Fabulous Focaccia my ‘Whey’

by Priya | Sep 13, 2012 |

Oven ready Today it is my pleasure to WOW you with my protein rich, colorful focaccia. Pronounced Fo-Ka-Cha Pari of Fooddelicious had this ever so tempting post on her blog last week and I knew I simply HAD to make it – I had all the fresh home grown ingredients for it and I said, hey, let’s do it and I did. It turned out to be a phenomenal success (which is measured in how many minutes it takes to get devoured by my kids) and truth to tell, I am happy I got a minute to take the pictures before my kids went gung-ho with it.I had some when sitting around in the fridge left over from making some paneer. I used it in a couple of ways: one in the soup I made to accompany the focaccia and two, in the focaccia itself. While the taste did not change any, it felt better that with the carbs, there was also some protein. If you are a vegetarian, you know how difficult it is to avoid carbs – even if you are seeking the complex kinds. Anyway, without further natter, I present to you my fresh, really fresh, Focaccia Baked to a nicety!   Ingredients For the dough 3-4 cups of bread flour ( I used King Arthur’s unbleached bread flour) 1tbsp of instant yeast 2tbsp crushed fresh rosemary 1tsp salt 1tsp sugar 4cloves of freshly squeezed garlic 2tbsp of olive oil1cup of warm whey (I subbed whey for the water which is the original way to go – Curd or milk would also be a good idea...

Fig Mascarpone

by Priya | Sep 3, 2011 |

This is one of the easiest deserts to put together, if you have some figs, some mascarpone cheese, fresh rosemary and some maple syrup handy – Let me rephrase – equip yourself with these ingredients to make this incredibly delicious dessert – It takes all of 10 minutes start to finish and I must thank 5 minute live videopedia http://www.5min.com/Video/Fig-Mascarpone-Recipe—Under-One-Minute-60117976for my resource where the chappie on the video claims it cam be done in under a minute – true if you have this recipe – The baking time I used was 10 minutes but I would recommend 5-7 minutes tops @ 350 if you don’t want you Mascarpone to melt and flow like a river (which mine sort of did). But it still tasted completely delicious Here is the recipe Ingredeints 4-5 sprigs of Rosemary 3tbsp Mascarpone cheese 8-10 ripe figs 2tbsp Maple syrup 1 square sheet of aluminum foil Prepararion Set oven at 350 degrees Wash figs and from the conical top, make 2 cuts like an X and pinch the bottom of the fruit so it opens up like a flower Lay the aluminum sheet flat Arrange the sprigs of rosemary in the middle Place the semi-diced figs over the bed of rosemary Scoop 3tbsp of mascarpone cheese into a bowl Add the maple syrup and gently mix so as to not liquefy the cheese Now place a good-sized blob over each of the fig cuts Bake for about 5 minutes See If the cheese has melted half way into the fig Leave for a minute or two longer and remove from oven Place in a serving...

Pasta Arabiatta and Garlic Spinach Stir-fry

by Priya | Apr 23, 2011 |

This is almost a weekly meal chez nous – it’s a fast and fantastic meal – wholesome and complete. The Spinach complements the pasta in every way, as we are all well aware, and through in some garlic into it and it takes it to the next level! Simplest recipe Ingredients for -4-6 good eaters 1 pack angel hair pasta 1 can of diced tomatoes or about 4 ripe tomatoes pureed 2 cups of homemade or store bought Arabiatta sauce 1 family pack of frozen chopped spinach  2-3 cloves each for the sauce and the spinach (so 6 in all) 2-3 tsp of olive oil Cayenne pepper to taste (crushed) Whole pepper to taste (freshly ground) ½ Italian seasoning  Preparation In a deep pot, boil the pasta using ½ tsp of oil and some salt Drain and keep Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in another deep pan. Sauté the garlic and the peppers Add the tomato sauce/puree and allow it to boil Sprinkle the seasoning per taste Bring to bubbling boil and stop Your pasta is done when you mix the drained pasta into the freshly made sauce Spinach Cook the spinach on stove top (fresh) or microwave to thaw the frozen In a tsp of oil sauté the garlic and some crushed cayenne peppers. Salt to tasteTop with freshly grated Parmagiana before serving Serve hot as side with pasta Enjoy! Check out my Blogging Marathoners doing Group 3 BM#4 along with me – initiated by Srivalli of Spicing your life – Thanks Valli Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e) Seven Days of...

Vegetarian Lasagna (Layering step by step)

by Priya | Apr 17, 2011 |

This is a traditional recipe for vegetarian Lasagna – I have tried to take pictures of every layer laid and details of the fillings – I also made my own homemade sauce – I was very proud of this effort  – A $50-60 meal in a semi gourmet restaurant, folks –The recipe here for free so that you may treat your loved ones to a lovely GOURMET Italian meal right in your home … read on. Step One – The Sauce Take some good and ripe medium tomatoes and dice (about 6-7) Add 1 tsp of olive oil in a frying pan Add 3-4 cloves of garlic ½ a habanero or chili of your choice Basil 2 sprigs or 10 leaves Let all of them cook well and then grind and keep aside Step Two – The Filling I went with the traditional filling of ricotta and spinach. Cook 1 family pack or 2 small packs of frozen spinach or fresh spinach in the microwave – In a pan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil and add some red chilies (I think I used 3) and about 3 cloves of garlic – sauté until garlic turns golden and add the spinach and some salt and cook  on low heat, open. While that is cooking get the ricotta out and if you have the big family carton, you will need half of that or one regular sized container. To this add some crushed black peppers, rosemary and a dash of salt. I also used some pesto powder and some wild garlic mix. Once this is flavorful, add the cooked spinach...

Lemony Linguini in Mushroom Sauce

by Priya | Apr 8, 2011 |

This a good and healthy recipe for all those who yearn to have the “white” sauce pasta and yet want to avoid the creamy fattiness of it – there have been many approaches to make a less fatty white sauce, however, every time we go out to eat and have desired Fettucini Alfredo or other white sauce pastas, you come back loaded in more ways than one – guilt being the strongest in my case – So taking the law (or in this case ) ladle in my own hand, I whipped up a lemony, zesty, linguini pasta with canned mushroom soup for the sauce. I used a cup of 1% milk and ½ cup of buttermilk to make the soup and add my lovely herbs and spices to it.  It is amazing what a little lemon and zest can do to another otherwise simple pasta – gives it the gourmet effect, if you know what I am saying Here goes! Ingredients 1 pack of linguini (serves 5-6 amply) 1 can of mushroom soup 1 cup of milk ½ cup of buttermilk 1 cup of chopped mushrooms Zest of 1 lemon 1tbsp lemon juice 1 Sprig of basil (i used some dry basil as well) 1 crushed red chili (optional) 3 cloves of garlic 3 tsp of olive oil Grated parmesan to top Preparation Boil the linguini al dente with 1 tsp of olive oil and salt In a saucepan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil. Crush garlic into it and add the diced mushrooms and sauté for a minute – if you want the red chili, now is...