Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Home made Marinara

I know the name is bit long but I couldn't help but to mention the actual one. I was inspired by this from the 'The Best Thing I ever Ate' - With Garlic in the Food network. It was one classic recipe. I made this for lunch today and it was simple yet elegant.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Spaghetti - 1/2 lb
Garlic - 3 pods ~ 25 cloves
Butter - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
For the Marinara sauce:
There are lot of recipes for making home made marinara, I went with the one with fresh tomatoes
Ripe big tomatoes - 6 - can substitute with canned crushed tomatoes
Onion - chopped fine - 1/2 cup
Garlic - chopped fine - 3 tbsp
Fresh basil - 6 leaves - chopped fine
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:
Blanch and puree the tomatoes. In a large saucepan, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic. Fry until the onion is transparent. Add the pureed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add water as per the thickness required and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 mins to about an hour. This would enable the flavors to cook and infuse well. Meanwhile boil enough quantity of water and add 2 tsps of salt and boil the pasta "al dente" as per the instructions. In a medium skillet, heat the butter and olive oil and roast the whole garlic cloves in medium heat. Take care not the burn it, just a deep brown color is a good indication.
To serve, place the spaghetti in the plate, top with marinara sauce and then the roasted garlic. Enjoy!

Sending this to Healing Foods - Ginger & Garlic event by Siri guest hosted by Sara and CWF-WV-Tomato event by Kiran guest hosted by Sanyukta.

I am also sending this to Presto Pasta Nights #202



Sending this scrumptious pasta dish to 'Only'-Pasta Pizza and Noodles event by Pari, guest hosted by Jayasri and also to Fusion-Pasta event by Ramya.

Spaghetti

Koshimbir / Kosambari

Koshimbir is a raw vegetables salad served along with the meal course in Maharasthra. It is similar to the Kosambari dish of Karnataka. First time I had this was in a restaurant in Bangalore and loved it having Cucumber and moong dhal, both my favorites. Tried this for the first time and I served it as a side for my lunch the other day and we enjoyed it. 

Ingredients:
Cucumber - Peeled & chopped - 2 cups
Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - To garnish
Salt - to taste

Method:
Wash and soak the dhal for an hour. Drain and mix with the chopped cucumber.
Heat oil and pop the mustard seeds and add chopped green chilli. Pour the seasoning over the cucumber-dhal and mix. Add salt while serving so that it doesn't leave water. Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves and serve as side/salad.

Sending this to 'Flavors of Maharashtra' event by Nayna, guest hosted by PJ.

Also sending this to Akila's Dish Name Starts with K

Apple Flaxmeal Chapathi | Roti Paratha Recipes

I had been thinking of using apple in my chapathi for a while now ever since I read it in a magazine. When I told this to my DH, he was dumbstruck (yeah, that is the word that best describes his reaction) and so I had not spoken about that to him. I used flaxmeal in my Blueberry scones and fell in love with it being healthy and rich in fiber. I made this chapathi for lunch the other day and my DH enjoyed it. Little did he know that it had apple in it and loved it totally. I did tell him later...

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour/Atta flour - 1 3/4 cups
Flax seed meal - 1/4 cup
Apple - 1 - peeled, seeded and chopped
Yogurt - 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp
Cumin powder -  a pinch - optional
Salt - a big pinch
Oil - 2 tsp + more to apply

Method:
Mix the wheat flour, flax seed meal and salt. Add oil and mix it to resemble a coarse crumble. Meanwhile puree the apple with yogurt and cumin powder (if using). Add the puree to the flour and knead to form a soft dough. Sprinkle water if needed. Apply a little oil over the dough and cover and rest for a minimum of 15 mins. Pinch a small golf-ball sized dough and roll out to thin chapathis. Heat a skillet and cook on both sides smearing oil. Serve hot with any curry of your choice. We enjoyed it with Turnip Chayote Curry.

Sending this to the 'Cooking with Fruits' event by Smita and CWS-Flaxseeds event by Priya Suresh guest hosted by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan.





Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight hosted by Nupur of UK-Rasoi, for the month of April 2012.

Reposting for Events

Fenugreek Idli
Fenugreek Idli is one healthy dish with all the goodness of fenugreek and makes a tasty breakfast/dinner. Check out the recipe here : Fenugreek Idli

                                      
I am reposting this to send to the following events.
Dish Name Starts with F event by Akila; B for Breakfast event by Charitha.





Tomato Rice
Tomato rice is one of my comfort food and comes to rescue when I run short of time. Check out the recipe here: Tomato Rice

                          
Sending this to the Cooking with Whole Foods - Whole Vegetable - Tomato event by Kiran, guest hosted by Creative Sanyukta.

Strawberry Iced Tea

I love Iced teas. It is a great alternative to the carbonated beverages carrying just sugar and empty calories. I wanted to try a fruit flavored tea for a long time now. Since Strawberry is in season, and I love the pretty pink fruit, I made the iced tea, strawberry flavor. And I loved it!

Ingredients:
Tea bags - 2 (May use Black or Green Tea. I used Green) ~ 2 tsp
Water - 600 ml
Strawberries - about 8-10
Water - 1/4 cup
Sugar/Honey - 3 tsp or to taste

Method:
Heat 600 ml of water and when it comes to a rolling boil, add the tea bags. After a minute, turn off heat, cover and steep for a minimum of 20-30 mins and allow to cool. Hull the strawberries and finely puree using 1/4 cup of water. Strain and mix this juice to the cooled tea. Add sweetness to taste and serve chilled or with ice-cubes. I just served chilled.

I am sending this to 'Veggie/Fruit a Month - Strawberry' event by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan, guest hosted by Pari. Also sending this to 'Cooking with Fruits' event by Smita.

Strawberry

Fiery Chilli Baby Corn | Indo-Chinese Appetizers

I had bought a box of Baby corn planning to make stir fry. It was hiding in my fridge until I found it on the other day and was pleading to be used. I was no mood to make a stir fry that evening and so decided to make this as a quick and a super-spicy snack. My sis gave me the recipe for Chilli paneer with the same method. I decided to substitute Baby corn for Paneer. 

Ingredients:
Baby corn - 8 oz ~ 1/4 kg
Onion - cubed into 1" pieces - 1 cup
Green bell pepper - cubed - 1 cup (Can use any variety)
Garlic - 3 cloves - minced
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp (I use low-sodium variety)
Tomato Chilli sauce - 2 tbsp (If using tomato sauce and chilli sauce seperately use 1 tbsp of each)
Green Chilli - 1 (optional - This makes the dish super-spicy)
Corn flour - 2 1/2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Oil

Method:
Clean and cut the baby corn to the size of about 2" each. In a wide bowl, add the corn flour, chilli powder salt and the baby corn and mix. Sprinkle water to get everything together. It should not be very batter-like or watery. Just lightly sticky to coat all of the baby corn with the flour and chilli powder. Let it marinate for 30 mins. Meanwhile you can cube the onions and bell peppers.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide non-stick skillet and shallow fry the baby corn, just for 2 mins or until the coating turns light brown. Drain in a paper towel.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil (you may use left over from frying) and in medium-high heat saute the green chilli, cubed onions and minced garlic for 3 mins. The onions should be still crunchy. Add cubed bell peppers and fry for 3 mins. The bell peppers should be slightly cooked, but still crunchy. Add a pinch of salt, the sauces and the baby corn and mix in low flame for a min and turn off the heat. Serve hot.
Disclaimer: This is a dish for brave people who have a super spicy palate.

I am sending this to 'Dish Name Starts With : F ' event by Akila.

Baby Corn

Turnip Chayote curry

The other day I was scanning my fridge to make some curry for chapathi. What could one do with one small turnip and half a chayote? These two vegetables almost had the same texture, so decided to make a simple curry adding some cabbage. 

Ingredients:
Turnip - 1 - small - cubed
Chayote - cubed - 1 cup
Cabbage - chopped - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup - chopped
Tomato - 1 - chopped
Garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Heat oil and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic paste and tomato. When the tomato becomes mushy, reduce the heat and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Fry until the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan. Now add salt and the cut vegetables. Fry for 4 to 5 mins and add 3 cups of water. Cover and cook until the vegetables are done and soft, about 15 mins. Now check for seasoning and cook open until the desired thickness is arrived. Serve hot with roti/chapathi/bread.
Note:Chayote is called Bengaluru kathirikka/Seema Kathirikka/Chow chow in tamil.

Sending this to the 'Food Palette - Brown' event by Akheela.

French Toast with Stuffed Walnuts

French Toast is the dish I would go for a Sunday morning, when the morning is calm and serene, and I have all the time just for myself...
This time I tried a stuffed french toast inspired by Denny's Gulabi French toast, but I stuffed Walnuts. I believe people who have been following me would know, I like and use walnuts in pretty much everything.. :), like smoothies or rice. Without much ado, I am getting to my recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves - 1
Whole grain bread - 4 slices 
Egg - 1
Milk - 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp
Salt - a dash
Sugar - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Walnuts - chopped finely - 2 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp

Method:
Mix the butter, finely chopped walnuts and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla, salt and 1 tsp of sugar in a separate bowl. Apply the walnut butter to one side of each slice and make a sandwich. 
Sandwich Maker method: 
Spray some cooking oil to both the plates of the sandwich grill. Dip this sandwich in the egg mixture and place in a sandwich grill. Repeat for the other sandwich. Grill until done.
Stove top method:
Spray some cooking oil in a heated skillet/tawa and, dip the sandwich in the egg mixture until coated on all sides. Take care that it does not become soggy.   Immediately place in the tawa and cook for atleast 1 min on one side and then flip and cook for one more minute until brown.
Serve hot sprinkled with sugar or maple syrup.

I am sending this to the 'Only' - Breads event by Pari, Celebrating Sandwiches event by Sujana and Dish Name Starts With - F event by Akila.