Tons of Veggies Pasta

Finally after a long time I'm back!..with the pregnancy and the moving to Seattle, things have been really busy...I never got time to post anything..I always feel cooking is just a small part...writing up and posting the recipe is most of the part.. :)
Anyways, here's a simple pasta recipe I put together with a lot of veggies and mascarpone cheese..Its rich and yummy!

Ingredients:
Wheat penne pasta - 1/2 lb
Onion, diced - 1 medium
Zucchini, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Squash, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Green Peas & carrots, diced - 1/2 cup
Green Pepper, diced - 1/2 no
Garlic, crushed - 2 medium cloves
Mascarpone Cheese - 4oz
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Parsley, chopped - 1-2 Tbsp
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Chives (Fresh/dried) - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta in enough boiling water and salt for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onions and sauté until soft. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute. Now, add all the remaining veggies and sauté until cooked and soft. 
3. Add all the seasonings: salt, pepper, lemon juice, chives and italian seasoning. 
4. Now add the mascarpone, parmesan cheeses and parsley and mix. 
5. Toss the pasta and cook for a minute until everything gets coated evenly. 

Baked Ravioli

I looked at ravioli in costco refrigerator and fell in love instantly. Is this love at first sight?
I was constantly thinking about it and how I would do sweet sweet things to it :)
Then like with any relationship it sat in the fridge for sometime until I realized it is being abused.
Or more like I had nothing else to do so I gave it a shot;)
Pics speak a thousand words they say:

Recipe:

Easy peasy Costco spinach cheese filled ravioli
mozzarella
Prego sauce (regular)

Boil the frozen ravioli for 5 mins be careful not to over boil it. Take a baking dish and pour the prego sprinkle lil mozzarella then add this boiled ravioli sprinkle more cheese on top.
Pre-heat at 400 degress and place this tray in the oven for 30 mins. Viola golden brown and ready to devour.

Grilled Shimp Tacos

Mexican foods is one of my favorites and was craving for tacos since long time and finally decided to make it last nite...
These days, my husband and I have been eating at our own convenient times and we have mostly forgotten about sitting and having dinner together...and the tacos brought us back together at the dinner table :P (mainly coz he was excited abt the tacos i guess..)

So here's the recipe for a simple grilled shrimp tacos and homemade guacamole. If you're too lazy to make guacamole yourself you can buy store-bought ones too..

Ingredients:
Corn Tortillas - 6-8
Shrimp, large size - 15-18 nos
Cabbage, shredded - 1/2 cup
Cilantro, chopped - 1/2 cup
Red Onions, cut thin and long - 1/2 cup
Sour cream - 1/4 cup
Cheese, shredded - 1/4 cup
Chipotle Chillies in Adobo sauce, to taste

Shrimp Marinade:
Old Bay seasoning - 1/2 Tbsp
Paprika - 1 Tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Buttermilk - 2 Tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1 tsp
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Adobo Sauce, to taste
Tandoori BBQ Mix - 1 Tbsp (optional)

Guacamole Recipe:
Avocado - 3 nos
Red onion, diced - 1/2 medium
Tomato, diced - 1 medium
Lemon Juice - 3 Tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/8 tsp
Garlic, minced - 1-2 cloves
Salt, to taste

Method:

Prep Work:

1. Scoop the inside of the avocados and and mix everything from the list to prepare the guacamole.
2. Marinate shrimp with the marinade from above for about 20-30 mins
3. Cut all the veggies and set everything ready in a plate.
4. Grill the marinated shrimp in a grill for about 2-3 minutes each side until slightly browned. If  you're using an oven, heat at 400 degrees for about 4-5 minutes until browned. Adjust time based on your oven and do not overcook as it might make the shrimp hard. Remove from heat and set aside. 
5. Take the chipotle chillies from the adobo sauce and crush them to a paste or mince them and keep aside.
6. Warm up the corn tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds, again do not heat for more than a few seconds since this might make the tortillas soggy. 

To Make a Taco:

1. Place each tortilla, spread some chipotle chilli paste with adobo sauce based on your spice level. 
2. Arrange 3-4 shrimps on the center of each.
3. Add some cabbage, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, cilantro one on top of each other and close.
4. And finally, take a bite of the yumminess!! :)

I was going to make traditional mexican rice and also add refried beans as sides. But I didn't have enough time or energy to make those..so I bought these awesome stuff called Old El Paso's tortilla stuffers..they have different varieties of rice and personally I love the mesquite chicken rice. It's an amazing side dish..and the whole meal came together perfectly!! I hope you enjoy..

Grilled Salmon

This amazing grilled salmon recipe is from one of our best friends Mahesh. He's great at the grill and I've been to one of their barbecue evenings before and loved it! I wish my husband can get a few grilling lessons from him :P
He was kind enough to share his salmon recipe "inspired by the oriental kitchen"

Ingredients:
Salmon - 2 lbs

Mahesh's Magic Sauce:

Soy sauce - 1/2 cup

Sesame oil - 3 Tbsp

Freshly ground garlic - 2 Tbsp

Finely Chopped cilantro - 1/ cup

Peeled and grated ginger - 2 Tbsp

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Sugar, to taste

Salt, to taste

Crushed red pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Mix everything from the sauce list above to create the marinade.
2. Marinate the fish with the mainade and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.
3. While the marinade is doing its job, prep the grill and my fish grate.
4. Now, place the marinated fish in the fish grate and grill until slighly browned for an amazing asian grilled fish! 

Kothamalli/Cilantro Rice

Mixed variety rice has always been one of my favorites..I used to exchange my lunch sometimes with one of my buddies in college and her mom makes the best variety rice I've ever tasted! Today my trial was with cilantro as I got a bunch of it from Devon Street over the weekend.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice
3 cups Water
2 medium Onions
2 Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
2 Star Anise
2 Bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsps Ghee
2 Tbsp Oil

To Grind:
2 cups Cilantro, packed
4 Cashews
8 Green Chillies
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 cup Coconut, shredded

Method:

1. Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes. 
2. Grind everything from the "To Grind" list into a fine paste without adding much water. You may add a few drops if needed. 
3. Heat oil with ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cinnamon, cloves, anise, bay leaves and saute for a min.
4. Add onions and saute until slightly golden. Add turmeric powder, corriander powder, the ground paste, salt and lemon juice and saute for 3-4 mins. 
5. Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  Now add the soaked rice and cover and pressure cook for a whistle in medium flame.  
6. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes and switch off.  Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and mix gently without breaking the rice. 

Serve with raitha..

Ginger Okra (or Fish) Masala

This is quick ginger based dish which can be a perfect side dish for Chappati or any rice dish. You can substitue okra with fish

Ingredients:
Okra - 1 lb or Fish (Tilapia)-1 lb
Onion - 1 large half
Ginger - 1 cup of grated or sliced or small cut
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
TUmeric powde - 1 tpsp
Bread Crumbs - 1 tbsp or 2 tbsp depending on crispyness you need
Oil


Method:
1-Slice okra and cut cilantro
2-Add ginger, cilantro,chilli powder,coriander powder, Tumeric powder, bread crumbs, oil to sliced Okra or Fish (Tilapia).
3-Heat Oil.Add cumin seeds and onion and saute until golden.
4-Add the mix from step #2

5-Constantly stir every 2 or 3  minutes
6-Close cook for 8-12 minutes
7-Open cook for 8-12 minutes
8-Garnish with Coriander leaves

Kadai Chicken

This is a yummy kadai chicken recipe shared by a good friend of mine Upendra..Thanks Uppu for sharing this wonderful recipe. I am definitely trying this soon!

Ingredients:
1lb Chicken

1 Onion, medium (preferably red onion)

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 Tbsp whole black pepper (depends on your spicyness)

2 Tomatoes, medium

1/4 Bell pepper

Ginger garlic paste, to taste
Red chilli powder, to taste
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Cut chicken into medium pieces and marinate with turmeric powder and little bit of ginger garlic paste (we will be using more gingergarlic paste in teh masala)
2. Fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds till very light brown color and they start to give out the masala smell.
3. Grind these 2 seeds along with the black pepper. Do not make a fine powder. Keep it granular.this is the masala that we will be using. and the main ingredient of taste
4. Pour  oil in kadai (important that its a kadai to get that ultimate taste and more the oil more the taste). Put the chopped onions. Saute till very light brown.
5. Add a tea spoon of masala, ginger garlic paste and tea spoon of red chilli powder  and little bit of salt(remember not to put a lot of masala, salt and red chilli as we will put more of this later)
6. add finely chopped tomatos.
7. Mix all these well and put a lid on the kadai and let it cook on medium heat. after about 2-3 minutes check if tomatos start oozing juice. Once the tomatos are cooked, add chopped capsicum (do not chop it finely, let it be a bit big pieces. size of a dice).
8. Fry them for about 1-2 mins.
9. Now, add chicken, add the masala, red chilli powder (you can add according to your spicy limits) and salt according to the taste
10. Mix well and put the lid back. after about 3-4 minutes check if water starts to ooze. At this point pour some water (as required for the gravy)
11. Put the lid back and let the chicken cook. After 4-5 minutes remove the lid and cook the rest with out a lid till the gravy thickens.

Have it with chapatis or naans...yummy kadai chicken ready!!!!