Creamy Mushroom Toast- Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!!!

 This creamy mushroom toast is an easy and a simple dish which the kids as well as the adults will enjoy. This will be a perfect lunch box dish or as an evening snack or as a breakfast dish. This is so easy to make and a dish which can be made with less ingredients. Instead of sour dough bread, you can also use thick slices of regular bread, ciabatta, country bread and so on.

This recipe requires only mushrooms, but as we like spinach and so added it. Using variety of mushrooms will increase the flavor and also gives great texture. Pan fry the mushrooms till it is browned.

In my house this is a hit and whenever we have mushrooms at home, this is one dish that is for sure to be made. Hope you all will try this and let me know how it turned.

Ingredients:

• Sour Dough Bread- 1

For Creamy Mushroom:

1. Mushrooms- 1 Cup (cleaned and chopped)
2. Garlic- 3-4 (chopped)
3. All Purpose Flour- 2 tbsp
4. Butter- 1 tbsp
5. Milk- 1/2 Cup
6. Oregano- 1 tsp
7. Red Chilli Flakes- 1 tsp
8. Salt- as required
9. Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
10. Chopped Spinach- 1/2 Cup

Method:

1. Slice the sourdough bread and toast the slices and keep this aside.
2. In a pan heat 1 tbsp of butter, add the chopped mushrooms, garlic and spinach, stir well for a min on high flame. Add little salt. Stir on low flame for about 5-10 minutes till the mushrooms are cooked. Transfer this to a bowl.
3. In the same pan add another tbsp of butter, add flour and stir for a minute till the raw smell disappears , add milk and whisk well till everything gets mixed well.
4. When it starts to thicken, add the salt, pepper powder, oregano and red chili flakes. switch it off and stir in the mushrooms and spinach. Mix well.
5. Place a spoon full of the creamy mushrooms on top of the toasted sour dough slice and enjoy a warm bite.

Brewed Cacao Tea and Cacao tea Smoothie

One day I got a mail from my friend Jessica (who sent me Moscow Mule Cups last year). They have started a new company that sell cacao tea, which is not only delicious but also has many health benefits. This is a perfect healthy alternative for coffee. It is high in antioxidants and is completely sugar- free, gluten- free, and dairy free. This tea is 100% pure and organic. This doesn't have artificial flavorings, additives or preservatives. If you want to know more about this tea, here it is  www.cacaoteaco.com

As soon as I saw the message from Jessica, to review about their product, I was so happy and excited to try their new product. I received it and as I opened, the chocolaty aroma was too fascinating. If you like chocolate and coffee and worry about the calories and caffeine, then this is a perfect alternative. This is a good energy booster. Now a days instead of green tea, I will be having this cacao tea, so that my chocolate cravings will be satisfied. This has a subtle flavor of chocolate, unless you make it stronger by adding more cacao tea or boiling the water for a longer period.

As they suggested I tried the brewed cold cacao tea in my post workout smoothie. A slight chocolate flavored smoothie was ready within no time. You can use many different ingredients to make smoothie along with this cacao tea.

We can also add almond milk a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the brewed cacao tea for a nice milk chocolaty flavored milk tea.
Their links are
Instagram: @cacaoteaco
Facebook: #cacaoteaco

Ingredients:
For Cacao Tea:

1. Cacao Tea Powder- 1 tbsp
2. Water- 1 1/2 Cup

Method:

• Boil the water in a pan and when it starts rolling boil add the cacao tea and let it simmer for 5- 10 minutes.
• Enjoy a nice chocolate flavored tea.

Cacao Tea Smoothie:

1.  Almond Milk- 2 Cups
2. Spinach Leaves- a handful
3. Dates- 4 nos
4. Brewed Cacao tea- 1/2 Cup
5. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
6. Hemp Seeds- 1 tbsp
7. Peanut Butter- 1 tbsp

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy an amazing smoothie within no time.

Saag Paneer/ Cottage Cheese with Greens

Saag paneer/ Cottage Cheese with Greens is a classic favorite dish for most of the  Indians across India. This is a very popular dish in North India. Traditionally this dish is made of mustard leaves, spinach, and fenugreek leaves. The recipe is a combination of different varieties of greens with the perfectly browned paneer cubes which are infused with Indian spices and are stewed together in the rich cream or coconut milk till done.

Recently, while I was talking to my friend, who is Polish, but is a big fan of Indian food, she mentioned how she loves Saag Paneer. So I tried making this dish when I invited her home, she liked it a lot and this was a big hit at my house too. So from then on, this dish is prepared once in a week, which we eat along with chapatis or rice. It is so easy to make and not time-consuming.

This recipe requires an incredible amount of spinach, feel free to use any amount of spinach. Here in the US, I tried making this along with kale, spinach, fenugreek leaves, broccoli. Whatever greens, they are, all tastes perfectly good. Paneer is available abundantly nowadays. Some people will use homemade paneer, which tastes amazing. I fried the paneer lightly as I love the soft crumble texture of paneer. Some love it crunchy and can be done golden brown. The spices will add a nice flavor to the dish and last but not the least, the cream is added to make the dish more rich, creamy, tasty and flavorful. Instead of cream, we can also use coconut milk. A delicious, amazing dish will be ready to enjoy, by adding all the above ingredients and with a little bit of love. Hope you will try to prepare this and will like it. Please let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Paneer/ Cottage Cheese- 2 Cups (cubed)
2. Oil- 3 tbsp
3. Spinach- 3 Cups
4. Fenugreek Leaves- 1/2 Cup
5. Onions (chopped)- 1 no
6. Tomatoes(chopped)- 1 no
7. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
8. Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
9. Red Chili Powder- 1 Tsp
10. Coriander Powder- 1 tbsp
11. Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
12. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
13. Salt- as required
14. Cream- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Chop the spinach and fenugreek leaves using a hand blender. Keep this aside.
2. Fry the cubed paneer pieces on a slow flame in 1/2 tbsp of oil. When they turn a light golden color, keep them aside.
3. In the same pan, add oil, saute the onions till translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste. Fry for a min on medium flame.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and when they turn mushy, add all the spice powders along with required amount of salt.
5. Add the chopped greens, stir for about 2 minutes. In this add the lightly fried golden colored paneer, mix and pour the cream on top. Stir lightly and enjoy naan/roti dipped in hot saag paneer.

Quinoa & Egg Salad

A healthy and nutritious salad a day keeps the guilt away, that is what I believe. Most of the days I like to have salad and I will be searching for a different variety of salads. Till now I have made salads using grilled chicken, fish but never made an egg salad.

This simple and healthy salad is made out of very fewer ingredients. This salad consists of all of my favorite ingredients which are boiled and mixed together.

These salads are filling, low- cal and a great way to satisfy your daily requirements. We can have this salad any time of the day. The nutty quinoa goes very well with soft eggs. I hope you all would like this.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs- 3-4 nos
2. Quinoa- ¼ Cup
3. Broccoli- 1 Cup
4. Spinach- ½ Cup
5. Capsicum- ½ no
6. Olives- 6- 7 nos (optional)
7. Salt- as required
8. Pepper- 1 Tsp
9. Avocados- 1 no
10. Boiled Corn- ½ Cup

Method:

1. Boil the eggs till done. Remove the shell and 2 eggs cut in half and the remaining eggs remove the yolks and cut into quarters.
2. Cook the quinoa till done. Boil the broccoli and capsicum by adding little water. Wash, drain and slice the spinach to pieces.
3. In a bowl mix everything together slowly, add the sliced avocados and enjoy a healthy salad.

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Samosa/ Palak paneer Samosa

I have not been active in this space for some time now. I missed my blog space a lot. I had a lovely short trip to my brother’s place in Ohio and so I couldn’t blog from there, (which I planned to) as I was enjoying with my lovely niece and naughty nephew. This whole time, I didn’t cook anything, as I was enjoying my Sister- in law's amazing dishes. In some of my previous blog posts, I have mentioned about her dishes like the chocolate roll cake and the baked apple roses. As now I have returned, everything is back to normal. I started my routine and so after the break, the post which I thought would be perfect was this snack which is everyone's favorite.

We all know that spinach and paneer is an amazing combination in Indian curries. So I thought why not try it out in our favorite samosas. Samosas are deep fried snacks, which has a filling of meat/ vegetables. Samosas are one of the most common snacks in India. They are very special during the month of Ramadan, which is eaten as an iftar snack. These are easy to make, only difficult part is to make the dough and shaping them into a cone, but if you have spring roll sheets then within minutes an amazingly delicious snack will be ready to eat.

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

1. Spinach- a small bunch
2. Cottage Cheese- ½ Cup
3. Garam Masala Powder- ½ tsp
4. Oil- 1 tbsp
5. Onions (chopped)- 1 no
6. Green Chillies (chopped finely)- 2 nos
7. Ginger (crushed)- 1 tbsp
8. Garlic (chopped)- 1 tbsp
9. Cumin powder- 1 tsp
10. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
12. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
13. Oil- for deep frying

For the Dough:

1. All Purpose flour- 11/2 Cups
2. Salt- as required
3. Melted butter- 2 tbsp
4. Ajwain/ caraway seeds- 1 tbsp
5. Water- required to knead the dough

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, salt, melted butter along with required amount of water into a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for some time.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, saute the onions. When they turn translucent, add the ginger, garlic and green chilies.
3. Saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped spinach, stir till it becomes soft. Add the crushed cottage cheese and mix well till everything gets blended well.
4. In the above add the garam masala powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix and switch off the flame.
5. Divide the above-made dough into small round balls of 12- 15.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into small round discs, cut into half, water the straight edge and join the edges to make a cone. Press gently to seal the edges.take a spoon full of the filling and place it inside. Seal the other end and press gently make sure that the filling doesn’t come out.
7. Repeat with the remaining dough and the filling. When all the samosas are ready, heat oil for deep frying and fry the made samosas till golden brown. When they are done drain on a kitchen tissue and serve hot along with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Healthy Rosemary Baked Chicken and Vegetables

Healthy, flavorful and tastier is what we call this simple and comforting dish which can be prepared within no time on a lazy Sunday. This dish is very filling and which is loaded with colorful veggies and packed with proteins.

In this dish, the chicken breasts and our favorite veggies are baked together along with a dash of spices and is fully flavored with the Mediterranean herb of rosemary. Last spring I bought a lovely plant of rosemary and it survived through this winter and as I love the flavor of rosemary in my salads or other dishes, I thought of using the fresh rosemary sprigs to this dish. I usually use the dried leaves of rosemary. The distinctive taste of rosemary has taken this dish to another level.

This is an incredibly easy and a satisfying meal, which can be prepared for lunch or dinner.

When you feel lazy to cook, try out some of these delicious and healthier one pot baked dishes rather than calling for a take-out. You can have this without chicken, just add all your favorite veggies and tada an amazingly delicious, the heavenly dish will be ready within minutes to enjoy.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless Chicken- 500 gms
2. Paprika- 1 tbsp
3. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
4. Pepper powder- 1 tsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Garlic (crushed)- 5 cloves
7. Fresh Rosemary Sprigs- 1 no
8. Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tsp
9. Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
10. Mushrooms- 1 Cup
11. Capsicum- 1 cup
12. Broccoli- 1 Cup
13. Cucumber- 1 no
14. Spinach- 1 Cup
15. Salt - a pinch
16. Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
17. Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Clean, wash and pat dry the chicken. Make slits and keep this aside.
2. Mix paprika, salt, pepper powder, turmeric powder, crushed garlic cloves, rosemary leaves, vinegar and lemon juice in a glass bowl. Spread this paste on the slitted chicken well on both the side. Keep this for about 15- 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile slice the capsicum, mushrooms and chop the cucumber, spinach, and broccoli into sizes. Smear little oil on top of the veggies along with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with a parchment paper and arrange the veggies as shown or mix everything together and place them on the parchment paper on the baking tray.
5. Line another baking tray with parchment paper and place the marinated boneless chicken pieces and bake both the veggies and the chicken for about 20- 25 minutes or until the veggies are cooked and the chicken gets tender.
6. When done, remove the vegetables and chicken from the oven. Slice the chicken to bite sized pieces and arrange the required amount of veggies and sliced chicken in serving plate, enjoy warm.

Healthy Banana and Mixed Berries smoothie

My dear friend introduced me to this smoothie, who herself is a big smoothie lover. She would always tell about different varieties of smoothies which she makes at home for her family. One day when I was in her house, I asked for the recipe and generously she made a big batch of this smoothie and whatever she told about the smoothie is completely true. It is a very filling, healthy, appetizing, flavorful and simply mind blowing. While adding the frozen berries, banana and spinach the smoothie will be thick, just add enough amount of water or milk.

There are lots of variations in making smoothies, like for kids we can add milk, for adults, who are health conscious can make this smoothie by adding water. Instead of regular milk, you can also add almond milk, by making the almond milk at home. I will share the recipe some other time.

This makes more healthy by adding dates instead of sugar. If you want your smoothie sweeter, you can increase the number of dates. This is so filling that you can have this instead of breakfast or lunch. I made this for lunch after my workout and it is very filling and healthy. There are much more different smoothie recipes which she gave and you can see all the recipes in my future posts. For now, enjoy an amazingly delicious healthy smoothie and stay fit...

Ingredients:

1. Banana- 1 no
2. Apple- ½ no
3. Frozen Mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)- ½ Cup
4. Dates- 5 nos
5. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
6. Flax Seeds- 1 tbsp
7. Spinach- ½ Cup
8. Water- ¼ Cup

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients except chia seeds in a blender until smooth with the required amount of water.
2. Soak the chia seeds in little water for about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the smoothie into a serving glass and garnish with the soaked chia seeds and enjoy a healthy smoothie. (You can add the chia seeds in the smoothie and blend everything together).