Stuffed Peppers

Yet another favorite dish of my family. Especially in the cold weather, this is one of the comfort foods.  It is a wholesome meal on its own. you can always serve this with your favorite salad or soup. But we don’t need anything else. Just 2-3 peppers per person, and we are set.

Here’s how I made it:

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

3 large peppers, different colors

1 cup prepared Nutrela grounds

1 cup prepared rice

1 medium onion

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp red chili powder

½ tbsp. dried oregano

2-3 tbsp oil

Salt

¼ cup canned black beans, drained

Grated Cheddar cheese, as required

Salsa, sour cream (Optional)

How to:

Heat up oil in a sauce pan.

Sauté onion and garlic until onion is soft.

Add all the spices and sauté on medium heat until fragrant, for about 2 minutes.

Now add soaked Nutrela grounds, black beans and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add rice, mix.

Pre heat oven to 400° F.

Halve the peppers, remove seeds and core.

Place on a greased baking sheet, cut side up.

Stuff with prepared mixture.

Top with cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes until peppers are tender, yet firm to touch.

Serve with salsa, sour cream.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Been to Panera Bread?  If you have, you know exactly what I am talking about! Their broccoli cheddar soup is to die for.  I love, love, love it.  It’s creamy, it’s thick, it’s hearty.  It’s just good for you soup. The only problem is, this is EXPENSIVE soup! I mean come on, how much does the broccoli cost?! Why do they have to charge so much for the soup? Just because it’s made fresh, doesn’t mean it should costs arms and legs, right?  I tried and searched and finally found this recipe that tastes almost exactly as theirs! I said almost exactly because I tried to go for even lighter ingredients for the soup. I did try to use butter and cream, and trust me, it turned out exactly like that soup I always enjoy at Panera Bread. So give this creamy and delicious soup that tastes just like Panera Bread a try! You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s how I made it:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon melted butter

½ medium chopped onion

¼ cup EVOO(use butter for full flavor)

¼ cup flour

2 cups evaporated milk (half-and-half cream in theirs)

2 cups chicken stock

½ lb fresh broccoli (about 1 cup)

1 cup carrot, julienned

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

How to:

Saute the onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside.

In a large pot whisk together the EVOO and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk and chicken stock.

Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions.

Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese.

Let the cheese melt and then serve.

For a smoother soup puree it in a blender... but I love the chunks!

Enjoy!

Pierogi Casserole

We love pierogies.  They are such easy to prepare, so versatile and provide a very hearty, one dish meal. This casserole was exactly that. I prefer this kind of meal for Sunday dinners. Nothing elaborate as I would like to rest as much as I can on Sunday evenings to recharge myself for the busy week ahead of me.  This was more of a semi homemade casserole and very much loved by my family. They also requested to make it often so I believe I hit the bull’s eye!

 Here’s how I made it.

Pierogi Casserole

Ingredients

17-20 pierogies(any kind, I used bacon, cheddar and potato pierogies)

1 small can condensed mushroom soup

¾ cup milk

1 onion

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp. oil

½ cup each shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses

How to:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat oil in a sauce pot.

Sauté onion, garlic and seasoning until fragrant, for about 3 minutes on medium high.

Add soup and milk and simmer till sauce is smooth.

Arrange  pierogies  in a single layer in 9x13 buttered glass dish.

Pour sauce over it.

Top with cheeses.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake further for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Cool down for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

“Steak” pizzaiola

Normally, this dish calls for steak. A nice and juicy beef steak. I wanted to make it vegetarian way and I decided to go with Portobello mushrooms. I really needn’t say more. Make it yourself and see! It is as good with pasta as it is with mashed garlicy potatoes. And again, this makes very good sandwiches.

 

 

 

Here’s how I made it.

 

Portobello Steak Pizzaiola

Ingredients:
2  tablespoons olive oil
1  medium onion, thinly sliced
1  green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 big Portobello Mushrooms
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 can  (14.5 ounces) pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

how to: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender.
slice the mushrooms and season them with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

Push vegetables to edge of pan.
Place mushrooms in pan and brown them for 2 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, uncover skillet, and simmer for 7 minutes.

 Sprinkle cheese over the mushroom steaks and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

 

Chicken in Red Sauce

 

Yet another easy peasy recipe that for sure makes you and your family bring to the dinner table faster and happier.  I was kind of bored with pasta. I knew I was making roasted potatoes and chicken. So to go with potatoes, I made this saucy chicken. And I thought it was a smart move because not only did it paired great with roasted potatoes, the leftovers made a great sandwich.

 

Here’s how I made it.

 

Chicken in Red Sauce

Ingredients

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can pasta sauce

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

A few basil leaves, julienned

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

4 slices of Provolone cheese

 

How to:

Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken breasts.

Sear the chicken in hot skillet until nice brown crust is formed

Remove from the heat, keep it warm.

Heat another pot and add 1 tbsp oil.

Saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes.

Add pasta sauce and bring it to boil

Heat oven to 400° F.

Place chicken in an oven proof dish, pour sauce over chicken.

Place cheese slices on chicken and cover and bake for about 15 minutes.

Uncovered and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is browned.

Garnish with basil leaves.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Chicken in Mushroom Cream Sauce

 

This is another dish if you want to make a healthy and feel good dinner in a jiffy. I love the simplicity of this white sauce. And it’s very versatile. I’ve used it with different ingredients to make different sauces. This chicken in mushroom cream sauce served with smashed potatoes was truly another soul food. Served with a cup of hot tomato soup. Exactly what we need to warm us up in this freezing cold.

 

Here’s how I made it.

 

Chicken in Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 can (370 ML) Carnation evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup slices mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

 

How to:

Heat butter and flour in a sauce pot on medium high heat.

Roast the flour until raw smell disappears

Now add mushrooms, salt, garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add evaporated milk and cook till the sauce thickens. It usally coats the back of the spoon, a very good indicator that the sauce is ready.

 

In a hot skillet, add oil.

Salt and pepper the chicken breast and sear to get the brown crust on both sides.

Pour sauce on top of chicken, cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!

 

Baked Ravioli

 

This was one of the easiest, fastest and most convenient dish I ever prepared. I had a box of fresh ravioli in my fridge that I wanted to use in a different way. Normally, I toss this ravioli in some kind of sauce or brown butter and enjoy but this time, I decided to bake the raviolis.

 

Here’s how I made it.

 

Baked Ravioli

Ingredients

1 lb fresh ravioli

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

 

How to:

Pre heat the oven to 400° F.

Spread the raviolis in a single layer in a greased oven proof dish.

Spread marinara sauce on top, followed by cheese.

Covered tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes.

Uncover, bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is browned and serve.

Enjoy!

Egg Masala

 

This is mom’s recipe. Whenver we were in a rut, mom used to quickly whip up this dish. And it was SO GOOD! Ever since mom has gone back to India, this was on back of my mind. Finally I got to make it. I didn’t change a thing in this recipe. Made it exactly the way mom makes it. And hubby loved it. Following day, he asked for it again! That was a big complement!

 

I also made lunch using the leftover egg masala, wrapping them in a large tortilla. Give it a try. I am sure you would be happy you did!

 

Here’s how I made it.

 

Egg Masala

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp each garlic, ginger paste

2-3 green chillies, finely chopped

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp each red chili powder and cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 medium tomato, chopped

 

How to:

In a wok, heat oil on medium high heat.

Add onion and saute till translucent.

Now add all the spices with tomato and saute till oil separates.

Break eggs carefully on the sauted masala mix.

Cover and cook for about 3 minutes until the eggs are done.

Enjoy!

 

Pesto Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes

 

The story goes something like this. Every Summer Wednesday, we have a farmer’s market across from the building I work. I try to go there almost every Wednesday, to pick up freshly baked breads and herbs. I especially look for basil. Love those  fresh, huge basil plants. I’ve tried so many times to plant Basil in my back yard- in the ground and in the pot. But those squirrels. They seem to be liking my basil. I plant today and tomorrow it’s gone. So I’ve stopped planting basil and since I love to use it in salads, I buy them. Well, I learned a trick about the farmer’s market. They start at 9 am. They close down at 2. So if I go after 1 pm, bingo. I am in for a big saving. Basil plants are normally $2.50 per plant. At 1, they give away 2 for $3! Now that’s a bargain. Last Wednesday, I was a bit late. Got there at around 1.30. no one had  basil plant left. Finally a farmer girl offered me to pick the leftover basil leaves from the huge box that they use to put their plants. I was so glad as it was for free! I picked up as many basil leaves as I could possibly find and guess what, I got a bagful of them. And no, I am not going to do this every week! I will go at 1 yes, to get the bargain though for sure.

So I brought the basil home, right away made pesto and in the weekend, had this wonderful chicken dinner.

Here’s how I made it.

Pesto Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients

1 cup Basil Pesto(2-3 cups loosely packed basil leaves, 6-9 cloves garlic, 1 hand ful walnuts, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 cup or so extra virgin olive oil- give them a zip in a food processor. Store in an airtight jar in a refrigerator for about 2 weeks.)

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper as needed

1 lb baby red potatoes

 

How to:

Place chicken breasts in between 2 plastic sheets, smooth side down and with a mallet, pound them as thin as possible.

Spread both sides of the breast with salt, pepper and italian seasoning as required.

Place all chicken breast on each other, overlapping slightly so that you can have about 8” large chicken breast circle.

Spread pesto all over it.

Roll it up tightly.

Bake it hot oven till chicken is done.

In the mean time, microwave baby potatoes for about 3 minutes, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped rosemary.

Spread the potatoes on a baking tray and bake in hot oven with chicken(at about 400° F.) until the potatoes are golden brown.

Serve with salad or your choice of steamed vegetables.

Enjoy!

Macaroni N Cheese

Now I am talking, right?! This is a classic comfort food adored by all ages. Kids love plain mac n cheese. Adults go for more sophisticated version of mac n cheese with all kinds of add ins and toppings. Again, possibilities are endless for add-ins and toppings. This time around, I just kept it simple with a few slices of bacon as an add-in and bread crumbs for topping. No need of anything actually. Just keep it plain as the kids would eat and you will have a satisfying meal.

Here’s how I made it.

Macaroni N Cheese

Ingredients

2 cups cooked Macaroni (or any other small pasta)

1 cup milk

1 cup each shredded cheddar cheese, provolene cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp flour

3-4 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

A few bacon slices, crumbled

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp Italian seasnonings

2 tbsp oil

 

How to:

Heat butter in a saute pan.

Add flour and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat till raw smell is gone.

Add milk and bring to boil on medium heat.

Now add pasta, all the cheeses,bacon(if using), salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Mix thoroughly.

Transfer into a heat proof casserole.

Mix bread crumbs, oil and Italian seasonings.

Top pasta with moist bread crumbs.

Broil till topping is nice golden brown.

Serve.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Portobellos

This is another stuffed mushrooms post from me. Again, those who know me well know how much I am in love with Portobello mushrooms!  This time around, I’ve stuffed them with ground chicken with taco seasonings and topped them with panko bread crumbs and Provolene cheese.

The 3 mushrooms had made a very good and satisfying dinner for us. Leftover mushrooms, I switched them up and made sandwiches for lunch. Just stuffed them between burger buns with little bit of marinara sauce on both sides of the buns.

Stuffed Portbello Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 Portobello mushrooms

1 lb. ground chicken

2 tbsp. packaged taco seasonings

1 onion,chopped

1 head of garlic, chopped(I know, I went overboard with garlic!)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

6 slices of Provolene cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

6 cups loosley packed greens of your choice

Dressing of your choice

 

How to:

Heat the oil in a pan.

Brown the onion, garlic and chicken.

Add taco seasonings and set aside.

Now comes the easy part.

 Pre heat the oven to 400° F.

Oil the mushrooms and place them on a baking sheet.

Stuff them with ground chicken mixture, panko crumbs and cheese slices.

Bake for about 10 minutes or so or until tender.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper once you pull them out of the oven.

Top with cheese, stick them back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty and golden, for about another 5 minutes.

Serve with your choice of greens, dressing and bread sticks.

Or if you want a heavy meal, serve it with your favourite pasta.

Enjoy!

Everything But Kitchen Sink Salad!

And this salad is really what I call: everything but Kitchen sink. The great way to use up all the leftover veggies lying in the fridge. All those small heads of broccoli, cauliflower, a couple of tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. Spinach, mushrooms—whatever you have on hand. Throw in the bowl, toss together with your favorite dressing or lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper and done. Don’t you think this is one of the healthiest way to eat your veggies?

Thai Red Curry Noodles

Now this is another fall/winter comfort food, based on the degree of heat! I had never made this noodles before. It was always on the back of my mind to make it and have it instead of with rice. I have a big can of red curry paste sitting in my fridge and I happened to have all the necessary ingredients as well, minus the chicken. So I thought why not make it a vegetarian dish. My family absolutely loved it. To them, the flavor and the crunch were amazing. I came, I cooked and I conquered!

So, here is how I made it.

Thai Red Curry Noodles

Ingredients

½ lb. whole wheat spaghetti
3-4 cups of sliced vegetables of choice, I used onion, cabbage, pepper, broccoli
2-3 tbsp Thai Red Curry paste
2 tbsp peanut butter
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp + a palmful of chopped cilantro for garnish
Chopped salted peanuts

How to:

Cook pasta per package directions. Keep them al dante.
In a food processor, mix curry paste, peanut butter, 2 tbsp cilantro and about 2 tbsp water to make thick sauce.
Heat oil in a wok on high heat.
Saute all vegetables until they are crisp tender.
Add noodles and sauce. Salt per taste.
Add more pasta water to your likeness and serve hot with cilantro and crushed peanuts.

One Grilled Chicken-Two Simple Dinners

What more should I say? The title says it all. We love grilled chicken. Mostly, during the weekends, I grill about a couple of lbs.of chicken which we use for dinners and lunches. I use them for sandwiches for lunch and throw in some steamed veggies with garlic bread for quick and easy weeknights' dinners. Saturdays, I marinate boneless chicken breasts with Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This is my go to marinade. Always, always have used this one. Leave the chicken overnight in the fridge, grill them on my trusty George Foreman Grill( which I bought from a garage sale for only $2, yay!) Sunday afternoon. They are all done in under 30 minutes. And I am ready to face half of the week's lunch and dinner challenge. I do the same in summer time but grill it on my outdoor bbq. Life's been pretty hectic as we leave for work at 6 am every morning and come home at around 5 PM. Inclement weather which is very normal in Canada could make us get stuck in traffic and come home very late. We have our supper at 6 pm and then I start cleaning up the kitchen, getting ready for next day and so on and so forth. If I have a main dish ready to go, sides I can throw in in no time!

The rolls in these two dishes were made out of Pillsbury crosssaint dough. The first one, I simply use the same cheese and tomato mixture on top of the chicken inside of the crosssaint dough, with some more seasonings and bake them. The 2nd one, is rolled up in a ball, with sprinkles of garlic and parmesan.

First dish has a simple sauce of tomatoes with salt and pepper. 2nd dish has the cream sauce with saffron and garlic.

Again, for all the foodies, who cares about the recipes?!

This is my entry for Julie's Christmas Delicacy event!

Please let your emails/comments keep coming! it's been great and thanks for your kindness and love!