Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Here is my favorite Quesadilla recipe
Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas
1 large Red Onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 zucchini chopped, discard the seeds
½ can black beans, washed and drained
½ cup Tomato chopped, discard seeds
2 Jalapeños chopped
Olive oil
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Whole wheat tortillas
Chop all the veggies into ½” pieces. Toss all the veggies except tomato with olive oil, salt, pepper. Roast them in the oven. Place the veggies on half of a tortilla. Add cheese, black bean and tomato. Fold the tortilla over. Add some fat free butter or olive oil in a flat pan. Place the tortilla carefully in the pan. Place a heavy skillet on the top. This acts like a tortilla sandwich press. Brown both sides. Cut it into triangles. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Tomato and Cucumber Sandwich with Mint Chutney Spread

Mint leaves and Coriander leaves - 1bunch each
Green chillies - 3 to 4
Garlic pods - 3 to 4
ginger - 1"
Cumin - 2tsp
Urad dal - 2tsp
Chana dal - 2tsp
Onion - 1 small (optional)
Lemon juice or Tamarind paste to taste
Sesame seeds - 4 to 5 tsp
Cucumber - 1 big - sliced
Tomatoes - 2 - sliced
Onions - 1 sliced
Cheese slices - I like pepper jack
Bread
Butter
oil
salt and pepper to taste
Sugar - 1/2 to 1tsp

Dry roast cumin, sesame seeds and dals and keep aside. In a pan heat oil and fry garlic, chopped ginger and green chillies and keep them aside. In the same pan in some more oil fry mint leaves and onions until soft. Don't use onion if you want the spread to stay longer. Add tamarind paste or lemon juice, salt, sugar and pepper. Cool and grind everything to make spread for the sandwich.

Take 2 bread slices. Spread butter and mint spread. Make a sandwich by placing layers of cucumber, tomato, onions and cheese slices. Cut the sandwich into triangles and serve. Refrigerate the leftover spread.

To make mint sauce for kebabs - mix some thick yogurt in it.

If you want to use this chutney as a dip for samosas, pakodas etc. Just make the spread little diluted with water.

If you want to make mint pesto for pasta. Instead of dals and sesame seeds use walnuts.

Firni (Rice and Bottle Guard Kheer)

basmati rice - 1cup
grated bottle guard - 1small
3 cups sugar
6 to 8 cups milk
6 cups water
Condensed Milk - 1tin
raisins
Dry nuts
Dry roast rice and grind into fine rawa. Fry the rawa in ghee. Add grated guard and fry for some time. Add water and cook until water evaporates. Add milk and boil until cooked. Add sugar and cook until it starts to thicken. Add nuts, raisins, milkmaid and cardamom. serve chilled.

Carrot Halwa , Moongdal Halwa, Bottleguard Halwa

Moongdal Halwa

moongdal - 1cup
milk 1/2cup
sugar - 1cup
water - 1/2cup
ricotta cheese - 1/2cup
ghee
cashews
raisins
cardamom - 2 pods powdered

Soak the moong dal for 3-4 hours. Drain and grind it coarsely using very little water. Keep it aside.
Roast cashews and raisins in some ghee until golden brown and keep aside.
Boil water and sugar in a pan to make a light syrup.
In another pan add ricotta cheese and cook un til it gets thick.(stir frequently)
Heat some ghee in a pan and add dal paste to it. Cook until until dal turns brown. Add sugar syrup and milk. stir and cook until everything mixes well. Add ricotta cheese and cook until the mixture gets thick. Add cashews and raisins. Add cardamom powder and turn off the stove.


Bottleguard Halwa (sorakaya halwa)/ Carrot Halwa
Bottle gourd Or Carrots - 3cups (peeled and grated)
Sugar 1/2 - 1cup (according to taste - use less if using condensed milk)
Condensed Milk - 1tin or ricotta cheese - 1/2cup
Cashews
Cardamom 2crushed
Milk 1 cup
Ghee
Roast cashews and raisins in some ghee until golden brown and keep aside.
In another pan add ricotta cheese and cook until it gets thick.(stir frequently)
Heat ghee in a pan, add grated bottle gourd or grated carrot and cook until it starts to brown. Add milk and cook on medium heat until most of the milk is evaporated and it is cooked soft. Add sugar, Condensed milk and/or ricotta cheese, cashews, raisins and mix. Cook until it gets thick and the sugar starts to caramelize.

Homemade Pita Chips

Cut each pita into wedges and arrange them on a baking sheet. Brush some olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven until they start browning. Serve with hummus.

Optional: sprinkle some dried Italian herbs before baking.

White Bean Dip

cannellini beans - 1 can
garlic - 2cloves
lemon juice - 2tbsp
red pepper flakes
olive oil - tbsp
parsley - 1/3cup
Salt
black pepper
Drain and rinse the beans. In a food processor add beans, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil and parsley. Grind until the mixture gets to a coarse consistency. Serve with pita chips like hummus.

Cannellini beans bruschetta

1can of white Cannellini beans

Same as Tomato Bruschetta. Just substitute tomatoes with Cannelloni Beans.

Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Bruschetta

Use any combination of veggies below.
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Green Pepper
Asparagus
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Mushrooms
Basil

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese or Gorgonzola cheese or other Blue cheese (what ever is on hand)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic - 2 cloves minced
Olive oil - 1tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Italian dried herbs
French/italian Baguette

Roasting Asparagus: Lay the asparagus spears out in a single layer in a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven until they get tender. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

Roasting Peppers: Brush each pepper with oil.Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until the skin gets dark. Remove from the oven and place them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap for few minutes. This will loosen the skin. Peel the skin of the peppers carefully. Cut them into halfs and discard the seeds and stem. Chop the peppers into small pieces.

Roasting Onion:Cut onions in half. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a Baking sheet. Roast in the oven until golden brown.

Roasting Zucchini, Squash and mushrooms: Cut veggies into slices and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper. Roast until tender in the oven. Chop into smaller pieces.

Toasting Bread: Slice Bread into 1/2" thick slices diagonally. Brush some olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the bread starts browning. Rub some garlic on both the sides.

Mix all the roasted vegetables, basil, herbs, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and some olive oil. Spoon the mixture on the top of each slice. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place a small slice of cheese on the top. Broil for about a minute or until the cheese starts melting a little.

Quick Bruschetta:
For veggie mixture: Slice the veggies and pan fry them in some olive oil. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, herbs.

Tomato Bruschetta

Ripe Plum tomatoes -5 big
Garlic - 2 cloves minced
Vinegar - 1tsp
Olive oil - 1tbsp
few Basil leaves chopped
Salt
Pepper
French Baguette -1

Boil water in a pan. Turn off the stove. Put tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute.
Remove tomatoes and set aside to cool a little. Peel the skin. Cut them into half and squeeze out the seeds.
Chop tomatoes into small pieces.
Mix Chopped Tomatoes, Garlic, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil in a pan.
Slice Bread into 1/2" thick slices diagonally. Brush some olive oil. Place the slices ona baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the bread starts browning.
Brush some garlic on one side. Spoon the tomato mixture to the top of each slice before serving..

Tomato and cheese bruschetta: Add some mozzarella cheese on the top and broil.

Murukulu

Equal quantities of Besan (Chickpea Flour) and Rice Flour
Chilli Powder
Salt
Ajwain(Vamu)
Dhaniya Powder
Jeera Powder
Ginger-Garlic paste
warm water

Mix everything to make a thick dough. Stuff it in the Muruku Press.
Heat oil in a Kadai. Press muruku directly into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown.

Moong Dal Kheer, Vermicelli Kheer, Tapioca Kheer, Bottleguard Kheer

Vermicelli Kheer (Semiya Payasam):

Vermicelli(Semiya) - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
water - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2 pods crushed
Sugar
Evaporated milk 1 tin
Ghee
Cashews
Raisins

In some ghee fry the vermicelli until golden and keep it aside. In little more ghee fry raisins and cashews and keep them aside. In a pan bring to boil milk and water. Add vermicelli and cook until vermicelli is soft. Add evaporated milk, cashews, raisins . Bring to boil again. Add cardamom powder and turn off the stove.

MoongDal Kheer (perarupappu payasam)

Moong dal - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup or jaggery - 1/2cup
Milk - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Evaporated Milk - 1tin
Cashews
Raisins
Cardamom - 4 pods crushed
Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Roast moong dal until golden in some ghee and keep it aside. Fry Raisins and cashews in some more ghee and keep them aside. In a pan add water and moong dal. Cook until moong dal gets soft. Add sugar or jaggery and cook until it melts. Add milk and evaporated milk and bring to boil. Add cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Boil for a minute and turnoff the stove.

Tapioca Kheer(Saabudana Payasam):

tapioca 1 cup
milk 1 cup
water 2 cup
Evaporated milk 1 tin
sugar 1/2 cup
cardamoms 2 crushed
raisins
cashews
ghee

Roast cashews and raising in some ghee and keep them aside. Soak tapioca in water for abour 1hr. In a sauce pan add tapioca and water. Cook on medium heat until it is soft. Add milk, ghee, sugar and evaporated milk. Boil until it gets little think. Add raisins, cashews and cardamom powder and cook for 1 more minute.

Bottleguard Kheer(Sorakaya payasam)

grated bottle gourd -1 cup ( discard seeds and skin)
milk 2cups
Evaporated milk - 1tin
Sugar 1/4cup
cardamom - 2 pods crushed
Ghee
raisins
cashews

Roast cashews and raisins in some ghee and keep them aside. Heat ghee in a pan and add grated gourd. Fry for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add milk and cook on medium flame until the guard is soft. Add evaporated milk and cook until payasam gets thinker. Add cashews and raisins. Add Cardamom powder and turn off the stove.

Sheera (Semolina Sweet)

Semolina Sooji(Rawa) - 1cup
Milk -1 1/2cup
Water - 1 1/2cup
Sugar - 1cup
Ghee
Cardamom - 2pods crushed
Cashews - 1/4cup
Raisins - 1/4cup

Heat some ghee in a pan. Add sooji and fry until it starts browning. Keep it aside.
Add some more ghee and roast cashews and raisins. Keep it aside.
In another pan add water and milk. Bring to boil. Add sugar and when it melts add roasted Sooji , cashews, raisins. Cook until it is done. Add Cardamom powder and mix.

Pesarattu(Moongdal Dosa)/ Bobbarattu(Black Eyed Peas Dosa)/ Adai(Mixed dal dosa)

Pesarattu
Whole Green gram dal(pesarlu or whole moong dal) - 1 cup
Uncooked raw rice - 1/4 cup to 1/2cup
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 2″ piece
salt to taste
Soak rice and pesarlu overnight. Grind in a food processor with ginger and green chillies until smooth batter. Make Attu(Dosa) on a hot griddle. Sprinkle some oil on the top while making. Serve with chutneys.

Bobbarattu
Follow the same procedure with Bobbarlu(Black eyed peas).

Adai
Soak 1/4 cup each of toor dal(kandi pappu), moong dal(pesara pappu), chanadal(chanaga pappu), urad dal(minapa pappu) and 1/4 cup of raw rice for about 3 to 4 hours. Rest of the procedure is same as pesarattu.

Black Eyed Peas(Bobbarlu) vadas

Black Eyed Peas(Bobbarlu) - 2cups
Green chilies - 2 to 3 finely chopped
Ginger - 1" cube grated
Garlic - 3 cloves crushed and chopped
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 1 cup finely chopped
Mint - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Soak black eyed peas overnight. Grind coarsely in a food processor without adding water. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well and make 2" round flat vadas. Deep fry in oil until golden brown. Serve hot with chutneys

Guggillu (Roasted Dal Snack)

You can use any of these for Guggillu
Whole green gram(pesarlu),
Whole black chana (chanagalu) or
Black eyed peas(bobbarlu).

Soak overnight. Drain water. Drain and tie in a cheese cloth until sprouts start coming out.
Heat some oil in a tava. Add Jeera, Mustard seeds, lots of curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped green chillis. Fry for 2min. Add dal and fry until they it starts getting crispy.
Add salt and serve.

Bhakshalu ( sweet parathas)

For the Filling:
chana dal - 1cup
jaggery - 1cup powdered
cardamom -2pods crushed into powder

For the Wrap:
wheat flour(atta) - 1/2 cup
all purpose flour(maida) - 1/2 cup
ghee

Knead both the flours together with water and 2tsp ghee into a pliable dough. It should stretch a little without breaking. It needs more water than regular roti dough.

Bring plenty of water to boil in a pan and add chanadal. Cook chanadal until the dal crushes when pressed with your fingers. Dal should not be overcooked. Take all the water out of the dal using a colander. In a food processor, add cooked dal, powdered jaggery, cardamom powder and make a mixture for the filling.

Divide the dough into marble sized balls. Wrap a piece of aluminum foil on top of a cutting board.
Take some oil in a bowl for rolling. Dip your fingers in the oil and roll out each ball on the foil. Keep golf ball sized mixture in the middle and bring the edges together.
Flatten the ball into a thin bhaksham using your fingers.

Roast it on a tava on medium heat. Apply ghee while roasting.

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus

chickpeas - 1 15oz can drained
cilantro - chopped - 1/4cup
lime juice - 1tbsp
Red pepper -1 medium sized
2 garlic cloves
salt
Jalapeno -1 chopped
chilli powder - 1/4tsp
coriander powder - 1/4tsp
cumin powder - 1/4tsp
pepper - 1/8tsp
olive oil - 1tbsp
SourCream or Yogurt- 1/2cup

Roasting the Red Pepper:Broil the pepper in the oven until all sides are blistered and blackened. Place the peppers in a bowl. Cover it and keep it aside for 15min. Peel off the charred skin and remove stems and seeds.
Roasting the Garlic: Take a whole Bulb of garlic and cut the tail edge off. Pour 1/4 tsp of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place it in a oven safe pan on its head. Roast it in the oven until the garlic gets soft. Cool it down and squeeze all the garlic out of the skin. Use only 2 to 3 pods of garlic for the hummus and save the rest for later.

Hummus:
In a Blender, add roasted red pepper, roasted garlic and other ingredients. Make it a smooth paste. Use little water if needed. Serve with pita chips, veggies or as a sandwich spread.