Veggie Pot Pie

Things we need
Pie crust - Store bought
Vegetable broth Pacific Natural Foods (can be homemade too) - 2 cups
Potatoes - 2 cubed/ julienned 
Carrots- 2 cubed
Green peas,Corn Fennels, Green beans, Zucchini, Broccoli - 4 cups 
Onions - 1/2 chopped
Butter - 2 spoons
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 C .

Thaw the pie crust as per the package instructions. Place one sheet on a pie plate and make tiny holes with a fork. Bake it for 10 mins. 


Meanwhile, In a sauce pan, add butter and saute the onions and potatoes until golden brown. Then add the veggies, salt and pepper. Add the broth to this and allow the veggies to cook well.


On the pie crust laid on the plate, layer with half of the cheese. Now spoon in the cooked veggie mix.  Add the rest of the cheese on top and cover it with the other pie shell. Seal the pie crust and make small slits on top for the steam to escape. With an aluminum foil. cover the edges so that they don't get burnt. 

After 20 mins take out the aluminum foil.  Bake it for around 45 mins or till the pie is golden brown. 

Enjoy the Pie.....

A vegetarian Falafel Sandwich

This a dish I tried during my trip to new York. It was very yummy. It is a middle eastern dish.  So I could say its healthy too.

Things we need
For this we need to fry small balls, Some veggies, chutney/ hummus and pita bread. I got the pita bread from the local market.
When I ate this dish it was served with Hummus. I modified it a bit to suit my taste, so I made a chutney with mint and coriander.  You can also buy a hummus at a local store.

For the patty or the falafel balls
Garbanzo beans / Whole channa dal - 1 cup
Green chillies 3
Minced Ginger   1 spoon
Cilantro 1 small cup
Cumin powder - 1 spoon
Coriander powder - 1 spoon
Salt
Crushed Black pepper  - 1/2 spoon
All purpose flour/ maida - 3/4 cups
Baking soda 1/4 spoon
Oil to deep fry

For the Chutney
Mint
Coriander leaves
Green Chillies

The veggies
Chopped Tomatoes
Green pepper
Lettuce
Onions
Cucumber
Boiled corn fennels
Sour cream

How to make

The patty or  falafel balls
Soak the garbanzo beans/ whole channa dal overnight. You can use the canned garbanzo beans if you are okie with it. I prefer it fresh.

In a food processor, add the garbanzo beans, green chillies, minced ginger, cilantro, cumin powder, corriander powder, crushed black pepper, baking soda and salt. Grind these coarsly.  If you are adding garlic, you can add it along with these. just sprinkle water, if needed.
This comes in the consistency of a coarse masala vada batter.  Now take oil in kadai, make small balls of this batter & deep fry them.
Keep them on a tissue for the oil to drain. They will be crisp.

The Chutney
Grind the mint, coriander, green chillies, salt. Grind all these ingredients to a paste.

Now just open the pita bread, throw in a couple of the falafel balls, add all the veggies you want, some chutney & some sour cream. If needed you can jus sqeuuze in some drops of lemon juice too.

Enjoy.

Strawberry Pie

I love sweet stuff. And Strawberries are one my favorites.


Things we need
Fresh Strawberries  1/2 boxes ( or 5 cups)
Sugar  - 1/2 cup
Corn Starch - 2 spoons
Unsalted Butter
Pillsbury Pie Crusts
Whipped cream.

The pie crusts - to thaw them, please fopllow the instruction given on the box.
Preheat the oven to 450
Hull all the strawberries. Take one box of the strawberries, grind them well in a food processor. In a vessel, heat them till they thicken up a bit. Do not add water. Mix the corn starch & sugar in a little amount of water till the lumps dissolve. And add this to the boiling berry sauce.  Stir them well. The liquid will thicken up a bit . Do not add more corn starch, as that will dominate the taste and the sauce will become very thick.

Grease the baking tray with butter and roll out the pastry sheet. With a fork, make small holes. This allows the pie to get cooked evenly.  Fill in sheet with the sauce we made & arrange the 1/2 box of hulled strawberries along the sides of the pie sheet. Close this with the other pie sheet & crimp the edges using your thumb. Brush the top of the pie with butter. With a sharp knife make little slits on top.


Slide it into the oven & reduce the temperature now to 250. Let it stand for 35 mins. The top of the pic turns slight brown when done.

A yummy strawberry pie. It is very yummy when served with whipped cream.

Mexican Veggie Bowl

This was one dish I had at Chipotle in chicago. It was so yummy I fell in love with. I searched for recipes in vain. So I kind of put things together to make a taste that is little closer to the original that is served there. When I started doing this, I felt like making our Desi Chaat..Lot of items. But it was fun to make & delicious too.

Its pretty easy & very Healthy with a lot Veggies.
Here is what we need:
Brown Rice - 1 cup
Black Bean (raw) - 1 cup
Green chillies - 3
Red chilli Powder 1/2 spoon
Ginger Garlic paste
Onions - 1 chopped well
Tomatos - Pureed (or cut into small pieces)
Cilantro leaves - chopped
Salt
Oil

Avocado - 1 ripe
Guacamole seasoning mix - 1 packet (available at Walmart or any other store)
Sour Cream

Veggies for topping
Lettuce
Onions
Corn
Green Pepper
Little lemon juice

Lets get to preparation.


RICE
Cook the brown rice as per the packet instructions. I felt they came out well when cooked in a electric cooker instead of the pressure cooker.

BEAN
Pressure cook the black beans. Take half of them & mash it . ( I used a food processor for this ) . Then in a skillet, add a little oil. When it si hot enough, add the onions & cook them till they r soft & add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies. Then add the tomatoes & saute well. Add the bean to this & then salt. Add little water & cook them well for 15 mins or so. When done, add the cilantro leaves. The bean is done.

Guacamole Sauce
Take the ripe avocados & miss them with the guacamole Mix. (use a food processor).

Veggies
Chop the lettuce
Cut the onions, green pepper length wise. (nothing to do with the way of cutting them. I felt that they just render a different look to the dish.)

In a skillet, take oil, when its hot, add the onions, green pepper & corn . Add a little salt.. Cook them jus a little & when done add a little lemon juice on top of them.

Now let’s put them all together. In a bowl, add the brown rice, then the bean, chopped lettuce, then the onion, green pepper & corn mix. 1 spoon of Guacamole Sauce, 1 spoon of Sour Cream. Sprinkle little salt & lemon on top.

¡buen provecho (Bon Appetit)