Spicy Artichoke Wraps

Artichokes have a very subtle taste and flavor. It is a seasonal vegetable, except may be not in California. 

Even though subtle, it really comes through when you combine it with a mild cheese and may be some bread crumbs. I always indulge in the fresh ones when it is available. During the rest of the months, I keep a couple of canned artichoke hearts handy in the hope of transforming them into something yummy.

Here I made the artichoke hearts which is originally from USA with Indian spices and combined it with Middle-eastern tahini sauce and kaboos(Arabic bread) pairing it with Peri-peri sauce for the spread. It also adds in a Mediterranean touch with Kalamata olives and onions, making it a truly International dish. You can substitute the peri-peri sauce with any spicy sauce and kaboos with tortilla or chapathi, depending on what is available to you. 

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min


Ingredients
Artichoke hearts- Canned, in water- 1(240 g ,drained)
Cooking oil- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Red chilly powder- 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt-to taste
Tahini sauce - 2 tsp
Peri-peri sauce- 1 tsp
Red onion- half of an onion, cut into long strips
Kalamata olives- 10 nos., pitted & cut into long pieces





Chop up the well-drained artichoke hearts roughly. Heat oil in a pan and add the spices. Stir for a minute and add the chopped artichoke hearts. Add salt to taste . Mix well and cook for a few minutes on a low flame, until the water is all gone and it gets the artichoke gets a good coating of the spices all over it.

In the meantime, warm up a large kaboos. In a small bowl, mix the tahini with the peri-peri sauce well. Pour the mix on the kaboos and spread uniformly all over it. Spread a layer of the onions and olives in a single line . Add the cooked artichoke right on top. Tightly roll the kaboos into a tight log making sure everything can be tasted in every bite. Enjoy the wrap warm right away, as it gets soggy if left assembled for a long time.

Immunity Booster Series- 2 Gooseberry Chutney

Indian gooseberry or Amla is another nutrient-packed food that can be eaten fresh, as nature delivers it to you.  It is a very seasonal fruit. Traditionally, we have the practice of preserving it in brine or in the form of pickles (with both salt and oil acting as preservatives).  

It is a superfood for the whole body from hair ( I really mean it, it is SO SO good for your hair) to toe. Whenever I can find it here, I buy it and preserve it in some water  with a generous amount of salt and a few spicy green chillies slit in half. It lasts forever and it can be had even as a snack, when you want something different. In the recipe, I have used the ones in brine, but you can always substitute for the fresh ones. 

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 0 min


Ingredients

Gooseberry (or Amla) - 8 or 9, big ones pitted
Dry red chillies- 3 or 4, to your liking (I use a skewer to roast them on a flame for that smoky flavor)
Grated coconut- 1/8 cup
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Salt- to taste
Organic Virgin coconut oil- a few drops(optional)

In a mixer grinder, add the grated coconut, dry red chillies(roasted or not), salt and curry leaves. Grind until it's almost fully smooth. Add the pieces of amla and continue grinding until everything is uniformly smooth. Check salt at this stage and add more if needed. Drizzle a few drops of organic virgin coconut oil for added aroma and goodness. Enjoy right away or keep it fresh in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days.

Creme' Brulee' Sugar cookies

Holidays are always festive with a lot of eating, singing and bonding with your family and friends. I wanted to do something different this time. I usually love gifting my friends with a bunch of handmade goodies, including both food and non-food items.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15 min
Baking time: about 40 min

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES
3/4 Cup. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Cup. All-purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt


FOR THE FROSTING
1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 Cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350° and line two cookie sheets with parchment. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, then add mixture to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Dough will be thick. Using a small cookie scoop ( I used 2 teaspoons- 1 to scoop the batter and the other to slide it out), place tablespoon balls of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Press down lightly on each cookie to flatten slightly. Bake until edges are just starting to brown, 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

For the frosting: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.Put sugar into a small bowl. Spread about a tablespoon of frosting onto tops of each cookie, then press into granulated sugar, coating frosting with sugar.Just before serving, use a kitchen torch to caramelize sugar on top, then set aside to cool. Store cookies in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you do not have a flaming torch, your broiler works just fine.

Chili's Inspired Black bean burger with Ground peppercorn sauce & blue cheese

I used to love going to Chili's ever since that life-changing discovery on one of my early visits.  Their burgers are phenomenal and they can serve  a vegetarian black-bean substitute with all the other toppings, on request. I have been addicted ever since. Shockingly, they do not serve it in any of their locations worldwide outside of US.  I was so addicted to the extent that I wrote to Chili's USA and they responded saying they have logistics issue serving them worldwide as they do not want to compromise on the quality. I hence decided to make them in my kitchen whenever I was craving them. 

Difficulty level- Medium
Preparation time- 15 min
Cooking time- 30 min, for both the sauce & patty together



Ingredients

Cooked black beans- 1/2 cup(refer to my notes on how to cook dry black beans) or 1 14 oz can of black beans
Onion- 1 small
Garlic- 2 cloves crushed or 1/4 tsp minced or powdered garlic
Cajun seasoning- 2 tsp
Bread crumbs- 1/2 cup
Egg-1
Hot sauce- 1/2 to 1 tsp , as desired
Dried herbs- 1/2 tsp
Fresh ground black pepper- 1 tsp
Blue cheese crumbles- 1 tbsp
Salt-to taste
Burger buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, ketchup- to your liking

For the Ground peppercorn sauce

Butter-35 gms
All purpose flour - 35 gms
Milk- 200 ml( any fat-level will work)
Vegetable stock- 100 ml
Black peppercorns- about 4 tsp
Brandy- optional, 1 tbsp

Preparing the sauce

Crack the black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar (if you don’t have one, put them in a plastic bag, wrap in a tea towel, and hit a few times with a rolling pin) – You want to make sure that the peppercorns are cracked, but do not over-grind otherwise the sauce will lose its intense peppery flavour. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, gradually add the flour. After each addition mix well to ensure it is fully combined with the butter. Once all the flour is added you should have a thick smooth paste. Cook the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes stirring regularly – Cooking the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes before adding the other ingredients ensures that the flour is cooked. If you skip this step your finished sauce may have an odd floury taste. If you decide to add the brandy, add it at this tage and mix well to combine with the butter and flour – adding the brandy at this stage ensures that the alcohol is cooked off.Gradually add the milk , mixing well after each addition to combine with the butter and flour – I like to switch to using a whisk at this stage as it helps to break down any lumps. Once all the milk is combined, add the chicken stock and black peppercorns and season with salt. Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced to your required consistency.

Making the black bean patty

Drain beans well. Put onion and garlic in food processor and blend until fine. Add beans and blend well until mashed consistency. Place into a mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, egg, hot sauce, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and stir. Mix well and shape 4 patties (I opted to make 3 larger patties). Make a dent in the middle top portion and add some fresh ground pepper and some blue cheese crumbles. Seal the opening well. Place on a well-greased stovetop grill pan like I did or use an outdoor grill. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side. You can also broil in the oven for 10-12 minutes per side on a greased, foil-lined pan. Once thoroughly cooked, spread the remaining blue cheese crumbles on top of the patty. If using a pan, add some water all around the patty and close the lid covering the entire pan , after sprinkling the blue cheese. It creates a steaming effect, and makes the cheese melt beautifully over the patty.
Stack them along with all the accompaniments, to your liking and enjoy..

Note- Soak the dry black beans overnight or 8-9 hrs. Cook in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you are the lover of a chewy chocolate chip cookie , your journey ends here.



Difficulty level- Easy
Preparation time- 10 min
Baking time- about 15 minutes per batch

Ingredients

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour(if you do not have cake flour, please see my 'Note' at the bottom to see how to make it by yourself)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1 ¼ cups white sugar
1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (Optional)
M & M for garnish(optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, until well blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon, stir in walnuts if desired. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Garnish with M & Ms. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are light brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: Measure 1 cup of all -purpose flour. Measure out 2 tbsp of it and replace it by the same 2 tbsp of Corn flour. Your cake flour is ready.

Crab Roast

Crab meat is very hard to extract from the shell. But my son really likes it and so I decided to go through the trouble of extracting it after a long time. 

Difficulty level: Easy

Preparation time- 10 min

Cooking time- 10 min

Ingredients 

Crab - Cleaned & meat separated- 1/4 cup

Onion - cut into thin strips- 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt -to taste

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Make sure you clean the crab and separate the meat. Heat oil in a skillet, add the ginger garlic paste and saute well. Add the sliced onions, sprinkle some salt and saute until the onions turn light brown. Add the spices and curry leaves and cook for a minute until the raw taste of the spices have disappeared. Add the crab meat, add salt to taste and mix well. Cover and cook for 7 -10 minutes on a low flame. Serve warm with roti or rice. 

Immunity Booster Series-1 Moringa Stir-fry ( മുരിങ്ങ ഉപ്പേരി)

There is always a need to boost one's immunity for healthy living. Here is a series of recipes to keep your immunity up.

People have talked on and on about the benefits of Moringa. It is a miracle food. Here I have made one of the easiest stir-fry you can have using minimum ingredients.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients

Moringa leaves (washed & stemmed) - 3 cups
Oil - 1 tsp ( I use Extra virgin coconut oil, but you could use any neutral vegetable oil)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Dry red chillies - 2-3
Shredded coconut(optional) - 1 1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Once done, add broken dry red chillies and the sprig of curry leaves. Add turmeric powder and red chilly powder and saute for another minute. Add the moringa leaves, sprinkle salt on top, mix everything well to get all the spices uniformly distributed . Cover and cook on medium-low flame until the leaves shrink and gets cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes. Mix well and sprinkle the shredded coconut, if you decide to add that in. It is completely optional and even without the coconut the dish tastes great. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm with rice or roti.