cooking with safiya: 2/1/10 - 3/1/10

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Banana and Butterscotch Muffins


Serving Size : Makes 12



Ingredients


3 very ripe bananas

125ml vegetable oil

2 eggs

250g flour

100g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

150g butterscotch (or chocolate) morsels

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin papers.

2.Mash the bananas and set aside for a moment.

3.Pour the oil into a jug and beat in the eggs.

4.Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl and mix in the beaten-egg-and-oil mixture, followed by the mashed bananas.

5.Fold in the butterscotch morsels, then place equal quantities in the prepared muffin tin – I use an ice cream scoop and a spatula – and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
one of my favourite muffins- recipe by nigella lawson

Friday, February 12, 2010

CHICKPEA SALAD


1 cup boiled chickpea

1 small potato boiled and cut into cubes

1 small Tomato chopped

1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves

1 chopped green chilli (optional)

2 tsp lime juie

1/4 tsp black salt

salt to taste

1 tsp chaat masala( optional)

Method 

Mix all ingredients well and chilli and serve it.

Rice pudding( Kheer)

                                                      Ingredients
3 - 4 cups of whole milk, diluted with 1 - 2 cups of water (The proportion of water will determine the thickness of the Kheer.)

1 cup rice (it is best to use an Indian variety like basmati rice)

1 cup condensed milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon of dry nut pieces. (almonds or pistachio are best)

1 teaspoon finely powdered cardamom


Method


- Boil the rice in the milk on a medium flame until the rice is cooked.

- Make sure you stir frequently; otherwise your milk may burn at the bottom of the vessel.

- Add the condensed milk, sugar, raisins, and nuts. Stir till the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens.

- Add the cardamom and serve hot.

Tips

  1. If you do not want to slave in the kitchen, use cooked rice leftover from the previous meal. Make sure that your cooked rice did not have any salt in it.

2.  If you are counting the calories, you can replace milk with a non-dairy product. Use sugar-free supplements instead of sugar and you have an instant low-cal dessert.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Chicken Spaghetti

I  found this recipe from Ree Drummond's book. that was a simple an excellent recipe to cook and eat. so far this was the best spaghetti recipe i have tasted. if you are mushroom and chicken fan then you must try this. I bet ya you'll love it.

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Method
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.


Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Baba Ghanoush!

One more from Ree drummond. I love eggplants and when i saw this recipe in her book i just couldn't stop my self from trying it. It's so easy make and serve as appetizer.

Ingredients

3 whole Medium Eggplants
4 Tablespoons Tahini
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
¼ cups Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good Quality)
⅓ cups Fresh Parsley, Minced

Method
IMPORTANT: Prick the surface of each eggplant several times with the tines of a fork.


On the grill or under the broiler (set to high) blacken/char the eggplant for 25 minutes or so. You want the skin to be completely shriveled and dark, and the eggplant almost fall-apart tender. Just when you think it’s shriveled, let it go another five minutes.

Set them aside to cool slightly.

When cool, peel off skin enough to get a spoon into each eggplant and scrape out the flesh into a bowl. Try to get as much as you can, even the stuff that’s stuck to the inside of the skin. (This process is a total mess, so don’t worry.)

Mash eggplant with a fork. A few large chunks are fine, but try to get it to a relatively smooth texture without being totally pureed.

Add in all other ingredients, stirring and tasting before adjusting seasonings or other ingredients. Don’t undersalt!

Serve with pita triangles, baguette slices, chips, crusty French bread…or with a spoon.

fruit salad

 It's delicious and easy make to prepare for your whole family or for party. It's just so light and yummy. This recipe is from Nigella  Lawson. It's way better then buying the flavored yogurt from grocery stores.

INGREDIENTS
250g strawberries, finely chopped to make a cupful
1 teaspoon pomegranate juice
100g diced mango
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
125g blueberries
150g organic vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)Serving Size : Serves 2
METHOD
1.Mix the chopped strawberries with the pomegranate juice.
2.Spritz the mango cubes with the lime juice.
3.Using two tumblers or glasses, layer the ingredients: strawberry, mango, blueberries, yogurt and, finally, the seeds.

butternut squash and sweet potato soup

I found this one in Nigella express from Nigella Lawson. This was a good recipe. I am not a big fan of cinnamon so i skipped. I would say it's worth to try if you are soup person.


INGREDIENTS
350g diced butternut squash and sweet potato from a packet
750ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
good grinding of pepper
4 teaspoons buttermilkServing Size : Serves 2, or 1 in great need of solace

METHOD
1.Put the diced butternut and sweet potato in a saucepan with the hot chicken or vegetable stock and both spices.
2.Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add some pepper to taste.
3.Pur̩e the soup in a blender Рyou will find that by removing the centre nozzle on the lid and placing a hand or tea towel over the top, you will not get a build-up of pressure or an explosion of soup on your walls.
4.Pour the blended soup into two bowls, garnishing each bowl with swirls made with 2 teaspoons of buttermilk.


warm veggie salad

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis. First time i used golden potatoes since i only have those. It turn out okay. I wanted to try again so second time i tried it with the red potatoes it just turn out pretty good. I'll definitely make it next time.

Ingredients

2 whole red peppers
1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes
3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.
Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the scallions, parsley, and garlic
and toss to combine.
In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.