Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pizza

When your kid is a picky eater, you got to come up with creative ways to get them to eat meat and veggies. And this recipe is one of them. I started out with just plain chicken an cheese, once my son was eating that well, I experimented with spinach and it was a success too. This is a very convenient recipe and a go-to one for me when I don’t have time to cook; cause you can make the chicken ahead and store in the fridge or use any left over cooked chicken. And spinach takes just few seconds to cook. I hope your children/family likes it too.

Ingredients:

• whole wheat Tortilla - 1
• Yogurt or yogurt based dressing : 1 tblspn (can use Mayo too)
• Spinach - 1 hand full, chopped
• Cooked/baked chicken - Chopped, enough to cover the tortilla
• Cheese - your choice, grated, enough to cover the top
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - 1tsp

Steps:

• In a pan (large enough to fit the whole tortilla) add oil, when hot, added the chopped spinach and sauté. Sprinkle some salt on it while cooking. when the spinach wilts, remove from the pan.
• In the same pan, place the tortilla, reduce the heat to medium high. Spread yogurt on the tortilla.
• Next, spread the cooked spinach with a spoon all over.
• Then add the chopped chicken on top.
• Next add the shredded cheese on top.
• Turn off heat. Slide the tortilla on to a baking sheet and broil on high until the cheese melts (keep watching while broiling to avoid charring).
• Cut and serve.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

I browse through the DIY section of Pinterest when I cannot fall asleep at night, sometimes I come across recipes too in the DIY section, and tell myself, one day I will try them. Well, finally I got around to trying one, and am glad I did. I tweaked the recipe a little to suit my needs. Garlic- Parmesan roasted potatoes are super easy and delicious, they are a perfect snack or a side to any entrée.

Ingredients:

• Small Red Potatoes (or any kind) - 10, cut into halves or quarters
• Salt - 1/2 tsp or more, to taste
• Black Pepper, ground - 1/2 tspn or more,  to taste
• Garlic - 5 pods, finely chopped
• Olive oil - 1 1/2 tblspn 
• Dry Basil - 1/2tspn
• Dry Thyme - 1/2 tspn
• Dry Rosemary - 1/4 tspn
• Parmesan cheese - 1/3 cup, grated or finely chopped
• Coriander leaves - a handful, finely chopped 

You may wanna try the Easy Roast Potatoes, if you do not have the herbs or cheese at home.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• In a bowl mix all the ingredients together, except the potatoes and coriander leaves. 
• Taste the mix to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Once you're happy with the taste, add the potatoes and toss them well, until all the pieces are coated with the mixture.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Empty the contents on it and place the potatoes pieces skin side down.  
• Bake for 25-30 mins or until potatoes are golden brown. A knife put through a piece will go through smoothly when cooked.
• Remove from oven, place in a serving dish and sprinkle the coriander leaves. Viola! 

You may wanna try the Easy Roast Potatoes, if you do not have the herbs or cheese at home.

Deep Fried Smelts/ Nethili meen

Crispy, easy and a tasty recipe. This dish can be eaten as an appetizer or as a side with traditional Indian food.

Ingredients:

Smelt fishes

• Smelts or any kind of small fish - desired amount. 
• Salt - 2 tspn
• Chili powder - 1 tspn
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
• Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbsp
• Corn flour - 2 tbsp
• Lime juice- from half 
• Oil - For deep frying.

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients except the fish into a paste. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of amount of water to make it creamy. Taste to see if you need more salt or chili powder.(Once you fry the fishes, you won't be able to able any more salt to them).
• Mix in the fish. Let it marinate for 10 mins.
• In a pan or wok, add enough oil for deep frying, when oil is hot, add about 4-5 fishes at a time. 
• After 2-3 mins, turn the fishes and let it cook for another 3 mins. (If oil gets too hot, slightly lower the heat.)
•  Take the fishes out of the oil and lay on a sheet of paper towel or newspaper to drain any left over oil.

Oven baked Tandoori Chicken (Whole)

Thanksgiving (Canadian) is usually celebrated with turkey, but my husband and I are not big fans of turkey meat, so we decided we will start a new tradition of an Indian thanksgiving with Tandoori chicken :) . I've always wanted to roast a whole chicken instead of cut pieces and this was a good opportunity for me to try it, and it was awesome. Its real simple. Just marinate and bake.

Here are some things you need to know before you start: 

• You have to marinate the whole chicken over night for the best result.
• Use yogurt (Curd) that is thick. 
• You need at least 1 hour to bake, so plan before you start. 

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken skinned - 1

Initial rub:

• Salt - 1 Tspn
• Lemon juice - from 1/2
• Chilli powder - 1 Tspn (optional, if you like it spicy)

For Marinate:

• Yogurt (Curd) - 3 Tblspn
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 Tblspn
• Tandoori chicken masala powder* - 2 to 3 Tblspn based on how spicy you want it (I suggest you taste the powder first, yes! taste it, to see how salty and spicy it is)
• Coriander powder - 1/2 Tspn
• Salt - 1/2 Tspn 
• Corn flour - 1 Tspn + 1 Tspn (For top coating)
• Oil - 2 Tspn

* Or use 1 tspn each of cumin powder, chilli powder, garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves and 1/2 tspn of red food colour.

Final Touch after baking:

• Lemon juice - from 1/2

Steps:

• Clean chicken well and pat dry with a paper towel or clean dish cloth.
• Pierce the chicken with a knife, push it really well into the chicken, not just the surface so that the marinate will get into the flesh. You may want to do some deep cuts in the chicken's breasts as they are white meat, the toughest.
• Mix the ingredients of the initial rub together and spread all over the chicken and into the cuts and pierces.
• Next mix the ingredients of the marinate.
• Spread the marinate well all over the chicken again and inside the cavity too. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Next day:

• Take out the chicken from the fridge and keep it out for about half hour at least to come to room temperature (preferably 1 hour)
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Now, dust the marinated chicken with corn flour using a stainless steel strainer for even coating. This will give you a nice crisp layer on top. 
• Drizzle oil all over the chicken.
• Place chicken breast side down on a rack* and bake. This will ensure even cooking all over at the same time.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then flip the chicken around and bake for 20 minutes. Then again flip it and bake for extra 20 mins.
• After the 65 mins, raise temperature to 425 F and bake for 5 mins for the final browning on the top. Not for too long or you will dry out the chicken.
• Remove from the oven and squeeze a fresh lime or lemon all over the chicken.
• Cover the cooked chicken with aluminium foil for 5 to 10 mins to rest before you serve.

* - I used a cooling rack, I placed it on a foil covered baking pan so that the dripping does not stain the pan. If you have a roaster with a rack at home use that. 

If you do not have a roaster or a cooling rack to bake on, don't worry, place chicken on a foil covered pan and remove the drippings from the chicken each time you turn.

Quick n Easy Prawn (Shrimp) Dry Roast

I love prawns for 2 reasons. One for the taste (obviously) and the other for its quick cooking time. Trust me this is the simplest, yet tastiest recipe I've come up with so far. I came up with this when I was cooking in a hurry one day and have stuck with it ever since. It takes less than 10 mins depending on how much prawns your cooking. No chopping onions or tomatoes or sautéing them endlessly. The best thing is you can make as little as 5 prawns too. 

Also, check out my recipe for Quick & Easy Chicken.

Ingredients:

• Prawns/Shrimps : Desired amount.
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tblspn 
• Salt - 1tspn (adjust according to amount of Shrimp)
• Chilli powder - 1 tspn (adjust according to amount of Shrimp)
• Oil - 2 tblspn
• Curry leaves - 1 strand (optional, but gives real good aroma) 

Steps:

• Clean and wash prawns. Drain water.
• Add the ginger garlic paste, salt and chilli powder to the wet pawns and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• When the oil is really hot, add the prawn mixture. Sauté, the prawns will let out moisture. Close and cook for 3-5 mins till the prawns are done. Don't over cook prawns, they will become like rubber.
•  Open lid, and reduce heat to medium high and let the water dry up. Occasionally sauté.
• When it dries up, you will find that the mixture sticks to the bottom, its good, we want it to. 
• Raise the heat, add a splash of water, it will loose the dried up mixture, scrape the dried mixture well and mix with the prawns and sauté. 
• Add curry leaves, turn off heat. 

Quick & Easy Chicken

I've realized that my brain works best when in a hurry :) Here's a really quick and easy chicken recipe I made on the fly this Sunday. I did not have the time to chop onion or tomatoes so I just threw in some ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, a spoon of yogurt (curd) for some body and a dash of lime juice stirred in the chicken and let it cook. And the result was a super tasty chicken. 

Here's what you need

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Chicken desired amount (I used boneless)
• Ginger garlic paste - 2tsp
• salt to taste
• Chili powder to taste
• Chicken masala - 1tsp if available
• Yogurt/curd - 1 tsp
• Juice of half lime (optional - for a tangy taste)
• Water - as desired.

Method:

• Heat oil in a large pan (larger the pan, faster the cooking time). When hot add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, chicken masala and stir.
• Add chicken and keep stirring till all pieces are covered in the mixture. Add yogurt and stir.
• Add a splash of water and close the pan. Let it cook. 
• Open add the lime juice stir and close. Add a bit more water if the dish dries up before the chicken is cooked.
• If you need gravy just add more water and cook to the desired consistency. If you like it dry like in the picture, just let it cook without the lid till the water evaporates and dries up.

It goes really well with rice and sambar :) Or make it as a gravy and enjoy with rotis.

Easy Roast Potatoes

This is an easy and healthy way of making roast potatoes. It needs only half or even less than half the amount of oil usually used to make roast potatoes on the skillet. I  used a herb called Rosemary (seen in the photos like small twigs), just cause I had some. Its not required if you don't have it. It has a very strong taste, but smells good.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - Chopped into chucks (about 1 inch) How many ever u need.
• Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste
• Chili powder - 1 1tsp or to taste
• Rosemary - 1/2 tsp (optional) 
• Oil - 1 tblsp

Steps:

Step 1 - Brown potatoes in pan.

Step 2- Transfer to baking tray and bake for 10mins, at 375 & 400 degs

• Preheat oven to 375 deg.
• In a wide pan, heat 3/4th of the oil. When hot add potatoes and stir well till oil adheres to all the chunks.
• Add salt and chili powder and stir well, again till all the potato chunks are coated well. with your finger, touch a chunk and taste the seasoning, if u feel you need more salt or chili powder add some. Add dry rosemary.
• Stir ocassionally, let the potatoes brown at least on 2 sides.
• Once ready transfer to an oiled baking tray. Cover with foil and bake for 5-7 mins.
• Carefully remove the foil, it will let out a lot of steam. You can see if the potaoes are cooked by putting a knife thru it. If you want to cook it more, replace the foil and cook for few more mins.
• When cooked, crank up the heat of the oven to 400 deg and place the tray back inside uncovered this time, for 5-7 mins. It will dry any moisture and make a a tasty roast.
• Take it out and sprinkle some salt.