Muffuletta Sandwich

 We are in the middle of summer. It's been constantly above 90 degrees and I do not feel like cooking. And this was the perfect recipe for me from the episode of Pioneer Women which was coming on TV today.

Ofcourse, I had to change the recipe to meet my own requirements of no pork

So after a quick trip to the super market, my dinner is ready. And tastes pretty yummy and super filling too.

Muffuletta Sandwich (Deli meats piled high with various cheeses and olive mixture)

Muffuletta Sandwich 

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz package of Roast beef meat
2. 12 oz package of black pepper turkey (Use whatever meats you like)
3. 4-6 slices each of provolone, mozzarella
4. 1-11/2 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
5. Ciabatta bread of your choice (I got toasted tomatoes and Parmesan cheese) 

Ingredients for Olive spread/mix

1. 1/2 cup each of green olives, black olives chopped
2. 1/4 cup each of finely chopped onions, pimento peppers, sweet relish
3. 2 tablespoons mayo
4. 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Mix all the ingredients for the olive spread with 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar

Slice the bread into two slabs. Slather the bottom of the bread with the olive mix. Top with sliced meats and slices in whatever order you like.
mix the lettuce with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and pile it on top and top it with the top side of the bread.

Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Slice into 6-8 pieces and enjoy

Mooli Paratha

 As I write this, it strikes me that I did not take a picture of the mooli stuffing I made for the paratha. Mooli...Daikon...white Radish. One of the rare vegetables which was not in my mom's favorite list. Mainly because the creates a lot of smell when it is getting cooked and back in the day, we did not have ant exhaust in our house in the mother land.

But here is it not a problem. I have my exhaust on any time I am cooking. The stuffing is very very simple.

 Mooli Paratha (Daikon stuffed Indian Wheat bread)

Mooli paratha

Stuffing Ingredients:

1. 1 daikon about a foot long. scrapped clean, washed and grated
2. 1 teaspoon  each of salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, mustard seeds
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of urad dal,  cumin, turmeric
4.  1 tablespoon sambar powder (optional)
5. 1/2 tablespoon oil
6. 1 red green chili chopped fine (optional)

Ingredients for paratha:

1. 3 cups wheat flour
2. oil for frying paratha
3. water for mixing the dough
4. 1 teaspoon salt

In a pan heat the oil (turn the exhaust on) and add the mustard seeds and cover and fry till they splutter. Add cumin and urad dal and fry for 30 more seconds. Add the chilli if using and add the grated Daikon. Add all the spices and mix well and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro if you want. Let it cool.

Mix the wheat flour with salt and water into dough and set side for 10 minutes. Divide into 8 parts. Roll on a clean surface to about 4 inch circle. Add a tablespoon of the stuffing and "wrap" the stuffing with the dough and make it into a ball between your palms.

Add more flour to the surface and roll the stuffed dough ball into 6-8 inch ball. Heat the griddle and fry the roti until dark brown spots appear on most of the surface. Add a teaspoon of oil or ghee on both side and serve with your favorite chutney or yogurt or as is.

Mediterranean salmon

Mediterranean salmon (Pan fried Salmon with Mediterranean flavors)

Mediterranean Salmon Recipe

1. ½ cup olive oil 
2. ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3. 4 cloves garlic, pressed
4. 4 (3 ounce) fillets salmon 
5. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
6. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
7. 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
   
   
   

• Mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Arrange the salmon fillets in a shallow baking dish. Rub garlic onto the fillets, then pour the vinegar and oil over them, turning once to coat. Season with cilantro, basil, and garlic salt. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
  
  Heat a pan and fry the salmon 4 minutes on each side

• Serve it with Mediterranean rice and Potatoes

Baingan Gosht Pulao

 Baingan gosht or Eggplant lamb curry is one of my favorite recipes. It goes great with white rice. But today I made a one pot rice dish with eggplant and lamb and it is super delicious and easy to make for a satisfying dinner.

Baingan Gosht Pulao (Rice cooked with spicy Lamb and eggplant)

Eggplant Lamb pulao

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups chopped eggplants (if using American eggplant, peel it and then chop into 1 cm cubes)
2. 1 lb lamb cut into bit size pieces
3. 2 cups basmati rice washed
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 1 medium large onion sliced thin
6. 1 teaspoon each of salt, garam masala powder
7.  2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
8. 1 cup coconut milk (optional)
9. 2-3 green chillies slit
10. handful of coriander leaves and mint leaves chopped

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add lamb and fry for a minute. Add eggplant and all the spices and mix well. Add 1/4 cup water and cook for 3 whistles.

Let the steam escape and add 1 cup coconut milk + 11/2 cup water or 21/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 3 whistles and cut the heat. Let all the steam escape. Open the cooker and stir the rice and service with Raita and/or Gravy for Biryani

Sabudana Bonda

 This is a recipe from my never ending hunts for "something new" . 
Its summer...meaning...all three meals have to be cooked. No "left overs" as people are all at home and they finish up everything there is  edible at home. No complaints :) May be!!!

Anyway, this Sabudana bonda recipe, is usually deep fried byt as I tend to avoid deep frying things...I used the Appam pan . And I also made my fam favorite Peanut Chutney to go with it

Sabudana Bonda (Tapioca fritters)

Sabudaana Bonda

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Sabudaana washed
2. 1 cup plain yogurt beaten
3. 2-3 tablespoon rice flour
4. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
5. 1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
6. 2 Thai or 1 Serrano chilli chopped fine (reduce if you want less heat)
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 3/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
10. 1 tablespoon grated coconut
11. 1 teaspoon baking soda
12. oil for deep frying to to add to the Appam pan

Beat the yogurt and add the washed tapioca to it and set it aside for 4-8 hrs. Check how much water there is in the Tapioca yogurt mixture and add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix it with all the other ingredients except oil. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the appam pan or oil in a pan. Make 1 to 1.5 inch balls out of the tapioca mixture. Deep fry them or add each ball to the appam pan and cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn if needed and cook for 1 more minute. Let cool a bit and enjoy with ketchup or with Any Chutney

Another Sabudana Recipe : Sabudana Khichidi

Delicious Cajun Chicken Pasta

 I have made a number of different pasta dishes ...but this one takes the cake. This pasta recipe is super simple but is so flavorful. The original recipe is here

Delicious Cajun Chicken Pasta (Pasta cooked in spicy Cajun seasoning)

Delicious Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces
2. 1 tablespoon each of butter, olive oil, Cajun seasoning
3. 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
4. 1/2 cup chopped onions
5. 2 tablespoon each of cream cheese and sour cream
6. 1 cup mushrooms quartered (optional)
7. 3 cups of your favorite paste cooked to package directions
8. 6 oz tomato paste
9. 2-3 cups chicken stock
10. salt to taste +Salt to put in the water for boiling pasta

While the pasta water is boiling, in a pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Take care to NOT burn them. Add chicken and stir well. Add mushrooms if using and cook for minutes. Add tomato paste and chicken stock and the Cajun seasoning and mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beaten sour cream and stir to combine. Add drained pasta. Garnish with chives, parsley or cilantro and enjoy

Banana Pancake Bites

 This is super delicious. A bit of a work to make but its delightful to see all the people's happy faces when they discover the secret after the initial happiness of seeing tiny pancakes

Banana Pancake Bites

Banana Pancake Bites

Ingredients:

1. 1-1/4 cup pancake mix
2. 2 medium sized bananas sliced into 1/4 thick rounds
3. butter for frying pancakes.

Mix the pancake batter little thicker than usual. Heat a griddle and spread butter all over.

Add few pieces of bananas into the batter and flip them so that they are covered in batter on both sides. Using a fork drop each banana piece and some batter onto the griddle and fry for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook 1 more minute. Add some more butter if needed. Enjoy as is or with maple syrup