Hot cocoa mix brownies

 This is the time of the year when you want brownies...let me correct myself any time of the year when you want brownies and you are out of the brownie box mix or cocoa powder and you have the hot cocoa mix packets on hand...you have pretty much all the ingredients you need to make brownies. And they were super delicious.

Hot cocoa mix brownies (Brownies made with Hot Cocoa Mix packets)

Hot Cocoa mix brownie

Ingredients:

1. 5 packets hot cocoa mix (either plain or with mini marshmallows)
2. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3. 1 teaspoon baking powder
4. 3/4 cup melted butter
5. 1 cup granulated sugar
6. 2 eggs
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter and add the sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix well. Shift the flour with the baking powder and add to the butter and egg mixture . Add the cocoa mix and stir to combine.

Prepare a 8x8 baking dish and add the batter to the pan and bake for 35-37 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Let stand atleast 5 minutes before cutting it and enjoying the delicious chocolaty brownies

Spicy Tuna Rice

 Another rice dish. Looks like there are as many rice dishes as there are vegetables and protein in this world. So here you go...one more.

Spicy Tuna Rice (Tuna Stir fried rice with Indian spices)

Spicy Tuna Rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 can Tuna in water, drained
2. 1 cup basmati rice cooked according to package directions
3. 2 dried red chillies
4. 1/2 medium small onion sliced
5. Few curry leaves
6. 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
7. 1/ teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, split black gram (optional)
8. 1 teaspoon each of salt, Andhra fish curry powder
9. 1 medium small bell pepper cut into 1 inch cubes (optional)
10. 1 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard and cover and let fry until they splutter. Add cumin, black grams, broken red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a 30 seconds. Add onions and fry for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper if using and ginger and stir well. Add drained tuna and fry for 2 minutes. Add rice and all the spices and salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 2 minutes on medium low heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve with a lemon wedge

Baked Mexican Rice

 I have tried making Mexican tomato rice on the stove stop and oin the rice cooker but it never turned out like the restaurant style. I finally made it in the ove and the results were spectacularly delicious.

Baked Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

1. 1½ cups white, uncooked
2. 3 cups chicken broth
3. 1 cup crushed tomatoes 
4. 1/4 cup each of finely chopped onion, carrots, frozen corn thawed
5. 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
6. 2 tablespoons oil 
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
8. 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9x9 pan, combine all ingredients and stir until everything is evenly distributed.

Cover tightly with foil.

Place carefully in oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from oven and leave covered until ready to serve.

Onions and garlic may settle on the top. Fluff with a fork to mix them evenly into rice.

Enjoy with your favorite Mexican sides

Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese

 Pandemic lock down and work from home ruined so many things. With work from home you do not get to out for lunch with people and try different things. But eating home cooked meals every. dingle. day for lunch and dinner gets boring at times. So...what does one do? One gets frozen food. And one of my fav frozen food is Evol's Chipotle chicken Mac and cheese.

I have been thinking of replicating that recipe at home and finally I got it. I cut some corners and used some store bough ingredients instead of making everything from scratch. Turned out great. I will be making it often from now on.

Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese

Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese

Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1. Chipotle in Adobo sauce (Used 1/2 of the chillies in the container and chopped them up)
2. 1 chicken breast grilled chopped into 1 inch cubes (about 2-3 cups)
3. Salsa con queso cheese dip (15 oz jar )
4. 3 cups ditalini pasta cooked according to package directions with generous amount of salt.
5. 3 tablespoons butter melted
6. 1-2 cups panco breadcrumbs
7. 1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Mix the cheese sauce, chopped chipotle , cheese and chicken. Drain the pasta and mix it in. 

Mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs
Add the pasta mixture to an 8x8 baking dish and top it with the breadcrumbs.

Bake for 15 minutes.
Enjoy

Buffalo chicken Quinoa

 Since we are trying to not each as much rice as possible for various reasons, Quinoa has become my go to grain for many dishes.

This is a new recipe I made up and it turned out pretty good.

Buffalo chicken Quinoa (Quinoa with buffalo sauce chicken)

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Quinoa cooked according to package directions. Do not add any salt.
2. 1 8 oz canned chicken breast or 1 chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1/2 tablespoon  butter
5. 2-3 tablespoons red hot buffalo sauce (depending on how spicy you can handle)
6. 1 medium clove garlic chopped fine
7. 1 teaspoon dry ranch dressing (optional)
8. 1-11/2 cups cauliflower cut into 1 inch or smaller florets
9. Carrots and Ranch to serve on the side

In a pan heat the oil and cook the chicken if using raw chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper (7-10 minutes) Drain and set aside.

In the same pan add the butter and the cauliflower and cover and cook for 7-8 minutes until tender on medium low heat. Add garlic and stir to combine. add the canned chicken (drained) or the previously cooked chicken and fry for 2 minutes on medium high. Add the Quinoa and dry ranch dressing (if using) and hot sauce and combine. Stir well.

Serve with Ranch and Carrots on the side and enjoy!!!

Bulgur Falafel

  I have never ever ordered a Falafel dish ever in my life. We have the "masala Chana Wada" in South India which is very similar to Falafel and it was not my favorite growing up. But The Falafel I made is super delicious especially if I make it into a sandwich with Tahini yogurt sauce. Here you go...the most delicious Falafel you would ever eat

Bulgur Falafel (Bulgar wheat and Chickpea fritters)

Bulgar Falafel

Bulgur Falafel Pita Sandwich

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Bulgar wheat cooked according to package directions (I up the flavor a bit more, I cooked it in chicken broth)
   
2. 1 can chick peas mashed using a potato masher (so that I don't make them into a cream in a blender. We want it to have some texture)
3. 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, paprika
4. 1/2 cup frozen spinach thawed and squeezed out of water.
5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6. 1 egg lightly beaten
7. 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, parsley (optional)
8. Oil for shallow frying

Cook the bulgar and let it cool completely. Mix all the ingredients together except egg. Add the egg and mix well and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Add some oil to a pan. Divide the chickpea mixture into 12-15 parts. Squeeze each part between the palms of your hands and make it into semi flat "balls". Fry 3 minutes and flip and fry 3 more minutes. Enjoy as is or as a pita sandwich with Tahini Yogurt sauce and onions and Plum tomatoes

Tahini Yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup plain yogurt
2. 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted and ground to powder
3. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
5. 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
6. 1 large or 2 medium cloves of garlic grated

Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle on for a yummy saucy sandwich

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

 This is the most delicious chicken soup yet. And its so easy to make.

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

Lemon Dill Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 Canned chicken breast 7 oz
2. 2 eggs lightly beaten
3. Juice from one 1 lemon (Use fresh)
4. Lemon jest
5. 1 tablespoon dried dill or a handful of fresh dill
6. 1/2-3/4 cup each of onion, carrots celery chopped small
7. 1-2 garlic pods chopped fine
8. 1 carton chicken broth
9. Sale to taste (adjust according to the salt content of the chicken broth)
10. 1/2 teaspoon fresh grond pepper
11. 1/2 cup orzo pasta (optional)
12. 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a pot heat the oil and add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir and cook for 30 more seconds. Add chicken and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add lemon zest. Add orzo and boil for as long as the instructions say. Otherwise. Let boil for 5 minutes. Give it a good stir and add the beaten egg (to make like egg drop soup) . Add lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and serve as is or with some crusty bread.