Indian Cilantro Lamb Kebabs

For a healthy, exotic and festive meal choose these delicious kebabs.

In celebration of my Mom's birthday she requested that i make these. This came from a cookbook that i have had for a while. It's a shame that i hadn't noticed this recipe sooner, because we all loved it! The spices and yogurt made the meat taste so good. There are a couple different spices used, including cinnamon! I was skeptical, but it was so delicious and went together perfectly. It definitely had an exotic vibe because of all the spices, cilantro and yogurt, not to mention the delicious lamb. 

Indian Cilantro Lamb Kebabs

Servings: 16 meatballs, or enough meat to make 4 kebabs with 4 meatballs on each. Source: Adapted from Best Ever Indian: A Collection Of Over 100 Essential Recipes Page 62 ISBN: 978-1-4454-2583-2 By Parragon Books and Love Food Editors Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, plus 1/4 red onion in large pieces divided

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

4 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 inch peeled fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons lemon, lime or key lime juice (I used key limes.)

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pepper to taste (I used 1 dash.)

1 egg

Non- stick cooking spray

For Garnish

Red onions

Diced tomatoes

Lemon or lime wedges

This was delicious with rice, could also go well in a pita or sub.

Step 1

Chop cilantro, red onion and grate the ginger. Put all ingredients besides the cooking spray and large pieces of red onion into a medium sized bowl. Mix thoroughly. Form sixteen meatballs.

Step 2

Assemble onto kebab skewers by adding 1 large piece of red onion followed by 1 meatball until you have put 4 meatballs onto each skewer.

Step 3

Preheat your barbecue and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cook the kebabs until cooked through, turning them occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Step 4

Serve with other accompaniments such as rice or in a pita.

Kerala, India

Cheesy Mushroom Burgers

Have you ever felt like your brain goes to mush when you try to plan meals ahead of time? This is exactly what happens to me! When i try to brainstorm weekly meals my mind tends to go blank. For my packed lunches i had to come up with something simple, yet tasty. Cue ground beef. Ground beef is what i've been relying on to pack quick, protein filled lunches. I had some ground beef on hand and wanted to try incorporating mushrooms into the mixture to make it more like a "gourmet" burger. This combo was delicious! The mushrooms carmelize up and are a perfect addition to these burgers, that and the delicious Mexican blend cheese make this a new recipe that will be on my lunch rotation from now on. 

Cheesy Mushroom Burgers

Source: Made on a whim. Servings: Yields 10 palmful sized burgers. This recipe is easily halved to make less servings. Time: 25 minutes

 Ingredients

1.3 pounds lean ground beef

1 large egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs. [I used Panko Japanese breadcrumbs.]

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

1 cup roughly diced mushrooms

1/2 tablespoon salt or to taste

dash of pepper

Step 1

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly so all ingredients are incorporated. Form palmful sized hamburgers with your hands. Cook on your barbecue or stove top for around 10-15 or until cooked through. 

Banana Bars With Nutella Frosting

When it comes to brownies dense, moist brownies are my type. In fact, most desserts that are dense and moist like pudding cakes and tres leches are my preferred pick. So when i saw these banana bars on Averie Cooks, it was love at first sight. I omitted the vanilla bean browned butter glaze and opted for a Nutella frosting from Baking Part Time and voila. Perhaps one of the most epic combos in my dessert dreams.

Banana Bars With Nutella Frosting

Serves: 9 generous squares with ample frosting. This recipe is easily multiplied for more servings. Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Source: Banana bars slightly adapted from Averie Cook's Fudgy Banana Bars with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze  , Nutella frosting slightly adapted from Baking Part Time's Nutella Frosting

Ingredients

Banana Bars

3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large or 3 small/medium ripe bananas)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt (optional) to taste

butter and or cooking spray to grease dish

Nutella Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup Nutella
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs milk
1/3 cup powdered sugar

For The Banana Bars

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or casserole dish with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray or apply butter; set aside.

Step 2

In a large, microwave-safe bowl add the white chocolate, butter, and heat to melt, about 2 minutes on high power. Stop to check and stir after 1 minute, and then heat in 20-second bursts, stopping to stir after each burst, until mixture can be stirred smooth. White chocolate is very prone to scorching and seizing up, so watch it carefully and don't overheat.

Step 3Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, sugar, vanilla, and whisk until combined.

Step 4Stir in the bananas until well-combined.

Step 5Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix.
Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

Step 6Bake for about 32 to 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no liquid batter. 

Step 7

Let the bars cool completely.

For The Nutella Frosting

Step 1Beat butter and Nutella together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer until combined.

Step 2
Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until powdered sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and stable.

For Assembly

Step 1

Once the bars are cooled completely frost the bars. Cut them and transfer them to serving plate/ tray.

Pictures Of The Process

The banana bars' batter

The Nutella and butter before being processed into a frosting.

Buen Provecho!

-Piggy In Paradise

Mexican Chicken Stew

I love every and any type of Mexican food. From enchiladas to flan i just can't get over how simple and homey the flavors are.

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 When i was searching for some healthy chicken recipes to make i came across this chicken stew. It had me at the word "Mexican". This stew is comforting and when served with rice it will leave you feeling very satisfied and full. Another Mexican recipe to add to my growing list of favorites!

Mexican Chicken Stew

Serves: 4-6 Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Source: Adapted from BBCgoodfood's Mexican Chicken Stew

• Ingredients
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil or 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chipotle paste (I could not find chipotle paste at my store so i used chipotle peppers in adobo as a substitute.)
• 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar (I used agave natural sugar substitute.)
• 400g crushed canned tomatoes
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 split skin and bone in chicken breasts, which had more than enough meat. I would recommend using the 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts to cut down time significantly on the shredding part.)
• 3 dashes salt, or to taste
• For Garnish (Optional)
• Slices of red onion
• Fresh herb leaves (I used basil)
• To Serve
• Tortillas or rice
• Step 1
• Heat the oil or butter in a medium pot. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins or until softened and starting to turn golden, adding the garlic for the final minute. Stir in the sugar, chipotle paste and tomatoes. Put the chicken into the pan, spoon over the sauce, and simmer covered gently for 20 minutes stirring occasionally until the chicken has cooked (add a splash of water if the sauce gets too dry, i ended up adding 3/4 cup water to keep it stewy).
• Step 2
• Remove the chicken from the pan and shred with 2 forks,( This will be messy since it has been soaking in the tomato sauce so prepare!) then stir back into the sauce. Cook until heated through about another 15 minutes. Sprinkle 3 dashes salt or add more or less according to your taste. Scatter with a little red onion, and herb leaves to garnish, and serve warm with tortillas or rice.
• Pictures Of The Process
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• Buen Provecho!
• -Piggy In Paradise
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Peach Bread Pudding

Peach bread pudding is such a comforting food, and it's versatile too! You can enjoy this for breakfast or serve it as a dessert. I love the fresh, sweet flavor the peaches bring to this dish. I used Cuban bread because i believe that its soft texture is perfect for soaking up the sweet custard. I just couldn't get enough peach bread pudding the first time i tried it, and now i am so glad i have a simple recipe to go to when my bread pudding cravings kick in :).

Peach Bread Pudding 

Yield: 6 Servings Active Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 30-40 minutes Total Time: 45- 55 minutes  Source: Slightly adapted from Food.com's Peach Bread Pudding

Ingredients
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk, scalded
1 cup water
3 cups cubed bread (I used Cuban bread)
1 cup peaches, fresh, ripe, finely diced with their skin on

Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a medium sized baking pot and place it inside a larger baking casserole.
Step 2
Begin to scald your evaporated milk.
Step 3
In a large bowl mix the first 6 ingredients together.
Step 4
Once the evaporated milk is scalded mix the water and the evaporated milk together in a separate bowl.
Step 5
Slowly add the milk/water mixture to the egg mixture while stirring.
Step 6
Put the cubed bread and peaches into the greased baking pot and then pour the liquid mixture onto the bread and peaches. Mix to incorporate the liquids with the bread.
Step 7
Add water to the larger casserole to create a water bath for your baking pot.
Step 8
Carefully place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Step 10
Let cool to desired temperature and enjoy :)!

Pictures of the process

Creating the water bath for the pudding.

Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza

I have yet to master making my own homemade dough. So..for now i will benefit from store bought pizza dough :).

Cinque Terre, Italy

This pizza owes all its flavor to the fresh tomatoes and basil. They provide a revitalized flavor that regular pizza sauce just can't provide.



Cinque Terre, Italy

The best thing about this pizza is the browned mozzarella cheese. Its warm gooey consistency combined with the other delicious ingredients is so satisfying.

Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza

Source: Made on a whim
Yield: 4 Slices
Ingredients
Store-bought refrigerated pizza dough
1 medium to small sized fresh tomato, diced at room temperature
2 shredded leaves of fresh basil plus 3 more for garnish
Salt
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Butter

1] Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a baking sheet with butter.
2] Stretch your pizza dough as much as you can and assemble it onto the baking sheet.
3] Pierce the pizza dough with a fork in the area that you will put the tomatoes, leaving the crust area un-pierced. This will help keep the center down and the crust puffier.
4] Spread the diced tomatoes onto the middle of the pizza. Randomly scatter the shredded fresh basil. Sprinkle the pizza with salt.
5] Heap as much mozzarella as you desire on top of the fresh tomatoes. I used about 2 1/2 cups.
6] Bake until the crust is cooked through and the cheese starts to brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Easy Chocolate Puff Pastry Bites

These are really yummy and quick to make. They are what i would describe as short cut pain au chocolat. If you crave sweets for breakfast, then these convenient pastries will definitely satisfy that craving. They are delicious with a glass of milk!

Easy Chocolate Puff Pastry Bites

Yield: Approximately 24
Time: 25 minutes total not including thaw time for puff pastry

• 1 Box of thawed store bought puff pastry from the frozen section of your local grocery store. (thawed to the point where you can work with them but not to the point that they make a gooey mess. Taking them out of the freezer and letting them thaw in the refrigerator overnight is optimal)
• Butter
• Milk chocolate chips about 3/4 cup.

1] Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2] Grease a baking sheet with butter.

3]Cut the thawed puff pastry sheets into squares. 1 sheet of puff pastry should yield 12 squares. The brand i used (Pepperidge farm) yielded 24 per box.

4] Put 4 chocolate chips into the center of each puff pastry square.

5] Fold up the squares to envelope the chocolate chips.

6] Pierce the assembled squares every where with a fork. (This will reduce their "puff" and keep them bite sized.)

7] Arrange them on the baking sheet. Bake for 14 through 16 minutes. Or until the puff pastry is cooked to your liking.