Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto

Angel Hair Pasta
Pesto
salt
pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and toss with pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomato

I am not a big fan of store bought marinara sauce. I like to make pasta with fresh tomatoes.

Angel Hair Pasta (1/2 package)
Tomatoes chopped (1)
Zucchini grated(optional) - 1/2
Garlic cloves - 3
Chili flakes - 1tsp
Onion (1 small)
Flat leaf parsley chopped
Dried Italian herbs - 1/2tsp
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Cook pasta according to package. Salt the pasta water while cooking. Drain and keep it aside.
Heat little oil in a pan. Add minced garlic, chili flakes and chopped onion. Saute for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes and zucchini. Cook for 2minutes. Add salt pepper, chopped parsley and Italian herbs and mix. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.

Atukula Mixture/ Murmurala Mixture

Atukulu (Thin Rice Flakes)
OR
Murmuralu (puffed rice)
Green chillies
curry leaves
Dried red chillies
boondi
peanuts
putnalu
jeera
mustard seeds
salt
chili powder
turmeric
oil

Heat 1tsp little oil in a pan. Roast peanuts in the oil. Remove from fire. Add Putnalu and mix. Add little salt and pepper. Keep this aside.

Heat some more oil (Just enough to fry the murmuralu or atukulu). Add some jeera, mustard seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, turmeric. When they start spluttering...add slit green chilies. Saute for a minute. Add Murmuralu/atukulu and fry until they become crisp. Add salt and chili powder. Mix well and turn off the heat. Add the peanut mixture and boondi and mix well. Serve with a wedge of lemon, chopped onion and cilantro. I also like to add boiled peanuts or black chana or whole green gram before serving.

Double Tomato Bruschetta

By allrecipes.com

This is very tasty. I can't stop eating.

6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 French baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Sun-dried Tomato Tapanade

By allrecipes.com

I did not try this recipe yet...but looks very interesting. I will definitely try it out soon. This can be served on a toasts made from good crusty bread.

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and oil reserved
1/3 cup reserved sun-dried tomato oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Finely chop sun-dried tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Stir in the reserved tomato oil, red pepper, garlic, feta cheese, dried basil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar and mix well. Cover and chill for at least four hours before serving.

Caprese salad on garlic toast

fresh mozzarella - 1 -cut into small cubes
tomatoes - seeded and cut into small pieces
basil - handful - chopped
pitted kalamata olives - handful - chopped
extra-virgin olive oil - 1tbsp
Dried Italian Herbs - 1/2tsp
Balsamic Vinegar - 1tsp (optional)
Salt
pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Leave it aside for few hours to let the flavors mix properly. Serve on top of garlic toasts.

Tapanade

mixed olives - pitted - 2cans
capers - 2tbsp
garlic - 1 clove
lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
extra-virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
sun-dried tomatoes - few pieces
Italian bread

Drain and rise the olives. Discard the brine. Put all the ingredients into a food processor. Make it into a coarse paste. Serve it as aspread on toasted slices of Italian bread.

Red Potato and Tomato salad

By Giada De Laurentis

Love this recipe of Giada. It is very simple and tasty.

Ingredients
1 pound baby red potatoes, halved
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 scallions, thinly sliced (I like to substitute with finely chopped red onion)
1/3 cup pitted black olives, halved
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Set the saucepan over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to dry for 5 minutes.

In a serving bowl, add the potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, olives, parsley, capers, thyme, olive oil, and lemon zest. Toss gently until all the ingredients are coated and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour and gently toss again before serving.

I like to add 1 clove of minced garlic to this recipe.

Black eyed pea salad/ salsa

Black eyed peas - 1can
Frozen corn - /2 cup- thawed in microwave and cooled
Red peppers -1 - chopped finely
Tomatoes - 1big - deseeded and chopped finely
Red Onion - 1 medium - chopped finely
jalapeno pepper - 1 - chopped finely
Cilantro - handfull -chopped
Lemon (zest of 1/2 lemon and juice of 1 lemon)
salt
pepper
olive oil - 1tbsp

Mix everything and chill in the fridge overnight. Tastes better the next day. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spicy Broccoli with Moong Dal

Instead of Broccoli the following vegetables can be used: spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, green peppers, ridge gourd, bottle gourd.

Broccoli/cauliflower - steam it until it still has little crunch to it.
Spinach - sauteed in little oil until soft
Cabbage - grated and sauteed in little oil until soft but little crunchy.
Green Peppers/ Ridge gourd / Bottle gourd - cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat little oil in a pan and cook until soft.

Other ingredients:
Onion
moong dal - cooked in water until al-dente. They should mash when you press with your fingers (should not be too soft)
ginger / garlic paste
green chilies
chili powder
cumin powder
coriander powder
cumin seeds
red chilies
curry leaves
mustard seeds
turmeric
salt
cilantro

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, turmeric. When they start spluttering add green chilies and onions and mix. Add ginger / garlic paste and saute until onions and soft. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and chili powder and mix. Add the chosen pre-cooked vegetable. Mix well and add pre-cooked moong dal. Mix and cook until all the flavors are mixed up..may be for 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with chapati or rice.

Spicy Beetroot or Carrot

beets - 3 medium (Carrots - 4 big)
red chili powder - 1/2tsp
green chilis (slit) - 2
cumin powder - 1/2tsp
coriander powder - 1/2tsp
ginger (finely chopped) - 1tsp
garlic (finely chopped) - 3 cloves
onions - sliced into thin slices - 1 medium
salt
curry leaves - few
dry red chilies - 2
Chana dal - 1tsp
urad dal - 1tbsp
cumin seeds - 1tsp
oil

In a food processor grate the beetroots and keep them aside.
Heat little oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal, dry red chilies, curry leaves. When they start spluttering add slit green chilies, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute. Add sliced onions and fry until soft. Add beetroot. Cook until it starts getting soft. Add chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and mix. Cook until all the flavors are mixed up. Serve hot with chapatis or rice. This is soo yummy and good for you.

Aloo Chole

By Sanjeev Kapoor www.sanjeevkapoor.com

I tried this recipe and it came out really good.

Chickpeas (kabuli chana)1 1/2 cups
Potatoes 2 medium
Tea leaves 1 tablespoon
Dried Indian gooseberry (amla) 2-3
Oil
5 tablespoons to shallow fry
Cumin seeds
2 tablespoons
Green chillies, slit 4-6
Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder 2 tablespoons
Cumin powder 2 tablespoons
Red chilli powder 1 1/2 teaspoons
Dry mango powder (amchur) 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds (anardana) 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
Tomatoes 2 medium

METHOD
Wash and soak chickpeas in four cups of water overnight. Tie tealeaves and amla in muslin cloth to form a bundle. Drain chickpeas, add six to eight cups water, salt and tealeaves-amla tied in muslin cloth. Pressure cook for twenty minutes or until soft and completely cooked. Drain the cooked chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquor. Discard bundle of tealeaves-amla. Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into one inch sized cubes. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan, add one teaspoon of cumin seeds, slit green chillies, garlic paste, ginger paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, amchur powder, one cup of cooking stock and stir. In another pan heat sufficient oil, add potatoes and shallow fry till golden. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside. Add boiled chickpeas to the masala, add some more cooking stock and salt. Cook on high heat. Roast the remaining cumin seeds and anardana and crush. Add fried potatoes to the chole and mix. Add the crushed masala, garam masala powder and mix. Add a little water or stock. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan, add tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes. Adjust seasoning in the chole, add the tomatoes and simmer for few minutes Serve hot.

Aloo Bonda and Egg Bonda

Potatoes (Boil and slightly mash the potatoes. )
Onion (finely chopped)
Green Chillies (finely chopped)
Ginger (finely chopped)
curry leaves (few)
cilantro (finely chopped)
Jeera
mustard
Besan
Ajwain (Caraway seeds)
salt
chili powder
baking soda
turmeric
oil

In a pan heat oil add jeera and mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, turmeric, ginger, green chilies, and saute for a minute. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add the mashed potatoes and cook for some time. Add salt and mix. Add cilantro and mix again. Keep it aside and let it cool.
Batter: In a bowl Mix besan, baking soda, turmeric, chili powder, salt and Ajawain.
Add water and make a batter for the bondas.

Hear oil in a Kadai for deep frying. Make gold ball size balls of potato mixture. Dip them in the prepared batter and deep fry until golden.
Serve immediately.

For Egg Bonda: Boil Eggs and cut them in half. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder. Dip in the batter and fry in hot oil.

Paav Bhaji

Potatoes
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Peas
Carrots
Tomatoes
Tomato puree
Red Onion
Butter
Cilantro
Lemon Juice
Pavbhaji masala
Ginger
Garlic
Kasoori methi
Turmeric
Red Chilli Powder
Cumin seeds

Boil potatoes,cauliflower,green beans,peas,carrots in water until soft. Drain a little and Mash them with a potato masher. In a pan heat some oil. Add cumin seeds.
When they start spluttering add chopped red onion and green chilies. Saute for few minutes. Add turmeric and mix. Add Ginger and Garlic paste and cook for a minute. Add Chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Mash with the potato masher if needed. Add tomato puree, PavBhaji masala, salt, red chili powder, kasoori methi and cook for couple of minutes. Add the mashed up veggies and water and mix well. Cook for about 10minutes. Add cilantro, lemon juice and little Butter and cook for few more minutes.

Serve with Chopped onion, a wedge of lemon, chopped cilantro and Pavs that are grilled with little butter, pavbhaji masala, salt, red chili powder.

Spicy Chickpea Sandwich

1 can of chickpeas
few black olives
few sun-dried tomatoes(chopped)
1 medium red onion (finely chopped)
1 medium carrot (grated)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
handful of fresh parsley (chopped)
1 to 2 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt
pepper
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the chickpea mixture
Some more olive oil for the spread
Ciabatta bread or any crusty bread

In a food processor add chickpeas, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, chili powders, olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse until a coarse mixture is formed. Mix the grated carrot and finely chopped red onion and keep it aside for at least 30min. In a small bowl. Mix olive oil, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and minced garlic. Place bread slices on a flat surface. Apply the olive oil mixture on both the top and bottom slices. Place the chickpea mixture on the top and lightly grill in a panini press or place a heavy pan on top of the sandwich. Before grilling apply butter or olive oil on the outer sides of the bread slices. Serve immediately. Spices and lemon juice can be adjusted to taste.

Basic Pesto

Instead of buying pesto in the store..it is very easy to make it at home. Here is the recipe.

2 cups basil (or/and spinach)
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno chopped (if you like spicy)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or toasted walnuts)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Blend everything in a food processor. Stream olive oil into the processor while it is running until the desired consistency is reached.
Serve with pasta, chicken, eggs or use it as a spread on a sandwich.

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich...mmm..mmm...good!!

Ciabatta bread
Tomatoes (Made into thin slices)
Basil leaves (If you don't have Basil replace with baby spinach or arugula leaves)
Basil Pesto (or spinach pesto)
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
dried Italian herbs
Garlic (minced or use garlic powder)
Sliced Olives/ Roasted Peppers/ Grilled Onions/ Grilled Zucchini (optional)

In a small bowl put few table spoons of olive oil, little drizzle of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, dried Italian herbs, minced garlic and mix.

Place bread slices on a flat surface. Apply the oil mixture on the bottom slice. Spread pesto on the top slice. Place cheese slices on the bottom slice of bread. Then layer with Tomato slices. Season the tomatoes by sprinkling little salt and pepper. Place basil leaves, sliced olives or any of the optional veggies. Place the top bread slice and grill in a Panini press or place a heavy pan on the top. Apply little butter or olive oil on the outer side of the bread slices before grilling the sandwich. Grill until golden brown. Serve immediately.