Herbed Cream cheese

Are you really busy this evening?  Or too tired?  But you are hungry.  There’s not much in the fridge.  Oh no!  What to do now?

Here’s what I did.  I took a bit of creamy cheese and added a few herbs and…

Ingredients:

1 bowl                  Fresh creamy cheese

2-3 Tsp.                Chives (finely chopped)

1 Tsp.                    Parsley (finely chopped)

1 small                  Spring onion (preferably)/ Onion/ shallot (finely chopped)

Salt (optional) (according to taste)

Pepper (optional) (according to taste)

Procedure:

1.                   Take a bowl of Fresh creamy cheese.

2.                   Add salt and pepper (optional) (I don’t and it is still perfect but it is a matter of taste)

3.                   Add finely chopped chives, parsley and spring onion.

4.                   Mix well.

Let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour for better results.  This gives the cheese the time to take the aroma of herbs.

You can have these as dip with boiled potatoes or vegetables or French fries or country potatoes or simply as a cheese spread for bread.

This is how I had it... the choice is yours :-)

Simply yummy! 

I love it.  Just try it out and tell me if you like it or not.

Aaloo - achari mirch (potatoes-chilli vegetable)

This is a quick recipe for those times when you feel like eating something spicy.  I don’t added red chillies as the green chilli lends a spicy touch to the dish but if it is not spicy enough for you, feel free to add some along with salt and turmeric powder.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 medium     Potatoes (peeled and cut lengthwise)

1 big                  Big green chilli (achari mirch) (cut lengthwise)

½ medium         Onion/ shallot (cut lengthwise)
Salt (according to taste)
¼ Tsp.              Turmeric powder
1 Tb. Sp.           Sunflower Oil
 

1 Tsp. Nigella sativa (kalonji)
















½ Tsp.                   Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)

Procedure:

Heat oil.

Add kalonji.

When it starts spluttering, add onions.

When the onions are semi-cooked add salt and turmeric powder and mix well.

Add potatoes and green chillies.

Cover and let it cook on low flame.  Keep stirring from time to time.

When the potatoes are cooked, take off the fire.

Let it cook at low flame for approximately 5 minutes.

Mix well.

Serve as a side dish with chapattis, rice or poories or with bread.

Quinoa - A simple recipe

Are you looking for a healthy meal to prepare which you won’t spend hours in the kitchen?  So here’s a quick and simple recipe for you. 

Quinoa or, as some people call it, `Rice of Incas’ is a very healthy option for those who want to avoid rice for one reason or another.  There are several ways of making it but one of the easiest and still tasty ways is to serve it with red Kidney Beans (or Raajmaanh) or simply boiled chick peas (Kabuli Chaney).

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Olive Oil/ Colza oil

1 cup                     Quinoa

Kelpamar (according to taste)

Water

Preparation:

Boil water.

Add quinoa grains.

Let it boil for about 5 - 10 minutes.

When it is done you’ll see that the grains haver germinated.

Once the grains are well cooked, lower the flame and let the water dry.

Serve in a dish with kelpamar and olive oil or colza oil dressing.  You can add some boiled chickpeas or red kidney beans (rajma) to it. 

It is a healthy and complete meal.  Personally I love it as main course of my meal.  If you are looking for a healthy

Health Benefits:

Quinoa has a very high nutritional value and its high protein content (18%) makes it ideal for those looking for protein rich diet.

Colza or Rapeseed oil is a rich source of Omega 3, 6 and 9 and an excellent source of these Omega elements for vegetarians.

And if you don’t get Colza oil, you can use Olive oil, which, too, has several health benefits.

Wadi Chawal (Rice with spicy nuggets made of lentils)

I love wadis and like many Punjabis nothing can beat those from Amritsar or as we lovingly call them Amritsari Wadis.  A wadi is made of Urad Dal (Maanh ki daal) and spices. 

Today I’m going to share a recipe that I make when I’m really tired or don’t feel like cooking or really hungry and have forgotten to cook or…

A wadi is quite spicy so there is actually no need to add any spice, so if you can’t handle a really spicy fare, please limit yourself to just salt and don’t add the optional ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 Tsp               Cumin (Jeera)

1 Table spoon Sunflower oil              

1 1/2                Wadi

20 gms.           Rice 

1 medium        Onion or Shallot (cut length-wise)

1 small pc.       Ginger (cut in small cubes)

2-3                  Whole red chillies (optional)

Salt (according to taste)

Red chillies (according to taste) (optional)

Water

250 ml Oil

Procedure:

1.                  Wash rice well and let it soak for 10-15 minutes.

2.                  Heat oil and add wadi to it. 

3.                  Heat till it is light brown.  Add cumin and red chillies.  

4.                  Lower the gas flame.

5.                  When the cumin starts spluttering, add ginger. 

6.                  When the ginger is somewhat red, add onion.

7.                  When Onion is cooked (not brown), add rice and cover it with water.

8.                  Put enough water so that it doesn’t stick at the bottom of the  pot.

9.                  Let it cook for approximately 15 minutes.

10.              You can break the wadi once cooked.

11.              Serve with plain yoghurt or raita or Dahi Pakodiyaan.

Personally, I love the spicy version and for me, this combination is a healthy wholesome meal but it’s all a matter of taste.  I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Bon appetit!