California Pizza Kitchen!

The Labor day weekend went by so fast. We got quite a bit done. From reunions and day trips to some light shopping and eating out. There's a great place called the California Pizza Kitchen. We have been there a few times now. It is a very popular joint for kids and adults. Just as we got in, the waitress took care of the kids by giving them some crayons and some puzzles to solve. That was really great because it took my mind of them as they got busy. It was time to enjoy some great food. Hubby ordered a glass Budlight beer . The kids had the "Works" - which is a thin crust pizza made with vegetables,chicken,olives and mushrooms.Its always a hit with them. The pizza was nice and crisp. The salt was just right. Sometimes when you order a pizza at Zachary's (which is yet another well hyped pizza place)the extra cheesy ones are loaded with salt.Also I found that a pizza is a healthy choice if you eat a slice or two. And since I was trying to eat right, I chose Asparagus soup with some light croutons and a green salad. At the end of it there was no guilt! The soup was actually very tasty.It turned out to be a nice and quiet evening without much chaos.

Ahh ,it really feels nice to be back home. This past month has been a very challenging yet an exciting time for me. It was one exam after the other. Some were at a professional level and some were personal. Being a free spirit that I am, here is one place which is mine and I can do anything I like with it. I don't have people scrutinizing me . That is very liberating indeed. So, in my last post I had the Sandesh and Besan Ladoo going but while the Laddoos vanished in a jiffy ,so did my pictures . Will definitely post the pictures with the recipe some time.
We went to this all time favorite restaurant in Fremont, CA. Its called Shalimar. A hole in the wall place with not just great quality food but also at a very wallet friendly price. The place is always packed with customers no matter what. So one has to wait for the owner to come and find you a table. The owner reminds me of the 'soup nazi' from Seinfeld. He surely has some temper. He decides who gets what table. Once you are done eating he asks you to leave. The reason being the hungry customers waiting outside. So once we get a table,we order the usual time tested stuff. Lahori Chicken (seems more like Tandoori chicken), Raita, mixed vegetable masala,and Naan. We normally finish up by ordering a bowl of kheer. The kheer here is simply AMAZING!!
I don't have words to describe the taste. You've got to try it. So after a very delectable meal everyone's happy and we drive back home ! :-)

Sandesh and Besan Ladoo

Sandesh (made from milk,paneer)

Besan Ladoo( made with Chickpea flour)
Something I tried..cooking time is under 15 minutes for each recipe!Will post recipes soon.

Kheer Komola - Orange Pudding

This is a very simple summer dessert. It has very few ingredients.
Milk(non -fat) 2cups
Half and half -half cup
sugar - 3 tablespoons . 3 packets of splenda
bay leaf
cardamom powder (a pinch)
saffron strands( T Joe has it)
Rose water or rose petals soaked in water(optional)
Orange ( skinned and cut up)
Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan to avoid the milk from burning. Its important to watch the milk and stir the pot continuously.Once the milk reachs its boiling point, reduce heat and let the it simmer for some time. After about 10 minutes(yes, that's a long time to stir the milk but its worth it!)add sugar, bay leaf, cardamom powder and let the milk reduce to a thicker consistency.Cook for a couple of minutes longer and then set aside. Add some rose water.Let it chill in the refrigerator .






Right before serving, add some orange slices. A piece of heaven!

Light Curried Eggs with vegetables

This dish is inspired by the famous dish from Bengali cuisine, Dimer Dalna (Egg Curry). Eggs are such a universal food and can be used in so many ways. Eggs are a natural source of zinc so I try to include them atleast twice a week. This egg recipe is perfect on a summer day and has all the flavor and goodness you can imagine. Traditionally its made by frying boiled eggs in oil and then cooking them in a curry of onions,garlic,ginger and tomatoes. I tried to keep the flavor but reduced the amount of oil and played around with some of the ingredients a little bit. I used potatoes with skin on to preserve the nutrients and also parboiled them ahead of time to reduce the starch from them. I added green peppers to the curry to increase its goodness.
Ingredients~

Eggs hard-boiled

Green peppers

Spices-Bay leaf, whole cardamom, turmeric, red chillie powder
Tomatoes (chopped), garlic paste and ginger paste (a tablespoon each),cilantro for garnishing, one whole chipotle or green chilli, red or any favorite potato(s) with or without skin, half onion finely chopped

Method-
Boil the eggs ahead of time. Par boil some potatoes as well .This takes about 10 minutes.
Heat oil (1 tablespoon). Add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilli. About a half a minute into the process and add all the dry spices. Stir for a while and when oil starts to separate, add tomatoes and let it cook for some time. Oh! add the peppers too! :) Cook for about 4 minutes stirring intermittently so that the veggies don't burn. Add the par boiled potatoes ...Add some water (about 2 cups depending on the gravy needed) Cover and cook for 4 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro ...Done!



Serve with hot rice and enjoy!This is so light that you can go back for another serving without any guilt. Healthy food doesn't have to be boring. :)

Tandoori Chicken (Fat free)

Tandoori Chicken in one of my favorite foods. I have very strong memories about this food. Shere Punjab was one of my favorite dhabas in South Delhi,near Kalkaji- a neighborhood where I spent some time growing up. Eating out in Dhabas which represents typically Punjabi foods available on road sides in and around Delhi, is very common. These dhabas have the best Lassis, Chole Bhatures and Dal Frys in the world. Back in the day when I was living in India, & when my digestive system was wayyyy better, I loved to eat out whenever I got a chance! :) The opportunities were very limited because my mom always wanted us to eat home cooked meals . Anyway this Shere Punjab had the most delectable Naans and Tandoori chicken served on a bed of onions, pickles and lemon. Aaah!
Now,I try to make tandoori chicken quite a lot and serve it along with rice , daal or soup and some salad.Its really simple to do. I make it without any oil or butter or ghee.The ovens that we have here are a blessing.. I use it all the time for baking and broiling other than storing my pots and pans!
You'll need-

Yogurt and Tandoori masala
Chicken( I use boneless skinless chicken breast ...a bit expensive coz it takes the bad stuff out)
cilantro, green chillies (for that extra kick :))
ginger paste, garlic paste

Mix all the ingredients in a ziploc bag or a plastic bag or a glass bowl..I used my baking pan. Let the mix sit for half to one hour. I was out of time as always so I let the mix party for 15 minutes..

In the oven...set it to broil ( till cooked...broil on both sides. you may have to turn the pieces after about 10 minutes..and cook for another 10 minutes) Keep an eye on the broiler... By the way, my house was smelling like Shere Punjab!

Thora namak mirch lagake aur nimboo nichore ke.......
Oye balle balle!! :)

Eggplant Tofu- Not the Panda Express style!

Panda express ! the very thought gets my mouth drooling! The taste of Orange Chicken or Eggplant tofu is hard to forget. Ordering chinese takeout everyday may not be a good idea since the food is loaded with oil.Finding alternatives is in my opinion the best way to enjoy some favorites.So I tried another variation of the Eggplant tofu. It is best when served over fried rice .
Ingredients~

Eggplant,Onions,Garlic,Tomatoes

Tofu,cut up and dried (on a paper towel)

Soy sauce( low sodium), red chilli powder, non stick spray, sesame oil, olive oil,red chili and sugar

Coat the pan with some non stick spray and lighty fry the tofu. Coat a bit of red chilli on tofu to give it a nice color.

In another skillet add a table spoon of olive oil and fry the onions ,garlic, eggplant, some red chilli powder in that order. Keep this on high heat to cook the eggplant and then once coated with the oil, add some soy sauce and tomatoes...Cook for a couple of minutes and keep stirring ...the next ingredient to go in is some sugar( 1 or 2 tsps) The soy sauce takes care of the salt so be careful if using more salt.

After a few minutes its time to add the tofu and remember stir carefully or else the tofu might break .
If at this point you see that the eggplant looks dull, add some non stick spray to the skillet.

In the end drizzle some sesame oil (optional) .It helps to bring out the flavor !
Must admit though that my kids are not a big fan of eggplant...so I added a lot of cayenne to the tofu and it was very good! :)