greek shrimp pasta with spinach and tomatoes

ok, this time i was slacking, but that's only because i was moving. now that i'm settled, i'm making up for my slackness and made two dishes. the first was something new and little bit different than what i've been tackling. the second is an old favorite, which once again, in my humble opinion, has turned out better than expected. here's dish numbero uno.

Ingredients:
canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
green onions
fresh spinach
whole black olives
whole wheat penne pasta
shrimp
balsamic vinegar
lemon juice
rice vinegar
1 can, cannellini beans
2 cans, diced tomatoes
basil
salt
pepper
feta cheese


Preparation:
- bring water to a boil with a pinch of salt and add penne pasta
- in a large skillet, heat canola oil and add garlic and green onions on medium heat
- add in tomatoes, cannellini beans and basil and cook through and let simmer
- add spinach and cook until spinach wilts into sauce
- on low heat, add shrimp, black olives, and a dash of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and rice vinegar
- add pepper and salt to taste
- serve over cooked pasta and add feta cheese crumbs

απόλαυσε! (supposedly enjoy in greek)

aloo poha

i haven't been slacking... rather attempting to perfect this dish. indian food has always been a challenge, as i'm extremely picky when it comes to spices and trying to get the measurements right. finally, after 2 weeks... i have it where i want it.

aloo poha (pronounced ah-loo po-hay) is a flattened rice dish with potatoes. i did some research and for those of you who don't know hindu mythology, poha is the favorite food of lord krishna. i don't want to go into the story, but you can google it.

mommy and daddy used to make this all the time growing up and to this day, it's just as good now as it was back then. it's normally made for weekend brunch. time to save up your cash as a trip to the indian grocery store will be in order to procure a lot of these ingredients, but it's totally worth it!

Ingredients:
2 cups thick poha (flattened rice flakes)
1 large potato
1/2 onion
3 dried red chili peppers
cilantro
1 clove garlic
yellow mustard seed
black peppercorns
cumin powder
fennel seed
ground coriander
garam masala
turmeric
urad dal
hing (asafoetida)
salt
canola oil

Preparation:
- soak and drain thick poha for 10-15 mins
- finely chop onion, cut pototo in cubes, and cut cilantro
- put canola oil in a pot and heat on medium heat
- add mustard seed and dal and cover; when mustard seeds pop, add in peppercorns, hing, stir for a minute
- add garlic, onion, potato, cilantro, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, dried chili peppers, garam masala and cook until light brown
- with heat on low, add poha, 1/4 turmeric and mix thoroughly; add salt for taste or garlic salt

this dish can be eaten as it is or you could try what my cousin and i do: add buttermilk and crushed papadam. add this if you want to eat it like this guy!

peppered meatloaf and mashed potatoes with chives

i know that i deviated slightly from my decree of posting something once a week (by 2 days, eh!), but it's because i've been trying my hand at something i've never been good at... indian recipes. i won't go into it right now, but it's a work in progress that i'm... working on. they are coming, but it's taking me a bit longer to get it just right.

i decided to take a break from failing miserably at dishes from the motherland and tried my hand at an old favorite. i've always liked meatloaf, but it's always been just too much of a good thing, so i added some extra goodness. and i didn't stop there -- instead of using potatoe flakes and making synthetic mashed potatoes, i created real mashed potatoes for the first time. everything turned out supremely... mmm!

Meatloaf Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup, italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup, shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 cup of salsa
3 garlic cloves, minced
minced ginger
cilantro
dry oregano
dry basil
worcestershire sauce
soy sauce
lemon juice
garam masala
salt
5x9" meatloaf pan

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
2 lbs, yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup of chives, chopped
4 oz. low-fat cream cream
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt

Meatloaf Preparation:
- preheat oven to 350°
- combine beef, peppers, onion, cilantro, oregano, basil, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, bread crumbs, salsa, cheese, egg, garam masala, garlic and salt into a bowl and mix everything together
- place meat mixture into 5x9 pan
- cook in oven for 45 minutes or until ready

Mashed Potato Preparation:
- boil salted water and put potatoes in
- when potatoes are soft (not mushy), remove and peel
- place potatoes in bowl and mash with a fork (or a mixer for you high-tech people)
- add in chives, margarine, cream cheese, milk, garlic, salt, parmesan cheese and mix together (if it's still clumpy, try adding more milk)

serve with meatloaf and enjoy!

cajun chicken and shrimp pasta

i made this recipe once a long time back, but i also realized how fatty and unhealthy it was at the time as it called for some heavy whipping cream, which isn't exactly a heart's best friend. so i took this opportunity to experiment with a substitute and i think that it turned out pretty well. the recipe i made before involved only chicken, so i kicked things up a notch and threw some shrimp into the mix for some added creole flavor.

Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts shrimp 1 yellow pepper 1 red pepper 1 green pepper green onions cilantro whole wheat penne rigate pasta 5 garlic cloves sour cream cajun seasoning butter white vinegar balsamic vinegar worcestershire sauce soy sauce lemon juice lemon pepper chili powder ground basil sriracha sauce tabasco sauce

Marinade: chicken pieces shrimp cajun seasoning white vinegar chili powder worcestershire sauce tabasco sauce soy sauce lemon juice Sauce: sour cream balsamic vinegar white vinegar

Preparation:
- coat pan with butter and heat on medium-high, add garlic
- places marinated chicken/shrimp pieces in pan (shrimp cooks quickly so remove shrimp after 5 minutes)
- reduce to medium heat, add in vegetables and stir
- reduce to low heat, add lemon pepper, ground basil and shrimp
- separately, boil and cook pasta
- separately, create sauce with half a small tub of sour cream and balsamic and white vinegar (stir thoroughly)
- on low heat, add sauce to pan and cook for 5-10 minutes
- serve with pasta as a base and chicken, shrimp and vegetables in sauce on top

chili con maharaja

my masterpiece of choice for the week is an old favorite and something that everyone will have fun making.

chili was on the plate or in the bowl rather and the timing couldn't have been more perfect with the superbowl having just passed.

this recipe has undergone many transformations and iterations in my many years of creating the treasured treat, but i'm confident that this is the best that has ever turned out.

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef 6 habanero and chili sausage links 4 green onions 1 green pepper 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 2 cans of red beans 2 tomato sauce cans (10 oz) 3 cloves of garlic 1 chili seasoning powder packet

fresh garlic ground cardamom pinch of salt ground cumin seed chili powder worcestershire sauce tabasco sauce lemon juice rice vinegar canola oil

Preparation:
- Brown ground beef and add chili seasoning powder; when complete put in large pot
- slice sausage and brown to liking; add to pot when complete
- heat canola oil, add chopped up garlic and ginger; add vegetables and sautee for a few minutes, then add to pot
- place pot on low-medium heat, add beans, tomato sauce and have fun adding all the extras in to your desire
- cook on low heat for 10-20 minutes, covering and stirring regularly

when finished, serve and enjoy... cheers to beers!

the time has come...

with the onset of 2009, i've decided to take my love of food and cooking to the web.

i said i was going to prepare a new dish each week and attempt to stretch my cooking boundaries (spice rack and kitchen utensils as well). after a few weeks and some very gracious praise of a few lucky (or unlucky) souls, i'm bringing my attempt at culinary creativity to you all.

in the coming weeks, i will post recipes that i've tried my hand at, as well as the ingredients used. one thing to note is that there will be limited details in the quantities that i use, especially in terms of spices. cooking should be fun and about experimentation and everyone has their own specific likes/dislikes and preferences. the goal here is that i hope to inspire people to be creative and cook and hopefully, be inspired by others.

that said... buono appetito!