Palak Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese)

This is my absolute favourite meal at the moment....ok, I fibbed, I have a million favourite meals at the moment, ok, I exaggerated. How could I possibly have a million favourite meals? I first tried this Indian recipe via Frozen Fast Food. Amy's Fast Food to be exact and it was delicious. Recently I found Palak Paneer without all the rice, but with just the spinach sauce and paneer cheese in a little microwavable bag and I thought I'd died and gone to Bollywood. Seriously, I love Indian food. So get this.....not only did I find a recipe to make my own Paneer Cheese, but I have a recipe to make my favourite Palak Paneer. When I eat this I need nothing else, every spice, the textures, the smells, the taste, fantastic! I'm going to print the recipe I found and if I can find the Paneer Cheese recipe I'll print that too. You can buy paneer cheese at an International or Indian grocery store. And, if you don't feel like making this, just buy it frozen or from the shelf and pop it into the microwave. It's the best fast food I've ever had!

PALAK PANEER (Spinach with Indian Cheese)

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh baby spinach leaves (or frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained)
1 lb of paneer cubes (about 28-30 cubes)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1” piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp ground coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp red chili powder, to taste
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
½ cup cream (you can use light cream or even half & half)
2-3 tbsp oil, vegetable of canola

METHOD:

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the spinach leaves for just a minute or two. Remove, drain well in a colander and run under cold water. This will stop the cooking process and also set their lovely green color. Using a food processor or blender, puree the spinach into a smooth paste. Do not over blend otherwise you may end up with spinach juice! Obviously if you are using frozen spinach leaves, they don’t need to be blanched.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add about 1 tbsp of the oil and lightly fry the paneer cubes until they are browned on all sides. Drain well on absorbent paper towels and set aside until needed. This step adds a wonderful depth of flavor but is optional, you can add the paneer directly to the spinach without browning it.

To the same skillet on medium high heat, add another tbsp of oil (if needed). When the oil is hot, add the onions and let cook until they are translucent (around 5-6 minutes). Now add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry for a few more minutes and add the spices (turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, salt and pepper). Let the spices cook for a few more minutes and then care fully add the pureed spinach. You can add a little water if needed, the traditional consistency of this dish is that of a thick gravy. But you can add as much or as little water as you prefer. Mix well to combine all of the ingredients, reduce the heat to medium low and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add the paneer cubes, cream and the freshly grated nutmeg. Stir and let cook for a few more minutes until the paneer cubes have warmed through. Serve with fresh rotis and fragrant Basmati rice.

Fantasticly Yummy and Rustic Zucchini Tart

Heat 3 tbsp. of unsalted butter and stir in 1 tsp. of basil and then 2 cups of sliced onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add 2 ½ cups of zucchini and sauté until liquid is gone - 5 minutes. Spread 1 cup of mozzarella over an already made and baked pastry shell and top with zucchini mixture. Bake in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes. Very delicious. Slice up and serve.

Cranberry Gorgonzola Appetizer Tart

This is an amazing appie my Aunt made this weekend when the girls in my family met up for our annual Christmas luncheon. It is a recipe from Ocean Spray and worth every bite let me tell you!

1 refrigerated pie crust (from 15 ounce pack) at room temperature, 8 ounce pack of cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature, 2 tbsp. milk, 1 large egg, lightly beaten, 2/3 cup of dried cranberries (craisins by Ocean Spray), 2 tbsp. chopped green onions, 2 tbsp. of chopped pecans.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare pie crust as directed on package for one crust baked shell using a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim excess pie crust even with the top of the pan. Bake 9-11 minutes or until light brown. Cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine cream cheese and Gorgonzola in a medium mixing bowl; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in milk and egg until well mixed. Gently stir in dried cranberries and green onions. Spread mixture in baked tart shell; sprinkle with pecans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. If desired, garnish with additional green onions. Store covered in refrigerator.

Grilled White Cheddar and Onion Sourdough Sandwich

As I was reading this afternoon with my glass of wine, I couldn't resist, after making my husband one his own, a grilled white cheddar cheese and onion sandwich on buttered sour dough bread. It was quite simply an OH MY GOD moment. And without exaggeration, as I took a bite of my OH MY GOD grilled white cheddar and onion sandwich on buttered sourdough it began to snow. In this Hallelujah moment I became a believer without question...that somewhere up there in the heavens under the snow and the evening clouds, there lives an angel who not only loves that you eat good food, but that she smiles and/or snows every time you experience a culinary orgasm.

Easy Sundried and Diced Tomato Pasta Sauce

Now this dinner was just too delicious. I served this sauce over tortellini for my family, while I enjoyed it over oven and olive oil roasted eggplant. Simply put about 1/8th cup of olive oil in a medium hot frying pan and add about 1/2 cup of oil packed (drained) sun dried tomatoes and 1 tbsp. of minced garlic. Fry in the pan until the garlic smells toasty, but be careful not to burn. Then add a bigger sized can of diced tomatoes (it works out to be about 2 1/2 or 3 cups of diced tomatoes) and about six torn basil leaves and whatever seasonings you like. I added extra garlic powder, Parmesan and herbs spice (or just Parmesan cheese), sun dried tomato and herb mix, salt and pepper. Simmer until it's reduced and a nice pulpy concoction.

If I wasn't making this sauce to include my kids and if I wasn't such a hog with my red wine, I could have added 1/4 of red to this sauce and it probably would've made me cry tears of joy. Next time. P.S. I enjoyed this pulpy sauce with a bit of strong cheddar in a wrap for breakfast this morning and it was magnificent! ****P.S.S. Really experiment with this sauce to make it your own. How about oregano, wine, onion...carmelized onion, feta cheese, olives...it's the perfect base sauce.

Plump and Juicy Tomato Crostini

Alrighty, this one is so simple, but addictive and divine. I got it from my gorgeous friend Joanne. Make it over the holiday season.

12 Roma Tomatoes, cut into quarters. Put into a roasting pan or casserole dish and pour 1/3 a cup of olive oil over tomatoes and 1/6 cup of good balsamic and toss until they are all nicely coated. Then you're going to put them in a 200 degree oven for about 3 hours or so or at least until they are thoroughly cooked and still gorgeously red. When they are done, cool them down. Now cut up a crostini and toast if you like and spread with Boursin cheese. Then top with one tomato strip and serve. I put left over tomatoes in a Tupperware and we ate these crostini all flippin weekend.

Low Fat Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Oh my goodness, whoever invented Laughing Cow cheese is a miracle maker.  This cheese is not only so damn delcious, it's low fat and the perfect cheese to melt over a broccoli casserole.  I was hankering for a cozy broccoli dish tonight to serve with shrimp stuffed salmon and mashed cauliflower...here's what I made:  Put cut up washed broccoli in a casserole dish (I added about four bunches and broke them up).  Then add a chopped up onion over the broccoli.  In a pot add 2/3 cup of low fat milk (I actually used 2%), then four wedges of laughing cow, 1/3 cup of low fat Philly Cream Cheese, and finally four tbsp. of low fat dried parmesan and simmer over a medium heat until all of the sauce is blended.  I then added a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of herbed parmesan spice, 1 tsp. of powdered garlic, and some white pepper.  Taste and adjust spices to your liking.  Then pour over the broccoli/onion casserole and bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 an hour or until the broccoli is cooked as you like it.  Bon Appetit!

Low Fat Tomato and Onion Casserole

Now this recipe is so simple and just too delcious.  The best part is that if you are on any diet, you can fill your boots with this one.  Cut up and layer at least three tomatoes into an ungreased casserole dish.  Slice up and add one large onion or two small ones to the casserole.  Toss to mix up the tomatoes and onions.  Then add a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar over veggies (about 1/8th of a cup), salt and pepper, and two small packets of Splenda as well as anything else you might like.  I added fresh basil leaves.  Then mix all together and top with 1 tbsp. of powdered Parmesan cheese and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 1/2 an hour or until the veggies are the consistency that you like.  Oh this is so delish!

Ratatouille Sandwich

Oh mama, this was delish.  As I mentioned my family and I are staying at a sweet beach house in Oregon.  I love having a fridge, but needed to use up our veggies before we head out to a hotel tomorrow.  While this may not be an authentic ratatouille, it was damn good enough - and is an honorable first cousin of ratatouille:

Chop and slice up the following, 2 zucchini, 1/2 red onion, two handfuls of grape tomatoes, 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, 1 cup of any kind of bruchetta type concoction (I used up the rest of our pico de gallo, red onion, yellow onion, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic and jalapeno), 2 tbsp. of garlic salt, and a good sprinkling of lemon pepper (I'm using what I brought), then add about 1/3 cup of olive oil and about 8 tbsp. of red balsamic vinegar and toss with several sprigs of rosemary and thyme (about 4 each).  Slowly bake at 250 degrees for about an hour or so - actually as long as you like.  Then toast up your favourite bread and place prettily on a plate smothering ever so lightly with your favourite mayo (I perfer Hellman's half fat, but could only find Best Foods half fat....approximately 1 tbsp. on each slice....but know one is looking right?)  Then layer the veggies over each piece of toast and serve open faced using a knife and a fork to devour...of course an ocean view only adds to it's fabulousness!

Oregon Coast Potato Pancakes

I have no idea why I am posting this concoction, because there really are no measurements, but rather, whatever the hell you have in the refrigerator.  My family and I are staying at a beautiful little beach house on the Oregon Coast.  I love the beach house because I love having a kitchen and a front yard where we can bask in the sea breeze and sunshine.  Last night, after a filling lunch, we didn't bother stopping off at the store to pick up any more groceries - so I simply made due and felt quite damn proud of myself.  Left over in the fridge was a pile of cold mashed potatoes with corn mixed up in it (my kids like to eat it this way alright!)  Anyhoo, I had fun being creative and thought of how my Grandmother had to be equally if not way more creative feeding 7 children.  So I made the most gorgeous looking mashed potato pancakes and let me tell you the presentation was top notch with lemon slices and some left over pico de gallo (red onion, yellow onion, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno - I bought at the Thriftway). 

Add whatever you like, but go for it.  I added a can of tuna, shredded havarti, chopped red onion, fresh taragon leaves, garlic salt, lemon juice, lemon pepper, black olives, and one egg.  Mix up and make little cakes, the size you like, and pan fry until a crust forms on one side, flip over and repeat.  Serve with any kind of condiment, I perfer ketchup, but didn't have any.

Delicious Clean Simple Vegetable Soup

Yum, yum, yum. I love to eat and sometimes worry about cooking a clear vegetable soup because I think it won't make me happy and satisfy me. Today's soup however was perfect and yes simple and healthy and very delicious. The secret vegetable ingredient are the two leeks I cut up and added because the end result gives the soup a lovely buttery taste. Here's what I did:

Chop up and add to a pot with olive oil on medium heat, 1 whole big white onion, 2 leeks, white parts only, chopped and added to the pot. Saute until nice and soft. Then add 1 red pepper sliced and chopped, 1/2 cup of washed spinach leaves, 1 zucchini chopped, 1 /4 cup of sun dried tomatoes chopped up, add enough water (1 quart) to cover vegetables and chicken instant stock mix (about 6 tbsp). Bring to a boil then simmer until veggies are to your liking. Leeks really make this soup lovely. Enjoy!

Low Fat Hash - too die for and so delish...

OK - this is really delish and great for the figure. It's loaded with vegetables.

Spray a frying pan with Pam and turn the element on to high/med heat. Then saute 1/4 of a onion, chopped up, with 1/4 cup of marinated artichokes. Then add 2/3rd cup of veggie ground round (St. Yves) and 2 cups of Tara's prepared Spaghetti Squash Casserole (see below). Stir for a minute to warm through, then add 6 tbsp. of shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese. I like that the cheese melts and you can scrape the bits off the pan to give this hash a little savory crunch. Put onto a plate and season with pepper.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole. Boil a spaghetti squash on medium then low heat for an hour. Take out of pot and cool. Split open length wise and remove the seeds. Then run the tips of a fork down the flesh of the squash and you will get spaghetti like strands. Put into a casserole dish. If the squash seems too moist, dry it out in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then add 1 cup of low fat pasta sauce and sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Yummy!

Baked Eggplant Tzatziki

There are simply some days in which I could truly toss confetti over my head for creating a delicious dish. Such was the case of the baked eggplant tzatziki that I made this snowy morning by accident, because I had no tomato sauce to make eggplant Parmesan. Here's what I did, and as it's baking this moment, it is so gorgeous - I hope I can wait the 20 minutes necessary before I tuck into this sensation.

Wash and slice length wise eggplant. Pour a little oil into a hot pan and add the eggplant. You'll definitely have to do this in batches depending on how big your pan is. Season one side with a little Parmesan, salt and pepper. Then turn over after approximately 1 minute, or until just brown. Cook the other side for just as long. Put into a greased up casserole dish and pour a mixture of 3 tbsp. of tzatziki with 1 cup of cottage or ricotta cheese over the eggplant. Then top each eggplant with 2 tbsp. of shredded mozzarella (add more if you like) and put into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Voila!