Cheese & Vegetables Quesadillas

My interest in cooking is making me try different recipes everyday. My husband has to bear the brunt always but he enjoys it the most.. (I think so).  I just yearn for the compliments that he gives me after every dish.  He is my best Critic.

So one evening wanted to experiment some thing with Tortilla wrap that I purchased from a local Grocery store.
After thinking a lot I came up with this superb recipe of Quesadillas which is a Mexican dish made with cheese and vegetables. You can even add Ur favourite Chicken into it.
Instead of using the ready made wrap you can make the same at home also.

Cheese& Vegetables Quesadillas 

Ingredients:
2 Tortillas
Olive Oil to Roast the Quesadillas

For the Filling:
1medium-sized Onion
1medium-sized Tomato
1medium sized Capsicum
1cup mix of Red nd Yellow Bell Pepper
1medium-sized Carrot
1tbsp Garlic paste
1Green Chilly
Salt to taste
1tbsp Oregano to taste
2tbsp Chilly Flakes to taste or as you like it
1tsp Basil
1tbsp Olive Oil
Mozzarella (depends on how sinful you want to get with this)

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan, add in garlic paste and green chilly.
• Then add in the chopped onion.
• Let it cook for 5 minutes then add in the chopped tomatoes.
• Add in salt to quicken the cooking process of the tomatoes.
• After the tomatoes are well cooked add in the chopped carrot.
• Add in capsicum and bell peppers.
• Add in all the seasonings.
• Cook all this for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
• Do not overcook the vegetables.
• Remove from stove.

To make the Quesadillas:

• Take a tawa.
• Put one tortillas over it.
• When it is cooked from below spread the filling evenly over it.
• Now grade a considerable amount of mozzarella cheese over it.
• Place another tortilla over it.
• Reverse it on the other side.
• Put some oil so that it changes color
• Do all this on medium flame
• Remove from stove.
• Cut the Quesadillas into 4 with the help of a Pizza cutter.
• Serve hot with ketchup.

Potato Salad with tangy mint & coriander dressing (dhaniya wale aaloo)

Whenever I go on a wedding or on a party  the first thing I hog on are the different varieties of salads. The whole salad corner entices me with the blend of colors, freshness. So today I am posting the most simple and favourite recipe of Potato Salad.

Potato Salad with Tangy Mint & Coriander Dressing...!!

Ingredients:
4 Boiled Potatoes
1cup Fresh Mint leaves
1/2cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
2 Green chilies
1tsp Ginger paste
1tsp Garlic paste
1tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1tsp Chaat masala powder
1tsp Olive Oil
1tsp Cumin seeds

Procedure:

• Blend together mint leaves + coriander leaves + green chilies+ ginger paste + garlic + salt + lime juice.
• Make it into a fine paste.
• Now heat oil in pan, add in cumin seeds.
• Ad in cubed potatoes.
• Mix well.
• After 5 minutes, add in coriander and mint paste into it.
• Mix well.
• Remove from the stove.
• Serve hot or cold.

Chickpea Salad

Monday evening, and I was still unaware as to what to make for my husband for quick and easy starter along with the drinks. I fiddled in my refrigerator to find out that magical ingredient tat will solve my purpose. and here i came across the most versatile and healthy bean :"chickpea" or most commonly known as safed chole in the Indian Household. Rich in protein and tastes wonderful.
I decided on to make a salad out of it, which is both healthy and tasty and will surely be a perfect starter too...
The recipe made up of fresh ingredients and requires no cooking at all.

Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup Boiled Chickpea
1/2cup Bell Pepper (Red and Yellow) (Diced)
1 large Tomato (Diced)
1 large Onion (Diced)
1/2 cup Green capsicum (Diced)

For mint and olive oil dressing:
1/2 cup Fresh Mint Leaves (Finely chopped)
1tbsp Olive Oil
1tpsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Chaat masala (optional)

Procedure:

• In a bowl, add in mint leaves + olive oil + lime juice + salt + pepper + chaat masala.
• Mix all this well.
• Now take another boil add in boiled chickpeas + tomato + bell pepper + capsicum + onion
• Mix all this well
• Salad is ready to serve. 

Tips:

Mint should be very finely chopped.

You can even serve it warm. but tastes great when served cold.

Chocolate Truffle Cake with Dark Rum and Strawberries!!!

Chocolate and Strawberries and whipped cream sounds and tastes sinful. Well I made a cake with all this combination on Valentines Eve. Perfect occasion and perfect Cake makes everything just right. I surprised my husband by making  a photo cake by adding one of our pictures to the cake. Nowadays photo cakes are in vogue so i tried to make it but in a totally different manner.
Though Valentine's Day was 2 months back i am posting this recipe a little too late as the photograph of the cake was lost due to some error. now gt them back so I am posting it finally.

Chocolate Truffle Cake with Dark Rum and Strawberries

Ingredients:
1 chocolate sponge cake
100gms Dark Chocolate
100gms Milk Chocolate
1cup Cream
100gms whipped cream
5-6 Fresh Strawberries
Sugar Syrup
20ml Dark Rum (optional)

Procedure:

• You can refer to the chocolate sponge recipe in my previous post. 
• You can make the sponge on the same day or 1 day before.

To make the sugar-syrup

• Mix together 10ml water + 10ml Dark Rum along with 2tbsp sugar.
• Stir well so that the sugar dissolves well.
• Keep it aside.

Marinate strawberries in sugar syrup and rum mixture for 1 hour before decorating the cake with it.

To make the Chocolate Truffle:

• Chop both the milk and dark chocolates. Keep it in a bowl.
• Now in a pan, heat the cream until it starts boiling.

• Do not overcook
• Switch off the gas, pour the boiled cream in the bowl of chopped chocolates.

• Fold it with spatula.
• Truffle is ready for the icing.

To whip the cream:

• Make sure the cream is really cold.
• Whip the cream with a beater till it forms stiff peak.

Assembling of the cake:

• Divide the cake horizontally into 2 parts keeping the lower part thicker than the top one.
• Keep the lower part of the cake on a cake board or on a tray place over a turn-table.

• Now sprinkle some liqueur (sugar+ rum) mixture over it. 
• Now spread the truffle sauce evenly.
• Now place the other part of the cake over it.
• Sprinkle some liqueur (sugar+ rum) mixture over it. 
• Pour in the truffle sauce spreading evenly.
• Decorate it with strawberries.
• Take a icicng syringe of ur choice. decorate it with whipped cream.

Rum Truffle Balls

An exotic flavour of rum and chocolate makes you crave for this truffle balls. if u r making for kids then you can exclude the rum from it.

Rum Truffle Balls

Ingredients:
30gms Butter
200gms Dark Chocolate
1/2 Cup Fresh Cream
2tbsp Rum
1 cup Cake Crumbs
50gms Chocolate Sprinklers

Procedure:

• Heat butter and cream together. (You can use double boiler or microwave it for a minute)
• Finely chop the dark chocolate.
• Pour the cream and butter mixture on top of the chopped chocolate.
• Mix well
• Now add in cake crumbs and rum.
• Mix it well.
• Refrigerate the mixture for 5-6 hours or if u r in a hurry you can keep it in the freezer for 1 hour till it becomes stiff.
• Now make it in the shape of a ball.
• Roll it over the chocolate sprinklers.
• Serve.

Basil Pesto Paneer Sandwich

I had this awesome sandwich, on the Indigo flight to Pune. Indigo has in my point of view the best assortment of foods and beverages. Basil Pesto Paneer sandwich was one among them.
Fresh basil pesto mixed with fresh homemade cottage paneer makes it a sandwich to die for. Its served cold along with ketchup or some may dressing.

Basil Pesto Paneer Sandwich

Ingredients:
3/4cup Basil Pesto
100gms Cottage Paneer
50gms Mozzarella cheese
1tbsp Chilly flakes
1tbsp Oregano
8-10 Sandwich bread slices


Procedure:

• Cut the Paneer in small cubes. 
• Take a bowl add in Basil Pesto + Mozzarella cheese + chilly flakes + Oregano + paneer cubes.
• Take bread slices apply 1tbsp full of basil pesto and paneer batter on one slices.
• Place a bread slice on top of it.
• Do the same with remaining bread slices.
• Serve with ketchup or cheese dip.

Basil pesto

Pesto is a green sauce originating in the Northern Italy. Made from Basil it gives a great flavour and a great smell too. The Pesto can be used as a dressing for salads, pasta, Sandwiches.
The pesto tastes great when made from fresh basil leaves. Its little difficult to get hold on fresh leaves, but few supermarkets do stock them.  Originally Pesto is made from Basil, but there are other variations also. You can use spinach also if Basil is not available.

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:
3cups Basil
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Oil
3/4cup Parmesan Cheese
2 cloves of Garlic
1tbsp Black Pepper
1/2cup Pine Nuts
Salt to taste













Procedure:

• Take a processor, grind Pine nuts + Garlic.
• Now add in fresh bail leaves + Parmesan cheese + olive oil + black pepper + salt.
• Grind it well.
• If its too thick add in little water.
• It is ready
• You can store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• If pine nuts are not available u can use walnuts.