Paneer (indian cottage cheese) originates from India. It is a widely used ingredient among south and north indians ranging from appetizers to main dishes and winding up with desserts. I have tasted several appetizers with paneer and some of my favorites being paneer tikka, cornflakes paneer and bharwan paneer (will save these recipes for another post). Recently, we had a small gathering, and of course, I was trying to create a good spread to satisfy vegetarians and meat eaters. So, I made paneer rolls as one of the appetizers with two different batches...one with bread crumbs coating and the other with crushed cornflakes. My personal favorite was the one with the cornflakes coating that turned out crispy and it ended up being a big hit among guests too. The best part about this dish is that you can prepare the rolls before hand and stick them in the refrigerator. The rolls are ready to be fried anytime. Enjoy your crunchy treats!!
Ingredients:
8 oz low fat paneer, finely grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 cup cornflakes, crushed(use a rolling pan)
5 bread slices (white or wheat bread with the edges trimmed)
Oil, enough for frying
Salt, to taste
Method:
In a bowl, add the grated paneer, onion and green chillies. Mix well. Add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cilantro.
In another bowl, dip the bread slices one by one in water and quickly squeeze out the excess and add to the dough (adding bread slices gives a nice texture). Mix all the ingredients so that they blend well.
Make small rolls (pick any shape of your choice) and then coat with crushed cornflakes. Refrigerate for 30-45 mins or until you want to fry them.
In a pan, heat oil and fry the rolls until golden brown. Serve with chilli garlic sauce/ ketchup.
Makes 10-12 rolls.
Mushrooms, as most of you know, is a low-calorie food and a great source of vitamin B. It has a meaty texture and comes in several varieties with the most commonly used ones being white (button), portobello, oyster, shiitake and enoki (thin and long white) mushrooms. It is widely used in asian cooking but equally gaining significance in italian and american cuisine as well. Generally, I cook with mushrooms as an ingredient in my soup or gravies but wanted to try making stuffed mushrooms for a change. These stuffed mushrooms work great as a bite size appetizer but you can transform it to a nice dish by serving the stuffed mushrooms with
béchamel sauce (using vegan butter and soy/almond milk) and some fresh salad.
Ingredients:
12 oz Crimini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
Mushroom stems, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 - 1 tsp dried parsley (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Salt, to taste
Method:
Clean the mushrooms by rinsing them and patting them dry. Remove the mushroom stems and chop them finely.
In a pan, heat oil, add the minced garlic and onions and fry until onions are slightly golden brown. Now, add the spinach and mushroom stems. Cook until slightly done.
Add the crushed red pepper flakes, dried parsley, bread crumbs, nutritional yeast and salt. Cook for few minutes.
Fill each mushroom cap with the prepared stuffing. Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a baking pan, spray some oil and place the mushrooms. Bake for 30-40 mins until the mushrooms are done. The mushrooms tend to get too brown if left for longer, so make sure you take them off appropriately.
Makes 16-18 mushrooms (depending on the package)
Bean Salad is a summer salad dish with different beans such as green beans, yellow wax beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans and onions or other vegetables like bell peppers, etc., It is usually prepared with a vinaigrette which is slightly on the sweeter side. Beans are packed with protein and fiber which can help lower cholestrol levels as well as fill you up. You can use your choice of beans and mix it up for variations.
Ingredients:
1 cup green beans, steamed and cut into bite-size pieces
15.5 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
15.5 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
For dressing:
4-5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
1- 1 1/2 tbsp honey (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Method:
In a bowl, add cider vinegar, dijon mustard, minced garlic, lemon juice, honey, sriracha sauce and olive oil. Whisk all the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk well. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the green beans, garbanzo beans, dark red kidney beans, red onion, green bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
Add the vinaigrette to the beans and toss well. Serve immediately or chilled.
Makes 4-5 servings.
