Veg Hakka Noodles

INGREDIENTS:

Colorful mini bell peppers-4 or 5 chopped
Cabbage- A small portion, chopped
Broccoli- A few florets
Spring onions- 1 bunch chopped
Ginger and garlic- equal portion, chopped finely
Carrot- 1 big sliced thin
Beans- A handful, chopped
Mushrooms- 4 or 5 sliced
Green chilli- 1 sliced(optional)
Cilantro- A handful, chopped for garnish
Chings- Hakka noodles packet-1
Chings- Green chili sauce- To taste
Chings Hakka noodles powder- 1 tbsp
White and black pepper- 1 tsp each
Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp
White vinegar-1 tsp (optional)

PROCEDURE:

• Chop all vegetables.
• Boil the noodles with a dash of oil and salt to aldente.
• In a wok, add oil, add white part of spring onions, ginger, garlic and saute. 
• Add all the vegetables and saute till well cooked.
• Drain the noodles and toss in cold water. Cut the noodles with scissors to smaller threads if needed. 
• Add the noodles to the vegetables.
• Add soy sauce, white pepper, black pepper, rice vinegar, Chings hakka noodles powder, salt and mix the noodles and vegetables.
• Garnish with green part of spring onions and cilantro. Enjoy hot!

Quick and easy home made Alfredo pasta

INGREDIENTS:

Butter- 1 tbsp
All purpose flour- 1 tbsp
Garlic powder- 1 tbsp
Vegetables optional- Bell peppers, mushrooms, onions,  spinach
Whipping cream or half and half- 1/4 cup
Whole milk-To bring a saucy consistency of your choice
Salt, pepper, Red chilli flakes, Italian seasoning powder- To taste

PROCEDURE:

• Boil pasta in a pot of water, a tsp of olive oil and a dash of salt and cook completely.
• In a pan, let it heat and then add room temperature butter. Let it melt.
• Now add flour, garlic powder and whisk together. Once raw smell goes, add vegetables of your choice and allow to cook , now add whipping cream and milk and whisk together to get a smooth sauce.
• Add salt, pepper, red chilli flakes, Italian seasoning powder to your taste. Add parmesan cheese and Italian cheese to the sauce.
• Add boiled pasta to the sauce. Allow to mi with the sauce for a minute before turning off stove.  Serve hot with more parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
• If you want you can take this to next level by moving this pasta to a baking dish, garnishing with some bread crumbs and bake at 400 F for 10 mins or so until the bread crumbs have become golden brown.
• My kids love this pasta for school lunch and never waste any.

Tofu Fried Rice

Peanut oil - 2 tbsp
Firm Tofu - 1 block,drained and cubed
onion - 1 medium, sliced
bell pepper - 1 sliced(optional)
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
green chillies - 1 large, chopped
cashews, roasted in oil - to taste

To mix in a bowl,
hot water - 1/3 cup
soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp
Corn flour - `1 tsp
brown sugar -1 tbsp
white vinegar - 2-3 tbsp
crushed red chillies 1 -2 tsp

scallions - 1 bunch
brown rice, cooked - 2 cups

Carefully fry the tofu in peanut oil.
When lightly browned, add onions, green chillies, garlic and bell peppers.
When vegetables are cooked but still crunchy (5 minutes), add the mixed sauce and stir for a few minutes until it coats the tofu and veggies and dries up a little.
Mix in chopped scallions and roasted cashews.
Mix in cooked rice in desired proportion.
Goes well with Red chillies in oil

Recipe Source

Zucchini Boats

I am always on the look out for easy vegetarian side dishes to go with pastas, pizzas and burgers. Zucchini boats turned out to be just the thing. they are simple to make, healthy, and can be altered and personalized in a million ways.

So here is the recipe:

You'll need:
- 3 medium sized Zucchini
- 1 large onion
- 3-4 cloves of garlic (More if you like things garlicky)
- Italian seasoning
- Panko bread crumbs
- Red chilli flakes
- grated cheese (I used an italian blend of 2 italian cheese. I magine it will be tasty with just about any cheese)
- Butter and or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt

- Preheat the oven to 340
- Wash and slice zucchini's into halves lengthwise. Scoop out the insides to make boats. I allow about 1/2 cm of thickness on the boats... just depends on how much pulp the zucchini's have. Reserve the pulp. Brush the boats inside and out with EVOO and keep aside.
- Chop the pulp (if in large chunks) into small pieces.
- Chop 1 large onion and 3-5 cloves of garlic
- Heat butter (or EVOO) in a pan, add the garlic, then the onion - saute until onions are cooked. Add the zucchini pulp. Saute until the pulp is cooked. At this point, things will be fairly wet. Add about a cup of Panko bread crumbs and mix well to get a crumbly slightly dry mixture. (You may have to play with the amount of bread crumbs needed) Now add salt, italian seasoning and red chilli flakes to taste.
- We can get very creative with this stuffing - add quinoa, add bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, etc.
- Now fill the boats with this filling, top with cheese (I used the italian blend... that had 3 italian cheeses). Bake for 30-40 mins.
- Broil for 1-2 mins to get the cheese to brown.

If you like your vegetables with a bite to them, bake only for 30 mins. I like my vegetables well cooked, so I bake for 40 mins. Also, the zucchini's tend to soften a bit after they cool - so bake them to slightly less that what you want them to be.

Thats it. If you try it out, please leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. It tastes much better the next day!

Thai Pizza

This is an awesome pizza and is really quick and easy too.

INGREDIENTS:

Naan bread from Target- 1 packet
Peanut Sauce-Enough to smother the entire pizza
Tofu- Cut into tiny pieces
Spring Onions or Green Onions- 2 bulbs
Roasted Red Peppers-2 pieces from the can

PROCEDURE:

1,Take the Naan bread, smother the entire bread with peanut sauce.
2,Garnish the pizza with the tofu, roasted red peppers & spring onions.(Now the pizza is all colorful with white,red and green)
3,Bake in oven for 350 F for 8-10 minutes until done.

Note:

You can also substitute Panneer instead of tofu.

If you want you can garnish with cilantro but I think the green onions are good enough.

Panneer Smothered Burritos

INGREDIENTS:

Ready made Tortillas-6 nos uncooked or cooked

Green bell peppers-1/2

Panneer- cubed into very small pieces

Taco seasoning Mix

Onions-1/2 medium

Cilantro-For garnish

Salsa

Enchilada Sauce-Green or Red of your choice

Lemon Juice-A splash for taste

Grated Cheese- For Garnish

Sour cream/Guacamole for side.

PROCEDURE:

1,Make the ready made tortillas.

2,In a pan, Add some oil, onions, green bell peppers and saute till done.

3,Add some Salt and Taco seasoning mix

4,Now add the panneer and saute till cooked.Garnish with cilantro and a splash of lemon juice.

5,Preheat oven to 350 F.

6,Take a baking pan and grease it with baking spray.

7,Now pack the tortillas with the cooked mixture

8,Cover with enchilada sauce.

9,Garnish with cheese.

10,Now bake in oven for 5 mins or until the cheese on top melts.

11,Serve hot with some Sour cream.

Stone baked Pizza- (partly) whole wheat and (mostly) from scratch!

Note: Highlights of the recipe in 'RED' for easy re-read/reference!
I got the pizza dough recipe from @tKe and the recipe has been a regular feature in our house. There are all kinds of pizzas and all kinds of preferences. This pizza has a crispy yet soft medium crust and does not have any tomato sauce (just our family's preference). When you take a slice in your hand, it does not droop or bend. In spite of this level of crispiness, the crust is soft to the bite and not chewy. Its also fairly higher on the health quotient for a pizza due to whole wheat flour and oil, cheese, sauces and toppings being in your control. So if you think you like this kind of pizza read on. I hate asking you to buy equipment for a recipe but some inexpensive equipment makes all the difference in the crust.

• A pizza stone (I bought mine from Bed bath and beyond). A pizza stone ensures an oil-free non stick surface and even heating of the crust without burning it. It also helps the crust be crispy and soft at the same time. This is a deal clincher. 
• A surface to roll the pizza and a rolling stone. I have a marble tile and a marble rolling pin.
• A Pizza peel for handling the baked and unbaked pizza. (Optional but useful)
• A pizza cutter.

Ingredients:

Basic pizza dough:

Makes about three 12'' pizzas

Warm water (as needed - about 3 cups)

nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup or warm milk - 1 cup

salt - 1/2 tsp

bread flour/maida/all purpose flour - 2 cups

atta/whole wheat pastry flour - 2 cups
sugar - 1 tbsp

active dry yeast - 2 tsp

olive oil - 2 tbsp

dry flour/cornmeal - to dust

dry herbs (basil, oregano) - optional and to taste

Add yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk/warm milk in a large bowl. Add a cup of warm water and stir to mix well. 

Allow to sit for two minutes. 

Add olive oil and stir again. 

Add flour, water and any herbs/seasonings you may like in the crust. (We like dried basil and oregano)

Knead with warm water until the dough comes together and is soft but not sticky to the touch.

Close the bowl and leave in the oven with the light on for about half an hour or until the dough almost doubles in volume.

Pizza dough is ready

Place your pizza stone in the oven and set the 'Bake' function to the highest temperature possible (in a range of 450 to 550 F depending on level of crispness needed)

During preheat get the crust and toppings ready.

For the crust,

Lightly, roll and flatten 1/3 of the dough and dust it with dry flour.

Roll out the pizza while applying as little pressure as needed. (I cannot twirl, stretch or pat or do any of the fancy hand movements to make the pizza crust)

Dust the crust very liberally on one side with cornmeal or flour (this is important for easy transfer to the pizza stone in the oven) and place on the pizza peel with dusted side at the bottom.

For the toppings,

Apply sauce. (We like the classic basil pesto). Other ideas include white sauce, broccoli cream sauce, garlic with olive oil, or plain ole' tomato sauce. Go easy on the sauces to avoid a soggy pizza. A sauceless pizza is actually pretty tasty too with the right toppings and seasonings.

Then goes the veggie toppings. Our favorite combinations (not too many - we are creatures of habit it seems)

Pineapple chunks + red onion slices + green peppers (serrano or Thai). - Good candidate for sauceless pizza

Tomato + red onion slices + dried herbs. (excellent with pesto)

I usually add fresh basil leaves from my kitchen pot but in reality fresh basil is wasted on a pizza as it is usually overcooked and charred. Pesto is a better option for basil flavor.

Then comes the cheeses - mozzarella with a sprinkling of feta.

Brush the edges with olive oil if you really want to give it your best.

Slide onto pizza stone (DH's area of expertise) and bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown. 

Set oven to Broil on high and broil just for a few minutes until the cheese bubbles. (Broil setting heats from above)

Time for broil!

Remove from oven using pizza peel.

Serve with grated parmigiana, crushed red peppers and/or garlic salt/ dried garlic.

Notes:

Never place the hot stone on a cold surface or a cold pizza stone into a hot oven.

I do not wash my stone with soap. I do not wash my stone, period. Leaving it in the oven at high temperatures keeps it clean after a wipe down.

Pizza dough can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Getting it to room temperature before baking is a good idea.

Adding yogurt/paneer/cheese whey (instead of warm water) while kneading makes for an unbelievably soft crust. Make sure whey is at room temperature or warm and not too cold.
@tKe swears increasing the proportion of whole wheat flour to more than half ruins the pizza! I always do a 50-50 whole-to-white mix.

Quinoa Pilaf with Marinated Tofu side

I have recently become a big fan of quinoa. I also realized that I like red quinoa more than yellow. This recipe is best when it is had with tofu.

Tofu for the side dish:
Take a box of firm or extra firm tofu,cut into blocks and marinade it in olive with lots of Caribbean jerk spice powder(You get this in the spice section of any grocery store). Let it sit for 1 hour or two hours max. Does not need a lot of oil. You can either saute in a pan or grill the tofu.

Quinoa Pilaf:

Ingredients:
Red or Yellow Quinoa-1 cup
Water or veggie broth-2 cups
Frozen South western mix packet-1/4(this has yellow corn,black beans,red bell pepper)
Zucchini-1/2,cut into decent size chunks
Garlic-1 clove minced finely
Lemon juice-A splash
Salt-to taste
Pepper-1tsp
Red chilli powder or paprika powder-1/4 to 1/2 tbsp according to taste
Cumin powder-1 tsp
Olive oil-1 tbsp
Cilantro-For garnish
Spring Onion or Green onions-For garnish

Method:
1. Wash the quinoa in a small filter till the water runs clear.
2.Add a tbsp of olive oil,saute the zucchini,minced garlic and the south western frozen veggies.
3.Add salt,chilli powder,cumin powder and pepper powder,saute the quinoa for a bit and add the water/broth and let cook in the vessel for 10 mins or until quinoa is done and water is evaporated.
4.Turn off stove,add a splash of lemon juice,cilantro and green onions and mix well.
5.Eat the quinoa with the Tofu as a side dish.Enjoy!

Asparagus Stir-Fry

This is the only recipe I have tried whose only main ingredient is Asparagus and I love it. I am not sure what I would pair it with since I always finish it by munching away. 

This is based off of a Tarla Dalal recipe

Asparagus -1 bunch

sesame seeds - 2 tbsp

corn flour - 2 tsp

water - 1/2 cup

grated ginger - 2 tsp

minced garlic/ garlic powder - 1 -2 tsp

soy sauce - 1 tsp

sesame oil - 1 tbsp

salt - to taste

Cut the asparagus into 2 inch long pieces. If chopping is hard (meaning there is resistance) discard those pieces. It usually happens with the end-pieces which are too fibrous to chew on.

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan. Add the sesame oil and ginger and garlic followed by the cut asparagus. Saute for a few minutes before adding the corn flour dissolved in half a cup of water. Stir vigorously as the corn flour-water mixture boils so that it coats all the asparagus pieces. This helps the sesame seeds to also be coated on the asparagus. Soon the water evaporates and it is now time to add soy sauce and salt. Adjust salt according to the saltiness of soy sauce. The dish is ready to be served.

A word on Soy Sauce:

Soy sauce is an item worth buying from a health food store after a careful look at the ingredients. The most common ones have more corn syrup and other yuck than there is soybeans in it posing health risks. The one I have has only 4 or 5 ingredients - water soya bean, wheat etc and is pretty good.

Momo with Tomato Achaar

Momo? Yes Momo! Those hot, juicy, straight out of the steamer, healthy, spicy, and oh so heavenlyNepalese dumplings. Oh those things you get at the Boulder farmers marker, the Viatnamese veggie dumplings. Well, yeah, but this is served with a spicy, fiery tomato chutney. Trust me, much better!

I had some Nepalese friends in Grad school. One of them introduced me to Momo's. Well, when I say introduced, I mean, she made them, and I devoured them. Did I learn how to make it from a true blue 100% Nepalese who would be more than willing to demonstrate the art of Momo making? Nope. (Duh! I know!) No I did not.

Now, with zero access to a "willing to demonstrate" Nepali, I had to rely on recipes online, youtube and what not. But viola! the Momo's turned out absolutely delicious! Without further ado, let me jump straight into the steamer... I mean the recipe.

For about, 24 Momo's (They disappear fast, so 24 is not that much), you'll need:

Momo wrapper:
1 cup Maida (or atta)
salt
1 tbsp oil
Water

Knead well with as little water as possible. Then cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for half an hour.

Filling:
About 2 cups of very finely chopped (I used a chopper) veggies. I used carrots, cabbage, bell pepper and (crimini) mushrooms.
Onion
Green chilli
Cilantro
Ginger
Garlic
cumin

Chop the onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilli very fine in a chopper. Heat a little oil, roast the onion etc etc. Once cooked (does not have to be brown), add all the other veggies. turn the heat off. Roast for 1-2 minutes. turn the heat off. Add salt, cilantro, cumin powder (optional), and keep aside. The veggies should not be fully cooked and dry.

Tomato Achaar:
3 tomatos
1 inch ginger
1-2 garlic cloves
4 green chillies (I used 4 serrano peppers with 3 tomatoes)
Salt
Cilantro.

Bake tomatoes in oven at 450F for about half hour. You could also just boil them, but I feel baking gives them a more concentrated flavor. Get them out. Peel them, and puree them with the green chillies. In a pan add a little oil, add chopped ginger & garlic. Once roasted, add the tomato puree. Add salt. Heat for about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Assembling the Momo's
After the dough has rested for half an hour, knead it again for about a minute. Then make small little balls out of it. Probably half the size of a poori ball. Roll it thin (as thin as a wonton wrapper). Make sure the edges are thinner than the center. This is very important.

Once rolled out, keep about 1 tsp full of the filling at its center. Wet the edges with a little water, and then seal shut (half moon shape). You could also close them like you close paranthas before rolling them out, like a little pouch. The key thing is that it better be sealed. You dont want all your filling pouring out of it mid way through steaming.

Make sure to keep them under a damp cloth as you go to the next one. Make your husbands part of the assembly line ladies , or else you'll take forever.

Once you are done, grease your idli maker. Make sure to grease it well. You dont want your momo's sticking to the idli stand and tearing open. I placed a cabbage leaf so that I didnt have to use too much oil.

Steam for about 10 minutes.

Thats it! All done. Enjoy with the spicy tomato achaar.

You could also pan roast them once they are cooked, or deep fry them.

Enjoy!