Saturday, January 31, 2015

Quick Tortilla Pizza




 
Looks like I’ve been posting all quick and easy recipes lately. This is one of many. Let me tell you again, this is what I would like to make for a quick after school or Friday night movie snack. It’s just so quick and we all have the ingredients in our pantry and fridge. I happened to have Mexican flavoured sauce with sweet peppers and corn and tomatoes in my fridge. But for the faster version, bottled salsa works great.
 
This is how I made it.
 
Quick Tortilla Pizza
 
Ingredients
1 large-10” tortilla
3 tbsp bottled or homemade salsa
2 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream, avocadoes slices, cilantro for garnish-all optional
 
How to:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Brush one side of the tortilla with little oil.
Place the oil side down on baking tray.
Spread with salsa and cheese.
Bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisped up.
Top with your favourite toppings.
Enjoy!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan



 
This is not your regular eggplant parmesan! First of all, it is an appetizer. Second, it’s just baked egg plant. No layer of bread crumbs, no complicated layering, no gimmicks.
 
Here’s how I made it.
 
Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
1 small Italian egg plant,sliced into two and then cubed into bite sized pieces
1 cup Marinara sauce, bottled or home made
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
 
How to:
Roast the egg plant cubes with salt, pepper and oil in a hot oven until they are just tender.
Spoon Marinara sauce over the cubes, sprinkle with cheeses and again stick them in the hot oven till cheeses are melted a bit.
Serve with your choice of crackers(I used parmesan chips that I made earlier) and sauce(again, I served with roasted red pepper coulis).
Enjoy!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Roasted Edamame with Mushrooms




 
Edamame are just fresh soybeans. They either come in the pods or beans only. mostly frozen if just the beans. They are chockfull of nutrients. I love to snack on them or use them to make chillies and soups. This is yet another quick and tasty side dish that can be used as a salad as well. You can have it as it is or place them with roasted potatoes or your choice of greens.
 
And there is no recipes. Frozen beans, sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper and some oil. Place them in a foil pack for the easy clean up. Either roast it in a hot oven at 425° F for about 20 minutes or if you have an outdoor grill, use it.
Enjoy!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Pierogi Casserole






We love pierogies.  They are such easy to prepare, so versatile and provide a very hearty, one dish meal. This casserole was exactly that. I prefer this kind of meal for Sunday dinners. Nothing elaborate as I would like to rest as much as I can on Sunday evenings to recharge myself for the busy week ahead of me.  This was more of a semi homemade casserole and very much loved by my family. They also requested to make it often so I believe I hit the bull’s eye!

 Here’s how I made it.


Pierogi Casserole

Ingredients

17-20 pierogies(any kind, I used bacon, cheddar and potato pierogies)

1 small can condensed mushroom soup

¾ cup milk

1 onion

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp. oil

½ cup each shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses


How to:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat oil in a sauce pot.

Sauté onion, garlic and seasoning until fragrant, for about 3 minutes on medium high.

Add soup and milk and simmer till sauce is smooth.

Arrange  pierogies  in a single layer in 9x13 buttered glass dish.

Pour sauce over it.

Top with cheeses.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake further for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Cool down for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!