Fiery Caijun Shrimp with Vegetable Quinoa

No matter how hot and humid the season ,spicy foods always entice me. A summer drink like the water melon spritzer works best for me to cool off the heat after a spicy meal like such.
The spicy Caijun Seasoning , commonly used in coastal Lousiania cooking, is pretty simple to put together,goes great on any kind of saute or grilling of seafood. One can serve the spicy shrimp with any kind of whole grain ,Brown rice ,Wild rice ,Freekah , Farro or quinoa ,as in this recipe. Load with lots of vegetable to get the best of the meal.


Recipe : Caijun Seasoning
Ingredients:

2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon ground smoked paprika
2 tablespoon chili powder, or 2 dried red chilies
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper(peppercorns)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil

Method

Finely grind all the ingredients in a coffee grinder and store in an air tight container.

Recipe :Caijun shrimp
Ingredients

15-20 Jumbo shrimp ,shelled and deveined
2 teaspoon Caijun Seasoning(as in recipe above)
1 tablespoon Canola oil

Method
Marinate shirmp in the seasoning and oil for 15-20 minutes.
On Stove top
Heat a deep pan, add shrimp and saute 3-4 minutes until shirmp is pink and seasoning is darkened. Serve hot with Vegetable Quinoa.
On Grill
Heat grill on high and grill the marinated shrimp ,about 2minutes on each side.Serve.


Recipe : Vegetable Quinoa
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Quinoa
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup Green or Red or Yellow peppers,chopped
1/2 cup chopped Broccoli(use any other like carrots,peas or green beans)
1/2 cup chopped Kale
1 big clove garlic,finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive or canola oil,divided
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
pinch of turmeric
1/4 cup chopped cilantro and parsley
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime\lemon juice

Method

Wash quinoa and drain all water.

Heat a big skillet over medium flame. Add oil and onion,Saute until translucent about 2-3 minutes;add garlic and spices then add quinoa ,saute for 2-3 minutes then stir in vegetables and season with salt. Add 2 cups of water ,cover and cook until quinoa is tender. Serve warm with caijun shrimp.

Shallots Sambar

Wrapped in shiny purple peel ,the mild flavored shallots are said to be cross between sweet onions and garlic.Available in many varities ,shallots are rich in vitamin A, B, C and E.Regular consumption of shallots can reduce cholesterol levels and improve the blood circulation. Its very high concentration of flavonoids can reduce the risk of cardio-vascular diseases.

Shallot's delicate flavor is a perfect compliment in exotically spicy sambar , one of the most savored South Indian dishes,served alongside rice ,idli or vada.
Recipe :Shallots Sambar.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Yellow Split Lentil(Toor Dal)
8-10 pearl onions ,hulled and peeled
1 medium Plum Tomato choppeds
1 big Clove of Garlic
1/2 inch Ginger root or use 1/2 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste.
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon each of Cumin and coriander powder or use 1 teaspoon sambar powder
1 tablespoon of tamarind paste in 11/2 cups of water
1 sprig of Curry leaves
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds(Methi)
1 teaspoon Salt
1-2 green chillies
Method
Cook the Lentils
Wash and Soak lentil for 10minutes.
Wash and soak the lentil for 5-10 minutes in a cup of water. Transfer in a pressure cooker or small saucepan with lid.Add another 1/2 cup of water ,season with salt,1/4 tsp each of turmeric and chilli powder.Cover and let cook on medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes in pressure cooker and 45-50 minutes in the covered skillet until soft.When cooked mash or blend it to smooth paste.
Cook the Onions and mix in the mashed Lentils
Heat oil in a saucepan on medium high .Add the peal onions, green chillies and saute for a minute along with cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add minced ginger and garlic saute for another minute before adding rest of the spices and tamarind juice. Simmer till Onions are tender,about 15 minutes, then mix in the cooked mashed lentils. Simmer for another 5 minutes.Serve warm with brown rice or idli or Vada.

Green Almonds Soba noodles stir fry

Spring special fruit,these tender tangy green almonds have a soft white almond and is completely edible. While the green almonds harvested in late summer have harder shell,with a more firm and brown almond in the core. Originating from Middle East and Mediterranean,these are also grown in California and can easily be spotted in Middle Eastern and other specialty stores,at an affordable price.Tender green almonds are perfect for snacking ,nutritious addition in salads and stir fries.


The Japanese style soba noodles with touch of Mediterranean green almonds is one quick and satisfying entree.

Recipe :Green Almonds Soba noodles stir fry
Ingredients
6 ounces buckwheat Soba Noodles(about 2 bundles)
1 cup tender green almond
2 medium bell peppers(red or green or orange) seeded and sliced
1 big clove garlic,finely chopped or minced
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon Schezwan sauce(or any East Asian hot chili sauce)
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Cook the Noodles
Boil water in a big pot of salted water ,cook the noodles as per the package instructions and drain.
Cook the Vegetables
In meantime heat a wok or a deep pan add teaspoon of oil turn the heat to medium-high add the garlic and bell peppers ,stir often and cook for few minutes until most of the water is cooked about 5-6 minutes,add the hot sauce and soy sauce ,stir in the almonds and cook another minute or two.
Toss Up
When the vegetables are done,mix in the cooked noodles then lastly mix in the tofu and sprouts.Serve warm with a drizzle of mild hot chili sauce if desired.



This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging ,hosted this week by Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu

Mango chocolate chip Ice cream, it's dairy-free!

As the weather starts to heat up ,it always tempting to grab a cool treat. Stock up the refrigerator with such nutritious fruity home made ice cream which make best thirst quenching snacks. The best part about a home made ice cream is you control every ingredient that goes in the recipe , use your favorite fruit of the season , a better healthier substitute to sugar,raw eggs and heavy cream.

Thanks to Rachel's ingenious ideas in the ice dream cookbook , i've been trying new flavors with same base recipe that uses coconut milk and healthier sweeteners. The sweet ripe mangoes give a simply divine touch to the ice cream. The chunky dark chocolate chips are magnificent compliment to the sweetness of mangoes.

Recipe : Dairy free Mango Ice cream ,inspired by Rachel Albert-Matesz's Ice Dream Cookbook.. Find my review here.

Yields 1 3/4 cup
Ingredients
one 14 ounce can Coconut milk(preservative free,I use Thai Kitchen brand)
2 medium ripe mangoes, peeled ,seeded and chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup honey,agave nectar or 1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cool or cold filtered water
2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin or 3/4 teaspoon agar agar powder (not the flakes)
pinch of salt
Sliced Mangoes for garnish

Method
1.Warm the water in small sauce pan.Sprinkle the gelatin or agar-agar,do no stir,let dissolved completely 4-5 minutes.Turn off the heat.
2.Process the mangoes in a food processor or vitamix along with the coconut milk,sweetener(honey or agave),salt,the gelatin or agar-agar mixture and blend again until well combined and smooth.
3-Pour into one or more wide-mouthed jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning.

4-Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer�s instructions.Mix in the chocolate chips.

5-Serve immediately or spoon into several 8-to 16-ounce freezer safe containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.

6-Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.Garnish with fresh mango slices

Without the Ice cream machine method
After the step 2,transfer the Ice Cream mixture in to a freezer proof container,preferably air tight.Freeze for about an hour,then get the container out and whisk the mixture using a spatula or hand held whisk or electric whisk to break the ice crystals forming over the edges of the container.Freeze and whisk again after 30-40 minutes ,repeat this for about 6 hours until the mixture is almost frozen.Serve immediately or freeze.Do as in step 6 to serve.

Baked Ricotta Cheese and Coconut Khalakhand

Khalakhand or Qalaqand , is one of the most celebrated delicacies in the Indian subcontinent. My recipe here uses low fat Ricotta cheese in addition with shred coconut ,the milk powder adds firmer texture ,sweetened with condensed milk and hint of aromatic cardamom ,this recipe is incredibly simple and easy when compared to the elaborate traditional method.
My sister shared this idea of baked ricotta to make khalakhad ,i tweaked her recipe a little by adding shred coconut. And one can always reduce the sweetness or replace with a healthier sweetener(I mention both in the recipe). And if ricotta cheese is not available ,you could definitely replace with equal quantity of Paneer(Indian Cottage cheese).

Ingredients
4 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
4 oz. unsweetened fine shred coconut (I use the frozen)
4 oz. low fat milk powder
2 oz. sweetened condensed milk or 3/4 cup Agave nectar.
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder


Method
In a large mixing bowl,bring together all of the ingredients ,mix until well combined. Transfer in an 8x8 baking tray ,lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven at 350F ,until firm about 25-30 minutes . For a darker brown khalakhand ,let bake another 15-20 minutes at 325F. Let cool (garnish with fine chopped pistachios/almonds or speck of saffron),then slice in squares. Can be refrigerated for about 2-3 weeks.