Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Cheesy Ziti with Summer Squash and Peppers







Last night, I made Ziti with peppers and yellow squash (from my garden). It was a big hit .

Ingredients

Ziti                       - 1 box
Red Pepper          - 1 diced
Green Pepper       - 1 diced
Yellow Squash     - 1 diced
Red Onion           - 1 diced
Lemon                  - Juice of ½ a lemon and whole zest (must)
Red Chili Flakes  - 1 tbs
Garlic                    - 3 cloves- finely diced
Herbs (Fresh Basil, Oregano and Thyme)

To Make Sauce

Butter     -  1 tbs
Flour      -  2 tbs
Milk       -  2 cups
Colby and  Monterey Jack Cheese  - 6 to 8 oz
Red Pepper Flakes  - 1 tsp
Basil

Method:

To make Béchamel Sauce with cheese

                                 Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the flour and give a nice stir. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the flour mixture turns golden. Slowly add in the milk (preferably boiled), Make sure you stir it continuously till it turns to a smooth paste without any lumps, Add more milk or the reserved pasta liquid if needed. Once the sauce has thickened add a cup of shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Add basil chiffonade, Red Pepper flakes and remove from heat.

                                          ~Béchamel Sauce with Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
     Pasta
   
                 Cook pasta according to the directions in the package. Reserve ½ cup of pasta liquid. Take olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté it well. Once it is softened, add onions and all the diced vegetables. Add salt, red chili flakes and fresh herbs. Once the vegetables become soft (not mushy), stir in pasta and cook for a minute. Add lemon juice and zest over pasta. Pour the Béchamel Sauce over the pasta and give a nice stir so that the pasta is coated well with the cheesy sauce. Garnish with

basil chiffonade. Serve hot.









                                                                ~Yummy Ziti 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Hidden Golden Beauty - Yellow Squash








                                             ~Yellow squash from my garden

Steamed Kale


Kale is a  cruciferous vegetable packed with nutrients that helps to lower the cholesterol and cut down the risk of cancer. It has higher content of Vitamin A, C and K along with other nutrients. I read that Kale, when  steamed yield very good benefits rather than eating raw.





Ingredients
 Kale                    -   1 bunch
 Coconut pieces    - few
 Lemon Juice        - 1tsp
 Salt

Seasoning
 Olive Oil            - 1 tsp
 Mustard Seeds  -1/2 tsp
 Urad Dal           - ½ tsp
 Cumin Seeds     -1/2 tsp
 Red Chili           -1
 Coconut pieces  - few





Method:
  

            Wash the kale in cold water. Chop the kale including its stem. Steam it in a steamer or Idli cooker. Just to give a little Indian touch, give tadka with the ingredients under seasoning, add steamed kale, sprinkle some salt, add lemon juice and coconut pieces and serve. 

We just had it like a mid-morning snack .


Vegetable Basket


~Healthy greens from the farmer's market


                                   
                                                ~Broccoli Rabe, Kale , Mustard Greens, Endives and Tomatoes


What is in your vegetable Basket?

Friday, July 12, 2013

Seasoning Cast Iron Pans

~Coated with Coconut Oil

                                                     ~ Ready to get into the Oven

~Inside the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours 


                                                      ~ Non Stick Cast Iron Skillets

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sukku Malli Kaapi (Dry Ginger-Corriander Seeds Coffee)


Ginger Coriander Cofee
~Sukku Malli Coffee 


                                                       ~crushed sukku and corriander seeds





Jaggery
                                         ~Sukku malli sweetened with karupatti (Palm Jaggery)



                                                          ~ with little milk


Cashew Pakoda



~ perfect rainy day snack