Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Soup

I had a couple of red and yellow bell pepper soup waiting to be used up..Decided to prepare a soup for dinner..It was too good..The nice orange colour was too appealing..I loved the creamy texture of the soup the bell peppers yielded..I had it with homemade garlic bread..Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

Red pepper - 1
Yellow pepper - 1
Onion - 1 small sized
Garlic - 1 clove chopped roughly
Olive oil - 1 spoon
Heavy cream - 3 spoons
Dried oregano - 1 /2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt and pepper

Directions

Broil the peppers and peel them..
In a pan heat the olive oil and add the garlic and onions..Saute till they turn transclucent..Add the peppers and saute for a while..Transfer all the ingredients to a blender and grind till a smooth consistency is obtained..
Bring the mixture back to the pot..
Stir in the heavy cream,salt and pepper..You can add any dried herbs..It adds more flavor..I added a little oregano..

Garnish with cream and serve hot with any bread of your choice.

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I found a lot of red and yellow bell peppers in season in my place..Sending this off to Eating with the seasons..

Chicken Chalna

This is the first non-veg recipe in my blog..I have just started venturing into non-veg cooking..I got this recipe from Kamala Akka..I recently discovered that she is a distant relation of mine..And I like her recipes a lot..Especially her nonveg ones..They make me drool..She makes perfect parottas like a pro..I made this chicken chalna and had it with parotta..They were too too good..This recipe is a keeper..Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon

To grind

Coconut - 3/4 cup

Cashews- 7 to 8

Directions

In a pressure cooker,heat some oil and add the onions..Saute till they turn translucent..Add the ginger-garlic paste and the tomatoes and cook them for few minutes..Add the chicken pieces and keep stirring until the water evaporates.

Add the turmeric powder,chilli powder,coriander powder,cumin powder and salt.Also add a cup of water and close the lid of the cooker and cook on medium flame for 10 to 12 minutes.Switch off the stove..Once all the pressure from the cooker is released, add the coconut cashew paste and keep in sim for 10 miniutes until the oil seperates to the sides..

Serve hot..

Egg Puffs

Puffs with any type of filling is my favorite snack with tea..My dad used to get them often from the bakeries..When I knew puff pastries were available here I was really excited to bake them at home..I tried the egg version from Siri..They turned out too good..I made them when we invited our friends home and these puffs were really appreciated..Here goes the recipe..

Ingredients (Makes 4 puffs)

Puff pastry
Onion -1 medium sized
Garlic - 2 cloves finely chopped

Eggs - 2
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Coriander to garnish

Directions

Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator as per the manufacturer's instructions..

Meanwhile, prepare the filling..Boil the eggs and peel them.In a saucepan,heat some oil and add cumin seeds..Once they begin to splatter, add the finely chopped onions and garlic and saute till they turn translucent..Then add salt,garam masala,turmeric powder and chilli powder..Mix in chopped coriander leaves..Set aside..

Preheat oven to 375 degrees..
Cut the puff pastry using a knife or cookie cutter into the desired shape..I cut them into a rectangle of about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.With the help of a rolling pin roll the dough a wee bit..Slice each egg into half and place one half on one end of the dough..Also place a tablespoon of the cooked onion mixture over the egg..Bring the other end of the dough to close the egg..Seal the edges with a fork or wet your fingers in water and seal the edhes..Apply some butter over the dough or an egg wash would give a golden finish..

Bake for about 30 minutes or until they begin to brown..
Serve hot..

Check out for a different shape puff from Siri's blog..

Kothu Parotta

This is a best way to use leftover parottas,chapathi or roti..My dad used to get this kothu parotta from one of the famous restaurants in Tuticorin which is famous for parottas..However I have not tried my hand in making parottas..So I made this using the frozen parottas available here..

Ingredients

Parottas -3 or 4
Chili powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Capsicum/Bell pepper (any color) - 1
Peanuts - 10
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Egg - 1 (optional)
CUmin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Tomato ketchup - 2 tablespoons

Directions

Tear the parotta pieces roughly..If you want it to be more fine just pulse once or twice in a blender..Set aside.
In a pan heat some oil and add the cumin seeds.Once they start spluttering add the chopped onions and saute for a while.Then add the tomatoes and cook..Add the bell peppers and cook till they remain crunchy..Add the egg and scramble..However eggs optional.Add the peanuts,chilli,turmeric,coriander powder and garam masala..Stir well..Finally add the parottas..Combine well by stirring..Drizzle the tomato sauce on top and mix again..
Serve hot with raita..Also tastes good by itself..

Homemade Tortilla chips

Tortilla chips are my favourite..And I love to have them with any type of spicy salsa..The best part I love in a Mexican restaurant are the warm chips served fresh with salsa..I used to get the tortilla chips from the grocery store but found that thet were deep fried.I decided to bake them at home..Here is my version..I had them with spicy tomatillo salsa and tomato salsa.

Ingredients

Tortillas - 5

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees..

Cut the tortillas into triangles or any shape desires..Line them on a baking sheet.
Add olive oil on the top of the cut tortillas..Alternatively spray them with PAM..

Sprinkle salt and pepper generously..The chips can also be topped with any type of seasoning and herbs..

Italian blend seasoning, Sea-food seasoning, chilli powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, garlic salt are some options.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until they turn crispy..

Serve with any type of salsa..

Spaghetti with eggplants

This is a classic Sicilian dish adopted from an Italian cookbook I bought recently..It uses a much loved combination of pasta and vegetables.The original recipe calls for dicing and frying the eggplants..Since eggplants absorb a great deal of oil,I opted to broil them instead of frying them.The result is a delightfully lighter dish, without an excessively oily taste..

Ingredients

Small firm eggplants / brinjals - 2
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
Garlic cloves - 2 finely chopped
Tomatoes - 2 1/2 cups chopped
Parseley/basil leaves chopped - 2 tablespoons
Parmesan cheese - 1 cup
Pasta any variety - 1 pound..I used spaghetti
Freshly ground pepper 
Salt to taste

Directions

Wash and dry the eggplants and chop off the ends.Cut the eggplants into 1/4-inch thick slices..Put the slices on a large dish and sprinkle with salt.Leave for about one hour so that salt will draw out the bitter juices from the eggplant.Pat dry with papertowels.
Preheat the boiler(can be alternatively shallow-fried in a skillet).Brush the eggplants lightly with oil.Broil until the slices are golden on both sides and set aside.

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute chopped garlic.Add tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper.Cook uncovered for about 8 to 10 minutes.Add the parseley and eggplants and cook for few more minutes.Stir in half the amount of cheese..Adjust salt and seasoning.

Cook the pasta until tender yet firm to bite for about 8 to 10 minutes or as per the manufacturer's instructions..Drain the pasta and put it in a serving dish.Stir in the cooked sauce and sprinkle with cheese..Serve hot..

I have been showered by the Giant bear hug award by Madhavi,Skribles,Ranji and Andhra Flavors..Thanks a lot friends and I would like to share this award with all my dear blogger friends who have helped me develop a passion for cooking..

Sending this to AWED: Italiano hosted by Dhivya

Banana Bread

I am so happy today that I have reaches a milestone today in less than 6 months of blogging..Yes! this is my 100th post..THought of celebrating it with this sweet banana bread..This blog is something close to my heart..Entering into the kitchen after marriage knowing nothing about cooking,this blogosphere has made me what I am now..It has helped me develop a passion for cooking..I thank my fellow bloggers for all support and encouragement thry have given me..

Now going to the banana bread..I adopted this recipe from dear Raaga's blog..I like making banana breads as they are fool proof and does not need any kneading,raising stuff..I had some overripe bananas waiting to be used up..Here goes my recipe with a little variation from Raaga's.I reduced the amount of sugar and added some dried cranberries.I also replaced one egg with some milk and oil.I got a fluffy,soft and moist bread..

Ingredients

Bananas -3 or 4
All Purpose flour/maida - 1 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Egg - 1
Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Dried cranberries - 3 teaspoons
Milk - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees..

Sieve the flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt together..
In another vessel, whisk together the egg,brown sugar,milk and oil..Add the liquid ingredients to the dry flour mixture and stir well until all the ingredients combine together..Stir in the dried cranberries..

 

Pour the dough into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until browned..

Allow it to cool before slicing.

And I have decided to take up the NaBloPoMo challenge this month...So you will be seeing my recipes everyday this month..So look forward to my recipes..

Voting for Open Sesame 2 is going on..If you like my apple pie you can vote for me here..

Sending this to AWED American hosted by Dhivya