Phew! I am back.  My computer was down with the flu.  I should have taken better care when I went out in a hurry searching Google for Manisha Koirala's marriage photographs.  I know! It cannot get any worse, stupid or silly.  No disrespect to actors, since you can see I must like her to be gawking at her pictures, but now on I will think a million times before I go to gawk at pictures online. 

     I hope you will enjoy this refreshing dip as much as I.  Dip into it with some vegetable flavored Ritz crackers or spread it on your fajitas and  Enjoy!



Ingredients:
Avocado                      - 1
Shallots                        - 1 small
Garlic                           - 1 small pod
Thai chili                       - 1, seeded and chopped fine
Olive oil                       - 1 tspn
Black pepper               -  a little to taste
Salt                              - to taste     
 Method:

Cut the avocados and put in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mash
Serve with crackers or with rolls.

Contributor: Sunitha

Charred

Skinned, remove seeds

Fried, ready to bake

• Dipping sauce for bread.
• Spread over pizza crust and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• A brushetta topping.
• Add it to soups.
• Toasted French bread.
• Brown a roast in it.
• Add it to salad dressings.
• Over most meats:  steak, chicken, pork.
• With vegetables:  roast potatoes slathered with mojo de ajo.
• Add it to pasta sauces.
• With fish and seafood, such as shrimp scampi.
• Marinades.
• On popcorn!

Its has been a dream for me to make out home made tortillas instead of buying often the store bought tortillas..This time, i brownsed through many sites and finally my choice went for this version..If u r planning to make out tortillas at home definitely u need for simple ingredients like all purpose flour, baking powder,butter,salt and warm water..Whoever roll prefectly their rotis will get a prefect tortillas as this tortillas ressembles quite like our rotis..Its really worth to try and this home made tortillas can be frozen in a ziplock bags for upto several months..These tortillas are tasty,light, soft and fabulous..I have prepared these light tortillas and served along with Capsicum & Tofu Zunka for our dinner, everyone at home enjoyed this capsicum & tofu zunka wraps for our dinner with simple salad, definitely a healthy and complete dinner..


2cups All purpose flour
1tsp Baking powder
3tbsp Butter (room temperature)
Salt
Warm water

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder in a large bowl, add the butter and warm water to the flour and knead as a soft dough..cover the bowl with a towel and leave aside for 15minutes,divide the dough into 12-13 golf sized balls..roll each dough on a floured surface to form a very thin circles..heat a non stick pan, add the rolled tortillas and cook on both sides until the surface starts to bubble ..Turn the torilla and cook both sides until the tortillas turns slightly brown or half cooked...repeat the same process, until the dough get finished..Arrange the cooked tortillas in a ziplock bags and stor them either in fridge or in freezer...

Indianized Wraps:




Heat the already prepared home made tortillas on both side until they get cooked, arrange few spoons of Capsicum & Tofu Zunka in the center of the tortillas and roll them as wrap, pick the edge with a toothpick and serve immediately with salad or with french fries..

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo amigos!

Do you like Mexican cuisine? How about a delicious meal that can be put together in less than an hour? Now, I am sure I have your full attention. Who after all can say no to less time in the kitchen, and yet tasty food on the table! Thriving fast food joints everywhere are a sure proof to this fact.

I am no different! Once I found out that tacos put together at home can hold it’s own to tacos from my favorite joint, there was no stopping me. With fresh ingredients, and chicken that is cooked at home this recipe is healthier. More over, children love this stuff and indulge and for once you don’t have to curtail them from having an extra bite or two.

And now, with cricket being my latest distraction, I am thinking it won’t be a bad idea to have some tacos while enjoying the game too. Please agree with me!










Ingredients:

Taco shells- 12

Chicken breast- 1 lbs, cut into bite size pieces
Pepper- 1 tsp
Salt
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 2 tsp
Jalapenos finely chopped- 1/2/to your taste
Chicken stock- 1 cup

Bell pepper julienne- 1/4 cup
Lettuce finely chopped- 1/4 cup
Guacamole- from 2 avocados(find the recipe here)
Mexican cheese- 1/2 cup (A Mixture of Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheese)
Sour cream- 1/4cup (optional)
Salsa/chopped tomatoes- 1/4 cup

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken with pepper, oil,salt,lemon juice and garlic powder and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.
2.Boil the stock and add the marinated chicken into it.
3.After 3-4 minutes add the jalapeno slices and continue cooking till chicken is almost done.
4.Increase the heat and cook till all the water is absorbed.
5.Switch off when there is still a little water left, just enough to moisten the chicken.
6.Prepare the shells according to package instructions.
7.Fill them with cooked chicken,sour cream,salsa and veggies sprinkle the cheese over.
8.Place them on a baking sheet/microwave safe plate and warm in an oven at 400 degree F/on high in a microwave for 30-45 seconds, till the cheese is melted.
9.Serve with guacamole and some Mexican cumin rice or as it is.





Linking this to Anyone can cook

Notes:

1.The fillings are completely versatile, as many of you know.
2.This is how my family likes it.You could make it vegetarian by using tofu and vegetable stock.And maybe add some bean chili for filling


Contributor: Namitha

Coleslaw is a salad prepared mainly with shredded raw cabbage and shredded carrots, its really quite easy ,quick and delicious salad can be prepared within few minutes and prefect salad for a quick lunch or dinner..Many veggies like red cabbage, onions, cheese, pineapple or apples can be added to this raw cabbage salad and the dressing traditionally consists of vegetable oil or vinger ,mayonnaise or yogurt instead of mayonnaise with  salt..Coleslaw is generally eaten as side dish with barbecue, french fries and with fried chicken, its also used as sandwich ingredients , placed on hamburgers, barbecue sandwiches or with hot dog..Our today's lunch menu goes for this simple coleslaw salad which i turned as wrap with yellow corn tortillas and served with sesame chicken strips (stay tuned will be posting soon)..We enjoyed having this crunchy,delicious and filling wraps with simple pineapple salad..Am sending this coleslaw tortilla wrap to RV's & Sudeshna's  Food For 7Stages Of Life-Healthy Fast Foods, Pj's No Cook Event and finally to Divya's Show Me Your Salad...


1cup Shredded cabbage
1/2cup Carrot (shredded)
2tsp Mayonnaise
1tsp Vinegar
Salt
1/2tsp Sugar

Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and sugar in a small bowl and keep aside..take the shredded cabbage, shredded carrot in a bowl and add the already prepared dressing, add salt if need and arrange in fridge for an hour..


For Tortilla Wrap:
4nos Yellow corn tortillas
Tomato ketchup (as per need)
Pepper powder

Heat the tortillas in microwave oven for 3minutes,arrange enough coleslaw over the tortillas, spread the ketchup and springle the pepper powder over the coleslaw and make a wrap by folding the tortillas gently..serve immediately with french fries..

Super fast food na!!

I have always loved soup and still do. It surprises me that I have not posted more recipes for soup on the blog.

I suppose, the love started with the simple gruel and green grams that was a customary dinner at home while growing up. Thereafter, the Chinese food outlets that spawn our cities made sweet corn chicken soup and manchow soup household names. But I never tried as many variations of soup as I have since I came to the U.S.



Coming to the U.S. opened a whole new world of soup to me. Hamburger soup at my friend Janet’s palce, Kale and bean soup at Marilyn’s,are just a few to mention. Today’s recipe is from dear a friend Barbara. Her cooking is superlative, and dinners at her place and socializing are some of my fondest memories from the last couple of years. She cooks everything to perfection. The spices and flavors are always the right amount to keep you wanting more.

With bay leaf, cumin and coriander leaf to flavor this soup it is very close to Indian cooking. I hope you will enjoy this soup as much as I do.



Ingredients:

Chicken Breast - 3 - 4 large
Garlic Cloves - 4
white shoepeg corn - 1 10oz. can I sometimes put two cans]
Diced tomatoes - 1 10oz. can mild green chiles
Cumin - 1-2 tsp.
Bay leaf - 1
Black pepper - ½ t
white shoepeg corn - 1 10oz. can
diced tomatoes with mild green chiles - 1 10oz. can of

To sauté:
Olive oil - 2 Tablespoon
Onion - 1 large
Garlic Cloves - 4
Cilantro chopped - 6-8 branches

Method:

1. Boil Chicken breasts for 30 minutes in sufficient water to have about 2 qts of broth left (I boiled it in 9 cups of water) with 3-4 large cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
2. When chicken is done, remove from broth, cool slightly and cut and shred into small pieces. Return to broth.

3. In small skillet with 2 T. olive oil sauté:
4-6 large cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 large onion, chopped
6-8 branches of cilantro chopped

4. Add to chicken and broth.

Add:
1 10oz. can of white shoepeg corn [I sometimes put two cans]
1 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with mild green chiles [I prefer to blend the tomatoes completely before adding.]
[You may also add 1 can V-8 juice if you prefer more tomato flavor.]
1-2 tsp. Cumin
1 bay leaf
½ t. black pepper [or more to taste.] Also check for salt to taste.

Simmer mixture for about 30 minutes more.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve in large bowls with
--Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
--Chopped Avocado [To keep avocado from turning brown, place one of the avocado stones in the serving bowl with chopped avocado until time to serve.]
--Lime slices to squeeze on top
--Frito tortilla chips OR cut 3-4 corn tortillas into thin shreds and fry them in oil until crisp. Drain well.

Contributor: Sunitha