Recipes Cooking

The best way ever, its simple and delish...

Servings: (2)
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Microwave 4 Mins. |
Grill/Bake: 30 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

2 large sweet potatoes
Baking spray
Kosher salt

Topping Options:
--Plain: (Is my preference ;-)
--Savory: Butter, Sour Cream, Chives/Green Onions, or Bacon Bits
--Sweet: Butter, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, Chopped Pecans/Walnuts, Cinnamon, (and/or Miniature Marshmallows toasted under the broiler for a couple of seconds)

METHOD

Lay out 2 double-thick layers of tin foil, ending up with about 12”x12” sheets, and set aside.

Gently scrub, dry, and pierce the potatoes. Place them on a plate in the microwave for 4 minutes on high, and carefully remove the hot par-cooked potatoes (theyll be hot). Using tongs or oven mitts, place each potato on their respective sheets of foil and spray all around them with baking spray, and then sprinkle with kosher salt, to taste. Roll up in foil sheets, and either grill, or bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until you squeeze them and they are tender – Enjoy!

An awesome dish and a must-try recipe...just sayin

Servings: (6)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Baking: 55 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
2 (14.5 oz. cans) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 package (25 to 27 1/2 ozs.) frozen meat-filled ravioli (I like Buitoni)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

Garnish:
parmesan cheese, grated; and
chives, roughly choped

METHOD

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of rectangular baking dish 13x9x2-inches, with cooking spray.

***Prepare the sauce:  Heat the olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and italian seasoning, and then sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, honey, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce; top with half of the remaining sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, beginning with the frozen ravioli. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.

***Finish: Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking uncovered for 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parmesan cheese and roughly chopped chives before serving. – Enjoy!

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I have already been raving about my crush on Mexican food ever since I opened that tiny tin of Chipotle chillies that Nupur got me. I dont know if winter has officially set in, in Hyderabad or is it some random cyclone effect - but the mornings and evenings are chilly and the day is generally cloudy. I am not a big sun person, so this suits me just fine. More so, I can indulge in infinite cups of tea, drink big bowls of soup for dinner and my taste buds suddenly develop a liking for spicy stuff. "Bring back the Chili" said my tastebuds to me yesterday. And opposites attract, dont they. What better way to complement the hot and flavour blasting chili than this mildly sweet cornbread, scented with cumin and coriander leaves?



I have baked cornbread some 3-4 times and this was THE. BEST. EVER. I am not exaggerating.
Especially if you are someone who has shied away from baking this because you dont eat eggs, you are in for a pleasant surprise. My husband quit eating eggs a few years ago and I am constantly figuring out ways to turn out decent baked stuff with replacements for egg and yesterday I hit gold. Flaxseed which is one of the best sources of Omega-3 for a vegetarian. You can buy the seeds and powder the quantity required for each recipe in a coffee grinder / chutney jar of mixer.

For each egg to be replaced - use 1 tbsp flaxseed powder whisked into 3 tbsp of very hot water. You will get an emulsion like beaten eggs and use it at the stage of the recipe when it calls for eggs.

This was most perfect match for the chili and I must add that my toddler son loved this too - in fact he was making it extremely difficult for me to take a picture, by digging his tiny fingers into it!


Recipe for Eggless Cornbread
Serves 3-4
Loosely adapted from Alton Browns Creamed Corn Cornbread recipe

In a large bowl, mix-
1 cup yellow cornmeal (Makkai ka atta)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk well-
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp flaxseed powder whisked into 6 tbsp hot water
1/2 cup milk

Extras
2 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapenos or 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds for garnish (optional, but gives a nice look to the bread)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (gives a nice sweet crunch, but I did not have it on hand, so did not use)

Directions
Preheat the oven at 200C.
Grease a loaf tin or line with tin foil.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry - till just combined and stir in the jalapenos, coriander leaves and corn kernels. I added a few spoons of the brine from pickled jalapenos as I found the mix somewhat dry. This gave a big flavour boost to the bread.
Pour into greased loaf tin. Flatten lightly with wet fingers and bake for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Let it rest for 15-20 minutes outside, before slicing.
Serve warm with chili. Recipe for chili posted here.

Food shopping in Hyderabad

Flaxseed also called Alsi in Hindi and Tashi in Bengali (knowledge shared by my twitter friends) is available with most grocers nowadays.
In Hyderabad, you can buy it at -
Ratnadeep (Srinagar Colony / Madhapur)
Q Mart (Road no.2 Banjara Hills)
Hypercity (Inorbit Mall, Madhapur)
Fabindia outlets that stock food

Pickled Jalapenos are available in all supermarkets. American Garden, Frigata are some of the good brands.