Stuffed bell pepper

We have been to farmers market last week end. I have never seen such variety of fruits and vegetables before.. At least half a dozen variety of Tomatoes...  And beetroots...there were red, orange and purple beets... And bell peppers... there were mini as well as huge ones in red, yellow, orange etc...
There were some youngsters dancing to the tune of rock music, some very old ladies doing hola dance, kids playing near the fountain area... All in all it was a pleasure to go and see the farmers market. Since our camera is on strike now, I couldn't take any good pics of the market...
We bought a small basket of cherry tomatoes, with mixed green, yellow, red and purple tomatoes in it. Then another small basket of peaches, then a basket of  mini yellow/orange bell peppers and a fennel root and some other stuff..
So here I am with the stuffed mini bell pepper recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Mini yellow/ red bell pepper - 5
2. Cooked rice - 1 cup
3. Tomatoes, ripe and fleshy  - 2
4. Basil leaves - 10
5. Salt to taste
6. Green chilli  - 1
7. Oil - 1 tbs
8. Garlic, chopped  - 1 tbs
9. Mozzarella cheese sticks. 1 inch length - 5

Note:

1. You may use green, yellow, orange or red mini or normal bell peppers. I prefer to use bell pepper other than green one as others taste sweet compared green one
2. You may use the cut portion of bell pepper to close it after stuffing the pepper
3. If basil leaves are not available, use coriander leaves if you like.
4. If cheese sticks are not available, use shredded cheese instead

Method:

1. Cut the top of bell pepper and remove seeds from insides without cutting through the pepper
2. Take a cup of water in a small pan and place the pepper inverted in the pan. (open side of pepper facing the water in the pan)
3. Heat the pan and let the pepper cook for 2 minutes
4. Puree the tomatoes with minimum or no water
5. Heat a thick bottomed pan and add a tbs of oil
6. Saute the garlic and green chilli in  it
7. Add tomato puree in it and let the sauce cook until it gets as thick as tomato ketchup
8. Add salt and basil leaves and give a toss
9. Add cooked rice and mix well
10. Switch off the flame when the liquid is dried and rice mix is thick (little bit thicker than curd rice)
11. You may add some Italian herb mix or oregano to rice mix(optional)
12. Fill each pepper with rice mix using a spoon
13. You may squeeze in a cheese stick into each pepper filling or simply top the filling with shredded cheese.
14. Place the stuffed pepper in a baking sheet. I used a cup cake tray instead.
15. Preheat the oven to 325 F heat
16. Bake the filled pepper for 15 minutes.

Serve the stuffed bell pepper warm!

Strawberry Banana Parfait

Strawberry banana parfait is an easy no cook breakfast dish which is rich in nutrients.

Ingredients:

1. Banana, sliced - 1
2. Strawberry, chopped - 6
3. Lemon juice - 1 tbp
4. Rolled oats - 3 tbs
5. Milk - 3/4 cups
6. Yogurt - 2 tbs
7. Sugar - 2 tsp optional
8. Plain cornflakes - 4 tbs

Method:

1. Things to be done on previous night
2. Soak rolled oats in milk in an airtight container and place them in fridge
3. Mix chopped strawberries with sugar and lemon juice and place them in fridge too
4. Things to be done in the morning
5. Place sliced bananas in 2 cocktail glasses, half in one and half in second glass
6. Spoon the overnight soaked oats with milk equally among the 2 glasses
7. Take only the strawberry pieces from the strawberry mixture from fridge and layer it above the rolled oats leaving a tbs of strawberries and the whole juice in the bowl itself
8. Top with cornflakes equally in both cups
9. Mix yogurt with the left over strawberry mixture and top both cocktail cups with it

The beautiful strawberry banana parfait is ready to be served!

Banana French Toast

Here I am after a short break from blogging due to relocation. In the coming days, you should see some recipes with minimum ingredients being used as I am yet to unpack my kitchen items. Here goes our breakfast recipe for French toast with banana.

Ingredients:

1. Banana, chopped -1.5 cups
2. Egg - 2 big
3. Bread slices, white or brown - 4
4. Cinnamon , powder - a pinch
5. Sugar - 2 tbs ( Optional)
6. Milk - 2/3 cups
7. Butter/ oil - 4 tsp

Method:

1. Mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon and milk well in flat bottomed bowl with enough diameter to fit a bread slice
2. Add chopped banana and give a stir 
3. Heat a pan and add a tsp of oil
4. Dip a bread slice in the mix so that there is a coating of egg mixture on both sides of bread slice
5. Place the bread slice on hot pan and spoon on it banana pieces from the egg mixture.(the bananas will not stick to bread slice when you just dip the bread in the mixture, that is why it is good to spoon some of the banana pieces on bread slice when one side of the bread slice is being roasted)
6. Once the it is almost cooked (you don't see liguidy egg mixture once cooked), and you can flip the bread slice (now the top side of the bread should be slightly browned) and brown the banana side of the bread too.
7. Once roasted on both sides, move it to a serving plate.
8. Repeat from step 4 to 7 for the rest of 3 slices of bread by adding 1 tsp of oil into hot pan.

Chocolate cupcake

 

 

 

This cupcake is by far the best chocolate cupcake I have made. It is really chocolaty with very nice texture. Each bite on it gives you a mouthful of chocolate flavour. It tastes really good even without any frosting.

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 1 cup
2. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
3. Cocoa powder  - 1/2 cup
4. Salt - a pinch
5. Butter - 1/4 cup
6. Sugar - 1 cup
7. Melted chocolate - 100gm
8. Egg - 2 full eggs + 2 egg yolks
9. Canola oil - 1/2 cup
10. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
11. Instant coffee powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Greek yogurt/Sour cream - 1/3 cup
13. Water - 1/3 cup

Note:

• All ingredients must be in room temperature. 
• Use big eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 175 deg Celsius for atleast 20 minutes(imp)
2. Prepare 16 muffin size cup cake tin or 40-45 mini cupcake cups
3. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, coffee powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and keep aside
4. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix butter and sugar well until it looks like wet sand
5. Add melted chocolate in room temperature to butter mixture and mix well, about a minute using hand mixer
6. Add eggs one by one, mixing in between each addition
7. Add oil, vanilla and yogurt and mix again for a minute
8. Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 30 sec
9. Add water and mix well
10. Add rest of the flour mix and mix for another 30 sec
11. Fill 2/3 of cake cup with the batter and bake for 20 minutes if muffin size cupcake or 12 minutes for mini cupcakes or until the skewer inserted at cake center comes out clean. 

Enjoy it frosted or as it is. 

Soya Chunks Masala

Ingredients:

1. Soya chunks - 1.5 cups
2. cinnamon - 1 inch piece
3. Cloves - 1
4. Black pepper - 1
5. Cashew nut - 8
6. Coriander seeds - 2 tbs
7. Garlic, crushed - 4 cloves
8. Dry red chilli - 2
9. Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup
10. Onion - 1 medium size
11. Tomato, chopped  - 1 cup
12. Cooked Green peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
13. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbs
14. Salt to taste
15. Oil - 2 tbs

Method:

1. Soak the soy chunks in hot salt water for 15 minutes
2. Heat a tbs of oil in hot pan
3. Fry ingredients from 2 to 8 for 2 minutes in medium flame and keep aside the mixture for cooling
4. In same hot pan, add coconut and roast for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame and move the pan from stove.
5. Using a fork or skewer, grill onion as a whole on stove top till outer layer is blackened
6. Remove the blackened outer layer of onion
7. Make a smooth paste of fried mixture, coconut and onion in a blender and keep aside.
8. Cook tomato in half a cup of water and make a puree out of it.
9. Strain the puree to get clear tomato liquid out of it
10. Squeeze out water from the soaked soy chunks and roughly cut them into small pieces
11. Heat a tbs of oil in a pan, fry soy chunks until it is lightly browned
12. Add the coconut-spice paste and clear tomato puree liquid with salt to taste and cook for 10 more minutes
13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves!

This recipe is adapted from Tarla Dalal Recipes with minor changes to suit our taste and availability of ingredients.

Methi Paneer Burji

Ingredients:

1. Paneer - 250gms
2. Methi leaves, chopped - 1 cup
3. Onion chopped - 1 cup
4. Green chilli - 1-2
5. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
6. Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp
7. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Tomato, finely chopped - 1 cup
11. Red/Yellow bell pepper, cut into squares - 1
12. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
13. Oil - 1 tsp
14. Salt to taste
15. Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
16. Coriander leaves , chopped - 1 tbs

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add cumin seeds to crackle
3. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilli and onion
4. Sauté till onion is translucent
5. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and chaat masala and give it a toss
6. Add methi leaves and sauté for a minute until it wilts
7. Add crumbled paneer and salt, and fry for 2 minutes until paneer is cooked and golden brown
8. Add tomato and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes
9. Sprinkle garam masala on top and switch off the flame. 
10. You may garnish the burji with chopped coriander leaves.