Chipotle Style Vegetarian Bowl (with sofritas)

When Chipotle, the restaurant, added the sofrita style tofu option I wasn't too sure I would like it. My husband always wants to try these kinds of additions so he got a veggie bowl with the sofritas, and when I tried it ... I loved it!  So here's my attempt to making the dish at home, hope you can try it and let me know what you think.


Serves 4-6

Mexican Spice Mix

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons ground ancho or chipotle chile powder (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Sofritas:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ medium onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon diced mild Hatch chiles
• 1 tablespoon Mexican Spice Mix
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (16-ounce package) organic extra-firm tofu (Chipotle uses this one from the Bay Area), drained, dried well and crumbled
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• Fresh lime wedges, for serving

1. Prepare the Mexican Spice Mix: Combine all the spices in an airtight container and blend well. I like to make a large batch and store in Mason jars to give as gifts.
2. Prepare the Sofritas: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and warm the oil. Sauté the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle peppers, chiles, and Mexican Spice Mix, and continue cooking and stirring until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomato paste; cook another minute. Add the crumbled tofu and broth and cook until the liquid has reduced and the flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. 
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. 
5. I made my bowl with: Sofritas, black beans, fajitas, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro lime rice, corn salsa, cheese, lettuce and fresh lime wedges.

Peanut Chaat

We had planned a Diwali gathering this year and the theme was to bring something that is popular from your home region. While talking to my friend in regards to the potluck she gave me this idea to make a peanut mix which she says that her mom serves to her dad and his mates over a glass of beer. I am from Ahmadabad, Gujarat and roasted salted peanuts are sold in a newspaper cone at every street corner. So I thought of making this mix but of course I had to give my spin to the mix and added a few more ingredients to the original recipe - I made into Gourmet Peanut Chaat or that's the name I gave to the dish! It was the highlight of my Diwali gathering and I hope you try it.

Ingredients:

• 1 24 oz. can of cocktail Peanuts ( I used Planters brand)

• 1 Red onion, finely chopped

• 3 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped (take the seeds out)

• 2 Persian cucumber, finely chopped

• 1 Small yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1 Small orange bell pepper, finely chopped

• 2-3 Serrano chillies, finely chopped (Use according to your taste)

• 1 Bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

• 1-2 tsp of Chaat masala or to taste

• Fresh Lemon juice to taste

• Salt to taste

• Red chilli powder to taste

Method:

1. Mix everything listed above in a big bowl.  For best results, mix the wet ingredients just before serving.

* To make it fun I made colorful paper cones to serve the chaat in.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Sometimes the simplest dishes make an outstanding centerpiece on your dinner table.  Every Thanksgiving I make this Pot Pie, it is becoming a tradition in our house. So, what are Pot pies? Usually Pot pies are flaky pastry crusts enclosing a savory filling.  This recipe is such a no fuss dish, easy, and pretty quick to make.  I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine and changed some ingredients and proportions to suited to my family's taste. To make my job easy, I used frozen puff pastry sheets to make that crust.
Try it out, I am sure you will like it.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
• 1/2 cup each, of white beans and kidney beans, cooked  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 spring onions, whites and greens chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 red & green peppers, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms chopped
• 1 large carrot (or 2 medium), diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
• About 8 Oz. small shell pasta
• 1/2 tbsp of each dried basil, dried parsley, cayanne pepper
• 1 tbsp of curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of saffron
• Palm full of fennel seeds
• Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 sheet puff pastry sheet, thawed at room temperature
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Heat butter/oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onion, spring onion until browned. Add garlic.
3. Add celery, peppers, mushrooms and carrot and saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the broth, corn, green beans white beans, kidney beans, dried herbs, bay leaf along with all the other spices. Let it come to a slight boil, then add the pasta.
5. Cook until pasta is a little tender. Remove the bay leaf.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch & flour along with 1/2 cup cold water.
7. Stir this into the vegetables along with the cheese. Add more salt/pepper if required.
8. Remove from heat and add the peas along with chopped cilantro. Give it a mix until well combined.
9. Roll the puff pastry sheet using a rolling pin to cut 4 or 6 squares.
10. Take small ramekin dishes and fill them 3/4 full with the vegetable mixture.
11. Place the cut puff pastry square and drape it over the filling, tucking in the sides. Pierce the tops in several places with a knife to allow steam to escape.
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is flaky and brown.

Ginger Capcicum Rice

We ate this dish recently at an indo-chinese restaurant and both me & my husband loved it. I decided to give it a try with the flavors that I remembered while I indulged it. The result was excellent and I decided to blog it so you all can try and enjoy it too.


Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked long grain rice
• 1 Onions (cut into thin long strips)
• 2 Capsicum/Bell-pepper (cut into thin long strips)
• Ginger – 3" long piece; finely chopped/minced
• Garlic minced/crushed (according to taste)
• Green Chillies ( according to taste)
• 3-4 tbsp Spring Onions (roughly chopped)
• 2-3 tbsp Soy-sauce
• 2-3 tbsp Chilli-sauce (or as much to suit your taste)
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Ghee – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Once the rice is cooked, gently spread on a wide plate and let it cool, Don’t stir too much, else you’ll end up with mashed rice.
2. Now, heat ghee in a wok. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute on a medium flame till the onions are cooked tender. 
3. Add the spring onions and saute another 2 minutes till they wilt. 
4. Next, throw in the chopped capsicum/bell-pepper and continue to saute till the capsicum is a little tender.
5. Simmer the flame and add the soy-sauce and chilli sauce, maple syrup. Stir well. 
6. Add the cooled rice to the wok, stir well to incorporate and cook on a high flame for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously. 
7. Remove from flame and serve hot. 

Quinoa Chilli

When I got this recipe from my friend, I tried it the next day. It is a one pot meal which is super easy to make and delicious too! I call it a vegetarian meal which is protein-packed and a perfect bowl of comfort food that you can eat guilt-free!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked quinoa (I cooked mine with Vegetable broth)
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 -2 diced green serrano chilies
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels 
• 1 1/2 cups of Vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Jack Cheese (optional)

 

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven, or large pot, over medium high heat. A
2. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in the quinoa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, cayenne pepper, coriander and 1-2 cups Vegetable broth - enough to make sure to cover most of the ingredients; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until thickened - about 30 minutes.
5. Stir in beans & corn & lime juice until heated through - about 2 minutes.
6. Serve immediately with sour cream, avocado, cheese & garnish it cilantro.

Baby Corn Manchurian

I am a huge fan of Manchurian. I happen to love Corn as well, so when I saw this dish at a party I was attending, I felt I should try making it at home. It is a great appetizer dish. It has all the addictive flavor combinations that Indo-Chinese cuisine promises; sweet, sour, hot and a hearty bite that's chewy and tender yet firm & crispy. You can work around the flavors to suit your needs, it is easily customizable.

Ingredients:

• 11-12 baby corn
• 1 1/2 tbsp maida/all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp rice flour (optional)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
• 1 tsp of paprika
• few tbsp water
• salt to taste

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped,
• 1 capsicum, finely sliced
• 1/2 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp finely minced ginger
• 1-2 finely chopped green chillis
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (preferably Kashmiri)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar (optional)
• salt as required
• 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

1.  Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel.
2.  In a bowl, combine maida, cornflour, rice flour, salt,ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, paprika and water to make a thick paste. 
3. Dip the washed and drained baby corn into the batter so that its well coated. 
4. Place each piece that is well coated with the batter into the hot oil. 
5. Reduce flame and deep fry till the baby corn is almost cooked. 
6. Increase the flame towards the end of the cooking process and fry the baby corn till the batter turns golden brown. Remove onto absorbent paper and keep aside.
7. For the sauce; heat the sesame oil in a large wok and once the oil is piping hot, add the chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. 
8. Add the green chillies and ginger and stir fry on high for a few seconds then add all the sauces along with the whites of the spring onions and cook it on a high flame till the sauce thickens a little for 3-4 minutes.
9. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the baby corn & give it a good mix so that all the sauce is covered on the baby corn.
10. Serve Hot!

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

I love soups in winter! This is my favorite one. It is creamy and full of flavors and texture.  Make it and serve it with sour dough bread on a cold or rainy day and the comfort will find it's way to you.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. 
2. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. 
3. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. 
4. Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. 
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
6. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. 
7. Discard the bay leaves. 
8. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flakes of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender).
9. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick.
10. You can ladle into hollowed bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

Garlic Butter Noodles

If you love garlic and butter, then this garlic noodle dish is for YOU! It is so simple to make and yet holds great flavors.
 

Ingredients:

• 7 oz spaghetti noodles
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup fresh mint or basil, chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce 
• 1 packet of maggie seasoning
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp jalapeno jam

 

 

Directions:

1. In Large pot, bring water to boil and cook noodles according to the package instructions. Drain noodles and wipe pot clean. 
2. Return pot (or separate pan) to medium-high heat and add the butter. 
3. Once butter sizzles, add garlic. Fry for about 1 minutes or until fragrant. Don't let the garlic burn.
4. Add brown sugar, Soy Sauce, chilli sauce, maggie seasoning & jalapeno jam and stir well. Add noodles and toss evenly with the sauce.
5. Remove from pan and plate the garlic noodles in a  large bowl and toss with fresh mint, basil or herb of your choice.

Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies

I got a jar with the dry mixture of this cookies, along with the instructions, as a favor at one of my friend's baby shower. I thought it was such a thoughtful favor and it made amazing cookies! It has the flavor of Indian masala tea. I actually shared the cookies with a few of my neighbors and since, they have always asked me to make more. My son also loves these cookies and calls them ginger cookies for some reason.

 
This recipe makes 8 to 10 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 bag chai tea leaves, (if the leaves are large in size, crush them to make them finer)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, but still cool (or margarine, for vegan/dairy free version)
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined. 
3. Remove one teaspoon of the mixture and, in a small separate bowl, stir it into the 2 tablespoons of sugar; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl combine the remaining chai spice mix (and chai tea, if using) with the flour and salt; set aside.
5. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until light and fluffy. 
6. Add the flour mixture and beat until the dough resembles wet sand, don’t over beat. 
7. Using your hands, press the dough together to form a ball then press into a shortbread pan, or shape into several 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. After making the balls, press them down to flatten them slightly after placing them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. 
8. Press the chai sugar mixture onto the top of the dough (I usually reserve half of it to sprinkle on the cookies once I take them from the pan, but you can use as much or as little as you like). 
9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top feels firm and the edges are golden.

Noodles Frankie

A new twist to the traditional frankie. My kids love it. They both love noodles and then if I wrap them into a frankie it makes it even more fun for the kids.

 Ingredients:

For The Stuffing

• Very thin noodles
• 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Dikon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced (make very thin strings)
• 1 small bunch of spring onions, diced
• 1/2 cup capsicum, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1/2 tsp Chilli Sauce
• salt to taste

For Frankie Wrap

• Cooked or uncooked thin flour tortillas

Method: 

1. Boil around 4 cups of water and cook noodles as per instructions given on the packet. Once noodles are done, drain the hot water and immediately add cold water.
2. Heat oil into a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste, and green chilies. Saute for 30 seconds. Then add capsicum, carrot, dikon, onion and cabbage. Also add the soy sauce, chili sauce, honey and salt to taste. Mix well. Stop cooking the mixture because we need the vegetables to remain crispy. 
3. Add the noodles and toss well. Transfer the mixture into another bowl. Do not keep the mixture in the hot pan, because noodles amy become sticky.
4. Roast a tortilla on both sides over a heated tava.
5. Spread a good portion of the stuffing at the center of the tortilla. Wrap the stuffing by pulling in the two sides. Press with a spatula. 
6. Serve hot with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, hot sauce and Sweet & sour sauce.

Tip:
To make the above recipe Kids friendly, do not add chili sauce and green chili, instead, use tomato ketchup.

Dates and Nuts Rolls

Growing up, we ate always had these during the winter months - Recently, I had them at a friends house, who was pregnant, and this brought back some nostalgic memories, so I decided to make them for my kids and sure enough, they loved them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 container (about 1LBs) Dates (I used medjool dates from Costco)
• 1 cup (or to taste) Crushed combination of Pistachio, Pecans, Cashews and Almonds
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Unsweetened crushed dried coconut

Method:

1. Chop the dates into small pieces.
2. Melt the butter in a big pan and saute the chopped dates until they start coming together like dough.
3. Add the crushed nuts and mix combination well.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, let the dough stand alone for a few minutes until it cools down enough to work with (don't let it cool down completely).
5. Make long “logs” of the dough and roll the logs into the dry coconut to get a thin coating.
6. Wrap the logs in clear wraps and place them in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
7. Take the logs out and cut them into bite size pieces.
8. Leave them outside to get to room temperature and enjoy.

This is a very good snack for the kids during winter or all year around. Healthy and nutritious.

Mushroom Rice

Yet another recipe from my friend whom I call The Rice Queen! It's hearty & delicious. The coconut milk adds richness to the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 Box button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Cardamom pod
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 White onion, diced
• 1-2 tbsp of ginger garlic and chilli paste
• 1 Tomato, diced
• Mint 3-4 sprigs
• Cilantro to garnish
• Salt per taste
• 3/4 tbsp white pepper powder
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 10 roasted Cashews

 

Method:

1. Saute the rice in 1-2 tbsp of ghee till its pale-golden brown and keep it aside.
2. Add 1 tbsp of ghee & 1 tbsp oil into a deep wok, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, & star anise, saute it till fragrant.
3. Add the the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli paste and cook untill the onions are golden brown; basically caramelize the onions.
4. Then add the tomato & mint and cook until the tomatoes loosen up .
5. Add mushrooms and salt.  When the mushrooms start sweating, add the pepper powder. Mix everything and continue until everything is well incorporated.
6. Now add the coconut milk and water and bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Add the sauted rice and cook everything for 15 minutes on medium heat or till water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
8. Garnish with cilantro and roasted cashew.

Coconut Curry Tofu

The original recipe was shared by one of my friends who is a foodie just like me. I have modified it to our taste & the results were finger licking good!  I had to blog this quick-to-prepare dish of high-protein tofu and fresh vegetables which makes a great meal on a busy evening/afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain rice (cooked)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups red onion (vertically sliced)
• 1 cup yellow, green & red bell pepper (cut in strips) 
• 1 carrot sliced in long strips
• 1- 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder 
• 1 tsp paprika 
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp brown sugar 
• 1-2 tsp chilli ginger paste  
• 2-3 diced tomatoes 
• 1 block extra firm tofu (drained and cut into thin triangles) 
• 1 can of light coconut milk plus 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (minced)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to high heat. 
2. Add onion and bell peppers, tomatoes & carrots, sauté for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
3. Add the chilli ginger paste and give it a good mix. Stir in all the spices along with salt & cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the drained tofu pieces and saute for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk along with water and bring everything to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until thoroughly heated. 
6. Serve the tofu mixture over rice, and garnish with cilantro.