Easy Tilapia

Hey guys,

Sorry I have been so MIA.  I actually have been trying to take more pictures of step-by-step instructions on how to make each dish.

Now that I have stated my reason for not writing in a long time, let's talk about "Tilapia".

I don't eat fish so this is one recipe I only make and not eat.

Tilapia can be eaten different ways: grilled, baked, fried, and raw.  I like to try out new recipes and the one I will tell you about in this blog is my favorite to cook because it is so easy and quick.  My mother-in-law taught it to me to make life much easier....lol... but of course I like to add my little touch to it. :)

Ingredients:

• 2 3-oz frozen Tilapia filets
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (depends on how spicy you like it) 
• pinch of black pepper
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp of parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (you can avoid it, if you want)
• 1-2 Tbsp oil

How to make it:

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except the oil).  (pictured above)
• Fry the fish in the oil on medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side. (The fish will stick to the pan because mine did, so just be careful when flipping it over.  What helps, also, is cutting the 2 filets in half to give you four long pieces).

•  After taking it out on a plate, you can squeeze lemon juice over it, if you like the lemon flavor. 

 You are DONE!!! See how simple and easy it was.  You can eat it anyway you want with: bread, naan, fried rice, fettuccine alfredo, etc.

Almond Cheesecake Swirl Brownie Cake

Is the name of the post making your mouth water?  Well, it should because this is one of my all-time favorite dessert.  With this recipe, you don't have to worry about the measurements not being exact because the box of Pillsbury Cheesecake Swirl has the recipe on the back. :)  It is very easy to follow even if you have never baked or cooked in your life.  Of course, if you are a child reading this blog (with parental supervision, I hope), please let an adult operate the oven. :)

Just follow the cooking directions in the back of the box and you have your Cheesecake Swirl Brownie cake. :) But, wait a minute, you might be wondering why is Almond mentioned in the name of this blog when there are no almonds called for in the recipe.  That is an added touch from my side since I had tons of extra chopped almonds in my house that I did not have a jar for.  It actually gave my cake a crunchy taste to the overall soft goody.  All I did was while the mix was halfway baked, I put the almonds on top and let it finish.

I found an octagonal shape dish from Ross, and slowly slid the cake on top of it.  You can add anything around it for decoration.  I made this for Super-bowl Sunday when it was just my husband and I at home watching the game.  You will notice in the picture the cake seems thin that's because I used only half of the box. 

I hope you will love this delectable goodie.  It tastes and looks so good that you might not even want to share. :) It's totally upto you... I know I wouldn't if I had the choice. :)

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

When asked the question: What type of sandwich do you like?  Because you know, I get asked that all the time. Haha just kidding.  But seriously what kind of sandwich would you say if anytime in your life someone asked you that?  Still thinking?  I know there are so many different types and all are very tasty especially when you put anything edible between two pieces of bread. :)

Now you will be asking yourself that what does a sandwich have to do with Ramadan since the holy month is still going on.  Sandwiches are a great extra if you are having a party.  Seriously who doesn't like sandwiches?  On the table, you can put it right next to those other fried foods (pakora, samosa, etc) that you can grab easily and eat without a spoon.  It is a much healthier option and tastes great.

I will be telling you how I make a simple chicken salad sandwich, that I normally put during Ramadan parties and any other month ones.  As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the measurements aren't totally exact but don't worry you can't go wrong with this one. :)

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 lb of boneless chicken or more depending on how many guests are coming
• 1 Tablespoon garlic/ginger paste
• salt
• 1 Tbsp Shan Tandoori Chicken Masala
• little bit of water

Other ingredients:

• Cucumber - peeled and cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
• black pepper
• bread - I like to use whole-wheat.

Cooking

1. You want to put all the ingredients for the chicken together in a pot on low-medium heat 
2. You can add a half cup of water and just let the chicken cook until all the water is gone and the chicken is soft and cooked well. 
3. Shred the chicken with your hands or with a spoon and add the cucumbers, mayonnaise and black pepper.  Mix it.
4. You have your mixture.  Now, you can put it on the bread and ENJOY!

I wanted to keep this one a little shorter and easier.  More hard ones will come later when I am at my own home doing the cooking.  Right now I am at my mom's house so it is a little harder to show you more pictures.

Until next time, Eat Smart!

Fruity Fruits Salad!

Have you been doing too much frying the past couple of days?  Well before Ramadan ends in less than a week, I wanted to include a blog on the healthier food items like the fruit salad.  People can make it many different ways with many different fruits.  If you are not a fruit-eater like me but love chocolate, then refer to my earlier post about Chocolate-Covered strawberries and dip any fruit you want into chocolate and eat it that way. :).

Fruit chaat is a food item that is popular in many countries especially Pakistan.  It adds a spicy touch to the fruit salad which can be made multiple ways using Shan's chaat masala, orange juice, pinch of salt, sugar, and lemon juice.  Many people, when making fruit chaats, cut bananas and apples and put them in the salad causing it to start turning brown a couple of minutes later.  Solution for that is squeeze fresh lemon juice over it and mix it in.

Fruit Salad #1

• Pineapple chunks
• Honeydew
• Cantaloupe
• Fresh grapes

Just mix all these ingredients together in a nice pretty bowl and you have a very colorful fruit salad.  It is very easy to make that even on non-Ramadan days you can eat it as a snack or a substitution to a meal. :)

The other two that I will be posting are not my ideas.  The first one I found on pinterest.com, if you haven't already signed up, make sure you do.  Absolutely great ideas on all different kinds of things including food recipes, arts and crafts, Do-It-Yourself crafts, and many other ideas.  The second one I found on a Facebook group by the name Food Art.

I really want to try this soon when I get back home from my mom's house.  I even bought the Waffle cones and the raspberries for it.  As you can see from the picture, it looks so beautiful that kids will want to eat their fruits as well as adults.  From what I can see, the fruits used are raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, and I think those are small grapes on the stick.  Use fruits that are less juicy so the cones won't get too soggy while sitting there.

Now if you really want to get creative, I wouldn't mind trying this.  This is especially good for children because it gives them a pretty picture to look at while slowly eating it one-by-one.  The only fruits it includes are kiwis, bananas, and clementines. 

These are just three of the many ways, you can be creative with fruits.  I am sure in the future I will have more blogs related to this topic because it's just really good for you. :)

Snack nutritiously, Eat healthy until next time. :)

Eat a Pakora

Keeping with the cultural Ramadan food items, I will be telling you about another deep fried dish - the "Pakora".  These delectable goodies are normally made in Ramadan or rainy days throughout the year.  You can make any kind of vegetable or chicken pakora.  Popular ones, that I have noticed and made, are eggplant, onions (the one I am going to tell you how to make), potatoes, and spinach. 

Do you have guests coming over just for tea?  Pakoreys (my plural way of spelling Pakora) are fast to make even if you don't have enough time.  In fact, they taste 100% better when freshly fried. :)... I made it today at my mom's house and they came out so mouth-watering.  :) I hope that when you do ever make these, you will think of me.... Actually just enjoy making them and it will be our little secret when friends say you are a great cook. =D  Impress your parents, family, and friends with this amazing snack.

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup Gram Flour (Besan)
• 1/2  an Onion - chopped in thin slices
• 1 Tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp. Cumin seeds (zeera)
• 1 Tbsp red chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it, you can add more or less)
• fresh coriander
• 1 small green chili pepper
• salt for taste
• pinch of baking powder
• pre-heated oil for frying

How to make it:

1. Mix the flour, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and chili powder in a deep bowl.

2.  Add the chopped onions, fresh coriander, and green chilis. (i used half of the bigger green chili here)

 

3. Mix it together with water to create a batter which is not too watery and not too thick, just enough to stay in your hands and drip a bit.  Use a little bit of water at a time, until it becomes smooth and as the way i described it.

4.  Make sure your oil is hot enough for deep frying.  Since the batter is done, now you can add salt and baking powder.  Grab some batter in your hands and just deep fry it.  Please be very careful because the oil is very HOT!!!  (If you don't want to get your hands dirty, you can use a shallow spoon and make them that way)

5.  When it is golden brown, take it out and just like the Samosas let the oil get absorbed in a paper towel before serving. :)  

Keep repeating until you are done with the batter. :)

I will show you a picture of it again so you can truly see the results. 

The measurements may not be truly exact and you can always adjust it according to your taste buds. :) You can dip these pakoreys in any sauce but the popular ones are tamarind (imli ki chutney) sauce, hot sauce, green chili sauce, and any of Maggi sauces. :)  Until next blog, keep frying.

FYI... I will talk about fruits and fruit salad in my next blog....  so keep your eyes open.

Easy Samosas

In the spirit of Ramadan (one of the months in the Muslim calendar), I will be telling you how I make samosas, which is a cultural part of our meal that is eaten after sunset during the month of Ramadan.  Yes, it is fried, and yes, we all say to each other that we are going to cook less fried items but end up making it anyway.  These triangle objects are just so tempting, it's hard not to take one or two or even three.  You can dip them in sauces or eat them crushed with chick peas, yogurt, onions, coriander, green chili, Shan's chaat masala, and many other things.  Sounds tasty already right?  Just thinking about it makes me want to go fry them right now but I will show you how to make it first so we can munch on them together. :)

Traditionally, for the outer part, women would knead their own dough and roll them into small or medium-size balls.  They would then flatten them out into a circle and cut it in half, which would be enough to make 2 samosas.  I am definitely sure women still do that but for those who don't have the time or energy to make like 20 samosas, I have a much easier way to make them, which will taste just like home-made ones. :)

But before I show you the product I use, let's talk about the filling.  I will tell you how I make my potato samosas. 

Ingredients

•  3 potatoes - boiled, peeled, and mashed.
• 1 Tbs fresh coriander
• 1 small green chili pepper
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Salt
• green peas (depends on how much you want to put in it)

Just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and you have your mixture.  :)  

The product for the flour that I use are Goya's 10 discos, which are usually used for empanadas.  You can find it in the freezer section at your local grocery store.  One packet makes 20 samosas, which is perfect because that's just how much I want for now. :)

Basically, you have the circles already made for you, and all you have to do is cut it in half and make samosas.  Let's say I have half a piece, now how would I fold it?  Very easy.  Hold it with the semi-circle on the bottom and the straight line on the top.  Fold the right corner in so there will be about 30 degrees angle on the left side.  My deepest apologies for the math lesson here.... Now all you have to do is fold the angle in and you can fill it with potatoes and close it.  They will simply look like this:

Now they are ready for some deep frying.

End results:

I obviously like to drench the little bit oil left in some paper towel before I put them in a serving dish or a tray.  These are so easy to make that I made about 40 just in one sitting and brought it to my local mosque so other people can enjoy them as well. :)

You can fill it with anything you want.

Til next time, keep frying. :)

Chicken, Chicken Roll It UP!

It's Ramadan so I figured I'd put a recipe for Chicken Spring Rolls, my favorite.  I have made these before for one of my sister's pre-wedding parties, and they were a big hit so I wanted to share it.  You can make the chicken whichever way you want.  Here's how I do it.

Ingredients

• boneless chicken
• 1 Tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
• 1 Tablespoon Shan Tandoori chicken masala
• shredded carrots
• shredded cabbage
• you can add shredded cheese as well but later

How to Cook it

1. Mix all the ingredients in a pot and add a little bit water.  Let it cook until the water is dry and the chicken is well cooked.
2. You can shred the chicken after it is done cooking and cooled just a little.  This is the time you can add the cheese and mix it completely.

So the chicken mixture is done... now you can go ahead and make the egg rolls.  Before you get started, make sure you mix 2 Tablespoon warm water with 1 Tablespoon flour which will be used to stick the sheets together to make the perfect spring roll.  I usually don't measure it but the end result should be a little thick sauce-like mixture.  I microwave it a little more to get it just right.

 Don't forget to buy this package of spring roll pastry sheets.  Take a spoonful of the chicken mixture and put it on the center towards the bottom of the sheets.  Fold the left and right side so they meet in the middle.  Roll it up, and at the end of the roll, with your hands put the water mixture and finish.  Keep repeating with all sheets until you run out of chicken or sheets.

The results before and after frying the rolls: 

ENJOY!!! Til next time, keep it rolling! :)