BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN WITH PASTA

Eggplant Parmesan!! this was the first dish i tasted and liked at Olive garden. (I know vegetarians have very few options) But i never tried making this at home until one day my husband took an initiative..
Yes you guessed it right. This recipe was made my hubby Tejas. He likes cooking too(sometimes).
Usually when i am busy or its a free day and he is in full on mood to cook! 

Ingredients 

Large eggplant - 1
Egg Replacement for 1 egg ( I used EnerG Egg replacer) 
(1 1/2 tbsp EnerG + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg.)
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Dried oregano - 1 tsp
Dried basil - 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Store bought or homemade Tomato-basil sauce - 2 cups
1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella
Olive oil for baking sheets

Ingredients for the Tomato-Basil sauce

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Minced garlic - 2 cloves

Onion - 1 chopped

Basil - 2-3 tbsp chopped

Tomatoes - 7-8 plum sized tomatoes ( diced)

Salt and pepper.

Method

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the baking sheets with olive oil and keep aside.
2. In a wide bowl combine egg substitute and water. It will make a slurry. (If you dont have an egg replacer you can even use cornflour slurry)
3. In another bowl mix Breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Oregano, dried basil, Salt and Pepper.
4. Now we will prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan heat olive oil.
5. Saute onion and garlic until onions are transluscent.
6. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook the mixture until its has nice saucy texture.(It will take 15-20 minutes)
7. Now Slice the eggplants into round thins.(Peel them off first if u don't like the taste of eggplant skin)
8. Dip them in the slurry and let the excess liquid drip off.
9. Now cover them with breadcrumbs mixture. The slurry will help the breadcrumbs to coat nice and evenly.
10. Place them on the baking sheet and bake them until golden brown at bottom. This will take 15-20 minutes.
11. Turn the slices and continue baking them for next 20-25 minutes until both the sides are nice and golden brown.
12. Remove it from the oven. Spread the sauce on each eggplant slices followed by mozzarella cheese. 
13. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese melts.
14. Serve hot with any pasta of your choice.

Happy eating.....Enjoy!!

FROZEN CHOCOLATE BANANA POPS

I wanted to make frozen bananas from the time i started watching the Netflix original series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT , one of the smartly written and funniest sitcom ever made. Although i don't have a frozen banana stand like them, i tried making these at home and trust me it work wonders..

Swirled in melted chocolate that hardens in the fridge, these little frozen bananas are quick, easy and ready to be nibbled with all kinds of toppings! For me i chose, coconut and sprinkles, but you can coat yours with whatever you like.

Serve them at your next summer celebrations and watch them fly off the tray. They are not only easy to make but healthy, sinless and just under 25 calories. 

Ingredients

Ripe-firm bananas - 2
Sticks/Skewers/Toothpicks
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sprinkles/chopped nuts for coating

Method

1. Line the baking sheet or a plate with aluminium foil.
2. Cut the bananas into 3-4 inch pieces. 
3. Insert the sticks into each banana piece.
4. Place the bananas on the baking sheet and freeze them until firm but not frozen. This will take about an hour.
   
   
   
5. In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and oil in 10 seconds increments stirring between each until melted.
6. Adding oil helps to lower the viscosity of the chocolate which therefore prevents from forming too thick layer over the banana.
7. Then remove bananas from the freezer. Taking one banana at a time, dip it into the melted chocolate till it is completely covered. shake off excess chocolate.
8. Roll these chocolate coated bananas in the chopped nuts mixture, coconut or any sprinkles of your choice.
9. Place them back on the baking sheet and freeze for few hours.
10. Before serving remove it from the freezer and keep in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
11. They can be stored in an airtight container into the freezer for about a week.

Tried this one with Kiwi!!

Happy cooking!!

NAVRATNA KORMA

Navratna Korma is a sweet, mildly spicy, rich and creamy Mughlai curry . It is served in almost every Indian restaurant in India. But to replicate the restaurant like texture and flavors is an uphill task. The flavors are the perfect example of what we call an exotic Indian taste.
So lets get started.
NAVRATNA means nine jewels, So it is the combination of nine different fruits,vegetables and nuts in a creamy sauce.

Ingredients

Red,Yellow and Green Bell peppers/ capsicum - 1/2 cups
Peas - 1/4 cups
Carrots - 1/4 cups
Corn - 2 tbsp
Green beans - 1/4 cups
Tinned Pineapple chunks  - 1/2 cup
Apple diced - 1 nos
Grapes - 10-12
Cashews - 12-15 for frying + few in gravy
Raisins few
Paneer diced - 50-60 gms
Tomatoes - 2
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp + for frying
Heavy Cream - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 to 1 cup
Salt to taste
Pineapple syrup  - 1/4 cup (optional)

For  the Coconut-chili paste

Ginger - 1 tbsp
Green chili - 1-2 as per taste
Shredded fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
Dalia ( Roasted split Bengal gram) - 1 tsp
Coriander - 3-4 tbsp
Coriander-cumin powder (Dhanajiru powder) - 
Mint leaves - few
Khus-khus - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder or whole - 1 tsp
Cashews - 7-8 

For Onion and Garlic paste

Onions - 2 
Garlic - 4-6 cloves

Method

1. Dice paneer and potatoes into squares and fry them till golden brown.Also fry the cashews.
2. Blanch the tomatoes, peel off the skin and make a puree. (Submerge tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute. Remove and drop them in chilled water. Peel off the skin from the flesh and puree it)
3. Partly boil the vegetables.( Carrots, Green beans, Peas and corn)
4. Mix Shredded coconut, Dalia,  Khus-khus, ginger, green chili, Coriander leaves, mint leaves, cumin and cashews in a mixture bowl and make a nice and smooth paste.
5. In another bowl take onions and ginger and make a nice paste.
6. Now in a skillet take 3-4 tbsp oil and add the coconut-chili paste. And saute it on a medium flame.
7. When it releases a nice aroma, add onion-garlic paste. Let it cook about 2-3 minutes.
8. Add tomato puree and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Now add all the vegetables along with milk and give a nice stir.
10. In a small cup take about 1-2 tbsp of milk and add cornflour to it. Mix well and add it to the gravy.It helps the gravy to thicken.
11. Cover and cook for few minutes. Now add Pineapple, apple , grapes and cashews.
12. At the end drizzle pineapple syrup and salt. Mix well and let it cook until u get a rich and creamy texture.
13. Turn off the heat and sprinkle Kasuri methi. 
14. Add heavy cream and mix well. (If you are using Half n half cream to cut back your calories as i did, you need to cook the curry for 5 more minutes.)
15. Taste and check for salt amount  Add more if required. Garnish with coriander leaves and cream if you prefer.
16. Enjoy this restaurant style Navratna korma with Tandoori Roti/Naan or Parathas..

Enjoy!!