Easy Pesto Meatballs
I love making meatballs. This recipe is for days when you don’t have time but want to have a yummy Italian dinner….Super easy meatballs!!!
- 1 lb. ground turkey, pork or ground sirloin
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- 3-4 tablespoons home made or store bought pesto
- 1 egg- lightly beaten
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
Mix all the ingredients well but do not over do it. Transfer sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Form meatballs and cook in sauce for 30 minutes or till the meatballs are cooked through.
Masoor Dal (Pink Lentils)
Hello Meatless Monday! This is a yummy, easy dish to make with rice… I am reposting some really old recipes… nice to see the old stuff again..
- ½ cup pink lentils
- 3 cups water
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt to taste
Tempering
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/3 cup tomatoes chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Add the lentils in 3 cups of water in a heavy pan. Add the garlic, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the soft and mushy, about 15-20 minutes.
On the side in a small skillet, heat the oil. Add cumin, onion and tomatoes. Saute till onions are soft and mixed in with the tomatoes.
Add the tempering into the cooking lentils. Adjust salt and add the chopped cilantro.
Chicken Tikka
Simple, healthy and juicy chicken tikkas!
- 1 lb chicken-either boneless breast or thighs cut in small pieces
- Marinade
- 1 Cup low fat sour cream
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 3 tsp salt
- Juice of one big lemon
- Oil to drizzle
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Blend all the ingredients in a blender and marinate the chicken for at least
3-4 hours (over night is preferable). Take the chicken out of the marinade (save the marinade) and place on a cookie sheet, drizzle some oil on the pieces. Bake for about 15 minutes and turn the pieces and drizzle some more oil. Cook the pieces for another 15 minutes. (If using chicken breast, be careful not over bake) Bring the saved marinade to a boil and serve as a sauce with the chicken.
Aromatic Basmati Rice
It’s important to know how to make rice well- this is a simple recipe with some South Indian spices. I cook my rice with chicken broth but of course water or vegetable broth can be used…
- 1 Cup Basmati Rice
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 tblsp Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the spices heat up and get aromatic (careful not to burn). Add the rice and sauté in the oil and spices for a minute or so or until the rice becomes opaque. Add the chicken broth and the salt. Bring the rice to a boil and lower the flame to medium. Keep the rice half covered while it is still coming to a slow boil. Once most of the broth is evaporated, cover over very low heat.
Palak Paneer (Spinach and Indian Cheese)
This is the basic palak paneer recipe. I changed it up a bit by adding cilantro and dill to the spinach mixture. It gives it an amazing earthy flavor…
Palak Paneer is cooked in several different ways. Restaurants tend to make it quite rich with lots of butter and cream. In the homemade versions the paneer is fried. I have tried to make mine as simple and healthy as possible. I don’t think there is any need to fry the paneer, soaking it in water makes it very soft and spongy and it absorbs the spinach flavor well. It is a little time consuming but the result is worth the extra work. I grew up with this dish in Delhi, having all different versions of it. I like my mom’s the best and this is very close to hers.
I like eating Palak Paneer with some dal (check out the masoor dal recipe) and roti/naan. Beer goes nicely with Indian food, but since I am more of a wine drinker, I go for a crisp Riesling, Savignon Blanc, Rose or Champagne!
- 12 ounces Paneer- store bought Indian cheese
- 1 pound chopped frozen spinach-thawed in the package
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 inches ginger, small pieces
- 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt- or to taste
- ¼ cup half-and-half
Cut the paneer into two inches squares and place in a medium bowl with water to cover the cheese. Let the paneer soak in the water for at least 2 hours. This makes the cheese nice and soft for consumption.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil with the cumin seeds. In the mean time blend the onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro into a paste- don’t wash the blender, we will re-use it for the spinach. Once the cumin begins to sizzle, add the onion mixture. Saute this mixture on medium heat for 10 minutes stirring consistently. Then add the crushed tomatoes, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Saute for another 10 minutes stirring well. On the side, blend the thawed spinach in the same blender. Add the blended spinach to the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for at least 15 minutes or till the water (from the spinach) has evaporated. Add the half and half and the drained paneer. Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat with the lid on. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Coconut Shrimp
This dish is worth reposting. I used the recipe this past weekend for a dinner party I was having. I thought it would be fun to post the dishes I made… next time you want to have a dinner party and cook Indian food- you may want to use this menu…I changed it up a bit by adding sliced onions- made it super delicious…
This dish is truly delicious! I made it the other day- concocted it in my head the day before I was supposed to cook and take it to my friend’s house.
She was having a get together and wanted to know where to get a few meat snacks for a cocktail party. I suggested we cook at home instead. It is so hard to find a place that makes and delivers yummy food. Also, by the time they bring the food over, it’s cooked and cold and doesn’t taste the same reheated. We decided I will cook the shrimp and take to her house. I decided to do a stir fry style dish which will taste good room temperature as shrimp is not so tasty reheated.
There used to be a South Indian restaurant in Edison, NJ that served delicious seafood. We would go once in a while and make it a point to order a shrimp stir fry for appetizer. It was yum! It had cumin and fennel seeds amongst other ingredients. I started to think of that dish and got inspired to make the coconut shrimp.
I roasted the cumin and fennel seeds and powdered them in a spice grinder. I also had fresh frozen shredded coconut which I roasted as well- just to give it more of a crunch in the dish. Store bought, packaged coconut can be substituted for the dish.
The overall flavor was enhanced by the marinade- which was simply lemon juice, garlic, salt and olive oil. I sauteed the marinated shrimp with the spice mix and added the coconut. Very simple, yet very tasty.
It was a big hit at the party. This dish will definitely be part of my repertoire going forward. Give it a try- you won’t be disappointed!
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Blackened Red Snapper
This is an easy, fast and super healthy recipe… I am trying to cook fish at least twice a week and this is a great one.
- 4 red snapper fillets
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Lemon slices
Mix the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle all over the fillets.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Heat a cast iron skillet and add the oil. Add the fillets skin side down and cook till almost opaque. Turn and cook the other side for another minute. Serve with lemon slices.