Spinach-n-Mushroom pasta bake

Looking for a quick and easy way to entertain... Or just want to pamper yourself for a classy Italian meal on a weeknight... Either way, this recipe is definitely worth a try! :)

Ingredients:
Handful of spinach
Button mushrooms - quartered or chopped in thick slices
Pasta
Parmesan cheese - grated
Mozzarella cheese - grated
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Minced garlic
Some dried Oregano
Some dried Thyme
~1/2 tbsp Butter
Olive oil
Some flour
Some Vegetable/mushroom stock

Method:
1. While the pasta water is kept to boil on one stove burner; heat olive oil with salt, pepper, red chilly flakes, oregano, thyme and  minced garlic in a deep saucepan on another burner.
2. Once everything starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Let the mushrooms ooze their juices in to make the sauce.
3. After about another 2-3 minutes, remove the cooked mushrooms along with their juices in a bowl.
Note: At this point, put the pasta in the boiling water to start cooking.
4. In the same saucepan, add some butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted, add some flour and cook well to make a roux.
5. Add some stock to this and let it thicken. Add mushroom and it's juices to the sauce.
6. Add some roughly chopped spinach leaves to the mixture along with the drained pasta.
7. Empty this pasta mixture in a baking dish.
8. You can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese on top OR you can skip the cheeses as well.
9. Bake this for 7-10 minutes at 400F/205C oven.

Serve hot!!

Spinach will cook in the heat of the sauce and later in the oven. That way it retains it's green color and has a bite to it.

You can substitute spinach leaves with any other sturdy greens such as arugula, water cress or chard leaves. 

Melon Salad

This is a pretty salad that matches perfectly as a BBQ side! Bring on summer...


Ingredients:
One bag Baby Arugula leaves
Half watermelon(medium size)
Half muskmelon(medium size)
2 tbsp Crumbled Feta cheese
1 tbsp Roasted and chopped Pecans
2-3 tsp Sugar
1 lime juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Melons: You can prepare melon in a number of ways - slice into 1/2 inch thick triangles, shave them using ice-cream scoop, cut in squares or make rounds using a melon baller.
2. Put 3/4 of the lime juice on melons and set it aside.
3. Pecan crunch: In a non-stick pan, put sugar and allot it to caramelize on a low heat. Once sugar is melted, add the chopped pecans and toss to coat them well in the syrup. Take these out on a parchment paper and allow to cool.
4. Dressing: In a bowl add Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and remaining lime juice. Mix well. Now while whisking add olive oil slowly to make an emulsion.
5. Assembly: Toss the dressing with the leaves. In a platter add these leaves as base. Top it with the melons, feta cheese crumbles and pecan crunches. Enjoy this refreshing salad!

This salad also tastes good with watercress leaves.

Wild rice with bean-squash patty and parsley-yogurt sauce

Wild rice is a versatile variety of carbohydrate that not looks elegant but also tastes much better than regular brown rice. I paired it with some greens and bean-squash patty for a healthy balanced diet at the same time maintaining that pleasing effect on eyes while I eat!

Ingredients:
Bean-squash patty
Cannellini beans, drained and washed
Roasted apricot squash
Bread crumbs
Minced garlic
Dried rosemary
Dried thyme
Grated Pecorino-romano cheese
Chopped walnuts
Salt
Black pepper powder
Crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Wild rice
You can use any kind of rice. I prefer wild rice for its taste and aesthetics.

Greens
Chopped Garlic
Chopped walnuts
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
A few cups of spinach and arugula mixture

Parsley-yogurt sauce
Yogurt
Almond-parsley Sauce(Recipe: http://greenteaorjamboree.blogspot.com/2016/01/amber-confetti-in-forest.html)

Method:
Bean-squash patty:
1. Mash the beans and squash in a bowl. Bean to squash ratio that I used was about 3:2.
2. Add some bread crumbs, one clove of minced garlic, some grated pecorino cheese along with walnuts, salt, pepper and dried spices. Mix well.
3. Mixture should be solid so we can make patties out of the same.
4. In a non-stick pan heat some oil, brown the patties and set aside.

Wild rice:
1. Soak the wild rice for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Take a little more water than double the amount of rice and boil on medium for about 30-40 minutes until the rice is cooked.

Parsley-Yogurt sauce:
1. Follow the recipe in 'Amber confetti in forest' to make the almond-parsley sauce.
Note: http://greenteaorjamboree.blogspot.com/2016/01/amber-confetti-in-forest.html
2. In a blender mix some yogurt and sauce. Adjust the salt to taste.

Greens:
1. In a pan put olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Warm the mixture gently over low heat and add walnuts.
2. Once the mixture is warm, put the greens and wilt them.

Serving: You can plate the sauce at the bottom. Arrange rice and patty like a small mountain and top it with greens.

Who says weekday dinners are boring! ;)

Rice with Shrimps and Arugula sauce

I know this sounds like a crazy combination but trust me - it works.
Rice, shrimps and arugula - a combination that is surprisingly delicious and very easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cup cooked rice
10-15 shrimps
Chopped parsley to garnish


Arugula sauce:
3 cup arugula
1/4 cup roasted nut mixture(walnuts, almonds and cashews)
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium size lemon juice
1 medium size lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
1 avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. To make the sauce add all the sauce ingredients to the food processor and grind to a coarse paste.
2. In a pan cook the shrimps in olive oil.
3. In a serving platter add shrimps to the rice. Add a couple of table spoons of the sauce and reserve the remaining sauce in the fridge in an airtight container.
4. Mix and garnish with some parsley and grated cheese.

The reserved sauce can be used to dress pasta, cooked meat and veggies and also as a spread on toast for breakfast. It is a multipurpose sauce after all!! :)