PESTO PANEER

Ingredients:
200 gms cottage cheese cubes
1/2 cup pesto sauce
olive oil for shallow frying
salt and pepper to taste
one regular tomato or some cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. Marinate the cottage cheese cubes with pesto sauce and some salt and keep it in fridge at least for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook the pesto coated cottage cheese cubes for a while from all the sides. 
3. After this is done saute the tomatoes cut in desired shape in the same pan with some salt and pepper and serve. 

AALU CHAAT

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
50 gms cottage cheese cubed
10-15 cashew nuts
a handful of peas
salt to taste
sweet tamarind chuttney to taste
1/2 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp catch sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp oil +oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes in cubes.
2. Heat oil in a wok (kadahi) and fry the potatoes in batches till they are well cooked and become soft from in side.
3. Put cashew nuts in the oil and fry them as well or you can roast them in micro wave or dry roast them in a pan. Don't over cook them.
4. Now deep fry the cottage cheese cubes also.
5. In another pan take a tsp of oil and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it.
6. When they start to crackle add peas and cook them till they become soft.
7. Now add fried potatoes,cottage cheese,cashew nuts, salt, all the spices and tamarind chuttney and mix well.
8. Serve hot.This can be eaten during fast.

PESTO PASTA

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves : 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked Spiral or Penne
1 tbsp oil
salt
1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce
1 cup cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes, diced
Parmesan cheese, grated as per taste

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil. Add pasta and 1 tbsp of oil and cook, stirring occasionally, till cooked well. Remove from heat and drain.
2. In a bowl, combine cooked pasta and cherry tomatoes. Add in pesto sauce and stir well to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired.
3. Serve cold or warm.

BASIL PESTO

Ingredients:

1 cup gently packed basil leaves
10-12 almonds,blanched
1" cube grated Parmesan cheese, or any other hard cheese
1 garlic clove
 salt to taste
1-2 tbsp.  extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice  (optional)

Method:

Put all the things together in a mixer jar and coarsely blend all.

BATATA VADA

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 8-10 vadas

 

Ingredients:

4-5 medium sized Potatoes
1 chopped green chilly
1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
a few chopped coriander leaves
1/2+ 1/4 tsp catch sabzi masala
1/4 tsp degi mich powder
salt as per taste
1.5 cups gram flour
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
a pinch of soda bi-carbonate
oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Boil,cool,peel and mash the potatoes well.
2. Heat a 1tbsp of oil and add ginger garlic paste.
3. Add mashed potatoes,1/2 tsp.sabzi masala,degi mirch powder,chopped chilies ,coriander leaves and salt and mix well. Let the mixture cool.
4. Make lemon sized balls of the potato mixture. Keep aside
5. Now take the gram-flour, add turmeric powder,1/4 tsp sabzi masala,soda-bicarbonate and salt to it.
6. You can also add a pinch of red chilly powder to it.
7. Add water little by little and make a slightly thick batter of coating consistency .There shouldn't be any lumps in it.
8. Heat oil in a wok (kadahi) and dip each potato ball in the besan batter.
9. Coat the ball evenly with the gram flour batter. Pick up the batter coated ball with the help of a spoon or fork and carefully drop or place it in  hot oil.
10. Fry them on medium flame till golden brown in color from all sides.
11. Serve hot with green chutney ,tamarind chutney or ketchup.

RAINBOW MOCKTAIL / MONSOON MOCKTAIL

Ingredients:
kesar syrup or sharbat
rose syrup or sharbat
brahmi syrup or sharbat
vanila ice cream brick
sprite or 7up
crushed ice

Method:

1. Pour 1-2 tsp of syrup of different color in different glasses.
2. Add 1-2 tbsp of crushed ice in each glass.
3. Add 1 scoop of vanila ice cream in each glass.
4. Fill the glass with sprite or seven up.
5. Place a straw with umrella in each glass and serve immediately.

GAJAR MATAR

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

300 gm carrots/gajar
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 or 2 green chilies finely chopped
1/4  tsp degi mirch powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp garam masala or catch sabzi masala
salt to taste
a few chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Peel, rinse and chop the carrots in desired shape. Rinse the peas as well. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. and crackle cumin seeds.
3. Add grated ginger and chopped green chilies.Stir for a while and add the carrots and peas along with the salt and turmeric powder and saute for 3-4 minutes.
4. Cover and let the veggies cook on low flame if required add a tbsp of water. keep on checking and stirring in between.
5. Cook the veggies till they become tender. Add sabzi masala, dhania powder and degi mirch and stir well.
6. Garnish gajar matar sabzi with coriander leaves.
7. Serve gajar matar hot with chapati or parathas or as a side dish with dal.

TAKA TAK VEGETABLES

Taka tak vegetable is a tasty dish. You can try a no. of vegetables like broccoli,baby corn, mushroom,cauliflower, potato or cottage cheese etc. You can serve them in a round black server (like the one you get with microwave oven) or in a sizzler plate if serving all of them together. You can serve them individually either. I tried some of the vegetables like broccoli,mushroom,baby corn and brinjal.  All came out well except brinjal. I have shared the recipes. Hope you will like them.

taka tak baby corn

mushroom taka tak

broccoli taka tak