Cajun Chicken Pasta

Life takes a turn at times. That which interested you becomes distant and that hobby which you thought would never peak into your mind becomes a favorite passtime. I am in that phase right now. I have been blogging for 4 years now and I would never want to give that up just like that. And so I am taking my time to settle my mind and start blogging again. I was pretty busy for the past few weeks with pappu's birthday celebrations. I will write a separate post on that soon. But as for now lets talk about this easy to make cajun chicken pasta.

Pasta is one thing that I make when I am pressed for time or when we need a quick fix meal. Pappu is a sucker for mac and cheese and so I make it atleast once a month. As for pasta, I try a different recipe and that is how this cajun pasta happened. It happened and it is now a favorite.

~*What U Need*~ Boneless skinless chicken thighs - 1/2 cup, cut into bite size pieces Linguine - 6 oz Onion - 1/2, sliced Mushrooms - 1 cup, sliced Red bell pepper - 1/2, sliced, I didnt have this so skipped Garlic - 2, chopped Cajun seasoning - 1 tbsp Chicken stock - 1/2 cup Heavy cream - 2 tbsp Coriander - 1 tbsp, chopped Butter - 1 tbsp Olive oil - 1 tbsp Salt, pepper - to season How I Made it: Cook the pasta as per package instructions. Season the chicken thighs with the cajun seasoning and set aside. In a large skillet add the butter and cook the chick thighs for 4-5 mins. Remove to a plate. Add the olive oil, add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers and cook for 5-6 mins. Add the chicken stock, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add the cream and season lightly with salt and pepper, toss in the cooked pasta and cook everything together for about a minute or until the sauce thickens. Add the coriander and remove.

Serve warm!!!

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Turkey Sloppy Joes

One protein that I got to experiment with after I moved to the US is Turkey. I got introduced to it after a dear friend of mine suggested that it was more lean compared to chicken and the taste is kinda good too. Well it didn't suit our palate, it tasted bland and substituting turkey for chicken was a big n-no to the family until I started making turkey chillis, turkey burgers and then these turkey sloppy joes and believe all these are the best and loved by my family now. As for these turkey sloppy joes, they are the best, they are yummy, they are messy and they are perfect to stuff your face into.

~*What U Need*~ Ground turkey - 1/2 lb Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped Green pepper - 1/4 cup, chopped Red pepper - 1/4 cup, chopped Barbecue sauce - 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp Salt and pepper How I Made it: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and brown it. Add the peppers and saute for a minute. Add the turkey and brown it. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic powder and barbecue sauce. Mix thoroughly. Reduce heat to low and simmer till the sauce is reduced to the consistency desired.

Serve on buns or bread of choice.

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Tex Mex Rice Bowl

I know that I am good at procrastinating things and thats why I joined few cooking challenges. To make me committed, to try and keep up with the end date and to never say "lets do it another day". I failed, yet again and here I am posting the dish that I made for the challenge two months later. I am really sorry Priya and Kalpana, for such a late post. I will try my level best to keep up with the dates from here on. Coming to the challenge, Kalpana, being a health freak, chose brown rice (I saw that coming!!!) and peppers. I immediately knew that I would make a one pot meal and this Tex mex rice is what I came up with.

~*What U Need*~ Boneless & Skinless Chicken - 1 cup, chopped Taco seasoning - 1 tbsp Red & Yellow peppers - 1 cup, chopped Brown rice - 2 cups, cooked Yellow corn - 1 cup, thawed Black beans - 1 can, drained Lemon - 1 Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Salt - to taste Oil - 1 tbsp sliced avocados and sour cream - to serve How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan, and when hot add the chicken. Sprinkle the taco seasoning and fry till the chicken is done. Add the peppers and fry for 2-3 mins. Remove from flame. Add the brown rice and gently mix. Add the corn and beans and mix well. Squeeze in lemon juice, add chopped coriander and toss well. Season with salt.

Serve warm topped with sliced avocados and sour cream!!!

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad | Quinoa Recipes | Healthy foods

Quinoa is one among the world's healthiest food. It was one among the many to-try things that I had wanted to try when I moved to the US. But its taken me time and that too a long one but as they say better late than never. I gave in last week and bought a packet of qunioa from my local grocery store. I love the Mediterranean flavors a lot and I thought of making a simple salad to start with it. I served it with some Jamaican Jerk spiced roasted chicken and it was a filling meal on the whole.

~*What U Need*~ Quinoa - 1/2 cup Water - 1 cup Red onion - 2 tbsp, chopped Lemon - 1/2, juiced Olives - 1/8 cup, chopped Red and yellow peppers - 1/4 cup, chopped Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp Cucumber - 1 cup, peeled and diced Tomatoes - 1/2 cup, deseeded and cubed Feta cheese - 1/3 cup, crumbled Chickpeas / Garbanzo - 1/2 cup, cooked till soft Salt and pepper - to season Avocado slices and spur cream - to serve How I Made it: Rinse quinoa and cook as per package instructions with salt. Then fluff with a fork and set aside in a large mixing bowl to cool. Prep the vegetables. Add everything to the quinoa, season with salt and toss. Add the olive oil and feta cheese and toss gently. Adjust seasoning as you taste.

Top with avocado slices and sour cream and serve!!!

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Three Pepper Casserole | Tomato & pepper Casserole | Easy kids Lunchbox Recipes

It was a big day for us, today. Another milestone in our lives; another day to be marked in the calendar. Today we enrolled our son into preschool and he starts school from Thursday. All these changes are really making us emotional. Well there are lots to take in, right from look he is already ready for school to how is he gonna adjust to the new environment to is he gonna be okay without me. But that needs to be done has to be done at the right time. So wish me luck everyone for all that is happening right now.

A few days back, I got an email from Indusladies about their Kids lunch box recipe book event announcement asking me if I would like to participate. With everything going on, the concept fitted the bill just right and I sent out an okay e-mail right away. And this is what I came up with. Kids love anything with cheese and that layer of melty stringy cheese will definitely ooohhh your kids to take a mouthful and more...

~*What U Need*~ Cooked rice - 2 cups Red, yellow, orange peppers - 1 cup, chopped Crushed tomatoes - 1/2 cup Garlic - 2, chopped Onion - 1, medium, chopped Olive oil - 1 tbsp Salt, pepper - to taste Italian seasoning - 1 tsp Mozzarella cheese - 1 cup How I Made it: Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and saute for a minute followed by the onions. Saute till brown. Add the peppers and saute for 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and combine together. Season with salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Transfer to a greased loaf pan and top with loads of grated cheese. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the casserole for 25-30 mins or until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Serve warm!!!

I am linking this to the kids lunchbox event @ Indusladies

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Roasted Capsicum & Tomato soup

Its time to post the recipe for the Ssshhh Cooking secretly challenge and I am glad that I am on time. I was paired with +Nalini of Nalini's Kitchen and the secret ingredient was capsicum and/or ginger. I first thought of a simple stir fry but then its been a long time since we had had soup and bread and so settled for this flavorful soup. To me any soup needs to have bread by the side or atleast in the form of croutons. Since I didn't have any bread at hand, I made some rosemary olive oil focaccia from scratch. The crusty and flavorful bread was a perfect accompaniment for the soup and we really enjoyed it for dinner.

~*What U Need*~ Olive oil - 1 tbsp Onion - 1, small, chopped Garlic - 1, chopped Diced tomatoes - 1 can(440g), I used Italian style Red Capsicum - 1 Water/Vegetable stock - 1 cup or more Salt - to taste Pepper - to taste Italian seasoning - to taste How I Made it: Cut the capsicum and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and broil for 5-7 mins till the skin is deeply black. Once out the oven cover and allow to sit for 10 mins. Peel and chop the roasted capsicum. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and onion and cook till soft. Add the tomato, capsicum and water, season and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 mins. Cool slightly and blend well. You can pass through a sieve too. Reheat over low heat. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with extra seasoning and olive oil.

Serve with some bread. I made some focaccia to go with the soup. A perfect combo.

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Pasta in Red bell pepper Sauce

We make pastas once in a week and it mostly falls on Thursday. Without saying Thursday nights have become pasta nights for us which the huss has never been keen about. I like trying new varieties of pasta every time but the huss has never been a great fan. He never enjoys it but he never hates it. So it has always been my take on the pasta that makes to our plate. I mostly make a simple pesto pasta cos I love the fresh flavors that it gives to the pasta. But at times I like to experiment too.

Like this red bell pepper sauce pasta. The sauce was sweet, slightly tangy and gave a mild hot flavor to the pasta dish. I like using fusilli pasta because the sauce coats the pasta beautifully but you could use what ever your pantry holds. Grate some parmesan cheese over the piping hot pasta or if you are like me, sprinkle a generous helping and then indulge to your heart's content.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, medium, cubed Garlic - 2 cloves Red bell pepper - 1, medium, cubed Cashew nuts - 4 Olive oil - 1 tbsp Salt - to season Pepper powder - to season Italian seasoning - 1 tsp Pasta - 2 cups, cooked Cooked Pasta water - 1/4 cup How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped garlic cloves and saute till brown. Add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add the cubed peppers and roast till blistered. Add the cashews and saute for 2 mins. Cool and transfer to blender and blend to a smooth paste adding the cooked pasta water as required. Return to the saucepan and saute till slightly thick. Season with salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Check the flavor. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. If needed sprinkle some pasta water. Remove from heat. Sprinkle some cheese if desired.

Serve warm!!!

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Red Bell Pepper Chutney | Red Capsicum Chutney | Chutney Recipes

At last Diwali has come and gone. Our pantry is filled with sweets and snacks enough for a month(..I hope so) and I am sure gonna gain a few kgs by the time everything is gone. I still have a few sweets recipes pending in my drafts but let us give it a rest. Lets come back to real life and concentrate on daily cooking for the time being. Something like this simple and tasty red capsicum chutney. The red capsicum gives a sweet but hot kick to this chutney which makes it a perfect dip for dosas and idlis.

You could replace the red bell pepper with yellow or orange varieties too but the red one adds color I would say. Add two cloves of garlic if you like that flavor. A quarter tsp of tamarind paste could also be added for that slight tanginess. I have skipped both these in my recipe but the next time I try this I would definitely add both of them.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, medium sized, cubed Tomato - 1/2, medium sized, cubed Red bell pepper - 1 cup, cubed Red chilli - 1, large Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Oil - 1 tsp Salt - to taste For tempering Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Red chilli - 1, optional Curry leaves - few How I Made it: Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add cumin seeds and urad dhal and fry till brown. Add the red chili and fry. Now add the onions and saute till soft. Add the tomatoes and fry till mushy. Next add the red bell pepper and saute till brown and blistered and cooked. Add the coconut and saute for 1-2 mins. Season with salt. Take this in a blender and blend to a smooth chutney adding water. In a pan, heat oil for tempering and add the mustard seeds and when spluttered add urad dhal, red chilli and curry leaves. Fry till the dhal is browned. Pour over the chutney, mix and serve.

Serve with dosas/idlis...

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Chilli Baby Corn ~ Gravy Version

Remember the chicken fried rice recipe that I posted some time back. Well this chilli baby corn was served as side with the fried rice. Both were not a striking combo, it would have been if it was chicken manchurian but that does not mean that the chilli baby corn was less by flavor. The dish was hot, saucy and so good. I made this gravy style but you can skip adding the water and make it dry. It makes a great accompaniment for naans, rotis or even chapathis.

One tip that I want to share is serve the dish immediately i.e., as soon as you add the fried baby corn to the prepared sauce. Allow it to rest for sometime and the corn loses that crispiness and starts getting soggy. Or else prepare the sauce, fry the baby corns and donot mix them. Just before serving, give it a stir, coat the baby corn pieces with the sauce and then serve.

As for this tip I got to know it the hard way. I made the dish, allowed it to rest for sometime and then gave it a quick re-heat and then served it. Thats why the baby corns look soggy and plump. Tastewise there was no difference, but visually the dish was a tad bit less appealing.

~*What U Need*~ Baby corn - 15 Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 tbsp For Chilli Sauce Garlic - 6, finely chopped Ginger – 1" piece, finely chopped Chopped onions - 1/4 cup Capsicum, bite sized - 1/2 cup Chilli Powder – 1 tsp Green chilli - 2 or 3 Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp Tomato sauce - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1 tsp, dissolved in water Red Food color – a pinch (Optional) Oil - tbsp + for deep frying For Batter: All Purpose Flour / Maida – 1/2 cup Corn flour – 2 tbsp Soya Sauce – 1 tsp Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Water - 1/2 cup

How I made it:
Cut the baby corn to bite sized pieces. Boil water in a pan, add turmeric powder and salt. Now add baby corn and parboil it. Drain and set aside. Heat oil for deep frying. Mix up the ingredients under batter list to a smooth paste. Dip the baby corn in the mixture till evenly coated. Fry till golden brown, drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add onion and saute till glossy or 2 mins. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli powder and chilli sauce. Mix well.

Add water and then add the cornflour slurry and cook in high flame till glossy. Add the fried baby corn, capsicum cubes and mix till evenly coated. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Serve hot with fried rice or any pulao varieties.

** My Notes:
** I skipped the green chilli as we are not that much into spiciness.
** U can skip the water and make this a semi-dry version.
** I skipped the red food color too and hence the mild color.

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Cheesy Sweet Corn Sandwich | Sandwich Ideas

I am a sandwich person. I love sandwiches totally and I love playing with the fillings. Be it a simple potato sandwich or something elegant like this nutella caramelised sandwich, I love sandwiches. Don't talk about the huss, he is just the opposite... He wants idlis and dosas for breakfast and when it is a weekend, the latter is a must... Crispy dosas with hot sambar is his thing.

Show him variety and he will be pleased... And so using different sandwich fillings interests him. I once tried a peanut butter and cheese combo which was happily welcomed and since then I have been trying new fillings updating the blog then and there. Be it the desi aloo matar filling or the all-american nutella caramelised banana filling, he we have been enjoying sandwiches these days, thanks to the creative cook in me.

A three and a a quarter cup of boiled corn kernels, half a capsicum residing in the last corners of the fridge seemed to challenge me ~ an open challenge to put them to good use, a good and tasty use. Sandwiches were all that I could think of and some grated cheese for the huss would certainly do the job. He loves anything cheesy and so the masala cheese cubes are a pantry and a sandwich staple for him. You can skip the cheese if needed too for the mayo makes up for the cheesiness.

~*What U Need*~ Bread - 8 slices Sweet corn kernels - 3/4 cup Capsicum - 1 finely chopped Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp Pepper powder, salt - to taste Butter/ghee/oil - to toast Grated cheese - 1/2 cup

How I Made it:
Pressure cook corn until soft. In a mixing bowl, add corn, capsicum, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix well. Apply the corn filling on the bread slice, sprinkle grated cheese and close with another bread slice.

Toast with butter till the cheese melts.

Serve with some cucumber slices sprinkled with salt and pepper!!!

** My Notes:
** You can even use onion and finely chopped carrots.
** U can use regular white bread too..

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