Punjabi Kadhi with Spinach Kofta

Ingredients

For Spinach Kofta

1. Spinach - A couple of bunches, say about 1 lbs
2. Gram Flour - 1/2 cup
3. Breadcrumbs - 3 tbsp
4. Salt - To Taste
5. Serrano chilli - 2 Nos.
6. Oil - 2 tsp

For Punjabhi Kadhi

1. Gram flour - 1 cup
2. Chopped Onions - 1/2 cup
   
3. Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Yogurt/Buttermilk - 1/4 gallon
5. Salt - To Taste
6. Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
7. Asafoetida - A small pinch
8. Dry Red Chillis - 2 nos.
   
9. Oil - 2tbsp

Before Baking...



After Baking...



In the Punjabi Kadhi...



Procedure

For Baked Spinach Kofta

1. Parboil the spinach and have the Green Chillis finely chopped
   
2. Put the parboiled spinach and green chillis and grind it really well
   
3. Mix the ground mixture with gram flour, salt, oil, breadcrumbs with little bit of water
   
4. Keep mixing the above things until you feel you can make nice balls of kofta
5. Rub oil in your hand and make small kofta balls as shown above and place it evenly on a baking sheet
   
6. Bake it at 300F for about 15-20 mins

For Punjabhi Kadhi

1. Add turmeric powder, gram flour, salt and red chilli powder to the Yogurt/buttermilk and beat it really well so that there are no lumps
   
2. Take a cooking bowl and sauté the onions until it turns golden brown
3. Now, add the mixed yogurt/buttermilk to the onions and keep the stove in low-medium flame for about 10 minutes
4. Let the Kadhi thicken a bit and then do a Tadka with dry red chillis and asafoetida and pour it on the boiling Kadhi
5. By this time, the baked kofta should be ready and simmer those kofta balls in the kadhi for about 30 minutes before serving
6. Makes an excellent side dish for Roti's or Jeera Rice

Oh btw, the guilt feeling is a little less even after eating a lot of kofta's this way as its not deep fried. Obviously, the baked kofta's aren't as nice as the deep fried ones, but is definitely a healthy substitute and really, its not as bad as you think it might be. So, give it a shot.

Sweet Corn Tamale

Sincere Advice: Don't even torment yourself by trying this at home. It's so ridiculously laborious that it's not worth the time, when you're done making it. And, if you have eaten a Tamale Cake here, you will feel dumb to have tried this at home. That's your "Duh!" moment.

If you still don't want to listen to my wisdom, be my guest and try it out based on the recipe here

Baked Veggie Cutlet

Ingredients

1. Potatoes - 4 nos.
2. Carrot - 4 nos.
3. Beans - 1/4 lbs
4. Beets - 1 nos.
5. Green Peas - 1/2 cup
6. Salt - To Taste
7. Tandoori Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Oil - 1 tbsp (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
10. Wheat Bread - 4 slices

Before Baking...



After Baking...



Procedure

1. Boil all the vegetables with little bit of salt and peel off the skin
2. Now, mash all of the boiled vegetables with some salt, Tandoori & Chilli Powder
3. Grind the wheat bread into a fine powder in a mixie and keep it aside
4. Make patties of the mashed vegetables, and coat it with powdered wheat bread (you can just put the patty on the bread powder and it will stick onto the patty automatically)
5. Grease a baking dish or cookie sheet with some oil and keep these patties on them
6. Shove it in the oven (400F) for about 20-30 mins and you have a healthy, yet, yummy snack.

Tom Yum Gai

I love this Thai soup, a very good supplement if you're on a diet. If you have a cold/cough, and if you're a vegetarian, trust me, this will definitely soothe you.

Ingredients

1. Red Onion - 1
2. Green Peppers - 1
3. Garlic - 4/5
4. Ginger - 1 tbsp
5. Serrano Chilli - 2
6. Potato - 1
7. Carrot - 1
8. Cauliflower - 1/2 (small sized one)
9. Broccoli - 1/2 (small sized one)
10. Peas - 1/2 cup
11. Kernel Corn - 1/2 cup
12. Firm Tofu - 1 cup
13. Green Onions - 4/5
14. Fresh Basil - 4/5 leaves
15. Lemon Grass - 1 stem
16. Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
17. Veg. Broth - 3 (16 oz.) cans
18. Salt - To Taste
19. Oil - 1 tbsp (Olive/Vegetable/Canola)
20. Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp
    
21. Chilli Sauce - 2 tbsp
22. Sweet & Sour Sauce - 2 tbsp
    

Procedure

1. Cut ingredients #1 thru' #9 in whatever shape and size you prefer. (But, don't chop it very finely as you'll not be able to appreciate the taste of each of those)
2. Take a pot, and sauté Onion, Green Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Serrano Chilli for a couple of minutes in medium flame
3. Add the potato, carrot, peas, corn, 3 cans of Veg. Broth to the sauteed items in the pot
4. Add the sauces (Soy, Chilli, Sweet & Sour), Tofu, Fresh Basil, Lemon Grass to the broth
5. If you like to eat basil, you can finely chop it, otherwise put the full leaves as-is so that you just get the flavor of it
6. Let it boil for 15-20 minutes so that you let the carrots and potatoes cook enough
7. Now, add Broccoli, Cauliflower, finely chopped coriander leaves and green onions to the pot and turn off the flame. Close the pot with a lid for 5 minutes. This will make the brocolli and cauliflower to a steamed consistency and that's exactly how it should be. You don't want these to get too much boiled and disintegrate in your soup
8. Done

Tips

• Try to use Less Sodium Soy sauce. More the sodium, more the unhealthy your soup is!
• If you want this carb-free, ditch potatoes
  

Pineapple Thai Fried Rice

Ingredients

1. Basmati/Brown Rice (Uncooked) - 2 cups
2. Tofu - about 15-20 cubes
3. Potatoes - 2 nos.
4. Green Pepper - 1 no.
5. Carrot - 1 no.
6. Beans - 1/4 lbs
7. Baby Corn - 1/4 lbs
8. Green Peas - 1/2 cup
9. Pineapple - 1 small can (if you don't get fresh pineapple)
10. Basil Leaves - 6
11. Onion - 1 no.
12. Thai Green Chilli - 4 nos. (add more if you can handle the spice)
13. Garlic - 6 cloves
14. Soy Sauce - 4 tbsp (use Low Sodium)
15. Sweet & Sour sauce - 2 tbsp
16. Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
17. Salt - To Taste
18. Oil - 4 tbsp (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Procedure

1. Cook the rice in a cooker and refrigerate it for a couple of hours so that its not like sticky rice. Also, boil/steam all of the julienne cut vegetables to your preferred consistency.
2. Sauté the tofu in Oil for sometime so that it doesn't separate when you mix it with the rice
3. Add julienne cut onions, garlic, thai green chillis to the above tofu after your tofu turns golden brown
4. When this is all properly Sautéd, add the boiled/steamed vegetables and chopped pineapples along with the cooked & cooled rice
5. Now, add the Soy, Sweet & Sour & Chilli Sauces to the mixture. You can add more Soy sauce to enhance taste and try to use Low Sodium version of the Soy Sauce. There is absolutely no difference in taste and your fried rice will be less salty (unlike the ones you might have eaten in your Chinese take-out) & more healthier!
6. Now, add finely chopped fresh basil leaves and mix it together with the rice
7. You can be a little generous with the oil if you think the noodles is a little too dry, after all, you won't be making this every single day and you can walk an extra mile to burn off this fat (or) wash it down with hot green tea.
8. That's it! Enjoy your Pineapple Thai Fried Rice!

Pad Kee Mao

Ingredients

1. Flat Rice Noodles
2. Tofu - about 15-20 cubes
3. Potatoes - 2 nos.
4. Green Pepper - 1 no.
5. Carrot - 1 no.
6. Beans - 1/4 lbs
7. Baby Corn - 1/4 lbs
8. Green Peas - 1/2 cup
9. Basil Leaves - 6
10. Onion - 1 no.
11. Thai Green Chilli - 4 nos. (add more if you can handle the spice)
12. Garlic - 6 cloves
13. Soy Sauce - 4 tbsp (use Low Sodium)
14. Sweet & Sour sauce - 2 tbsp
15. Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
16. Salt - To Taste
17. Oil - 4 tbsp (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Procedure

1. Boil the flat rice noodles with salt and little bit of oil so that it doesn't stick together. Also, boil/steam all of the julienne cut vegetables to your preferred consistency.
2. Sauté the tofu in Oil for sometime so that it doesn't separate when you mix it with the noodles
3. Add julienne cut onions, garlic, thai green chillis to the above tofu after your tofu turns golden brown
4. When this is all properly Sautéd, add the boiled/steamed vegetables along with the boiled flat rice noodles
5. Now, add the Soy, Sweet & Sour & Chilli Sauces to the mixture. You can add more Soy sauce to enhance taste and try to use Low Sodium version of the Soy Sauce. There is absolutely no difference in taste and your Pad Kee Mao will be less salty (unlike the ones you might have eaten in your Chinese take-out) & more healthier!
6. Now, add finely chopped fresh basil leaves and mix it together with the flat rice noodles
7. You can be a little generous with the oil if you think the noodles is a little too dry, after all, you won't be making this every single day and you can walk an extra mile to burn off this fat (or) wash it down with hot green tea.
8. That's it! Enjoy your Pad Kee Mao!

PS: I love to add steamed Broccoli on my Pad Kee Mao, but since the Missus hates the smell of Broccoli, I resigned myself from using it. If you like it, go for it, it'll be heavenly.

Baked Spaghetti in a Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

1. Spaghetti - 1/2 lbs
2. Mixed Bell Peppers - 2 nos.
3. Red Onion - 1 No.
4. Big Roma Tomatoes - 6
5. Basil Leaves - 6
6. Green Chilli - 4 nos. (add more if you can handle the spice)
7. Garlic - 6 cloves
8. Salt - To Taste
9. Cheese - 2 tbsp
10. Oil - 2 tbsp (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Before Baking...

After Baking...


Procedure

1. Boil the Spaghetti with some salt and oil so that it doesn't stick together. Drain the water and keep the cooked spaghetti aside
2. Now, boil the tomatoes and peal the skin. Ground them in a mixer/blender with Garlic, Basil Leaves & Green Chilli
3. Sauté the onions & bell peppers. When the onions turn golden brown, add the ground mixture and spaghetti
4. Mix it thoroughly and transfer the contents to a baking dish. Sprinkle some Cheese on the top and shove it in the oven for 30 mins (350F)
5. Enjoy it with some grated cheese and crushed red peppers.