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Couscous with Corn and Vidalia Onion
Couscous is a key ingredient in my pantry. I always have it handy for a last minute side dish. I buy the whole wheat version from Trader Joes- it is a lot healthier and tastes the same as the regular one. I always cook couscous with chicken broth- it gives the dish a lot more depth of flavor than using salted water. Couscous is very versatile- it goes with all sorts of cuisines. I have served it with Italian meatballs, Indian chicken, fish or lentils– sky is the limit. To start the dish, I always add an aromatic- like an onion or garlic; herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano; vegetables like corn, spinach or peas. I sometimes like to add raisins or dried apricots and nuts like pine nuts or almonds. In this case I kept it simple- I had a vidalia onion and thought roasted corn will go really well with the jerk chicken I was making. The cinnamon in the couscous compliments the chicken really well also. I finished the dish off with fresh cilantro. The left overs are delicious on top of a green salad and a protein.
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whole wheat couscous
½ cup frozen roasted corn
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
In a medium bowl, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Saute on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, till the onions are soft. Add the corn, cinnamon, salt and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add the couscous and place the lid and turn the heat off. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Take the lid off, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and add the cilantro.
Tomato and Apple Salad with Dill
We ordered pizza and pasta for dinner on the weekend. We had enough of the food left over to have it again the next day- so I told my husband I will make a big salad with the left over pizza. The next day, before going grocery shopping, I checked the fridge to make sure I have greens for the salad- I had a bag of arugula. I had strawberries in the house and decided to buy some glazed sweet walnuts for the salad. I came home and put the balsamic vinaigrette together and put it aside. When it was time to make the salad, I got the arugula out of the fridge and discovered it was all wilted and brown!! It was 6:30 in the evening, raining outside and a school night- I wasn’t going to the grocery store now… I decided to go without the salad but felt bad for my husband- what should I give him? I decided to get creative and look in my kitchen for inspiration. I had tomatoes on the counter, apples and dill in the fridge. I called my husband and asked if he was ready to be a guinea pig in my salad experiment! I cut up the tomatoes with the apples and added chopped dill. I then topped it with the balsamic vinaigrette. It all smelled really good and what do you know- the salad tasted really well too. Perfect I thought, this salad is going to be great in the summer with any grilled meat or even hamburgers. I think next time I may even add some feta cheese to the salad and have it for lunch! Not having the greens worked out in the end- great dishes are created when I get desperate!!!
- 2 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 pink lady apples, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- Balsamic vinaigrette to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the tomatoes, apples, dill and the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar with the salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil in while whisking the mixture. Keep aside.
Mango Relish
My daughter loves mangoes like a normal kid likes candy. A few weeks ago I noticed the yellow altaulfo mangoes that we love so much at Whole Foods. I bought four of them since they were a little pricey but I had to get them for my daughter. She was ecstatic to see them in the kitchen and wanted one right away. The four mangoes were gone in two days! I found more in Costco-they were selling a pack of 6 and were slightly cheaper as well- so I bought those also! I happen to visit an Indian grocery store in Edison, and what do you know- they had a whole case- well I bought it as well. You can imagine how many mangoes we had in the house now! My daughter was eating two a day but I still had to come up with ideas to consume them- so when I made the Jerk chicken, I decided to make a mango relish to go with it. I had also bought a bottle of fresh mango pineapple juice at Whole Foods- it is the most glorious juice you will ever have. I am not a big juice person- but this is fabulous! I decided to use it in the relish but orange juice can be substituted. The relish can be used with fish, pork or with nacho chips! We ate it with the chicken and it was fabulous! My daughter realized we were now running low on the mangoes- so guess what I did- yup, I bought another case! I just made a strawberry mango topping for ice creams and cakes- recipe to come soon!
- 3 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 lemons, juiced
- ¼ cup fresh mango and pineapple juice (orange juice will do as well)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature.
Kid Friendly Jerk Chicken
I was thinking of what to make for dinner and thought of jerk chicken- but then realized it would be something my daughter will not enjoy since it is usually quite spicy. I thought maybe I could eliminate the scotch bonnet peppers that are one of the key ingredients in jerk chicken. Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. There are lots of rubs out there to try but nothing like a fresh homemade concoction. The other key ingredient is allspice. I happen to have it in my pantry so there wasn’t much to buy from the super market except for the chicken. I wasn’t sure how the dish would taste without the spice, but decided to go ahead and take a chance. When I was looking at different recipes, I realized the chicken should ideally be marinated at least 24 hours- so that is what I did. This is a good dish to marinate on a Sunday- all you have to do is grill/broil it the next day- doesn’t take long at all. I also made a fast and fabulous mango relish to go with the chicken as well as a quick couscous dish! I love making couscous- it takes all of five minutes to put together and the sky is the limit with the ingredients you can add- recipes of both the dishes to follow the next two days! My daughter is quite used to eating the chicken tikkas I make- they are her favorite- so I thought the jerk chicken will be quite similar in looks if not in taste. Well, she had a very skeptical look on her face but she did end up enjoying it. She ate the whole meal including the chicken, couscous and even the mango relish!
- 1pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 big spring onions, or 3-4 regular green onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
Puree all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor until smooth. Pierce the chicken with a fork to make holes. Place the chicken in a large Ziploc plastic bag and pour the marinade in. Place in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Preheat grill or oven on broil. Grill chicken on each side for 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through. If using oven, broil each side till golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.
Lemon Coconut Rice
This rice dish is found in most South Indian restaurants. I grew up in North India and although we ate South Indian food once in a while, I really didn’t get exposed to most of the cuisine until I came to the US- actually probably more after I married my husband- he grew up in the South. We usually go out for South Indian food now but I have started making some of the dishes at home. I love cooking with mustard seeds and curry leaves- they give any dish a very earthy aromatic flavor. I make this lemon rice dish as well as a lot of meat and seafood curries that are very popular in the South . I have stopped ordering lemon rice in restaurants now because I feel I have come up with the perfect recipe for this dish and don’t like how they make it in restaurants any more. It took me a while and a lot of tries to come up with the perfect concoction. I love the combination of the crunchy mustard seeds, peanuts and the two dals that are sauteed with the rest of the mixture. Citrus flavor from the fresh lemon juice is balanced really well with the creamy rice. Usually fresh coconut is grated on top as a garnish- I decided to cook the rice in coconut milk instead- as, fresh coconut is hard to get and the coconut milk flavor permeates throughout the dish making it utterly delicious. This dish can be eaten by itself or with a curry. I usually make toor dal , a fish curry or a chicken curry– whatever you eat it with, I can guarantee you will love it!
- 1 cup basmati rice (jasmine rice can be substituted)
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons split urad dal
- 2 teaspoons channa dal
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2-3 dried red chilies
- A pinch of asafetida
- ½ cup peanuts, roasted
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Cook the rice with a mixture of coconut milk, water and turmeric. Cool the rice off once cooked and keep aside.
In a large wok like pan, heat the oil. Add the urad and channa dal and sauté for about 30 seconds on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and saute for another minute. Next, add the red chilies and asafetida. Add the cooked and cooled rice. Mix well. Add the peanuts, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and serve.
Quick Delicious Brownies
A few weeks ago I had plans to go out with some friends to the local pub. It was going to be a girls evening out and the husbands were in charge of the kids. We were supposed to leave at 5 o’clock- our neighbor offered a dinner invitation(at three o’clock) to my husband and daughter since his wife was going out to the pub with the rest of the women. The husbands and the kids planned to grill hot dogs and hamburgers outside. At 4 o’clock I decided to bake brownies for them to enjoy with their grilled dinner. I was able to put this dessert together and bake it within an hour. I have to admit- the brownies were still in the oven when I left- so I gave my husband directions to take them out of the oven in five minutes, let them cool down and then cut them into squares. Well- he did all of that – but saw that the brownies looked kind of raw and decided to just cut the sides off to take with him next door. He called me at the pub to inform me that the brownies didn’t come out right since they were still raw. I came home later that evening and saw that the brownies were the perfect gooey consistency we all look for! So, I went ahead and salvaged what was left of the mess!
These brownies are super easy to make. I used healthy whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice. Both together give them a very creamy nutty flavor. I admit there is a whole cup of melted butter- I plan to make them again and substitute a cup of extra light olive oil. Overall they are quite healthy and extremely delicious- no reason to use a store-bought brownie mix!
- 2 cups evaporated cane juice
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup walnut halves- optional
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Butter an 9 X 13 -baking dish.
In a large bowl, blend the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla extract well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing well in between. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes if you like gooey brownies- a few minutes more if you like them more cake-like.
Haryali Keema Mattar (Ground Meat with Peas and Mint)
I came up with this recipe over a few days of pondering how to make keema a bit different than usual. Keema Mattar is a very common dish in North Indian and Pakistani restaurants. Since I will be teaching this dish at the adult school, my goal was to make it easy but flavorful at the same time. The last time I made keema, I cooked it with cauliflower and used a lot of dry spices to flavor the dish. I decided to use fresh herbs instead and made a paste out of onion, ginger, garlic, cilantro and mint. The mixture is sauteed with cumin seeds and finished with some more fresh cilantro. The dish has a very aromatic flavor of cilantro and mint in the background. The sweetness of the green peas goes really well with the savory ground meat. This mixture can also be used as a sandwich filling as well as a pizza topping. The fresh flavor of all the green herbs and peas makes me want to go out in my garden and start planting herbs for the summer! Another few weeks and I will be busy outside tending to my garden and coming up with recipes that don’t take a lot of cooking and effort!
- 1 pound ground pork (dark meat turkey can be used as well)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 medium white onion
- 4 cloves garlic cloves
- 3-4 inches piece of ginger
- ½ cup fresh mint
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup cilantro for garnish
In a deep pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
In the meantime, mince the onion, garlic, ginger, mint and cilantro in a processor. Once the spices begin to sizzle, add the processed onion mixture. Saute on moderate heat, stirring constantly until the moisture begins to evaporate. Add the ground meat crushing it down with a wooden spoon to separate and cook. Saute the meat for five minutes on medium high heat. Add coriander powder, garam masala, cayenne pepper and salt. Place the lid cook on medium heat covered about 20 minutes. Take the lid off add the frozen peas and turn the heat to high and sauté the mixture till the moisture has evaporated, about 7 to 8 minutes. Adjust seasoning, and sprinkle cilantro before serving.