Semi homemade : Spaghetti in creamy tomato sauce

I am always wishing that how great it will be when fixing a meal is easy and time saving. There were days, I will stare at the blank wall to get an idea of what to prepare for dinner as to avoid seeing a frowned face of S later. The no-elaborate-cooking-moods like  today are sporadic in our home. Now after a beautiful vacation in Reno, I am still taking time to recuperate the time and energy to get back into the groove. That's when semi homemade foods comes as a savior. 
 

 

Just few hours after we arrived from Reno, we headed straight to shop groceries/food for the week. And my most favorite place is Costco. I picked most of the things that are ready to eat or that needs some baking or microwaving. Some fresh breads, smoked salmon, ready to eat salads, creamy tomato soups, crackers and dips. The first few days after a vacation are a plateau phase where laundry, cleaning and tidying up tops the priority list and quality cooking time takes a back seat.

Organic creamy tomato soup is super delicious. Even better than the one I buy in Safeway. And two cans for around $7 is an awesome deal. I have tried to reproduce the soup and it came out pretty well. Will share that recipe in another post as I don't have a picture for it. 

I served one can as soup and the other one I used it as a base for my pasta. Here is the easy breezy recipe for mouth watering pasta. You can add any veggies or meat or shrimp to create your own version.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups creamy tomato basil soup - from Costco or any store of your choice

3/4 packet - whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 cup peas

Salt and pepper

Water to cook paste

Parmigiano cheese for garnish 

Directions

Bring water to a rolling boil and cook the spaghetti as per manufacturer's instruction. Drain and set aside. 

In a large saucepan, bring the soup to a boil. Add the peas or shrimp or meat and let it cook till they are done. Toss in the cooked pasta and mix well. Serve with cheese shavings. Enjoy!

Aviyal - South Indian side made with vegetables and coconut

As promised here is the recipe for delicious Aviyal. It is the easiest dish to fix even on a busy day. Yesterday, I saw my fridge with 2 carrots, 1 raw banana, few beans, 1 brinjal, 1 potato, 1/4 packet frozen peas. Those vegetables individually can't made into a curry, but using them all together can help me cook a decent amount of aviyal for dinner. I fixed them in less than 20 minutes. S relished it and after finishing our dinner, we refilled our plates with just aviyal and licked our way through the fingers :-) Incredibly yummy!

Every vegetable (except peas :-)) has a uniform lengthwise shape which is 1" in size and that's one thing which my mom insists every time I cook this dish. The addition of flavorful coconut mixture infuses a lovely flavor to the entire dish perfectly and the use of whipped yogurt makes them more creamy. The key ingredients, curry leaves and coconut oil adds a wonderful aroma and earthly flavor to the dish. So never even think of making aviyal without having those stuffs in your kitchen shelf. Trust me, they are so simple to make. Do give it a try!

Ingredients
2 carrots - 1" lengthwise
1 potato - 1" lengthwise
10-12 beans - 1" lengthwise
1 raw banana - 1" lengthwise
1 brinjal - 1" lengthwise
1/4 cup peas - frozen/fresh
2 tbs coconut - dessicated/fresh
2 tsp cummin seeds
3-4 green chillies
1 cup yogurt/buttermilk
2 tbs coconut oil
10-12 curry leaves

Method
Cook all the vegetables (except frozen peas) in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Set them aside.

Grind the coconut, cummin seeds and green chillies to a fine paste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a cooking pan. Once they get heated up, add the curry leaves and cooked vegetables. Cook for a minute.

Add the coconut paste and give it a complete mix. Add salt to taste and cook till the raw smell of the coconut disappears. It takes about 5-6 minutes. Always cook in medium low and be careful not to mash the vegetable while sauteing.

Finally add the yogurt/ buttermilk and mix thoroughly. Check for salt and drizzle little coconut oil on top. If you find them very thick, you can add very little hot water to dilute the thickness.

Serve it with adai (recipe here) and can also be served with rice and sambar.

Carrot peas pulao / pilaf

A foodie n her cooking hat is celebrating its 1st anniversary this month. I started this simple blog with no knowledge on what this blogging world is all about. I stumbled and experimented different recipes, read a lot of books on food, health and lifestyle, learnt HTML codes & food photography in this time span. My first blog post was this. It has been a fantastic journey as I spent time cooking the food with lots of love and passion. All my recipes were tried and tested on my parents and cousins earlier and now poor S has become my guinea pig. I am having a great time in whipping so many delicacies in my cosy kitchen.I have about 65 posts till now which I know is pretty less when compared other bloggers. I have recently started a series on Deccan Kitchen and Easy Indian Cooking with an aim to promote Indian cooking to a larger international audience.

This foodie world has given me new circle of friends whom I am fond of and I have really admired all of their photographs, recipes and preludes. I am here to thank you all for showering me with tons of love, support and encouragement during every stage of my growth as a food blogger. I am celebrating this 1st anniversary with a simple dish which I assume myself to be an expert. I am not celebrating it with a sweet but with something which S loves: Pulao!

Carrot peas pulao is one of the most easiest and tastiest pulao one can ever make. My best buddy B calls this my signature dish as I make them in every get-together dinners. Honestly, they are so easy to fix and tastes absolutely delightful with any Indian gravies or raita. The mild Indian spices blends exotically with basmatic rice and creates a lovely flavor in every mouth. A little heat comes from the green chillies and the sweetness is balanced by the peas and carrots. This is a perfect dinner even on a working day!
Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
2 green chillies - slit
2 onions - long thin slices
1/2 cup carrots - cubed 1/2 cup peas
1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 cups water
1 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste

Whole masalas 
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1" cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 cardamons
1 small bay leaf

Method
1. Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for minimum 30minutes - 2 hours. Drain and set aside.
 
2. Heat a large cooking vessel with a lid with oil. Once the oil ripples, throw in the whole masalas and saute for  couple of minutes. Add the green chillies and onions with little salt. Cook till they brown a bit, about 8 minutes.

3. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell disappears, about 2 minutes. Now mix the carrots and peas and give it a complete stir. Add a teaspoon more salt.

4. Pour 3 cups water and bring it to a boil. Once they boil, lower the flame to lowest mark. Add the basmati rice and cook for 15 minutes covered. Once done, switch off and flame. Let the rice rest until you are ready to serve. Don't open the pan. Once the table is set and the guests have arrived, open the lid and with a fork, gently scrap through the cooked basmati rice. This will help it fluff up well. 



5. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot with Indian gravy / raita

Notes:
1. Check for salt in the cooking water before you set them.