Three Bean Chili

• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 2 red bell peppers 
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 
  1 cup chopped onion 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp cajun spice powder (optional)
• 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper (chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 cup  cubed peeled summer squash 
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation Time:  15-20mins

Cooking Time:  30-45 mins

Method:

1. 1. Preheat broiler.
2. 2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a ziploc  bag and seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.
3. 3. Heat a Stockpot over medium-low heat.  You can find one here
4. 4. Add oil to pot and swirl to coat. 
5. 5. Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. 6. Stir in cumin , garlic, crushed pepper powder, cajun powder, salt ; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
7. 7.Add bell peppers, broth, squash, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. 
8. 8.Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
9. 9. Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with green onions.
10. 10. Serve with bread

Chana Masala / Chick Pea Curry

Ingredients:

1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 Onion - medium sized
1 Tomato
1 Green Chilli
1tsp salt
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
3 Cilantro Sprigs
3 tbsp Oil
1/2tbsp Ginger Garlic
1 tsp Cumin Powder









Cooking Time : 25- 30 mins
Preparation Time : 20 mins





















Preparing the beans:

Canned Beans usually are soft and are split . You don't have to boil them. I usually boil them in water for about 10 mins on medium flame.

Regular Beans - Soak them over night . And boil them until they are tender or are split to half. I put the beans in a pressure cooker and cook until 1 whistle.

Method:
1. Use a sauce pan, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and allow it to heat.
 2. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add the sliced onions and green chillis(optional).
 3. Saute the onions for 5 mins on medium flame and then add the ginger garlic paste.
 4. Saute for another 5 mins till the raw smell of ginger garlic fades.
5. Then add the diced tomatoes and saute for another 5 mins.
 6. Now, turn off the stove and allow the mixture to cool down. Blend the mixture until you get a coarse texture.
 7. Return this mixture back to the saucepan and add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala.
8. Add the chick peas to this mixture mix well and close the lid. You may add left over water from the cooked beans.
9. Let it cook for 7-10 mins on medium heat.
10. Sprinkle some minced cilantro and serve hot with jeera rice or rotis.

Asian Stir Fry

I have been binge eating over the last few days. Too much biryani, cakes, soda, chips - you name it. So I had the sudden urge to eat veggies. But no one can go dirty to clean so quick so I chose the mid way. I ate my veggies. But I stir fried them. Also added some chicken and mushroom for protein.

It was long day and this stir fry seemed like the way to go. So I picked a packet of the stir fry mix at Key Food and put my dinner together

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 0.25 lbs (diced)

2. Mushrooms - 1 cup (diced)

3. Carrots - 1 cup (sliced)

4. Broccoli - 1/4 cup

5. Bell Pepper - 1 (sliced)

6. Sweet Pea - 1 cup

7. Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp

8. Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp

9. Oil - 2 tbsp

10. Spring Onions - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces usin 1tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of chili sauce. keep aside

2. In a wok, add a tbsp of oil and allow it to heat. Once its very hot add the chicken pieces and fry till they are cooked. Keep Aside.

3. In another wok , add the remaining tbsp of oil and add carrots, brocolli and sweet pea first . After about a minute add the mushrooms and bell pepper pieces.

4. Cook the vegetables for 2-3 mins. Now add the stir fry mix and the chicken pieces to the vegetables and stir fry for 3 mins.

5. Sprinkle spring onions and serve with jasmine rice.

Mushroom Risotto with Jasmine Rice

Risotto is an italian rice dish. I had jasmine rice and decided to use it. So in short I kind of combined Asian and Italian cuisines. Nonetheless, it was tasty. And the best part it was quick.

Ingredients:

1. Mushrooms - 1 box

2. Bell Pepper - 1

3. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

4. butter - 1 tbsp

5. Garlice - 2 cloves (minced)

6. Jasmine Rice - 2 cups (any other rice is fine too)

7. Chicken Broth - 3 cups

8. Parsely - 2 sprigs(finely chooped

9. Seasoning - oregano, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15-20 mins

Method:

1. Cook rice using chicken broth. Add extra water or chicken broth depending on the rice you are using. Cook rice until well done and keep it aside.

2. In a pan, take a spon of oilve oil and a spoon of butter . Add the minced garlic pieces and then slowly add the cut mushrooms and bell pepper slices.

3. Saute on medium flame until they are fork tender . Add salt to taste and saute for 2 mins on low flame.

4. Now add the cooked rice to these sauteed vegetables and mix well.

5. Cook on low flame for aout 3-4 mins and add the parsley, parmesan cheese and other seasoning as per taste and serve hot :)

NOTE: Sorry about the bad picture, I was too hungry to keep clicking :) But tastes pretty darn good . So give it a shot!

Potato - Mixed Vegetable Salad

I have been trying to eat healthy. More vegetables and meat and cutting down on rice and wheat. The only problem was, I dint feel I was equating my share of carbs. So I decided to add some potato to my vegetables and the result is this.
Go for this recipe if you are a sucker for colorful food like i am. The best part its naturally colored ;)

Ingredients:

1. Potato - 1

2. Tomato - 1

3. Celery sticks - 2

4. Bell Pepper - 1

5. Carrots - 2

6. Parsley / coriander - 2 sprigs

7. Cucumber - 1

8. Olive oil - 2 tbsp

9. Slat & Pepper

10. Lime - 1 wedge

Preparation Time : 15- 20 mins

Method:

1. Boil the potato until its fork tender. Take it out, peel and mash it up using a tea spoon of olive oil , pepper and lime juice.

2.Cut all the other vegetables into the smallest size possible (mince) . Take them in a bowl and toss well with remaining olive oil and any seasoning you might like(pepper/oregano).

3. On a plate, arrange the mashed potato as a base and cover it up with some vegetables.

4. Season with pepper/ salt as per taste.

Note: You can make layers of potato and vegetables or you can mix it all up.

Pasta Sauce with Veggies

This recipe comes from a dear friend. She was kind enough to make this for me during my birthday weekend when I was a lazy bum to cook :) And thats how I got the recipe from her. The one thing I love about this recipe is it has loads of vegetables and if you are not a pasta person, you could just have the sauce with some bread.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 5 / 1 bottle Ragu tomato sauce / 1 can tomato puree

2. Celery

3. Squash

4. Onions - 1 (optional)

5. Broccoli

6. Carrots

7. Bell Pepper - 1

8. Salt

9. Pepper

10. Oregano

11. Basil

12. Paprika


13. Olive oil / vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

14. Mushrooms

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time : 30 - 45 mins

Method:

 1. In a sauce pan, add the oil and once hot add the veggies. You might want to add the carrots and  celery first.

2. In the next round add the rest of the veggies and add mushrooms at the very end.

3. once they are cooked and fork tender , add the tomato puree and cook on medium flame for 5-7 mins.

4. Now season it according to your choice with oregano, salt, pepper, basil and paprika.

5. Depending on your taste, you can alter the consistency of the sauce by adding extra tomato puree

Bell Pepper - Besan Stir Fry

Well, I have been trying to get back to cooking for some time now . I wanted something quick and easy. So this stir fry was something that I fancied .


Ingredients:

1. Green Bell Peppers - 3

2. Onion - 1 medium sized

3. Besan / chick pea flour - 4 tbsp

4. Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

5. Cumin seeds / powder - 1/2 tbsp

6. Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

7. Salt

8. Curry Leaves - 5

9. Oil

10. Mustard seeds

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins

Method:

1. In a bowl add the besan, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and a pinch of salt (this is the masala). Fry the mixture on a pan for a min on medium heat. Dont brown it. Keep this aside

2. In a wok, add oil, once its hot add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds.

3. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the diced onions. Cook on medium flame until the onions are soft.

4. Now add the cut bell peppers and fry till soft - may be 5-6 mins on medium flame.

5. Now sieve the masala powder into the wok and stir for about 2-3 mins.

6. Serve with rice /roti

Bell Pepper Curry / Bell Pepper Stuffed with Masala

Okay, to be honest I am not an avid bell pepper fan. I mean I eat it if the pieces are the size of a peanut but anything bigger than that I tend to avoid it. But recently I had this amazing Bell Pepper (capsicum) curry at friend's place and happened to love it. So i decided to try it on my own.


Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

1. Bell Peppers / Capsicum - 3 (diced for curry/ whole for stuffed recipe)

2. Onions - 1 large (diced)

3. Tomatoes - 2 (diced)

4. Mustard Seeds

5. Oil - 2 tbsp

 For the masala:

1.  Roasted Peanuts (skin taken off) - 15 gms

2.  Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon

3.  Tamarind paste - 1/2 tbsp

4. Salt - to taste

5. Coriander Powder - 1 tea spoon

6. Red chili Powder - 1/4 tbsp

7. Crushed red pepper - 1/2 tbsp

8. Sugar / Jaggery - 1 tea spoon (optional)


Method:

1.  Take all the masala ingredients in a blender and blend till it gets to a paste consistency. If your blender is a delicate one as mine, add a little water, but make sure all ingredients are properly blended.

2.  Heat a wok and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

3. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter add the onions and saute for 5 min on medium flame.

4. Once the onions are translucent add the ginger garlic paste and mix well until the raw smell of ginger garlic fades.

5. Now add the tomatoes and saute for another 5-6 mins on medium flame.

6. Once the onion and tomatoe mixture is soft, add the diced pepper.

7. Saute on medium-low flame till pepper pieces are tender and then add the ground masala and mix well.

8. If you would like your gravy to be creamier and thick leave it as it is else add a little water.

9. Close the lid of the wok and cook on medium flame for about 5 mins. Keep stirring once in a while.

10. Serve hot with rice or bread.

Bow Tie Pasta - Home Made Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

1. Bow Tie Pasta - 1 cup

2. Lemon - 1

3. Butter - 2 tbsp

4. All Purpose Flour - 1.5 tbsp

5. Salt

6. Pepper

7. Red Pepper flakes

8.  Vegetables - (Peas, Diced Tomatoes (1/2 cup))

9. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

10. Garlic cloves - 2 finely minced


Preparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 20 -25 mins

Method:
For Sauce :

1. In a pan, take the butter and add the flour and mix well.

2. Before it gets thickened add half a cup of whole milk or cream ( I used milk).

3. To this add a tbsp of red wine (dont add too much cause it will change the color of your sauce. White wine is a safer bet )

4. Mix well and turn off the flame. Squeeze half a lemon.

5. Add oregano or parsley as per taste (I did not add these ingredients )

For Pasta:

1.  Boil pasta till its tender. Add salt to the water.

2. In a wok, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the minced garlic

3. Once, the garlic turns slight brown add the vegetables.

4. Saute for 1 min on medium flame and add the sauce.

5. Now add the pasta. Mix well.

6. Season with red peppers or oregano as per taste

Cauliflower - Split bengal Gram Curry (Gobi - Chana Dal Curry)

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1

2. Onions - 1 small (minced)

3. Green Chillies - 3 (long slits)

4. Chana Dal - 10 gms (soaked in water for 15- 20 mins)

5. Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

6. Tadka (Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds)

7. Oil - 1 tbsp

8. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

9. Salt - to taste

10. Red Pepper Powder - 1/2 tbsp

11. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Prep Time : 10 - 15 mins

Cooking Time: 25 mins

Method:

1. Cut the caulifower into small florets.

2. In a wok, add the tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot add the tadka ingredients.

3. Once the mustard seed start to splutter add the minced onion and green chillies

4. Sautee for 3- 5 mins on medium flame.

5. Add a pinch of turmeric, 1 tbsp of ginger garlic and mix well till the raw smell of ginger garlic fades away.

6. Now add the cauliflower florets and mix well. Sprinkle few drops of water and close the lid of the wok, allowing it to cook.

7. Check every 2-3 mins to make sure the cauliflower isnt geting stuck to the bottom of th wok.

8. In the meanwhile, boil the chana dal in water till they are cooked . (Microwave - 10 mins)

9. Add salt , coriander powder and 1/2 tbsp of re chili powder to the cauliflower and mix well.

10. Add the cooked chala dal and allow it cook for 2-3 mins on medium flame.

11. Once the cauliflower pieces are tender and cooked, add the grated coconut.

12. Serve with rice / rotis.