Bell peppers and parmesan cheese stuffed Mushroom

Serving size : 4
Total preparation time : 5 mins
Cooking time : 8 mins

Ingredients :
15 medium sized mushrooms, washed and dried
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
4 garlic cloves. minced
2 tspn olive oil
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn black pepper
1/2 tspn oregano
1 tspn dried parsley leaves

For baking :
1 tspn butter.

For garnish.
Grated cheese
1 tspn freshly chopped parsley leaves

Method :
Remove the stems of the mushroom and chop them. Heat 1 tspn oil in a pan and saute the garlic. Add the red bell peppers and the chopped mushroom stems and saute for a min. Add salt, parsley, black pepper and oregano.Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. Mix well and set aside.
Preheat the oven at 350*F and line a baking sheet with oil or parchment paper. Now stuff each of the mushrooms with the stuffing and line them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle some butter over each of the mushrooms and bake for 5-6 mins until cooked. Remove from the oven, top each of the mushrooms with some more grated cheese as preferred and a dash of chopped parsley. You could again transfer these into the switched off still hot oven for the cheese to melt. Serve hot as an appetizer.

Tips :
You could use sweet corn kernels, chicken, tofu, potato, green peas as the stuffing or a veg mix of your choice.
You could use butter for extra extra and skip the olive oil totally
You could use 1 tbpsn bread crumbs for preparing the stuffing of this recipes to give a crunchy topping.
You can prepare the stuffin,stuff the mushrooms and keep in the refrigerator and bake just mins before your guests arrive.

Bread potato rolls

Crispy fried potato bread rolls make a mouthwatering tea time snack with Indian spicy flavors blending the crunchiness of the bread on the outside and the softness of the mashed potato on the inside.

Serving size : 8 bread rolls
Total preparation time : 20 mins
Cooking time : 15 mins

Ingredients :
2 medium size potatoes
4 bread slices
1/4 cup green peas
1 finely chopped/minced green chili
1 tspn ginger paste
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/4 tspn cumin seeds
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1/2 tspn mango powder/amchoor
1/4 tspn coriander and cumin powder (optional)
1 tbspn finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn oil
2 cups oil to deep fry
A bowl of water

Method :
Boil, peel and mash the potatoes to get around 1 cup mashed potato. Trim the edges of the bread slices cut them into two pieces each ( rectangular pieces). Heat oil in a skillet and temper the cumin seeds along with green chili and ginger. Add the onions, green peas and stir, followed by the mashed potatoes, coriander leaves,salt and the spices. Turn off the heat and mix well. Taste the mixture to check the salt and spice level.

Take some oil on your palm, and take 1.5 tspn of this stuffing for each ball and make the oval balls ready. Now take the bread slices and a bowl of water to start making the bread rolls. Wet only one side of the bread by dipping in the water and then press and squeeze out the excess water by holding the bread slice between your palms. This is to make the bread moist and hold the filling. Now place the oval potato ball in the center of the moist bread on your palm and overlap the bread slice over the ball to mould it in oval shape and lock it completely. Make the other rolls one by one in this fashion and let them sit for around 5 minutes for water evaporation before frying which will help them become crispier and yet less oily.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil reaches its boiling point, drop a few rolls one by one without overlapping each other and deep fry till golden brown. Fry them evenly turning occasionally on medium heat and make sure not to burn them, removing from heat within 2-3 minutes. Place these on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve hot with coriander mint chutney and date and tamarind chutney.

Tips :
The stuffing should be spicier and saltier than your prefer as after the bread coat it will taste milder.
You can skip the onion to make it a pure veg dish or add garlic too for better taste.
The bread should be firm, the size of the roll will depend on the size of the bread.
The bread should not be too moist with water or it will absorb too much oil.

Goan style semolina coated potato fries

Soft and melt in the mouth potatoes with an aromatic spicy flavor surrounded by a crispy semolina layer on the outside that makes it even more delicious. If you love potatoes, this spicy and cripsy hot potato slices will be difficult to resist. As a part of Goan Hindu vegetarian meal, these fries are so vital in a lunch plate that without these the food is difficult to gulp they say. Easy to prepare and ready in minutes yet will vanish in seconds. No one can have just one.

Serving size : 3-4
Total preparation time :10 mins
Cooking time :10 mins

Ingredients :
2 large russet potatoes, sliced in 1/2 cm thickness
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
1/2 tspn cumin and coriander powder
1/4 tspn black pepper powder
1 tspn chili powder
1/2 tspn ginger garlic paste
3-4 tbspn semolina
1 tbspn oil
Salt to taste

Method :
Marinate the potato slices with the spices and salt. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Coat the slices in semolina one by one and place on the skillet . Sprinkle some oil over the pieces and fry the potato sliced on both the sides till golden brown and crispy. Serve hot with tomato sauce, tamarind chutney or mint and coriander chutney.

Tips :
Marination can be altered by adding garam masala, black pepper, tamarind pulp or lime juice.

Masala Papad

Serving size : 3
Total Preparation time 10 mins
Cooking time : 3 mins

Ingredients :
3 Urad dal papads
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes ( seeded)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped green chili
1.5 tbspn of finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tspn lime juice
1/2 tspn chat masala
1/2 tspn chili powder
1/4 tspn rock salt
Salt to taste
2-3 tbspn nylon sev (optional)
1 tbspn pomegrante seeds (optional)

Method :
Deep fry the papad on by one in oil or microwave each side for 30 seconds.
Place them on a large plate. Now mix the lime juice, tomato, onion, coriander leaves, salt and rock salt in a bowl. Sprinkle the chat masala, chilli powder, and green chillies over the papad evenly. Now just before serving, sprinkle the tomato onion mix all over quickly spreading evenly, followed by the pomegranate seeds and sev (optional). Serve immediately.

Tip :
You can add the spices and keep. Sprinkle the veggies directly at the dinner table to avoid the papad becoming soggy.
Use tight and fresh tomatoes without too much pulp, remove the seeds and the juice if any while chopping.

Potato mushroom and corn stuffed green bell peppers

Serving size : 4- 6
Total Preparation time :30 mins
Cooking time : 15 mins

Ingredients :

3 large medium sized green peppers,washed, seeded and cut into halves.
1 cup potato mash
1/2 cup corn kernels.
1 cup finely chopped portabello mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped onion.
3 finely chopped green chilies
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
1.5 tbspn oil
1-2 tbspn Cheddar or any choice of grated cheese.
5-6 Coriander leaves for garnish

Method :
Marinate the bell pepper pieces with salt and set aside for 10 mins.
Heat oil in a non stick saucepan on medium heat. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute well. Then add the onion and cook till transparent for 1 min.Now add the mushrooms and corn kernels and cook on high heat for 2 mins. Turn the heat to low and add the potato mash,coriander leaves, followed by all the spices and salt. mix well and turn off the heat.

Let this mix cool, and then grease a baking tray with oil. Preheat the oven at 350*F. Take the bell peppers one by one and stuff the mixed vegetable mix into it. Arrange all stuffed bell peppers neatly on the tray, load the tray into the oven and bake for 8-10 mins till the outer bell peppers skin looks wrinkly and roasted. Once done remove these pieces carefully on a serving plate and serve topped with grated cheese and coriander leaves.

Tip : These bell peppers can be microwaved for 5 mins prior to stuffing the mix and cooked covered on a large skillet instead of using the oven.

Spicy Plantain Fries/ Goan style Raw Banana Rava fry

Serving size : 4
Total Preparation time : 30 mins
Cooking time : 10 mins

Ingredients :

For marinade :
1 large plantain, sliced into thin pieces.
1 tspn roasted cumin and coriander powder
1/2  tspn red chilli powder
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
1/2 tspn black pepper powder.
1 tbspn lime juice
1tspn  ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste

For frying :
4 tbspn semolina
1 tbspn oil

For garnish :
Green onion chopped.

Method :
Mix all the ingredients and marinate the plantain pieces for 10 mins.
Heat oil in a non stick skillet. Coat the plantain pieces in semolina and pan sear on medium-high heat. Turn the pieces with a pair of tongs and make sure both sides are evenly fried. Garnish with green onion and serve hot with tomato ketchup or lemon wedges.

Sweet Corn cheese and onion stuffed roasted poblano peppers

Serving size : 2

Total prepartion time : 20 mins 

Ingredients :

2 poblano peppers, washed, deseeded and slit into 2 each, marinated with salt and apple cider vinegar.

1/2 sweet con kernels

1/2 cup finely chopped Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped purple onion

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 tspn ginger paste 

1//2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cheese cubes ( cheddar/ any cheese) 

1 tspn black pepper powder

1 tspn finely chopped chillies

Salt to taste

2 tspn olive oil 

1 tbspn fresh chopped parsley

1/2 tspn basil and oregano 

Method: 

Heat olive oil in a a non stick pan and sauté ginger garlic,green chillies and onion. Once onion is transparent, add the tomatoes and corn kernels, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle some chopped parsley and turn off the heat. 

Now take the marinated poblano peppers, stuff a cheese cube in each of them, and too it up with the above sautéed corn stuffing. Line these stuffed peppers on a Greased baking tray and make at 375 for 10mins.

Top with shredded cheese, basil and oregano and serve immediately.

Spicy pumpkin triangles

Serving size : 3-4 

Total preparation time : 20 mins 

Tangy and sweet appetizers rich in vitamin A.

Method and Ingredients:

Pumpkin pieces cut into thin triangles and marinated for 20 mins with salt, turmeric, lime juice, paprika/ chilli powder, black pepper and cumin powder. Pan fried with ghee/ oil till crisp. Best served with green mint chutney or tomato ketchup. Can be had as a fasting food.( Garlic and ginger paste optional, Mango powder/ Amchoor can be added instead of lime juice)