Easy Breezy Dessert

On the day of Thanksgiving, while my guests were still on their long drive, I cooked and prepped a few things. I made a quiche for breakfast on Friday, made the Cheesy Jalapeño Garlic Bread, made a couple of Indian sweets to send to my brother and I was planning on making a flan for dessert. I ran out of time / got tired and eventually just made this for dessert. It was still yummy - used up left over stuff and was done and in the fridge before the guests arrived. And it was perfect timing for me when they got home to boil some pasta and make a quick garlic alfredo and poach some eggs for the fettucine. 

To make this dessert (I am sure there is a South American version of this somewhere) - I simply sauteed a couple of ripe plantains and a couple of bananas (did not have enough plantains on hand), moved them to the bowl, coated with a sauce of dulce de leche + coconut milk boiled together, grated some dark chocolate on top. Voila! Yumminess :)

Baking Cheesy Jalapeño Garlic Bread

November is a crazy busy in a good way month for us. Last year, I wanted to work on a novel during NaNoWriMo, but had to postpone it due to more than two weeks of travel. This month, I signed up for Art Every Day Month. I have been doing art almost every day, but has been unable to keep up the posting / blogging. We were traveling for a little more than a week and when we got back, it was already thanksgiving week with guests arriving from out of town. Things have been, needless to say, hectic. But having guests also meant I got to cook a lot of delicious dishes - even a whole bunch of experiments in my kitchen. I am so thankful for such wonderful friends who enthusiastically encourage my culinary experiments.

This bread has been making the rounds on Pinterest for a while and I decided to give it a try. I mostly followed this recipe and added diced jalapeño peppers to the dough, used garlic in the melted butter and grated some on top of the bread and used white cheddar to fill. The bread turned out really good and I will be playing a lot more with this recipe with various flavors. Next on my list is the cranberry-walnut bread that I crave from Trader Joe's. 

Garlic Pickle

Home made pickles are easy to make and a lot more delicious. And can be low fat too. Here is a quick recipe for garlic pickle. I used a pickle masala bought from the Indian store in Chicago, but instead of the masala, one can add regular chilli powder. Also, I used a lot less oil than whats normally used for pickles - the only caveat being that the pickle has to be used up quickly, which is no issue at my home.

Ingredients: Garlic - 2 cups (crushed lightly);  turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp, mustard seeds & fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp for tempering; Curry Leaves - few; Asafoetida - a pinch; Sesame Oil - 1/4 cup; Pickle masala - 4 tsp (substitute more chili powder); Salt - to taste

• Cook the crushed in a microwave for about 3 minutes (to remove excess moisture and the raw smell/taste)
• In a pot, add 1/2 the sesame oil and once hot, temper the mustard & fenugreek seeds.
• Add the curry leaves, garlic & let it cook for a couple of minutes
• Add the cayenne and turmeric, season with salt. Let it cook for about 5 minutes
• Add the rest of the oil and if using, the pickle masala, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or so. Add the asafoetida and mix well.
• Open and cook for a few more minutes for the flavors to meld 
• Store in an air tight container and use up quickly!

Mexican Baked Eggs

I made this for brunch on Sunday before we watched the Packers Game. And actually I cooked it in the microwave and took much less time and energy than baking. Actually more like put together. I put two corn tortillas in the boat dish, topped them with a mixture of black beans (from a can) + my homemade salsa + shredded cheese, then broke an egg on top and cooked in the microwave till the eggs were medium done. For a side, I cooked some quinoa and tossed it with my homemade pesto and a little goat cheese for garnish. 

 

Brussels Sprouts Hash

Once again I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug. I have been seeing posts for a brussels sprouts hash with eggs on top and started craving them. And I made the hash with curry powder and coconut. It was yummy and we had it with rice and a sweet potato -yogurt gravy. I have come to appreciate my Cuisinart processor more and more everyday. This took less than 10 minutes to make including the prep time :)

Ingredients: Brussel Sprouts - 1/2 pound; Onion - 1/2; Garlic - 2 cloves; Madras Curry Powder - 1 tsp; Green Chilli - 2; salt & pepper - to taste; Pecans - handful, toasted; Coconut - shredded, handful.

• Trim the end of brussel sprouts, and with the shredder attachment on the processor, shred them along with the onion & garlic.
• In a pan, heat some oil, add the shredded mixture, toss to coat.
• Add the curry powder, salt & pepper and let it cook covered for a few minutes.
• Add the coconut and pecans and fry uncovered for another 3-4 minutes.