Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Gravy

Last night for dinner we had chapathis and I was lazy to cut veggies or rather spend a lot of time in the kitchen because of the cold that I have.When I saw the mushroom and spinach I wanted to make something easy and tasty. In less than 15minutes time I had this gravy done and it was an instant success. Vivek loved it.

Ingredients:

Button mushrooms - stem removed and cut lenghtwise 1 cup
Thinly sliced onions - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves chopped
Spinach - 2 cups
Red pepper flakes - 1.5 tsp (or as needed)
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Heavy cream - 1.5 cup
White vinegar - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
EVOO
Garam masala - 1 pinch

Method:-

1. Heat a pan and pour in a tbsp of EVOO and when hot add the garlic and onions and let it cook completely
2. Add the mushrooms followed by red pepper flakes, paprika and vinegar
3. Let it cook 3/4 and add the cream and salt and let it simmer for a few minutes
4. Now add the spinach and once the spinach is completely cooked add the pinch of garam masala and switch off the stove and let it rest for a couple of minutes before you serve it.

It does taste good with rice also. Tried tasting it and it was good.You guys should try it.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an Italian dish which is normally consumed as an appetizer, I turned it into dinner.I have made it a couple of times as a starter but i was feeling a bit lazy to cook dinner last night.
I like spicy food so i made a few changes of my own. If you like you can also add chopped olives in it.






Ingredients:

Loaf of french bread
Grape tomatoes 1 small box
Jalapenos - 2 nos chopped
Red cooking wine - few drops
Worcestershire sauce - few drops
Garlic - 3 cloves finely chopped
Parsley - 2 tbsp chopped
Shallot - 1 finely chopped
Spinach
EVOO
Salt to taste
Pepper
Mozzarella cheese

Method:-
1. Heat a non-stick pan pour in a tbsp of olive oil
2. Once hot add the chopped garlic






3. Add the chopped shallot








4. Add the jalapenos or if you like you can add red pepper flakes








5.When completely cooked add the wine and sauce and let it simmer for a couple of minutes






6.Put the cut grape tomatoes and stir well







7. Add salt and pepper







8. Add chopped spinach (optional) and let it cook for a couple of minutes








9. Mix in the parsley just before preparing the bruschetta







10 Set the oven in broiler mode and set temperature at 400 degrees
11. Cut the bread side ways and and drizzle the bread with EVOO and place it in the preheated oven for a couple of mintues




12.Take the bread out and spread the tomato spread and








13. A few spinach leaves








14.A little mozzerella cheese on top and then place it again in the oven until the cheese melts.







Serve hot.


Please note :The image that I took has whole spinach leaves on top and it got stuck to the cheese and it was a bit difficult to eat it without making too much mess. So the second batch i made with chopped spinach which I mixed in the tomato mix along with the parsley and then placed it in the oven.
So when you try it make sure you chop the spinach.

Rice Kheer with Almonds

Thought of starting this years recipes with a sweet dish. On New Years day my close friend had made rice kheer with almonds and saffron and it was divine. I have eaten rice kheer before but never with almonds... My son who hardly likes anything with rice had a big cup of it as dinner. It was rich in flavor but not heavy. Today I thought that I should try to re-invent in my own way. The only thing missing in my pantry is saffron and still could not resist the temptation to try it.
And so here it goes.




Ingredients:-
Raw rice - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - a few strands
Sweetened condensed milk - 1 small tin
Almonds - 1 cup
Milk - around half a litre


Method:-

1. Soak the almonds for a few hours and then peel the skin and run it in the mixie for a few seconds till it gets coarsely ground without water.

2. Cook the rice as usual with the required amount of water. Do not over cook it.

3. In a non-stick vessel heat the milk and add the ground almonds and keep stirring so that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom.

4. Add cardamom powder, saffron and the cooked rice and stir it for a few minutes before adding the sugar.

5. Stir it until it melts.

6. Add the condensed milk and stir it continuously. Check if it is sweet enough. If you like it to be very sweet you can add more sugar.

7. After 5 mnutes pour everything into the rice cooker and let it cook until it thickens. If you do not have a rice cooker you can pour it in a vessel and place it inside a pressure cooker and stir it every 5 minutes until it thickens.


8. Once done switch it off and let it set for a few minutes before you remove it to the serving dish.






You can serve it warm or cold. Do try it out and let me know.
This is my son tasting it and he said,"amma good job".

Happy New Year!!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and year filled with happiness and joy.We were blessed with a baby girl on Aug 26th 2009, things have been both busy and crazy for some time now. We have named her Diya and she has become the center of our life along with our son who is so loving and caring of his baby sister.... Am so proud of him!!
I am trying to get back to blogging again this year and am having my fingers crossed to make sure it works out. Diya expects me to stay in sight and she doesn't sleep much during the day. I hope to start trying new recipes and also send you guys some of mine.
Happy blogging everyone and am so glad to be back...
This is their most recent pic...