Spring Greens Salad with Sweet & Tangy Dressing

It's summer time and one of the most satisfying meals for me is a huge bowl of salad with loads of fresh vegetables and of course cheese ;). I just love the Organic Spring Greens Mix from Sams Club which contains a mix of red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa and tango lettuces get a little kick from mizuna, arugula and radicchio. It comes in a one pound box and stays nice for a week. 

Ingredients

Spring Greens Mix

1 Small red onion, chopped fine

Handful of grape tomatoes - chopped in quarters

Handful of red grapes ( I love the contrast in flavor this brings)

Feta Cheese Crumbled ( Any other shredded / crumbled cheese of your choice)

Croutons ( love the ones with Sea Salt and Pepper)

Jalapenos (Optional - Hubby's topping)

Cucumbers (Optional - My topping)

For the Salad Dressing

1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 of 1/4 cup Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar 

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 Lime Juiced

1 Tbsp Honey

Salt & Pepper

Crushed Red Chilli flakes (as per taste)

Italian Herb Seasoning (as per taste)

1 Garlic Clove minced

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Strictly optional)

Method

1. In a salad mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the salad and toss lightly to mix.

2. In a glass bottle or mason jar, measure out all ingredients for the salad dressing, close the lid and give it a vigorous shake, till the dressing appears to be homogeneous.

3. Add the dressing to your salad mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Add more cheese if you like or are like me ;)

4. Enjoy with a chilled glass of wine.

Stuffed Mushrooms

It has been a long hiatus from my blog, no I didn't stop cooking -in fact, if you ask me I have done some of my best and most creative cooking during this time period. I however had a small problem with my camera which prevented me from taking photos and well I just didn't feel like posting recipes without pictures. But I have finally freed myself of that thought or rather what has freed me and pushed me into posting again is this quote from William Denton "Food is to eat, not to frame and hang on the wall." So I say touche to that and am back with a post on Stuffed Mushrooms. I have been meaning to make them like forever but never got down to making these. This time however, when I picked up this big box of mushrooms on my regular grocery trip I had decided then and there that a good part if not all of these mushrooms were gonna be stuffed.

Ingredients

16-20 White Button Mushrooms 

1 Tbsp Finely chopped Garlic

1 Medium White Onion finely diced

1 Jalapeno Pepper finely diced *(Optional but we love it hot)

Handful of Baby Spinach leaves, blanched and chopped fine

2-3 Sundried tomatoes finely diced

2 Tbsp Breadcrumbs

2 - 3 Tbsp Feta Cheese

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

Fresh Rosemary 

Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Wash mushrooms in cold water and pop out the stems. Chop the stems finely and set aside.

2. Finely dice onion, jalapeno pepper, sundried tomatoes. You can also use a chopper but do chop each ingredient separately.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. In a saute pan, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I used this gorgeous rosemary and red-pepper infused EVOO that I picked up on one of our road trips ..

4. Add finely chopped garlic you will need approximately 4-5 garlic cloves and let it become golden brown.

5. To this add chopped onions and jalapeno pepper (if using) cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat till onions start to turn brownish. Now add the chopped mushroom stems and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, then add chopped blanched spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

6. Season with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary. The mixture should be on the dry side if not cook for a couple more minutes till dry and then turn off the heat. 

7. Once the mixture has cooled a little, add bread crumbs and feta cheese and mix well.

8. Start stuffing the mushrooms with this mixture, smear into the cavity and heap a little on top as well, go on placing these in a baking tray.

9. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

10. I bite into one and am instantly transported to foodie heaven - an old ad jingle keeps ringing in my ears "ek baar khaoge to khate reh jaoge, No one can eat just one" ;) 

Enjoy !!!

A word of caution: The mushrooms leave out a lot of water, so be careful handling the hot baking tray with hot liquid.

Queso

What is gooey, creamy, cheesy,spicy and absolutely irresistible? Ya you guessed it's Queso pronounced kay-so  aka Chili con Queso or cheese with spices. I serve it with tortilla chips, pita chips or fresh veggie sticks and even some Indian appetizers. Did I hear you say it's versatile - you bet it is.

Ingredients
8Oz Velveeta, grated
4Oz Cream Cheese
1 Can Rotel Original Tomatoes with Chillies
2 pods Garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1-2 Jalapeno Peppers, diced fine
1 tsp Black Pepper crushed

Note: This is an ideal recipe for a slow cooker, since I don't own one I made it on the stove-top, if you have one by all means use it :)

Oh! The cream-cheese shied away from posing :(

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add grated velveeta, cream cheese and set it on medium-high till melted.
2. Now add the can of Rotel tomatoes, diced jalapenos, garlic and mix well.
3. Mix thoroughly and lower the heat and let it bubble for a few minutes. Add crushed black pepper. Mix well.
4. Serve warm with chips of your choice.

Note:
1. In case, of leftovers, you can reheat in a microwave and again use it as a dip or
2. Dilute with milk and use as a sauce for mac n cheese or pasta ;)
I like making penne pasta, coating it with diluted queso, adding mushrooms and broccoli and baking them till there is a nice golden layer. Yummy !!!!

Chana Dal Vada / Paruppu Vadai / Mixed Lentil Fritters

My mom-in-law makes these amazing chana dal vadas. These are a common occurrence during festival times and are also offered as Naivedya to the Gods. I am sure this tradition would have come from all the priests tired of eating only sweets for Naivedya but whatever the origins these vadas are to die for.

Ingredients
1 Cup Chana Dal
2-3 Tbsp Tuvar Dal
2 Tbsp Rice
1 Tbsp Udad Dal
8-10 Dry Red Chillies * Mix of Kashmiri and Byadagi varieties
Generous pinch Asafoetida
1-2 Twigs Curry Leaves
1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
3-4 Green Chillies
Salt
1 Onion Chopped * Optional
Oil for deep frying

Method
1. Pick clean the lentils and wash in 3-4 changes of water. Soak for 3-4 hours
2.Coarsely grind the lentils along with curry leaves, green chillies, red chillies using as little water as possible. It is alright if a few pieces of lentil are not ground completely.
3. To this add salt, asafoetida and chopped cilantro and chopped onion if using.
4.  Heat oil in a wok for deep frying. Turn the heat to medium high.
5. Make small flat rounds and put them in oil and fry them on both sides till golden and crisp.
6. Serve hot.

Masala Almonds - Healthy Chakna

Almonds = Healthy but both me and hubby are lazy about eating them. Don't much like them give me cashews anytime ;). I was on the lookout for honey roasted almonds but most recipes I had called for sugar along with honey and so I dropped the idea. Since I had planned to make something with Almonds, I decided to make it in the style of Masala Peanuts that we made during fasting season. So here goes a quick and snappy way to make Masala Almonds. Another note Masala = Spice(s) what I have here is my combination, feel free to explore and experiment. Enjoy them just like that or with your favorite drink.

Ingredients
2 Cups Almonds
1 Tbsp Oil
Masala
Salt
Roasted Cumin & Pepper Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Amchur / Dry Mango Powder
Sugar
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Coat almonds with oil and spread them in a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5-7 mins till crispy.
3. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the masala mix, toss to coat evenly and return to oven for another 5 mins.
4. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 to 40 mins. The almonds will be crispy and spicy perfect for chilled Beer.

Herbed Roasted Tomatoes

I have been making Herb Roasted Red Peppers for sometime now and keep them handy for making sandwiches and other stuff, I used to wonder if I could roast some other vegetables in a similar manner. Thanks to FoodBuzz, I came across Nancy of Spicie Foodie's post on "How to Roast Tomatoes". She is absolutely my kind of cook ;) I love her site it is sooooooo colorful. Lovely photos but I digress. Here's my version of her recipe.

Ingredients

8-9 Tomatoes

6-8 Pods Garlic

1 Jalapeno Pepper

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

2-3 tsp Dried Italian Herbs

2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

1 tsp Dried Parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 390 F. Spray a baking tray with cooking spray and keep aside.

2. Wash the tomatoes and wipe dry. Cut them into half and de-seed them.

3. Finely mince garlic, jalapeno pepper and take it in a small bowl. 

4. Add olive oil and all dried spices to the bowl and mix well.

5. Apply on the inside of the tomatoes and set them on a greased baking tray.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes depending on size of tomatoes. They should be slightly browned and shriveled but not burnt. 

7. Allow to cool completely before using. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Note: Mine were still pretty juicy may be I could have roasted them for some more time.

Coconut Shrimp Poppers with Chili Mango Cream - From Pinch My Salt

I am regular reader / admirer of Nicole from Pinch My Salt. As soon as I read her review post for Coconut Shrimp Poppers with Chili Mango Cream I had it marked for a trial. Luckily for me, one of our close family friends came for a sleepover and wanted to have fish for dinner.

I had no clue to what kind of fish they would like except for a fact that one of their kids likes Shrimps. So Shrimps were definitely on my menu. I thought the recipe was mild enough for kids. I made these and OMG these poppers were a hit with kids and adults alike. The only teeny tiny bit I did not like was that the Shrimp took in a little too much oil - yes even after I used paper towels to drain off the oil. The dip was swoon worthy.

Adapted with some changes from Nicole's post . Watch Carmell Childs create these tasty poppers in her Real Women of Philadelphia video entry.

Coconut Shrimp Poppers with Chili  Mango Cream
Ingredients for the Chili Mango Cream
4 Oz of whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese (room temp.)
1 large sweet ripe mango (mine wasn't so sweet)
2 canned pineapple ring
3 – 4 tablespoons Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
a pinch of salt
1 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper flakes

Ingredients for Shrimp Poppers
30 count Extra Large Shrimps ( Raw and De veined)
1/2 Cup Flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 large eggs
2 Oz Philly Cream Cheese (at room temp) * Optional see notes below
1 lemon, zested
1 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
Vegetable Oil for deep frying * Pour this just enough 'coz after all the frying it is unusable again

Method
For the Cream
1. Peel and dice mango into chunks; combine with pineapple ring and cream cheese and puree in mini blender until smooth. In a medium bowl empty the pureed fruit cream, add desired amount of chili sauce, salt, crushed pepper and mix to combine and chill.

2. Rinse and pat dry shrimp. Pour flour in a deep bowl and season with 1/2 tsp salt and a few twist of ground pepper. In a separate deep bowl, combine 2 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, eggs, and lemon zest; mix until incorporated. In a third deep bowl mix together Panko crumbs and coconut.
3. Toss shrimp in flour; shaking off excess, dip in egg, then lightly press and cover entire shrimps in coconut mixture; set aside on large platter.
4. In a deep saucepan, heat oil till ready for deep frying.  Fry shrimp, 4-5 at a time, for 1/2-1 minute or until golden brown.
5. Place on a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle with sea salt to taste (I forgot to add the salt so it tasted a bit sweet). Serve warm with chili mango Cream.

Notes:
1. I cut down the cream cheese in the chili mango cream as I thought it was a tad bit too much
2. I forgot to add the sea salt after frying but I do think it would have made a difference.
3. I ran out of my egg and cream cheese mixture towards the end, and I then quickly made a little additional but skipped the cream cheese. I couldn't much make out the difference. So really the 2 Oz cream cheese for dipping shrimps is according to me optional.
Enjoy !!!