puja-shah

We recently learned that our favorite Italian restaurant, Osteria Romantica in the La Jolla Shores has chicken stock in their delicious Minestrone soup. I decided to make my own vegetarian version when my fiancé was craving it. I used fresh herbs from my garden and it came out delicious! It’s hearty enough to have as your whole meal and I served it with this flat rosemary crisp bread from Whole Foods that I found in their cheese section.

Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon butter

* 1 teaspoon olive oil

* 1/4 cup chopped onions

* 20-24 oz. vegetable broth

* 2 tablespoon frozen peas

* ¼ cup frozen French cut green beans

* 2 tablespoons frozen white corn

*1/4 cup  sliced mushrooms

* 1 small potato, peeled and chopped in cubes

* 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into circles

* 1 can can kidney beans

* 1/2  can chopped peeled tomatoes, with liquid

* 1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach

* ½ medium tomato, chopped

* 1 teaspoon garlic paste

* 1 teaspoon dried parsley

* 1/8 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon dried onion powder

* 1/4 cup cooked multigrain penne or elbows

* 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, reserve 2 tbsp. for topping

* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

* ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

* 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

* 1 teaspoon, a dash, of heavy cream (optional)

*  1 tablespoon fresh oregeno, chopped

* 3 tablespoons home-made pesto sauce (we had made some and kept in the freezer, but store bought should be okay too)

Directions

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, stir and cook onions in butter until soft. Add broth, all the vegetables, kidney beans, canned tomatoes, garlic paste and simmer for about 45 minutes, covered. Make sure the potato and carrots are cooked.

While that is simmering, cook the pasta to al dente in a separate pot and then drain, leave on side and toss in the olive oil to keep the multigrain pasta from sticking.

2. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the vegetables to a blender or food processor, reserving liquid in stock pot. Puree the vegetables with all the fresh herbs until smooth and return them to stock pot.

3. Stir in garlic powder, dried parsley, dried onion powder salt, pepper,  pasta, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and the optional dash of heavy cream-just makes it a little smoother/creamy; cook for 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and top with about a teaspoon of pesto per bowl.

Serves: about 3-4

Note: Other veggies I would have added if I had them: zucchini and either cannelini or garbanzo beans. If using garbanzo beans, add at the end in step 3 rather than step 1.

Enjoy!

• I made this the other night and it was light and clean, but still tasted delicious. Went great with the Wasabi mashed potatoes, (made regular mashed potatoes, extra creamy, and added 1 teaspoon of Wasabi powder to them when adding the milk). For Amish, I added a a grilled chicken on the side, so for a meat option, I would add a grilled fish or grilled chicken.

• Ingredients:
• an 8-ounce package soba (buckwheat noodles)*
• 1/2 of a cucumber, cut in thick slices, deseeded
• 1 asian pear, cut in thin slices
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• a 1/2-pound piece firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry, hard edges trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 carrots, cut into 1 1/2-by 1/4-inch sticks
• 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced thin
• 4 scallions, sliced thin (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted lightly
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• sea salt for seasoning, to taste

Directions:

In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for noodles.

Peel and cut pear into matchstick pieces. Cut the cucumber into thick slices, deseeded.

In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and add garlic, then over moderately high heat brown tofu. Transfer tofu with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.

Add carrots to skillet and sauté, stirring, until just tender and golden brown. Transfer carrots with slotted spoon to a bowl. Add to skillet remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, mushrooms, scallions, gingerroot, and pear and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender. Add cucumber and saute for few minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in carrots.

Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain noodles in a colander and immediately rinse with cold water. In a large bowl toss noodles with 2 teaspoons sesame oil.

Return skillet to moderate heat and add 1/4 cup water, tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, and remaining teaspoon sesame oil. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring, until hot. Add noddles, tossing to combine and adding more water if necessary, and cook until heated through. Season noodles with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and serve warm topped with tofu and sesame seeds.

Serves: 4

Just because I’m writing, doesn’t mean I’m not cooking

Here’s a salad I made last night and served it with hummus, carrots and pita bread and then also grilled vegetables for myself and greek marinaded grilled chicken for my fiance and his business partner.

It was a big hit!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta

1- small bottle marinated artichoke hearts (I got a little container full of the Whole Foods salad bar type)

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 of a large size cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 of a large red onion, chopped

1 cup crumbled feta cheese, infused with garlic and herbs

10-12  black olives, cut in halves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon italian vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the liquid.

In large bowl combine pasta, artichoke hearts, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, pepper and red pepper. Toss and chill for 1/2 hour in refrigerator.

Just before serving, drizzle reserved artichoke marinade and italian vinaigrette over salad and lightly toss.

Serves: 4-6

I don’t eat meat, but made this for my fiancé the other night and he said it was delicious! It was quick and easy and I served it with white basmati rice (cooked with peas).

Ingredients:

2 organic chicken breasts cut up into cubes

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1 medium onion, grated

1 teaspoon grated garlic

4 teaspoons grated ginger

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ tablespoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ cup hot water

2 tablespoons oil

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

Add oil to a deep frying pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add the green chillies and grated onion. Sauté until the onion turns golden brown. Add the chicken pieces in and lightly stir until the chicken becomes a light brown. Then add the cumin powder, pepper, lemon juice, garam masala, ginger, garlic, chili powder and salt to taste. Pour in the hot water, (gradually-you may not need all of it) and mix. Be sure to blend the spices well. Cover, simmer on low heat and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is done. The gravy should be thick and the chicken should remain soft. Remove from flame and garnish with cumin powder, black pepper and coriander leaves. Let it sit, covered, for a few minutes before serving to let the flavor settle.

Serves: 2-3 people

I made this for my parents the other night and it was a big hit!

My mother doesn’t eat eggs but if I were to make it again, I would add 1 egg, beaten and stir fried asian style, seasoned with paprika, (tossed in at the end).

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced, slices cut in halves length-wise

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package vermicelli rice noodles (can also use thin egg noodles)

3 tbsp. curry powder, (or mixture of ground coriander, turmeric, ground cumin, ground fennel seed and ginger powder)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

salt, to taste

Sriracha hot sauce

chopped green onions for garnish

Directions:

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Note: remember, rice noodles can tend to stick together, so do not overcook!

Warm the oil over medium heat and sautee the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Add a tiny bit of Sriracha hot sauce, depending on spice level desired, (usually a small squirt will do).

Add the noodles and mix well.

Add the curry powder and soy sauce and mix, careful not to let the noodles break and get mushy.

Add salt to taste.

Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4

One of my most favorite salads ever!

Ingredients:

2 fresh beets

2 tbsp. walnuts, pieces and halves

1 tbsp. maple syrup 

2 handfuls of fresh arugula leaves, washed

4 tbsp. salad style goat cheese

1-2 tbsp. raspberry vinaigrette dressing

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Fill a medium size pot with water and boil beets for about 40-45 minutes until soft under the skin, check with a fork, (if you have a pressure cooker, you can cook them in there for half the time).

Once the beets are cooked, set aside on a plate to cool for about 10 minutes.

Lay the walnuts on tinfoil and brush on the maple syrup. Place the tinfoil and walnuts in the toaster oven on 375 degrees F for about 2-3 minutes.

Arrange the arugula on 2 separate plates, divided evenly.

Place the goat cheese, divided evenly, in the center of both plates.

Peel the casing off the beets and cut off the ends. Cut the beets in round circles and place them around the goat cheese on top of the arugula.

Spread the walnuts evenly on both plates.

Sprinkle dressing over each dish and then top with freshly ground black pepper.

Enjoy!

Serves: 2

I just made this pizza and it is delicious! It can be made two ways: 

With Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 ready made pizza crust (I used the organic wheat crust by whole foods)

1/2 cup tomato basil sauce

a handful of chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts (again, from whole foods)

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tbsp. red onions, chopped

1/4 cup black sliced kalamata olives (remove pits)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

6 tomato slices

4 small banana peppers, round slices

3-4 button white mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup mix of mozzarella and romano cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix together the spinach, artichokes, garlic, onion, olives, banana peppers, mushrooms, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

Sprinkle olive oil on top surface of pizza crust and pizza pan.

Place pizza crust on pan.

Spread tomato basil sauce evenly on crust.

Evenly disperse the spinach mixture on the crust.

Top with sliced tomatoes.

Sprinkle the feta and mozzarella/romano cheese on top.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Slightly cool before cutting and serving.

No Sauce Version:

Substitute the tomato basil sauce with hummus.

Enjoy!

My boyfriend loves spanakopita and tahini sauce so I made this meal for him and some friends recently and it was a huge hit!

Spanakopita:

Ingredients:

about 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach (leaves only)

about 1 tablespoon olive oil

4 green onions-chopped

about 2 tbsp. fresh dill-chopped

about 4 tbsp. feta cheese-crumbled

2 eggs, beaten

salt

pepper

a pinch of nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, melted

5 sheets of phyllo pastry

Directions:

-preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

-wash the spinach and place it in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. then drain it and rinse the spinach in cold water. make sure to squeeze out all the excess water and place on the side.

-heat oil in a saucepan and add the green onions, spinach and dill. Cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Remove and cool (i placed it on a plate in the fridge)

-in a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, eggs, feta, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

-place one sheet of the phyllo dough on a large working area. cut it into 5 equal strips lenghwise/vertically.

-brush one strip with melted butter. cover with a second strip and brush with butter again. Take a spoonful of the mixture and place in the bottom corner of the strip. Fold the strip over at the corner creating a triangle. Continue folding the dough up the strip in the shape of a triange until the whole strip is folded.

-repeat with the remaining strips of dough until the mixture is finished.

-brush each pastry with a little bit of butter.

-place the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until they are golden.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of tahini

1/3 cup of warm water

2 crushed garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsps. dried parsley leaves

pinch of chilli powder

Directions:

-in a food processor combine the garlic and the tahini for only a few seconds. If you overprocess the tahini it becomes hard and too thick.

-remove from the food processor and add the olive oil, lemon juice and mix. Then add the warm water and mix well.

-mix in the parsley flakes and chilli powder.

Lemon Tomato Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain white rice like basmati rice

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

1/4 cup of green onions

1/2 a grated lemon (the rind of the lemon)

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup vegetable stock

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

-in a large saucepan, heat oil and cook the onion for a few minutes or until soft. Add the tomatoes.

-stir in the rice, then add the stock and bring to a boil.

-reduce heat and cover, let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

-stir in the lemon grind, lemon juice, parsley and add pepper to taste.

Serve the spanakopita in a plate with a spoon of tahini sauce on top of each one and the rice in the side. garnish each plate with fresh parsley if desired.

(I made this meal for 4 people, can easily serve 5.) ©

© Copyright 2008. www.puja-shah.com

My family, and many of my friends, absolutely love my mother’s vegetable lasagna, (no one can make it like she can), and we also love mexican food, so I decided to combine the two! I first made this for my brother, who adores mexican food, on his birthday and since then, my family has loved it, and it is always a special dinner just like it is with mommy’s lasagna =) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas pack

2 pinto beans cans or fresh pinto beans soaked overnight/boiled and ready to cook

3-4 tbsp. salsa

2 tbsp. vegetable or canola

1 cream of corn can

1 fresh jalepeno pepper chopped and a few sliced for garnish

1 tomato chopped

1 green diced chiles can (hatch has a good one)

1/2 a large onion chopped

1 enchilada sauce can

1 tomato sauce can

2 tbsp. taco seasoning

1 bag shredded chedder cheese

handful of scallions chopped

handful of black olives sliced

cilantro (optional garnish)

avacado slices (optional garnish)

sour cream-on the side

-preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-mash the pinto beans, but leave half of them as whole beans, in a pot and add the taco seasoning-leave a pinch for later, 3 tbsp. salsa and 3 tbsp. cheese- this beans should be a smooth consistency so add more salsa or cheese if needed and taste for spice.

-Combine the enchilada sauce and tomato sauce and let it simmer in a little pot.

-in a skillet, warm the oil and add the onions and then add the jalepeno,
the cream of corn and green chilies with a little pinch of taco
seasoning and then add fresh cilantro. Let the onions turn yellow/translucent. (For a spicier version you can add a pinch of paprika as well)
-In a lasagna pan, layer the bottom with a thin layer of the enchilada
sauce. Then place the corn tortillas in an even layer- you may need to
tear some to make sure its all a even square.

Layer with beans, then a thin layer of the corn/jalepeno scramble,
then cheese and enchilada sauce. layer again with corn tortillas-make
sure its even again-and the same-beans, corn mixture, cheese, sauce.
keep the layers going until you reach the top of the pan.

At the last layer of tortillas, just put cheese on top with the black
olives and scallions on top with a few sliced jalepenos if you want it
spicy. Bake until the cheese melts-it doesnt take long-approximately 10
minutes.

Upon serving, put a small spoon of salsa and an avacado
slice on each piece. Put a little sour cream on the side for whoever
wants it on each plate and enjoy!©

© Copyright 2008. www.puja-shah.com

In graduate school, my close friend Sopheap would often whip up delicious Thai dishes for our friends in her small Bostonian apartment. I learned this home recipe for Pad Thai from her. It took a few tries to get it right and most of the ingredients can be bought at any Asian supermarket.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. canola oil

fried tofu cut into 1-inch pieces

12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

10 oz. flat rice noodles, cut noodles in half from packet

2 ½ tsp. tamarind concentrate plus 3 tbs. water (or the equivalent of another tamarind product)

2 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. lime juice (about 1 lime)

¼ to ½ tsp. thai chillies

1 ½ tbs. chopped garlic

5 large eggs, 3 beaten with 1 tbsp. water, 2 left aside

2 cups fresh bean sprouts, divided

6 green onions, white and light green parts, cut in 2 inch long pieces

½ c. roasted peanuts, crushed.

¼ c. cilantro, chopped.

lime wedges, for serving

Whisk 3 eggs with water and fry them, cutting them into large pieces in the skillet.

Mix together the tamarind and water, sugar, fish sauce. Set aside.

Assemble everything you need to put together in the pad thai next to your wok: chopped garlic and chillies, tofu and shrimp, green onions, noodles, tamarind mixture, bean sprouts and peanuts.

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in your wok, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tofu. Add 2 remaining eggs, swirling them in the pan to coat the entire surface. Let the eggs set for a few seconds, then move them around the pan with a spatula, breaking them up. Immediately add the noodles and toss them with the egg mixture for a minute or so, until you have cooked pieces of egg throughout. Pour the tamarind/fish sauce mixture all over the noodles in the skillet and toss to coat thoroughly. If you run out of sauce and feel that the noodles are on the dry side, you can add some water. Immediately add the green onions, half of the bean sprouts and half of the peanuts and toss to combine. Add the shrimp until pink. Remove from heat. Add half the cilantro. Mix in the fried eggs from the beginning and top with lime juice. The key to getting this right is speed and to make sure everything is mixed thoroughly while cooking, especially the noodles, to avoid them from sticking together. Serve the pad thai with the remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro and the lime wedges.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

Note: the best hot sauce to accompany it is Sriracha hot sauce. ©

© Copyright 2008. www.puja-shah.com.