Homemade Spinach Flatbread Paneer Fajitas

Feb21

It may sound like a strange fusion but it was sooo good and I ate so much it hurts to breathe. Evie ate as much as I did!

I took two different recipes and put them together for this meal and it worked. I used a bottled cilantro chutney to drizzle, which would have been even better if I had the time to make my own version.

For the paneer there really wasn’t a measured recipe so I just make a guess at amounts.

For the spinach flatbreads I pretty much used Jhuls recipe, but I used about 5-6 tbsp of water to get the dough to come together.

For the paneer I followed SJ’s instructions, used a mixure of about 1tsp of each, chilli powder, coriander, salt, cumin and a garam masala that I had in the cupboard. Basically combined spices them tossed the slices of paneer with the spices and a drizzle of canola oil then grilled.

Make onion and pepper mixture with some tomato to top.

Place all on flatbread and drizzle with cilantro chutney and tamarind sauce.

Two Cheese Tossed Salad

Jul18

Salad with bacon and cheese! I hadn’t had this salad in many years and thought it would be nice for a change now that summer is here. The only thing to keep in mind is that the dressing should be made the day before, though I often forget and make it in the morning and let it sit all day in time for supper, that is ok too, but best if prepared the day before so all the flavours can meld together.

To make the dressing:

In a jar with a tight fitting lid combine

1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

1/2 finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp dried minced onion (you can use 1/4 tsp onion powder, or leave it out as there is red onion, I have made both ways)

1/8 tsp salt

Put on the lid and give it a good shake or whisk to mix. Place in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours)

In a large bowl combine

5 cups torn spinach leaves and iceberg lettuce

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 carton cottage cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

2-3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Toss well with dressing

Add bacon and serve.

Bistro Pasta Salad

Jul11

This pasta salad is great served warm but is equally good served cold. It is a really nice summer pasta salad and is perfect for a picnic lunch or summer potluck and it makes a lot to feed a crowd.

450g box bowtie pasta

Olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

14oz jar marinated artichoke

14oz jar roasted red peppers

14oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups baby spinach (you can use regular spinach, just chop it)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

sal and pepper to taste

a good sprinkling of grated parmesan (probably about 1/4 cup)

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.

mince garlic and toss with a little olive oil

put strain pasta in bowl with the garlic and toss generously with more olive oil

Chop the roasted peppers and artichokes, into bite size-ish pieces

Toss that in on the pasta

Add the tomatoes, at this stage I season with a little salt and pepper and taste to make sure it is how I want it

Toss in the spinach and some parmesan

Mix it all together

Serve topped with a little sprinkle of parmesan and some baguette…and a nice glass of wine.

Easy Peasy “Butter Chicken”

Feb28

This picture is not exactly as it should look. This was one of those time when, at the end, I forgot to take pictures. This was Evie’s plate so there was less sauce and very little spinach. The adult plates had lots of sauce and spinach pieces, which looked more reminiscent of butter chicken.

This recipe is not quite authentic, but it is a good weeknight meal. And a bonus, one pot easy clean up! You can make it spicier by the addition of more chilies or less spicy if you have children who do not like too much spice. I forgot to buy fresh chilies and was desperate so I used a few pinches of dried chilli flakes until I got the heat that I wanted. I would not really recommend this, but if you are stuck it will do. It turned out great. This recipe is also a good way to sneak spinach into a meal.

Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces.

1/4 cup butter

1tbsp ground cumin

2-3 hot chilli peppers, finely chopped (should equal 2-3 tbsp)

1tbsp grated fresh ginger

3/4 cup chopped coriander/cilantro

1 cup whipping cream

14oz can tomato sauce 1/2 tsp salt

5 cups baby spinach (regular is good too, just chop into smaller pieces).

Cook chicken in 2 batches,

cook half of the chicken in 2 tbsp of the butter, sprinkle with half of the cumin and cook until no longer pink, then repeat with remaining pieces and 2 more tbsp of butter and rest of the cumin. If your pan is large enough so the chicken isn’t crowded you can combine this into one step.