Vegetable Fajitas

Vegetable Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper,
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 4 flour tortillas

  Preparation:

 1) Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil, and place in oven. Turn heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for until thoroughly heated. (15 minutes)

2) In a large pan heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, red and green peppers, and garlic, mix with oil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Mix yellow squash into vegetables. Mix in salsa, cumin, salt and chili power. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

3) Put that mix cooed vegetable to warm tortillas evenly in centers and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Roll up tortillas and serve.

Veggie Sandwich

Veggie Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4slices whole wheat bread
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 /4 cup cut olives
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 lettuce leaves
•  2 tsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp mustard
• 4 tsp Ranch dressing
• 4 slices  Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

 1) Spread mayonnaise and mustard over two slices of bread, layer with the cheese,         onion, olives, tomato and avocado. Sprinkle with pepper.

2) Sprinkle each sandwich with 1 tablespoon of dressing. Top with lettuce. Sprinkle remaining dressing over remaining bread and serve.

 

Moong Dal

Moong Daal

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups moong daal
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp   ginger and garlic paste
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp turmeric power
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed or mustard seeds
• 3 green chili
• 1 pinch Asafetida
• 1/4 cup chopped  cilantro

 

Directions

1. Rinse the moong daal. Add water, and boil in a medium-sized pan.
2. Heat oil on medium heat, in a medium-sized pan, for 30 seconds.
3. Add asafetida, turmeric, mustard seeds and cumin seeds in quick succession.
4. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the green chilies, ginger paste and garlic.
5. Add onions, and continue sautéing until they turn golden. Cook 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the boiled moong daal and salt, and fry until all the ingredients are mixed well. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Vegetarian Manchurian

VEGETABLE MANCHURIAN

Ingredients:

• 2 Cup Grated cabbage
• 2 Cup Grated carrots
• 2 Cup Squeeze
• 1 Chopped onion
• 2 Chopped Green chilies
• 3-4 Garlic flakes
• 4 tsp Corn Flour
• Oil for deep frying
• 1 tsp Soya sauce
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Pepper powder
• 2 tsp Oil
• Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

 

Method:

• Mix grated cabbage and carrots and squeeze the water out from them and mix corn flour, chopped green chilies and little salt to it.
• Make small balls of the mixture. (like kofta)
• Heat the oil in a khadai and deep fry the balls till golden brown, drain and keep aside.
•  In a separate pan heat 2tsp of oil, add garlic, green chilies and spring onions.
• Add water, salt, pepper and soya sauce, bring it to a boil.
• Gently add the fried balls to the gravy.
• Cook the vegetable Manchurian for 3-4 minutes and serve hot garnish with chopped coriander.

Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 package lasagna noodles
• 1 container  marinara sauce
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced(optional)
• 1 red onion chopped
• 4 oz jalapenos (optional)
• 4-5 oz olives
• 2 /10 bags baby spinach
• 1 /15 container ricotta cheese
• 1 packag shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2  garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4th tsp pepper
• 1.5 tablespoon olive oil

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large pan. Add one bag spinach and cook until wilted.
3. Remove and place spinach in a bowl and then cook remaining bag. Set cooked spinach aside.
4. Add 5 tbsp olive oil to the pan and cook mushrooms, onion, jalapeno until tender and then add tomato .Set aside in a separate bowl.
5. In another bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
6. Spray oven tray  with cooking spray and pour in about a fourth cup of pasta sauce to cover bottom. Lay three uncooked lasagna noodles over top. Add a layer of the ricotta mixture, then a layer of spinach, followed by a layer of mushrooms, onion and tomato and sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Finish each layer with a fourth cup of pasta sauce then repeat with three more noodles.
7. Make two more additional layers of noodles, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, onion, tomato, jalapeno, cheese and sauce then finish with a final layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce and more mozzarella cheese.
8. Cover very loosely with tin foil and bake for 50 minutes.
9. After baking, let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before digging in!

Bombay Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized potatoes (boiled)
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt
• Green hot cilantro chutney (you can also buy it at any Indian store in case you do not want to make it at home)
• White or Wheat Bread slices (I just used what I normally have on hand which is was an oat nut bread)
• Slices of cucumber, onion, tomato
• Butter

 

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. Once they pop add onion. Cook it until they turn slightly golden.
2. Add turmeric, chopped chili peppers, coriander powder and salt. Mix and quickly add boiled mashed potatoes otherwise masala will start burning.
3. Mix everything well together. Set aside. Do not need to cook it.
4. Take a slice of bread, put potato filling as much as you want. I normally put a thin later covering the whole surface.
5. In the second slice put a thin layer of cilantro chutney. Place it over the slice with potato filling (surface with chutney should be facing outside and not towards the potato.
6. Now over that chutney layer put slices of onion, cucumber and tomato. Sprinkle cheese on top of veggies if using. Place another slice on top covering the tomato, onion and cheese layer.
7. Brush some butter on both the exposed sides of the sandwich. Grill or pan fry until browned. Press the sandwich with a spatula to flatten the layers together.
8. Cut the sandwich into two triangle and serve with hot sauce or some sweet mango chutney.

Choley Bhature

Ingredients:

Bhature

2 cups All purpose flour (Maida)
1 pouch Yeast
1 cup Yogurt
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

Choley

1 small can Garbanzo beans
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Cilantro
6-7 Mint leaves
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Chilly Powder
2-3 Bay Leaves
2-3 Cloves
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 Medium-sized finely chopped onion
1 Big tomato
1 1/2 cup Water
Salt to taste 

 

Bhature

• Take yeast and soak in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes
• Take all other ingredients and mix well. To this add the yeast and make a soft dough like for chappatis. If need be add a little water and keep aside for 4-5 hours, the longer kept, the better it is.
• Roll like puri but this needs to be kept thicker than poori. Fry like poori till both sides are golden brown. 

Chole

• Take 2 tablespoons of oil in a pressue cooker and heat it.
• Add garlic powder and make it dark brown. Then add cumin seeds fry till they start spluttering.
• Now add bay leaves and cloves. Add diced onions. Fry then till they are light brown.
• Now add the rest of ingredients including water except the cilantro and mint leaves.
• Close the pressure cooker and wait for 3 whistles to come or cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Garnish choley with thinly sliced long pieces of onion and a piece of lemon split up into 4 pieces.

TAMARIND CHUTNEY (imli chutney )

Ingredients:

200gms Tamarind (Imli)
300gms Jaggery (Gur) grated
2 tsp Roasted cumin (Jeera) Powder
2 tsp Red chili powder
Salt To Taste
1 tsp Black salt
1 tsp Garam masala

 

 

How to make imli ki chutney (tamarind chutney):

• Add 5 cups of water to tamarind and bring to er the flame and cook for 10 minutes.
• Strain it and add the jaggery, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, garam masala and mix well.
• Cook again on medium flame till jaggery dissolves completely and the chutney gets semi thick(not too thick)
• Take out the pulp from the tamarind mixture.This Chutney thickens more on cooling so check for consistency when using.

Coriander Chutney (Green (hari) Chutney )

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh mint (approximately 100 gms/ 0.22 lbs)
• 1 bunch fresh coriander (approximately 100 gms/ 0.22 lbs)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1" piece of ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsps lime juice

 

Preparation:

• Cut off roots from the coriander and any thick stalks from the mint and discard. You should now have enough coriander and mint to loosely fill 1 1/2 to 2 cups with each of them.
• Peel garlic and ginger and remove stalks from green chillies. Wash all these ingredients thoroughly.
• Grind all the ingredients (including the salt which you can add more of later to suit your taste) into a smooth paste in a food processor.
• Chill and serve.

Mexican Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound seashell pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
• salt and pepper to taste
•  
•  

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook onions and pepper in oil until lightly browned, 10 minutes. Stir in corn and heat through. Stir in black beans, tomatoes, salsa, olives, taco seasoning and salt and pepper and cook until thoroughly heated, 5 minutes.
3. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and serve.

Vegetarian enchilada

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro flakes
• 6 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches), warmed
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the beans, corn, chilies, taco seasoning and cilantro; cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
• Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 enchiladas.

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pizza crust (can be homemade or purchased)

1 (16 oz) can fat free retried beans

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup taco sauce

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese 

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spread crust over baking sheet.  Spread with beans.  Layer onions over beans and spread on taco sauce.  Add cheese and sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, and cilantro.  Arrange tomato slices over pizza and bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy.

Optional toppings: salsa, reduced fat sour cream, shredded lettuce.

Cutlets

Ingredients:

·         2 medium potatoes

·         1 cup chopped mixed vegetables (green peas, carrots, green beans, corn)

·         2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (green coriander)

·         2 finely chopped green chilies (adjust to your taste)

·         1 teaspoon chopped ginger

·         1 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)

·         1 teaspoon mango powder

·         3 tablespoon All Purpose flour (plain flour or maida)

·         1 cup breadcrumbs

·         Oil to fry

Method:

1.     Boiled the potatoes until they are tender.

2.     Once cooked, drain the water and let the potatoes cool down.

3.     Peel the skin off and mash the potatoes.

4.     Steam the chopped mixed vegetables.

5.     Make sure to squeeze the vegetables to take the excess water out and Pat dry.

6.     Mix all the ingredients togather; adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

7.     Add 4 tablespoons of water to the All Purpose flour to make a batter and keep aside.

8.     With oiled hands, divide the mixture into 10 equal parts.

9.     Shape into flat round patties about 1/2 inch thick.

1.  Dip each patty in the flour batter, and roll the patty in breadcrumbs and set aside.

1.  Heat the oil on medium high heat in a frying pan.

1.  Frying pan should have atleast 1 1/2 inch of oil.

.  Fry a few cutlets at a time until they are golden-brown on both sides. 

.  Repeat this until all the cutlets are done. Serve hot.

Falafel

Ingredients:

·         1 cup dried chick peas (garbanzo, kabli chana)

·         2 tablespoon chopped parsley

·         2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

·         1 green chili

·         About 1/4 inch piece of ginger

·         1 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste

·         1 teaspoon cumin seeds

·         1 teaspoon red chili flakes

·         1/4 cup all purpose flour (plain flour, maida)

·         Also need oil to fry

Tahini Sauce

·         1/4 cup sesame seeds

·         1 1/4 teaspoon salt adjust to taste

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

·         About 2 tablespoon chopped parsley

·         About 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

·         1 green chili adjust to taste

·         About 1/4 cup water use as needed

·         2 cups of thinly sliced lettuce

·         2 medium size chopped tomatoes

·         1/2 cup chopped cucumber

·         4 pocket pita bread

method

Tahini Sauce

1.     In a small frying pan dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

2.     mix all the ingredients and blend to make a pourable paste use water as needed

3.     Keep it aside.

Falafel

1.     Soak the chickpeas in 4 cups of water over night. After soaking chickpeas will be about 2 and half time in volume.

2.     In pressure cooker add chickpeas with the 3 cups of water. Close the cooker and put the pressure on.

3.     Cook on medium high heat.

4.     As pressure cooker starts steaming turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 4 minutes.

5.     Close the heat and wait until steam has stopped before opening the pressure cooker. Chickpeas should be just tender not very soft.

6.     Drain the water and let it cool; combine all the ingredients for falafel grind using food processor, mixture should be grainy. If needed add few spoons of water.

7.     Divide the mixture in 24 equal parts or make them as desired size patties.

8.     Heat oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.

9.     The frying pan should have at least 1 ½ inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put small piece of dough in oil. The dough should come up but not change color right away.

1        Slowly drop the falafel patties in the oil and fry until they are brown in color both sides. It should take about 5-6 minutes to cook each batch.

1     Keep the patties aside.

Bread Pakoras

Ingredients:

4 slices of firm white bread

1 cup gram flour (besan)

1 tablespoon rice flour

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of asafetida (hing)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

2 finely chopped green chilies

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (green coriander)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of water

Oil to fry

Method:

Remove the crust from all sides of the bread.

Slice the bread lengthwise into 3 equal parts.

Mix all the dry ingredients together: Gram flour (besan), rice flour, asafetida, cumin seeds, and salt. Rice flour adds to the crispness.

Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter.

Next, add the green chilies and cilantro. Mix well.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat

.

Frying pan should have at least 11/2 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away.

Dip the bread slices in the batter one at a time and slowley drop into the frying pan

.

Fry the Pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.

Turn them occasionally. Fry the Pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.

Repeat this process. The crispy, delicious Bread Pakoras are ready to serve.

Use 1/4 cup of chopped spinach or 2 tablespoons of chopped fenugreek leaves as a substitute for the chopped cilantro.