have been liking Mushrooms, hence mushroom scrambled egg and  it just flew off the plate :)

Mushroom Egg Scramble

Mushroom scrambled egg

Ingredients:

1. 6 eggs lightly beaten
2. 1 medium onion chopped
3. 12 oz mushrooms chopped
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, turmeric, minced garlic
6. 1 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and fry for 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir well and fry for 1 minute. 

salt and chilli powder and turmeric and stir to combine, Reduce the heat to medium and add egg and stir. Cover and let cook for minutes. Stir again and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with Cilantro and enjoy with plain rice and dal or with roti.

Try the other kind of scrambled egg recipes also

Cabbage scrambled egg

Regular Scrambled egg

Different style Scrambled egg

apple chips

A couple of weeks ago we went apple picking. After eating fresh apples, after eating two batches of yummy apple pie a few apples were still sitting there and I did not want to make apple pie ago, cause it is getting close to pumpkin pie time. So I made apple chips, my kids favorite. And super easy to make and yummy to eat

Apple Chips

Apple chips

Ingredients

1. 3 apples peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch or thinner circles
2. 1 tablespoon white sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lay the apple chips in a single row and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool a bit and enjoy

bell pepper chutney

The family has been asking for Idli and Dosa quite often these days. And so I have been searching for more and more recipes for Chutneys because I am the one who is getting bored. SO today my chutney is made with capsicum ...red capsicum to be specific because I like red. But I also like yellow and orange. So go ahead make this chutney with different colored capsicum for colorful and healthy chutneys

Red Capsicum Chutney (Spicy dipping sauce with capsicum)

Capsicum chutney

Red bellpepper chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 red or your favorite colored bell pepper
2. 1/2 cup thick tamarind juice
3. 2 tablespoons each of chana dal, grated coconut
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of urad dal, cumin, salt
5. 2 dried green chillies
6. 1/2 inch ginger, 1 medium garlic pod

Soak the chana dal in water for atleast 10 minutes.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the urad dal , cumin and dried chillies for 2 minutes. Add chana dal and fry for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add a little more oil and add the chopped bell pepper an ginger and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Let it cool. Grind to a smooth paste along with the tamarind juice and salt. 

Serve as is or heat some oil in a pan and fry 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal and mustard seeds. Add a dried chilli and few curry leaves. When they start to splutter add it to the chutney and serve

Kaleji rogan josh aur Hara Roti

Kaleji or goat liver is very high in iron content .  It has been recommended to me a number of times but after my pregnancy I had to take it more seriously.  I was a regular Red Cross blood donor but after I had my baby I could no longer donate blood.
When you go to donate blood for Red Cross they first check your blood for iron content and if it is less than a certain level they won't let you donate.  After I had my baby...after 1 yr and 2 and 3 yrs also my iron level wouldn't even register on their scale 😢
Anyway, if you are not a vegetarian and your iron levels are low do include liver in your diet and here is a yummy recipe

Kaleji Rogan Josh ( goat liver in tangy spicy gravy)

Kaleji Rogan Josh

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb lamb liver (kaleji)
2. 1 medium onion chopped fine
3. 3 medium tomatoes
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 cardamom
6. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt
8. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
9. 1/2 cup plain yogurt well beaten

In a pan heat the oil and add the spices and fry for a minute. Add onions and fry till they start becoming brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the kaleji and fry covered for 20 minutes. Add some oil if it starts to stick. Grind the tomatoes to a fine paste and add it to the pan and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Stir well. Reduce the heat to low and add yogurt and stir well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy with plain or green (Hara) roti or Beet Roti 

Hara Roti (Indian wheat bread with Spinach)

Spinach roti

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups wheat flour
2. 1 cup canned spinach ground to paste
3. 1/2 cup milk
4. Water as needed
5. 3/4 teaspoon salt
6. Oil for frying roti

Mix the flour with salt and spinach paste and water. Add water little by little until the dough comes together. Set aside for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 10-12 parts and flatten each piece on a clean countertop with the rolling pin with some flour. Heat a griddle and fry the roti till dark brown spots start appearing. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil on each side and fry for 30 more seconds and serve with Kaleji Rogan Josh 

Cheese Corn balls

I was surfing on the web and I found this random post about corn cheese balls and they looked so super delicious that I had to try them. And I had that page open on my phone for the longest of times and finally I got a chance to make it. but ofcourse I had to change the whole recipe and make it my own.

And here is the recipe for corn cheese balls

Corn Cheese Balls (Fried fritters made for corn and cheese)

Corn Cheese balls

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 can creamed corn
2. 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
3. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
4. 1 tablespoon corn starch
5. 1/2 teaspoon each salt, fresh ground black pepper.
6. 1 cup bread crumbs or upma ravva
7. Oil for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients except the bread crumbs/upma ravva. Make into gold ball sized balls. Heat the oil in a pan. Roll the balls in bread crumbs or upma ravva and fry till golden brown. Drain and serve with ketchup. 

Don't serve them immediately. Let them cool a bit and serve else the cheese is very hot and the kids will burn themselves

Chicken Chick Peas and Purple Rice

If you are a Costco member then you know black rice...the Chinese Forbidden Black Rice. I love the black rice and when you cook the regular white rice with the black rice the whole dish gets a purple color. I am assuming the black rice are actually really really dark purple colored rice.

I was looking for recipes with Chicken and Chickpeas together but I did not find any. So I made my own and yum yum yum, the family just gobbled it up.

Chicken with Chick Peas (Chicken with Garbanzo beans and Indian Spices)

Purple rice with Chicken and Chickpeas

Ingredients

1. 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
2. 1/2 can garbanzo beans 
3. 1 cup chopped onions
4. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder
5. 1 teaspoon each of chat masala, ginger-garlic powder
6. 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, oil

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the powder ingredients and lemon juice and set aside.
In a pressure cookie heat the oil and add the chopped onions and fry till they start becoming brown. Add ginger garlic paste an fry for a minute until the raw smell goes away. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cook for 2-3 whistles. After the steam escapes, open the cooker and add the garbanzo beans and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with cilantro and serve with Purple or pulao

Purple Rice (While and black rice cooked with vegetables)

Purple rice with Vegetables

Ingredients:

1. 11/2 cup white rice
2. 1/2 cup each of purple rice, chopped carrots, peas, green beans
3. 1/2 tablespoon oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 4 cups water

In a rice cooker put all the ingredients and do its thing and enjoy.

If you do not own a rice cooker the here is how to cook the above rice dish

In a deep bottomed pan add the oil and add all the vegetables and fry for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add salt and black rice and cover an cook for 10 minutes on medium low flame. Add white rice and cook for 20 minutes on low rice or until rice is tender. Enjoy

Apple Pie to go

Pie making is always difficult..time consuming...hard physical labor...But when people finally appreciate the result, then it all comes together and it all is worth. BUT...if the people who you are tiring away in the kitchen do not appreciate it, even the yummy pie losses it taste.

With that note...if you are ready for some hard work and enjoy the fruits of labor, come join me in making the yummy pie, which is ready to go where you are going :)

The first pie I ever made was an apple pie...this was long before I started blogging and I made two pies, because one of my best friend/co workers was diabetic and I wanted to make a sugar free pie for her and then I made another pie with regular sugar. She was so happy because she hadn't eaten a pie in ages, because she couldn't handle the sugars. It was sooooo worth it for me.

Today I made the pies to go...because ...I wanted to walk around the house eating a pie LOL

Apple Pie To Go

Apple hand pie

Pie crust Ingredients

1. 21/2 cup all purpose flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
4. 11/2 cup chilled butter (put the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes before use)
5. 1/2 cup chilled water

Mix the flour with salt and sugar and stir in chilled butter. Add 1 teaspoon water at a time and mix the dough till it comes together. make it into a ball and wrap in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Ingredients for apple pie filling

1. 4-5 medium large apples (2 granny smith and 2 pink lady or fuji- makes for different texture and crunchiness). Peeled and cored and diced
2. 1 cup super
3. 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Cook the apples on medium flame with the sugar and spices covered for 5 minutes. Stir well and uncover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Let cool.

Divide the dough into 12-14 parts and roll into 1/8 inch circles or cur using 6 inch circular cookie cutter. Add 1 tablespoon of filling. Apply water to the edges of the circle and make a semi circle and press the edges together using a fork. Snip the top to vent.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. And enjoy warm