November 2008


Ingredients:

● 200 grams Paneer
● 2 Medium onions
● 1 inch Ginger
● 3-4 pieces Garlic
● 1-2 Green chilies
● 1/2 tsp white pepper pdr
● 1 tsp red chili pdr
● 3/4 tsp turmeric pdr
● 1 tsp garam masala pdr
● 3-4 tbsp cream
● 1/2 cup Milk
● 8-10 tbsp. Vegetable oil
● salt to taste

Method

  • Heat oil in a pan.
  • Cut paneer into small cubes. Fry over medium heat until light brown.  Turn pieces while frying. Be careful as it splatters.
  • Keep the paneer pieces aside.
  • Sauté the dry fruits in a tbsp of oil.
  • Grind the onion, ginger, garlic, green chili in a blender and make a fine paste.
  • Fry the mixture in the remaining oil until golden brown and oil starts separating.
  • Add salt, red chili pdr, white pepper, turmeric pdr, garam masala. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add milk to make the gravy.  Bring the gravy to boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick.
  • Put a portion of the dry fruits in the gravy while it is being cooked.  This adds flavor to the dish. Keep the rest of the dry fruits for decorating.
  • Finally, add paneer pieces and 1 tbsp cream.  Heat for 5 minutes.
  • Shahi paneer is ready to serve. Decorate with cream and dry fruits. Coriander leaves are optional.

● Dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins, makhane) 1/4 cup

Ingredients:
1. Flour, whole wheat …………………………………………2 Cup
2. Salt…………………………………………………………..1 tablespoon
3. Water for mixing ……………………………………………As required
4. Ghee or oil for shallow frying……………………………… As required
5. Potatoes …………………..………….……..………………..4 medium
6. Onion; grated.………………..………………………………….1 small
7. Grated green chilli …….……………..………………………2
8. Crushed coriander seeds)………………….…………………1tsp
9. Ajwain ……………………………………………………….1tsp
10. Red chilli powder ………………………………………………1tsp
11. Coriander leaves(chopped)……………………………… …..1tsp

Method:
1. Sift flour with salt slowly. Add water and mix well. Make a stiff dough and cover with a damp cloth for 20 minutes.
2. Boil potatoes, peel and mash. Add salt, onion, pepper and coriander and other ingredients. Mix well divide into 8 portions.
3. Knead dough well until smooth and pliable divide into 6 round balls.
4. Flatten each ball slightly put one portion of filling in centre close up completely.
5. Shape into round balls again roll out each ball on a lightly floured board into a round disk 6″ (15 cm) diameter.
6. Cook one at a time on a hot griddle over medium heat.
7. Put about 1 or 2 tbsp ghee around the edge turn gently.
8. Cook until sides turn golden brown in colour serve with yogurt or Raita

Are you caught in a peanut butter and jelly rut? It is amazing how that sandwich of yummy goo can stunt lunch-time creativity! Today I hope to inspire some creativity and help you reclaim your lunch time menu.

French Bread

This seemingly plain loaf of bread makes some delicious creations that are perfect for lunches. Slice in half to make:

Instead of Fast Food:

A favorite meal we have stemmed from when we lived in Germany. Eating out was very expensive and we tried to reserve it for fun, planned days or events. Sometimes, we would be out to late to get dinner going, but I did not want to take the family to eat out. I would stop by the E-Mart and bought Brotchen (hard rolls), freshly sliced salami, Gouda cheese slices, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and seasoned cream cheese. We also would get chocolate milk as a special treat.

Boboli Pizza Crusts

Mexican pizza- ground beef, jar salsa, top with cheddar cheese.

Soups & Salads

Soups and salads contain digestive enzymes that help our bodies break down the heavier meals better. This is a reason why restaurants serve these first. It’s something to remember the next time you dine out and help your body a little more by eating a soup or salad before the main course.

Soups:

Brunswick Stew (See the recipe in the free sample ebook on our website.)

Chicken noodle with grilled cheese

Taco soup

Spicy Chicken

Ham and Potato Soup

Double Duty Meals:

Just like Rachel Ray has double duty meals in her cookbook, I like to do these once a week too. Some ideas she had were to make this Mexican bean and rice dish for dinner. The next meal you use the leftover mixture to fill green or chili peppers. She has many other ideas as well. Here are some of mine:

Thinking outside of the “BOX”- OR INSIDE Rather

We love new and creative ways to eat mac and cheese! Here are some that we have tried or heard of:

Tuna- add a can of drained tuna fish.

Peas- Cook the peas in the extra water macaroni water and then add to the pasta when cooked.

Ketchup- sometimes I add some ketchup in my bowl of mac and cheese- mmm!

Chicken and salsa- add a can of drained chicken breast and 1 cup of salsa–ole!

Chili Mac- mix a can of chili in with the finished mac and cheese.

Other Ideas:

Rice and refried beans (rice cooker- best invention ever!)

Spaghetti- are you getting tired of the same old thing? Make it green olives instead of mushrooms- Superb! Salt and tastes better than mushrooms.

In most countries in the world, fruit is more highly sought after then candy, because it is not only sweet, but good for you. In American we have lost sight of the value of fruit.  Fruit offers us an opportunity to experience healthy eating, but in a tasty way. Let’s explore a few types of fruits and all the cooking and eating possibilities that they hold.

If you find eating raw fruit too boring to eat on a daily basis, let’s talk about the all the different ways to enjoy the apple. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as the saying goes. Apples are an amazing fruit; not only in their immense variety, but in the amount of ways they can be utilized in cooking.  Apples can be eaten raw, baked, put into pies, made into apple sauce, turned in apple cider, and even liquor.  They are colorful, showing in every shade of green and red on the color wheel.

The challenge of using apples is picking the right variety of apple for your desired cooking project.  When baking a pie, some of the best pie making apples include: cameo, cortland, golden delicious, pink lady, fuji, and empire. The rule in making apple sauce is that you can use almost any kind of apple, except for red delicious.  Another way to use apples in your cooking routine is to use half the amount of vegetable oil and use apple sauce for the rest of the amount. This cuts down on fat and can also give you a moist product.

Another diverse fruit is the banana. An important thing to keep in mind is that bananas can be used in many different stages of ripeness, but you must use the fruit in the appropriate stage for the dish you are trying to prepare. Banana bread, smoothies, muffins, and many others banana delights can add a sweet and healthy snack in your everyday life.

Remember that there are hundreds of different kinds of fruit in the world, all for the taking and tasting. Fruit is a healthy snack that you should encourage your family to enjoy. Edit your kitchen’s contents by taking out processed foods like fruit rollups, chips, and candy, and in their place, always have a variety of fruit around to make it easy for them to make a healthy choice.