Friday, September 20, 2013

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms


A friend of mine recently gave me a statistical analysis of my blog posting habit. I posted about 17 times in July, 12 in August and 3 in September (or some such numbers!). I love data, it makes everything black and white. The message was loud and clear - I was losing momentum. And I don't want to lose momentum. I'm very excited about food and I love food and I that's not something I want to neglect. Along with the food, I love the interaction with my fellow bloggers and I look forward to it just as much. So here I am with a new recipe


Monday, September 16, 2013

Tofu Tikka

Tofu Tikka - say that 5 times, without giggling! I've parked my toddler in front of the Ipad so I could come back to this space and post something new. I'm a horrible mother - but I can tell he is really enjoying "the wheels on the bus" for the 50th time.


I'm going a bit Tofu crazy because I'm trying to add more protein in my diet. I've been making stir frys and such and even tried tofu lettuce wraps (they were a disaster!). With some left over tofu, I wanted to do something different and recently on some blogs I read regularly, I saw Tofu Tikka and Paneer Tikka and figured I'd give it a shot. Although I got inspiration from those blogs, I just went with my usual tikka recipe to make the marinade for this.
Notice the lettuce rolled next to the tofu - I did infact end up eating this as a "lettuce wrap" - and thanks to the strong flavors in the tofu, it worked well. (as compared to my previous disaster - which I want to stop thinking about)


Ok,I can only handle so much guilt. Off I go to race cars!

RECIPE
Prep Time :1 hrServes:1-2 people
Cooking Time :15 mins
INGREDIENTS
>1/2 cup Low Fat Yogurt
>1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
>1 tsp Cumin Powder
>1 tsp Coriander Powder
>1/2 tsp Turmeric
>3 oz Extra Firm Tofu
>1/2 Red Bell Pepper
>1/2 Red Onion
> pinch Chaat Masala (for garnish)
>Cilantro (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
*Mix all spices into the yogurt and add salt to taste. Thin the yogurt with a little water
*Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices and marinate in the yogurt. Let stand for 1 hr (or more)
*Heat a grill pan and brush with a little oil or use an oil spray
*Place tofu on the grill pan and grill for 2-3 mins till nice grill marks appear. Turn and grill other side.
*While Tofu is grilling, cut pepper and onions into bite size pieces similar in size as tofu
*Toss the peppers and onions in the left over yogurt marinade and thrown on the grill
*Grill veggies until grill marks appear 2-4 mins
*Serve with a pinch of chaat masala, squeeze of lemon and garnish with cilantro



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Baingan Bharta | Indian Roasted Eggplant

Having been one of those picky eaters as a kid, things as exotic as Eggplant would never ever find its way to my dinner plate - unless it was battered and deep fried - at which point, it could've been anything!



Friday, September 6, 2013

Pearl Couscous Salad with Pistachio crusted Goat Cheese

I really look forward to Labor Day weekend. Every year the two of us take the whole week off and have several things lined up that we look forward to. Its the end of summer, so we try to pack in as many summer activities as we can. Its US Open week - and we visit the Open every year. I'm a huge tennis fan and I really look forward to it. Its also our anniversary during labor day week, so it just makes sense that we make it a fun week for us! And fun it has been. I can't believe its friday already and the weekend jitters are setting in.