Mini wheels with mushrooms and swiss chard

Mini wheel is a very pretty shape of pasta specially when the guest of honor are kids.
This dish will be liked by all - kids or adults - doesn't matter. Ready to break the gold sauce pot!

Ingredients:
Chopped Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Black pepper powder
Salt
Olive oil
A few cups of  chopped swiss chard
A few cups of sliced mushrooms
Mini wheel pasta
Pecorino cheese
1 egg per person

Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a big pan, start heating olive oil, garlic, peppers and salt.
3. Once the oil mixture is warm enough, add some mushrooms and saute until cooked.
4. Now add the chopped chard and wait until it all wilts.
5. Add about 3/4 cup of water in which you cooked pasta to the pan to make a sauce.
6. Drain and add the remaining pasta and some Pecorino cheese. You can also add Parmesan cheese.
7. Pile the pasta in side and crack eggs to make half fried eggs(this will make the gold sauce pots).

Serving suggestions: In a plate, pile the pasta and top it with half fried egg and cheese. Once you break the yolk, the yellow liquid will make for a delicious pasta sauce.

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! ;)

Farfalle with bean-green sauce

Like entertaining a group of health conscious friends or longing for a Tuscan vacation or cooking on a clock! This dish has endless reasons to be tried and tested. With a burst of natural flavors in your mouth and cooking time of only 20 min, this dish has never disappointed me. Perfect dish to get your protein while satiating your carbs craving!

Ingredients:
Bean-green sauce
2 cup canned Cannellini beans, drained and washed
3 cups kale/arugula/spinach(I use a ready to eat salad mixture for this dish)
1 medium tomato, chopped
Olive oil
4 tsp dried Garlic powder
1 and 1/2 cups Grated Pecorino-romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Salt
Black pepper powder
Crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Recommended Pasta
Farfalle pasta enough for 2

Method:
1. Start cooking pasta based on the package instructions.
2. In a pan, put olive oil, garlic powder, salt and peppers. Turn the gas on low and allow the flavors to warm.
3. Put the diced tomato in the warm oil and cook for a couple of minutes until tomatoes are tender.
4. Now add the greens and cook for a minute or two to wilt them.
5. Add the beans, walnuts and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Mix well. Add some cooking water from pasta to make the mixture more sauce like. Turn the gas off at this point if the pasta is not ready yet.
6. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add 1 cup of grated cheese and some olive oil. Mix it well while still hot.
7. In the pasta bowl, layer the farfalle at the bottom. Ladle the bean and green sauce. Garnish with more grated cheese and chopped walnuts.

Happy entertaining!

Amber confetti in a forest

Some days when I am alone on a weekend, have nothing to do but relax and enjoy a beautiful afternoon, I feel like treating myself with something elegant yet keeping up to that new year resolution of eating healthy. To that, this amber confetti of mushrooms and almond-parsley sauce comes to my rescue. This is a quick and simple dish that makes me feel like a queen of lazy afternoon!

Ingredients:
Amber confetti:
3 cups quartered mushrooms
Olive oil
2 tsp dried Rosemary
2 tsp dried Garlic powder
2 tsp dried Thyme
Salt
Black pepper powder
Crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Almond-parsley Sauce:
1/4 cup almonds
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Lime juice
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Method:
Amber confetti:
1. In a pan, put olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, salt and peppers. Turn the gas on low and allow the flavors to warm.
2. Once the oil is warm, put the mushrooms in and cook while stirring until they are cooked through yet have a firm form.
Tip: Make sure you cook on low to medium heat so that the mushrooms don't dry out.

Sauce:
This is the forest part where amber meets greens.
1. In a food processor, put all the ingredients and mix together. Keep this sauce a bit chunky.
Tip: You prep and make the sauce while the mushrooms are cooking.

Serving suggestion:
Although the amber confetti itself is delicious to eat as such, I like it with small amount of rice and a couple of fingerling potatoes as they taste amazing with the almond-parsley sauce.

Have a good afternoon!

Mango cakes with cranberry-OJ sauce

There is nothing more festive than eating a cake Flambéed right at the table - creating a drama and sensation that everyone loves during Christmas!
Here is my version of a little healthier version of a mango cake that is delicious, satisfies the appetite for a bit of theatrics and is great for entertaining any time of the year!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 egg
50gm All purpose flour
50gm regular cane sugar
4 tbsp butter
5-6 tbsp pure mango pulp(recommendation is canned Alphonso pulp)
2tsp Baking powder
Pre-heated oven to 325F

Sauce:
1/2 cup cranberries(fresh or frozen)
1 orange zest
1 orange juice
1/4cup sugar
1 star anise

Flambé:
1 cup Bourbon or liquor of your choice
Lighter

Method:
Cake:
1. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until sugar is well incorporated.
Note: If your butter is right of fridge or freezer, then melt it for a few seconds in microwave. The consistency should be runny and white, it shouldn't be too warm. Then you can proceed with mixing sugar to it.
2. Now add mango pulp and mix well until incorporated in the batter.
3. Now add 1 egg and mix well until incorporated in the batter.
4. Add flour and baking powder and then mix well until incorporated in the batter.
5. Final step - pour the batter in two 4" by 1.75" pans for two small cakes OR one  4" by 1.75" for one thicker cake.
6. Bake at 325F for ~20-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick and check if it comes out clear. At that point your cake is done.

Sauce:
1. Bring all the ingredients to boil and reduce in a sauce pan on low heat. It should take about 5-7 minutes once it comes to a boil.

Flambé:
1. Warm 1 cup of Bourbon or Cointreau. Transfer the liquor in a bowl.
2. Bring the bowl to the table and ignite the liquor surface with a lighter.
3. Pour half of the liquid flame on the cakes.

Enjoy the show and savor the cakes!

Linguine in wild mushroom sauce

Dried wild mushrooms have become a staple in my pantry these days. With a hectic schedule and a desire to eat as many home cooked meals as possible, there is a need to revise the grocery list every now and then to come up with innovative ideas that are in stock and save time while entertaining! Dried food happens to be one of such items.

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried while mushroom
2 1/2 cups of hot water

1/2 packet of Linguine pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tbsp flour
2 cloves of garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste
Black Pepper powder to taste
Dried oregano to taste
3 tsp cream(optional)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-prepration:
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes before making the pasta.

Method:
1. Start cooking the pasta based on the instructions on the packet.
2. Drain the soaking mushrooms and reserve the liquid for later use.
3. In a skillet start heating olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, garlic, oregano and salt on a medium-low flame.
4. Once the oil is heated(not to the smoking point) put the flour and cook it for 1-2 minutes into a smooth paste.
5. Add mushroom stock to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Add cream and drained mushrooms to the sauce and simmer for another minute or two on low flame.
7. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix.
8. Mix half of the Parmesan in the pasta.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan and serve hot!

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!! :)