easy & healthy palak paneer

you know through the years, i've met so many people who always ask me about indian food. they might not have known a whole lot about the diversity of foods indians prepare but they all seemed to know what palak paneer is. what is it about this creamed spinach that makes everyone turn to mush? i don't know anyone who doesn't love this. it's truly food for the soul.

I am also posting this for my brother who called me one day out of the blue to ask me how to make my palak paneer. i think the fact that i made it for him once under 20 minutes might have had something to do with it.

because i don't normally measure, it's really taking a toll on me to write up recipes constantly using measures, but since he's relatively new at making this, i'm gonna go ahead and give him the recipe rather than my 'dump this then this' version.

you'll find that my recipe is easy, healthy, fast and pretty damn tasty. you won't miss any of the butter, cream or ghee that is used in the restaurant version. oh and hey, the best thing is you have everything at home for this. i promise you. well, you might have to make a run for the paneer.

Easy & healthy palak paneer
serves: 3-4
prep time: 20 min

vip's:

• 1 bag of baby spinach
• paneer, about 16-20 pieces
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 tomatoes cut into large chunks
• green jalapenos or chillies chopped, to taste, i used 3 jalapenos because we like spicy
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• red chilli powder, to taste
• 1/2 tspn turmeric
• 1 tspn garam masala
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbspn oil

the play:

• heat a pan and add water, spinach, tomatoes and jalapenos
• once it comes to a boil, simmer for 10 min while you work on the next steps
• in another pan, heat oil and add cloves, cinnamon stick, onions and garlic saute for 5 min
• add the chilli powder, turmeric, salt and garam masala
• puree the spinach mixture using a handblender and add it to the other pan with the onions
• cover and let simmer for 5 minutes

Notes: if you want it slightly creamy and you're not vegan, go ahead and add a few tablespoons of lowfat yogurt. if you're not watching caloric intake then go for it and add 1/3 cup of cream in the last step.

Listening to: another suggestion from my friend A... 'Eggplant' by Michael Franks from the album, Art of Tea (1976). thanks A! loved this and why wouldn't i? the album title and song title are sooooo groovy!

corn salad or makke ki bhel

i was reading something somewhere the other day about corn. sorry i can't seem to remember where i read this, but it said that fresh corn has hardly any starch. the starch is created once the corn is cooked. this was music to my ears my friends. all this time, i thought i was in love with the enemy. a practically nutrient deprived vegetable. but oooh, i love me some corn. and i especially love summer corn. i love grilled corn, i love roasted corn, i loved boiled corn. shoot, i even love corn nuts. oh yeah, and i love any items made with corn.

did you know in baroda (in the state of gujarat in india) there is an entire restaurant dedicated to this golden haired sunshine of a vegetable? they make everything out of corn. corn bread, corn roti (tortilla), corn rotlo (flatbread), corn fritters. you get the picture. i didn't get a chance to go this time, but there were some idiots around me who kept talking about it the whole time. people suck. big time.

it's not quite season yet, but my mom couldn't help picking up these 2 lovelies at SunHarvest. here, she's made a popular street food in mumbai called corn bhel. it is basically a salad with some crunchy savories added - sort of like the crunchy noodles you get at a salad bar. but the indian ones come in different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. they are called sev and they are made out of chickpea flour which is sometimes labeled 'gram flour' on the packaging. don't bother making these at home, they have to be deep fried and require a special tool. besides, for the small quantity you need for this recipe, it's just better to buy them ready made at any indian grocers.

Corn Salad or Makke ki Bhel

serves 2

prep time: 10-15 min

into each bowl add:

• shuck an ear of corn and season with salt
• add a tablespoon of chopped red onions (we used Texas 1015's)
• add 1/2 diced jalapeno or to your tolerable heat level
• add 1/2 tomato
• add 2 tablespoons of sev
• add cilantro
• squeeze some lime over the top and serve immediately

Notes: not using sev won't comprimise the taste of this dish, however the crunchy texture that it provides will be missing. another alternative would be to cut up a corn tortilla into strips and fry until crispy or bake in an oven and crush over the top.

Listening to: the handsome, the suave, late Gregory Hines track - 'Creole Boy' from the cast recording of Jelly's Last Jam (1994).

spicy pepper pasta

I was reading Cynthia's brilliant post on different types of chili peppers a few days back and I thought to myself what a completely underrated vegetable it is. No one gives props to peppers. It's such an everyday ingredient, that you don't even realize what life would be like without it. So, taking cue from Cynthia I've devised this new version of my quick pasta using jalapenos instead of crushed red pepper flakes that I normally use.

Try this for a dark wintry weeknight supper that you can get on the table in 20 minutes.


Spicy pepper pasta

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min

The VIPs:

• 2-3 tbspn olive oil
• 4 cloves chopped garlic or a tspn of garlic paste
• chopped red onion
• 2 large jalapenos
• 2 cups veggies of your choice - red bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, etc
• large can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
• salt and italian seasoning
• handful of chopped cilantro (or parsley)
• 16 oz. box of pasta

The play:

1. boil water for pasta & cook per directions until al dente
2. heat up oil and add onions, garlic and peppers and saute till softened, about 5 min
3. add veggies and saute for 7 minutes
4. add crushed tomatoes, salt and italian seasoning
5. cover and let cook until pasta is finished
6. drain pasta and combine with sauce and chopped cilantro

*** Notes: Use frozen veggies if you are low on time. You can also use bottled pasta sauce, just saute the chili pepper in a bit of oil and then add the sauce. Using cilantro may seem weird but do try it if you like a little bit of an "indian" twist. I used organic whole wheat spaghetti, but feel free to use what you have in the pantry.

Panzanella nicoise

Ever wonder what to make when you're stuck with an extra loaf of Italian or french bread? I always buy more than I need when I have people over, so I try to use it up in a day or two with this salad. Panzanella is originally an Italian peasant dish. The peasants would take their bread and dip it in the jus from the leftover meat they were given once the rich families were finished eating. Thus, allowing to further extend the meat. Then they would throw in whatever they had on hand which may include onions, cheese and olives.

I have called my version nicoise because I use a variety of olives, green and black. It comes together easily and the prep time is chopping time and toasting the bread in the oven. It is a very refreshing and filling salad. You probably have all the ingredients at home in your pantry, so get cookin'! Even if you don't have all the ingredients, it's ok... use what you got and don't worry about the rest.

Serves 6
Prep time: 15-20 min
Bake time: 20 min

The VIP's:

• loaf of french or italian bread cut into cubes and place in a single layer on cookie sheet to toast at 350 deg for 20min, let cool
• red onion, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes or a pint of grape tomatoes, washed & chopped
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 2 avocados chopped
• handful of grated pecherino romano or parmigiano reggiano
• handful of olives, roughly chopped
• handful of capers
• italian dressing, to taste or make your own*
• crushed red pepper to taste
• salt & pepper to taste

The Play:

combine everything except bread. Add bread 10 min before serving.

Notes: *Make your own Italian dressing by combining: olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, one clove of smashed garlic, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sugar.

Eggplant Roll-ups

This dish was a play on lasagna roll ups I made awhile back, but since i'm always finding new ways to cut down on carbs, I made these using large globe eggplants instead. This will serve 4 if served with a salad and garlic bread on the side. It's a pantry friendly dish and not as time consuming or as labor intensive as eggplant parmigiana. Most of the time is just oven time, so this dish is great for weekday meals.

I make my own pasta sauce by sauteeing half a chopped onion with a couple of garlic cloves and a dash of chili flakes. Then add a can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes and let it simmer while the eggplant slices are baking in the oven.

The fastest way to go about making this dish is first to preheat the oven to 375˚, then slice the eggplant and get that going in the oven while you work on the sauce. It took me 30 min total.


Serves 4
Prep time: 10 min
Bake time: 25 min

The VIP's:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 jar pasta sauce or make your own about 1 1/2-2 cups
• 7 bocconcini cut into thin slices or 1 cup grated mozzarella
• dried italian seasoning
• crushed red chili flakes
• olive oil
• salt

The play:

1. preheat oven to 375˚
2. wash, trim eggplant and slice it vertically - you should end up with about 8 long slices
3. place in a single layer on a baking tray and brush with olive oil on both sides
4. season to taste with salt, red pepper flakes and italian seasoning
5. place in oven for 10 min and then flip slices over and put in oven for another 10 min
6. spread a tablespoon of pasta sauce on each slice and roll up
7. place all the eggplant rolls seam side down in a greased casserole dish
8. cover with remaing pasta sauce, sprinkle with bocconcini and bake until heated through and the cheese is melted about 5-10 min