Sara Dhanani

Archive for the ‘Favorite Recipes’ Category

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Eggplant Bharta

In Appetizers, Favorite Recipes, Vegetarian, Week night meals on April 12, 2016 at 9:43 pm

  
My not so new instant pot has been working hard for me lately. I love the convenience of having a slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer all in one handy electric pot. It adapts especially well to desi cooking. I steamed the eggplant in the instant pot and finished the curry on the stovetop, though you could easily make it in the instant pot. 

Ingredients:
One eggplant 

Half an onion finely diced

Half a cup of strained tomatoes

A heaping teaspoon of ginger garlic paste

A little turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)

A punch of cayenne powder

A teaspoon of cumin powder 

Half a teaspoon of coriander powder

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish (which I didn’t have)

Method:

Cut the eggplant into quarters and steam in the instant pot (I added a cup of water and used the steamer insert). While the eggplant is steaming, heat a little oil in a saucepan, add finely diced onions and sauté till translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a few minutes being careful not to burn the ingredients. Add salt along with turmeric, coriander and cumin powders and cayenne if you are using it. Once fragrant, add the tomato purée and stir, let it cook on a low medium heat till you see the oil separate. Once the eggplant is done, Mush the eggplant lightly with a fork and add to the saucepan. Combine the eggplant well with the masala and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let it simmer in its juices for 10-12 minutes on low heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Winter warm me up soup

In Favorite Recipes on January 7, 2016 at 11:05 am

  
It’s definitely soulful food kinda weather here in the PNW. While some shrimp and grits, chicken pot pie or a steaming bowl of kitchri would be amazing, I am making healthier choices. This recipe was made mostly because I had leftover chicken, lots of kale and some carrots. Cannellini beans have a delicious creamy texture and that’s definitely makes this soup feel in the words of my 2 year old – “comfy cozy”.
Cannellini, kale and chicken soup 

Ingredients:

One chicken breast cooked and coarsely shredded

One can of Cannellini beans (drained)

One bunch of kale chopped up

A little celery

Two carrots sliced up

1/4 chopped up onion

Two cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons of oil 

2 cups of chicken stock

A few sprigs of thyme

Salt

Method:

Heat oil in the insta pot (manual) or on the stove top. Sauté onion, celery and garlic. Add the carrots and cook. Next add the thyme, chicken, beans and the chicken stock, salt and slow cook for 2 hours or on the stove top on low medium for 30 minutes. Once it’s cooked through and the house smells delicious, add the kale and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. I don’t like the kale to get too soggy. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

In Favorite Recipes on January 4, 2016 at 10:32 am

  

  
the weather is dreary to say the least. The children are sick and home for winter holidays. We decided to nourish ourselves with simple chicken noodle soup. It was finished way faster than we made it. 

  
Ingredients:

One Bone in chicken breast

Two cloves of garlic 

A few slices of onion 

1/4 onion chopped finely

A few carrots cut up

One celery rib chopped finely

A sprig of thyme

1/2 packet of egg noodles

Cups of water
Method:

Slow cook in your instapot the chicken with onion and one clove of garlic, if you don’t want to slow cook, you can boil the chicken. I slow cooked in the instapot for 2 hours and the chicken was done. Take the chicken out, and strain the broth, keeping the broth and discarding the onion and garlic. 

In a teaspoon of oil, add the chopped onions, other clove of garlic and celery. Sauté, and then add the carrots. Add the chicken stock, 1 or 1.5 cups of water, a few pinches of salt and bring it to a simmer. Take the chicken off the bone and cube it, add to the soup. Also add the thyme. 

 If the carrots are cooked, take off heat, add the egg noodles and cover. It takes about 5-8 mins for the egg noodles to cook off the heat, but we like our noodles softer so I cook with the heat on for a few minutes as well.  

Salted Caramel Sauce

In Favorite Recipes on December 16, 2015 at 8:30 am

   
  
 Salted caramel, holy deliciousness, where have you been all my life?! 

The sauce is sweet with a slightly salty flavor and a deep rich golden color. You have to be slightly careful while heating the sugar so it doesn’t go from molten Amber beauty to a burnt mess.

  
Ingredients:

1.5 cups sugar

1 stick of salted butter ( cut into 8 pieces)

1 tsp pink Himalayan salt

1/2 – 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Method:

Heat sugar in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat till it starts to melt. You can stir it intermittently till it develops a feel amber color. Keep a wooden spoon nearby. Add the butter and stir away, the mixture will seize but that’s okay. Keep stirring till all the butter is incorporated. Add the heavy cream and stir, stir, stir! Once it’s all mixed together and has a lovely melted toffee color, add salt and bring to to a brief 15 sec boil. 

Ta Dah! You salted caramel is ready for a jar. Keep refridgerated and warm gently to dip in some pretzels, apples, or on your oatmeal!

We used them for Christmas gifts for school! 


Milker Cookies

In Favorite Recipes on September 27, 2015 at 6:38 pm

“the days go slow and the years go fast.”

Is definitely true these days. I never thought I would have 3 under 5 years of age! The littlest one is now 6 weeks old, she is a snuggly little puppy bringing us tremendous joy. Hand in hand with sleepless nights, cuddles and spit up is the joy of nursing. I say joy of nursing very sarcastically, since I am not a natural milk maker. Expecting that challenge, I decided to sweeten things up a little with these delicious cookies. I made some for myself last night and they were gobbled up by my family so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to let them know they were milker cookies. Try them out, they are very good!

I bought Brewers yeast from Whole Foods Market and it said non bitter taste which I think helped the tastiness!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup brewers yeast

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup non sweetened coconut flakes

1/8 cup of chopped almond

3/4-1 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and softened butter till light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix together . Add the all purpose flour, brewers yeast, oats, wheat germ, flaxseed and coconut flakes along with baking powder, combining them together. Add the almonds, and chocolate chips and then mix together one more time. Form into small balls and then flatten into a cookie shape and bake at 350 for 12 minutes till the edges are golden brown.