Easy breadsticks

I have made breadsticks before but they were difficult to make. But finally I found a recipe which is easy to make and the breadsticks were very light and great tasting. And they went well with the leftover turkey potpie I made, the day after thanks giving.

Easy Garlic bread sticks

Breadsticks

Ingredients:

1.            1 package active yeast
2.        3.5 cups all purpose flour
3.            ½ cup + more warm water
4.            2 teaspoons sugar
5.            ½ teaspoon salt
6.    6.    2 teaspoons butter at room temperature

For brushing:

1.       3 teaspoon melted butter
2.       1 teaspoon garlic power
3.       ½ teaspoon each of salt, lemon pepper, oregano

To make the dough, heat ½ cup water to warm and add the yeast and sugar and set aside for 10 minutes, until forthy.

Add the flour, butter and salt and mix well to the yeast water. Add warm water little by little until the dough comes together and is a little sticky. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it becomes soft.

Divide the dough into 12 parts and roll them into 7 inch logs and lay them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Cover and let them rest for 45 minutes in a warm place. (I heat the oven for 3 minutes to 170 degrees (the lowest setting on my oven) and let them rise in the oven)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the breadsticks with the ingredients for brushing mixed together. Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite soup

Pumpkin dinner rolls

So...its the season of pumpkin again. Not that I love pumpkin dishes but the gourds themselves look very nice with their bright color and all. So when I came across this dish, I had to make it and share it.
This Thanksgiving add a little extra on top of all the extras to your dinner party.

The looks of it is exceptional. I loved them and so did everyone else.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (Dinner rolls with pumpkin)

Pumpkin dinner rolls

Ingredients:

1. 1 package active yeast
2. 1/2 cup water
3. 1/2 cup butter
4. 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
5. 2 eggs + 1 egg for glazing
6. 1/4 cup brown sugar +2 teaspoon white sigar
7. 3-3.5 cups of all purpose flour
8. pinch of salt

In a bowl warm 1/2 cup water and add the yeast and the white sugar and let it froth for 10 minutes. Beat the eggs and add the rest of the ingredients + 3 cups flour (Add more as needed depending on how watery you pumpkin puree is)

Apply oil to the inside of a bowl and set the dough in it covered for 60-90 minutes to raise. (Th weather here is pretty cold, so I heated my oven for 170 degrees for 3 minutes and set the bowl inside for 60 minutes.)

Take the dough out and knead it for 3-5 minutes. Divide it into 12-15 equal parts and knead each one a bit and set them about 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet and cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

To get the pumpkin shape take a roll and cut 8 slits in it leaving about an inch of dough intact in the center. This looks like a flower. Add a cashew to the center to represent the pumpkin steam.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush it on the pumkins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy cute little pumpkin dinner rools

Yogurt sandwich

This is one of those unique items which you will not even think about. But once you find the recipe, you have to make and let me tell you up front, one you eat it, you will not regret it. It is great.

The yogurt filling for the sandwich is very similar in texture to the cream cheese. And when you toast the bread with the filling and eat it hot on a cold day...nothing beats that.

Yogurt Sandwich (Bread sandwich with yogurt cream)

Yogurt sandwich

Ingredients:

1. 6 slices of your favorite bread...Sourdough or whole wheat bread are my fav)
2. 2 cup yogurt squeezed of as much water a possible...hung curd
3. 1/4 cup each of finely grated carrot, cabbage, capsicum
4. 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
5. 1/2 teaspoon  of salt
6. pinch of fresh ground black pepper
7. if you like spice include 1/2 teaspoon finely minced green chillies
8. Butter for toasting the bread sandwiches

Get the hung curd and mix it with all the veggies and salt and pepper. Lay 3 slices of bread and divide the mixture among the three. Top it with cucumber and tomato if desired. 

Heat a griddle and add a little butter and toast the sandwiches to a golden brown on both sides. Enjoy

NOTE: my yogurt cream here looks pink, because I used purple cabbage

Zucchini with sausage

Zucchini With Sausage

Zucchini sausage

Ingredients

1. 1 chicken sausage sliced
2. 1 medium zucchini sliced
3. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
4. 1 large garlic chopped fine
5. 1/4 cup chopped onions
6. 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and lemon pepper

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and fry for 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add sausage and stir to combine along with salt and pepper . Fry for a few more minutes and enjoy

Pasta Salad

I am always on the look out for  kids' lunch ideas. Because, all of us moms know it...by the time they get to eat their lunch, the hot lunch isn't cold, the sandwich is all soggy and many different things the food can morph in a few hours. So this pasta recipe is great. It holds well on a cold winter day.

I put the ingredients my kid likes. The one thing YOU can add to this is pepperoni and it will be a meat pasta salad

Pasta Salad (Pasta with pizza ingredients)

Pizza pasta salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup fun shaped pasta cooked according to the package directions ( I got presents, Christmas tree, shooting stars pasta)...I wish I had taken a better picture...but we were running late for the school bus
2. handful of olives, 
3. handful of cherry tomatoes
4. 1/4 cup corn
5. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions + celery + carrots
6. 1 tablespoon each of mayo+ sour cream + relish
7. 1 teaspoon each of  mustard, olive oil
8. dash of pepper
9. 2 slices of your favorite cheese or from a block (I used provolone)

Cook and drain the paste according to package instructions. In the last 2 minutes add the corn to the boiling water. Drain and mix with olive oil so that the pasta do not stick to each other.

Mix all the ingredients of #6 and #7 well. 

Mix everything together and add the pepper and enjoy

 

Garden burger patty

I have been craving burgers and so far I haven't found a place here that I like to go to get a burger. My favorite place used to be Fat Burgers. I spent half of my pregnancy there LOL :)

Anyway...I wanted to eat the burger, so I made it at home but I made it healthy for everyone involved. This burger has a ton of vegetables in it. But the taste was exceptional. My son wouldn't stop praising how great it tastes. So enjoy

Garden burger patty (Beef patty with vegetables and baked)

Vegetable filled burger

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb ground beef sirlion
2. 1 medium carrot + 1 mediym yellow squash or zucchini +1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
3. 2 or 3 stalks of green onions chopped fine
4. handful of cilantro chopped fine
5. 1 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, lemon pepper

Fine grate the carrot and the squash and squeeze them to get as much water out as possible. Squeeze the onion also. Mix all the ingredients and set aside for atleast 15 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Take handful of meat and roll it into a ball and press it into a patty or make it into sausages. Bake for 30 minutes.

NOTE: You might have to drain the cooking sheet with way, if there is too much liquid.

Enjoy it over a bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions. Or serve it the way you like it. I served mine with baked cauliflower and brown rice

Garlic Paneer aur Ambada Dal Chawal

Ambada which is red Sorrel leaves in hindi is one of those sour tart leafy greens which either people love or not so much. I happen to be one of those people, who just loveeeees it. I never miss a chance to get it whenever I find it in the Indian stores. There is another version of the Sorrel leaf rice or Gongura Pulihora which is make quite often. The version I made today is different and its equally delicious.

I served it with Garlic Paneer which can be easily changed to Garlic chilli paneer by adding finely chopped green chillies and bell pepper

Garlic paneer (Indian cottage cheese spicy stir fry)

Garlic Paneer

Ingredients:

1. 1 500 gms block of Paneer, cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1 tablespoon each of soya sauce, Chinese chilli garlic paste, white vinegar
4. 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
5. 1 small onion chopped into 1 inch pieces
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
7. 1 teaspoon or more finely chopped garlic
8. green onions and cilantro to garnish
9. Few curry leaves and few red chillies

For Marinade:

1. 2 tablespoons corn starch
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, red chilli flakes, ginger garlic paste

Mix the paneer pieces with the marinade items and set it aside for atleast 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the paneer until it starts getting slightly browned. Drain and set aside. add the rest of the oil and add the cumin, curry leaves and red chillies. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

mix soya sauce+ketchup+chilli garlic paste+vinegar+1/4 cup water

Add this mixture to the pan along with paneer and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and enjoy

Ambada Dal Chawal (Rice with Sorrel leaves and split peas)

Ambada Dal chaval

Ingredients:

For Sorrel rice

1. 2 cups rice cooked and set aside to cool

3. 1 teaspoon each of salt, aseofotida, sesame seeds

4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

5. 2 tablespoons oil

6. 1/2 cup chopped onions

7. 2 cups sorrel leaves

8. 1/3 cup chana dal

9. 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

For tempering

1.1 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal (black gram),

2. 3 dried red chillies

3. few curry leaves

For Sorrel leaves paste

1. In a pressure cooker cook the sorrel leaves and chana dal with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for 4-6 whistles and let cool.

2. Grind to a fine paste

In a pan heat the oil and fry  urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds and dried chilli and curry leaves till the seeds start to crackle. Add ginger and onions and fry for a few minutes. Add sesame seeds, turmeric salt and hing and fry for a couple of more minutes. Add the sorrel leaves paste and cook for five minutes. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Let it cool a bit and enjoy

Baingan Gobi Masala

This is an awesome recipe with Cauliflower and eggplant. The thick gravy which the eggplant creates for this curry is super delicious. I made it spicy as I was not serving it to kids. They had their own favorite Tandoori Gobi

Baingan Gobi Masala (Eggplant and Cauliflower curry)

Baingan Cauliflower masala

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium small onion chopped fine
2. 1 medium small American eggplant, peeled and cubed into small cubes
3. 1 tomato finely chopped
4. 1 medium small cauliflower cut into small florets
5. 1 teaspoon each of ginger garlic paste, salt, pav bhaji masala
6. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
7. 2 green chillies sliced
8. 2 tablespoons oil

In a pan heat the oil and add onions and eggplant and 1/2 salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add cauliflower, tomato and the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with hot roti or rice