KitchenHelper

Sameera sent this recipe. Chutneys - wet or dry- play an important part in Indian cuisines. They help to add that extra punch to a very simple meal. Here's a dry chutney recipe:
Take a cup of roasted chana dal (in Indian store U get them as Daliya, not sure what is the actual name), 2-3 (medium size) cloves of garlic, 1/2 -1 table spoon of jeera, and 6-7 dried red chilies (depends on how hot U want...6-7 is not hot at all) and salt to taste. Grind everything together in the blender. If its not hot enough add one or 2 more red chilies and grind it again together. Store it in an air-tight container.
Sameera says that it is eaten with uppama, idli and dosa also, but right now she is enjoying it with warm rice with a bit of ghee.

It was going to be a chaos - I knew it. What else could one expect with 4 head strong, opinionated girls with a wicked sense of humor trying to cook in a tiny kitchen (mine) while trying to finish the whole pitcher of Sangria that K had made. I am amazed that I even have pictures to show (thanks S) of the food.
The problems started with the shopping. We were in different cities and the shopping was divided amongst all four of us. "A" insists that she was never told to get the frozen dough, and she ended up getting the pre-made Pizza base (much to the irritation of the 1/24th Italian in S).
But after a lot of hand waving and made up Italian cusses, S made the sauce -her secret recipe. A can of crushed tomatoes, 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic cloves, a tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp. of basil leaves. Mix together with 2 Tbsp of olive oil.

Since I was outnumbered by the Veggie Police - the toppings consisted of thinly sliced onions, green pepper, red pepper, jalapenos, olives, spinach, pineapple and a choice of Feta cheese or Mozarrella. Each one of us then piled on the sauce (leave 1/2 inch from the edge) and added the toppings of our choice and baked it for 15 min in a pre-heated 400F oven.

That one is mine - heavy on the topping and low on the cheese, crisp and just yummy.

I like making the pizza from scratch (I cheat by buying the dough from a pizzeria or supermarket), I don't like the pre-made bases. But Pizza is just the perfect food to have with friends, just catching up with the pefect drink and a great movie (We watched John Cussack movies). Try making a pizza for your friday night movie party and drop a line about your prefered Pizza toppings.

I love Spinach and try to incorporate it in any way I can into my meals. When I saw the various wraps that are available here, I knew I could make them more healthy and desi by incorporating Indian ingredients and lil' spice into them. Here's how.
Sautee a bunch of spinach leaves with couple of cloves of garlic and about 2-3 chillies.

I cook the spinach mixture half way through and then puree the mix with as little water as possible. Then to this I added wheat flour, a teaspoon of ground cumin and a handfull of roasted sesame (Til) and mixed it together to get a dough. At the end I added a table spoon of vegetable oil (I used sunflower) and coated the dough with it. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Then I divided the dough to rough same size bits the sixe of a ping pong ball. Sprinkle some wheat floor onto the rolling surface and roll the ball into a round thin sheet with the aid of a rollin pin. You can add as much floor you need to keep the dough from sticking. With experience the amount of floor will decrease to a minimum. This is also the point where the consistency of the dough can be judged by a novice. If the dough is too sticky, knead more floor into the dough. If it cracks as you roll, knead a little oil/water into into the dough.

Gently lift the thinly rolled dough onto a medium heated pan (if you hold your hand above the pan you should be able to feel the heat but still be bale to hold your hand above the pan). Cook for 2-3 min and then flip over. Cook through. Oil (or Ghee) the partially cooked side and flip over. Repeat with the other side gently pressing on to the surface. The chapati should poof up.

Remove onto a cooking sheet and let it cool. Serve with dal, pickle and some yogurt. You can use this for wraps, too.
If you are like me, then kneading dough and cleaning up everyday would not be your cup of tea. So do what I do. Cook all the rotis and cool them Stack them on to of each other with a layer of parchment paper in between, put in ziplock bags and freeze them (make sure to put date on the bag). Thaw as per need and heat it through before eating.

My aunt gave me one of the best tips for quick and easy meals when I came to the US. When she heard about my busy schedule, she advised me to start buying Rotesserie chicken at the local food mart and then use the pre-cooked meat to dish up 2-3 meals. I usually buy the smallest chicken on sale ( around 2-3 lbs.) and then use it for a couple lunches and dinners. There are various flavors about, so experiment to find the one that suits your palate. A healthy tip - Remove the skin from the chicken and eat the white meat.
So over the weekend I bought a Rotesserie chicken and here's what I plan on doing with it:
Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
I shredded the chicken breast and added a hot, spicy garlic barbecue sauce (this one is from a local barbeque place but you can buy one from the ketchup section at your deli or from your favorite restaurent). I heat the meat through by placing it in a pan over medium heat. Remember the meat is already cooked, so don't leave it for long. I generally serve it on whole wheat buns/ multi grain bread with a side of mashed potatoes/ coleslaw or baked beans. You can save time by buying the sides at your deli.
Honey Mustard/Avocado Chicken Hoagie
Take a whole wheat baguette and slice horizontally. To one half, add shredded chicken meat, honey mustard (You can substitute your favorite mustard here), sliced avocado and Pepper jack or Swiss cheese. Put this under the broiler till the cheese melts and then add top of baguette and serve warm. Serve with cold ice tea.
And a good supper dish could be a Chicken and Sausage Gumbo,
4 oz. kielbasa (polish sausage), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cups roasted skinless chicken breasts (I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken)
1 Tablespoons flour
1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (frozen will do)
1/2 cup okra (frozen will do)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper or more
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 /2 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes w/peppers & onion (re-freeze rest with label and date)
1 /2 can chicken broth (I use the re-sealable pour cans)
PREPARATION:
1. In a Dutch oven over med-high heat, combine the flour and oil and sauté for about 3 minutes. 2. Add the onion, green pepper, okra, celery, thyme, ground red pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Stir in the kielbasa, chicken, tomatoes and broth and cook 6 minutes or until thouroughly heated.
4.Serve over cooked rice.

These recipes were found online, unfortunately I did not write down the name of the site/ cook down then.

This is going to be a blog dedicated to help young, novice cooks or the busy professionals to whip up non-fuss healthy meals everday.
The whole concept arose out of a conversation I had with Lalit. He suggested that I should write a blog about cooking tips and when I sat down to outline posibilities, I realized that I had lots of ideas - about make ahead meals, meals under 45 minutes, healthy cooking or serving a single ingredient in multiple ways. Then the germ evovled into how to cook single serving meals or economic shopping. The more I thought about this idea, the more firmly I believed this should be set up as a separate blog and so I did. I have also opened it to all - if you have a handy tip (or two) or some modified version of traditional recipe or a recipe handed down to you by your Mom or a good handy gadget to have, e-mail me and I will post it (with acknowledgement) on to the blog.
I will set up the first entry sometime this week- versatile use of an ingredient- so keep an eye out for the blog.