Hariyali Chicken

Posted on November 30, 2010 by meggamoma

Hariyali actually means green .I have seen this chicken prepared in a number of ways to achieve the green color , but basically it is prepared with both mint and cilantro in a base of thick plain yogurt . Some recipes call for pureeing the herbs before adding them to the thickened yoghurt , this gives an intense green color to the chicken , I prefer to chop the herbs finely and have little specks show up throughout .

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1 lb boneless chicken breast , cubed

1/2 cup thick plain yoghurt , whole milk or Greek yoghurt work great

2 tbsp finely chopped mint

2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root

1 green chili (Serrano or jalapeno ) minced well.

salt to taste

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

1 tsp ground cumin seed

1 small onion cut into cubes

1 small red pepper , cut into cubes ( optional )

1 tbsp butter , melted .

Bamboo skewers .

Marinate the chicken in the yoghurt , herbs , cumin, chili , ginger , salt and lemon pepper . Allow to marinate up to 4 hours , refrigerated .

Thread chicken on to skewers , alternating with the red pepper and onion .

Brush on melted butter .

Grill or bake at 350 * for 25 minutes or until juices run clear .

Serve  with a wedge of fresh lemon and a sprinkling of salt.

Filed under: Chicken, Indian | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Szechwan Pork

Posted on November 28, 2010 by meggamoma

If you crave spicy hot Asian food , this is it . I have adapted this recipe from Nita Mehta , only because my family loves really spicy food ( I joke my kids were bore with bottles of hot sauce attached to their hips ! ) , and because I chose to use boneless pork , sliced really thin and deep fried till crisp. The original recipe called for pork ribs , cut into squares and boiled to cook , then marinated and deep fried . Both ways work well . I also added sichuan pepper corns for added heat , but this is purely optional .

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

2 lbs pork ribs , cut into 1 inch squares ( I used 1  1/2 lbs boneless pork loin , sliced thin.

MARINADE

2 tsp chopped ginger

3 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs sherry

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1 cup oil for deep frying

SZECHWAN SAUCE

3 tbs oil

2 to 3dry red chillies , broken into bits

1 tbs sichuan peppercorns , optional

3 red peppers , chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tsp chopped garlic

2 tsp chopped ginger

2 spring onions

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs sherry

5 tbs ketchup

5 tbs vinegar

Place ribs in a pan , add water, cover and bring to a boil . Cook for 30 minutes . Drain well . ( skip this step and go straight to the marinade and sliced pork if using pork loin ).

Combine marinade ingredients and add pork . Refridgerate for 2 hours .

Heat oil , deep fry pork until golden .drain well , keep aside.

Heat 3 tbs oil in a skillet .Add broken red chillis and sichuan peppercorn ( if using ). Add peppers , ginger , garlic and onion , stirfry on high heat for 1 to 2 minutes . ( the vegetables should still be firm ).

Add sherry , sugar , ketchup and vinegar . Simmer for 5 minutes .

Add pork , stirring to coat . Serve

Filed under: asian, Chinese, Pork | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Vegan East Coast coffee cake

Posted on November 27, 2010 by meggamoma

The idea of a piece of cake with a crunchy , crumbly topping , is a thing of joy to me . New york is so well known for its coffee cake , but it is rare to find one that’s vegan , moist and delicious . The thing that impressed me about this recipe is the ease it is put together , the hardest part is the wait while its baking and , yes , cooling , just enough to sink your teeth into !

Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

TOPPING

1 cup All purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil , plus up to 2 tbs more if needed ( I did need it )

CAKE

3/4 cup soy milk ( or any nondairy milk )

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1  1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

SERVING

2 tbs powdered sugar (optional )

Preheat the oven to 375*F  .Lightly grease an 8 inch round springform pan or an 8 inch square pan . Measure out milk for the cake and mix in 1 tsp of vinegar. Set aside to curdle . Then begin preparing the topping .

TOPPING

In a small mixing bowl , mix together the flour , cinnamon and nutmeg . drizzle in the canola oil by the tablespoon . use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form . Alternate swishing and adding canola oil until all the oil is used and large crumbs have formed . Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine , just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs . You can add another tablespoon or two of oil if needed .

CAKE

In a large mixing bowl , mix together the milk mixture , sugar , canola oil and vinegar . Sift in the flour , baking powder and salt and mix until smooth .

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan . Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down , just a bit . Bake for 35 to 40 minutes , or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean .

Let cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving . Sift optional sugar over top once cooled .

Filed under: Desert, Dessert, Eggless, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Pappardelle Pasta Tricolore

Posted on November 25, 2010 by meggamoma

Papppadelle pasta are long thick ribbon pasta , usually napped in a rich thick hearty sauce . Our family loves to eat this in a cream based sauce with sauteed mushrooms , baby spinach and sundried tomatoes . This is topped off with fresh parsley and shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese . whenever my younger son is home from college , this is a dish always on his wish list !

Serves 4

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

3/4 lb dried pappadelle pasta

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs unsalted butter

12 cremini mushrooms , cleaned and sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste

1/2 cup picked , rinsed and coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup drained sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup freshly shaved parmiagiano reggiano cheese

1 cup heavy cream

Bring a large pot of water to boil . Salt well and add pappadelle to cook just till al dente.

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet  over medium high heat till butter is melted . Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are brown and cooked . Stir in spinach and stir just till wilted . Season with salt and pepper . Stir in the sliced sun dried tomatoes and the heavy cream . Allow to simmer.

Drain the pasta , reserving some of the cooking liquid . Stir the pasta into the tossing , tossing to coat well . Add some pasta cooking water if the sauce is too thick . Plate onto a warm plate . Sprinkle generously with parsley and shaved parmigiano reggiano .

Serve .

Filed under: italian, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The best eggless pecan squares

Posted on November 24, 2010 by meggamoma

Every Thanksgiving I yearn for Pecan Pie . this is the closest I have come to experiencing that taste minus the eggs . These bars are somewhat delicate to cut into once baked . I have found creating a sleeve of foil makes a fast job of removing the cookie out of the baking tray . Make sure the cookie is completely cool before cutting into squares .

Makes about 28 squares

Southern Living

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan and line the length with foil , enough to hang slightly over the edges .Set aside.

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup butter , softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup butter

3 tbs whipping cream

3  1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together 2 cups flour and 2/3 cup powdered sugar . Cut in 3/4 cup softened butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal . Pat mixture on bottom and 1  1/2 inches up sides of lined baking  pan .

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned . Cool .

Bring brown sugar , honey ,2/3 cup butter and whipping cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat . Stir in pecans , and pour hot filling into prepared crust .

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly . Cool completely before cutting into squares .

Filed under: Desert, Dessert, Eggless | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Perfect Vegan Pancakes

Posted on November 20, 2010 by meggamoma

Breakfast foods are great any time of day . occasionally , like many folk I know , I indulge this enjoyment for dinner , especially on a gloomy sunday evening . It is comforting to dig into a short stack , topped with syrup and , my favorite strawberries and blueberries , only when in season, ofcourse ! These pancakes are the winning recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz , to me , the fact that they are vegan is just the icing on the cake .

Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

Makes 8 four to five inch pancakes

1  1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon ( optional )

2 tbs canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 to 1 1/4 cups plain rice milk or soy milk

2 tbs pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for at least 2 minutes ( and up to 5 minutes ).

In a large bowl , sift together the flour , baking powder , salt and cinnamon . Make a well in the center and add the oil , water , milk ,maple syrup and vanilla . Mix just until ingredients are combined . A few lumps in the batter are just fine .

Spray the pan with a light coat of cooking spray ( or a very light coat of oil ) . Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry ( about 3 minutes ) . Flip over and cook  for another minute . Serve.

Filed under: Eggless, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Pecan Shortbread

Posted on November 17, 2010 by meggamoma

 During the holidays I like to bake with spices and nuts . Nothing  evokes the warmth of the holidays more , to me , than pecans , from pies to cookies to squares and , even brownies . I love this simple pecan shortbread recipe from Ina Garten , it has a melt in your mouth texture , with the slight crunch from the pecans . it is quick and easy to make and ships well , so it makes great holiday gifts .

Makes 24 cookies

Ina Garten

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

3/4 lb unsalted butter , room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp pure almond extract

3  1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1  1/2 cup small diced pecans

Preheat oven to 350degrees F

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment , mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined . Add extracts . in a medium bowl , sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter sugar mixture . Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together . Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk . Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes .

Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into 2  1/2 squares with plain or fluted cutter . Put the cookies on an ungreased baking tray .

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until edges begin to brown . Allow to cool . Serve

Filed under: Desert, Eggless | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Quick and easy Indian roast chicken

Posted on November 16, 2010 by meggamoma

I wish I could recollect how or where I learnt to prepare this chicken I refer to as “my 5 minute dinner ” , but its so long ago that I simply cannot remember . All I know is , when in a real rush to get dinner done , this is my never fail to please recipe . It is flavorful , spicy ,tender and , except from the natural fat of the chicke ( I use boneless chicken breast ) , there is no fat to talk of . serve this with some crusty bread , naan or a simple basmatic pilaf.

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1 lb boneless , skinless chicken breast

2 tbs Vindaloo paste ( I use Patak’s , sold in Indian grocery stores )

2 tbs each minced fresh mint and cilantro

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

Salt to taste

Mix the yoghurt , herbs  , salt and vindaloo paste together . pread on to the chicken breasts and , either allow to marinade , refridgerated , up to 24 hours or roast immediaetly at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes .

Serve hot with naan or rice

Filed under: Chicken, Indian | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Vegan coconut almond macaroons

Posted on November 16, 2010 by meggamoma

I recently stumbled across this amazing coconut almond macaroon on a wedsite called savvy vegetarian .I have tried this recipe a few times with great success , each time altering and tweeking till I had the best final product ( to the agreement of all who tried them ) . I added some coconut extract and switched from ground almonds to almond paste , this gave the macaroon a more moist , chewy texture . I added a little salt and baked them in mini muffin tins to hold their shape better ……just delicious success !

Makes 2 dozen

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1 eight ounce can almond paste ( Solo makes a great one )

1/4 tsp almond extract and 1/4 tsp coconut extract

1/4 tsp salt

2  1/2 tbs EnerG egg replacer plus 2/3 cup warm coconut milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease 24 small muffin or line with paper liners for a more festive look

Mix together the powdered sugar , coconut , almond paste , extracts and salt.

whisk the egg replacer and warm coconut milk till frothy.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients . Mix throughly.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop , drop spoonfuls of mixture into the prepared pans .

Bake for 17 to 18 minutes , until lightly golden .

Cool in pan . serve

Filed under: Desert, Eggless, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Vegan Amaretti cookies

Posted on November 12, 2010 by meggamoma

I decided to try making these fantastic looking vegan Amaretti cookies from the Holy cow website . On first glance I knew I wanted to make an addition of Amaretto liquor , just to heighten the almond flavor . the next change came in changing the almond flour to grinding blanched toasted almonds to a semi fine grind . The last change came about once the cookies were baking . In order to keep the cookies from crisping up too much , I cut the baking time down to almost half the baking time , that is 1 5  minutes . Hope this works ,I certainly loved the final product.

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1  1/2 cups ground , blanched toasted almonds

1/ 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour ( or all purpose )

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 tsp EnerG egg replacer , mixed with 2 tbs Amaretto liquor plus 2 tbs water (or 4 tbs water0

3/4 cup to 1 cup powdered confectioners’ sugar

Mix together the almond flour , pastry flour and baking powder.

In a food processor , or by hand , add to the flour mixture and sugar , the two extracts , and the egg replacer mixture . If using a food processor , pulse a few times to mix the ingredients .

The dough will be sticky . With a teaspoon place rounded mounds on a parchment lined cookie sheet .

Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes ( the original recipe called for 25 to 30 minutes ) until the tops are lightly browned , and the bottoms are a deeper , richer golden brown .

Place the sheet on a rack to cool about 10 minutes . Then , using a thin spatula , remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place directly on the rack to cool slightly .

When cooled , sprinkle the tops with some powdered sugar.

Filed under: Desert, Eggless, italian, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.