Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Italian Cuisine, Poultry, kid friendly
Tuesday Apr 26, 2011
What do you do with leftover roast chicken and cauliflower??? Well, you make individual, homemade pizzas, of course! I love making pizza at home. I buy the pizza dough from a local pizzeria. I have tested different ones over the years and have come up with the one I like the best. You can do the same in your town. It is cheaper to buy raw dough and make individual pizzas at home- and most of all, it is fun.
I divide the dough into at least 4 or 5 and make individual pizzas for everyone. I shredded the chicken and halved potatoes and cauliflower and set them aside for the topping. I had my delicious homemade tomato sauce and I always have shredded mozzarella cheese on had as well. That is all I needed to make delicious individual pizzas.
It was delicious- and best of all, it was healthy with veggies on it. My daughter ate it not even thinking about what was on the pizza. Since she had eaten the roast the day before including the cauliflower, she had no problem eating all of that on the pizza. I loved it with the red sauce and the creamy cheese- and with a glass of red wine…
Try this pizza- it is simply delicious…
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Italian Cuisine, Poultry, kid friendly, one pot meals
Monday Apr 25, 2011
One of my favorite things to have around is pesto. I usually have some in the freezer and fridge. I admit- I don’t make my own all the time- yes, I know you are surprised. How could I do this??? Well, I try to save time whenever I can and I think the store variety is just fine- well, you want to make sure it is good quality.
Anyway, I decided to use pesto as the star of the meal. I bought some chicken legs and for the vegetable I used a cauliflower and potatoes. The other great thing about this meal was the one pot aspect- I love coming up with them. Using pesto is very simple since it already has garlic, parmesan cheese and lots of basil, and of course olive oil too – perfect for a roast. I slathered the chicken, cauliflower and potatoes with delicious sauce with a little bit more of olive oil and salt.
The pesto made the dish yummy. My daughter does not like potatoes, so I gave her some chicken and the cauliflower. I also heated up the frozen baguettes I always have on hand from Trader Joes. They are crusty and delicious- and the perfect individual size. The grown ups had a glass of red wine and my daughter had a cup of milk. The meal was perfect. It was quick and delicious.
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Italian Cuisine, Poultry, kid friendly, pasta
Sunday Apr 24, 2011
I love one pot meals. They are so simple and quick to make- I try to come up with them as much as possible. What is better than a one pot meal, you ask? Well, it would be the one for which I have all the ingredients at home- no need to go to the grocery store. I realize most people hate going to the market- I am not sure why.. I love going to the grocery store. I am at a food store, literally everyday. I love coming up with what to make in the morning and then I go shopping for all the ingredients. I sometimes get embarrassed about being seen at the store by the employees. They all recognize me and sometimes ask me (in a very nice way) why I am here every day??
Anyway, as I was saying, this dish was very easy to make. I always have chicken sausage and chopped spinach in the freezer. I also make a batch of tomato sauce every week or so- it is great to have around, especially when packing lunch for my daughter. I put all the ingredients together and baked it in the oven. It was a quick, delicious, one pot meal…
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Chinese Inspired, Entrées, Vegetarian, kid friendly, one pot meals
Monday Apr 18, 2011
This simple dish can be served with the Asian stew I made yesterday. I love making fried rice- like quesadillas, you can add anything to the mix and it comes out delicious. I love emptying out my fridge and coming up with a delicious fried rice. Sometimes when I am really lazy, I take out a box of frozen brown rice which I always have on hand, and use it for the fried rice.
I had kale in my fridge which needed to be cooked. I had eggs in the fridge and of course the brown rice. I find the brown variety an ideal choice for fried rice. My daughter doesn’t seem to be able to tell the difference especially since fried rice has a honey color from the soy sauce- so using brown rice is ideal. I kept it very simple- garlic, ginger, shallots, tamari and some oyster sauce.
It was done before I knew it.. It can also be served as a meal since it has a vegetable and protein from the egg and whole grain from the brown rice. It is a well balanced meal and a great thing to pack for a school lunch the next day!
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Poultry, kid friendly
Monday Apr 4, 2011
Chicken is one of the most popular proteins. There are tons of recipes in books, magazines and on the internet- but people are still always looking for new recipes to make their weeknight meals a bit more exciting.
One of the more classic ways of making chicken is roasting a whole bird. A lot of people are a bit intimidated to make this dish.
It is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. I love how my house smells as the bird is roasting in the oven. I also love how I can create a one pot meal by adding tons of vegetables to the bottom of the roasting pan.
For this particular one, I used a lot of winter ingredients in season. I made a compound butter consisting of orange and meyer lemon zest. I filled the bottom of the pan with carrots and fennel.
The chicken was delicious- try it for a Sunday dinner…
Click here for the recipe… »
