Geetika's Recipes!

a collection of practical recipes

Starters

Panzanella

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IMG_2375Ingredients
few bread slices
3 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 medium red or yellow bell pepper
1 medium onion
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped basil

Instructions

Slice or tear the bread into roughly 1-inch cubes. Bake the bread pieces in a 300°F oven until hardened on the outside but still slightly soft in the middle. It should be crisp in 15 to 20 minutes.

Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Slice the onion into thin slices and soak in a bowl of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes while assembling the rest of the salad.

To make the vinaigrette: Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper in a jam jar. Shake vigorously. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Combine the bread and chopped vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over top and use a spatula to thoroughly combine.

Add basil and serve.

Nachos With Rajma

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Ingredients

Corn chips/ Nachos – 16-20
Kidney beans cooked- 2-3 tablespoons
Olive oil- 1 tablespoon
Onion finely chopped – 1/2 medium
Garlic chopped – 1 cloves
Green chilli chopped
Salt
White sauce – 2-3 tablespoons
Processed cheese grated – 2 tablespoons

For salsa
Onion finely chopped – 1/2 medium
Yellow capsicum finely chopped – 1/2 medium
Pickled jalapenos finely chopped
Tomato seeded and chopped – 2 large
Fresh coriander leaves chopped
Lemon juice
Sweet chilli sauce – 2 teaspoons

Method
Crush the rajma in a mixer. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add onion, garlic, green chilli and stir. Add ground rajma and cook till thick. Add salt and mix. Set aside in a bowl.

For the salsa mix together onion, yellow capsicum, jalapeno, tomatoes, fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice and sweet chilli sauce and set aside in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 180° C/ 350° F.

Arrange the nachos on a serving platter and heat them slightly in a preheated oven for 1-2 minutes. Put the rajma mixture over them, drizzle white sauce, sprinkle cheese and keep the platter back in the oven and bake till the cheese begins to melt. Take it out of the oven, put the salsa over and serve hot.

You can use green chilies if jalapenos are not available. Also I replace yellow capsicum with green it still tatstes good.

Peanut chaat with curd

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Ingredients

1 cup boiled peanuts
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
1 small green chilli, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients For Spiced Yogurt

1 cup thick yogurt
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mixed herbs

Add all the ingredients under “For Spiced Yogurt” into a bowl. Whisk well until mixed, cover, and refrigerate for half an hour.

In another medium bowl combine boiled peanuts, turmeric powder, chopped tomato, cucumber, salt, green chilli, chaat masala, cumin powder, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well.

To serve the Peanut Chaat, spread a layer of spiced yogurt as a base in a wide bowl. Add the peanut salad on top of it and serve.

Charmoula Vegetable Satay

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Ingredients

For The Marinade (makes 1/2 Cup)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic (lehsun)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dry red chilli flakes (paprika)
salt to taste
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)
1/2 tsp green chilli paste
1 tbsp hung low-fat curds (dahi)
1 tsp cornflour
1/8 tsp sugar substitute

Other Ingredients
1 1/4 tsp oil
1 1/2 thick slices of brinjal (baingan / eggplant) (baingan/ eggplant) , cut into quarters
6 red capsicum cubes , deseeded and cut into 25 mm. (1”) pieces
3 blanched mushrooms (khumbh) , halved
6 yellow capsicum cubes , deseeded and cut into 25 mm. (1”) pieces
6 cauliflower florets , blanched
6 green capsicum cubes , deseeded and cut into 25 mm. (1”) pieces
6 onion cubes , cut into 25 mm. (1”) pieces
6 carrot roundels , cut into 6 mm. ( 1/4”) thickness and blanched

Method
For the marinade

  •     Combine all the ingredients along with 1 tsp of water and blend in a mixer to smooth paste. Keep aside.

How to proceed

  •     Heat ½ tsp of oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the brinjal and cook on a slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes or till the brinjal is light brown in colour from both the sides.
  •     Combine the brinjals and all the remaining ingredients including the marinade in a bowl and toss well. Keep aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
  •     Thread a piece of red capsicum, mushroom, yellow capsicum, cauliflower, green capsicum, onion, carrot and brinjal on a satay stick.
  •     Repeat the same with the remaining ingredients to make 5 more satays.
  •     Cook each satay on a non-stick tava (griddle), using 1/8 tsp of oil, till the vegetables turn golden brown in colour on all the sides.
  •     Serve hot.

 

Steamed Spinach Dumplings

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Ingredients:

…4 cups spinach leaves
4 tablespoons wheat flour
2 tablespoons bengal gram flour (besan)
2 tablespoons semolina (rava)
2 teaspoons each of chopped ginger and garlic
4 green chillies chopped fine
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon each of turmeric powder and soda bi-carb
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh cream
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and knead into a soft dough using water.
Divide the dough into portions and make a thin long roll with each portion.
Steam for about 20 minutes.
Cool and cut into slices.
To have crisp spinach dumplings, deep fry the slices to a golden brown color.