Ultimate Stuffed Mushrooms

If you’ve been lingering here long enough, you’ll notice that I love appetizers and side dishes more than I love main dishes. They’re oozing goodness and generally light to taste (let’s not forget. extremely fattening). Now I don’t know about you, but I go quite passionately where my taste buds lead me. A very valid reason why the weighing scale seems to keep tipping further to the right each day.

I wish I could tell you that the next recipe will keep you within your weight watcher’ points. Or that it would help you shed some pounds. I swear I tried to keep the weight in check. That is until I discovered these Ultimate Stuffed Mushies in one of my What’s Cooking subscriptions. The first time I made these, we found them too bland but found alot of potential within them. The next time around, I reduced the number of crackers and added coriander and hot sauce for some flavour and aroma. Voila!

Here is my slghtly tweaked version:

20 fresh mushrooms

3 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onions

2 Tbsp. finely chopped red peppers

12 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed

2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp hot sauce

pinch of coriander

Method :

Heat oven to 400°F.

REMOVE stems from mushrooms. Finely chop enough stems to measure 1/4 cup. Discard remaining stems or refrigerate for another use.

MELT butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add chopped stems, onions and peppers; cook and stir until tender. Stir in cracker crumbs, cheese and seasoning; spoon into mushroom caps. Place on baking sheet.

BAKE 15 min. or until heated through.

Kraft’s Make Ahead Tip

Mushrooms can be stuffed several hours in advance. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for 20 min. or until heated through.

Honey Sesame Chicken

About three years ago, after watching qurbani for eid, my son decided to become a vegetarian. We’ve tried to coax and convince him to eat meat but he wouldn’t budge. There are days when he’ll eat meat but then all it takes is a book about animals, a show or on most days, even the sight of a cow in a field – he’ll revert to being a vegetarian again.

He lived off daal (lentils) and rice for the longest time. This is also around the time when fried rice became a staple at our house.

 

In an ideal world, I would have store bought carbs and dessert all day long. Needless to say, one of my biggest disappointments with adulthood has been the sad crushing of my childhood dream of being able to devour (and exist) solely off of tiramaisus and cheesecakes  for breakfast lunch and dinner everyday. But alas! as mature, responsible *cough* adults, we have to ensure healthy, wholesome meals are served in the family.

That’s where this recipe comes into our family.  Its a variation of this pinspired recipe that I came across while searching for menu ideas. We could do chinese food every day in this house. Kids love it, hubby loves it, sister loves it and I LOVE it. Its healthy and all it needs is a bunch of chopped up veggies which can be transformed into a number of dishes just by varying the sauce ingredients. Although this chicken isn’t exactly the epitome of a healthy and balanced diet, the taste more than makes up for it. And the bonus? Its one of the few meat recipes that my DS would actually eat!!

Ingredients.

 

1 ½ lbs (or approx 3 pcs) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Oil
Batter-

4 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
pinch of salt
Sauce-

2 tablespoon chilli sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 ½ tablespoons oil
2 teaspoon ginger (minced)
3 tablespoons garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Method

- Mix all the batter ingredients and let it sit for 30 mins. Add chicken, coat and deep fry till golden brown.

- For the sauce, heat oil and fry ginger and garlic for a minute. Add vinegar, water and honey. Stir. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir. Add one teaspoon of cornstarch to one teaspoon of water. Add and stir.

- Toss chicken with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seed and serve.

Aloo Bhujia..

Last weekend, I had two highschool friends coming over for breakfast. I met them after a good 12 years!Boy, have our paths changed? We’ve all become so different from what we were back then. A different sense of maturity. I love meeting old friends, reminiscing old times and laughing at our goofiness, mistakes and achievements. Its a very different feeling. *sigh*

Since both of these friends lived alone, I thought it made sense to have a desi addition to the menu. This aloo bhujia recipe was suggested to me by the same friend who had recommended the Haray masalay ki chicken. She’s my go to place for awesome recipes these days! This aloo bhujia reminds me of boat basin in Pakistan. I could picture myself sitting on chaar pai’s, eating aloo puri nashtas with the hustle bustle of Karachi life in the background. The bhujia has a nice pickled taste to it and was an instant hit with the Gobbler who had it for lunch and dinner too.

 

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, quartered and sliced

2 medium onions

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 pkt achaar gosht masala

salt to taste

Method:

Fry nions to golden brown. Put in the ginger/garlic paste, achaat gosht masala and salt. Add 1/4 cup water and let it cook till it becomes a paste. Add in the potatoes and keep cooking. Stir occasionally. Keep adding water to make sure paste doesnt stick. When potatoes are done, serve. Garnish with coriander.

tip: if there is a lot of water left even after the potatoes are tender, mas a couple of potatoes to thicken the liquid!

Penne Rosé – Italian Tomato Cream Sauce with Penne Pasta

For my husband’s birthday we visited Tucker’s Marketplace in Mississauga for dinner. It was love at first sight. There was food and there was food! Everything you could possibly want, under one roof.

Anyhow, my only disappointment came from their rose sauce. It just didn’t have the flavors that I was looking for so

I came home and tried the recipe it out. Needless to say, my first attempt was a failure as well. The next day, I tried to revive the recipe and came up with THE perfect taste that I was looking for.  I was shocked at how simple it was.

Last week, I recreated the recipe and it was a success. Without further ado, I present to you my Penne Rosé.

Ingredients:

900 gms cooked Penne or whatever shape pasta you prefer; boiled with salt seasoning.

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2cup chopped sweet orange pepper

1.5 lbs Chicken breast, cubed

1 cup chopped onions

2 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 can crushed tomatoes, 756 ml

1/2 cup water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch of dried rosemary

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup evaporated skim milk (if you’re on a diet) or for the real deal – half and half cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan for garnishing.

Method:

Heat pan and drizzle with oil. Fry peppers, onion and garlic for two minutes to blend flavours. (psst, take a moment to enjoy the aroma, the sweet red peppers are what gives this recipe the extra kick!!).  Add chicken and saute till colour changes and vegetables are tender. Add water, tomato sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer covered for abt 7-10 minutes. If the sauce is too liquidy, uncover and cook for a little longer. Add cream and let it heat through. Bring to a boil.

Serve over pasta. Garnish with Parmesan and pepper!

Devour!

ps. you can skip the chicken to make this an equally enticing vegetarian option. Likewise, you may also include other vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, eggplants etc to up the vegetable count a notch!

Ps. the flowers are from our front yard. MashaAllah, I’m amazed by the vibrancy of the yellow colour!

Grilled Tomatoes with Mozarella and Parmesan

My husband and I are pretty outdoor-sy people. Any opportunity we get, we love to walk, trek or hike to explore nature. Ironically enough, for the last four years we’ve lived in a house with a hill in the backyard which, although ideal for tobogganing in the winters, pretty much rendered itself useless during the summer. There simply wasn’t enough room to bbq or have outdoor dinners. This year, we mustered up the courage to go ahead and build a 20 ft deck to extend our living space outdoors.

Boy! have we been glad? Although we built it towards the end of the summer months, we’ve enjoyed every possible moment on it. We started having our dinners outside and once the kids were asleep, we’d sit outside to chat over a cuppa. What could possibly be more beautiful than saying your night prayers in pitch darkness, amidst the sound of nature? (SubhanAllah!)

I decided to try out these tomatoes on an evening when we’d invited my husband’s family to join us for an outdoor BBQ. I had seen this recipe earlier and was waiting for the opportunity to make them. It was an instant hit. We ran out even before dinner was served! Which brings me to the best part about this recipe: its soo quick and easy, it was a breeze to make a second round! The only variations that I made to the original recipe is that I also included mozarella (as opposed to just Parmesan in the original recipe) and used dried oregano instead.

Ingredients:

4 Roma (or any firm variety) tomatoes, sliced

300g Mozarella cheese, grated

100gm Parmesan cheese, powdered

1 tbsp Oregano

Method:

Mix shredded mozarella and parmesan in a bowl.

Slice tomatoes horizontally and place on to a foil lined baking tray. Brush with Olive oil.

Drop mounds of cheese onto each tomato. Sprinkle oregano.

Bake at 350 for 10 mins or until tomatoes are tender.

Cool before serving!

Haray Masala Ki Chicken (Chicken in Green Sauce)

Very rarely do you come across people whom you can relate to instantaneously. Hina Mommy is one of those people. Infact, her entire little family is the same way. Although we’d met before, the first time I met her family, we had a sleepover. It was awesome to see our families gel so well. Her elder two children and mine are the same age.

Hina and I have known each other from our personal blogs for almost 6 years. We spin out stories and share jokes about our selves and our children. What could be better than sharing stories online?

Sharing them in person, dammit!

Alhamdolillah, we’ve been blessed to have children the same age and hubbys who get along really well too. Ever since her move to TO two months ago, Hina and I, we try and make it a point to meet at least bi-weekly for lunch and a chat. It is during one of these lunch dates that I was introduced to this haray masalay ki chicken. Hina is a woman of many talents, cooking being one of them.

This haray masalay ki chicken was scrumptious to say the least. I instantly fell in love and vowed to make it at home. I LOVE the taste and aroma of the flavors in this chicken. The texture is different from the typical, off-the-mill salun recipes too. Here is the recipe as Hina whatsapp’d it to me!

(may I add that HinaMommy’s recipes ALWAYS begin with the phrase “its soo simple, all you have to do is..” and then she cringes and yells: “dammit, I used to hate it when my mom used to say that”)

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2cup mint leaves

1 cup corriander leaves(u can leave the stems on)

3 pieces of green chilli

1 and 1/2 cups yoghurt

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

Method:

Fry the onions in oil. Once they are golden brown (not dark!), take them out of the oil.

In a blender, blend the onions, mint and corriander leaves, chilli and yoghurt to make a paste.

In the remaining oil. add ginger/garlic paste and fry the chicken with salt. Cook the chicken until colour become light brown. Then add the green paste and let it cook. Once the oil starts separating from the chicken (you should be able to see the oil on top), the chicken is done!

Voila! Garnish with friend onions and enjoy with naan!

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Organized Chaos – Keeping Picnics Fun!

While growing up, we’d often venture out on lazy weekends, driving into Malaysia’s countryside roads, stopping at random scenic locations to picnic. It was a tradition of sorts. I have many happy memories of my family from the picnics and road trips we took.

Now as a mom, I love bringing those elements of my childhood into our lives. I love picnics… it can be as simple as a packed lunch that we munch on at the neighborhood park after picking up my son from school or as elaborate as a food basket, flip flops and candles by the water at our favorite Lakeshore spot.The world is literally your canvass, when it comes to selecting your picnic spot.

Be it a meadow with flowery scents, or by the gentle lapping of water waves, under a tree shade or even by a water fountain in Downtown Toronto – picnics are meant to be just that – relaxing! With summer holidays coming up, outdoor picnics are an excellent way to fill the long days and keep the little ones busy. As an added bonus, not only does it cost next to nothing, it keeps the mess out of the house too!

With kids in the mix, it always works to plan ahead. As my mom says, “Fail to plan and you plan to fail”. Here are my top 6 suggestions to make a picnic fun!

1. Weather. Our kids and us are pretty flexible with weather. Rain or shine, we LOVE picnics and can alter picnic locations and plans pretty spontaneously. My father on the other hand, not so. If you and your little ones are picky about weather conditions, check the weather forecast beforehand. If you’re going with a large group, consider renting out sheltered picnic areas from the city.

2. Activities. We’ve been to parks which were cordoned off for maintenance. We’ve been to beaches with water that was still too cold. To avoid disappointment for the kids, always plan extra activities. It can even be as simple as sand buckets and spades, a frisbee or a football. I sometimes hand my kids ziplocs and allow them to pick leaves, twigs, flowers and pebbles from the ground – we use these to make prints on paper later on. My son and I used to love laying on the ground and make out shapes from the clouds. My daughter loves “cooking” with pebbles. Activities such as these foster a healthy imagination and inculcate a sense of connection with nature and God.

3. Clothes. Always dress kids in light clothes. Ideally, I prefer shorts, a tshirt and sandals with velcro for easy removal. I can’t stress how important it is to wear comfortable shoes. Also, pack spare clothes and generally include pants and lightweight jacket – which comes in handy if the air gets cooler in the evening, or after kids come out from the water at a splash pad or a beach. Needless to say, a hat is a must!

4. Food. Keep finger food to avoid having to pack spoons, forks and plates. You’re more likely to enjoy regular picnics if you keep it simple and easy. Meal plans can include sandwiches, dips (hummus or salad dressing),  cut vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, or bell peppers),  fruits (watermelons, grapes, oranges), crackers and chips. Lots and lots of fluids, but be cognizant of washrooms in the area!

5. Involve children in meal preparation. If they’re involved in the preparation, they’re more likely to enjoy eating the food. Get the little ones to fill up their own water bottles,  older children can help spread mayo on the sandwich bread.

6. Gear. I always include the following to ensure a smooth picnic: trash bag, hand sanitizer, sun screen, wet wipes, hat, blanket or disposable table cover, band aids and alcohol wipes. If you picnic often, keep a backpack ready with all of these items. All you need to do is throw in the food and spare clothes, voila! you’re ready.

What are some of your picnic suggestions?

5 Step Simple Bruschetta Dance

There are times in life, when you come across creativity that makes you wonder “how did they even think of that?”. You know there lies a very outstanding mind behind it.

Our guest blogger today, Sara Jamil, is one of those few people whom God has gifted a natural talent to be outstanding and exciting! When life becomes mundane, boring and monotonous, you only have to venture here and here to see how creatively she can inspire an out of the box, positive perspective on EVERYTHING – from kids, to environment, to politics, to life and death. One can never leave her blogs without feeling refreshed and inspired.

Today, her blog post here is just another sampling  of her out of the box, fun approach to life. Truth be told, I was scared out of my mind to ask her to do a guest post here – lest it be too dull and boring for her. Her immediate easy going response and then her email with today’s post was a reminder that although her talent has some strong connections with the heavens, her feet are firmly and humbly planted with us lesser mortals!

Needless to say, with all the jazz that Sara’s spun into this Bruschetta, I can’t wait to dance – oops, I mean- try it out!

Chicken Cutlets

Here’s a confession that you won’t hear often on a food blog: I don’t enjoy cooking!! What I hate more than cooking itself is thinking of WHAT to cook!! Well, I’ve learnt to solve this dilemma by cooking in double batches and freezing the half for a later date. With summer teasing us these days, who wants to spend their time indoors, slaving over the stove instead? Not me, fo’ sure! Not only can these cutlets be frozen before hand, their leftovers make for excellent sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3 chicken breasts

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp parmesan

1/2 tsp oregano and basil each

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can pasta sauce

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:

Beat cutlets and cut flat across, into two/three thinner flat slices. In a bowl, beat eggs. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Dip cutlets in egg, dip into bread crumbs (press crumbs into the chicken) and then let it sit for a few minutes to let the crumbs sit in.

Next, pan fry the chicken on low flame.

Layer with pasta sauce, and shredded cheese on top. Serve with soup, mashed potatoes and garlic bread.

Chocolate Truffles

My sister, N, is a chocoholic. During exam period, she can literally inhale chocolate – she goes through packs and packs of chocolate!! It came as no surprise when she started playing around with chocolate recipes and put together this lethal recipe of truffles for us! As calorie laden as they are, their melt in your mouth texture makes it soooo hard to resist!!

Ingredients:

8 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy/half and half/whipping cream

1/8 tsp chipotle pepper or cayenne
big pinch of salt
cocoa powder to coat

- Chop up the dark chocolate so that they form small chunks. Put them all in a bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and cayenne to it.

- Warm up the cream on medium heat on the stove. Keep a close eye on it – when it starts bubbling, remove it from the stove and pour it over the chocolate. 

- Do NOT mix it at that moment. Leave the mixture for about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to mix the chocolate and the cream together. At first, it won’t look very appealing to the eye but if you keep mixing it, it’ll be a thick chocolate mixture. 

- In a plate or dish, place a layer of cling wrap upon which you’d pour the mixture to refrigerate. Make sure that the cling wrap covers seals the chocolate within itself. Refrigerate.

- When hard, which normally takes a few hours, take it out of the fridge and remove the cling wrap. Use a knife to chop up the chocolate into bite sized pieces, or whatever size you wish. 

- In a bowl, put some cocoa powder in which to roll the pieces of chocolate you just chopped off. Once covered in cocoa power, tap to remove excess.

- Refrigerate. Keep at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving for best softness

Note from N: “This is the original recipe which I started with. Once you start making it more often, you can tweak the recipe, I usually put more cream so that it just melts in your mouth. I don’t use the salt or cayenne most of the time. I recently tried mint chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate. Next time, I plan on trying to coat it with chocolate rather than cocoa powder. Basically, there’s a lot of room for experimentation, if you wish to do so”.