Miso soup with Udon Noddles.

In Okemos, around this time of the year, by night, you begin to feel the nippy cool breeze, declaring the onset of fall. It’s one of the most pleasant time of the year where the blazing sun is calmer and nite is cool and not stinging. And around this time of the year I start to crave for something warm and a bowl of soup completes it. So Here is tried and test default  Miso soup with Udon noodles.

For this, You need to pay a visit to your local Oriental store in your neighborhood.  
 Ask and don’t look for  Shiro Miso if you have no clue what it is..(psst .. soybean paste)  …or you might choose to be my disciple  and do exactly what I did which is , look for it in every aisle approx 12 min and then ask owner, who then takes you straight to freezer section.  Ask for white shiro miso with Dashi added. I bought mine from Lotte market. Vegan avoid dashi and ask for without .. Dashi is Japanese chicken bouillon.

I basically added vegetables I love in soups..so I finely chopped carrots, mushrooms,  scallions, baby bok Choy, bean sprouts and snow peas.Cut them real fine so they cook faster.
  Recipe, requires seaweed but oh!  well ,I forgot to buy them!

Other Ingredients are:

• 5 cups Vegetable or chicken  broth.( low sodium).
  1 cup water.
  1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules( optional).
  2 heaps tbsp of miso paste( mix in water to remove lumps).
  1 tablespoon dried seaweed, soaked in water.
  1  cup cubed tofu( semi firm).
  ½  tsp cayenne pepper ( optional).
  Udon noodles from frozen section (  Udon is made from wheat).
  and vegetables given above  or add your favorite vegetables.

Boil water for Udon .Cook Udon based on how much you want.

In boiling broth, add thinly sliced vegetables and tofu, and seaweeds, simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Once tender add diluted Miso paste, stir and switch off your stove.You are done. Do not boil once you add Miso paste. Serve Steamy hot  and enjoy!

No oil, no butter, no sugar Banana Bread

I must share this new amazing recipe with you all.. have you heard of banana bread with no oil, butter, sugar and eggs?..well I read and tried for the first time, improvised and it has been  a Huge success. Here is the recipe :

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups mashed banana (preferably overripe)
• 1 overripe pear
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt (or regular should do)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• ginger powder 
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecan, walnuts, cranberries or mix your own favorites.
• 2 tsp Stevia ( sugar substitute)

 

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degree F. Mash  banana and pear. I pureed them in mixture before adding to the dough. In a big bowl add the flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger,  Stevia and mix well. Now add the chopped dry fruits and stir together. Add the pureed banana and pear . Mix yogurt. do not over mix. You can add more yogurt to soften dough. I like to see it as semi hard, I should be able to stir batter smoothly with out applying much pressure to mix dough. Fold this into a greased loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 mins till it’s well risen, crusty and golden on the outside. A toothpick inserted right in the center has to come out clean and that’s when the loaf is cooked.

Let the bread cool down completely. It’ll be sticky and hard to cut into when it’s still hot.

Home made pasta Sauce

So I am finally back and in the mood to write...yes I have been cooking.. that did not stop, but posting, well, that's another story. I apologize for this long of a break.

Here is my creation of simple pasta/spaghetti sauce. Do you some times wonder ( or I am the only odd one around ) on negative effects of BPA( is used to line food cans, and in the case of tomatoes, which are extremely acidic, this BPA can break down and leak into the food.)  on the reproductive system, the immune system, and the nervous system. It’s been linked to metabolic disorder, heart disease, miscarriages, diabetes, and neurological brain cancer and many others. 

At times during bout of fear, streaming through brain cells, I decide to prepare my own spaghetti sauce with tint of difference.
 Here is the basic sauce...

Ingredients :

• 1 large onion, 
• 4 to 5 cloves or garlic chopped
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• I cup salsa
• 4 medium fresh tomato ( grind them to liquid)
• Fresh basil ( grind them along with tomato)
• Italian spices or Fresh parsley 1/4 tsp oregano, black  pepper
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds ..yes its used a lot in Italian cooking
• Salt to taste 
• psst my Indian touch ...1/4 tsp of degi Mirch ( red pepper flakes optional)...1/4 tsp clove powder 
• 1/4 of a cup bread crumbs.
• ground chicken ( Optional)
• Add vegetables of your choice..my favorites are mushrooms, zucchini and spinach.
• (Optional) : I also love to Puree One Frozen and thawed packet of Spinach and add to the above mixture and call it a Green sauce. ;-)

 In a large skillet over medium heat; Add  olive oil, garlic,  salt, and pepper. Add chopped onions and fry until translucent. Add chicken and the rest of the spices. Fry until chicken is brown and crumbled. Slowly stir bread crumbs in the chicken and cook until it begins to thicken, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in salsa and pureed tomato sauce. Simmer for another 25 minutes. Serve hot...Enjoy!

Vegans: Avoid chicken and replace with vegetables. My favorite is Boca burgers chopped and add to the translucent Onions. Brown them well and follow the procedure above. Also, can you keep Boca burgers as a secret :-)

Zucchini Bread

A Paula deans recipe, tried over and over again and I could not go wrong with it. I just added more of cinnamon and nutmeg powder to suit my taste. You can add egg substitute or other replacement like :1 Egg = 2 tbsp flour 1/2 tbsp butter 1/2 tsp. baking powder  and  2 tsp water.

 Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Potato Kurma curry

Finally it is here and what potato again!!.. why say No to potatoes.. Potatoes don't like to be ignored. When you forget about them in the cupboard, they try and reach out to you. They grow stalks from their tubers that say, "Don't forget about me or  my stalks would grow so ugly that you cant eat me no more. well.. I can give you 10 reasons to love them but for now this is good enough and a very strong reason for me to get cooking just with potatoes. lets just go back to the recipe... This is more of a south recipe which goes well with simple pulav or chapati. For variation, Some add yogurt, whole spices like bay leaves, cloves cinnamon stick and or even paste of fried curry leaves to this recipe last but not the least 2 to 3 leaves of mint leaves. This one is my personal favorite. And yes of course the original recipe is made with Ghee. I decided to give 1 tsp of ghee tadka/poppu  with curry leaves and mustard seeds.

Ingredients

• Potatoes 3 large, or 6 to 7 small size potato, washed, par boiled (partially cooked), peeled and cubed
• Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 (quartered) or 1/4 cup of tomato sauce /puree
• Fresh curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala powder -1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
• Make a paste by adding little water:
• Coconut - 1/4 cup grated (grated and fresh)
• Poppy seeds - 11/2  tbsp  (khus-khus)
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 10
• Green chilies -4

Method

1. Heat oil in a vessel, add the chopped onions and curry leaves and saute for 4 minutes or till the onions turn transparent.
2. Add ginger garlic paste. Add the chilli , turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Combine well.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes and partially boiled and cubed potatoes and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or may be more. Reduce heat, add the ground paste and combine.
4. Add one and a half cups of water, adjust salt and cook covered on medium flame for 7-8 minutes.
5. Remove lid and simmer till you get the desired gravy consistency or until oil oozes out. 
6. Give tadka with curry leaves and mustard seeds.
7. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis, coconut rice or any flavored rice.

Mexican Rice and Refried Beans

Mexican Fried Rice

Texas is HOT..Reminds me of Delhi summer minus sweating..umm I take that back. So what about Texas..apart from population of Texas which  is 26 million, (not including the 14 million cattle)  includes Mexicans in hurdles, and so is Mexican restaurants. I could not do justice to various kinds of Meats served in Restaurants but stuck well to rice and beans with contented smile. Here is the recipe of what I relished most.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces tomatoes, very ripe and cored
• 1 medium white onions
• 3 medium jalapenos
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken/veg broth or 2 chicken bullion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste ( may omit if using canned tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 limes

Prep Ahead:

1. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve 2 cups. Set aside. If not enough add the differences by using any left over salsa or tomato sauce.
2. Remove  seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince and set aside.
3. Wash rice in warm water until water runs clear- This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not be sticky.

Directions

5. Heat oil in heavy pan. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
6. Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
7. Cover pan and cook  rice until tender, 25 minutes.Stir well after 15 minutes.
8. Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.
9. If you can't get good fresh tomatoes you are better off using canned tomatoes. You'll love this rice! Money back guarantee.

Refried Beans

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 jalapenos, chopped fine
• 2 medium onions, chopped medium
• 4 garlic cloves, minced ( not traditional) (optional)
• 4 (14 ounce) cans black beans ( or red kidney or pink kidney-black has the most flavor) I used Pink kidney beans.
• 1 (12 ounce) cans beer, Substitute with water

Directions

1. In a large pan saute the onions and garlic to just translucent.
2. Add the jalapenos and continue to saute until JUST beginning to brown.
3. Add the beans, 2 cans rinsed and drained.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, adding beer as needed. Dont let beans dry out. Simmer for an hour. Mash it with potato masher.
5. If there's any remaining beer left drink it. ;-)
6. Don't add salt until dish is done and taste first.
7. Serve with  cubed Guacamole and sour cream.