Geetika's Recipes!

a collection of practical recipes

Easy Diet Chicken

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Ingredients:

  • Refined oil – 1 tsp
  • Ginger and Garlic (paste) – 2 tsp
  • Chicken (Boneless/with bone, Without Skin) – 400g
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Heeng (Compounded Asafoetida) – a pinch
  • Turmeric – 1/3 tsp
  • Red chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander seed powder (Dhania) – 1 tsp
  • Garam masala – 2 tsp
  • Black Pepper – a pinch
  • Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

  • In a hot pan, add 1 tsp oil
  • Add ginger/garlic paste – stir for 30-40 seconds till it loses the raw smell
  • Add chicken pieces and stir for a min and leave it on high heat
  • Add salt/black pepper/heeng/garam masala/red chilli powder/turmeric/dhania powder/jeera power
  • Add a little water and stir till the chicken gets coated all over
  • Add a little water while the heat is high, stir while the water is boiling
  • Cover the lid and simmer cook this for 15 mins if curry cut pieces or 7 mins for boneless/breast pieces
  • Open the lid and ensure the chicken is cooked by cutting the biggest piece and check if it is not pink inside, if it is, cover and simmer a little more.
  • Once it is cooked right, raise the heat up and stir it till the water evaporates and masala gets coated well
  • Turn off the gas, parly cover the pan and let the chicken sit for atleast a min till the rest of the moisture escapes.

Quick Bean Wraps

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Veggie Beanwrap

These vegetarian wraps with beans and veggies make the perfect breakfast or on the go lunch. Beans are an amazing source of protein and are packed with fiber, which will keep us nice and full. Topped with herbs, cream cheese, crunchy veggies, and flavored mayo make our taste buds happy!

Ingredients (for 4-5 wraps)

  • 1 Onion
  • 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • 1 Yellow bell pepper
  • 1 Green bell pepper
  • 1 Tomato
  • 1 Teaspoon tomato purée
  • 1 tin of red Kidney beans / baked beans / black beans
  • Few olives
  • Sriracha mayonnaise/mint mayonnaise/ any other mayo of your choice
  • Cream cheese or shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika/Chili flakes
  • 1 tsp dried Oregano / Mixed herbs
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 4 large Tortillas
  • handfuls of mixed lettuce leaves

How to proceed;

To start with, peel and crush the garlic and chop all the veggies into small cubes. Leave some for long slices for the topping.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry garlic and then fry the onion until softened. Then add bell pepper and fry for a few seconds.

Add the tomato purée and the tomatoes, add chili flakes or paprika powder, cook it for 1-2 minutes, then drain and add the kidney beans. I used baked beans and added them with the sauce.

Cook for 5 minutes, then season to taste with salt, mixed herbs/oregano, and black pepper. The bean mixture is ready for stuffing.

Spread the tortillas with the bean mixture, then add finely sliced onions, tomato, bell peppers, lettuce, and olives. Sprinkle some grated cheese or add mayonnaise of your choice. I used Sriracha mayonnaise for a different flavor. You can skip adding mayo if you are using cheese. Roll up the tortillas and place them on a heated pan. Cook the wraps with butter until golden and crispy from the top.

Serve hot with salad lettuce, tomatoes, and olives alongside your bean wraps.

Easy homemade Pesto Pasta

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This is a very easy and quick homemade pesto pasta recipe, It really tastes good and close to the original. Above all It is not too cheesy like other pasta recipes and has some health quotient from spinach, basil and nuts.

Ingredients

For pesto

  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • ½ cup walnuts (or pine nuts or pecan nuts)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup grated cheese or cubes
  • ½ cup milk
  • Salt to taste

For pasta

  • 2-3 cups of boiled penne pasta
  • Olive oil
  • Grated cheese

How to proceed;

Boil water in a big pan and add spinach and basil leaves to it. Cook just for 2 mins.

Drain it immediately. You can run it under cold water and allow it to cool.

Once cooled add cheese, garlic, walnuts, and milk. Blend this into a smooth paste in a mixer. You can adjust the quality of milk. The paste shouldn’t be too liquidy. The consistency should be like a thick sauce. Pesto is usually made of pine nuts, but it tastes very good with walnuts and this time I used pecan nuts in place of walnuts. It tasted best!

Heat a nonstick pan, add 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and add pesto. Cook it for 2-3 mins and add the boiled penne pasta to it.  Mix well and serve hot. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and a few basil leaves to decorate 🙂

Veggie Omelette With Cheese

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Cheesy Vegetable Omelette is packed with the goodness of colorful vegetables! This is a healthy breakfast and very easy to make. This Omelette can be tweaked depending on the season or your taste. You can add any fresh veggies of your choice.

Ingredients (for one Omelette )

  • 3 eggs (3 eggs make it fluffy)
  • 3 tablespoon of milk
  • dash of freshly crushed pepper
  • chopped tomatoes
  • Green capsicum (finely chopped)
  • Red bell pepper
  • Yellow bell pepper
  • Onions
  • Broccoli florets (optional)
  • Mushrooms (optional)
  • 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
  • salt
  • Ghee or butter to cook

Whisk the eggs and milk together for a few minutes so the mixture is frothy. Then add the grated cheese. Throw in the finely chopped vegetables and mix it again.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the ghee or butter in a non-stick frying pan. Pour the egg veggie mixture evenly over the pan, add a sprinkle of grated cheese on top and cook it on low flame by covering the pan with lid. No need to flip the omelette.

You can serve it with bread toast or as is to avoid carbs. It is quite filling.

Garlicky Cheese Curd dip

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I’m sharing the recipe for my Garlicky Cheese Curd quick dip which is really delicious and super addictive. You can prepare this in a jiffy and yes it vanishes pretty quickly, so you may want to make an extra bowl. This is a perfect accompaniment for nachos, chips and vegetable crudites too!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

  • 1 1/2 cups Yogurt (or thick Curd or hung curd)
  • 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (you can add more cheese per your taste)
  • 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
  • ½ cup Capsicum (finely chopped)
  • ½ cup Onion (finely chopped)
  • ½ cup Spring Onions with greens (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup Mint leaves
  • to taste Salt
  • Chili Flakes (as required)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (as required)
  • 2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • As a variation to mint leaves, you may also try Oregano.

How to proceed

  1. To thicken the curd/yogurt leave it into a sieve and place the sieve on top of a bowl for an hour in the refrigerator. All the whey will drip down in the bowl, leaving thick curds.
  2. Whisk in the grated cheese and garlic in the hung curd, add capsicum, onions, spring onions, salt and mix.
  3. Add mint leaves, chili flakes, olive oil, crushed pepper and salt. Mix well.
  4. Refrigerate for half an hour or more. Sprinkle with chili flakes, and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
  5. Serve it chilled with nachos, chips, bread or vege sticks!

The best part about this dip is, you can adjust ingredients and their quantities based on your taste and availability. Enjoy!