Kadhai Paneer

I ate a dish like this at an Indian restaurant a few weeks ago, and LOVED IT! So much so that I asked the owner how she made it. Surprisingly, she shared the recipe! Not step by step, but just so I had an idea of what spices were going in. The other day I was craving Indian food, and had a block of paneer I had purchased, so decided to give this dish a whirl. OMG, it did not disappoint! This is a total keeper! Try it out tonight- Only takes a few ingredients to create a delicious dinner

Ingredients:

1 block of Paneer (any Indian store will have it)

1 green bell pepper- deseeded and cut into large pieces

1 yellow onion- cut into large pieces

2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon tandoori masala powder

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons canola oil 

Salt to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add yellow onion and fry lightly until onion is translucent but not brown. Now mix in ginger-garlic paste, chili powder,salt, cumin, and tandoori powder. Keep stirring while adding to avoid burning the spices. You can add splashes of water to keep the mixture from drying. Once the spices are incorporated, stir in the bell pepper. Let this cook for a few minutes before adding the paneer. The paneer doesn't need to cook for long. If it does, it will get gummy. So be sure to add the paneer after the bell peppers and onion mixture is well incorporated. Sprinkle fenugreek and lime juice, and remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Masala Potatoes

I loved eating this dish growing up, and have since craved the comfort of it. It is so versatile as well, can be eaten alone, with rice, or with naan/roti. With a few tweaks to my mom's recipe, I have found a way to reduce the time without cutting on flavor.

Ingredients:

2 russet potatoes- cut into quarters, or sliced

1 roma tomato- diced

1/2 yellow onion- diced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves

3 tablespoons coconut oil
Water (for preventing sticking, as needed)

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan with a fitted lid on medium. Add onions and saute until onions are soft, and browning slightly, about 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes and all spices except fenugreek leaves. Saute until fragrant. Now, add in cut potatoes, saute some more. Adding a little water if the mixture is sticking to bottom of pan. Pan fry for 5 additional minutes until all is melded. Stir in the fenugreek leaves. Reduce heat to low. Cover pan with lid and let dish simmer for about 10 minutes. After this time, potatoes should be tender, but not mushy.


Enjoy!

Scrumptious Chickpea Patties

While thinking I was opening a can of pinto beans, I accidentally opened a can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). So here I was with an extra can of beans added to the menu for the week. I was planning on making ground chicken patties, but decided to use of my extra can of goodness to make chickpea patties instead! They are very easy to make, with great fiber and protein content.

Ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 egg 

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon dried parsley

 1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

Oil for pan-frying

Directions- 

Combine all ingredients into a bowl except egg. Mash with a fork or potato masher. Now add in egg, and mix with a spoon. Shape into patties. Heat pan to medium, add oil. Place patties in pan without touching, pan-frying lightly. Turn often to prevent burning. Can omit egg if desired

Enjoy!

Black bean and Bell pepper Quesadilla

We've had a meatless Monday theme going on for a few weeks now. This is my way of incorporating those pesky vegetables ( per my husband) into our diets. These were a huge hit! So much so that I make them on a weekly basis.

Ingredients-

1/4 bell pepper diced

1/4 cup of corn 

1/2 cup of black beans

1 cup of shredded cheese ( I used Cheddar and Jack)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 10-inch tortillas (I used brown-rice tortillas)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl including the spices. Heat a large frying pan to medium-high. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Lay the tortilla into pan and arrange half of the mixture onto one half of the tortilla. Fold other end onto itself. You can do this on the stove, or before hand and place on the stove. I like to do it while on to avoid ingredient spillage. Just be careful! Cook until cheese has melted, flipping throughout. 

Note- This can be vegan by using dairy-free cheese

Serves:2- one quesadilla each

Calories- 389 per quesadilla