Tag: quick dinners
Healthy Indian Style Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions and Zucchini served with Sweet Potato Fries
Once in a while I come up with a fabulous meal- it is tasty, healthy and very good looking. This is one of them. One of my favorite things to eat is a good hamburger- especially at our local pub. Since watching Food Inc, I have been off hamburgers especially at restaurants.
So, I decided to make turkey burgers but with a twist. I love ground turkey for a lot of things but when I have a regular turkey burger I always compare it to a beef burger and it just doesn’t stand up to it’s competitor. To avoid the comparison I decided to use my seekh kebab mix. It is extremely flavorful loaded with aromatics- perfect for a juicy burger. Now, what about the toppings? I didn’t want to use mayo since it is loaded with calories. I had cilantro chutney in the fridge that I normally serve with seekh kebabs- perfect. I also thought of the delicious tomato chutney from Trader Joes- that would pair up really well with the cilantro chutney. I needed to incorporate vegetables in this meal and so I decided to caramelize onions and saute up some zucchini and use them as toppings for the healthy burgers. Of course, I bought the soft whole-wheat hamburger buns from Trader Joes and while I was there, I also picked up sweet potatoes. They are super healthy and I wanted to incorporate them into the meal as well- I cut them up into wedges and made oven fries- they were delicious- especially paired with garlic powder and smoked paprika. The sweetness in this orange vegetable was wonderful with the savory garlic powder and smoky paprika.
Overall it was a fabulous meal- I did an article about this healthy, delicious meal on the New York Times, The Local.
Try the healthy Indian style hamburgers with the veggies and sweet potatoes next time you want to eat a hamburger.
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Bowtie Pasta with Spinach and Chicken
My daughter was having one of her play dates again and two of her friends were coming over and staying for dinner. My daughter loves having her friends over for dinner- “it is so much fun”, she always says. I usually remind her that I have to make something healthy and usually from scratch so it is quite a lot of work me me- but honestly, I enjoy it too. Especially because I get to try out different kid-friendly dishes and see their reactions.
For this particular dinner I needed to make something in advance since I was not going to be home. Our sitter would be giving them their meal. I had two chicken breast on the bone which I decided to roast with the skin on. I shredded the meat once it was nice and juicy after taking the skin off. I bought bowtie pasta to make things a little interesting. I bought baby spinach since I needed the meal to be made in one pot and it also had to be well balanced.
I cooked the pasta and mixed the shredded chicken and baby spinach in the sauce pan. I added some homemade tomato sauce to give the pasta additional yummy flavor. I transferred the pasta into an oven proof dish and mixed in and topped with some shredded mozzarella cheese.
It was simple and quick. Once I got home I was curious to know their reactions. I was told they were all skeptical at first since everything was mixed in together but once they tried it- they liked it. My daughter who is more used to eating such meals thought it was delicious.
Next time you have a dinner play date for your kids- try the bowtie pasta with spinach and chicken.
Rice and Beans with Shredded Chicken
I have started the new year with yet another one pot meal. How great is a one pot meal??- I love them. With this particular one, I served a salad and some store bought green salsa and it was a huge success.
I love not having to clean multiple pots and pans and not spending extra time cooking side dishes. This is a perfect week night meal.
Since I talked about brown rice yesterday, this dish would be ideal with brown rice. I would increase the cooking time, of course- but the flavor won’t be compromised at all. Especially in this dish, since there are lots of strong flavors going on, this dish might be perfect to experiment with- your family may not be able to tell the difference at all.
As most of you know, I love shopping at Trader Joes- especially for the new and fabulous ingredients they keep coming out with. I found a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies recently. I picked it up immediately and decided to use it for a south western style dish. I loved the flavor in this dish- it brings a smoky kick to the rice dish- really delicious. Please try it…
- 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced and fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies (Trader Joes)
- 1 15 oz can of pinto beans
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ cups chicken broth
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. In the meantime, sprinkle paprika and salt on both sides of the chicken pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the heated oil and brown both sides- about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add the onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the rice and salt. Continue boiling till the broth begins to evaporate and bubbles form on the surface. Lower the heat to low and cover the saucepan half way. Once the all the broth has evaporated, cover all the way and cook for 20 minutes or till the rice is done.
Take the chicken pieces out and shred with a fork. Put back in the pan and mix with the rice and beans.
Serve with a green salad and freshly made guacamole.
Chicken Sausage Noodle Stir Fry
This is a really quick, last minute meal. I had a super busy day and didn’t have anything for dinner.
I kept thinking what to make. I had a couple chicken sausages in the fridge. I always have grated carrots, green onions and some other vegetables in the crisper.
It is so important to have a well stocked pantry and fridge at a time like this. I decided to make a quick noodle stir fry. I chopped up the sausage, green onion, red pepper and garlic. I had chinese style noodles in the pantry which I decided to use- although any spaghetti or fettucini style pasta will do as well.
I added some tamari and in a few minutes I had a fabulous noodle stir fry. It is a one-pot meal with the protein and the vegetables all in one. I love making dishes like this plus my daughter loved it.
I added a bit of chile sauce for my husband and I and that is what we had for dinner as well. I opened some white wine and we had a green salad with it.
It was quick, fast and delicious! I think this is a perfect meal for this busy holiday season.
- 2 chicken sausages, cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 green onions, whites and greens chopped and separated
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ red pepper, small chop
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 2 eggs
- 1 sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces spaghetti or egg noodles, cooked
Beat the eggs with the sesame oil and salt. Keep aside.
In a wok like pan, heat the olive oil. Add the sausages and sauté on medium high heat for a minute. Add the carrots, garlic, white part of the green onions and red pepper. Saute for a minute and add the egg. Mix well till the egg is cooked. Add the cooked spaghetti and tamari. Mix well and add the green part of the green onions. Check for seasonings and serve.
Keema Lasagna
I made this lasagna for a friend and her kids. I was a bit skeptical since the keema I used in the dish was cooked in Indian spices. Although the meat was not spicy, it did taste different and I wasn’t sure if my friend’s kids would enjoy the flavor.
I decided to make a bechamel sauce- which is essentially the white sauce used in macaroni and cheese. I thought the creaminess of the sauce will off set any ‘strange’ flavors that the meat may have. It is very hard to gauge how kids are going to react to new dishes. I love experimenting on my daughter’s friends- as they taste the dish, their faces say everything.
I also had a fresh made tomato sauce which I used in the lasagna. I used gruyere and parmigiano cheeses to layer between the noodles. Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses to use in such dishes- it melts beautifully and had a delicious nutty flavor.
It turns out, they all did eat the lasagna. My daughter asked me why it tasted like keema?? I asked her to be quiet and keep eating.
I considered it a success. I thought it was fabulous- I loved the dry spice flavors mixed in with the creamy bechamel sauce and cheese. I made a salad and served some red wine. It was all good.
- 1 cup prepared keema
- 2 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- 3 cups béchamel sauce
- 1½ cup grated gruyere cheese
- ½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 6 lasagna no-boil lasagna sheets
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the two cheeses and keep aside. Pour 1 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 lasagna pan. Add three lasagna sheets. Add ½ cup of keema, spreading it evenly. Top it with ½ cup grated cheese and 1 cup béchamel sauce. Add three more lasagna sheets and repeat the process. Top with the last three lasagna sheets. Pour the remaining 1 cup béchamel sauce. Then add the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce. Top with 1 cup grated cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 60-80 minutes or till the noodles are soft and cooked and the cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Bechamel Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Heat a pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute and then whisk in milk, Add the thyme and the rosemary. Season with salt and nutmeg. Cook until thickened, about 7-8 minutes, whisking occasionally.
