Favourite Meal Recipes

Mexican Burrito Bowl

My all time favorite meal when i run out of options is Burrito Rice Bowl. It is a dish that is as simple as it looks. Its a complete meal in itself comprising of Rice and beans (carbs), tofu or cottage cheese that is your protein and fresh sauteed veggies with dash of salsa and sour creme.

Recipe Secret – The making of the dish only gets faster if you have the pre-meal preparations ready.

Ingredients-

• 1/2 cup Rice (Brown/White)
• 1/2 cup Black beans soaked and cooked
• 2 Tomatoes ,1 Onion and 2 green chillies chopped fine (Pico)
• 1 ripe Avocado mashed with lime,salt,pepper -Guacamole
• 500 gm Paneer/Tofu cubed
• Salsa & sour creme store bought
• 1 Onion
• 5 pods garlic peeled and chopped
• 1 cob Sweet corn,jalepeno,Onions& bell pepper (optional)

Cook the Rice and set aside. Boil the beans along with Garlic and Onions until mushy, throw in Black pepper ,Cayenne & salt. Combine chopped tomatoes ,onion and chilli in a bowl  hereafter referred as Pico.Cook the tofu along with sauteed onions and garlic.Pour in chilli garlic sauce and let it simmer for a while until the tofu is coated with sauce.Season the Rice with lemon coriander ,add salt and pepper as required.

Take a large bowl. Pour a serving of Seasoned rice and top it with spicy tofu. Next goes the Bean curry followed by Pico ,hot salsa and sour creme. Enjoy it hot along with a dash of guacamole,some crunchy lettuce ,cheese and sweet corn.

Alfredo Fettucini with Garlic bread

On a cold winter night, i bet nothing makes a perfect meal than a hot creamy fettucini with seasoned garlic bread. The garlic bread dipped in olive oil tastes better.

Ingredients-

• 1 cup Cooked Fettuccine/Penne pasta
• 2 tsp All purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 Onion
• 2 French Bread slices
• 1 cup Grated mozzarella
• 5 pods Minced garlic
• 3 tsp Mayonnaise

Arrange the french bread slices in a greased pan .Smother them with garlic and cheese.Sprinkle with pepper and herbs. Bake in a pre-heated oven until the crust renders a crisp golden color.

Saute mince garlic and thin sliced Onions in olive oil.Shallow fry required veggies ,mushroom or chicken(Optional). Season with Italian herbs and chili flakes. Set it aside. Spray the pan lightly with oil and fry a 2 spoons of flour .Pout the milk and keep stirring until a thick consistency is achieved. Sprinkle pepper and salt, dash of sugar. Pour the sauteed veggies and mix thoroughly. Add mayo if required to achieve creamy texture .Sprinkle the Italian herbs and fresh pounded pepper and basil.Top it with grated cheese and enjoy with a glass of Wine and baked garlic bread.

Holy Margherita

[Photo courtesy 123rf.com]

Baking Pizza in a fun and innovative way makes the dish more appealing and interesting. Here is a Heart shaped pizza Margherita  smeared in spicy marinara sauce topped with mozzarella, tomatoes,parsley and herbs.

Ingredients:

• 11/2 All purpose flour
• 2 tsp Dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella grated
• 4 Blanched tomatoes
• Italian herbs,basil

Activate yeast in a cup of warm water and sugar. After it turns frothy add it into the flour .Sprinkle salt. Knead thoroughly to form pliable dough. Coat with Olive oil.Let it rest in a closed container for about an hour or until dough ball becomes double the size. Meanwhile cook the tomatoes along with the herbs,salt and pepper. Add tomato puree for saucy consistency in the end and simmer for a while. Pre-heat the Oven for 30 mins on 270 deg Celsius.

Punch the dough in middle to release air bubbles. Tuck the dough into a  ball and roll on Pizza screen .Toss the Pizza evenly  and thicken the edges .Pizza can be rolled into desired shapes -Square,Rectangle, Oval or Heart .Spread the sauce evenly and sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese generously.Add the italian herbs , Pepper and drizzle olive oil.Place the Pizza into the Oven with the help of a Pizza peel. Allow it to bake for 20 mins until the top and bottom sides are cooked and the crust shows a golden brown color.

Sprinkle the oregano,chili flakes and Parmesan for an added punch. Enjoy the Pizza with a glass of Coke or your favorite wine.

Quesadillas with Pico and Creme

  

My first encounter with Quesadillas was in Dallas World Aquarium. Its a huge aqua home for the rarest species of marine life and Birds. I recall the orange feathered flamingos are such a delight to view. The lunch for me was Quesadillas with Sour creme and Pico. A hot cappuccino  serves as a right drink after a cheesy meal.

Ingredients –

• 1 large Tortilla
• 1/2 cup Corn kernels
• 1/2 cup Grated Cheese
• 2 Chopped tomatoes,1 Green chilli & 1 Onion
• 2 tsp Lime juice
• 2 tsp Sour Creme

The simplest meal you could ever make is this one. Place your favourite veggies , i prefer corn and cheese. Alternatively you could stuff some spicy black beans. Fold the Tortilla in half and press in a Tortilla machine. It gives 4 slices on a plate.

Combine the tomatoes,chilli and onion that are finely chopped. Sprinkle pepper and lime juice generously onto the mixture.Sour creme and Pico serve as the best accompaniments to hot Quesadillas.

Phad Thai

Photo courtesy -Pinch of Yum

Fast,easy and yummy is what comes my mind when I think of Phad Thai.Its a stir fried rice noodles simmered with hot sauces and coated in peanut powder,delightfully seasoned with fresh herbs and basil.

Ingredients -

• Spirally cut veggies 1 each-zucchini,carrot,onion,Bell pepper
• 2 tsp sprouts (optional)
• 1 Egg
• 250 gm cooked Rice noodles
• 3 tsp Peanut powder
•  For sauce -Fish sauce,vinegar,brown sugar,broth,soy sauce,chilli paste

Stir fry the spirally cut veggies with pinch of salt.Cook the flat rice noodles until soft and drain the water.Mix it along the veggies ,give it a nice toss.At this point,the veggies blend so well with the noodles that one can see a rainbow in the noodles.Combine the sauce ingredients in a glass jar and shake well,alternatively you could also blend in a blender.
Pour it with the noodles ,let it simmer. Add 2 eggs into the dish and watch it turn creamy. Add coarsely ground peanut powder and garnish with fresh basil and herbs. 

Fire and Ice Pasta salad

                             Photo courtesy - Morningstar farms

Fire and Ice is a kind of mix and match salad with wonderful combination of flavors! Pasta is like a blank canvas where you can create all sorts of edible artwork.With its chewy texture and mild flavour, it serves as a perfect backdrop for this healthful salad comprising of fiery hot chilli pepper,cool tropical fruit and spicy burgers.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Penne pasta cooked
• 2 veggie burger deep fried
• 2 ripe mangoes coarsely chopped
• 1 tomato
• 1 jalepano pepper
• 1 cup mexican hot salsa
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• lettuce for crunch

Cook pasta and rinse with cold water.Allow it to cool.Cut each patty into 6 pieces. Add to pasta along with mangoes,chopped tomato and jalepano pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently give a toss.Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hrs
In a small bowl,whisk together hot salsa,lime juice,honey and olive oil.Drizzle over the chilled salad.Lightly toss to coat the dressing onto the salad.

Arrange lettuce onto the bowl and mound salad in the center. The salad is best enjoyed on a hot summer afternoon as a guilt-free meal.