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Roasted Brussels sprouts with Chorizo

  • 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pack fresh Mexican chorizo, casings off and crumbled
  • Salt
  • 2 medium shallots, chopped
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling water, drain and put them into an ice bath to shock them and retain the color. Take out of the water and pat dry. Keep aside. This can be done a day before and refrigerated.

Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the chorizo and cook on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes till golden brown. Add the shallots and cook, stirring and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook for a minute. Add the Brussels sprouts to the mixture, mix well and cook for 5 to 6 minutes till the sprouts are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Cauliflower and Sausage Pasta with Pesto
  • 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • 2 to 3 sausage, crumbled
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • ½ pound cooked pasta with 1 cup pasta water spared

Transfer the cauliflower florets to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle salt and olive oil. Roast under a hot broiler till all sides are golden brown- about 10 minutes on each side. Take out and keep aside.

Pesto

  • 1 full cup fresh basil
  • 1 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup pistachios
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt

Add the garlic and pistachios to a food processor. Pulse till chopped. Add the basil, anchovy fillets, start pulsing and drizzle the olive oil and proxess till a smooth sauce is formed. Take out of the processor, add the cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Keep aside.

Heat a wide frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and ½ cup of the pasta water. Add the pesto, mix well and check for seasonings. Add more pasta water if necessary. Serve warm.

 

 

Paneer and Peas Korma

  • ½ pound paneer, cut into small squares and soaked in warm water
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cashews, soaked in ¼ cup warm water for 20 minutes
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

Transfer the drained cashews, cream, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic to a blender. Add some water if necessary and blend till a smooth paste is formed. Keep aside.

  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 1 ½ cups frozen peas
  • 1 teaspoon kauri methi (dried fenugreek)
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a heavy saucepan with the oil. Add the bay leave and cinnamon stick and sauté for 20 seconds. Add the cashew paste and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper, turmeric, salt and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the drained paneer and peas and bring back to a boil and simmer half covered with a lid for 10 minutes.  Add the kasuri methi and cilantro. Check for seasonings and serve warm.

Healthy Frozen Treat: Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

strawberry-sorbet Everyone loves frozen treats in the summer and as I sit outside in this humid sauna, I wouldn’t mind having one right now. Every time we (my daughter and I) are in town (Maplewood), she wants to get an ice cream; or any time we are outside or in the park, the ice cream truck comes along; or any time we are at the pool, she wants ice cream. You get the picture. I am not happy buying her ice cream all the time, especially because I don’t know what kind of crappy ingredients are in there. I especially hate the very colorful ones with gum inside- and of course Sia absolutely loves them. There is always an argument over when and where she can get ice cream. I would prefer to buy ice cream outside once in a while and instead give it to her more often at home. I remember growing up and only wanting to eat ice cream outside- it just tasted better…. so I do understand her point of view.

I keep healthy things at home and want her to eat and be aware of what she puts in her body. Beside buying good quality ice cream, I try to make some at home. I have experimented with a few gelato flavors and some sorbets. I had a lot of strawberries at home- which is quite easy to do in the summer months- and didn’t know what to do with them. I first thought of making a strawberry sauce to drizzle on top of ice cream but then decided to make  a sorbet instead. 

Fresh, healthy sorbet with all natural ingredients- what a concept. I looked at a few recipes on line and then came up with my own version. It was very simple to make and not time consuming at all. My daughter helped by being the ‘taste tester’.

It was a winner- she loved it. I can’t say the ice cream eating outside the house has decreased since then- though I keep trying, but at least I feel good every time she eats it at home!

Try this one, it’s delicious!
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Pistachio Cardamom Gelato

Pistachio Cardamom Gelato This is the second flavor I have tried after discovering a gelato recipe made out of whole milk and corn starch. I thought of pistachios because it is my husband’s favorite and it was around his birthday. I decided to be a really nice wife and make him happy. When I started to think about the recipe, I felt it needed to be a little different than your typical pistachio gelato. Since whole milk was the main ingredient – I felt another ingredient needed to be added to off-set the lack of fat in this gelato. I thought of cardamom- I love the flavor, very flowery and delicate but exremely dominant. It makes me think of the Indian version of ice cream,  kulfi. Kulfi is made out of whole milk that is cooked on a low heat for hours- it is essetially evaporated till the consistency is thick and custard like. It is then frozen in different molds. Typically it is flavored with cardamom, mango or saffron. I remember growing up eating mango kulfi that my Mom would make. It would be quite a production since it takes a while to cook and then freeze. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the frozen metal mold full of yummy frozen milk. When I was putting this particular frozen dessert together, the smell took me back. Adding the cardamom to the milk and pistachios made this concoction amazingly delicious.

After chilling the mixture over night and then adding it to the ice cream maker- we were all very curious to try the first bite- and , it was delicious- the creaminess of the pistachios came through and the cardamom was definitely the star. It definitely didn’t taste like it was made out of whole milk- extremely creamy- we didn’t miss the cream and the eggs at all.

Most importantly, my husband really enjoyed it. I took it to a get together and it was a big hit! I think the next one I make will be with hazelnuts- can’t wait!

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