Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
1 container (16-ounce) low fat small-curd cottage cheese
1 container( 15-ounce) part-skim ricotta
6 ounces part-skim mozzarella, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cups grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
 Black pepper
1 cups roughly chopped fresh basil
1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 1/2 cups jarred marinara sauce


Directions:

1.Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil two large rimmed baking sheets. Beat the egg and egg whites together in a shallow bowl. Place the bread crumbs and flour in separate shallow bowls. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the bread crumbs and mix to combine.

2. Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Dip the eggplant rounds in the flour, then the eggs (letting any excess drip off), and finally in the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to help them adhere; transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Roast until the eggplant is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

3. In the meanwhile, in a big bowl, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Romano, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the basil and parsley.

4. Spread 1/2 cup marinara on the bottom of a baking dish. Top with a layer of eggplant (8 to 12 slices) and 1/2 cup marinara, and dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups). Repeat eggplant, marinara, and ricotta layers twice. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup marinara. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Romano.

5. Cover the dish tightly with an oiled piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Bruschetta

Thanks to the Italians who gave us this 'Ready in 10 mins' appetizer which is as easy as a pie and has flavors that are simple yet delightful. Also thanks to people who added so many kinds of variations to the toppings. Ideally Italian bread should be grilled over hot coal to get real Italian flavor, but in regular homes bread is toasted or broiled to make it. I am gonna write my recipe here:


Ingredients:

1  can Italian Diced Tomatoes
6 cloves Garlic
4 TB Olive Oil
3/4 cup basil
1 long french bread

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix right before serving.

For easy bread pieces to go with the bruschetta, here is what to do:

2.. Buy french bread loaf. Cut in slices and place on a cookie sheet.

3. Butter slices and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil on HIGH for 2-5 minutes (dependent on how fast and hot your oven is).

4. Serve the bread pieces with your bruschetta.

It is a family favorite that can be made so easily and tastes so good!

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Crostini or Italian Croutons

Crostini is Italian croutons. Its a nibbly party food. I tried to make it for a potluck party where Italian food was the theme. It is real simple yet has elegance of Italian food.


Ingredients:

1 French baguette, sliced  approximately 1/3” thick
2-3 tablespoons olive oil or olive oil spray
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings: There are as many variations for toppings as the number of people making it. I am going to mention some of my favorite:

mozzarella cheese slices
chicken breasts
salted fish slices
parsley
cut mushroom slices

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly brush or spray both sides of each bread slice, then arrange on a baking sheet.

2. Season each piece with salt and pepper.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool before topping with ingredients.

4. Load it up with toppings right before eating it. Garnish it with salt and pepper.

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Bhatura Panjabi style

 Bhatoora is a fluffy deep-fried bread from North India. It is often eaten with chickpea curry, chole or channe, making the traditional dish chole bhature.  This is a combination of may recipes I researched over the internet. The best part is that it uses more of whole wheat flour than all purpose flour. My family liked it, so thought of sharing with you :)

Ingredients:

21/2 cups atta or whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt or as required
1 tbsp oil or ghee or butter
½ or ⅓ cup warm water
vegetable oil for deep frying
¾ cup yoghurt
½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup all purpose flour/maida


Method:

1. In a bowl take the yoghurt, sugar, baking powder and all purpose flour.
Mix well for overnight fermentation.

2. If the yogurt is thick, then to thin the batter, add ¼ cup water.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place overnight or for 8 hours to allow natural fermentation to take place.

3. The next day you will see tiny bubbles on the surface of the mixture. The mixture is ready for the next step when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.

4. Take another bowl, mix together the wheat flour with salt and rub the ghee or butter into it with your fingertips. Into this bowl, add the fermenting mixture and the warm water. Form a dough with these two mixtures.

5. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is silky smooth. Add a little flour if it is too wet. Gather the dough into a compact ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Again set it aside in a warm place for 2 hrs.

6. Knead the dough again.

7. Form it in to 15 balls and roll them into 5-6 inch discs. Heat oil or ghee and deep fry the bhaturas. 

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Tortilla wrap Roll-ups

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 24 oz. container sour cream
2-3 T taco seasoning
10-12 large tortillas

Toppings

Peas
Diced carrots
Diced green peppers
Chopped green onions
Finely grated cheddar cheese
cucumber slices
chopped mushrooms

Be creative with what you like!
Its just that tomatoes can make the wrap soggy so may be you should not add them :)

Blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Mix in taco seasoning.

In the center of each tortilla, put a small stripe of refried beans. On the rest of the tortilla spread the sauce making sure to get the edges. You want a decent amount to make sure all your toppings will stick. Sprinkle with toppings and roll up. Tuck in the ends and wrap in plastic wrap, but don't overfill. Refrigerate over night.
Slice before serving and serve with salsa.

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Black Bean Salad ...... best dinner to reduce waist and tone tummy

Black beans has most fiber among beans, it helps tummy remain full for long, fight constipation, prevents bloating and also tones tummy. To top it all its sooooo yummy that you will not go for anything else at dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1tbs ginger garlic, pressed
• 2 cup black beans or 1 15 oz can (without BPA), drained and rinsed
• 1 tomatoes, chopped 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbs fresh lemon juice
• green thai pepper or chilli chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 
  

Method:

1. Mince onions and press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out the flavour.
2. Mix all ingredients together and serve. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for awhile.

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Spicy or Masala Kaju (cashew nuts)

Here is another desi snack with Cashew nut :) Easy n royal, what can you ask for more????

Ingredients:

amchoor or dry mango powder     tsp 1/4
black pepper powder  tsp 3/4
cashewnts about 1 lb
chat masala tsp 1 1/2
garam masala 1 tbsp
red chillies powder 1/2 tsp
Clarified butter or desi ghee  1 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all masala together and keep ready. Heat 2 cups oil for frying. reduce heat. Add kajus and stir fry continuously till they start changing colour and turn light golden. Take it off from stove.

2. Immediately sprinkle the masala while the kajus are still hot. mix thoroughly with the fingers. mix again after 2-3 minuties. let it cool down.

3. When cool, store in air tight container. Serve with drinks.

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