3 Bean Salad

3 Bean Salad

Somehow, I managed to hit just the right sweet and sour notes in this salad. The trick is to assemble all the ingredients, mix them all up and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. This releases the sweetness from the dried cranberries and the minty flavours to soak into the beans. The only cooking required is to steam the whole red lentils, chickpeas and red beans but I was fortunate enough to avail of a package of Melissa's steamed lentils and packages of chickpeas and red beans that were soaking in water and sea salt. Any combination of beans would work in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) cup whole red lentils, steamed

1 (8 oz.) cup chickpeas, drained

1 (8 oz.) cup red beans, drained

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries or raisins

2 stalks green onions, diced

1 serrano pepper, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 handfuls mint, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup cider vinegar

1 serrano pepper, sliced (for garnish)

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whip together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Mix remaining ingredients except sliced peppers.
3. Add oil & vinegar dressing.
4. Refrigerate overnight & garnish with sliced peppers before serving.

Cheesy Fajita Open-Faced Sandwich

Cheesy Fajita Sandwich

Here's a lunch that can be prepared in under 5 minutes. We had fajitas for dinner the night before so I put away two little portions for lunch the next day. The chicken breast strips come already cooked with fajita spices and can be found in the frozen section of the supermarket. Combined with strips of colourful sliced onions and sweet & hot peppers, the chicken fajita strips are laid on top of a mixture of grated Mexican cheese, mayonnaise and red pepper flakes with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.. Once toasted in the toaster-oven, the cheese melts and forms a creamy base for the chicken fajita. These open-faced sandwiches taste great on crusty Italian bread or tortillas.

Serve with a fresh salad and/or fruit. This meal is served with a 3 Bean Salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken fajita strips, cooked & frozen

1 cup sweet multi-coloured peppers, sliced

1 serrano pepper, sliced

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced

2 Tbsp. grated Mexican cheese

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. crushed dried red peppers

2 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

2 flour tortillas or 4 slices of toasted bread

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Toss chicken, peppers and onions in the hot oil until cooked but still crisp.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Mix grated cheese, mayonnaise and red peppers in a bowl.
5. Spread on tortillas or bread, making sure to work all the way to the edges.
6. Top with prepared fajita strips and sprinkle with green onions & cilantro.
7. Toast in a toaster-oven just until cheese melts.
8. Serve right away with a salad and/or fruit.

Chicken Do Pyaza

Chicken Braised with Two Types of Onions 

We had company for dinner tonight. This last week has been pretty busy so all the cooking was done starting early this morning. It's the middle of winter in Michigan (USA) with temperatures plunging into the single digits, making the task of cooking meat and fish rather difficult because all the windows need to be left open to air out the house.

I used all shortcuts possible while making this chicken dish. Do (two) Pyaza (onions) means a gravy made with two preparations of onions. The chicken was marinated overnight, brought to room temperature and then cooked with finely sliced onions and garnished with crispy, deep-fried red shallots. We're very fortunate that birista or deep-fried onions/shallots are now readily available in Indian and Oriental markets in North America. 

Besides using fresh tomatoes, tomato paste was also added to thicken and provide a rich, red colour to the gravy. Kashmiri mirch which is an aromatic paprika from India also adds to the rich, red colour. I was first introduced to this way of cooking meat and poultry by a friend in New Delhi close to 45 years ago. I was only just finding my way around my kitchen when this kind gentleman came over one day and taught me to make this. Although he has long since left this world, his kindness and patience remains a precious memory.

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces

3 large onions, sliced finely

1 medium tomato, diced

1 + 1 tsp. garlic paste

1 + 1 tsp. ginger paste

1 + 1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch/paprika

1/4 tsp. tandoori masala

1 tsp. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder (ground cinnamon, cardamon & cloves) 

1 + 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 sticks cinnamon

2 black, large cardamom

1/2 tsp. shah jeera or cumin

2 cups simmering chicken broth

1 cup + 4 Tbsp. deep-fried red shallots

salt to taste

Directions

1. Clean chicken and marinate in the fridge overnight (or minimum 2 hours) with 1 Tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. each ginger & garlic pastes, 1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch, tandoori masala and salt to taste. 
2. Bring marinated chicken to room temperature before cooking.
3. Blend diced tomatoes with 1 tsp. each ginger and garlic pastes.
4. Heat oil over medium high heat, fry chicken until golden brown & set aside.
5. In the same pan, sputter shah jeera, cinnamon and black cardamom.
6. Add sliced onions and stir-fry until translucent.
7. Stir in tomato paste and stir-fry until oil resurfaces.
8. Add blended tomatoes, garam masala & remaining Kashmiri mirch.
9. Stir well & simmer over medium heat until oil resurfaces again.
10. Add browned chicken, 1 cup deep-fried red shallots and broth, lower heat to medium-low, cover & simmer for 30 minutes until gravy is thick and reduced by half.
11. Adjust salt to taste, garnish with remaining deep-fried red shallots & transfer to serving dish.

Serve with hot Basmati rice, Indian bread or tortillas.

Stir-Fried Eggplant in Mustard Sauce

Begun-er Jhaal

Eggplant cooked this way is one of my favorite dishes for a number of reasons. First of all, it brings back memories of our idyllic childhood centered around Mum who managed to create the most delicious meals on a thrify budget. That one sentence describes two of life's most important lessons she taught us - to put money away for a rainy day and to be proficient in the kitchen. 

Secondly, we eat first with our eyes which is why the bright purple color of eggplant is so pleasing to our palates. And having eaten eggplant as very young children, this vegetable has grown to become a favorite over a lifetime.

Stir-fried with sliced onions and tomatoes and then wrapped in a pungent and creamy mustard sauce, it's hard to describe the intense satisfaction derived from combining this dish with hot & steamy Basmati rice or a fluffy chapati/tortilla.

Several varieties of eggplant are available in supermarkets, but for this dish I prefer to use Oriental or Japanese eggplant which have minimal seeds and a much sweeter taste than the large oval ones.

Shorshe Bata Begun

Ingredients

4 Japanese eggplant, cut lengthwise down the center & cubed

2 medium onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic paste)

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 hot green chili, diced

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds

1 hot green chili, diced

2 Tbsp. black mustard seeds, soaked overnight in salted water with

   1 de-seeded dried red chili

1/4 tsp. sugar or to taste

1 hot green chili, diced (for garnish)

salt to taste

Directions

1. Toss eggplant pieces with salt & set aside.
2. Rinse mustard seeds (in a tea strainer) to remove excess salt.
3. Blend mustard seeds with 1/2 cup water to a smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in skillet on medium-high & sputter cumin seeds & 1 chili.
5. Fry garlic & onions until onions turn translucent.
6. Add eggplant, stir & fry until eggplant pieces are golden brown.
7. Add tomatoes to skillet, followed by mustard paste and stir gently.
8. Cover, simmer for 5 minutes & adjust salt & sugar to taste.
9. Garnish with remaining diced chilies and serve as a side dish.

Tuna Melt Wraps

Tuna Melt Wrap with Green Onions

Tuna Melt Wrap with Dill

Packaged tuna fish now comes in a variety of flavors. I picked up a package of Tuna Creations of the Lemon Pepper variety and was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. If tuna is not readily available where you live, substitute any flaked fish seasoned with lemon & pepper powder, mayonnaise and anything else you fancy. 

The other necessary ingredient is the bread and I chose to use a flour tortilla. The 'melt' component comes from the cheese for which a slice of pepper jack cheese gave it a spicy kick.

To toast the wrap, a small cast iron frying pan did the trick. This sandwich was a golden, crispy brown on the outside with an ooey-gooey center. 

Great for lunch and it all came together in under 5 minutes!

Ingredients (makes 2 wraps)

1 (2.6 oz.) pkg. Starkist Tuna Creations (Lemon Pepper flavor)

2 slices pepper jack cheese, cut in half

2 stalks green onions or dill, minced 

2 dabs of butter

2 small flour tortillas

Directions (for each wrap)

1. Melt a dab of butter in a small cast iron frying pan over medium heat.
2. Place a tortilla in the pan and heat one side.
3. Flip tortilla over, layer with 2 halves of a cheese slice, half the tuna and some green onions or dill.
4. Fold other half of tortilla over filling and press edges together to seal with cheese.
5. Fry both sides of wrap until golden brown.
6. Transfer to serving plate, cut in half and garnish with green onions or dill.

Hasselback Potato

Hasselback Potatoes

This makes an excellent side for dinner and is so easy to prepare! If your family likes baked potatoes, this will soon become a favorite. One way to speed up the baking process is to leave the skin on for maximum nutrition, prick each potato all over with a fork, rub the surface with oil, salt and pepper and microwave one at a time for 2 minutes. The potatoes will be semi-cooked which also makes it easier to score with a knife. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, sprinkle the necessary ingredients over top and in the crevices and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese melts. Tastes yummy!

Half a Hasselback Potato Served with
Salisbury Steak & Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

1 russet potato, scrubbed under running water

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

salt & pepper to taste
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder

2 Tbsp. grated cheese

1 Tbsp. bacon bits (optional for vegetarians)

1 stalk scallions/green onions, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F & place a rack on a baking sheet.
2. Prick potato with a fork on all sides.
3. Rub with oil, salt & pepper and microwave on high power for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from microwave & score with a serrated knife 2/3 of the way down.
5. Season with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder.
6. Place on a rack in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon bits (if using) and bake another 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

Huevos Con Queso - Microwaved Eggs with Hot Peppers & Cheese

Microwaved Eggs with Hot Peppers & Cheese

The best dishes are created when one is ravenous. Lunch was late today because I had only myself to cater to. Earlier in the day, a Pinterest post caught my eye - 12 Ways to Cook Eggs in the Microwave. I've done that before with great success, so when my stomach began to growl, I raided the fridge and came up with this heartwarming and oh-so satisfying one-dish meal.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

salt & pepper to taste

1 wheat tortilla

1 cup left-over chicken fajitas or taco meat (optional)

1 handful cilantro, minced

1 green onion, minced

1 green chili, minced

2 Tbsp. grated cheese

Directions:

1. Break eggs into a microwave-safe dish and beat well with salt & pepper.
2. Tear tortilla into pieces and top with remaining ingredients, except cheese.
3. Mix everything together and microwave on high for 2-1/2 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle with cheese & microwave for another 30 seconds until eggs set.

Serve for lunch with fruit or salad for a hearty meal. Notice I didn't use any butter or oil so it's fat-free.

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak

For Christmas dinner this year we had Salisbury Steak for a main dish. In our family, we can tolerate turkey and ham only once a year, for Thanksgiving, and beef seemed like a viable option for Christmas dinner. 

The butcher had blade steaks already flattened and 'cubed' meaning chopped without cutting all the way through the steak. This tenderizes the steak so that it's quick and easy to cook. When I defrosted the steaks a couple of days later I found that the butcher had, very considerately, placed a slip of parchment paper between each steak to make them easy to separate.

This can be made with hamburger patties, but cubed steaks taste better. We had these with several vegetable sides and everything had to be kept simple and palatable to suit the taste of our three grandsons, two aged 7 and one 8. They cringe at the sight of onions so I blended the French onion soup to make the gravy.

2015 Christmas Dinner

Ingredients:

8 cubed steaks

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 (10 oz.) Campbell's French Onion Soup, blended

1 (8 oz.) cup chicken broth or water

1 Tbsp. tomato ketchup

Directions:

1. Season flour with salt, pepper and garlic, and place on a plate.
2. Add one steak at a time to the seasoned flour, shake until completely coated and transfer to a clean plate.
3. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook 2 steaks at a time in oil for 5-6 minutes on each side until browned.
4. Transfer browned steaks to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. 
5. Add any leftover seasoned flour to oil in which steaks were browned and toast to a golden brown.
6. Add soup, broth and ketchup to toasted flour, stir well and bring to a boil. 
7. Lower heat to low and add steaks to simmering gravy.
8. Cover and cook steaks on low heat for 20 minutes or until tender.

Serve over cooked egg noodles with a side of mashed or baked potatoes.

Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers

Years ago, while I was still a working woman, a co-worker brought in this snack for a potluck. It's so crunchy, delicious, and easy to assemble that I wonder why it's taken so long to resurface.

Ingredients

1 (0.4 oz. pkg.) Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. dried dill
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 (12 oz.) pkg. oyster crackers

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. In a small bowl, stir oil, dressing mix, dill and garlic powder until mixed through.
3. Pour crackers in a large pan and pour prepared oil over crackers..
4. Toss crackers until well coated with oil.
5. Arrange crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet in a single layer.
6. Bake at  250°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown.
7. Store in an airtight container after cooling to room temperature.

Easy Kosha Mangsho - Simmered Lamb Curry

Kosha (stirred & simmered) Mangsho (meat) produces a lamb curry that is bathed in a thick gravy. Note that no water or watery ingredients are added during cooking in order to ensure a thick sauce or gravy. Tomato ketchup or paste is used, not pureed tomatoes, for this reason. Why call this recipe easy? Because it takes a couple of hours or more to cook this on the stove top. By using a pressure cooker, the cooking time is reduced drastically and the meat falls off the bones.

Bone-in leg of baby lamb works best for this recipe and purchasing from a halal meat store ensures tenderness and good quality meat. I ask the butcher to cut the leg into pieces suitable for stewing and to pack it in 3-4 separate portions. That cuts down on work once I get it home, so all I have to do is freeze it until ready to be cooked.

We generally don't eat lamb unless company's coming, so that makes it an extra-special meal. Most of the fat is removed during the butchering process, but a sufficient amount remains which gives the lamb its familiar flavor. 

It's a family tradition to add potatoes to meat dishes and I've used one large russet potato chopped into pieces similar in size to the pieces of lamb. For an added festive touch, this dish can be garnished with deep fried onions just prior to serving.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lamb, cut in big chunks & washed

2 tsp. Kashmiri mirch or paprika

1 Tbsp. ginger paste

1 Tbsp. garlic paste

1/4 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. cumin-coriander powder

2 Tbsp. tomato ketchup or paste (not pureed)

salt to taste

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

3 large black cardamom

1 star anise

2 large onions, halved & sliced in crescents

1 russet potato, peeled and cut in chunks

1/2 tsp. Bengali garam masala (ground cinnamon, cardamom & cloves)

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Marinate lamb in next 7 ingredients, mixing thoroughly.
2. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
3. Take lamb out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.
4. Heat pressure cooker over medium-high heat and add oil.
5. When oil is hot, sputter next 4 ingredients until aromatic.
6. Stir-fry onions until translucent and add lamb.
7. Stir well and simmer until juices are released.
8. Cover pressure cooker & bring to full pressure.
9. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes & remove from heat.
10. Allow pressure to dissipate completely before removing cover.
11. Add potatoes, stir well and place over medium-low heat.
12. Simmer for half an hour or until potatoes are tender.
13. Adjust salt to taste and stir in garam masala.
14. Serve with Indian bread or steamed Basmati rice.

Burmese Stir-Fried Garlicky Shrimp

Pazun Hsipyan

These shrimp (pazun) are stir-fried until the "oil resurfaces" (hsipyan). Most of the effort in preparing this dish is spent in shelling and deveining the shrimp, which take no time at all to cook. Keep this recipe in your repertoire of dishes that can be prepared in a hurry. The shrimp can be cleaned and marinated in advance and then cooked just before serving.

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, shelled & deveined
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled & diced
1 large onion, peeled, halved & sliced in thin crescents
1 large tomato, diced
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 bunch cilantro stems, diced
1/2 tsp. Kashmiri mirch or paprika
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Marinate shrimp with turmeric & fish sauce for 15 minutes or longer.
2. Heat oil in a skillet/wok over medium-high heat and add paprika.
3. Stir-fry onions, peppers & garlic until onions are translucent.
4. Lower heat to medium, add tomatoes & simmer until oil resurfaces.
5. Add shrimp & cilantro stems and stir-fry until shrimp are no longer pink.
6. Adjust salt to taste & serve immediately over steamed long-grain rice.

Note: No water is used in cooking this dish. The gravy/sauce is the light olive oil (white & odorless) that I used which turned red from Kashmiri mirch and tomatoes.

Baked Mushroom Pilaf

Baked Mushroom Pilaf

Did you know you can bake rice from scratch in the oven? It works really well and combined with a couple of cans of soup and mushrooms, it tastes amazing! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that most of the taste comes from the butter which is the fifth ingredient! No need to add salt because the soups have plenty.

Facebook is my #1 go-to source for recipes these days. A couple of days ago, I came across a recipe called Stick of Butter Rice which I vowed to try as soon as possible. It sounded divine. Today was the perfect time to experiment because I have to take something for a Christmas potluck tomorrow. 

Normally I would just point you to the original recipe, but because I used Basmati rice, baking times were a little different and I added fresh shiitake mushrooms. The umami from the mushrooms and butter make this a winner!

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice, rinsed in several changes of water & drained

1 (10 oz.) can Campbell's Cream of French Onion soup

1 (10 oz.) can Campbell's Beef Broth

1 (1/2 cup) stick of butter, sliced

8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425*F.
2. Place drained rice in a 9X9 inch glass baking dish.
3. Pour both cans of soup over rice.
4. Layer mushrooms over top and dot with sliced butter.
5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 452*F for 30 minutes.
6. Take foil off & bake for another 20 minutes just until edges crisp & brown.
7. Turn oven off and take baking pan out of oven.
8. Cover dish with foil and leave at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.

Serve with a salad or raita such as Fuji Apple Raita. It tastes yummy!

Baked Tandoori Cauliflower & Potato Casserole

Tandoori Cauliflower & Potato Casserole

One of my favorite food blogs is The English Kitchen, which inspired this dish. I've switched out and added several ingredients to favor my Indian palate and it turned out to be perfect!

Take it easy with the salt because grated cheese has plenty. Serve as a side dish with grilled meats, chicken, fish or shrimp.

Ingredients:

1 large russet potatoes, peeled, sliced & blanched
1 large cauliflower, trimmed, sliced & blanched

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 oz. Greek/hung yogurt

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 (8 oz.) cups grated Mexican blend cheese 
2 tsp. tandoori masala powder

1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch/paprika
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
butter to dot the top

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*F.
2. Heat oil, and stir-fry onions, cauliflower & potatoes, cover and simmer until cooked.
3. Season with tandoori powder, paprika and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in yogurt, mixing it into gravy.
5. Spray a baking dish with Pam non-stick butter spray.
6. Layer onions, potatoes, cauliflower and cheese twice.
7. Pour chicken broth around edges and dot top with butter.
8. Bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes until bubbling & golden brown.

Serve hot as a side dish with grilled meat, fish or shrimp.

Chicken Rezala with Mint

Chicken Rezala with Mint

Legend has it that Chicken Rezala was born in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) by bawarchis (cooks) in the kitchen of the Nawab of Lucknow. It is an elaborate preparation involving the paste of poppy seeds & nuts, yogurt & ghee, among other ingredients.

Here is a simplified version of the same, taken up a notch with the addition of mint chutney, that is light, delicious and perfect for lunch with loochis (puffed bread) or hot Basmati rice. If mint chutney is not available, make your own by blending a bunch of mint leaves with cilantro stems, lime juice, salt to taste and a smidgen of sugar. This chutney goes well with Indian appetizers such as samosas or pakoras.

Cauliflower Stir-Fried with Yogurt

Doi Kopi

Whipped Greek yogurt adds a creaminess to simple stir-fries. Here cauliflower has been sliced in bite-sized pieces and stir-fried until it's cooked, but still crunchy. The secret is to soak the cut cauliflower in hot water and leave it to cool. This also saves cooking time, so this dish comes together quickly. 

I like to keep the ingredients simple, so the only spices used are fennel powder & Bengali garam masala powder comprising ground cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Black cardamoms are big cardamom pods that are easily removed from the dish prior to serving. Squeeze the tip of each pod to crack it so that the flavor penetrates the gravy without releasing the seeds. The small green cardamom pods are an irritant when they unexpectedly lodge in the teeth and are better served ground into a powder.

INGREDIENTS
1 cauliflower, sliced in bite-sized pieces 

2 cups boiling water, flavored with salt and turmeric
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. hing/asafetida powder
1/4 tsp. shah jeera/cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2 black cardamoms
2 onions, diced

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. garlic paste

1 tsp. fennel powder

1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder

1 cup Greek unflavored yogurt

1 green chili, diced

4 green chilies, slit & left whole

1 tsp. ghee

1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour boiling water over cauliflower and leave to soak until cold.
2. Heat oil, sputter hing, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cardamom.
3. Add diced green chilies and onions & stir-fry until translucent.
4. Scoop cauliflower out of soaking liquid and stir into skillet.
5. Mix ginger & garlic pastes with fennel, garam masala powders and yogurt.
6. Pour over cauliflower in skillet and stir well.
7. Cover and simmer over medium heat until oil resurfaces.
8. Adjust salt to taste and garnish with ghee, whole green chilies & fresh cilantro. 

Serve with hot Basmati rice or any Indian bread.

Burmese Squash with Salad Shrimp

Chayote Squash with Shrimp

Chayote squash is practically tasteless and takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with. Shrimp goes really well with this squash, especially when it's cooked in the Burmese way with a hint of shrimp sauce or ngapi.

This dish reminds me of Mum who made this often with fresh shrimp. To speed up the cooking process, I pressure cooked this dish which cooked the squash in ten minutes. The shrimp was added at the tail-end of the cooking process to prevent over-cooking.

Spooky Orange Faces

Healthy & Easy Halloween 'Carvings'

We had a wee, four-year-old guest this last weekend, who was tickled pink by these spooky orange faces, inspired by a pin on Pinterest.

Once There Were Four Spooky Faces

I used a black washable marker to draw the faces on these California cuties.

A real sweetheart, cheerful and full of life, our tiny guest kept us entertained with her chatter, stories and songs. The house seems so quiet and empty without her.

The weather was perfect for a quick trip to Port Huron & the Blue Water Bridge.

The little girl had fun counting Canadian Geese.

We nicknamed her Miss Spotify because she's so good at spotting ships and yellow cars! This was taken at Freighters' restaurant which is located on the St. Clair river, overlooking Blue Water Bridge.  She spotted 2 ships that sailed right by the window.

Her hand turkey was added to our refrigerator art wall (bottom right corner), along with various and sundry other pieces of artwork. She's promised to return soon and we're looking forward to that!

Burmese Squash with Dried Shrimp

Squash with Dried Shrimp

Chayote squash is practically tasteless and takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with. Shrimp goes really well with this squash and dried shrimp even better! 

This reminds me of Mum who made this often, but she used fresh shrimp. Dried whole shrimp has intense flavor but is chewy, so I microwaved the package of shrimp in a cup of water. To speed up the cooking process, I also pressure cooked this dish which softened the shrimp and cooked the squash in ten minutes.

Be careful with the salt because there's plenty of it in the dried shrimp.

Pickled Habaneros In Mustard Oil

Pickled Habaneros In Mustard Oil

Over the summer my habanero plant produced a bumper crop of hot peppers. It was an orange habanero plant, identified as Oh (orange habanero) on the Scoville Scale with a rating of 150k-325k. In comparison, the jalapeno pepper has a Scoville rating of 2.5k-8k.

Home-grown Habanero Peppers

About a week ago, I harvested the last batch of peppers before the frost set in. I soaked them in a sink full of water for 2 days, to wash off the dust and grime. 

The Main Ingredients

My sister, Rene, gifted me a 'hamam dista' or mortar & pestle which I used to grind black mustard seeds with salt.

Pickling Spices

The ground mustard was combined with roasted chili powder, turmeric and poured onto the cut peppers in a sterilized glass jar. 

Peppers Covered with Mustard Oil

Mustard oil was poured to cover the peppers and spices. The bottle of pickled peppers was placed in the sun for a week and are now ready to be enjoyed with dinner.

Jhinge Posto - Ridge Gourd in White Poppy Seed Sauce

Jhinge Posto

Ridge gourd is a dark green, tough skinned vegetable that is soft and spongy on the inside with a similar texture to zucchini.

Ridge Gourd

Notice the spines on the surface from which it gets its name. The spines are inedible and have to be peeled away prior to cooking. Some people, including me, like to leave the rest of the skin intact, but I peel the ridges and skin because Hubby prefers it that way. 

It takes very little time to cook, so this is one dish I like to include in my weekly meals. Ridge gourd is not commonly found in North American grocery stores. It is available in Indian, Asian and specialty markets. 

White poppy seeds, called posto in Bengal, India and khus khus in other parts of India, are rich in iron and is known to have a calming effect. To soften the seeds in order to get a smooth paste, it is necessary to pour boiling water over the poppy seeds, soak them and allow to cool before blending. Salt and a green chili is added to the soaked seeds to add to the flavor. The blended paste is added a few minutes before taking the dish off the fire and serves to also thicken the sauce.

Stir-Fried Spinach Mushrooms & Peas

Paalang Shaag Bhaja

"Spinach is rich in potassium and folic acids, both of which act as a defense against high blood pressure. Spinach is also rich in lutein, a plant carotenoid which not only protects against age related macular degeneration but also prevents heart attacks by keeping arteries free from cholesterol build up." This quote was taken from Facebook, It pretty much sums up why spinach is a nutritious choice in our diets.

This stir-fried dish combines three of my favorite vegetables: spinach, mushrooms & peas. All three are flavorful in their own right, so there's no need to add much more. I used frozen spinach, but fresh spinach, spun-dry after washing thoroughly and chopped, tastes better. Sliced button mushrooms taste so good when paired with spinach.

Try this for a quick and tasty side dish served with steamed Basmati rice or chapatis/tortillas.