Cheesy,Chicken & Corn Quesadilla with Avocado Dip

Quesadillas are Mexican wraps which could be made with no much fuss in your kitchen. These are excellent choice for those who are looking for easy breakfast or a light dinner. The most important part of any quesadilla is the filling.  You can play with your choice of filling which varies from vegetarian options like beans, corns,mushrooms, spinach etc. to non-vegetarian options like chicken or beef or a mix of both veg and non-veg. You can choose your favourite cheese also; mozarella, cheddar, parmesan ..anything!

When you decide the filling of your choice , next is to decide on the ways to cook it; whether to fry, grill,bake or panini press them. When you fry, you get crispy wraps as you can see in the picture, whereas a little care needed as if you place tortillas before oil is heated, it may end up in oily & soggy wraps. You can use your panini toasters for zero oil wraps. It's more easier and takes less time compared to frying. But it's not advisable for super-stuffed wraps. Baking is better when you make for your whole family in a bunch; and yes, less oil. You can grill your wraps when you are out for a BBQ.

Ingredients:

Tortillas    1 packet of 6

Onion      1/2 (medium)

Tomato           2 (medium,red & ripened)

Red chilli      2 

Coriander leaves   1 tbsp

Sweet corn        1 cup

Chicken           1 cup , pan-fried and shredded

Pepper            1/2 tsp

Salt

Cheddar cheese    1 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Prepare salsa. For this, chop onion and tomatoes into fine and small pieces. Mix these with chilli, salt and coriander leaves. Keep this aside.

2. Boil or steam sweetcorn till it is done. 

3. Marinate chicken with salt; heat pan and roast chicken with less oil. When cooled down, shred into pieces. Mix chicken and corn together and season with salt and pepper.

4. If you are frying:

Heat pan in slow flame and add a tsp of olive oil or butter and when it is hot, place tortillas on it in such a way that oil is coated on whole tortilla. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of cheese on it. Now top it with 3 tbsp of salsa. Layer chicken and corn mix on top of that; cheese again. Now close this with another tortilla and press nicely. Turn the quesadillas upside down and fry the other side too. When that side turn crispy brown, take it out onto a plate, cut into 4 pieces and serve. If you are making in huge batch, place the fried wraps in a preheated oven until the next wraps are fried to keep it warm.

You can make it moon shaped also. When you fill your wraps, fill in half and when cheese starts melting, close the wrap in half (crescent/semi-circle shape) and fry on both sides.

5. For baking(170C for 20-30 minutes) , grilling or toasting, prepare quesadillas, brush a little oil on top and then cook in oven, toaster or on grill. 

6. Serve hot as it is or with dips/sauces of your choice.

Avocado Dip:

Ingredients:

Avocado   1

Yogurt     3 tbsp

Tabasco sauce/ chilli sauce  -to taste

Method:

Mash avocado with fork until smooth and mix in yogurt and sauce. Dip is ready to serve !

Healthy Pancakes

• Happy Childrens Day!! 

• A healthy pancake with all healthy ingredients such as oats, wholemeal flour etc. to all those wonderful moms who keep worrying about their kids' health and to all those kids who love eating delicious junks .
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• Ingredients:
• Courtesy:Eating Well
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• Buttermilk 2 1/2 cups**
• Oats 3/4 cups
• All purpose flour/Maida 1 cup
• Whole purpose flour/Atta 3/4 cup
• Light brown sugar 1/4 cup ,packed
• Baking powder 2 tsp
• Baking soda 1tsp
• Ground Cinnamon 1tsp
• Salt 1/2tsp
• Egg 1 ,large
• Eggwhites 2, large
• Oil 2 tsp

** For Buttermilk, add 2 1/2 tbsp of vinegar to 2 1/2 cups milk and allow it to remain at room temperature for a minimum of 15 minutes, without stirring/mixing it.

• Method:

1. Combine buttermilk and rolled oats in a small bowl; let rest for 20 to 30 minutes to soften oats. Stir all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour,  brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk egg, egg whites and 1 teaspoon oil in a separate bowl. Add the oat mixture and the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
2. Lightly brush a large nonstick skillet with a little of the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and heat over medium. Using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, pour batter onto the skillet and cook until the underside is browned and the bubbles on top remain open, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and cook until the underside is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a 200°F oven. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with a little of the remaining oil as needed. Serve hot, topping with maple syrup if desired.

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SOYA MUSHROOM BURGER- Happy Teachers Day!!

Just now read somehwhere "Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions!" How true! We seldom realize such simple things in life unless told by someone.  I like all my teachers except two ,whom I really hate.(there's a genuine reason).As a child, I was very shy to express my respect or love towards them. So today I wanted to take this oppurtunity to share about some of my favourite teachers who left their impact on me.

Qamarunnisa Ma'm who taught me in Grade 2 from Al Noor School,Auh was my first favourite among teachers. She was so caring and knew to deal with small kids really well. I always got motherly affection from her and was surprised when she could recognize me after 8 years. The other favourites were Jayasree Ma'm, Sangeetha Ma'm, Hari sir, Lissy Ma'm, Sheena Ma'm etc. etc. and the list goes on. I wanted to thank all my teachers from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn't have achieved first rank in 12th without them and I really mean it. I was so careless in my studies; but the teachers' trust in me overpowered everything and I had to prove myself.

Coming over to the recipe, a wonderful , melt in mouth and healthy recipe which you can make ahead and freeze for your kids' school. You can avoid mushroom if your kids don't like it. Otherwise a power packed, nutritious food is just a few minutes away.

Ingredients :
Courtesy: Mummy Ka Magic
(Makes 10)

Soya bean chunks 36 medium sized
Button Mushrooms 6
Green peas 1 1/2 cups
Potato 2 cups, boiled and mashed
Onion 3, medium
Garlic 2tsp
Pepper 2 tsp
Oregano or Italian mixed herbs 3/4tsp, (Optional)
Bread crumbs, 1 cup or more for coating

Method:

Pour boiling water over soyabean in a bowl, let it soak for 10-15 minutes. Drain and squeeze them nicely. If there's any moisture left behind, there's a chance to break while frying.

Mince soya beans, mushroom and greenpeas together in a grinder or foodprocessor. Keep it aside in a bowl.

Make a paste of onions. Heat oil in a pan and saute in garlic for few seconds . Add onion paste to it. Saute till the paste leaves sides of the pan. Add spices to it.

Add this paste into the soya mixture. Mix in breadcrumbs nicely. Take a handful of mixture and make patties out of it. Coat breadcrumbs and shallowfry this in little oil.

If you want to freeze, follow the same procedures I followed in freezing Meat Cutlets.

Linking this to Back 2 School Event hosted by me

Healthy Breakfast Event

Mushroom Sandwich

'Eat Healthy, Do Not Waste' is my mantra this Ramadan.

 Oil fried snacks are not at all a good idea to have during Iftars. But that has turned to a custom since years in many regions including ours.  To change or to revolt against the year old tradition is a big task in itself- to fight with our family members and with our own minds. As Jab is a doctor and health concious too(obviously) , I find it a bit easy to convince them.

We always break fast with fruit salads ,juice and water, as recommended by Prophet (PBUH) and now scientifically proven. We feel so good and refreshed after that. Sometimes we do make fruit custards, but most of the days we add fresh melon or orange juices to our fruit salads. Just a little but it tastes so good. Then, after prayer comes the teatime when we usually eat oily snacks. But the change we tried (to avoid oily stuffs) helped us to feel active during Tharaaveeh (prayer after) . One hour long prayer helps digesting these snacks easily and then it's time for a light meal. Suhoor (Early breakfast)defenitely should be a wholesome meal which help us to stay active the whole day. Eating dry fruits during Suhoor is highly recommended.

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms 1 box
Oil 1tbsp
Onion 1/2
Garlic 4 cloves
Pepper 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves 1 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion till it changes it color.

2. Add garlic and saute a little more.

3. Pop in mushroom slices into it. Saute till it turns golden brown for about 10-12 minutes.

4. Once it is done, throw in coriander leaves.

5. Toast breads and assemble the sandwich ingredients.

6. Place cheese slice first, then mushroom filing, tomato slice, cucumber slice. etc and close with another toast.Microwave this for 20 seconds

Variation:

You can either assemble the sandwich and then toast it, if you like melted cheese.
Adding olives, mayonnaise, lettuce etc. may add variation to the taste, depending upon your choice.

Smiley Chicken Sandwich(with apples & carrots)

Breakfast fuels us for the day. It is always said to have breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dine like a pauper, whereas most of us do just the opposite. Most of us makes this mistake to skip breakfast hoping to lose weight; whereas research confirms that people who eat breakfast are the most successful at weight control. If we don't refuel at breakfast and break the overnight fast, we challenge the body as the brain searches for the fuel.

It's a high-time effort to pack kids' snack box with their favourite breakfast as there is so little time in the morning. Planning is  crucial in such situations. All kids have different tastes ,which varies more often. When Noora (my doter) wants all chocolaty , Razin, my son, prefers cheesy.. But when coming to chicken, they both love it. So including chicken in their breakfast menu is the smartest choice that I make.They likes to be surprised when they open their box and a smiley sandwich can make them happy.

Ingredients:

Bread Slices

Chicken, boiled and shredded 3/4 cup

Apple ,grated 1/2 cup

Carrot, grated 1/2 cup

Spring onions 1/4 cup

Mayonnaise 2-3tbsp

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Lettuce

Method

Cut the bread slices and lettuces in round using a cookie cutter, a glass or anything similar.You can toast your bread if you need.

Mix together shredded chicken,grated apple and carrots together alongwith mayonnaise.(Use grater with small hole to grate apples) Mix in spring onions to it. Season it with salt and pepper. Your filling is ready to be sandwiched.

Spread butter on your bread slice, top it up with lettuce and then the chicken filling. You can keep one more lettuce if required. Sandwich with another slice of bread. You can either toast it or serve cold.

Be creative and serve the way your kid loves it. They eat with their eyes. :)

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I added cool smileys to this message... if you don't see them go to: http://s.exps.me

Tandoori Chicken

A most popular Indian chicken dish which is cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor, this is exteremely popular in the west and appears on the majority of the restaurant menus. Though the authentic tandoori flavour is very difficult to achieve in conventional ovens, this version still makes a very tasty dish. This recipe has been adapted from Masala Mornings.

Ingredients:


4 Chicken Quarters(leg+thigh pieces)
ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
salt 1 tsp
turmeric 1/2 tsp
chilli powder 1 tsp
garam masala 1 tsp
cumin crushed 1 tsp
lemon juice 2 tbsp
yogurt 2 tbsp
orange red color a pinch
oil 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Skin, rinse and pat dry the chicken quarters. Make 2 slits into the flesh of each pice, place in a dish and set aside.

2. Mix together the yogurt, garam masala, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric, crushed cumin, lemon juice, salt, red colouring and oil. and beat so that all the ingredients are well mixed together.

3. Cover the chicken quarters with the spice mixture and leave to marinate for about 3 hrs.

4. Preheat oven to 240C. Transfer the chicken pieces to an ovenproof dish.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25mts. or until the chicken is cooked right through and browned on top.

6. Remove from the oven, transfer onto a serving dish and garnish with the salad leaves, lime and tomato.

Linking this to Anyone Can cook

Also to Sweet Heat Challenge- Let's rock indian  originally hosted by Vanilla Clouds & Lemon Drops

Triple decker egg-coleslaw sandwich

 A healthy, easy yet delicious sandwich which could be packed fr picnics and schools.

Ingredients:

Bread

Egg , hard boiled

Cabbage, finely chopped 1 cup

Carrot, finely chopped 1/4 cup

Onion minced 1 tbsp

Mayyonnaise 2 tbsp or as u wish

Salt 

Pepper

Butter

 Method:

1. Mix cabbage and carrots together with mayyonnaise,salt, pepper and minced onion.

2.Take 3 breads and spread butter on all those sides of bread which faces inwards.

3. Slice Eggs.

4. Layer 1 or 2 tbsp of  coleslaw on a buttered bread and cover with another bread. Now place the sliced eggs on top of that and season with salt and pepper here. Close with another bread facing buttered side down.

5. Press slightly and cut it in triangle or any other shape.

Pasta with olives, tomatoes and chilli

We Indians always wanted our dish to be so complicated, oily and spicy. We had an assumption that these are the factors which turn our dish to tasty. But these days, as international cuisine stepped into every kitchen, we love to be lazy and experiment with pastas, noodles or the same. But these can be healthy too with little of fat and spices; but damn tasty.

This is a simple pasta tossed with vegetables and olives.

Ingredients:

Penne or any other pasta 500 gm
Olive oil
Baby tomatoes
garlic cloves 4 chopped
chilli 1
salt and pepper, to taste
eggplant 1
Bell peppers (yellow & red) 1/4 cup
black olives, pitted
parsley 2 tbsp, chopped

Method:

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente.

2. In the meantime, heat oil in a frying pan and cook tomatoes, garlic, eggplants, peppers and chilli until tomatoes begin to burst.

3. Drain pasta and add to tomato mixture and toss. Add olives and toss again. Garnish with parsley

Classic Sandwich

 A healthy and fresh sandwich  with a glass of fresh juice. What more you need in a hot sunny morning? Whether you are in need of a light breakfast to start your day or wanted to make fresh your morning, these are the best choice to have with your green tea or juices. I hate heavy breakfasts during summer and anything fried or cooked... I prefer my choice of bread and play a lot with the veg in hand. Last week after dropping ma kids near their school bus early  morning,  saw this recipe prepared by Sunita Rodrigues in Food First Tv. All the veggies were there with me; so ran to the kitchen & assembled those ones.. This is a classic one & the same as most of us do; but she used roasted capsicum & I just loved it.. So thought of sharing this with you guys..

Ingredients:

Bread of your choice
Butter/Mayonnaise
Mustard Sauce
Lettuce
Capsicum
Salaami/Mortadella/Sausages
Tomato
Jalapeno ( pickled) I didn't have Jalapenos with me, so used olives instead
Cheese slices
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1.First, we can roast the capsicum. Insert 2 wooden skewers together into capsicum . Fire your stove and hold the capsicum above that touching the fire. Roast all the sides equally. It will turn into ash and then to black colour. Don't worry about that, we will remove the skin and you will get a perfect green colour. Once it is roasted, take them and wrap in a kitchen towel and leave it to cool it. This will help you remove the skin easily.  After 2-3 minutes;may be after 2-3 steps, remove the skin of the capsicum with that towel. Slice it. Btw, roasting is optional, you can use fresh ones too.. but the former adds a kick to it.

2. Toast your bread. You can grill it in oven for 2-3 minutes to turn it crispy.

3.. Spread butter/mayonnaise to moisture your sandwich.

4.. A few drops of Mustard sauce on that. Add it according to your taste as it is sour and some don't prefer it much.

5. Tear some Lettuce leaves . Iceberg Lettuces are preferred. You can soak in cold water for a while and then strain and dry it using a kitchen tissue which turns your lettuce crispy. Slice all the veggies and sprinkle some salt & pepper on it. Keep some Lettuces on your bread.

6. Arrange Salami/Mortadella/Sausage/Tuna or chicken pieces above that. You can grill or steam the sausages.

7. Now tomatoes, cheese slices, capsicum, olives/jalapenos and then again some lettuces on top. Close your toast. You can secure your sandwich with toothpicks if you are packing them  for your kids' lunch box or for picnics.

Mutabbel

Mutabbel is a Lebanese dip prepared using aubergines/brinjal/eggplants , combined with Tahini paste and a few other seasonings. Its similar to Hummus or Baba Ganouj. Aubergines are baked or grilled over an open flame and then made paste of it. It s usually eaten as a dip with pita bread or Kubboos or added in other dishes. It has got an earthy light brown colour.I didn't ever know that eggplants have got lots of healing properties till I read about the Siri's Healing Food Event; co-hosted by  Kavita  . So this recipe goes to their event too.

Ingredients:

Eggplants 200 gm

Tahini paste 2 tbsp**

Lime juice 1-2 tbsp

Garlic 2 cloves

Salt to taste

Pomegranate seeds to garnish

Olive oil to garnish 4 tbsp or more


Method:

1.Cook the eggplants either by boiling or on stove top.I prefer to cook on an open flame which gives the authentic flavor of the dish 

If grilling on open flame:

Pierce the eggplants on all the sides & cover it individually using aluminum foil . Don't peel it.Hold the stem of it and cook on an open flame by turning occasionally till it gets cooked nicely. You can burn it a little to get a smoky flavor..

If using microwave:

Cook on HIGH for 10 min. in a covered dish by sprinkling little water over it.

2.Now put this in a bowl of cold water and peel it off.

3.Mash it using a potato masher, a fork or a food processor. Add tahini paste, garlic paste,salt & lime juice to it. Mix nicely. If you are using food-processor or grinder, just pulse it for a few seconds; don't make fine paste of it like hummos.

4.Garnish with olive oil & pomegranate seeds.

**Tahini Paste (could be bought from any supermarkets or made at home)

Ingredients:

• 5 cups sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 170C. Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 minutes, tossing the seeds frequently with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes.

Pour sesame seeds into food processor and add oil. Blend for 2 minutes. Check for consistency. The goal is a thick, yet pourable texture. Add more oil and blend until desired consistency.

Link this to Dish it Out co-hosted by Spicy Treats

Sesame coated Alfalfa ,Tomato & Cheese Sandwich

As you all know, Sprouts are highly nutritious; they are rich in proteins & so is good in building our immune system. My kids luv to have sprouts or moong may be becos I've been feeding them with sprouts since they are 7-8 months old. My hubby who is also a doctor always insists me to feed them moong sprouts or any other bean sprouts. I think Moong sprouts are the most common ones. We can make it in our home by soaking whole moongs, draining them & then tying up in a muslin cloth for a day or so till it gets sprouted.

This is a simple recipe;infact all sandwiches are simple ,easy to prepare; healthy &delicious .. Sandwiches along with  a bowl of fruits & a glass of juice makes my day... We Indians usually don't take fruits in empty stomach; but i recommend you guys to please make it a habit; it really worth it. It detoxifies your system, supplies you with great deal of energy for your weight loss and other activities for the day.

Now...the recipe time...

Ingredients;

Butter

Bread 4 slices

Tomato 1 large, sliced in rounds

Alfalfa/Bean sprouts 2 tbsp

Cheese slices 4

Eggs 2, lightly beaten with a little salt & pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Roasted sesame seeds 2 tbsp

Oil for shallow frying

Preparation

Spread butter on (one side each) of all the bread slices. Place one cheese slice over the buttered side of one bread slice. Place few tomato slices over the cheese and sprinkle 1 tbsp of alfalfa or bean sprouts. Place another cheese slice over this and cover with the second bread slice (buttered side facing down). Trim the edges from all four sides of the sandwich. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 bread slices. Dip each prepared sandwich in egg and then coat it with sesame seeds. Shallow fry both sandwiches (one at a time), in hot oil in a non-stick pan. Slice sandwich into 2 halves and serve warm.

And friends, please don't be lazy to trim the edges as i did...hihi...wake up a bit early...:))

Posting this to Sujana's celebrating sandwich event