Shalinee

I am very happy to start the new year with this swap menu! I made this combination of dishes twice over the holidays, once for my father and once for my brother-in-law and his wife. Both times, all three items a big hit…with kids and adult alike. Hope the J-M’s will find it as enjoyable!

Here’s what I made:

– Salmon with Coconut Sauce
– Green Beans in Fresh Tomato Sauce
– Indianized Mushroom Wild Rice Pilaf

The salmon recipe is from Bal Arneson, who is the Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel. I usually don’t enjoy salmon made with a lot of spices but Bal’s got it spot-on…the right spices, the right blend, the right amount…the coconut sauce is just heavenly and goes so well with the salmon.

I also made the green beans using another one of Bal’s recipe. This time the modification was to eliminate the paneer, only because I didn’t have any. And I made a desi (i.e., Indian) version of wild rice pilaf. Basically, I cooked the wild rice using a bit more water (1/4 cup more than the 2 1/2 cups called for). While it was cooking, I sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms with some ground cumin, dried fenugreek leaves, salt and pepper. Once the rice was almost done I tossed in the sauteed mushroom mixture and let the rice finish cooking.

Salmon, green beans and rice…with spice!

The Meal:

– Chicken Kofta (aka Chicken Balls)
– Basmati Rice
– Mango Lassi

This meal is a repeat. I made the Chicken Kofta early in our swap-history and the Mango Lassi was a part of a summer swap meal. Heather informed me that K&O had enjoyed both items in the past; so I decided to make it especially for them, to celebrate their new school!

That being said, Chicken Kofta are a staple in my household. I probably make them a couple of times a month…the kids absolutely love it. I have two different ways of preparing them: One involves saffron (which would be pricey given how often we eat this stuff) and the second is the one I describe below.

And oh yeah, we did holiday pictures last weekend…my camera was out of juice and so I didn’t get to take any pictures of the cooking!

Chicken Kofta

The recipe below serves 4-5.

– 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– Fresh ginger, chopped, in equal amount to garlic
– Good fistful of baby spinach, chopped
– 1 lb ground chicken
– 3 teaspoon salt
– 2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
– 2 tablespoon tandoori masala
– 2 teaspoon garam masala
– ~2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
– 1/2 medium tomato, roughly chopped
– 1 inch cinnamon stick
– Pinch of asteofida (optional)
– Pinch of red chili powder
– 1/4 cup tomato sauce
– Pinch of sugar

Method:
– Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
– Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add half the onions and sautee for ~2 minutes, till translucent.
– Add half the ginger and half the garlic and sautee for another minute. Remove from heat, stir in baby spinach and stir till wilted.
– In a mixing bowl, combine onion/ginger/garlic/spinach with ground chicken, half the salt, half the pepper, half the tandoori masala, half the garam masala, and all of the cilantro. Do not over mix.
– Form mixture into balls, place on baking tray, and place baking tray in oven for approximately 12-15 minutes till juices turn brown.
– While chicken is cooking, place the remainder of the onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor. Add in tomatoes and blend into a paste (will require a couple of splashes of water).
– Heat remainder of oil in new pan over medium-high heat. Add in cinnamon sticks and asteofida (optional).
– Once the cinnamon stick starts to warp, add onion/ginger/garlic/tomato paste. (Watch out for splattering.) Stir and stir often, for 2-3 minutes.
– Mix in red chili powder and remainder of tandoori masala. Sautee for another 2-3 minutes, till oil separates.
– Add in tomato sauce, sugar, remainder of salt and pepper. Add in roughly 1/2 cup water.
– Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 7-8 minutes.
– Mix in remainder of garam masala and cooked chicken balls.  Remove from heat.
– Serve over white rice.

Mango Lassi

During the summer, I make lassi for my kids easily 3-4 times a week. Their two favorite flavors are mango and rose (which I make using rose syrup and rosewater). I don’t have a set recipe for making the lassi. I make it using “andaaz,” which is a Hindi (and also Urdu) word that many Indian mothers use to describe their style of cooking….without recipes, based entirely on experience, intuition and the senses (mostly sight and smell).

So, how do I make my mango lassi? Roughly speaking, I blend equal parts yogurt and milk with a little less than equal part mango puree. Then I blend in some sugar, to taste. After blending this proportion, I will then taste and adjust accordingly. If it turns out too thick, add milk…too thin, add yogurt….too sweet, add yogurt….too tart, add sugar (if mango flavor is sufficient), or else add more mango puree. Clearly not a scientific approach but it works for this Indian mother!

The Verdict

I was very excited about Heather’s meal this week.  Somehow in all the years of cooking and providing food for my children, I had neglected to introduce them to both lasagna and Caesar salad.  Two serious omissions on my part!

And, how did it all go?  Well, Heather’s salad was truly awesome!  Dave and I had it in K&O quantities, by which I mean that I had 3 helpings and Dave had 4!  Seriously good stuff!  As for the kids, they were fairly ho-hum about the salad (weirdos!).  Their enthusiasm was for the lasagna.  Neither could believe “noodles” (their word for all pasta) could be so big…in Alex’s words, “my noodle is humonguch…I love it!”  Thanks, Heather, for both delicious meal and introducing my kids to these staples!

The Menu:

– Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
– Plain White Rice
– Baba Ganoush (from Wegmans) with Pita

This stew is my attempt to recreate a dish that a friend made for our family when our son was born. The original version did not have butternut squash and it was also made by someone Algerian. So yeah, not exactly the same dish.  Plus, the original was made with love and tons of thoughtfulness…no way to duplicate that.

At any rate, my recipe (below) is a modification of one that I found in one of those recipe cards that they have at the grocery store. I’ve made it twice in the past and my daughter really liked it….so I’m trying again, hoping for a similar reaction.

Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew

The recipe calls for harissa, which is a hot red pepper spice paste/sauce used in various parts of North Africa. The only reason I call this dish Moroccan is that the particular brand of harissa I use comes from Morocco. If you don’t have harissa, I think you can easily replace it with a teaspoon of all-spice and some red pepper flakes….and designate the dish from whatever part of the world you please 😉   The recipe below serves 4.

– 2 teaspoon olive oil
– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
– 1 medium onion
– 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp harissa paste (more if you like it spicy)
– 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
– 1 diced tomato
– 1/4 cup tomato paste
– 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded an cubed (about 4 cups
– 1/2 cup golden raisins
– 2 tbsp fresh lime

Method:
– Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook till browned.
– Add onion, carrots and garlic. Cook till softened and then add cumin and harissa.
– Add broth, tomato, tomato paste, squash and raisins. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer ~20 minutes till squash is tender.
– Stir in lime juice and serve with plain white rice.

The Verdict:

Overall the Moroccan stew was a success at our house. Alex really truly enjoyed it…never met a raisin that he didn’t love. Kavya ate it…liked it well enough…or in her words, “it’s really actually alright, Mummy.” Dave and I enjoyed it as much as we did in the past.  The heat of the harissa balanced pretty well with the sweetness of the squash and the raisins. An enjoyable meal for sure and worth cooking again in the future.

Heather’s crock pot dinner had mixed reviews…the kids enjoyed it. Kavya was impressed that the chicken was not at all “chewy”. Alex also never met a noodle he didn’t love…so a hit there too. Dave enjoyed the meal while I thought it was alright. Given how easy the recipe is and given the kids’ response (and given the fact that I actually got to use my crock pot, aka dust collector), I might give this recipe another try sometime soon. Thanks, Heather! Also, thanks to your mom for the recommendation!

The Meal

– Vegetables and Rice Noodles in a Coconut Broth
– (Store-Bought) Plantain Chips

The recipe for the vegetables and rice noodles dish comes from one of the THREE Indian cooking shows on TV right now.  This is from Anjum Anand; her BBC show “Indian Food Made Easy” airs on the Cooking Channel.  The other two are Aarti Sequeira, who is the host of “Aarti Party” on FoodTV, and Bal Anerson, the “Spice Goddess” also on the Cooking Channel. I’ve DVR’d all three and based on what I’ve seen, I suspect there will be more recipes from these shows popping up in the swap in the months ahead.

This meal is part of Anjum’s Kerela menu.  Kerela is a state in south India.  South Indian food is significantly different than north Indian food (incidentally, I’m from northern India).  Many south Indian dishes use a good amount of coconut and curry leaves (as is the case in this recipe).  This is the first time I’ve seen a recipe for south Indian (savory) rice noodles…so I just had to try.  But I had to modify the process to account for the make-ahead factor…so I hope it works!

To enjoy alongside, I’m sending plantain chips, also prominent in South India.

To Reheat

I sent Heather four parts of the vegetables and rice noodles dish separately. She will have to combine them together when reheating:

– Empty coconut broth into pot and place over medium-low heat.
– Empty pre-sauteed vegetables (minus peas) into pot and simmer cook for 5-7 minutes.
– While vegetables are cooking in broth, in a separate pot, boil water (enough for the noodles).  Once boiling, remove from heat and put in desired amount of noodles.  Agitate and leave in hot water for a couple of minutes (like 3-4 minutes or so) till they have the right cooked texture.
– Add peas to vegetable broth.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.

To serve, put noodles in a bowl and ladle in the vegetables and broth.

The Verdict

Tuesday: We had the rice noodles and vegetables tonight. Big hit! Both kids actually enjoyed the vegetables more than the noodles! Kavya wanted all the cauliflower and Alex all the broccoli. I think the broth (which they both slurped up) did the trick.

Thursday: Again a series of random events forced us to put off having Heather’s dinner till Thursday night. The salmon was very delicious! I’ll definitely be using this salmon recipe in the future. The kids and the adults all enjoyed all aspects of this meal. Thanks, Heather!

Being that Tuesday was Dave’s birthday, I chose a menu for this week’s swap with three of Dave’s Favs:

– Chicken & Tater Tots Casserole
– Roasted Broccoli
– Chipwich

Chicken & Tater Tots Casserole

This casserole is the only one I make. I am not a casserole person (for one, I’m Indian and never had the stuff growing up) but created this dish in an attempt to recreate the flavors that went into Dave’s childhood favorite meal: Hamburger Pie. Dave’s best friend’s mother, Mrs. Mac, made this dish (and quite often) for the hoard of boys who regularly spent afternoons at her house. Gauging from the dozen or so childhood stories about Dave and his love of Hamburger Pie, it’s safe to say that he was among the biggest fan of this dish.

Now, all I know about Mrs. Mac’s Hamburger Pie is that it contains ground beef and tater tots. So, a few years ago I found inspiration from these two ingredients (substituting the ground beef with ground chicken) and created this dish. Each time I’ve made it, I find it alright but Dave *loves* it…even though, apparently, it’s nothing like Mrs. Mac’s version. Since I’ve started making it for the kids, we found another fan: Kavya.

As for how to make it, I haven’t yet set a recipe down for this. Roughly speaking, it’s basically a pound of sauteed ground chicken mixed with 1 can mushroom soup, one medium onion (chopped and sauteed), one cup carrots (chopped and sauteed), 2-3 tablespoons sour cream, a third of a bag of frozen tater tots, dried thyme leaves, garam masala, one bunch scallions chopped, salt and pepper. The mixture goes in a baking dish with crushed corn flakes on top with a drizzle of oil (or melted butter). The baking dish then goes in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. And for me, the end result is one happy husband and daughter!

Roasted Broccoli

Dave’s favorite vegetable is broccoli. This preparation is just bite-sized broccoli pieces drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted at 425 degrees for ~8-10 minutes. Sometimes, I’ll add some lemon zest, or melted butter, or melted butter with lemon zest…depending on what the rest of the meal looks like.

Chipwich

And as for chipwichs…Dave could (and for a while in college did) survive on them! Again, many stories from Dave’s childhood concerning his love of chipwich. Instead of buying it at my local store, I decided to make (at least a part of it) at home. I used this awesome recipe from the Ree Drummond to make the cookies. The other ingredients (vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles) I picked up from the store.

To prepare the chipwichs:
– Once the cookies are completely cool, scoop some vanilla ice cream (on the flat side) of one cookie.
– Smoosh ice cream with another cookie.
– Cover exposed ice cream with chocolate sprinkles.

The Verdict

Tuesday Night: We had Dave’s Birthday Dinner tonight. My parents came over for the meal too. Dave, my father and Kavya thoroughly enjoyed the casserole (Kavya had 4 helpings!). Dessert was completely over-the-top: We had the chipwichs and then a birthday cake. We don’t usually have any dessert so this was completely unusual…kids were confused but amused by the turn of events. Overall, Papa’s Birthday Party turned out to be a treat only for Papa but also for the rest of us as well.

Thursday Night: For a variety of reasons, we ended up having Heather’s dinner on Thursday night this week. As I suspected, Alex (my lover of all beans) loved the entire meal! He kept saying “Mmm, mmm, mmm, I love cornbread!” This, after he diligently picked out every single bean from his chili and gobbled it up. After finishing his beans and bread….he then proceeded to haggle with Kavya to get all her beans. Kavya started eating the chili but once she got taste of the cornbread, her chili was forgotten….couldn’t get her back on track. She asked to have the bread in her lunchbox for the next day. Dave and I enjoyed ALL parts of the meal…including the yummy veggies. Thanks, Heather! That was great!

The Meal

– Cream of Tomato Soup with Croutons
– Couscous with Pistou
– Spice-Roasted Shrimp

I am very excited about this week’s swap meal for one simple reason:  Pistou!  It’s pesto for people with nut allergies…or I guess in this case, for people (me) who love people (my son) with nut allergies. I did not know about pistou until I tried this recipe and now that I have…(skipping ahead to the verdict here)…it’s awesome!

Couscous with Pistou

The recipe for the pistou-flavored couscous and spice-roasted shrimp comes from Food & Wine. The original recipe calls for quinoa instead of couscous but I’m trying it this way first. If the kids like the flavors, I’ll try quinoa next time. I learned about this recipe from my brother-in-law, Paul. He made the original quinoa and shrimp dish for his lovely wife, Cat, this summer and they both loved it. So much so that they raved about it on FB. Obviously, I had to give it a try and so here it is…(serves 5-6)

– 1/2 cup (packed) basil leaves
– 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
– 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
– 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
– 2 garlic clove, smashed
– 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
– 3 cups dry couscous
– 3 cups water
– Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme leaves, garlic and cheese. Add 4 tablespoons of the oil; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. In a saucepan, boil water and lightly salt. Combine the couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the pistou.

Spice-Roasted Shrimp

– 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (and defrosted)
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 1 teaspoon onion powder
– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
– 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
– 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
– 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
– 1/3 cup canola oil
– Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions: Prepare the spice rub for the shrimp by mixing together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, oregano, fennel seeds, dried thyme, 2 tablespoons of the oil and ~1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. To prepare the shrimp, mix spice rub with shrimp; coat well. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°. Roast shrimp for 8-10 minutes until shrimp is curled and pink.

Cream of Tomato Soup

This is one of only two soups that are in my repertoire and is ideal this time of year. Because of generous neighbors and our CSA share, we end up with a lot of tomatoes by late summer. I end up freezing a bunch of them just so that I can make this warm and creamy soup when the weather just starts to chill. Plus, a really nice thing about frozen tomatoes: They are super easy to peal. The recipe below serves 8.

– 2 tablespoon butter
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
– ~1 cup carrots, chopped
– 1 tablespoon flour
– 6-7 medium tomatoes, peeled and stewed (keep juices)
– 1 (14.5 oz) can of chicken broth
– 1 tablespoon tomato paste
– 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
– 5-6 basil leaves
– Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
– 1.5 teaspoon sugar
– 1/2 pint heavy cream (optional)

Directions: Add oil to saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add onions and carrots and cook for 4-5 minutes till soft. Mix in flour and stir constantly for ~2 minutes. Add in tomatoes (juices and all), chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add in thyme and basil leaves, salt, pepper and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and (in batches) blend to a smooth consistency. At this point, a lighter version of the tomato soup is done. If you would like a creamier version, place another saucepan over medium-low heat and add in heavy cream. Once the cream is scalding, add in the blended tomato soup and mix well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Swap Logistics

I gave Heather frozen shrimp. To reheat, she will have to

– Defrost the shrimp,
– Mix it with the spices,
– Let sit for ~20 minutes,
– Roast for 8-10 minutes, and
– Serve with reheated soup and couscous.

The Verdict

Tuesday: We had Heather’s dinner tonight. Alex loved the chicken and the acorn squash and ate a LOT of both items. Kavya “painted” her chicken with the mashed potatoes and then ate her artwork. Since she was eating so well, we did not protest her “playing” with her food. Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole meal! Thanks, Heather!

Wednesday: This ended up being a very colorful and flavorful meal. We loved it all! Much thanks to Paul & Cat for the awesome (definitely-a-keeper) recipe!

Thursday: We had Heather’s leftover chicken tonight. I thinly sliced the (already grilled) chicken breasts and then put them in mini hoagies with onions (sauteed with a dash of oregano, salt and pepper and then cooked in a tiny bit of chicken broth). Also melted some cheese on the kids’ sandwiches…went over really well.

There was no swap this week.  We had to cancel since I had a conference in Maryland.  I brought Dave and the kids along and we spent a good part of the week down there.  After four days of eating out, we are now back home and (happily) eating in.

So in place of the swap, I’m offering a recipe for our favorite Sunday lunch (favorite for the last month or so):  Udon with Vegetables.  I’ve made this several different ways; below is the most basic version….very fast (so fast it could easily be a weeknight dinner) and much liked in our household.

Basic Udon with Vegetables

– 3 packs of Udon noodles (from local grocery store)
– 1 & 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
– ~1 cup of broccoli florets (bite-sized)
– 3-4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
– 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce (depending on taste)
– Dash of sriracha sauce (optional)
– Good handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
– 1/2 lime

Directions: Cook udon noodles according to directions.  Retain udon broth. Heat oil and toss in onions, bell peppers, and broccoli. Sautee for a couple of minutes, add mushrooms and garlic. Sautee for a few more minutes. Add soy and sriracha sauces. Mix and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Toss in noodles, mix and then add 3-4 ladels of the udon broth (more or less of the broth, depending on how soupy you want the end product). Add in cilantro and juice from lime. Remove from heat and serve.

To make this with slightly more Thai flavors (mixing metaphors, I know), I tried a simple modification last week:  Replacing the soy sauce with a combination of soy and fish sauces and the cilantro leaves with basil leaves.  Worked liked a charm.

The Meal:

– Naanwich with Tandoori Chicken, Tandoori Vegetables and a Pea Sauce
– Spicy Thai Chips

This week I’m going fusion…the Naanwich!  It’s my husband’s invention, from early in our fusion marriage.  Back then, there were no naanwich recipes online…now there seem to be a few, which I think is awesome and one day, I’ll definitely try them out.  But for now, here’s our rendition.

Basically, you need to get hold of good quality naan, which is an oven-baked flatbread from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.  I actually have a good recipe for naan that I’ve used in the past and had I made this swap meal during the summer (and not during a week in which I had an NSF proposal due), I would have definitely attempted fresh naan.  But alas, I had to resort to my favorite frozen naan from my local Indian grocery store.

In addition to (buying the) naan, I baked some chicken in tandoori masala and sauteed some veggies, again in a bit of tandoori masala, and made a sauce for the sandwich (this time I’m trying a pea sauce).  That being said, I really don’t think that Indian flavors are required to enjoy a good Naanwich.  You could just as well slice up your your favorite roast chicken and sautee some veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper…and then stack ‘er up…may be toss in some cheese…smother on a sauce of your liking…perhaps throw it all in a panini maker…honestly, the possibilities are endless and endlessly delicious.

Tandoori Chicken

A “tandoor” refers to a cylindrical clay oven in which naan is typically made.  Tandoori chicken is also usually cooked in a tandoor with a special blend of spices known as tandoori masala.  Of course I bake my tandoori chicken (and naan, on the rare occasions that I actually make it at home) in my much less exotic KitchenAid convection oven.  And as for the special spice blend, I purchase that from my local Indian grocery store as well.  Here’s my recipe for tandoori chicken (for 8):

– 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
– 3/4 cup yogurt
– 2 teaspoons garlic paste
– 2 teaspoons ginger paste
– 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 2 tablespoon tandoori masala
– salt, to taste
– 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional, if you like heat)
– 1 teaspoon fresh garam masala (optional)

Directions: Repeatedly pierce chicken breasts with a knife. Toss in all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix and marinate for 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking tray with foil and bake chicken breasts for 25-30 minutes. Turn pieces over and bake for another 10-12 minutes, this time at 375 degrees.

Veggies Sauteed in Tandoori Masala

– 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 6 oz. portabello mushrooms, cut in half and sliced
– 1 medium red onion, chopped
– 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cubed
– 1 medium red bell pepper, cubed
– 15 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
– salt, to taste
– 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
– 1 teaspoon tandoori masala
– 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
– handful of baby spinach

Directions: Heat oil in pan and add mushrooms. Sautee till about half done and then spoon out all the mushrooms from the oil and keep aside. Return oil to heat (a bit more oil might be needed at this point). Add onions and sautee for a minute and add both red and yellow bell peppers. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, add asparagus and salt. Sautee for another 2-3 minutes, add garlic and tandoori masala. Sautee for another few minutes. Remove from heat. Toss in cilantro and mix. If you have having this fresh (not swapping that is), toss in baby spinach at this point. Otherwise, wait till reheating.

Pea Sauce

– 1 (12 oz.) packet of frozen peas, thawed
– 3/4 cup yogurt
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
– 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
– salt, to taste
– pepper, to taste
– zest of half a lime
– 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions: Blanch the peas (I like to use the microwaveable bags of frozen peas and just cook them in the microwave, straight out of the freezer). Toss the peas in a blender. Add yogurt and blend till a paste forms (might need to help it along with a sprinkle of water). Mix in rest of ingredients and blend some more.

To Prepare Naanwich:

– Thinly slice the chicken breasts.
– Reheat chicken (stovetop, preferrably…might need to add some oil to ensure it doesn’t stick to pan).
– Reheat the vegetables. At the end toss in a handful of baby spinach and mix.
– Thaw naan (can use microwave) and heat both sides of naan on a non-stick pan.
– Use two pieces of naan to make a sandwich using chicken, vegetables and sauce.
– Might want to put cheese in the sandwich as well and heat the sandwich on a panini maker.
– Serve with chips.

Enjoy!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  Naanwich night.  Here’s the thing, though…my local Indian grocery store had only two packets of the frozen naan that I like.  So, I gave both packets to Heather and purchased two packets of frozen Tandoori Roti for myself.  Tandoori roti is usually made with whole wheat flour, it’s thinner than naan, and usually it’s round.  Because of the thinness of the roti, we ended up having our chicken and vegetables on the roti, soft taco style (instead of sandwich style)…..a tacoti, as it were.  Regardless, the dinner was a hit on our end.

Wednesday:  What a fancy meal for a Wednesday night!  Kavya really liked the rice and carrots…in fact she asked that I pack her the leftover rice for lunch the next day.  Alex loved the chicken and the raisins   Kept putting a raisin on top of each morsel of chicken that he ate…very cute.  Dave and I felt so grown up giving our kids this delicious, proper meal in the middle of a crazy busy week.  (I had a cold by Wednesday night, which I am still nursing…so the swap was a lifesaver this week!)  It was a pleasure to see our kids chowing down on wild rice pilaf and goat cheese infused chicken…wow!  Granted they both didn’t love all parts of the meal but to seeing a two year old enjoying roasted chicken with goat cheese and basil…oh, the wonders of the swap!  Thanks, Heather!

The Meal:

– Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
– Basic Salad with Ranch Dressing

So, I’m experimenting this week.  When we were first married, Dave and I used to have spaghetti squash quite frequently.  For some reason, I haven’t made it in years and as a result, the kids have never had it!  Well, given that it’s gourd season (and my local grocery store is practically giving the stuff away), I had to revisit this old favorite of ours.  Plus, my younger one loves spaghetti…..so, I’ll give him “spaghetti”…worth a try!

Also, as far as swaps go…this is a really easy one to prep!  All I had to do was make the marinara sauce and chop/pack the salad items!  Heather will have to cut and bake the squash before dinner (detailed instructions below).

Marinara Sauce

This is my standard way of making marinara sauce.  I’ve made it like this for years and years. I’m 100% sure I got the recipe from a book…can’t remember which one!

Here’s my recipe (serves 4-6):

– ~2 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 cup finely chopped onions
– 1 cup finely chopped celery
– 1 cup finely chopped carrots
– 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
– 1 medium tomato chopped
– 1 2 lbs. can of peeled, chopped tomatoes
– 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
– 1 bay leaf
– 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
– 2 tablespoons chopped basil
– Salt, to taste
– Pepper, to taste
– 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1) Heat olive oil and add onions, celery and carrots.
2) Sautee till brown at the edges.
3) Add garlic and sautee for a minute or so and then toss in the chopped tomato.
4) Sautee for two minutes and then add the canned tomatoes.
5) Lower heat and cook for a few minutes (5-7).
6) Add sugar and simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
7) Add herbs and remaining seasonings and cook for another 8-10 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat.

Here is the full dinner:

Along with the marinara sauce, there are three spaghetti squashes, a container full of good Parmesan cheese, some salad items and a (store-bought) ranch dressing.

How to Prepare the Dinner:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cut the squashes in half (lengthwise)….seriously, this is the hardest part!
3) Scoop out the seeds and pulpy middle.
4) Line baking tray with parchment paper (or foil) and lay the squash halves (flesh side up) and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper.
5) Turn the squash halves over (so hard skin side is up) on the parchment paper.
6) Bake for ~40-45 minutes.
7) Towards the end of baking serve salad.  Also towards end of baking reheat marinara sauce in microwave.

Once done, place each individual squash-half (flesh side up) on each serving plate.

Now you have two options:

Option A: Use a fork and scrape the insides of the squash to get the spaghetti strands. Top with marinara sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Serve.

or

Option B: Serve the squash on the plate as is and let the kids scrape out the noodles themselves and let them top with marinara & cheese.

In either case, enjoy!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  We mixed things up a bit this week and had Heather’s dinner first.  Even though this was not a kid-tested meal, it actually went well!  Kavya was complaining of a tummy ache before dinner so she didn’t really eat much but Alex ate the whole thing up (eggplants, zucchini and all!).  My mom was over today and she enjoyed the dinner as much as Dave & I did..which was a lot!  This is one of our favorites!  Thanks, Heather!

Wednesday:  They both liked the spaghetti squash!  Kavya (my self-proclaimed paleontologist) found the “digging for noodles” to be JUST like “digging for dinosaur bones” so she was delighted with this meal and ate as much of it as Dave and I did.  Alex wasn’t pleased with the marinara sauce (I had a suspicion he might not be so I gave him little bit only).  He really liked the “noddle” part and ate that up really well.  Hope it works out for you, Heather…have a backup just in case!

DESI COMFORT FOOD

The Meal:

– Makhani Chicken

– Potato Bhujia with Green Beans

– Pulao with Carrots and Beans

Swap did not go according to plan this week.  Instead of cooking Monday night, I was home nursing a sick two year old.  When he is healthy, Alex’s favorite person in the world is his father; when Alex is sick, no one else but me will do.  So, Heather and I swapped our swap from Tuesday to Wednesday this week, which worked out fine.  We still ate our own prepared meals on Tuesday night and each others on Wednesday.

Now, for what I cooked:  Heather and I usually don’t always exchange emails about what we plan to cook for the swap, but this week we did.  Given that it’s back to school week for our kids (our kids attend the same school), we both thought to cook comfort food for them.

For most Indian (or half-Indian) children, comfort food often means chawal (rice), chicken, and aaloo (potatoes)….well for the non-vegetarian ones at least.  So, that’s what I’ve made…Desi comfort food.  (Loosely translated “desi” means from the homeland…it’s the word that Indians regularly use to refer to all things Indian.)

Makhani Chicken

Indian restaurants usually serve makhani chicken, which (not surprisingly) tastes very different when cooked in an Indian home.  This is my rendition…very mild and moist, which usually goes over well with the kids.  It’s a modified version of a recipe by Pushpa Bhargava in her cookbook From Mom with Love (awesome collection of authentic Indian recipes).  Recipe below serves 8.

Ingredients

– 2.75 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, chopped

– 1 lime

– 2 teaspoons garlic paste

– 2 teaspoons ginger paste

– 2-3 teaspoon garam masala (store-bought is fine, though I use a homemade mix)

– 1 cup yoghurt (I didn’t have any, so I used 3/4 cup of sour cream instead)

– ~4 tablespoons butter (comfort food ingredient #1)

– ~1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder

– 3 cups of tomato puree

– 1/2 pint of heavy cream (comfort food ingredient #2)

– 1/2 pint of whole milk (comfort food ingredient #3)

– 1/4 cup of chopped basil leaves

– Salt to taste (approximately 2-3 teaspoons)

Directions

– Mix yoghurt, ginger & garlic pastes (1 teaspoons each), 1 teaspoon of garam masala, zest from lime and juice from half the lime.  Mix in about 2 teaspoons of salt. Add chicken and marinate for ~1 hour.

– Set oven to broil. Put chicken on a greased baking sheet and dab with some more butter. Broil chicken for ~8 minutes.  Save juices from broiling for later use.

– Heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Once melted, add 1 teaspoon each of ginger and garlic paste. Stir and cook for a minute or so.

– Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, and any leftover juices from the broiling.  Cook at low heat for about 7-9 minutes.

– Add salt (approximately 1 teaspoon, or to taste).

– Add cooked chicken and cook for another 7-9 minutes at low heat.

– Add heavy cream, milk, and 1-2 teaspoon of garam masala and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.   Remove from heat.

– Garnish with chopped basil leaves.

Potato Bhujia with Green Beans

Bhujia is awesome!  It usually refers to potatoes cooked in the style described below.  I toss in green beans, because I’m a mom with little kids.  Again, the recipe below serves 8.

Ingredients

– A little over 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

– 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

– 5-6 medium red potatoes, skinned, halved and sliced

– Salt, to taste

– 1 cup of green beans chopped

– 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

– 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder

– 3/4 teaspoon turmeric

Directions

– Heat oil over medium heat and add cumin seeds.

– Once the seeds start to sizzle, add potatoes.  Reduce heat, cover and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally.

– Once potatoes are 1/2 cooked, add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric.  Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

– Add garlic and green beans.  Cover again and cook for another 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until potatoes are completely cooked.  Remove from heat.

Pulao with Carrots and Peas

K loves carrots and A loves peas, so this rice dish is meant to make them both happy.  The recipe below serves 8.

Ingredients

– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

– 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

– 2.5 cups of basmati rice

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 3/4 to 1 cup chopped carrots

– 3/4 to 1 cup peas

Directions:

– Wash rice (3-4 times) and place in water for about 1/2 hour and then drain the water.

– Heat oil over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds.

– When seeds start to sizzle, add rice and stir.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring.

– Add salt, 5 cups water and carrots.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook till rice is completely cooked.

– Toss in peas, mix and remove from heat.

And we are done!  Here’s the full meal:

Reheating Instructions:

–       Microwave the rice and potato bhujia.

–       Reheat chicken on stove top (I’m not a big fan of microwaved chicken).  If you have some fresh basil, please chop and sprinkle on top.

–       Serve chicken on rice with side of potato bhujia.

ENJOY!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  I cooked this Desi comfort meal and served it hot off the stove.  Thankfully, Alex was feeling better and had an appetite.  Both he and his sister ate well.  We had frozen yoghurt for dessert (Blue Bunny’s White Chocolate with Raspberry Swirls and Chocolate Chips….a favorite of ours).  A nice end to an awesome summer!

Wednesday:  Thanks for the great macaroni and cheese, Heather !  It went over really well here too.  Alex is pretty picky with his mac-n-cheese and even he liked it!  But I have to say the French dressing was probably the biggest hit!  Kavya filled up with the veggies so much that she was sad to discover that dinner was macaroni and cheese, which is a favorite of hers.  Her reaction: “I wish I didn’t eat so many carrots!”  Thanks, Heather!

DUMPLINGS & NOODLES FOR A SPECIAL DAY

The Meal:

Appetizers:  Won-Ton Strips with Duck Sauce

Main Entrée:  Chicken Dumplings with Noodles

This meal might obliterate the “no pasta” rule of our swap.  Dave and I had a discussion about selecting this menu for the swap and he told me that I could blame him if this was in fact the case.  He thinks our reasoning for the “no pasta” rule is to avoid the “usual” pasta preparation, but this he says is “unusual” and therefore okay.  So, here’s my unusual meal for the week…

I made this for the first time two weeks ago.  Two Tuesdays ago was Rakhi, which is a Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between a brother and a sister.  On this day, sisters tie a rakhi (i.e., a colorful bracelet) on the wrists of their brothers and the brothers promise to always be there for their sisters and protect them from all harm.  Sweets are exchanged; brothers also usually give gifts to their sisters.

The brother-sister pair in our household celebrates it slightly differently…they both tie rakhis on each other and promise to love and protect each other always.  The rakhis are homemade; in the future, I hope they will make them for each other.  They feed each other sweets (this year, squares of dark chocolate…the only sweet that they both like) and exchange gifts.  I took Kavya shopping a few days before so she could pick out her gift for Alex and when Alex gets a bit older, I’ll take him to do the same.  I simply love this day…for what it celebrates, for the adorable (short-lived) promises they make to each other (“Alex, I will always love you and protect you and share things with you”…half hour later, they were fighting over the new toy), for all the hopes that we have about what they will always mean to each other.

So, to celebrate Rakhi this year, I decided to make a meal that would please both kids.  Kavya loves dumplings and Alex loves noodles.  This dinner is basically noodles with dumplings.    The kids absolutely LOVED this meal…Dave might have loved it even more than them.  It was immediately something that I HAD to make for the swap.

I had never made dumplings before; apparently, it’s not that hard at all!  I was inspired by a recipe posted on a pretty neat blog called momofukufor2:

http://momofukufor2.com/2010/05/spicy-wonton-noodle-recipe/

I’ve changed the filling and the style of folding the wonton wrappers.  I’ve also omitted the sesame oil (a swap rule that I refuse to break) and added mushrooms.  Here’s what I did…

Chicken Dumplings:

– 1 large onion, chopped

– 1 teaspoon chopped ginger

–  1 teaspoon chopped garlic

–  ~2/3 cup chopped carrots

–  1 cup (may be a bit more) chopped spinach

– 1 tablespoon 5 spice powder

– 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

– 1 tablespoon soy sauce

– 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

– 1 package of ground chicken

– Wonton wrappers (50 if you want to use up all the chicken)

– Flour-water paste (mix 1 tablespoon of flour to a couple of tablespoons of water)

Directions:

– In a wok (or wok-like cookware), heat oil and sautee onions, ginger, garlic, carrots for a few minutes.

– Add spinach and sautee some more.

– Add five-spice powder, sriracha sauce and soy sauce.

– Remove from heat.  Check the flavor.  Should be on saltier side since it will get mixed up in chicken.  In my case, bit more soy sauce was needed.

– In a mixing bowl, add chopped cilantro, sautéed mixture and ground chicken.  Result: (uncooked) dumpling filling.

– Now, prep the wonton assembly line: filling, flour-water paste (to seal wontons shut, although I believe plain old water would also work), wonton wrappers, and a plate (to place finished product).

– Take a bit of filling and place in center of wonton wrapper.  Follow instructions on wonton wrapper package to fold.

– One dumpling complete.  Repeat over and over and over and over….yes, it’s a bit tedious but I find it strangely relaxing.

– One plate done!  Place the plate in the freezer.  Repeat till all 50(!) dumplings are done.

NOTE: If I was making this for myself, I would stop at about 16 or so dumplings and save the rest of the chicken for another night.  (Another use for the leftover chicken filling:  add some breadcrumbs, mix and make in to little balls.  Bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes and enjoy.)

The accoutrements:

1) I made a spicy soy sauce (sans sesame oil) by mixing together oil, soy sauce and Sriracha sauce.  Basically following the proportions on momofukufor2.

2) Then I sliced some mushrooms (two cups…all for Heather; I’ll make mine the night of) and sautéed them in oil (sprinkle of salt).

3) Finally, I chopped up some scallions (1 bunch…again, all for Heather).

And we are done!  Here’s the full package ready for the Johnson-McCormick Family:

Besides the dumplings, spicy soy sauce, mushrooms and scallions, I also packed (uncooked) noodles and for a snack: wonton strips with duck sauce.

To Reheat/Serve:

–       Get two pots of water boiling.

–       Serve wonton strips with duck sauce while doing the rest of the prep work.

–       In the first pot, put in dumplings (roughly 16-18).  Agitate the dumplings so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

–       In the second pot, add one pack of noodles.

–       Let dumplings boil till they rise and start to float.

–       Add a cup (may a bit more) of cold water (to dumpling pot) and return to boil, again with dumplings floating.

–       Dumplings should be done…just cut one open to make sure.

–       In serving dish, add noodles, dumplings, spicy soy sauce (add a bit at a time, to taste) and mushrooms and mix.  (If you want, at this point you can add a dash of sesame oil and mix.)

–       Garnish with scallions and serve.

ENJOY!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  To enjoy the fresh bread, we decided to have Heather’s meal first and save our dumplings/noodles for Wednesday dinner.  And let me start with said bread!!  Braydon…you ARE the BREAD MASTER!  That HUGE loaf was almost all gone in a matter of minutes.  All four of us loved it! We ask that we get Braydon’s bread more often!  Alex focused almost entirely on the soup/bread part of the meal, whereas Kavya decided to experiment with sliced apples in her soup and claimed “this is better than anything!”  As for Dave and I, we enjoyed the salad the most (after the bread of course!).  Thanks, Heather & Braydon!

Wednesday:  Our 9th anniversary.  We used to plan special outings for our anniversary…go to restaurants and places we have never been…have long elaborate meals…plan and dream about our future.  Now that those dreams are here (in the sprightly shapes of K & A)…no point going anywhere…we celebrate by staying home and enjoying a special meal.  So, this year our special meal was the kids’ special meal from two weeks ago.  Like before, Kavya gobbled up the dumplings and Alex slurped up the noodles.  Should have taken some pictures but was too much in the moment to remember.

ENCHILADAS WITHOUT A STORY

The Meal:

Appetizers:  Tortilla chips with Black Bean/Corn/Feta Salsa

Main Entree: Spinach & Chicken Enchiladas

Let me begin with an apology regarding this meal:  It has no interesting story! Heather and I often exchange meals that tend have some neat back stories…where we learned how to make the dish, what the meal always reminds us of, etc.  Of course the first meal I document for this blog, doesn’t!  It’s just a creamy spinach and chicken enchiladas recipe that both K & A seem to love.  And so I make it from time to time.  The recipe is a combination of several recipes for spinach and chicken enchiladas that I have seen over the years.  The first time I ever had a version of this meal (very different from my own rendition) was the first time Dave’s best friend and his then girlfriend (now wife) had us over for dinner after moving in together.  It was a yummy meal and I always meant to get the recipe but somehow never did (even though we see this couple so often!).

I ended up revisiting the idea of spinach and chicken enchiladas after having kids…trying to come up with new ways to feed them spinach.  My little ones tend to enjoy chicken in a béchamel-like sauce, so I decided to try it out in an enchilada filling.  In the end, both kids enjoy the filling quite a bit and don’t mind the enchiladas as a delivery system for it.

As for the appetizers…the salsa, that is…it is actually a recipe that I got from the same couple who fed us the spinach and chicken enchiladas (may be this meal has a theme after all!).  I think this recipe can also be found on-line on other sites, but for me it comes from this couple.  It’s really quite yummy.  It’s a bit sweet and feta-ish, so you have to be prepared for that…and if you are, it’s completely yummy.  My kids haven’t had this salsa before, so I’m curious as to how they will like it.

So, here’s a rough guide as to how I made the salsa (first) and then the enchiladas…and towards the bottom, my instructions for reheating them.

Black bean/Corn/Feta Salsa:

Very, very simple.

– 1 can black beans (drained and washed)

– 1 can corn (yellow or white, drained)

– 1 tub feta crumbles

– 1/3 cup each of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and sugar

– 1 bunch scallions (chopped)

Directions:

Mix and refrigerate.  Makes a ton…perfect for a swap!

Black Bean/Corn/Feta Salsa

Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas

Just a bit more work.  Ingredients (for roughly 8 servings):

– About 12 oz of baby spinach

– 2 tablespoons butter

– 1 large onion, chopped

– 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

– 1 ½ tablespoon chilli powder

– 2 tablespoons flour

– 1 ½ cup milk

– 1 ½ pound of boneless chicken, cubed

– Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

– Boil water and (in batches) add spinach for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from boiling water and shock in ice bath.  Once all spinach is done…squeeze excess water (don’t have to be too thorough) and roughly chop.

– Sautee onions in butter.

– Add garlic, chilli powder (decent amount), spinach.  Cook for a couple of minutes.

– Add flour.  Stir & cook some more.

– Add milk (whole) and stir till sauce thickens to desired amount.  Will have to add chicken to this, so don’t thicken too much.

– Add salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

–  I happened to have some grilled peppers around (had made a grilled vegetable salad for dinner) so I added them at this point too.

–  Sautee cubed chicken in a little bit of vegetable oil.  Add chilli powder, salt and pepper to flavor chicken.

–  Once cooked, remove from heat and add to the spinach in white sauce.  Mix and let cool before storing in fridge.

That’s it for the enchilada filling.  Here’s what it looks like after mixing with the spinach:

Spinach and Chicken Filling

Now for the sauces that goes over the enchiladas…I use two types:  a tomatillo sauce and a sour cream sauce.

Tomatillo Sauce:

– ~8 tomatillos

– 3 cloves garlic

– Good handful of cilantro

– Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

– Boil tomatillos for a couple of minutes (mostly without husks…leave one or two with husks).

– Remove from heat and place in blender.

– Add garlic, cilantro and salt and pepper to blender and blend to a sauce consistency.

– Let cool before storing in fridge.  (Incidentally, this makes a great salsa in and of itself.)

Tomatillo Sauce

Sour Cream Sauce:

– 1 tablespoon butter

– 3/4 cup sour cream (not the fat-free kind)

– 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth

– 1 tablespoon flour (may be a bit more)

Directions:

– Melt butter over medium heat.

– Add a bit of flour and stir for a few minutes.

– Add chicken broth and make into a thick sauce (remove lumps, i.e., whisk, whisk, whisk).

– Add sour cream, more whisking.  Remove from heat.  Let cool before storing in fridge.

Sour Cream Sauce

All done!

Here’s the full meal (for the Johnson-McCormicks) in its Tupperware finest:

Swap Meal for Johnson-McCormicks

Besides the salsa, enchilada filling and the two sauces, I also packed tortilla chips, cheese, and tortillas.

How to Reheat:

1)   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2)   Reheat enchilada filling.

3)   Place filling in tortillas, layer on some cheese.

4)   Roll up tortillas and line up in a lightly greased baking dish.

5)   Drizzle the two sauces on top of the rolled-up tortillas.  Sour cream sauce might need some help from the microwave to soften up.

6)   Heat in oven for approximately 10 minutes.

7)   In the meantime, there are tortilla chips with the black bean, corn, and feta salsa to eat!

ENJOY!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  The first day of the new semester.  Fortunately, no cooking!  As usual, kids enjoyed this meal.  Here are our enchiladas before they went in the oven:

Now, for the salsa…my son (bean lover) picked all the beans out and just ate them.  Kavya on the other hand like the “soup” in the salsa.  So, not a huge hit with the kids (not a bust either) but definitely enjoyed by the adults!

Wednesday: The family feasted on the curried Haitian chicken salad pita sandwiches and loved them!  Alex picked and ate the raisins and chicken pieces…kept asking for more.  Kavya was floored by the concept of having apples (a favorite of hers) in a dinner meal and gobbled it all up.  As for Dave and I…we LOVED it!!  Thanks, Heather!

Thursday:  We had more of the pita sandwiches for dinner tonight…loved them again!  We also had the peach cobbler!! YUM!  (Decided to save it till we were done with the lecture week.)  Wish I had remembered to take a picture of Alex with ice-cream and cobbler remnants on his nose and cheeks!