Fried Olives

Ingredients

1. 15- 20 Cerignola green olives rinsed and dried

2. 4 tbsp of ricotta cheese

3. 2 tbsp of gorgonzola blue cheese

4. 1 tbsp of lemon zest

5. Pepper to taste

6. 1 tbsp of dried thyme

7. 1 ½ cup of all purpose flour

8. 1 egg beaten

9. 2 cups of panco bread crumbs

10. Vegetable oil for frying.

Directions

1. Make an assembly line of three bowls/ trays of all purpose flour, egg, panco bread.

2. In the mean time heat oil in a non stick deep dish pan or fryer.

3. Now in a bowl add ricotta cheese and gorgonzola blue cheese. Make sure you keep this cheese in room temperature before mixing other things.

4. Add thyme and lemon zest to the cheese and mix well.

5. Now in a zip lock bag put the cheese mixture. At the end of zip lock bag cut a slight hole for filling the olives.

6. Carefully fill the olives with cheese mixture and keep on dropping into the flour tray.

7. When all the olives are done dust the olives from flour and add to the egg tray one by one with help of spoon.

8. Then at last to the panco bread crumbs. Roll them well so that bread crumbs sticks well.

9. Take the olives out and keep in tray carefully. Wait till all the olives are done.

10. Now drop at least 4-5 olives in oil, it only takes 2-3 minutes.

11. When they turn golden brown remove from oil and keep in tray covered with tissue paper.

12. Enjoy hot fried olives appetizer with ketchup.

-Chitra

Chilled Mediterranean Hummus Salad

Ingredients

1. 2 cans of hummus / chick peas / garbanzo beans

2. 2 tbsp of sliced Spanish olives

3. 2 tbsp of chopped pickled vegetables

(See my Recipe for Pickled Vegetables)

4. Salt and Pepper to taste

5. 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro / dhaniya

6. 1 lemon, juiced

7. 1 tsp of red hot sauce

Directions

1. Drain out the chick peas and rinse it under running water in a strainer.

2. Take a large bowl add all the ingredients and stir it well.

3. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it chill for some time.

4. Serve this on hot sunny day to your family. It is full of nutrients and protein.

-Chitra

All Peppery Pasta

Ingredients

1. 2 cups Spiral Pasta (preferably Rainbow Color)
2. 1 medium Onion (chopped vertically)
3. 2 cups/one can Roasted Tomato Puree/ Paste /Sauce
4. 2 cups of Red, Orange , Green and Yellow Bell Pepper chopped thinly and vertically
5. 2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
6. Salt and Pepper to taste
7. 2 tsp. Vegetable Oil / Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8. One finely chopped green Onion/Scallions
9. Coriander/Cilantro
10. Olives
11. 1 fresh Lemon Juice

Directions

1. Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta for 10 minutes and add some Salt (only time to flavor the pasta)
2. Add Pasta and turn heat to low.
3. Heat Oil in non stick pan on Medium low heat.
4. Add Onions. When the Onions turn light brown add Garlic.
5. Add Bell Peppers.
6. Add Salt and Pepper.
7. Add Tomato Sauce and stir it well let it simmer for 3-5 mins. (Turn heat to Low and cover the pan)
8. Drain the Pasta and toss it in the serving tray.
9. Now toss the sauce over the top and lightly mix it.
10. Garnish with Jalapenos, Olives and Vinegar and fresh Lemon juice and with chopped green Onion/Scallions, Coriander/Cilantro.
11. Quickly divide into individual bowls and Serve bowlfuls of Peppery Pasta.
    

-Chitra

Sprouts Salad

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of Moong Daal (Green) Sprouts

2. Salt to Taste

3. 1 Lemon

4. 1 cup of chopped cabbage or lettuce

5. ½ Cucumber Chopped finely

6. ½ Onion Chopped thinly

7. 1 Ripe Tomatoes thinly chopped

8. 1 tsp of Cilantro / Dhaniya chopped finely

9. 4-5 olives finely chopped

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together and squeeze lemon.

2. Add Salt and Pepper to taste

3. Serve this Nutritious salad to everyone and stay healthy

-Chitra

Bell Pepper Cup Cakes

This will be your favorite appetizer just try this...invite your girlfriends over or try it as a picnic snack.....everyone will love it


Ingredients

· One boiled potato
· Two Red Peppers, cut the top off
· ½ cup of roasted peanuts
· 2 tsp. of olives (black and green)
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
· 1 cup of diced onions
· 1 tsp. of diced green chilies
· 3 tsp. of shredded skimmed Mozzarella Cheese
· 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

Directions

· In a non stick skillet add 1 tsp. of oil.
· Add Onions and green chilies
· When onion turn golden brown add potatoes
· Now add Salt and pepper and red chili flakes
· Cool down the mixture for 5 minutes and olives to it.
· Add mozzarella cheese to the mixture now
· Now fill bell peppers with the mixture.
· Preheat the oven for ten minutes 350 degrees.
· Now bake the bell peppers until they are little soft from outside light brown color from
outside.
· Coat with sesame seeds and serve hot.

-Chitra Pal

Veggie Paradise Pizza

Who does not love pizza..........It is not Italian favorite anymore, but everyone loves it......kids love it and adults enjoy as much as kids.

So, here we make our own fresh veggie pizza at home in just 30 minutes.

All ingredients

Ingredients

• Store brought fresh pizza dough
  
• ½ cup diced red bell peppers
  
• ½ cup dice green bell peppers
  
• ¼ cup of sliced red onion
  
• ½ cup black pitted and diced olives
  
• ½ cup of mushrooms sliced thinly
  
• ½ tsp. of oregano
  
• ½ cup of skim milk/ low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• Red chili flakes to taste
  
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
  
• 2 tsp. of pizza sauce or you can make your own (recipe follows)

Directions:-

• Roll the Dough with some dry flour on wooden base or kitchen counter until it is your desired shape (round or rectangle)
• Preheat oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Spray some Oil on baking sheet and out your pizza on it.
• Spray some olive oil or brush olive oil on first side and dig small little holes with the help of fork in pizza so that olive oil flavor can come in bread.
• Repeat this with the other side after one side has been cooked or turned light pink brown (usually takes 10 minutes each side on 450 degrees)
• Now take the pizza bred out and cover the top with sauce and some cheese, heat this for 10 minutes or till the cheese melts.
• Now at last is toppings time, which are vegetables or Chicken etc. and some more cheese. This recipe is for All Veggie Surprise, but if you want you can use Chicken or Pepperoni. It is just cooking time of vegetables will be lot less then any kind of meat.
• When the vegetables turn little brown and cheese melts you pizza is ready.
• Take out the Pizza and let it sit for 3-4 minutes, it will be hot to slice it. I know it is not easy to wait after that. Grab your slices and enjoy with your family.

Pizza Sauce: - Heat 3 tsp. olive oil and add thinly diced onions and two cloves of garlic. When Onions turn little brown add can of diced tomatoes. Let it cook for 10 minutes until sauce is little reduced and then add salt and add 1 tsp. of oregano and red chili flakes. Let the mixture to cool down and now mix it well in your blender with 1tsp. of hot sauce and salt and pepper to tatse. Your sauce is ready. Store it in glass bottle or can. You can use the same as any kind of pasta marinara.

You can get your kids involve in choosing and putting the toppings on your bread, it will be family Pizza time and for health conscious people now you know how much fat and calories you are serving your family. If you are living alone, it can be treat for yourself doing something great or celebrate anything, it can be bad day as cheer up day, njoy :)


-Chitra