Fellini Eggs (aka Garlic Bread Eggs)

Source:  Serious Eats

Finding this recipe made me so happy!  Just when I thought I had exhausted all brunch recipes with eggs, I found this.  I felt a little guilty making this because we haven't been eating too healthy lately.  But it's cold and rainy in LA.. we needed some comfort food!

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons grated parmesan
• 1 small baguette/ sandwich roll (cut in half)
• 4-5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
• 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• Cayenne Pepper/ Red Chili Powder to taste

Directions

1. Stir together butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese
2. Spread the butter mixture on the baguette slices and broil until crispy
3. Let the baguette cool and then cube into chunks
4. Sautee onions, spainch, and tomatoes with salt, pepper, and catenne/ red chili powder
5. Whisk together eggs and heavy cream. Pour on top of onions and spinach and scramble together
6. Spray/ lightly butter a baking pan and toss together eggs mixture with cubes garlic bread pieces
7. Place dollops of ricotta cheese over the top and broil until cheese melts
8. Sprinkle more crushed pepper/ crushed red pepper before serving

Kuty's Twist

I added onions, spinach, and red chili powder to "vegify" and spice it up.

You could probably make the same dish with cubed potatoes instead of bread.  I think the garlic bread makes this dish very unique!

Masala Corn Sev Puri

Source:  Kuty's Kreations

New year, new recipe, new camera, new resolution to post more recipes!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

The following was a late night creation due to laziness to go the grocery store/ determination to start using my overstocked pantry! 

Masala Corn Sev Puri

 Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 can corn kernels (I used baby corn because that's all I had in my pantry)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp chat masala
• 2-3 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
• salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste
• 25- 30 papdis (small, deep-fried wheat-based crackers)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)
• coriander chutney
• tamarind chutney
• 1/4 cup sev

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat 1 tsp butter in pan and saute onions
3. Add corn, chili powder, chat masala, salt, pepper and stir for 2-3 mins
4. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and coriander leaves
5. Place papdis on baking sheet and sprinkle cheese over them.  Bake in oven until cheese melts.
6. Layer papdis with corn masala, coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, and finally sev
7. Top with additional chat masala or red chili powder if needed

Kuty's Twist
This is a great recipe to make with whatever you have in your fridge and pantry.  If you don't have papdis, you can even try this with nacho chips, tortillas, or make a sandwich out of it!  The corn masala tastes great by itself too.

Persian Flat Bread Pizza

Source: Kuty's Kreations!

This was inspired by both a Sunday night pizza craving and a fantastic pizza crust find.  I was doing my weekly grocery run at my favorite Persian market and my eyes popped out when I saw a shelf full of large long pieces of Persian bread!  Why hadn't I thought of this before?  It is the PERFECT crust to use to make an insanely large amount of flat bread pizza.  So much so that I was able to make 4 different types of pizza.

 

Ingredients

• Pizza toppings of your choice. (I grilled red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, red onions, and jalapenos.  I also used peas and corn.)
• Tomato Sauce (I used 1 can of tomato sauce and simmered it with some red chili powder.)
• Cheese (I used asiago, mozzarella, pepper jack, and cheddar)
• 1 Large Persian Bread
• Pesto (I had some leftover spinach and arugula pesto I had made last week)

Assembly

1. Pesto, zucchini, peas, corn, mozzarella and asiago cheese.  This was inspired by a pizza I've had at Bella Vista.  I know it sounds wacky, but it is such a great combo of ingredients.
2. Tomato sauce, grilled jalapenos and red peppers, pepper jack and mozzarella cheese.
3. Tomato sauce, grilled eggplant and red onions, mozzarella cheese.
4. Tomato sauce, grilled onions, mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

 Bake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place the pizzas directly on the rack (this will make your thin crust pizza crispy).  Be careful not to put too much cheese on the sides of the pizzas.  The cheese on my pizzas melted over and dripped into my oven causing a mess =\.
• Wait until the cheese starts to bubble and brown a little bit

Kuty's Twist

This can obviously become any type of pizza you want.  Have fun, be creative, and let me know what you end up making!  :-)

Spinach & Artichoke Omelet Muffins

Source: Foodalogue

It's time to post some weekend brunch ideas!

I seriously think I'm starting to dig myself into a dangerous hole. Recently I just don't have a taste for leftovers and have no desire whatsoever to cook something I've already tried to cook. I've basically become ADD (hyperactive) when it comes to cooking!

When it comes to breakfast vegetarian egg recipes (I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian), it gets pretty tough to think of creative recipes week after week. I do love making eggs for weekend brunches, but there are only so many versions of scrambled eggs and omelets one can make. But thankfully I came across Foodalogue's brilliant creation, which is part of her 5 small meals with BIG FLAVORS series. And wow.. did this have some big flavors!


Servings: 7-8 Muffins

Ingredients

Omelet Muffins

• 5 eggs
• 1 small jar of marinated Artichokes
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1.5 cups chopped spinach
• 1/2 cupPepper Jack Cheese
• 3 green chilies
• 1/4 cup corriander
• 3 Tablespoos milk
• 1-2 Tablespoons flour

Sauce

• 8-10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 Tomatillo
• 1-2 Tablespoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup coriander
• 1 Tablespoon pine nuts

Directions

Omelet Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Blend together the green chilies, coriander, milk, and 1/4 cup of spinach
3. Whisk together the eggs, green chilies/ coriander mixture, flour, and salt and pepper
4. Spray the muffin pan with non-stick spray
5. Fill up each muffin cup 1/2 way with the egg mixture
6. Place 1 Tablespoon of onions, 1 Tablespoon of spinach, 2-3 small pieces of artichokes, and desired amount of cheese (~1 Tablespoon) in each muffin cup
7. Fill up each muffin cup with more of the mixture so they are 3/4 filled
8. Bake for about 20 mins, until cooked and fluffy

Sauce

1. Blend together tomatoes, chipotle peppers, tomatillo, garlic, coriander, olive oil, and pine nuts. (Note: The chiptole peppers can be quite spicy. Make the sauce iteratively, adding tomatoes and peppers according to your spice tolerance.)
2. Add salt and pepper as you desire

Kuty's Twist
As always, I added an Indian twist by adding green chilies and coriander. You can really vary this with any veggies.

I also couldn't find piquillo peppers, so I used chipotle peppers. I love the smoky taste of chipotle peppers! The original recipe also called for walnuts. I didn't have any, so I used pine nuts. This sauce really made the WOW factor of this dish. It is jam packed with flavor. I will definitely make this again just to use as a regular salsa to serve with chips and Mexican food. My friend even ate it with samosas the other day! :-)

The potatoes you see in the image are just sliced potatoes fried in oil, red chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Paneer Rajma Parathas

Source: One Hot Stove, Talimpu, and Tarla Dalal

Ok.. I know what you're thinking. This sounds like a wacky recipe! Even my husband said that he would prefer to have Paneer Parathas AND a Rajma Subji (gravy dish).

I've recently become stuck with a huge bag of atta/ wheat flour (they only had a large size left at the grocery store). So that with the combination of a new rolling pin, has motivated me to start making rotis and parathas. I was in no mood to stand in the kitchen for 3 hours (I'm a slow cook) and make a subji along with them. Thus came about a nice hearty all-in-one meal -> Rajma Paneer Parathas!


Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rajma/ kidney beans (I used canned because I was lazy)
• 1/2 block of paneer (~ 1 cup)
• 7-8 green chilies
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp corriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 bunch of corriander (chopped)
• 2 cups atta (wheat flour)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Place the drained kidney beans, paneer, garlic, and green chilies in a food processor and pulse together.

2. Lightly fry the onions. Then add turmeric, red chili powder, corriander powder, cumin powder, and fennel seeds. Add the mixture from above. Then add the tomato paste and combine. Add salt to taste.

Note: I wasn't sure how the parathas would taste if I didn't cook the ingredients first. Most recipes don't require you to cook the above ingredients so you might be fine.


3. Taste the above cooked mixture and add additional spices accordingly. It should be at a spice level beyond what you are comfortable with because the atta will tone it down.

4. Allow the cooked mixture to cool. I placed it in the frig for 15 minutes to speed up the process.

5. Knead the above mixture and chopped corriander with 2 cups atta. Add 1/4 cup of milk and any additional water (a few tablespoons) needed in order to make a soft dough. Let it sit covered for 30-40 minutes.

6. Make parathas -> Make the dough balls larger than you do for roti; approximately the size of a lemon. Roll out the dough (it shouldn't be too thin), cook for 30 secs- 1 minute on a hot griddle on either side with ghee/ butter. Lightly fluff over an open flame for a few seconds.

7. Taste the first paratha and add more salt accordingly.

8. Serve with homemade yogurt and pickle!

Kuty's Twist

Food Processing:

I made the mistake of blending the kidney beans and paneer together a bit too much. This resulted in not really tasting the kidney beans and paneer in bigger chunks and as individual ingredients of the recipe. If you have the time, I would advise you to just mash the kidney beans separately and grate the paneer. You should still grind the green chilies and garlic.

Letting the atta/ dough sit:
Someone once told me to wrap the dough in a plastic bag or plastic wrap in order to get softer rotis which remain soft even after you put them in the frig. I've been doing that for a while and it seems to be working. Give it a try!

Creating the atta/ dough for parathas:
Many people make the dough for parathas separately, roll out the dough in to a thick circle, place a ball of the filling in the center, and then gather the edges of the dough above the mixture. They then lightly roll out the parathas. I have tried this in the past and it ended up being a huge messy disaster. I'm sure there is a correct way to do this AND the parathas will probably taste MUCH better. Why? Because they will probably taste more layered/ stuffed (i.e. layer of dough, filling, followed by a layer of dough). The parathas I made were definitely not "stuffed" parathas in the true sense, but it did take less time! :-)

Hopefully I'll attempt a "stuffed" paratha again in the near future...

Baked Macaroni and Cheese w/ Jalapenos

Source: Over The Hill And Roll

It's only fitting that my first post is the cheesiest dish I've ever made! This one's for mom, who loves cheese as much as I do.


Ingredients:

• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup planko bread crumbs
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon red chili pepper pepper
• 4 cups grated sharp white cheddar
• 2 cups grated gruyere cheese (I only used 8oz)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 2 Jalapenos
  

Directions
Start boiling your water to cook the macaroni.

Warm milk and 6 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, whisk in flour and continue until mixture bubbles and thickens, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove cheese mixture from heat and stir in salt, black pepper, red chili powder, 3 cups cheddar and all of the gruyere. Stir and allow to cool slightly. Taste a little and add more black pepper if necessary. (I like a lot of black pepper in mine.)

Cook macaroni for 2 to 3 minutes in boiling water (the macaroni will continue cooking in the oven). Drain and run under cold water. Add macaroni to cheese mixture and combine. Pour mixture into buttered/ sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Kuty's Twist
Slice up 2-3 jalapenos and pan fry them til they are crispy. Set aside.

Take 1 cup planko bread crumbs and lightly cover them with oil or melted butter.

After the macaroni has baked for 20 minutes, mix in the jalapenos and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake together for another 10 minutes. If the breadcrumbs don't start to brown, set your oven to the broiler setting.

Serving suggestion for a dinner party: Bake the mac and cheese in individual ramekins.