Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

Been a while since my last post..couple of recipes pending to be posted ! This was supposed to be a filling for tex-mex Fajitas, but ended up being devoured as a salad by a friend on a serious no-carb diet :) So use the  dish as you please..a filling for pancakes/crepes/fajitas/frankies or a side dish or a salad (cold/warm)..

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin long slices
2 yellow bell peppers,cut into thin long slices
1 large onion, finely sliced
1/2 cup paneer, cubed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Few leaves fresh basil
Salt to taste
Crushed black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a light bottomed pan. When hot, add the garlic and toss for a few seconds, do not let it brown.
2. Add the onions and saute on high flame till brown .
3. Add the peppers and saute on high flame till roasted brown and almost cooked.
4. Reduce the flame, add the sugar and balsamic vinegar to caramelize all the juices and give a lovely coating.
5. Add the salt and pepper and turn off the gas. Toss in the paneer.
6. Garnish with chopped basil..Serve warm

Eggless Chocolate Tarts

Most of my school pocket money was spent in buying these delectable chocolate tarts from our school canteen..which later I found out were sourced from the CCI club..so I sm sure a lot of the SoBo folks are familiar with what I am talking about..not sure if they are still sold there..anyway tried these for a dinner party and were a runaway hit..I made really mini tarts , bake them in bigger muffin cups and you can have larger tarts..only thing missing was the silver sugar balls to decorate them :(

Ingredients (makes 36 mini tarts)

For the tart cases
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter ,at room temperature
Cold water ,  about half cup

For the filling
150 gms dark cooking chocolate
75 ml cream (cooking cream like Amul)

1. Pre heat oven at 200 degrees Celcius
2. Rub in the butter with the flour to get a crumb like texture. Add the cold water a little at a time and knead till you get a smooth dough .
3. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll out each part on a lightly floured surface into a thin thickness circle..till the dough almost appears translucent, roughly 1/4 cm thick. Prick all over with a fork.
4. Cut into circles as per muffin size (see photo 2)
5. Place the circles in the greased muffin moulds. Roll out the remaining dough left after the cut outs are done to get more muffin cases.
6. Place the muffin trays on the center rack for 14-18 minutes or till golden brown in color. Remove from oven and cool
7.For the filling , place the chopped chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Whisk in the cream will you get a smooth filling without any lumps.
8. As this hardens quickly, fill the tart cases with a spoon ful of the mixture.
9. Repeat this with the remaining dough to make more tarts
10. Serve chilled...

Stuffed Parwal Curry

I know this is not a favourite of many but then again depends how you make it :) googled to find other names for this veggie..got two - potol and pointed gourd .
Have cheated on the name as most of the stuffing comes out while cooking but the flavours still linger inside the parwal with the stuffing done prior to cooking..try this at your next dinner party for a lovely slightly sweet but packed with flavours dish

Ingredients (serves 4)

8-10 parwals, peeled

For the stuffing
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons amchoor powder
1 teaspoon haldi powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
1tablespoon red chilli powder

For the gravy
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
2 onions, finely chopped
1 elaichi
1/2 inch dalchini stick
2 tablespoons oil
8-10 cashewnuts soaked in little water,grind to a fine paste
1 1/2 cups water
Salt
1 teasoppon sugar

For garnish
Few kasuri methi leaves
Cream

1. Slit the parwals lengthwise. Divide the stuffing among the parwals and place the stuffing along the slit.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai, add the elaichi and the dalchini stick. Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry for few seconds.
3. Add the onion and cook till light brown in color.
4. Toss in the parwals with a little salt and cover with a lid. Cook on slow flame for 6-7 minutes till browned from edges.
5. Add the water and again cover with lid to cook till parwals are completely tender.
6. Add the cashewnut paste and sugar. Cook for another 2-3 minutes on slow flame.
7. Turn off gas and serve hot with garnishing

Broccoli n Pineapple Salad

Summer !  Beat the heat with this refreshingly cool salad. Great combination of salt and sweet flavours..


Ingredients

1 medium broccoli, cut into florets
2 cups chopped pineapple
10-12 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup black olives
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

1. Heat the olive oil, add the garlic and toss for a few seconds. Stir in the broccoli and cook on medium flame till the broccoli becomes bright green in colour and turns slightly limp.
2. Add the salt, pepper and turn off the gas. Cool slightly and and add the pineapple pieces.
3. Toss in the balsamic vinegar
4. In your salad bowl, arrange the leaves along the sides of the bowl and place the salad on the leaves. Garnish with olives and serve chilled